As it is the shortest month of the year, February really came and went. Despite it all, I did squeeze in a good number of movies throughout the month, most of which were related to the Oscars, both this year’s ceremony and years past. And speaking of the Academy Awards, I’m in the midst of finalizing my annual post in which I make my predictions of what will win Hollywood’s coveted prize, as well as talk about my personal favorites of the nominees, so be on the lookout for that this weekend! As such, I’m only highlighting a couple of movies for my monthly round-up, but they’re ones that have really stuck with me since seeing them.

New-to-Me: 24

Re-Watched: 7

New-to-Me Films by Decade:

• 1920s – 0
• 1930s – 2
• 1940s – 4
• 1950s – 0
• 1960s – 0
• 1970s – 3
• 1980s – 2
• 1990s – 1
• 2000s – 2
• 2010s – 10

List of New-to-Me Films:

1. The Color Purple (1985)
2. American Gangster (2007)
3. The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
4. The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
5. Seven Beauties (1975)
6. Logan (2017)
7. Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
8. In Bruges (2008)
9. Mistress America (2015)
10. The Florida Project (2017)
11. San Francisco (1936)
12. The Black Stallion (1979)
13. Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)
14. Black Panther (2018)
15. National Velvet (1944)
16. Kundun (1997)
17. For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)
18. Game Night (2018)
19. Prisoners (2013)
20. Annihilation (2018)
21. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
22. Anna and the King of Siam (1946)
23. The Cabin in the Cotton (1932)
24. Faces Places (2017)

A Few Favorite Discoveries:

The Florida Project (2017), directed by Sean Baker

Through the last few months of 2017, I had heard so many good things about The Florida Project, so I was anxious to see if it’d live up to expectations when I finally got a chance to see it, and as seen here, I enjoyed it very much. It follows a small group of kids, constantly finding adventures of their own while living in motels in the shadow of “the happiest place on Earth.” The movie is filled with engaging, natural performances, with big standouts from newcomers Brooklynn Prince as Moonee, the six-year-old leader of the pack, and Bria Vinaite as her young, single mother Halley. Both actresses, along with the rest of the cast, are also well-matched with veteran actor Willem Dafoe as the motel manager Bobby, who gives one of the finest performances of his career. While he often plays pretty eccentric characters, here he’s much more subdued and does a wonderful job of sharing the screen with his young castmates.

Black Panther (2018), directed by Ryan Coogler

This was a movie I had been waiting to see since seeing the Black Panther character in Captain America: Civil War back in 2016. And as excited as I was to see Black Panther, the film exceeded my expectations, and I loved it so much that I ended up seeing it again two days after seeing it opening night! With Ryan Coogler at the helm, I knew he’d turn out a great film as he did previously with both Creed and Fruitvale Station. It’s certainly Marvel’s most thought-provoking movie yet, and perhaps its best movie overall, if not one of its top five. It’s also easily the studio’s best-looking movie, having a distinct appearance that really sets it apart from other movies in the superhero genre, from its costume and production design to its cinematography. And I loved how well-rounded the characters were, especially the female characters who were integral to the story. I very much look forward to seeing more of Black Panther and the world of Wakanda in future films.