#Bales2026MovieChallenge - playing cards Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) When I was a teen we would see the midnight showing of this film at a local art house and there was audience participation. At this scene we were supposed to throw playing cards.

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - an ankle The Birdcage (1996) It’s dated, has exaggerated stereotypes and uncomfortable straight passing. But it holds up brilliantly because it treats its characters with respect, not as a punchline. We love Albert and his pink socks. @januarymovie.bsky.social

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - square or cube Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) Miles invites people to his murder mystery game using an intricate cube puzzle box. The puzzle box itself contains several different sub-puzzles, some of them are square.

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - someone is saved Star Wars (1977) When 7 yr old me saw Star Wars in Dolby and heard Luke tell Leia “I’m Luke Skywalker and I’m here to rescue you”, my heart jumped and I knew I wanted to rescue fair maidens in distress when I grew up.

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - god like character Oh God (1977) George Burns plays the almighty in a gentle, witty and deceptively understated way. Rather than force and power he uses reason and charm to succeed. And the traditional Burns dry timing is quite funny.

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - nurturing character Todo Sobre Mi Madre (1999) Manuela's love is unconditional and self-sacrificing. Please see this powerful celebration of family, including chosen and non-traditional families. It is Almodovar's masterpiece.

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - iron Princess Mononoke (1997) Lady Eboshi is one of my favorite villlans. In true Miyazaki style she is not pure evil, but rather nuanced. While her iron factory is destroying the environment, she also gives jobs to and fights for the marginalized.

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - first born Grave of the Fireflies (1988) After their home is destroyed in an American firebombing and their mother is killed, it falls on Seita to care for his younger sister Setsuko in a bid to survive. Heartbreaking. Saddest movie I’ve ever seen. But also brilliant.

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - set in a specific year Roma (2018) Cuarón is a true artist. Roma, THE best picture of 2018, is loosely based on Cuarón’s own experiences and follows the life of a live in indigenous housekeeper of an upper middle class Mexican family in 1970.

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - social media Eighth Grade (2018) Kayla publishes vlogs and spends time on social media. Junior high was not easy for me and I found this look at the awkwardness, self doubt, and anxiety of middle school to be emotionally relatable and honest.

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - a rainbow The Bible: in the beginning (1966) John Houston directed an all star cast recreating the first couple of chapters of the Old Testament. Including the rainbow promise by God not to destroy the earth by flood again.

#Bales2026FilmChallenge - character is 26 Tangled (2010) Zachary Levi was 30 when he played Flynn Rider. But Flynn, who later became a gif star, is 26.

#Bales2026FilmChallenge - 26 Grease (1978) Rydell High is a high school for the middle age. Susan Buckner is 26. But that’s a baby compared to ONJ who was 30 or Stockard Channing who was 34.

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - a character adopts a pet Fantastic Planet (1973) The Draags keep humans as pets. Terr is taken as a pet. One day he escapes and hides in the wilderness. Surreal and striking cult classic with a killer soundtrack.

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - goes to a new (for them) country Is Capitano (2023) Rarely have I seen a migrant journey told more powerfully and beautifully. This story of 2 teens trying to get from Dakar to Europe. It is one of the best films of the last 10 years.

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - clothes shopping Pretty in Pink (1986) I love Harry Dean Stanton in everything, but he was never more likable than as Andie’s single dad who doesn’t have a job but still buys her the prom dress he can afford.

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - an expensive gift Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) Wonka: But Charlie, don’t forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he always wanted. Charlie: What happened? Wonka: He lived happily ever after.i

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - pays a big bill It’s a wonderful life (1946) George Bailey’s community effectively wipes out his entire crushing debt out of compassion.

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - comes into money Melvin and Howard (1980) True story of the will that showed up after Howard Hughes died leaving $156 million to a service station owner. A simple story without spectacle of the type that were more common in the golden era of the 70s.

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - a relationship mended Hamilton (2020) I saw the film version before I saw it live. Eliza’s decision to continue forward with Alexander after the death of their son and his infidelity is very moving. 🎶forgiveness, can you imagine?

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - starts a new job Shattered Glass (2003) Peter Sarsgaard is phenomenal as Charles Lane, who becomes the editor of the New Republic after Michael Kelly is fired.

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - character sets a goal Hoop Dreams (1994) Another close to perfect film from 1994, it follows two inner city teens with a goal to play in the NBA. It’s real, principled but not preachy, emotional, and lacks a fairy tale ending. 10/10⭐️

#Bales2026MovieChallenge - kicks cancer’s A The Doctor (1991) I like this story of a doctor before and after being a patient himself. An honest exploration of the ways our healthcare system can dehumanize patients and how empathy and compassion can be a cure. @januarymovie.bsky.social

Play along in January @januarymovie.bsky.social

#Bales2025MovieChallenge - postcard Memoir of a snail (2024) I love this movie. Letters and postcards are used as plot devices. It allows sadness & loneliness to exist without judgment, & treats them gently. It resonated with me honestly.

#Bales2025MovieChallenge -James The Old Man in the Sea (1958) Tracy is great as the aging Santiago (James in Spanish) who patiently deals with bad luck before hooking a giant marlin. When I lived in Spain (and sometimes today) many people called me Santi.

#Bales2025MovieChallenge - Mike Stranger Things - the Finale (2005) Can’t wait to see this in the theater next week. At its core this series is a coming of age saga about friends sticking together no matter what. Lucas, Dustin, Will, Mike and crew.

#Bales2025FilmChallenge - Keith Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) As a kid I had a crush on Watts and identified with the awkward, doesn’t fit in with the popular crowd Keith. Plus the soundtrack is amazing.

#Bales2025FilmChallenge - something short Matilda (1996) They don’t come much shorter than the Wormwood family. @ithrah69

#Bales2025FilmChallenge - set in January When Harry Met Sally (1989) In memory of the great Rob Reiner I choose one of his best films. The ending, which was going to be different and he actually changed it, is one of the best new year’s moments I’ve ever seen in film.

#Bales2025FilmChallenge - the moon La Luna (2011) The shorts the began each of the Pixar animated films include some of the best animated work of the last 30 years. I love this one about a boy discovering his family’s job is to sweep falling stars off the moon. @ithrah69

#Bales2025FilmChallenge -festive child Ma Vie en Rose (1997) A beautiful, important, hopeful and gentle (even if at times brutal) film. The experience of a transgender child through her own eyes in a time before the current culture of erasure. Please see this if you have not.

#Bales2025FilmChallenge -planet with rings Ad Astra (2019) I only finally saw Ad Astra this year and it defied my expectations. I was drawn into the quiet and introspective nature and Pitt’s sort of minimalist ability to portray loneliness as he journeys to Neptune.

#Bales2025FilmChallenge -a river The ten commandments (1956) The Nile is a co-star in the DeMille classic. It saves Moses’s life as a means of escape front he Pharaoh’s kill order and then later turns to blood in the first of the plagues.

#Bales2025MovieChallenge - based on folktale The Secret of Roan Inish (1994) Centered on Irish folklores of Selkies. One of the best films in one of the strongest ever years for film. It’s gentle & small & epitomizes all the things I like about John Sayles films.

#Bales2025FilmChallenge - wearing a garland Goin’ Coconuts (1979) Leis are a type of garland, right? Donny and Marie accidentally stumble upon a crime that needs solving while in Hawaii. I loved it as a kid. Today it’s a “so bad it’s good cult campy classic.

#Bales2025MovieChallenge - candles Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) While it’s never stated, the world of Howl appears to take place in the late 1800s. Early electric lamps mixed with gas lamps, but still relying on candle light. And magic / supernatural of course. @ithrah69

#Bales2025MovieChallenge -mountains The emperors new groove (2003) Underrated and one of the most unusual, quirky, unique, not to mention funniest of the Disney animated films. I love it. Takes place in the Andes.

#Bales2025MovieChallenge -human rights Philadelphia (1993) We need heroes who sacrifice and stand as symbols of justice to fight bigotry. But we also need the ordinary citizens who recognize their biases and evolve to become allies. Hanks deserved his Oscar. But the message lands due to Denzel.

#Bales2025MovieChallenge - a cruise Wall-E (2008) The entire population of the earth lives on the Axiom, essentially a space cruise ship including shows, activity rooms and endless buffets.

#Bales2025MovieChallenge - light on water Nyad (2023) One of my favorite scenes in Nyad is the eerie and dreamlike underwater night swimming sequence where the dark ocean glows with the blue and green light swirling around each stroke. Gorgeous.

#Bales2025MovieChallenge - a temple A New York Doll (2006) This doc about Arthur “Killer” Kane of the New York Dolls could have been just a Behind the Music episode. Instead it’s a gentle and human story of a real life miracle. The LDS LA temple on the poster.

#Bales2025MovieChallenge - theme park Snoopy Come Home (1972) The carnival scene touches on painfully familiar unrequited love. Patti clearly loves a clueless Chuck. He misses snoopy & feels snoopy doesn’t miss him. And the whole story about his dad’s first crush.

#Bales2025MovieChallenge - caregiver The Phantom Thread (2017) The film before his 2nd retirement solidified Day-Lewis’s as one of the GOATS. I love the portrayal of the beautiful, uneasy and power shifting relationships he has with his caregivers. Alma and Cyril.

#Bales2025MovieChallenge - sisters James and the Giant Peach (1996) They say Dahl could be difficult, blunt, and even cruel. If so, art imitates life as many adults in his books were absurd and negative obstacles to the child hero or villains. Aunts Sponge and Spike fit that bill.

#Bales2025MovieChallenge - conquering fear Coco (2017) Coco is a work of art and it’s a tribute to conquering fear. Miguel fears that being true to himself will disappoint family. The dead fear they will be forgotten. Miguel’s family fear confronting their past.

#Bales2025MovieChallenge - watch with Sinna and crew The Never Ending Story (1984) Between nostalgia for the Gen Xers in the group and the story of Atreyu’s horse Artax, probably the most emotional moment in fantasy movie history, for Cinn, this is a winner.

#Bales2025MovieChallenge - quiet and thoughtful Perfect Days (2023) This movie was such a pleasant surprise for me. It’s calm and meditative and deeply human glimpse of one ordinary life is pure poetry.

#Bales2025MovieChallenge - unforgettable ending Harold and Maude (1971) The brilliance of the ending of Harold and Maude is that it is somehow both emotionally devastating and also incredibly uplifting and life affirming. Love the banjo and the Ferris Bueller moment. Maude would approve.

#Bales2025MovieChallenge - a snow scene The Wizard of Oz (1939) When the wicked witch of the west (we didn’t yet know her proper name) drugs Dorthy and crew with opium (family movie?) Glinda can’t outright stop her. But she can make it snow to wake them up.