https://images.hive.blog/DQmWNT5xmXncj9HiUuZPau8VLWWrzL7CBjwRmA9MXpKayTf/Screenshot%202026-01-12%2012.37.55.png Image Source This blog is a personal journal of all the movies, Tv-Shows, & Games I consume during a year which enhances my overall experience. The ratings that I give are fully based on my personal preference and enjoyment at the time of watching and I'm writing spoiler-free reviews. (All HBD earnings are used to get extra Hive Power Delegations!)

January Movie Marathon Month

I have grown a bit of a tradition in January to watch all the 'Youtuber Top 10 Films Of The Year' videos to catch up with everything that was potentially good in the previous year. I get all the movies that I can an afterward start selecting either the ones that get really high scores or the ones that I naturally get interested in what reading the plot. Usually this last until the Football season gets underway again as time becomes more limited at this point. So the coming days, I will be reviewing these 2025 Movies.

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The problem with the highest rated movies from Youtubers who are film freaks is that often the heavy dramas rise to the top similar to the oscars. Those most of the time aren't really the ones I'm looking forward to watching. So for the first movie of 2026, I choose a movie that I believe I only say mentioned once or twice that had a fun plot and looked easy to watch. I was quite tired in the evening so I had to stop and continue watching the day after. So my overall condition to watch this one wasn't perfect but I still quite enjoyed it.

The Ballad of Wallis Island (7.4/10)
There are multiple reasons why I choose this movie first out of 50+ options. To start the plot outlined on Imdb "An eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island tries to make his fantasies come true by getting his favorite musicians to perform at his home." kind of triggered me as something I might enjoy. It gets a 7.4 out of 10 which is quite good and often these movies I enjoy way more while rarely I hate them. It's listed as a comedy-drama which is my favorite type of movie and I had never heard of it anywhere before the mention on one of the YouTubve Top Movies of 2025 Videos. It's also about a loner guy which I can relate to and an island is always a nice setting for a movie. Finally the 1 Hour and 40 Minuite Runtime also was not too long. https://images.hive.blog/DQmeqcaMzvcTDYLzmeDvxk9nhpmAUrN6qFeUX3U2QEgMA7o/image.png Image Source

So them movie starts with a guy coming by a small boat to an island where he is welcomed by a middle-aged overweight guy. It quickly becomes clear that the one who arrived is a musucian while the guy on the island lives there by himself and hired him to do a private gig which he gets paid quite a lot for. I won't go into any spoilers on the story and where it goes so I will stick to some general aspects on the movie that I liked.

Exellent Humor The Humor in this movie was one of my favorites as it is never forced and often just really really funny thanks to the lead character Charles. I think there are 4 to 5 moments in the movie that are just genuinely funny and created a big smile on my face which is more than enough. https://images.hive.blog/DQmQADbidrkx41VDyBYpXF76WArpj3rMDhGkpWBkX4fftbd/image.png Image Source The Setting I also loved the setting of this movie on a remote island with very few people living there and a limite cast. There is 1 local shop, the house of Brian, the seaside along with just a couple main characters which works really well and really take you along to the trip on that island https://images.hive.blog/DQmQjMRmHeGnANpTFHX6buidgQZ5LLa82gc1FxoeMJ9jBvB/image.png Image Source The Story The story essencially is about the loneliness and the human need for connection and especially as expressed through art and memory. While it's nothing that hasn't been done before, it enfolds i a way that isn't overly dramatic with lots of humor inbetween which works well. This type of movie I enjoy a lot more as the heavy dramas. The Music The one things I would say that didn't really convince me in this movie was the music as it also is somewhat a music-centered movie. It's always somewhat of a hit or a miss when original music is made for a movie especially if they start talking about how great it is while you are listening and thinking, 'nothing special'. This I would say was the case in this oneand it took down my overall rating a bit. For me an example movie where this was done right was Sing Street whichg remains one of my favorite music-movies. https://images.hive.blog/DQmPUu49oRfubJvn3RbQXuCnNF3sif6Frrk8pYcg5VqfU5Q/image.png Image Source

Trailer with Spoilers if You Want To Watch The movie and get the most out of it... >! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTi-e20yVNs > Conclusion This movie kind of reminded me of Brian & Charles which I watched last year but a bit better. The Story, Humor, & Setting of this one are pretty good but the music itself kind of dissapointedI still rate it a solid 7.4/10 in line with the Imdb rating after 18k votes. Certainly recommended if your are into Comedy-Drama films and if the plot triggers you. #|2026 Watched Movies|Score -|-|- #01|The Ballad of Wallis Island|7.4/10 Previous Years -> List Watched Movies in 2025 -> List Watched Movies in 2024 -> List Watched Movies in 2023 Posted Using [INLEO](https://inleo.io/@screenjournal/-2026-movie-1-the-ballad-of-wallis-island-2025-ha)

🎬 2026 Movie #1 | The Ballad of Wallis Island (2025)