I’m dealing with a refractory migraine and Ehlers Danlos syndrome flare, so this edition is simply my picks. It’s still early in the year, so most are pre-orders.
Art by neondemon.jpg
My talented friend Luciano Oliveira, (AKA neondemon.jpg) has created this lovely portrait of my two cats and me! Includes nods to Hello Kitty, Lush, The National, Ash, The Smiths, and even my mobility aids! I love it.
If you love it, too, you should check out his art portfolio or follow him on Instagram. He is open for commissions!
I liked Rumors of My Demise, by Evan Dando, but I don’t know if I’m biased because so much of it was nostalgia for the Boston music scene of my youth! Also, a lot of the book involves places and people from Boston/Cambridge/Martha’s Vineyard and I’m a born-and-raised Masshole! The first time I met Dando was at a Godstar show at Man Ray in Cambridge, MA. He walked up to me and said, “Hi! I’m Evan!” and was clearly high. In Rumors, he’s frank about all of his drug use, anxieties, and sleep disorder. The book was well-written and fast-paced. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
This past year, I watched 174 films. That’s down from the 216 I watched in 2024. Since I started using Letterboxd, my number of movies logged has gone down each year. Unfortunately, with a degenerative illness, I’m leaving the house less and less to go to the movies. At home, I’m more apt to choose watching a television show over a feature-length film.
My most watched actor, Nicolas Cage, is no shock. He’s in my pantheon of actors that I’ll watch in pretty much anything. Others of that caliber include the entire Skarsgård family, Jason Statham, Parker Posey, Joel Edgerton, Laura Dern (and her parents), and Tom Hardy.
My most watched director, Makoto Shinkai, was a surprise. I had to look him up! Turns out that he directed the 2002 anime film, Voices of a Distant Star, which I watched at home with my husband. We watched two of Shinkai’s short films that were on the Blu-ray that we borrowed from the library. And ta-da: Three films made him the most popular director in our household!
The nanogenre is the vibe I’m bringing into the new year
As for my favorite films of 2025, that’ll be a work in progress for a few months. Like I said, I’ve been going out to the movies less because of my health, so there are loads of 2025 movies that I haven’t gotten to see yet. Visit my Favorite Films of 2025 list on Letterboxd for updates.
Here are my Favorite Films of 2025 as of January 2, 2026.
Since I was a kid, I’ve loved learning about different cultures and places via postcards and pen pals. My first pen pal was Cédrine from Tarbes, France. Now, thanks to The Internet, I get to talk to folks all over the world!
For several years now, I’ve spoken with my Brazilian “pen pal” Luciano almost every day. We joke that we’re “music twins” because we love so much of the same music. We first bonded over our love of Ash and since have found that we both adore Jessica Lea Mayfield and many others.
This past September, I saw Jessica Lea Mayfield open for Lucero. After Mayfield’s set, I got to speak with her and told her all about Luciano (he’s one of her top ten listeners on Spotify!). Neither of us had a Sharpie, so instead of signing the CD booklet I brought or the vinyl I bought, she wrote to Luciano with a pink pen on a random postcard for The Friendly Toast that I had with me!
Long story short: Luciano was inspired by me to write about his Top 25 Albums of 2025! There’s some overlap, which is no surprise given that we’re music twins, but I’ve also discovered some new tunes. You can find it on Tumblr and his blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
Needless to say, I think Luciano is very talented. Check out his art portfolio or follow him on Instagram! And cross your fingers that Ash, Jessica Lea Mayfield, and more artists make their way to Brazil!
Pop Culture Omnivore 