February 2026
- gemmarosenz
- Feb 28
- 12 min read
Updated: Mar 1
Summer in Wellington has been pretty stink this year…literally. We’ve had a poonami. A turdnado. Crapocalypse Now.
I freely admit chicken vindaloo has caused problems for me in the past, but in this case I’m innocent: the shit-uation at the Moa Point treatment plant wasn’t on me!
My February in three words? Sex, movies, Pokemon.
I know there have been a handful this year - maybe ten max - but the only true summer day I remember was earlier this month. Stinking hot. Late afternoon booking in a hotel near Oriental Bay. I got into town early as per usual and sat down near Waitangi Park to do some Pokemon Go admin.
There was a concert happening nearby and the smell of weed was absolutely overpowering. People were clearly having a great time, and good on ’em.
I looked up who was playing: “UB40 ft. Ali Campbell.” I knew the name UB40 and obviously Red Red Wine, but that was it. Down the rabbit hole I went: turns out there are two UB40’s operating at the same time, and a whole lotta drama along with it. Messy times, and confusing times too for non-fans such as myself.
You can skip this next bit if you like.
I’ve been on a quest to be the very best (like no one ever was) and I’ve been busting my ass to do it. Various body parts have been sore for months.
So in October last year, the Pokemon Go trainer level cap was raised from 50 to 80. I’d been sitting comfortably at 50 for a couple of years. Once I hit the top, I relaxed - there was no reason to grind anymore.
When 80 dropped and the XP curve was rebalanced, I was automatically bumped to level 70. I cruised for just over a month, then from late November I decided to speedrun to 80 over the upcoming summer.
I have pushed myself harder than ever before. Each level past 70 required additional tasks, the worst being the walking ones. The topography in my suburb is pretty unforgiving...hills are very much my arch nemesis.
The walking tasks were:
• Level 74: Explore 200km
• Level 76: Explore 300km
• Level 78: Explore 400km
From November thru mid February I “walked” 900km. I did walk a lot…but some of it was on a bike, and not on an electric one either. (Ha! I wish!)
Anyway, last night this happened:
Siri, play "End Of The Line" by Traveling Wilburys!
Thank you for a fruitful February. A huge relief because last February was dire!
Siri, now that you've finished playing "End Of The Line", I'm gonna need you to put on "Panic" by The Smiths as I remember those dry days of February 2025!
But seriously, a surprisingly decent month this time around, so again, thank you! Aside from six familiar faces, the rest of my clients this month were new to me. This is probably the first month in a long time where I have seen more new clients than those who I've met before.
Beep beep! Embarrassing moment incoming:
Last Friday I had a booking in a high rise serviced apartment with a three layer security system involving multiple codes.
Glass door one + code: success.
Glass door two + code: success.
Door three + code: where???
There was supposed to be another glass door with a code, wasn’t there? Or nah? I was about to
refer back to my email instructions, but then - THUD - I’d bumped into another lady. I apologised immediately and stepped back, and while doing so I noticed her jacket and thought, nice jacket.
It wasn’t a lady.
It was a mirror.
I had bumped into - and apologised to - myself.
If I’m able to defend myself, that whole fucken wall was a floor to ceiling mirror. But I can’t defend myself out of this one can I? Bugger.
I have to say, it is a nice jacket. I bought it for about $50 USD at the Guess store in the Hollywood and Highland complex back in 2010. Here's the jacket in question, shown in a random selfie I took at home before leaving for the booking.
Site updates:
Gallery: Reformatted display + added two new pictures, with more to come very soon
Looking ahead to March: plenty of availability at this point in time. A few scattered days blocked out later in the month as marked on my availability calendar.
Speaking of which, someone asked recently why their booking date wasn’t marked as “booked” on the calendar.
It’s a free calendar, entries per month are very limited, so early on I decided it was easier to only mark away days and unavailable days. Also, unlike the blog, I can’t update the calendar from my phone or ipad, and I don’t have access to a computer whenever I’d like.
You can see toward the end of March there’s a few days blocked out - big changes coming for me and I’m hella nervous about it. I’ll leave that hanging for now, unless you met me this month or last and already know all about it! It’s not a new tattoo by the way. I’m kind of at the end of the road with tattoos. Left arm, back of legs, chest, face, neck, back = no way to any of those areas for me personally. I suppose there’s my other knee, but no, no plans for new tattoos. I sit on ideas for at least a year before executing them anyway. Depending on finances I wouldn’t mind getting a few existing ones touched up before I eventually retire…and will no longer be able to afford to even think about tattoos!
In early April I’ll be heading to Palmy for a few weeks of family time, and to see my feline sister Sandy who turns 17 this year. She’s appeared on my Twitter over the years…and in actual fact appears permanently on my left shin alongside her late sister, Bear! Palmy time means hanging out with Sandy, parking up somewhere scenic with Nan and slagging off wayward royals and politicians while eating ice cream, and long bike rides by the river.
I look forward to my quarterly Palmy visits. Palmy is home, and always will be, even though I haven’t lived there in over a decade.
On that note I’ll bid you all adieu, and leave you with my pre-written movie roundup. This is my third month straight of doing these reviews, and I have to say the whole “aiming to be as spoiler-free as possible” schtick is proving to be a challenge, but apart from that, I’m enjoying it. It’s getting me watching more movies than I normally would, that's for sure.
February 2026 Movie Roundup:
Rounding up all the movies I've seen this month, with brief, quick fire commentary that aims to be as spoiler free as possible.
My most eclectic mix yet. A menagerie of movies. A jambalaya, if you will.
Rewatch
Starring one of the OG scream queens, Janet Leigh (mother of another OG scream queen, Jamie Lee Curtis.)
What is there to say about Psycho that hasn’t already been said? It’s almost impossible to approach this one without cliches.
Alongside The Birds, this is easily Hitchcock’s most iconic movie. The performances are excellent, the score is instantly recognisable, and THAT shower scene remains shocking even when you know it’s coming.
Beyond the famous moments, what really stands out is the atmosphere: it’s tense, unsettling, cruel. Hitchcock toys with audience expectations so confidently and in a way that only he can.
Psycho is a stone cold classic for a very good reason . It's endlessly referenced, forever rewatched, always unnerving, and has a score that goes so fucken hard.
Also, a personal highlight: seeing the Psycho house and the Bates Motel in person on the Universal Studios tram tour.
Ahhh, Sunset Boulevard. Absolute cinema.
But first; a shout out to my 22 year old self, who once wandered along the famous strip late one night. I kept spotting landmarks, so I kept walking. Whisky a Go Go! House of Blues! The Viper Room! That train carriage restaurant thingy! And suddenly…past midnight. Uh-oh…
Be sensible and call a taxi back to Hollywood? Or lean into my penny pinching ways and walk half an hour back to the Air BnB? Decisions decisions…
Sunset Boulevard follows a struggling screenwriter who becomes entangled with a former silent movie star living in the shadow of her past success. Obsession, aging, and irrelevance loom large. The glamour is faded, the mansion is decaying, and the mood is thick with nostalgia and sadness.
Gloria Swanson is unforgettable, bringing both dignity and tragedy to her character.
An all round stellar movie that provides us with a dark, elegant look at old Hollywood and the price of fame.
“All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.”
The acting is impeccable: Ingrid Bergman stuns, and Cary Grant brings his usual effortless magnetism.
Director Alfred Hitchcock’s technical skill is on full display. On paper it has everything I would usually enjoy.
But despite all that, it never fully clicked for me, and it’s a struggle to pinpoint the whys and wherefores. This makes a review difficult. “I didn’t really feel it and I dunno why lol” is an answer that would have Roger Ebert turning in his grave, but…
There was just “something” (maybe the storyline?) that caused a lack of emotional investment from me.
I acknowledge the love for this respected classic, knowing it regularly features in top ten Hitchcock movie lists, but…?
A clearing of the throat and an awkward shuffle onto the next review, which is…
Rewatch
And now for something completely different: a movie made in the 21st century!
Sex, drugs, violence…and Michael Caine!
Harry Brown is a bloody (literally), bleak, and brutal vigilante thriller about a man pushed well beyond his limits. It’s grim, angry, and raw. Violence is front and centre, and this movie leans hard into a world of drugs, thugs, and general moral rot.
Not subtle, nor gentle, but effective - it's a harsh, unsettling movie that leaves a mark. Pun unintended.
Orson Welles referred to this movie as a masterpiece. Well, if it’s good enough for Citizen Kane, it’s good enough for Gemma Rose: Independent Escort (Wellington, New Zealand!)
The 39 Steps is a classic Hitchcockian escapist spy thriller. An easy watch, for which I was glad of, having struggled with Notorious a few weeks earlier.
Rewatch
One pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small….yeah, that song! Jefferson Airplane were fuckin’ dynamite, weren’t they? Don’t get me started on Starship though…cringe…
Go Ask Alice is a warning rather than a character study, charting Alice’s slide from curious teenager to someone completely consumed by addiction. It’s based on the supposedly “anonymous” diary that caused shockwaves when it was first published.
It’s a movie that’s bleak, cautionary, and very much of its time. Regardless of how “true” the diary really was, the story reflects very real fears of the era and the lasting damage addiction can cause.
Rewatch
It’s radical, zany, and totally righteous, dude!
I randomly came across this movie in the late 90s, back when TV1 would play top tier kids movies every weekday in the school holidays. I found it on YouTube a few years ago and added it to my Watch Later, finally getting round to a rewatch this February.
Camp Cucamonga is a fun, low stakes 90’s summer movie packed with neon awesomeness, slapstick humour and pure nostalgia. The plot is basically an excuse to hang out at camp, meet quirky characters, and lean hard into 90’s cool.
The ensemble cast is part of the appeal, with a bunch of familiar faces (including Jennifer Aniston in one of her earliest appearances).
Warning: the Camp Cucamonga rap, once heard, will be stuck in your head forever more.
I enjoyed it as a kid and I enjoyed it just as much as an adult.
Rewatch
Revisited this as an adult after seeing it as a kid (again, TV 1 school holiday movies were fuckin’ S-tier).
I genuinely wondered if it would hold up, especially since I’m not big on animation (exceptions made for South Park and The Simpsons).
The Brave Little Toaster follows five intrepid household appliances who leave an abandoned cabin in search of their owner.
As a kid, I remember it feeling different from other animated movies, even if I couldn’t quite articulate why at the time. Watching it now, the reason is bleedin’ obvious - this movie is dark.
Themes of abandonment, death, suicide, and crushing existential dread are everywhere, and they’re not exactly subtle. It’s unsettling, melancholic, and at times outright disturbing in a way most “family” animation never dares to be, especially not these days I’m sure.
A deceptively heavy watch that sneaks anxiety and sadness into a cartoon shell.
A city kid is suddenly stranded in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash. This is a solid nostalgic trial and error survival movie with incredible scenery - think wide shots of lakes and forests. It reminds me of a similar teen wilderness movie, Wild America - the acting and the story is decent enough but the real takeaway is the scenery.
Rewatch
All I want to do is do it (big girl big girl)
Kevin (Harry Enfield) and his best mate Perry (Kathy Burke) head to Ibiza, convinced they’re destined to lose their virginity and become world class DJ’s.
It’s very early 2000s in both humour and attitude, which means your tolerance will depend on how much you enjoy crude jokes, dance music culture, and comedy that absolutely does not aim high. Indeed, the crude-o-meter is cranked to 10 from start to finish…and I loved every single minute of it. I’ve seen this movie at least six times, though it'd been years since my last rewatch. I worried I might’ve matured and grown out of it. Happily, I have not.
And then there’s the soundtrack, which is downright superb. If someone asked me for my top three favourite movie soundtracks, I’d say:
1. Ennio Morricone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
2. Psycho
3. Kevin & Perry Go Large
Underworld. Fatboy Slim. Tiesto. Fragma. Groove Armada et al…it’s basically a time capsule of Ibiza at its peak.
Rewatch
Where’s me gold?
Starring the most excellent Warwick Davis as a murderous leprechaun, a scrappy wee thing that just wants his gold, for fecks’ sake.
Davis commits to the role like a man protecting his last pint on St Paddy’s Day. He may be little, but his personality and the energy he brings as the leprechaun is huge. He’s always a treat to watch in any role he plays. Jennifer Aniston also gives a great performance here.
You’ll have yerself a grand old time watching this movie, provided you don’t take it seriously. It’s daft. It’s cheeky. The movie never aims for prestige - it aims for fun - and on that front it absolutely delivers.
Troi as ye may, troi as ye moight, this wee leprechaun won’t be going down wit outta foight!
Rewatch
A worthy follow up that keeps the craic alive!
The scrappy Irish menace returns…and this time he wants a broide. A woife. A fine wee lassie - no, wait, that’s Scotland. I should know better, tut tut.
Leprechaun 2 doubles down on the horror + comedy blend, and surprisingly, it works. That mix doesn’t always land for me, but here it absolutely does. It leans hard into the ridiculousness and the mayhem, resulting in a thoroughly entertaining watch.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - Warwick Davis brings such a charm to every character he has played, and the leprechaun is no exception. The witty (and often cheesy) one liners really made the movie for me. Tell you what - I reckon the leprechaun would make a decent drinking buddy - provided you’re not sitting on his pot o’ gold.
Sláinte to the wee menace!
This time the leprechaun heads to fabulous Las Vegas, where once again he finds he’s missing one gold shilling. Always the case.
The Vegas setting is a fun shift, and the movie clearly enjoys the ridiculousness of unleashing the wee leprechaun onto the Strip.
That said, I did feel slightly short changed (pun intended). While the movie is undeniably fun, I feel like I wasn’t granted optimum screen time with the leprechaun, with the focus leaning more heavily on the human hero and heroine, with old mate only popping in every now and then to deliver a kill or a one liner, and then vanishing again while the mortals carried on.
Still, Warwick Davis remains the franchise’s secret weapon. Even in limited bursts he steals the show every time he appears.
All up, a fun movie, just wouldn’t have minded a few more spins of the wheel with the main attraction.
And now, after completing my comprehensive study of the Leprechaun franchise, I go from
“Where’s me gold?” to “Rosebud” and take on one of the most canonised movies in cinematic history: Citizen Kane. The juxtaposition is dizzying!
***
Before I get into it, a reminder to readers:
Some people climb mountains…I scale the peaks of cinema. Look, at the end of the day what I would say to you is that I'm the Edmund Hillary of quick fire movie reviewers, boasting an eclectic mix of titles and a laser focus on being as spoiler free as possible. (Other than that, there are no frickin’ targets.)
***
My first time watch, and I came in knowing Citizen Kane holds the same place in cinema that The Beatles do in music.
However…
Given my appreciation for pacing, I have to admit I respected Citizen Kane more than I loved it. This feels like a movie for the scholars: one to dissect and analyse ad nauseam, rather than a movie that sweeps up a general audience and carries them along for the ride.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again now: I’m a simple gal, and as a viewer I wanted to be more involved - to feel “in on it” rather than observing it from a distance.
That’s not to diminish its brilliance. No no, I’m not dunking on Citizen Kane at all - I enjoyed it well enough. The cinematography was genuinely stunning; it captivated me from the very start. The bold compositions, the deep focus, the dramatic lighting…in fact, this may be the most beautifully photographed movie I’ve ever seen.
Indeed, if nothing else, I will remember Citizen Kane for its visual ambition.
A respected movie, without a doubt. For me, admiration outweighed affection.
A glossy late 90’s thriller starring one of my favourites, Michael Douglas, who has a knack for playing the bad guy with such icy precision.
A Perfect Murder is loosely based on Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder, (featured in the January 2026 movie roundup) but director Andrew Davis makes it distinctly his own. This version is less about the explosive twists and more about watching intelligent people attempt to outmanoeuvre one another while maintaining composure. I especially enjoyed seeing how each scheme and counter scheme unfolded.
An entertaining, polished watch and a worthy nod to Hitch.
Totally random, but the lead detective in this was David Suchet…Poirot!
