January 2026
- gemmarosenz
- Jan 24
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
I’ve had two (!) dinner dates this month and, against all odds, I actually remembered to take photos of my food both times. Go me!
This is notable because my usual routine is: start eating (more like devouring), pausing mid-bite and then thinking, “Oh yeah… pics…damn.” By that point it looks less like dinner and more like, I dunno, evidence? Haha.
I feel very lucky to have had two dinner date bookings this month - outside of Gemma Rose shenanigans I never really eat out.
While dinner dates are an extra special treat for me, rest assured that I’m more than happy with (and definitely appreciate) any and all booking types and durations. I did tweak my offerings a bit at the end of 2025 and it'll be interesting to see which booking styles and durations are popular this year.
On the subject of bookings - February and March are great months to book - the best time for a while, actually. The entire month is free apart from Valentine's Day - it’s funny how Valentine's Day as a sex worker was always so dead (for me) but the last three years in a row I’ve had that date booked. So yeah, excellent availability in February, decent-ish availability in March, and away for most of April.
Site updates:
January 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.
I’ve got a bumper edition this time around - I normally don’t watch half this many movies but I’m midway through an Alfred Hitchcock journey. All the non-Hitch movies are at the top! (All two of them!)
I was warned about this movie, and given that I literally fell asleep during The Lost World, I’d kept JP3 firmly on the back burner. But I was in Palmy over the holidays, noticed it was on TV, and figured I may as well give it a go.
The return of Sam Neill helps a lot, and the Spinosaurus vs. T-rex fight is genuinely incredible. Look, I get why this one is disliked - it does feel messy and rushed in places. It’s far from perfect, but as a low effort, easy watch on a summer evening, JP3 is more enjoyable than its reputation suggests!
Rewatch
The story of a manufactured band on a quest for legitimacy and authenticity. Oh! The angst!
The soul-searching! (And the brilliant casting, particularly for Davy Jones)
Daydream Believers is a fun, made for TV movie about a fun band that made a little go a very long way. I say this with zero malice: The Monkees were my first ever favourite band after watching reruns of their TV show as a kid, and I still enjoy their music to this day.
Ask me in person about how my 12-year-old self got into a verbal fight with one of the Monkees in their official chatroom… I wonder if I’m still banned.
"How do you know what the world is like? Do you know the world is a foul sty? Do you know if you rip the fronts off houses you'd find swine?"
Shadow Of A Doubt is a deeply unsettling exploration of the darkness of humanity and the loss of innocence.
Charlie initially idolises her charismatic uncle (who is also named Charlie) but the illusion slowly collapses as she realises he’s a bad-un: a sociopathic serial killer to be exact, who carries a misanthropic world view beneath his surface charm.
Alfred Hitchcock's personal favourite among his own movies. Definitely in my top five.
Until now, any movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock seemed like a dead cert for me in terms of enjoyment and watchability.
Not so with The Trouble with Harry. The plot was absurd, as were its characters - bumbling in ways that frustrated rather than endeared. Turned it off after 40 mins.
This is Hitchcock having fun in a way that actually worked for me! This is a stylish, fast paced, and surprisingly funny movie, with the effortless Cary Grant gliding through the chaos like it’s no big deal. No wonder he was Hitchcock’s favourite to work with. Slick and suspenseful.
Tightly wound and dialogue driven but in a way that works. This ain't no snoozefest.
The tension Alfred Hitchcock is so well known for comes from watching a supposedly perfect plan start to wobble, with every small detail suddenly mattering. It’s sharp, controlled, and stressful.
Starring Joan Fontaine (Olivia de Havilland's sister) and the esteemed AF Laurence Olivier (which reminds me, The Boys From Brazil is due a rewatch!)
Rebecca is a haunting psychological drama steeped in atmosphere, jealousy and dread, with the past looming heavily over every scene. How does one compare to a ghost?
Where are you, Miss Froy? She was on the train, I swear! She can't have just disappeared...surely?
Look, this movie is only one year older than my Nan, and admittedly I was apprehensive it wouldn’t hold up…(referring to the movie here and certainly not Nan, who recently passed her drivers license renewal)
The first half an hour was admittedly a slow burn, only picking up when the characters boarded the train, with the action being nonstop thereafter. Alfred Hitchcock + trains = guarantee of a good time. If you like train based thrillers that hold up nearly ninety years later, you’re in for a treat!
A serial killer is on the loose on the gritty streets of London. His target? Women. His method? Strangulation via necktie. Frenzy rarely lets up, preying on the senses and keeping the suspense at a fever pitch. The infamous potato sack sequence was grotesque and hilarious at the same time…pretty much ingrained in my mind for life.
What starts as an ordinary family holiday quickly spirals into something far more sinister when a couple travelling in Morocco find themselves tangled in an international assassination plot.
This movie served as my introduction to Doris Day - of course I knew of her quintessential song "Que Sera Sera", but I wasn’t aware of her acting abilities. It’s a shame Hitchcock only used her in one movie - she's great!
A man is mistaken for a murderer and classic Hitchcockian thrills and chills ensue.
Notable performances by Jane Wyman (who I’d seen in The Yearling), and an introduction to Marlene Dietrich. I wouldn’t say this is one of his more well-known movies, but it’s an engaging watch that keeps you guessing and ultimately rewards your patience.
A shy heiress, terrified of becoming a spinster / old maid, marries the first man who gives her a second glance. The problem? He’s a compulsive gambler and maybe… just maybe… even a murderer.
Engaging from start to finish - no small feat considering there was an Ed Sheeran concert going on that I could hear all the way in Karori.
Based on a book by John Steinbeck.
Eight people survive a Nazi torpedo attack, only to find themselves sharing a lifeboat with the very man who sank their ship. Lies, double crossing, and trust issues quickly take hold.
It’s similar to Rope (reviewed last month) in two key ways: 1) the limited setting - Lifeboat takes place entirely in, you guessed it, a lifeboat and 2) the way it says so much using only the bare essentials. Hitchcock squeezes every ounce of tension and meaning out of the smallest setup from start to finish - something he carries off so, so well.
A truly impressive movie.
