I watched over 100 movies I’d never seen this year

Yes, really

Photo courtesy Stanley Kubrick Productions

In the beginning of the year, I made a list of 20 movies I wanted to watch that I was embarrassed to say I hadn’t seen yet. I have a rewatching problem (I’ve probably seen Zodiac like 20 times) and I hated the exasperated “oh my god what?! I can’t believe you’ve never seen that!” after stating I haven’t seen a film classic.

I thought 20 movies over a year was doable: I don’t have children to take care of, but I do have two jobs (one during the day, one at night) and I’m a pretty social person who likes to go out and see friends.

Then the pandemic happened.

I suddenly had a lot more time on my hands for movie watching and 20 seemed like a very small goal. So I just started watching whatever would come to mind. Some are cinema greats and some are fun romps, but as I spent months upon months alone in my apartment, my world was opened up more than 100 times and for that, I’m grateful.

I found some movies were a little overhyped, but I also discovered directors who became instant favorites like Paul Thomas Anderson and Stanley Kubrick. I made it a point to search for movies made by women about women, which I’m still taking recommendations for.

It’s a big list to organize, but I’m going to start with my original 20 up top. Movies that really left a lasting impression on me will be bolded and I’ll include an arbitrary rating out of 10. For my original 20, I’ll include some thoughts.

1. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007) — 8/10 — what a movie for capital A Actors
2. TAXI DRIVER (1976) — 8/10 — it was difficult to watch yet another story of “man doesn’t get what he wants so he tries to hurt people he blames.” I know that in 1976 there’s no way they knew they were making an incel movie, but it was hard to watch sometimes. But also, movies are supposed to make you feel something and it did.
3. THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998) — 7/10 — a fun hang and one of history’s best characters.
4. THE GODFATHER (1972) — 9.5/10 — nearly perfect, truly exceptional, moves along well for a movie that is 175 minutes long
5. ROCKY (1976) — 9.5/10 — this really caught me by surprise. I had an impression that Rocky was a hypermasculine tale about a tough guy winning a fight and screaming about a hot babe and I was wrong. So sensitive, Rocky is!
6. THE GRADUATE (1967) —7/10 — soundtrack is great, obviously, and the acting is very good
7. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998) — 7.5/10 — extremely intense. I felt like I was in the war after this movie? Definitely made me want to buy better tv speakers and watch it again.
8. DRIVE (2011) — 6/10 — a movie I respect, but wasn’t for me. Excellent soundtrack and wow is Los Angeles stunning.
9. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971) — 8.5/10 — I’m not sure what I thought this movie was about, but it wasn’t this. Twisted, artistic, beautiful, and frightening all at the same time.
10. INDIANA JONES: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) — 7.5/10 — how fun! Harrison Ford’s hottest role
11. AMERICAN HISTORY X (1998) — 9.5/10 — this movie made my skin crawl in the way it intended. How did Edward Norton not become the biggest movie star of all time after this? Another one that was a little too real for the moment.
12. FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998) — 2/10 — it’s not fun to watch other people do drugs when you’re sober, in person or on screen
13. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) — 7/10 — It wasn’t my favorite Spielberg, but man what a movie. I do think about the giant clay mountain a lot.
14. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007) — 8.5/10 — the movie has some slow parts for me, but it sets such a tone instantly. I could watch DDL scream at Paul Dano about milkshakes every day for the rest of my life.
15. BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997) — 9/10 — this movie is COOKING. What a fun time all the way through. Everyone is beautiful, and for a story that should be ridiculous, it has so much heart.
16. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (1989) — 8/10 — very cute! It didn’t rise to my favorite Nora Ephron movie, but it did make me understand why people love NY. My controversial take is that I think they should have stayed friends.
17. MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001) — 7/10 — was it supposed to be as spooky as it was? I have a lot of respect for David Lynch, but his work never seems to land for me. I feel like this one would stick with me better on rewatch
18. DO THE RIGHT THING (1989) — 9.5/10 — It was an uncomfortable movie to watch in June of this year in the height of the George Floyd reaction with how the riot breaks out in the end. A movie filmed over 30 years before reflecting the exact same incident. On top of that, the way Spike Lee displayed heat felt so real and all of the changing camera angles brought a liveliness to each scene.
19. TRAINSPOTTING (1996) — 8/10 — how did they make heroin addicts fun? Brilliant acting, such bright imagery for a topic so dark
20. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) — 9.5/10 — I spent the whole movie dumbfounded that this movie was made in the late 60s. It’s not original to say that 2001 was ahead of its time, but I could just see everything that had been influenced by it.

And now the rest, with limited commentary, in no particular order:

• JOKER (2019) — 4.5/10
• KNIVES OUT (2019) — 8/10
• THE OTHERS (2001) — 4/10
• PALM SPRINGS (2020) — 8.5/10
• GOODFELLAS (1990) — 9/10
• THE FIRM (1993) — 6/10
• THE INVISIBLE MAN (2020) — 7/10
• OTHER PEOPLE (2016) — 7.5/10
• STAND BY ME (1986) — 8/10
• THE MASTER (2012) — 8.5/10
• AMERICAN PICKLE (2020) — 4/10
• UNDER THE SILVER LAKE (2018) — 6/10
• JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI (2011) — 7.5/10
• CABIN IN THE WOODS (2012) — 7/10
• PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (2002) — 6.5/10
• AMERICAN ANIMALS (2018) — 6.5/10
• BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2005) — 9.5/10
• MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (2016) — 8/10
• MALCOLM X (1992) — 8/10
• THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND (2020) — 4.5/10
• GLADIATOR (2000) — 7/10
• PSYCHO (1960) — 8.5/10
• JERRY MAGUIRE (1996) — 8/10, so many famous lines in 1 movie!
• MISERY (1990) — 8.5/10
• IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON — 2/10
• MOANA (2016) — 7/10
• FATAL ATTRACTION (1987) — 6.5/10
• THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT (2010) — 8.5/10
• HUSTLERS (2019) — 7.5/10
• LOST GIRLS (2020) — 6/10
• NOW AND THEN (1995) — 7.5/10
• CLASS ACTION PARK (2020) — 5/10
• SUSPIRIA (2018) — 5/10
• VERTIGO (1958) — 6/10
• REAR WINDOW (1954) — 8/10
• I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS (2020) — 4/10
• THE TOWN (2010) — 6/10
• THE GAME (1997) — 8/10
• JOJO RABBIT (2019) — 6.5/10
• PANIC ROOM (2002) — 5.5/10
• SPIRITED AWAY (2001) — 6/10
• THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME (2020) — 7/10, I feel like I was the only one who liked this movie
• USUAL SUSPECTS (1995) — 6/10
• ROPE (1948) — 8/10
• THE BIRDS (1963) — 7.5/10
• SHOWBIZ KIDS (2020) — 4/10
• ELECTION (1999) — 8.5/10
• THE PLATFORM (2020) — 6.5/10
• HOST (2020) — 8.5/10, the idea of a Zoom horror movie should be terrible but they nailed it
• FRIGHT NIGHT (2011) — 6/10
• ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (1975) — 8.5/10
• SCREAM (1996) — 8/10
• FARGO (1996) — 7/10
• MAGNOLIA (1999) — 9/10
• THE HILLS HAVE EYES (2006) — 5.5/10
• THE GRUDGE (2004) — 4/10
• THE PURGE (2013) — 8/10
• THE MARTIAN (2015) — 8/10
• FIRST WIVES CLUB (1996) — 8/10
• TERMINATOR (1984) — 6.5/10
• TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974) — 7/10
• OCEANS 11 (2001) — 8/10
• OCEANS 12 (2004) — 6.5/10
• CREEP (2014) — 7/10
• CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR (2007) — 3/10 this movie is probably good, but I watched it right after having an anxiety attack and that was not a smart move, I’ll be revisiting it
• THE INCREDIBLE HULK (2008) — 5/10
• THE BOURNE IDENTITY (2002) — 6.5/10
• THE BOURNE SUPREMACY (2004) — 5.5/10
• CHASING AMY (1997) — 6/10, has not aged well but was very interesting
• BEFORE SUNRISE (1995) — 7/10
• SWINGERS (1996) — 5/10
• THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017) — 7/10
• STATE OF PLAY (2009) — 5/10
• BASIC INSTINCTS (1992) — 8/10
• DIE HARD (1988) — 6/10, it can count for christmas movies, it’s fine
• BROADCAST NEWS (1987) — 7.5/10
• STEVE JOBS (2015) — 6.5/10
• CITIZEN KANE (1941) — 8.5/10
• NOTTING HILL (1999) — 5/10
• SPACESHIP EARTH (2020) — 5/10
• REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (2008) — 9/10
• MANK (2020) — tba, I have no idea how I feel about this one yet..
• SOUL (2020) — 7/10
• WONDER WOMAN: 1984 (2020) — 6/10
• BEHIND THE TRY (2020) — 8/10
• THE DEAD DON’T DIE (2019) — 6/10
• TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO SEVEN (2020) — 8/10

I enjoyed this project. Toward the height of the pandemic when stress was my sole emotion, I did rewatch some movies. I just needed some comfort, but the idea of trying to watch all movies that were new to me really pushed me.

In addition to these movies, I did watch 4 seasons of True Blood, all of The Crown, Tiger King, Run, Normal People, all of Search Party, The Stranger, all of How to Get Away With Murder, half of The Vow, half of The Outsider, rewatched 6 seasons of Doctor Who, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, The Undoing, DEVS, The Queen’s Gambit, Hamilton, McMillions, Aaron Hernandez: the Killer Inside, 2 seasons of Criminal: UK, both seasons of the new Unsolved Mysteries, the last season of Schitt’s Creek and the final 4 episodes of Gilmore Girls that I’d been postponing for about 3 years. And I read 7 books.

In 2021, I hope to simply have less time on my hands and see something in a movie theater. Wear a mask, please.