I See Movies, 2015 Edition

I have been known to see movies. When I was but a wee sprite, I collected ticket stubs and pasted them on sheets of paper and rated movies on an absurd scale of 1 to 20, including half numbers. This didn’t last long. In later years I sometimes kept track of how many movies I saw in theaters. One year in my early twenties I saw about 230 movies theatrically, thanks largely to The New Beverly in Los Angeles. And for another couple of years in the ‘90s I kept track of every movie I saw, video or theatrical, that was new to me.

Sorry, Belushi. This 10 year old didn't dig Continental Divide.

Sorry, Belushi. This 10 year old didn’t dig Continental Divide.

But I’d never kept track of every movie I saw, both video and theatrical, both new to me and familiar, until this year. How many did I watch in 2015? It’s a question everyone who is me has been fascinated by. Let’s go to the numbers.

Total number of movies seen, including multiple viewings: 378 (yikes!)

Unique movies: 372

Total theatrical: 116

Theatrical on glorious film: 63

Video: 262

First time seen: 236

How about a breakdown by decade? Excellent idea.

1910s – 1

1920s – 4

1930s – 7

1940s – 22

1950s – 36

1960s – 22

1970s – 47

1980s – 58

1990s – 43

2000s – 22

2010s – 116, and just from 2015 – 69

Not too suprising. I am a child of the ‘70s and ‘80s, after all. I feel comfortable there. Digging a bit deeper, I see that of the 58 movies I saw from the ‘80s, only 14 were new to me. But of the 47 I saw from the ‘70s, 31 were new to me. There’s much to explore in that amazing decade of film, and I guess the great ones I’ve seen A LOT already, and didn’t return to much.

As for the 43 from the ‘90s, only 11 were new to me. I guess I know what I like from those years. Were the ‘00s a crap decade overall? I feel like I lost interest in movies a bit over those years. Of the 22 I saw, 11 were new to me.

From just 2010 to 2014 I saw 47 movies, 34 new to me, catching up on what I’ve lately missed, and re-watching my recent favorites. And from 2015 I saw 66 new movies, plus I saw Mad Max: Fury Road three times, and Turbo Kid twice. Have you still not seen Turbo Kid? Now’s the time, folks.

From days more olden, I clearly need to ramp up my intake of ‘30s movies, and earlier. And then, a few years from now, when I’ve seen every movie ever made, I can finally take a break.

But enough generalities. Let’s check out the movies.

First off, a dying breed, movies seen in theaters on 35mm film (or, where noted, 70mm). Asterisk for first time seen:

Absolute Beginners (1986)*

After The Thin Man (1936)*

The Black Pirate (1926)*

Body Heat (1981)

The Border (1981)*

The Burglar (1957)*

Caught (1949)*

Cave of The Spider Woman (Pan si dong) (1927)*

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Crime of Passion (1957)*

The Crowd (1928)*

Cry Terror! (1958)*

Dementia (1955)*

Elevator To The Gallows (Ascenseur pour l’échafaud) (1958)

Elf (2003)*

eXistenZ (1999)

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953)*

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Ghost Train (1927)*

The Goonies (1985)

The Grim Game (1919)*

The Guilty (1947)*

Guns, Girls, And Gangsters (1959)*

The Hateful Eight (2015)* 70mm

The Hidden Room (AKA Obsession) (1949)*

The Honeymoon Killers (1969)*

How I Won The War (1967)*

In A Lonely Place (1950)

Inside Detroit (1956)*

Ivy (1947)*

The Jerk (1979)

The Keep (1983)*

Killer’s Kiss (1955)

Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) 70mm

Lost Highway (1996)

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)*

A New Leaf (1971)*

Nightfall (1957)*

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)

Piranha (1978)*

The Quay Brothers in 35mm (2015)*

The Reckless Moment (1949)*

Ride The Pink Horse (1947)*

Road Games (1981)*

RoboCop (1987)

Rolling Thunder (1977)

Runaway Train (1985)

The Set-Up (1949)

The Seven-Ups (1973)*

Shockproof (1949)*

Sleep, My Love (1948)*

So Dark The Night (1946)*

The Suspect (1944)*

They Live (1988)

The Thing (1982)

The Time Machine (1960)

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)

Unforgiven (1992)

Vertigo (1958) 70mm

White of The Eye (1987)*

Witness To Murder (1954)*

 

Movies seen in theaters in digital form:

The American Friend (1977)*

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)*

The Babadook (2014)*

Burroughs: The Movie (1983)*

Cal (1984)*

Can’t Stand Losing You: Surviving The Police (2015)*

Carol (2015)*

Commando (1985)

Creed (2015)*

Dark Star: H.R. Giger’s World (2015)*

The Diary of A Teenage Girl (2015)*

The Duke of Burgundy (2015)*

El Cordero (2015)*

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2015)*

The End of The Tour (2015)*

Everest (2015)*

Ex Machina (2015)*

The Forbidden Room (2015)*

The Gift (2015)*

GoodFellas (1990)

A Hard Day (Kkeut-kka-ji-gan-da) (2015)*

Heaven Adores You (2015)*

Hits (2015)*

Inside Out (2015)*

It Follows (2015)*

Jacky and The Kingdom of Women (Jacky au royaume des filles) (2014)*

Jurassic World (2015)*

Kiss of Death (1947)

The Little Shop of Horrors: Director’s Cut (1986)*

Lost Soul: Doomed Journey of Stanley’s Dr. Moreau (2015)*

Love & Mercy (2015)*

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)*

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Man From Reno (2015)*

The Martian (2015)*

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)*

Phantom of The Paradise (1974)*

A Pigeon Sat on A Branch Reflecting on Existence (2015)*

Predestination (2015)*

Red Army (2015)*

Roar (1981)*

The Salt of The Earth (2015)*

The Salvation (2015)*

Sicario (2015)*

Spectre (2015)*

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)*

The Steel Trap (1952)*

The Tales of Hoffman (1951)*

The Tribe (Plemya) (2015)*

Welcome To Me (2015)*

Where To Invade Next (2015)*

Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) (1987)

 

Movies seen on video:

Aguirre, The Wrath of God (Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes) (1971)

Alien (1979)

All That Heaven Allows (1955)

Amelie (2001)

The American (2010)*

American Psycho (2000)

An American Werewolf In London (1981)

Amy (2015)*

Angel Heart (1987)

Atomic Submarine (1959)*

Au Hasard Balthazar (1966)*

The Babadook (2014)

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)

Batman (1966)

Batman Returns (1992)

Batman & Robin (1997)*

Beasts of No Nation (2015)*

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)

Being There (1979)

Big Trouble In Little China (1986)

Bitter Moon (1992)

Black Christmas (1974)*

Black Coal, Thin Ice (Bai ri yan huo) (2015)*

The Black Hole (1979)

The Black Stallion (1979)

The Bling Ring (2013)*

Blue Is The Warmest Color (2013)*

Blue Velvet (1986)

Bone Tomahawk (2015)*

Borgman (2014)

Breezy (1973)*

The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)

Brief Encounter (1945)*

Broken Flowers (2005)

Bulworth (1998)

Burden of Dreams (1982)

The Cabin In The Woods (2012)

Calvary (2014)*

The Car (1977)*

Cat Ballou (1965)*

Chappie (2015)*

Children of Men (2006)

Chungking Express (Chung Hing sam lam) (1994)*

Citizenfour (2014)*

Class of 1999 (1990)*

Club Dread (2004)

Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)*

Con Air (1997)

The Conjuring (2013)*

Cop Car (2015)*

Cries and Whispers (Viskningar och rop) (1972)

Cry Danger (1951)

Dagon (2001)*

Day For Night (La Nuit américaine) (1973)*

Days of Being Wild (Ah fei zing zyun) (1990)*

Dead Man (1995)

Dear White People (2014)*

Devil Doll (1936)*

Donnie Darko (2001)

Donnie Brasco (1997)*

Dracula’s Daughter (1935)*

Dragonslayer (1981)

Dreamscape (1984)

The Driver (1978)*

Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of The National Lampoon (2015)*

Duel (1971)*

Easy Rider (1969)

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

The Elephant Man (1980)

Enemy (2014)*

Eraserhead (1978)

Experimenter (2015)*

Extraterrestrial (2011)*

F Is For Fake (1973)*

Face/Off (1997)

Fallen Angels (Do lok tin si) (1995)*

Fast Five (2011)*

The Fast and The Furious (1955)*

The Fast and The Furious (2001)*

A Field In England (2013)

Finding Vivian Maier (2013)*

Fitzcarraldo (1982)

Five Deadly Venoms (Wu du) (1978)*

For A Few Dollars More (1965)

Force Majeure (2014)*

Foreign Correspondent (1940)*

48 Hrs. (1982)

Freejack (1992)

Frenzy (1972)*

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)*

Frogs (1972)*

The Fugitive Kind (1960)*

Ghostbusters (1984)

God Told Me To (1976)*

Going Clear: Scientology and The Prison of Belief (2015)*

Gone Girl (2014)*

The Goodbye Girl (1977)*

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Grey Gardens (1975)*

The Gunfighter (1950)*

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

Heaven Can Wait (1978)

The Hidden Room (AKA Obsession) (1949)

Hitchcock/Truffaut (2015)*

An Honest Liar (2015)*

House On Hauted Hill (1959)*

How To Marry A Millionaire (1953)*

Ida (2014)*

Idiocracy (1998)

In Cold Blood (1967)

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (1984)

Infernal Affairs (Mou gaan dou) (2002)*

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

The Interview (2014)*

Invasion of The Bee Girls (1973)*

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)

It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)*

It’s Such A Beautiful Day (2012)*

It’s Such A Beautiful Day (2012)

Jack Reacher (2012)*

JCVD (2008)*

John Carter (2012)*

John Wick (2014)*

Johnny Got His Gun (1971)*

Journey To The Seventh Planet (1962)*

Jurassic Park (1993)

Kill Me Three Times (2015)*

Koyaanisqatsi (1982)

Koyaanisqatsi (1982)

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015)*

Life Is Sweet (1990)*

Lisztomania (1975)*

Live From New York! (2015)*

The Lone Gun (1954)*

The Lone Ranger (2013)

The Long Riders (1980)*

Long Weekend (1977)*

The Lovers On The Bridge (Les Amants du Pont-Neuf) (1991)*

Lucy (2014)*

Mad Love (1935)*

Mad Max (1979)

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

Magician: The Astonishing Life & Work of Orson Welles (2015)*

Maps To The Stars (2015)*

Matinee (1993)

Mauvais Sang (1986)*

Medea (1969)*

Megaforce (1982)

Michael Clayton (2007)

The Monolith Monsters (1957)*

The Monster That Challenged The World (1957)*

Mr. Nobody (2010)*

My Best Fiend (1999)

Mystery Men (1999)*

The Naked Gun: From The Files of Police Squad! (1988)

The Naked Jungle (1954)

Neighbors (1981)

Never Let Go (1960)*

Night of The Creeps (1986)*

Nightcrawler (2014)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Non-Stop (2014)*

Notorious (1948)

Nuts In May (1976)*

Odd Man Out (1947)*

Of Human Bondage (1934)*

On Dangerous Ground (1951)*

The Onion Field (1979)*

The Overnight (2015)*

The Past (Le passé) (2013)*

Paths of Glory (1957)

Pink Floyd The Wall (1982)

Pinocchio (1940)

A Poem Is A Naked Person (1974)*

Poltergeist (1982)

Pontypool (2009)*

Porco Rosso (1992)*

Powaqqatsi (1988)

Prince of Darkness (1987)

The Princess Bride (1987)

Private School (1983)*

Queen and Country (2014)*

Raiders of The Lost Ark (1981)

Reality (2015)*

The Remains of The Day (1993)

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Ride In The Whirlwind (1966)*

Ripley’s Game (2003)*

River of No Return (1954)*

Road to Morocco (1942)*

The Road Warrior (AKA Mad Max II) (1981)

Rope of Sand (1949)*

Rushmore (1998)

Safe (1995)

Savages (1972)*

Salesman (1968)*

Sanjuro (1962)

Scarlet Street (1945)*

Schizopolis (1996)

Serial Mom (1994)

Shaft In Africa (1973)*

Shakespeare In Love (1998)

Shaun The Sheep Movie (2015)*

Shivers (1975)

The Shooting (1966)*

Skidoo (1968)*

The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito) (2011)*

Sleepaway Camp (1983)*

Sling Blade (1996)

Slither (2006)*

Slow West (2015)*

Son of Dracula (1943)*

Splendor In The Grass (1961)*

Spring Breakers (2013)

Stardust Memories (1980)

Starman (1984)

Starship Troopers (1997)

Strangers On A Train (1951)

The Stuff (1985)

Super (2011)*

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Sword of Doom (Dai-bosatsu tôge) (1966)*

Take This Job and Shove It (1981)

The Tall T (1957)*

The Terminator (1984)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)*

That Guy Dick Miller (2015)*

This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

Time Bandits (1981)

To Die For (1995)

Tom Dowd & The Language of Music (2003)*

Tomorrowland (2015)*

Transcendence (2014)*

Trumbo (2007)*

Turbo Kid (2015)*

Turbo Kid (2015)

Twelve Monkeys (1995)

Two Days, One Night (Deux jours, une nuit) (2014)*

Upstream Color (2013)

V For Vendetta (2006)

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (Valerie a tyden divu) (1970)*

Vampyres (1974)*

Vincent (Vincent n’a pas d’écailles) (2015)*

Virunga (2014)*

Waiting For Guffman (1996)

Welcome To The Dollhouse (1995)

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)*

Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

What We Do In The Shadows (2014)*

While We’re Young (2015)*

Why Don’t You Play In Hell? (Jigoku de naze warui) (2014)*

The Wicker Man (1973)

The Wild Angels (1966)*

A Wolf At The Door (O Lobo astrás da Porta) (2015)*

The World’s End (2013)

The Wrecking Crew (2015)*

The Wrestler (2008)

Wrong Cops (2013)*

You, The Living (Du levande) (2007)*

You Only Live Once (1937)*

 

I’m not sure what we can learn from this list, aside from my needing another hobby, but one thing I am sure of: I saw some movies in 2015. I wonder if 2015 was an outlier, numbers-wise? Being the first year I’ve kept such a list, did I watch more movies than I would have otherwise? Now that I’ve normalized tracking what I watch, will I watch fewer movies in 2016? There’s only way to know for sure. A new list. Until this time next year, then…

3 responses on “I See Movies, 2015 Edition

  1. a) How did Continental Divide (18) score as high as Raiders and more than Time Bandits (16)??!?!?!? Your credibility is at stake so answer carefully.

    b) Please rate all of these from 1 to 20 including half-points.

    • Apologies for my use of pencil and poor photography. Continental Divide rated an 8, a dismal score on my 1 to 20 scale. I do like that what I considered the best movie ever, Raiders, I only scored an 18, allowing myself room for when something even better came out. I had so much hope in those days of yore.

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