175 films in 366 days.
After watching 152 movies in 2023, I endeavored to surpass that number—beat my high score, in a manner of speaking—in 2024. I decided on 175, making for a nice-and-tidy 16.667% increase over 2023’s goal of 150. This felt like a manageable challenge, especially because most of last year’s circumstances, which helped me hit 152 in the first place, remained the same: I am still a professional culture editor, although I started a new job at the end of August. I also am still a homebody who prefers to sit in front of a big screen in a dark room instead of going outside and doing whatever people do outside. The good news is I am in less pain than last year, so my choice to stay inside was usually a choice, as opposed to a physical imposition.
This is all to say that I hit 175 not only happily but also with relative ease. I said in 2023 that 152 was the most movies I’d watched in a single 12-month span before, so I guess 175 is the new record! To other people whose jobs it is to watch movies until the cows come home, this is probably not actually that impressive or even that large of a number. But to the people in my life that I love and pride and am grateful for—a.k.a. the ones with a more realistic concept of cinema consumption—this is a feat. It’s also a sign that maybe I need more hobbies. But watching movies remains my favorite thing to do, and I am glad I get to do it as much as I do.
Like last year, this is mostly for accounting purposes. This is everything I watched or rewatched, at home or in theaters, in the order that I watched them. This includes during two separate film festivals (one of which was in-person, the other virtual). Also like last year, I’ve signaled out some superlatives, because that was fun! But unlike last year, I now use Letterboxd; I still don’t do that “star-rating schtick,” though, so these remain otherwise unrated.
Favorite new movie of the year:
I didn’t really love a lot of movies this year, unlike in 2023. (I just hung up my Past Lives poster, in fact.) But I’d probably say Hard Truths was my favorite.
Least-favorite new movie of the year:
I literally forgot I watched (and reviewed) Harold and the Purple Crayon until two weeks ago.
New movies I saw twice this year:
I Saw the TV Glow, Challengers, Wicked: Part One.
Most-watched actor of the year:
My friend Luis invited me to be a guest on his podcast, where he and his co-host Gavin watch as much of an actor/director’s filmography (or a genre) as possible and discuss it. They let the guest pick the subject, so I chose Steven Spielberg. I thought it would be fun, I hadn’t seen many, like, ~ classic mainstream blockbusters ~, and he’s got a pretty diverse catalogue. But, and no diss to him—I think he’s great!!!—I came to regret my pick, because that man has … a lot of movies.
Watching a lot of Spielberg movies (11) means watching a lot of Tom Hanks movies. I watched six movies starring Tom Hanks, four of which were directed by Spielberg: The Terminal, Catch Me If You Can, Saving Private Ryan, and Bridge of Spies. (Private Ryan was easily my favorite.) The other two TH movies I watched were That Thing You Do!, which Tom directed himself; and Here, which Andru tweeted about three times to a total of zero likes. If Andru had his druthers, I probably would have watched Forrest Gump too—I like that movie, but I had to put my foot down, or else I would have been totally sick of one of America’s golden treasures.
Most-watched actress of the year:
I finally watched The Lord of the Rings trilogy this year, after two decades of active disinterest. The Return of the King was great! The other two were fine. One of the only actresses with a semi-major role in those movies is Cate Blanchett, who is also one of my favorite actresses in general. I watched six of her movies this year: In addition to the three LOTR movies, I saw her in I’m Not There, Notes on a Scandal, and … Borderlands. Just like Cate Blanchett, I only watched Borderlands because I was paid for it.
Most underrated movie I watched this year:
I had a much better time watching Madame Web than I did the award-nominated A Complete Unknown. I’m not saying Madame Web is better than it or even the majority of movies that came out this year, objectively speaking. I’m just saying that history favors the bold.
Most overrated movie I watched this year:
A lot, to be honest! But I’m gonna go with Magnolia, a movie that I wish I could appreciate. I couldn’t even enjoy Tom Cruise’s terrible wig, because I disliked almost everything else so much.
Most appropriately rated movie I watched this year:
Also a lot, to be honest! Have you guys seen The Wizard of Oz? Good stuff.
And with that, here’s the full list:
In the Mood for Love
Mean Girls: The Musical
Self Reliance
The Teachers’ Lounge
Ted
Sideways
Maestro
Stress Positions
Black Box Diaries
A Real Pain
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
The Greatest Night in Pop
How to Have Sex
They Came Together
Paris, Texas
The Terminal
Catch Me If You Can
Madame Web
Minority Report
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Dune: Part Two
Napoleon Dynamite
Notting Hill
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
The Man From Earth
Sasquatch Sunset
Roleplay
Lovely and Amazing
American Society of Magical Negroes
Secret Mall Apartment
Bob Trevino Likes It
Backspot
The Antisocial Network
Road House (2024)
My Dead Friend Zoe
Babes
Y2K
MoviePass, MovieCrash
Monkey Man
Grand Theft Hamlet
The Fall Guy
Late Night With the Devil
It’s Complicated
Saving Private Ryan
Freddy Got Fingered
Little Wing
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
The Thundermans Return
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
War of the Worlds (2005)
Taxi Driver
Duel
I Saw the TV Glow (x2)
Challengers (x2)
Jaws
Bridge of Spies
Hook
Schindler’s List
Something’s Gotta Give
As Good as It Gets
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
The Garfield Movie
Garfield
Robot Dreams
The People’s Joker
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
First Time Female Director
The Contestant
“Me” (short)
It’s Such a Beautiful Day
Group Therapy
The Idea of You
Boys Go to Jupiter
Inside Out 2
Sing Sing
Hit Man
X
Pearl
Kinds of Kindness
Bad CGI Gator
That Thing You Do!
Maxxxine
Janet Planet
Muriel’s Wedding
Hillbilly Elegy
A Woman Under the Influence
Manhunter
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One
The Silence of the Lambs
Devil in a Blue Dress
The Player
Dìdi
Secrets and Lies
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie
Vanya on 42nd Street
It Ends With Us
Borderlands
Rap World
Twister
Unbreakable
The Conversation
Dogma
Trap
All That Jazz
The Edge of Seventeen
Easy A
Oasis: Supersonic
Gimme Shelter
The Decline of Western Civilization
Hearts of Darkness
Magnolia
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Welcome to the Dollhouse
The Ring
Mars Attacks!
Moontrap
Moontrap Target Earth
The Wild Robot
Falling Together
Megalopolis
The Outrun
Conclave
Piece by Piece
Hard Truths
Joker: Folie à Deux
We Live in Time
Anora
Freaky Friday (2003)
Look Back
Flow (2024)
Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara
Notes on a Scandal
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Blitz
Saturday Night
Olivia Rodrigo: Guts World Tour
Carved
Juror No. 2
Martha (2024)
The Princess Diaries
My Old Ass
Whitney (2018)
Here
All We Imagine as Light
The Room Next Door
Emilia Pérez
Wicked: Part One (x2)
Queer
Memoir of a Snail
Nickel Boys
Our Little Secret
The Wizard of Oz
The Brutalist
Nosferatu (2024)
The Brady Bunch Movie
Heretic
Longlegs
Babygirl
A Complete Unknown
Elf
Mufasa: The Lion King
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
September 5
A Different Man
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Hanukkah on the Rocks
Will and Harper
The Holiday
Mulholland Drive
I’m Not There
The Big Lebowski
