Film366
A couple of years ago, a friend of mine set out to watch 52 new-to-him movies in one year. Not to be outdone, last year, i made a goal to watch 366 new-to-me films, one for each day of the year (it was a leap year). It was a lofty goal, but on weekends where i didn’t have a lot going on, i figured i could watch a bunch of movies, to cache up for days where i couldn’t.
My parameters were that the movie had to be one that i had never seen before, it had to be of sufficient length that it could be generously considered “feature length” (i settled on around 75 minutes for that), and documentaries would count so long as they met the length requirement. After each film, i wrote down a few paragraphs of review in a Field Notes notebook, gave the movie a rating, and recorded it in my spreadsheet.
For the first couple months, i did really well; i had ended up banking a good 20 or 30 movies ahead. However, sometime around April, i landed a big project at work that frequently kept me late. When May came around i was able to pick up steam again, but after a few weeks, i found i was getting burnt out on watching movies altogether. It was hard to muster the attention span. Sadly, this was when the whole project fell apart. I started slipping behind, going an entire week without watching anything. Not even an episode of a television show. I It’s sad when your goals die.
But, some stats: The first movie of the year was fun spy romp Burn After Reading, on January first. The last recorded movie of the year was the biopic about Mexican rock singer Gloria Trevi, Gloria, which i watched on September 25th. I know i had seen a few more movies after that point (both a Star Wars movie and a Harry Potter film came out that autumn afterall) but by this point i apparently had given up on notating what i had seen.
The 146 recorded films combined totaled 10 days, 19 hours, and 47 minutes. The average movie i watched was made in 2004. The average rating was 3.28 stars out of 5. There were nine movies that i gave 5 stars: The Enemy Below, Diplomacy, Mad Max: Fury Road, Othello, War of the Buttons, Closer to the Moon, The Conversation, Amadeus, and Look Who’s Back. I only had two 1 star movies: Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning and Bad Ass 3: Bad Asses on the Bayou. I would not recommend either of these two films.
So what did i learn? There were a lot of good movies that i had missed growing up. There were a lot of bad movies that i ended up enjoying despite their badness. And there were a lot of really amazing movies made over the years. I regret not seeing it out, but that’s a lot of movies to watch, and i honestly made it further than i thought i would.
The Movies
| Movie | Year Released | Length | Date Watched | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burn After Reading | 2008 | 96m | 2016-01-01 | 2/5 |
| Howard the Duck | 1986 | 111m | 2016-01-02 | 2/5 |
| The Enemy Below | 1957 | 98m | 2016-01-03 | 5/5 |
| In Bruges | 2008 | 107m | 2016-01-03 | 4/5 |
| Blade Runner | 1982 | 117m | 2016-01-04 | 4/5 |
| The Station Agent | 2003 | 89m | 2016-01-06 | 3/5 |
| Star Wreck | 2005 | 103m | 2016-01-07 | 1/5 |
| Diplomacy | 2014 | 88m | 2016-01-07 | 5/5 |
| Stop or My Mom Will Shoot | 1992 | 87m | 2016-01-09 | 2/5 |
| Zero Motivation | 2014 | 100m | 2016-01-09 | 4/5 |
| This Must Be the Place | 2011 | 118m | 2016-01-09 | 3/5 |
| Blade | 1998 | 120m | 2016-01-10 | 3/5 |
| If Looks Could Kill | 1991 | 88m | 2016-01-10 | 2/5 |
| The Propaganda Game | 2015 | 75m | 2016-01-10 | 3/5 |
| Sisters | 2015 | 118m | 2016-01-12 | 3/5 |
| The War Room | 1993 | 96m | 2016-01-13 | 4/5 |
| General Idi Amin Dada | 1975 | 90m | 2016-01-13 | 3/5 |
| Quigley Down Under | 1990 | 119m | 2016-01-14 | 3/5 |
| The Revenant | 2015 | 156m | 2016-01-15 | 4/5 |
| The Special Relationship | 2010 | 93m | 2016-01-16 | 3/5 |
| Demolition Man | 1993 | 115m | 2016-01-17 | 3/5 |
| The Death of Superman Lives | 2015 | 104m | 2016-01-17 | 3/5 |
| Mad Max Fury Road | 2015 | 120m | 2016-01-17 | 5/5 |
| Bad Asses on the Bayou | 2015 | 85m | 2016-01-18 | 1/5 |
| Lost in La Mancha | 2002 | 93m | 2016-01-20 | 3/5 |
| Dune | 1984 | 137m | 2016-01-21 | 3/5 |
| Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy | 2011 | 137m | 2016-01-22 | 4/5 |
| 11:14 | 2003 | 85m | 2016-01-23 | 3/5 |
| Bad Words | 2014 | 89m | 2016-01-23 | 4/5 |
| Kelly’s Heroes | 1970 | 144m | 2016-01-23 | 4/5 |
| The Warriors | 1979 | 92m | 2016-01-23 | 4/5 |
| Viva La Libertà | 2013 | 94m | 2016-01-24 | 3/5 |
| Meet the Patels | 2015 | 88m | 2016-01-24 | 3/5 |
| Django Unchained | 2012 | 185m | 2016-01-24 | 3/5 |
| The Numbers Station | 2013 | 89m | 2016-01-27 | 2/5 |
| Jodorowsky’s Dune | 2014 | 88m | 2016-01-28 | 4/5 |
| Wetlands | 2013 | 109m | 2016-01-29 | 3/5 |
| Hyde Park on Hudson | 2012 | 94m | 2016-01-30 | 4/5 |
| House | 1977 | 88m | 2016-01-30 | 2/5 |
| The French Minister | 2013 | 113m | 2016-02-02 | 3/5 |
| The Punisher | 2004 | 123m | 2016-02-03 | 3/5 |
| A Band Called Death | 2013 | 96m | 2016-02-04 | 4/5 |
| Alien | 1979 | 117m | 2016-02-05 | 4/5 |
| Othello | 1995 | 123m | 2016-02-06 | 5/5 |
| Hackers | 1995 | 107m | 2016-02-06 | 3/5 |
| The Dungeon Masters | 2008 | 87m | 2016-02-07 | 3/5 |
| This Ain’t California | 2012 | 100m | 2016-02-07 | 4/5 |
| War of the Buttons | 2011 | 100m | 2016-02-09 | 5/5 |
| The Princess and the Frog | 2009 | 97m | 2016-02-10 | 4/5 |
| Deadpool | 2016 | 106m | 2016-02-11 | 4/5 |
| Kiss Kiss Bang Bang | 2005 | 103m | 2016-02-13 | 3/5 |
| I Am Yours | 2013 | 100m | 2016-02-13 | 3/5 |
| The Wolf of Wall Street | 2013 | 180m | 2016-02-13 | 4/5 |
| Closer to the Moon | 2014 | 112m | 2016-02-14 | 5/5 |
| The Conversation | 1974 | 113m | 2016-02-14 | 5/5 |
| The Castle | 1997 | 85m | 2016-02-15 | 3/5 |
| Northern Soul | 2014 | 102m | 2016-02-16 | 3/5 |
| Hail Caesar | 2016 | 106m | 2016-02-18 | 4/5 |
| Saving Grace | 2000 | 94m | 2016-02-18 | 3/5 |
| They Live | 1988 | 93m | 2016-02-19 | 4/5 |
| Evolution | 2001 | 101m | 2016-02-20 | 2/5 |
| We Need to Talk About Kevin | 2011 | 112m | 2016-02-21 | 3/5 |
| The Signal | 2014 | 97m | 2016-02-22 | 4/5 |
| Captain America: The Winter Soldier | 2014 | 136m | 2016-02-24 | 4/5 |
| Wagon’s East | 1994 | 107m | 2016-02-27 | 2/5 |
| A Picture of You | 2014 | 83m | 2016-02-28 | 4/5 |
| Piku | 2015 | 122m | 2016-02-29 | 3/5 |
| Highlander | 1986 | 116m | 2016-03-02 | 2/5 |
| The Experimenter | 2015 | 98m | 2016-03-03 | 4/5 |
| Everybody’s All-American | 1988 | 127m | 2016-03-06 | 3/5 |
| State and Main | 2000 | 105m | 2016-03-06 | 4/5 |
| Sweet Liberty | 1986 | 106m | 2016-03-06 | 2/5 |
| Spy | 2015 | 119m | 2016-03-07 | 3/5 |
| The World’s End | 2013 | 109m | 2016-03-08 | 4/5 |
| Rescue Dawn | 2007 | 120m | 2016-03-10 | 4/5 |
| He Never Died | 2015 | 99m | 2016-03-12 | 3/5 |
| Quadrophenia | 1979 | 117m | 2016-03-12 | 3/5 |
| Jubilee | 1978 | 103m | 2016-03-12 | 2/5 |
| The Concert | 2009 | 119m | 2016-03-12 | 4/5 |
| Quartet | 2013 | 98m | 2016-03-13 | 3/5 |
| Watchmen | 2009 | 162m | 2016-03-18 | 4/5 |
| Dope | 2015 | 103m | 2016-03-19 | 4/5 |
| Murder of a President | 2016 | 111m | 2016-03-19 | 3/5 |
| Best of Enemies | 2015 | 87m | 2016-03-20 | 4/5 |
| Daddy’s Home | 2015 | 96m | 2016-03-27 | 2/5 |
| The Berkley Marathons | 2014 | 89m | 2016-04-05 | 3/5 |
| Confessions of a Dangerous Mind | 2002 | 113m | 2016-04-05 | 3/5 |
| Other People’s Money | 1991 | 103m | 2016-04-06 | 2/5 |
| No Robaras | 2013 | 95m | 2016-04-07 | 3/5 |
| Mr. Kaplan | 2014 | 98m | 2016-04-09 | 4/5 |
| A Hijacking | 2012 | 103m | 2016-04-12 | 4/5 |
| Amadeus | 1984 | 160m | 2016-04-16 | 5/5 |
| Outrage | 2010 | 109m | 2016-04-22 | 3/5 |
| The Young Kieslowski | 2014 | 94m | 2016-04-22 | 3/5 |
| Lars and the Real Girl | 2007 | 106m | 2016-04-23 | 4/5 |
| San Andreas | 2015 | 114m | 2016-04-23 | 2/5 |
| Look Who’s Back | 2015 | 116m | 2016-04-24 | 5/5 |
| Exporting Raymond | 2011 | 86m | 2016-04-24 | 3/5 |
| I Don’t Know Whether to Slit My Wrists or Leave Them Long | 2013 | 103m | 2016-04-25 | 4/5 |
| Volando Bajo | 2014 | 96m | 2016-04-27 | 3/5 |
| Don Verdean | 2015 | 90m | 2016-04-28 | 3/5 |
| The Bank Job | 2008 | 111m | 2016-04-29 | 3/5 |
| Happy-Go-Lucky | 2008 | 118m | 2016-04-29 | 2/5 |
| Spy Game | 2001 | 126m | 2016-04-30 | 3/5 |
| Mystery Team | 2009 | 97m | 2016-04-30 | 3/5 |
| Moonwalkers | 2015 | 107m | 2016-04-30 | 4/5 |
| The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel | 2015 | 122m | 2016-05-01 | 4/5 |
| Get Shorty | 1995 | 105m | 2016-05-01 | 3/5 |
| The Dream Team | 1989 | 113m | 2016-05-01 | 2/5 |
| Revolver Rani | 2014 | 132m | 2016-05-01 | 2/5 |
| Special Correspondents | 2016 | 100m | 2016-05-02 | 2/5 |
| 3 Days in Havana | 2013 | 83m | 2016-05-02 | 3/5 |
| Gold | 2014 | 88m | 2016-05-04 | 3/5 |
| The Burbs | 1989 | 101m | 2016-05-04 | 4/5 |
| Fantastic Four | 2005 | 106m | 2016-05-04 | 2/5 |
| The Hoax | 2007 | 116m | 2016-05-05 | 4/5 |
| The Great Gatsby | 1974 | 144m | 2016-05-05 | 4/5 |
| Captain America: Civil War | 2016 | 146m | 2016-05-05 | 4/5 |
| To Catch a Thief | 1955 | 106m | 2016-05-06 | 4/5 |
| The Man From U.N.C.L.E. | 2015 | 116m | 2016-05-07 | 2/5 |
| The War of the Buttons | 1994 | 94m | 2016-05-07 | 3/5 |
| The Bonfire of the Vanities | 1990 | 125m | 2016-05-07 | 3/5 |
| Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine | 2015 | 128m | 2016-05-08 | 3/5 |
| 4th Man Out | 2015 | 86m | 2016-05-08 | 3/5 |
| Twilight | 1998 | 94m | 2016-05-10 | 2/5 |
| The Girl King | 2015 | 106m | 2016-05-12 | 4/5 |
| Trainspotting | 1996 | 94m | 2016-05-12 | 4/5 |
| Reel Injun | 2009 | 86m | 2016-05-14 | 3/5 |
| Cairo Time | 2009 | 90m | 2016-05-14 | 3/5 |
| Constantine | 2005 | 121m | 2016-05-14 | 3/5 |
| The Snapper | 1993 | 91m | 2016-05-14 | 3/5 |
| Lost Heroes | 2014 | 108m | 2016-05-15 | 3/5 |
| Paraíso | 2015 | 105m | 2016-05-16 | 3/5 |
| Fantastic Four | 2015 | 100m | 2016-05-17 | 3/5 |
| St. Vincent | 2014 | 102m | 2016-05-19 | 4/5 |
| Miss Representation | 2011 | 85m | 2016-05-21 | 3/5 |
| Firewall | 2006 | 105m | 2016-05-21 | 2/5 |
| Hellboy | 2004 | 122m | 2016-05-21 | 4/5 |
| Vampire in Brooklyn | 1995 | 102m | 2016-05-22 | 2/5 |
| X-Men: Age of Apocalpyse | 2016 | 144m | 2016-05-31 | 4/5 |
| Ghostbusters | 2016 | 118m | 2016-07-15 | 4/5 |
| The Killing Joke | 2016 | 76m | 2016-07-23 | 3/5 |
| Star Trek Beyond | 2016 | 122m | 2016-07-28 | 3/5 |
| The Big Short | 2015 | 130m | 2016-09-25 | 4/5 |
| Gloria | 2015 | 126m | 2016-09-25 | 4/5 |