Film Quest 2014: The Challenge

Each year, I keep track of the movies I watch for the first time. In past years, I set a numeric goal. Last year, I even incorporated a percentage of movies on the list which had to be at least 20 years old. Because 2014 is going to be a bit different in terms of some things going on in my personal life, I don’t want to set a numeric goal. The goal that I am setting should be almost as challenging, but significantly more rewarding.

There are certain films, which I’ve listed below, which represent holes in my movie viewer resume. They’re films that I should’ve already seen, but for one reason or another, I haven’t. So this year, I’m challenging myself to see those films. For some people, this wouldn’t seem like a difficult task. But I can’t just set them up atop my Netflix queue, which I share with my wife, and these aren’t the only movies I’m going to see this year. It may not be a substantially difficult challenge, but it’s my challenge.

Movies I’ve seen in 2014 for the first time:

January

1. Four Christmases (review)
2. Warm Bodies
3. Only God Forgives
4. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
5. Spirited Away
6. Drinking Buddies
7. Star Trek: First Contact (review)
8. Submarine
9. The Place Beyond The Pines
10. Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead
11. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (review)
12. The Muppets Christmas Carol (review)
13. Surviving Christmas (review)
14. The Invisible War
15. Kings Of Summer
16. Frozen (Disney)
17. Ten Little Indians (1965)

February

18. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
19. Man Of Tai Chi
20. Frances Ha (review)
21. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (review)
22. Wolf Of Wall Street (review)
23. Despicable Me 2
24. Double Indemnity
25. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
26. Cars 2

March

27. Greenberg
28. The Raid: Redemption
29. The Sessions
30. Oceans Eleven (1960)
31. Lola Versus
32. I Declare War
33. Now You See Me (review)
34. Turbo
35. The Abyss (1989)
36. Thor: The Dark World (review)

April

37. The Grand Budapest Hotel (review)
38. Machete
39. Dallas Buyers Club
40. The To Do List
41. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (review)
42. Over Her Dead Body
43. Noah
44. Judge Dredd (review)
45. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)
46. Pacific Rim (review)
47. Jack Reacher
48. The Apartment (1960) (review)
49. Much Ado About Nothing (2013)
50. Don Jon
51. Raging Bull (1980) (review)
52. Exit Through The Gift Shop
53. Take Me Home
54. Charade (1963) (review)

May

55. Amazing Spider-Man 2 (review)
56. Mud
57. Paranoia
58. Promised Land
59. Enough Said
60. Godzilla (2014) (review)
61. The Sting (1973)
62. Locke (review)
63. Clear History
64. X-Men: Days Of Future Past (review)
65. Moon (review)
66. Sherlock, Jr. (1924)
67. Our Idiot Brother
68. The Sand Pebbles (1966) (review)

June

69. The Bling Ring
70. Casino
71. The LEGO Movie
72. Lincoln
73. Chef (review)
74. World War Z

July

75. Monuments Men
76. 42
77. Pain & Gain
78. The Internship
79. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
80. Edge Of Tomorrow
81. Justice League: War
82. Silverado
83. Short Term 12
84. Planes: Fire & Rescue

August

85. Girl Most Likely
86. Guardians of the Galaxy
87. Inside Llewyn Davis
88. 21 Jump Street
89. Before Sunset
90. Teenage Mutant NINJA TURTLES (2014) (review)
91. Thanks For Sharing
92. That Awkward Moment
93. Gambit
94. Kick-Ass 2
95. Sunshine (review)
96. Saving Mr. Banks
97. His Girl Friday (1940)

September

98. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
99. The Great Escape
100. The Drop

October

101. Fistful of Dollars
102. Killing Them Softly
103. This Is Where I Leave You
104. Secretariat
105. Escape From Planet Earth
106. Birdman (review)

November

107. The Blob (1958)
108. Gone Girl
109. Interstellar
110. Muppets Most Wanted
111. On The Waterfront (1954)
112. St. Vincent

December

113. Hyde Park on Hudson
114. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
115. Snowpiercer
116. Unforgiven (1992)
117. Magic In The Moonlight
118. Sneakers (1992)

 

Movies from 1994 or Prior: 25 (currently ~22%)

1. Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead (1991)
2. Star Trek IV (1986)
3. Muppets Christmas Carol (1992)
4. Ten Little Indians (1965)
5. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
6. Double Indemnity (1944)
7. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
8. Oceans Eleven (1960)
9. The Abyss (1989)
10. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)
11.  The Apartment (1960)
12. Raging Bull (1980)
13. Charade (1963)
14. The Sting (1973)
15. Sherlock, Jr. (1924)
16. The Sand Pebbles (1966)
17. Silverado (1985)
18. His Girl Friday (1940)
19. The Great Escape (1963)
20. Fistful of Dollars (1964)
21. The Blob
22. On The Waterfront (1954)
23. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
24. Unforgiven (1992)
25. Sneakers (1992)

Next up:

Lone Survivor
or
The Third Man
or
Temple Grandin
or
The Station Agent (started it on Netflix)
or
Kung Fu Panda 2 (started it on DVR)
or
Easy Rider (started it on Netflix)

Films I’m Challenging Myself To See

All About Eve [i] {1}
******** Blob, The (1958)
Brazil
Capote
****** Casino
Children of Men {3}
**** Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
Easy Rider
*** Fistful of Dollars
Gandhi [i] {2}
Gone with the Wind {3}
***** The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
****** The Great Escape
The Lives Of Others
Magnificent Seven, The {1}
Metropolis [i] {2}
My Neighbor Totoro {1}
Network {1}
**** Night of the Living Dead [i] {3}
******* On The Waterfront
Patton [i] {1}
**** Raging Bull
Rebel Without a Cause {1}
Sanjuro
**** Spirited Away
******** Sting, The
****** Sunset Blvd
***** The Apartment
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly [i]
The Third Man {1}
Thing, The {1}
Tree of Life, The
******* Unforgiven {2}
Yojimbo