For New Year’s this year I decided to set myself a goal of watching a new movie a day (new to me, not necessarily new this year), so that by the end of the year I will have watched at least 365 new films. Since it’s more fun to do these things when I’m at least putting the list out there, I’m keeping track of my progress on IMDb here, and I’m going to recap my list here every 25 films, including a brief review of my personal highlights.

So, here goes!

My first 25 films of the year were all pretty enjoyable (except ‘Silence’… sorry Scorsese). This time of year is when I try to watch all the award nominees, so there’s quite a few of them on this list, as you’ll notice. But here are just a few films that really stood out for me. (The full list of 25 is at the end.)

Movie Trio

Sing Street (2016): Third film from the creators of ‘Once’ and ‘Begin Again’, it stands out as a vibrant coming of age musical in Ireland during the era of Duran Duran, The Cure, and early MTV. The story is a typical boy meets girl, girl is too cool for boy, boy forms band to get girl. Woven within that structure is an examination of dreams and dreamers, and the course your life can take in the pursuit (or lack thereof) of your dreams. The songs, largely created in the context of the band’s ‘music videos’, are catchy and fun, and explore a cross-section of the era’s music tastes. With the production value of ‘Begin Again’ but the grittiness of ‘Once’, ‘Sing Street’ to me feels the most complete and satisfying of the three films from director John Carney.

Rebel Without a Cause (1955): During the opening credits of ‘Rebel Without a Cause’, where he drunkenly plays with a monkey toy on a deserted street, I suddenly understood the whole James Dean obsession. From that moment, I was hooked. It’s such an iconic film that I feel a bit silly for not having watched it earlier, but thanks to ‘La La Land’ I grabbed it off my shelf… and enjoyed it immensely. Sal Mineo plays his supporting role incredibly well, adding a frantic feeling to the overall exploration of feeling adrift as a youth on the edge of adulthood. Natalie Wood rounds out the trio of young actors in this film that paved the way for a new era of films focuses on the angst of youth.

Hidden Figures (2016): This is a story about three intelligent, heroic black women who overcame a deck fully stacked against them to help the United States get back into the space race. A wonderful story that deserved to be told, ‘Hidden Figures’ tells it with warmth, hope, and levity. In our current climate of divisiveness and hate rhetoric, this film offers a welcome reflection on the divisions of the past and the progress we’ve made, while encouraging viewers to look ahead at what still needs to be done and what we can achieve if we unite across barriers and artificial lines like race and gender. By the end of this film, I felt a renewed sense of hope, in spite of everything going on in the world. Plus, smart women being awesome and kick-ass with math is just fun to watch.

No Country for Old Men (2007): The devil is in the details, and the beautiful detail shots in this movie were the moments that really stood out. Another film that I somehow missed during its award buzz year, ‘No Country for Old Men’ lived up to the hype for me. Expertly filmed and written, the story of a man in the wrong place at the wrong time who goes on the run from a twisted retrieval man (among others) is brutal and fascinating. With echoes of classic Westerns and suspense thrillers paired with the Coen Brothers’ wit, this film kept me on the edge of my sofa seat to the very end.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964): Another thank you to ‘La La Land’ and the reviewers of that film who had a wider musical knowledge than me. ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ was referenced several times in conjunction with the style and themes of ‘La La Land’ (which, if you couldn’t tell, was my favorite film of 2016), so on a free afternoon I decided to check it out. And I was so glad I did! Going in without specific expectations, I was surprised to find that the entirety of the film is done in song (oh and also in French!), so it may not be for everyone. But Jacques Demy’s bright pop art-style colors and set dressings drew me in, and as the story unfolded I pretty much fell in love with it. Fun fact: daily dialogue sounds so much prettier when sung in French.

The Red Shoes (1948): ‘The Red Shoes’ is a film that I’ve heard of often, but had never gotten around to watching. I picked it up recently during a Criterion Collection sale at Barnes & Noble, so I ran out of excuses for why I hadn’t seen it. It is GORGEOUS. Seriously, the Technicolor usage on this film is simply stunning. The story is about the ballet, and aspiring dancer caught between love and dance.Moira Shearer is exquisite, and it’s great that they cast a real ballerina in the role as her grace and poise throughout the film enhances the realism of the role. The highlight, of course, is fifteen minute long Red Shoes ballet number, a fantastic meshing of a stage performance and the inner thoughts of the lead ballerina who is dancing it. Fair warning: this is not a ‘Center Stage’ type ballet movie.

FILMS 1-25 of My 2017 MovieADay Project:

  1. Amadeus
  2. The Lives of Others
  3. Sing Street
  4. Hell or High Water
  5. Logan’s Run
  6. Lion
  7. Fences
  8. Rebel Without a Cause
  9. Moana
  10. Hidden Figures
  11. No Country for Old Men
  12. Suspicion
  13. Passengers
  14. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
  15. Trading Places
  16. Twelve Monkeys
  17. Silence
  18. The Red Shoes
  19. Rushmore
  20. The Magnificent Seven
  21. Theodora Goes Wild
  22. Beetlejuice
  23. 20th Century Women
  24. Gilda
  25. Meet Me in St. Louis

I’ll be back after the next 25 with more observations and recommendations; meanwhile you can follow along on my progress through my IMDb list. If you have suggestions for what I should be watching, let me know!

Be sure to check out the rest of my MovieADay Project posts here!