Usually I’m the type to think, “Wow, I can’t believe it’s already [insert month]! Time is flying!” when I make these monthly wrap-ups. But for some reason, January felt super long and slow! February brings tax reporting and Hallmark holidays, but hopefully it’ll have a bit more pep in its step than January.
Though it was a sluggish month, I got a good bit of viewing in during January, so here’s the monthly wrap-up!
New-to-me viewings: 14
Re-watches: 2
Total for January: 16
Total for 2018, so far: 16
Not a huge month, but pretty good! About a film every other day (though the viewing was mostly done in mini movie marathons over weekends).
The new-to-me list:
- 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
- The Big Sick (2017)
- The Incredible Jessica James (2017)
- Man’s Castle (1933)
- The Matchbreaker (2016)
- The Racket (1951)
- Tension at Table Rock (1956)
- Four Jacks and a Jill (1942)
- Born Strong (2017)
- The Shape of Water (2017)
- Castle on the Hudson (1947)
- If Winter Comes (1947)
- Hostiles (2018)
- Youth Runs Wild (1944)
Quite the mix this month — new, old, and all over the place in terms of genre!
My favorite discovery of the month would probably be Man’s Castle (1933), which features a fantastic performance by Loretta Young. I also LOVED 10 Cloverfield Lane. What a great film to start off the year!
The Big Sick and The Shape of Water both made their way into the top five of my ranking of 2017 releases, but neither could top what is still my favorite film of the year, Get Out. (I have a few more films to catch up on from 2017 — after that, I’ll share my ranking if anyone is interested!)
Re-watched:
- Wedding Crashers (2005)
- The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
With this very short list of re-watches, I think you can guess which film will be featured for this month’s Favorite Things post! (Hint: It rhymes with “The Shmost and Shmrs. Shmuir.”)
Viewing methods:
- Amazon Video – 2
- At the cinema – 2
- From my collection – 1
- From my sister’s collection – 1
- Netflix – 3
- TCM – 5
- Warner Archive Instant – 1
- WatchTCM – 1
Made a little dent in the DVR this month, with about a third of my viewing being from taped TCM showings. (One of my movie resolutions for the year is to clear half of the DVR. I have around 200 films recorded!)
By decade:
- 1910s – 0
- 1920s – 0
- 1930s – 1
- 1940s – 5
- 1950s – 2
- 1960s – 0
- 1970s – 0
- 1980s – 0
- 1990s – 0
- 2000s – 1
- 2010s – 7
A precise, even split between modern and classic this month! Eight and eight! I attribute this to the fact that I spent some of the month catching up on 2017 releases (something I’ll be continuing through February — I’m finally seeing I, Tonya today!).
The month in blogging:
January is always a month with a lot of wrap-ups here on the blog. In addition to the monthly wrap-up for December, I posted my yearly viewing stats for 2017 and my most memorable discoveries of the year.
The Collector’s Corner series saw two updates. First off: a haul sharing the movies and entertainment-related books I got for Christmas. Then, not quite ready to give up on posting about Stanwyck, I chose her as the second star to explore for the Star Collections subcategory.
A few sporadic series got updates this month. Historical Context, in which I share excerpts from my vintage magazine collection, had me sharing some classic movie-related tidbits from a 1958 issue of LOOK. The Second Looks series had one new post in January, a look at a fantastic Deborah Kerr performance in The Innocents (1961). TMP’s exploration of period films also continued, with the 1930s-set boarding school thriller The Silenced (2015).
The rest of the month was filled with standard classic film reviews. They were:
- Death on the Diamond (1934), a mystery-comedy about murder and sabotage surrounding the St. Louis Cardinals during the World Series
- The Girl from Chicago (1932), an Oscar Micheaux production about a couple who find themselves trapped in the fringes of the crime world in both Mississippi and Harlem
- The Happy Road (1957), a comedy of two children escaped from boarding school, directed by the wonderful Gene Kelly
- The Lady Takes a Sailor (1949), in which Jane Wyman stars a consumer protection expert whose credibility is called into question after she claims to have had an unusual under-the-sea experience
- Until They Sail (1957), a romantic drama following the highs and lows in the lives of four sisters in World War II-era New Zealand
- Upper World (1934), a Warren William-led tale of a businessman who gets wrapped up in blackmail and murder after befriending a showgirl (portrayed by Ginger Rogers)
Happy February, and here’s to another month full of movie-watching!
I can’t wait to see The Big Sick! Glad you liked The Shape of Water, I just it last month, too and loved it. Get Out was such a brilliant film!
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The Shape of Water was gorgeous! And Get Out was just one of the most engaging, original films I’ve seen in a long time. I hope you enjoy The Big Sick when you get around to watching it!
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I love that your film-watching covers multiple decades. So fun!
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It is a lot of fun! I’ve gained such a greater appreciation of film through watching a wide variety. Any decade, any country, any budget, I’ll watch it haha.
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Yeah, ’10 Cloverfield Lane’ was pretty cool…and its sequel is due in April! But I think my favorite from your list is the noir film ‘The Racket’, one of the first noirs I ever saw, back in the ’90s on AMC.
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I didn’t realize it was part of a series until I saw a preview for the new one! Still need to see the first installment.
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Oooo, I really liked the first one…even more than the second. Two entirely different films, though. I’d say it might be better not to read up on it, and go into it blind.
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I think you would enjoy Fourteen Hours with Paul Douglas, Richard Basehart, Agnes Moorhead and Robert Keith. There are cameo appearances by four other actors that you will enjoy.
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I’ve seen it and did very much enjoy it. Agnes Moorehead’s performance is so great. It’s been several years since I watched it, so thanks for reminding me to give it a second look! :)
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