It is 2023 and I am on a mission. For many of us the start of February means our New Year’s resolutions are a distant memory. In terms of any positive changes to my health and wellness, let’s just say that’s still a work in progress. If my goal for 2023 was to watch more movies, I exceeded that and then some. In the first 31 days of 2023 I managed to watch and log a total of 151 films. That is correct, 151. So let’s talk about them.
I wouldn’t say my resolution was to watch more movies in 2023, considering I watched a lot in 2022, but I made a crucial error. On Letterboxd, the site I decided to use to keep track of my recent watches I learned that unless you “log or review” a film it doesn’t get added to your film diary. I was quite disappointed when people were sharing their end of year data to discover I watched a total of 1 film in 2022 and it was Dr. Jekyll’s Dungeon of Death. How embarrassing considering what an absolute piece of shit this movie is, and that’s all I had to show for the hundreds of movies I got in.
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| First film of the year doesn't have to be good |
Well 2023 was going to be better. Long time readers of this blog might recall that back in 2012 I posted monthly film journals. These were written on a word document that I updated manually. In order to see some sweet year end stats though I wanted to make a point of checking things in on Letterboxd. Like that word document from years ago this does require me to manually input the data so occasionally I could find that I missed a title, and when you watch 151 movies in a month things can be a bit of a blur. It is all the more imperative that I try rating things as I watch them otherwise I’m lost.
Now here’s a disclaimer, I was out of work for the month of January. Watching movies became my full time job to a point and according to some rough estimates, I spent approximately 8 hours a day watching movies for 31 straight days. Some days more, some less, but that’s the average. To do this I set the lofty goal of getting 5 films a day in. A nice round number that frankly is a little easier to hit if you have a singular obsession and of course nothing better to do.
What begat this obsessive watching pace can be traced back to November and well even further. Like Sight and Sound I update my top 100 movies every ten years. 2022 was a year where my goal was to revisit as many of my favorites as possible to prepare for this list. You may recall that my last list was posted in January of 2013, and well that was the initial goal. I am dismayed to announced I am not even remotely ready for that, but I am still hopefully on track to have the top 100 up by the end of the year.
Well what started as me wanting physical copies of some of my favorite movies for list consideration morphed into me buying lots of weird cult films. My policy of try before you buy on films was thrown right out the window and I was seduced by the lure of building a “collection”. Even a few Criterions were picked up that were blind buys. With a few exceptions I don’t regret my deep dive into physical media, but at times I feel like I forgot all the lessons of the DVD era when I obsessively had to own everything I watched. Poverty and lack of real estate is likely to curb my purchasing significantly in 2023, but the damage was done.
Any physical media collector however can relate to the watch pile growing almost exponentially. We all think we’re going to cut back, or sit down to watch more stuff but little by little it gets harder to keep up. If you only collect Criterion’s for example, you get 4 sales a year. Depending on how nuts you go with these it’s easy to keep up on a year of purchases. When you figure Vinegar Syndrome has 2-4 sales (depending on how much you like vintage pornography), Severin has at least two major sales, Kino has 4, and Arrow has about a dozen, well you get the point. There’s always a sale and shockingly there’s always something you want to pick up. Part of this is because releases keep coming out. Kino puts out some ungodly amount of films every month, many of which are easy to skip but a few are not. Criterion averages 4-6 releases a month, and so on. If you’re playing a game of catch up this can get overwhelming. 2022 was all about catching up on these massive back catalogs.
So at a certain point, inspired in part by ManvFilm I decided to use Letterboxd to make a list of all the films I had picked up that I hadn’t watched yet. I wanted to know how bad it had gotten. The watch pile started around 80, ballooned to 100+, got back down to 60, nearly doubled with Black Friday purchases, and so on. There are only two ways to get the pile down, watch more and buy less. With incoming movies screeching to a halt, I had to do the other thing to knock it out. I am happy to report that with a few days left in January that watch pile got down to zero. I did the thing so few of us collectors/hoarders accomplish but catching up completely on purchases.
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| Last movie of January |
Wrapping up all the films I bought that I never watched has allowed a great deal of freedom. I can catch up on this year’s pitiful Oscar nominees, go through queues in various streaming services, revisit some of the purchases I had already seen, and perhaps most importantly actually start researching the 2023 edition of my top 100 films. Of course I took the opportunity to sign up for a free trial of Arrow Player, primarily because of the upcoming premiere of Orchestrator of Storms. I love me some Jean Rollin and Kat Ellinger has me pumped for this documentary. For the record I’d say Arrow is a great value sitting at $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year. Considering how many Arrow releases are streaming for free it’s a great outlet for trying before you buy. It has every film on both Shawscope sets and it’s cheaper for the year than one of those excellent collections.
So if you read all of that, congratulations on making it this far. Here is everything I watched in the month of January:
*I realized the star ratings don't appear to show up on phones, so I have typed out the rating next to each film.
01/01
Maid in Sweden (1971)-««1/2 - 2 1/2
Q: The Winged Serpent (1982) -«««« - 4
Vampire Circus (1972)-«««« - 4
01/02
Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun (1977)-«««- 3
Whatever it Takes (1998)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
01/03
Memoria (2021)-««««1/2 - 4 1/2
The Menu (2022)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death (1968) -«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Sartana the Gravedigger (1969)-««« 1/2 - 3 1/2
The Quatermass XPeriment (1955)-««««- 4
01/04
A Cat in the Brain (1990) -«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Slaves (1977)- ««1/2 - 2 1/2
L.A. Aids Jabber (1990)-«- 1
Sartana’s Here… Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin (1970)-««1/2 - 2 1/2
Hotel Fear (1978) -«««1/2 - 3 1/2
01/05
Die Screaming Marianne (1971)-«1/2 - 1 1/2
Blood for Dracula (1974)-«««- 3
Ghostwatch (1992)-««««- 4
Light the Fuse… Sartana is Coming (1970)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Have a Good Funeral, My Friend… Sartana Will Pay (1971)-«««- 3
01/06
The Big Switch (1968)-««- 2
Man of Violence (1970)-««- 2
Red Dawn (1984)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
01/07
The Game (1997)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Burning Paradise (1994)-««««1/2 - 4 1/2
The Banshees of Inishirin (2022)-««««- 4
01/08
Police Story (1985)-««««1/2 - 4 1/2
Fortress of Amerikkka (1989)-«««- 3
The Flesh and Blood Show (1972)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Frightmare (1974)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
House of Mortal Sin (1976)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
01/09
Schizo (1976)-«««1/2 3 1/2
The Comeback (1978)-««1/2 - 2 1/2
01/10
Home Before Midnight (1979)-«««- 3
Police Story 2 (1986)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Explorers (1985)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
01/11
Viva Erotica (1996)-«««- 3
Companeros (1970)-««««- 4
01/12
Dachra (2018)-««««- 4
The Queen of Spades (1979)-««««- 4
Keoma (1976)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Dry Summer (1963)-««««- 4
Trances (1982)-«««- 3
Stiff Competition (1984)-««««1/2 - 4 1/2
The Bakery Girl of Monceau (1963)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Suzanne’s Career (1963)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Nadja in Paris (1964)-«««- 3
01/13
Insiang (1976)-««1/2 - 2 1/2
Revenge (1989)-«««- 3
Law of the Border (1966)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Uncle Sam (1996)-«1/2 - 1 1/2
The Doll Squad (1973)-«- 1
Black Adam (2022)-«- 1
Escape from Women’s Prison (1978)-««- 2
01/14
The Blob (1988)-««««1/2 - 4 1/2
Mission Killfast (1991)-«1/2 - 1 1/2
Red Surf (1989)-««««- 4
Summer Camp Girls (1983)-«««- 3
01/15
Solomon King (1974)-«1/2 - 1 1/2
After the Curfew (1954)-««««- 4
Two Monks (1934)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Ringu (1998)-««««- 4
Police Story 3: Supercop (1992)-««««1/2 - 4 1/2
Shaft (1971)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Shaft’s Big Score (1972)-«««- 3
01/16
Game of Death (1978)-««- 2
Downpour (1972)-«««- 3
Count Yorga, Vampire (1970)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
The Return of Count Yorga (1971)-««1/2 - 2 1/2
The Woman Who Ran (2021)-««««- 4
The Man Who Lies (1968)-«««- 3
01/17
Coogan’s Bluff (1968)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
The Sinful Nuns of Saint Valentine (1974)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010)-«- 1
01/18
Once Upon a Time in China (1991)-««««1/2 - 4 1/2
Identikit (1974)-««««- 4
Master of the World (1983)-«1/2 - 1 1/2
Zombie Island Massacre (1984)-«««- 3
Ice Cream Man (1995)-«- 1
Luther the Geek (1989)-«1/2 - 1 1/2
The Other Hell (1981)-«««- 4
01/19
Once Upon a Time in China 2 (1992)-««««- 4
The Fear (1995)-««- 2
Shot (1973)-«««- 3
Deathrow Gameshow (1987)-«««- 3
I Like Bats (1986)-««1/2 - 2 1/2
The Eleventh Commandment (1986)-««1/2 - 2 1/2
01/20
Mata Hari (1985)-««1/2 - 2 1/2
Once Upon a Time in China III (1992)-«««- 3
Killer’s Delight (1978)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Throw Down (2004)-««««- 4
Dolly Dearest (1991)-««1/2 - 2 1/2
Sister, Sister (1987)-««- 2
Once Upon a Time in China IV (1993)-««- 2
01/21
Disconnected (1984)-««1/2 - 2 1/2
Once Upon a Time in China V (1994)-«««- 3
Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997)-«««- 3
A Well Spent Life (1971)-««««- 4
01/22
Polyester (1981)-««««- 4
Girls’ School Screamers (1986)-««1/2 - 2 1/2
Through the Fire (1988)-««- 2
Shallow Grave (1987)-«««- 3
Rules of the Game (1939)-«««««- 5
Footprints (1975)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
The Other Side of the Underneath (1972)-««««1/2 - 4 1/2
01/23
Rush Week (1989)-«««- 3
The Black Windmill (1974)-««- 2
Sambizanga (1972)-««««- 4
Prisoners of the Land (1939)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
01/24
Blades (1989)-«««- 3
Kalpana (1948)-««««- 4
Hero (1997)-«««- 3
Blue Collar (1978)-««««1/2 - 3 1/2
Resurrection (1999)-««««- 4
01/25
Last Gasp (1995)-««- 2
Blue Money (1972)-«««- 3
Chess of the Wind (1976)-««««- 4
Muna Moto (1975)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Creature (1985)-«««- 3
Curfew (1989)-1/2
Steel and Lace (1991)-««1/2 - 2 1/2
01/26
Two Girls on the Street (1939)-«««- 3
Heartland of Darkness (1992)-««««- 4
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)-««««1/2 - 4 1/2
The Girl and the Spider (2021)-«««- 3
01/27
Don’t Answer the Phone (1980)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Blind Fury (1989)-««««1/2 - 4 1/2
In Front of Your Face (2021)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966)-««««- 4
Darkman (1990)-««««- 4
The Naughty Victorians (1975)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
The Scary of Sixty-First (2021)-«««- 3
01/28
Shock (1977)-««««- 4
King of Hearts (1966)-««««1/2 - 4 1/2
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)-««- 2
Elvis (2022)-«««- 3
01/29
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)-««««1/2 - 4 1/2
Kino-Eye (1924)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Man With a Movie Camera (1929)-«««««- 5
Infinity Pool (2023)-«««1/2 - 3 1/2
Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)-««««1/2 - 4 1/2
01/30
Ticket of No Return (1979)-««««- 4
Macunaima (1969)-«««- 3
The Conspirators (1972)-««1/2 - 2 1/2
Brasilia, Contradictions of a New City (1968)-««1/2 - 2 1/2
Language of Persuasion (1970)-«««- 3
Beau Travail (1999)-«««««- 5
01/31
Poetry (2010)-««««- 4
The Watermelon Woman (1996)-««««- 4
One Way or Another (1977)-«««- 3
West Indies (1979)-«««1/2- 3 1/2
Best Film of the Month - Rules of the Game
Worst Film of the Month - Curfew
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