858 films in two years
Art Garfunkel has published on his website a list of every book he’s read since 1968. Partly-inspired by this pointless endeavour (though he is ridiculously well-read – at least he can say to Paul, ‘Hey, you may have recorded Graceland but I've read War and Peace’.), I thought I’d publish my film list: I stumbled across a hand-written list of every film I watched from December 1990 to October 1992 (no, I’m not sure why I did it in that period, though it was probably my most intense film watching time).
Foreign titles appear in title most commonly known. Director only appears in brackets after film if there’s more than one film with the same title. Some titles appear twice in a row, or a few films later. This is not a misprint. I was an art student and sometimes watched the same film twice in a row, or a few days later. I was young and pretentious and had too much time on my hands (now I’m older, still pretentious and still with way too much time on my hands – but still not as much time as Art Garfunkel). The rating of the same film might even change depending on my mood. My tastes have changed slightly; I’d probably be less harsh on a lot of films, like The Untouchables (given two crosses on the original hand written list), Goodfellas (no rating at all) and Repulsion (inexplicably given a cross). I might not be as keen on other films, such as The Big Easy (this was years before I’d actually been to New Orleans), The Graduate and Uncle Buck. I still love Polanski, Lynch, Altman, Hitchcock, early Scorsese and Jean Vigo. And still hate Brian de Palma.
Key: ★ = Great | ★ = Terrible | TVM = TV Movie | s = Short Film
4/12/90
Lust For Life, How to Murder your Wife, The Right Stuff, Les Mistons, L’Atalante★, Mr Mum, The Year of Living Dangerously★, Tampopo★, The Muppets take Manhattan, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Frances, Subway, The Ghost and Mrs Muir, Dreamchild, La Nuit Americane★, Poltergeist, Honky Tonk Freeway★, Pinocchio, Innerspace, Blanche, Elvira Madigan★, Sugarland Express, The Big Easy★, Nickelodeon, Masters of the Universe, Blind Date, Rouge★, Poltergeist II, This is Spinal Tap, My Left Foot, Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind, Pelle the Conquorer, Mr Vampire★, Chocolat, Man without a Star, Spiritual Love, Espirit D’Amore★, Videodrome, Roxanne
1991
Young Frankenstein, Torn Curtain, The 5000 Fingers of Dr T, Notorious, Suspicion, The Morning After★, Night of the Demon, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World★, Pirates, The Thin Blue Line, Pillow Talk★, Summer Rental★, Daughters of Darkness, Mr Blandings Builds his Dream House, FX – Murder by Illusion★, Voyage to Italy, The 39 Steps★, The Paradine Case★, Jean De Florette, Manon Des Sources, High Noon, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Crimewave★, Cyrano De Bergerac, Split Image, Salvador★, Once Upon a Time in America, Southern Comfort, Bonnie and Clyde, Running Scared, River’s Edge, Arachnophobia★, The Big Easy★, The Quiet Earth, Clean and Sober★, The Burbs, M*A*S*H, Glory★, Don’t Look Now, A Star Is Born (Cukor), Sea of Love, Tin Men, The Bell Boy★, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, The Bedroom Window, Internal Affairs, Fellow Traveller, Raising Arizona, The Hideaways, The Butterfly Murders, Hairspray (Walters), Oedipus Rex, Caravaggio★, American Graffiti, The Godfather★, 12 Angry Men, Do you Remember Love? (TVM), The Verdict, Serpico★, The Godfather Part II, The Lady from Shanghai, Touch of Evil★, Nightshift, Citizen Kane, Double Indemnity★, Sleuth, The Fabulous Baker Boys★, A Short Film about Killing★, Zelig★, Layla Ma Raison★, This Sporting Life★, Surrender, Exorcist III★, The Honeymoon Killers★, The Exorcist★, Laura, Jeux Interdits★, Kiss me Deadly★, The Manchurian Candidate (Frankenheimer)★, Sweet Smell of Success★, The Apartment, Against all Odds★, The Wrong Man, Cocoon, Modern Romance, La Ronde, Frenzy, The Big Heart, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Brighton Rock★, Green Card, The Last Temptation of Christ, Miller’s Crossing★, House of Games, Gilda, Gone with the Wind★, Mean Streets★, The Graduate★, The Boost, Images, New York Stories, The Last Temptation of Christ, The King of Comedy★, Panic in the Streets, The Parallax View★, Blind Fury★, The Big Sleep (Hawks), WR – Mysteries of the Organism, The Last Detail, Midnight Run, Nikita★, Fright Night Part II, Who’s Harry Crumb?, The American Friend★, The Gospel According to St Matthew, Atlantic City, USA★, Mine Own Execution, Scum, On Dangerous Ground, Heaven’s Gate★, Brimstone and Treacle, Buffalo Bill and the Indians Or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson, Jubilee, Come Back to the Five & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Dog Day Afternoon★, Hope and Glory, Sebastian★, Blue Velvet★, Twentieth Century, Blue Velvet★, The President’s Analyst, The Big Silence, Wild at Heart★, Great Expectations, Drowning by Numbers, Fourteen Going on Thirty, Sherlock Junior, Pick-up On South Street, The Untouchables★, On the Run, La Strada, Goodfellas, The Hard Way, The Name of the Rose★, Rome, Open City, Freaks★, Psycho★, Letter from an Unknown Woman, The Graduate★, Les Carabiniers, Ceclia★, Cat’s Eye, Home and the World, The Beguiled★, Masquerade★, Je Vous Salute, Marie★, The Graduate★, Je Vous Salute, Marie★, Stromboli★, Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, Blood Simple★, Misery, Cinema Paradiso★, Vamp★, Dragnet★, Used Cars★, Stromboli★, Voyage to Italy, Mona Lisa, The French Connection, Knightriders, Andrei Rublov, Billy Liar!, The Yakuza, Citizen Kane, Catchfire, Catchfire, The Little Girl who Lives Down the Lane, Q – The Winged Serpent, Something Wild★, A Clockwork Orange, A Clockwork Orange (this was when it was still banned – I was so excited about seeing it on pirate, I had to see it twice to see what all the fuss was about. Twenty years later, I'm still not sure.), Vampyr, Martin★, Dance of the Vampires, The Hunger★, The Silence of the Lambs, Dance of the Vampires, Point Blank, Carnival of Souls★, Near Dark★, Macbeth (Polanski), Vampire in Venice, Knife in the Water, Thief of Hearts★, Un Chien Andalou★ (s), The Exterminating Angel, The Flamingo Kid, Circus of Horrors, Badlands★, The Prowler★, Out of the Dark★, O Lucky Man!, Nosferatu (Murnau), Field of Dreams★, Absolute Beginners, If...★, The Company of Wolves★, Performance★, Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down, The Late Show, Vampire’s Kiss, The Army in the Shadows, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Preppie Murder (TVM), Made in Britain, Lift to the Scaffold, Body Heat, Eraserhead, Shame★, Alpine Fire★, Ran, Sex, Lies and Videotape★, L’Atalante★, L’Atalante★, Walk Don’t Run, The Lovers, Ordinary People, L’Atalante★, The Duellists★, Cape Fear (Thompson), Monsieur Hire, The Driver, Klute, Monsieur Hire, Nosferatu the Vampire (Herzog), A Room with a View★, Some Kind of Wonderful, Edward Scissorhands, The Ladykillers (Mackendrick), Thelma and Louise, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Le Souffle au Coeur, A New Life, Zazie Dans le Metro, Susperia, The Graduate, Vampire Circus, Mortgage, Lifeforce★, Weekend, Belly of an Architect, The Last Waltz★, Bang the Drum Slowly, Trafic (Tati)★, A Chorus Line★, Heaven's Gate★, Heathers★, Hells Angels on Wheels , Rumble Fish★, Chinatown★, Apocalypse Now, Easy Rider★, Amazon Women on the Moon★, Viridiana★, Rock All Night, A Bucket of Blood, Tommy, Switching Channels, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?★, Clockwise, The 39 Steps★, Hidden City, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, And the Pursuit of Happiness, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, The Flesh and the Fiends, Solaris (Tarkovsky), The Long Goodbye★, Big Trouble in Little China★, Midnight Run, Good Morning Babylon★, Bathing Beauty, Pretty in Pink, Leningrad Cowboys go America, The Seashell and the Clergyman (s), Entr’acte (s), Two Men and a Wardrobe (s), Film (s), Un Chien Andalou★ (s), L’age D’or★, Dreams That Money Can Buy, My Dinner With Andre★, Red and Rosy★, Tetsuo: The Iron Man★, Citizen's Band★, Chiller (TVM), The Hairdresser’s Husband, What’s New Pussycat?★, The Discarnates, The Big Picture★, Gas-s-s-s, Lethal Weapon, The Life of Oharu★, Bleak Moments★, Who’s That Girl?, Fatal Attraction, Peggy Sue Got Married, The Black Marble, This is Spinal Tap★, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre★, Hawks, Zardoz, Sweet Charity, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Lust for a Vampire, Great Balls of Fire, Santa Sangre★, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, Spellbound, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre★, Two Evil Eyes, Out of the Blue, The Lady from Shanghai★, Wilt★, The Blackboard Jungle, Chimes at Midnight, Touch of Evil★, The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle, Red Sorghum★, The Captain’s Paradise, The Wild One, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, I Was a Teenage Werewolf, A Better Tomorrow 3★, Nocturnal Demon, Nekromantik 2★, Repulsion★, Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome, The Music Lovers, Streets of Fire, Notorious, Vampyres, The Exorcist, Witchfinder General, The Wickerman, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen★, The Vampire Bat, Homicide★, No Mercy, The City and the Dead★, The Bad and the Beautiful★, Casual Sex?★, Golden Gate (TVM), Moonglobe (TVM), Taps, The War of the Worlds (Haskin), The Virgin Spring★, Diary of a Country Priest, Nick Knight★, The Butler’s Servant, The Ladykillers (Mackendrick), Last Images of the Shipwreck, The Smallest Show on Earth★, The Little Shop of Horrors (Oz), Niagara, Justice Denied, Carnival of Souls★, Beat the Devil, The Card, The Icicle Thief★, The Beyond★, I Spit on your Grave, Drugstore Cowboy★, French Connection II, It Happened One Night, The Two Jakes, Rosemary's Baby★, Fantasia★, Querelle, Double Indemnity★, The Undead, A Short Film About Love★, Big★, Dillinger★, The Fall of the House of Usher★, Rio Bravo★, The Sure Thing★, The Man in the White Suit, Color Me Lurid (s), Hold Me While I’m Naked★ (s), This Mongreloid (s), ...Forever and Always..., A Reason to Live★, Motel Hell, Xtro, Eureka, 4 Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle★, Fitzcarraldo, Hangover Square, Un Chien Andalou★ (s), Las Hurdes (s), Simon of the Desert★ (s), The Nutty Professor, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie★, My Childhood★, My Ain Folk★, Belle de Jour★, The Ladykillers (TVM), Pather Panchili★, Night of the Eagle, My Way Home★, Howard: A New Breed of Hero, The Never Ending Story, It’s A Wonderful Life★, My Favourite Year★, Hellzapoppin’, Rear Window★, Comrades★, Project A, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Imagine: John Lennon, Notebook on Cities and Clothes, The Immortal Story, Zero de Conduite, Empire of the Sun★, Marnie, Hail the Conquering Hero★, The Blues Brothers, Lady Eve, The Night of the Hunter★, Willow★, Beetlejuice, Palm Beach Story, Flirting★
1992
Spag★ (s), The Dark Backward★, Rubin and Ed, Cockroach★ (s), Delicatessen★, Invitation to Hell (TVM), Bare Behind Bars★, Family Plot, Amsterdamned★, Proof★, Bird, Stakeout★, Street Cop★, Bunny Lane is Missing, This Land is Mine, Perfect★, An Angel at My Table★, High Sierra, The Freshman, Q&A, Marathon Man, Lola (Demy)★, Permanent Record, Comprimising Positions, Woman of the Dunes★, Ai No Corrida★, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot★, The Wickerman, Young Mr Lincoln, Stop Making Sense, Tales From the Darkside★, Creepshow★, Graveyard Shift, Fright Night, Basketcase, Shadow of a Doubt★, Dial M for Murder, Topaz★, Sunset Boulevard★, Rosalie goes Shopping★, Bagdad Cafe★, Ace in the Hole★, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Metropolis, Ride the High Country★, Out on the Edge (TVM), Cape Fear (Thompson), King of New York★, Ballet Mecanique (s), Lot in Sodom (s), Hold Me While I’m Naked (s), Anticipation (s), Pirate Tape (s), Intervals (s), Windows (s), H is for House (s), Water Wrackets (s), La Jetee★ (s), Un Chien Andalou★ (s), Dick (s), Jules et Jim★, Matewan, Blood Beach, Vertigo★, The Birds★, The Birds★, Ride the High Country★, Shamus★, The Angelic Conversation, The Loveless★, The Gang’s All Here, Psycho★, Strangers Kiss★, The Phantom of the Paradise, Talk Radio, Barton Fink★, The Object of Beauty, Exposed★, The Big Bang★, Dressed to Kill★, The Ambulance, Obsession★, Head, The Long Goodbye★, The Long Goodbye★, Dont Look Back★, Monterey Pop★, Don’t Look Now★, Roadie★, Wise Guys★, Dracula AD 1972★, Seconds★, Seven Days in May, Frantic★, Truly Madly Deeply, Pink Floyd The Wall★, Beyond Therapy, Lonely Hearts★, Hellraiser★, Macbeth (Polanski), White Palace, The Double Life of Veronique, The Silician, Psycho★, Utz, Secret Agent, Dr Strangelove, OC and Stiggs, Georgette Meunier, A Propos de Nice★ (s), Taris★ (s), Las Hurdes★ (s), Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe, Crimes of the Future★, Kitchen Sink (s), Coffee and Cigarettes (s), Foutaises (s), Zero de Conduite★, My Own Private Idaho★, Body Double★, Fat City★, The Treasure of the Sierre Madre★, The Apartment★, The Killing★, Sweet Smell of Success★, Before the Revolution, The Spider's Stratagem, The Conformist★, 1900 (Part 1), Naked Lunch★, Enter the Dragon★, Dead Ringers★, The Naked Spur, What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing In a Place Like This? (s), It’s Not Just You, Murray!★ (s), The Big Shave (s), ItalianAmerican, She’s Having a Baby★, La Belle et La Bete★, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance★, The Grapes of Wrath★, Enchanted April★, 1900 (Part 2), Mystery Train, After Hours★, American Boy – A Portrait of Stephen Prince, Greetings★, Hi, Mom!★, Aria★, The Brood★, Witchcraft Through the Ages★, Manhattan★, Duck Soup★, Powaqqatsi★, Koyaanisqatsi★, In A Lonely Place★, Eraserhead★, White Zombie★, Where the Buffalo Roams★, Manhattan, La Belle Noiseuse★, Through a Glass Darkly★, La Grande Illusion, Cat People (Tourneur)★, Cul-de-sac★, Daughter of Darkness (TVM), Cat People (Schrader)★, Immoral Tales★, King of Kings, The Rescuers Down Under, These Foolish Things, All I Desire, Written on the Wind, Lolita (Kubrick), The Presidio★, Rita, Bob and Sue Too★, Malpertuis★, Eyes of Laura Mars, Jesus of Montreal, Docteur Jekyll et les Femmes★, Shivers★, Let’s Scare Jessica to Death, Eating Raoul, Days of Heaven★, The Curse of Frankenstein★, All that Heaven Allows★, Grand Canyon, The Shining, Easy Rider★, The Doors, Lifeboat★, The Plague of the Zombies, The Seniors★, The Mummy (Fisher)★, Grievous Bodily Harm★, A Brief History of Time, High Hopes, Blonde Venus, Rosemary's Baby★, Cold Comfort, Renaldo and Clara, Jane Eyre (Stevenson), Dream Demon★, Van Gogh (Pialat)★, The Thing From Another World, The Milagro Beanfield War, Aguirre, Wrath of God, I Know Where I'm Going!★, Les Parents Terribles★, Les Enfants Terribles★, Orphee★, Un Chien Andalou★ (s), The Diary of a Chambermaid (Bunuel)★, Vassa (Part 1), Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, The Strangler, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Life and Nothing But★, Elena et Les Hommes, The Top of his Head, Cries and Whispers★, Nosferatu (Murnau), The Last Laugh★, Destiny★, Vassa (Part 2), The Lair of the White Worm, Biloxi Blues★, Un Chien Andalou★ (s), L’age D’or★, El★, F for Fake, Psycho III, Roadkill, Dishonored★, That Obscure Object of Desire★, Psycho II, Black Sunday★, The Dead Can’t Lie, Paperhouse, Fantomas (Episode 3)★, Repo Man★, Fantomas, Rabid, Shanghai Express★, Error of Youth, Persona★, The Seventh Seal★, Scream of Fear, Aparajito★, Fletch Lives★, Personal Best★, Jacob’s Ladder, City of Pirates, Murders at the Zoo★, I Confess★, Three Crowns of a Sailor★, The January Man★, The Caine Mutiny, L’Amour Par Terre★, Céline et Julie vont en Bateau★, The Belle of the Alhambra, Take me out to the Ball Game, Betrayal, Les Yeux Sans Visage★, Judex★, The Yellow Submarine, A Hard Day’s Night★, The White Room★, The Postman Always Rings Twice (Garnett), Ride in the Whirlwind, Borowczyk/Lenica animations★ (s), Svankmajer animations★ (s), Bad Company★, Kiss of Death★, Svankmajer animations★ (s), Alice (Svankmajer)★, Pierrot Le Fou★, Les Diaboliques★, Le Beau Serge★, Emmanuelle 5 (I only watched this because it was directed by the late, once great Walerian Borowczyk. Honest), Baby Doll★, Deranged (Fonda)★, Housekeeping★, Cross my Heart, The Lady From the Shanghai Cinema, The Red Circle★, The Chase★, Les Bonnes Femmes★, The Player★, La Bete★, Heaven Can Wait (Beatty/Henry)★, Les Quartre Cents Coup★, Lola (Demy)★, The South, The Executioner★, Fox and Friends★, Winter Kills★, The Picture of Dorian Gray★, Roadhouse, Une Femme est Une Femme, Dracula, Prisioner of Frankenstein★, A Woman Under the Influence★, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie★, The Man who Fell to Earth★, Son of Frankenstein★, Cleo a 5 de 7★, Little Big Man★, Shadows★, From Here to Eternity, The Most Dangerous Game★, Le Peau Douce★, Tirez sur le Pianiste★, Paris Nous Appartient★, Mean Streets★, Les Cousins★, Cape Fear (Scorsese)★, Harem★, Endangered Species★, Last Year at Marienbad, Secret Behind the Door, La Religieuse★, The Flesh and the Orchid, Heart Beat★, La Dolce Vita★, Cousins, Track 29★, The Last Waltz, Mr Deeds goes to Town★, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmakers Apocalypse, Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia★, The Passenger★, The Getaway★, The Crimson Kimono, The Nanny, Orphans, Tracks★, The Garden, Opera, Uncle Buck★, El Amor Brujo, Diary of a Mad Man, House by the River (Lang)★, Ju Dou, My Name is Julia Ross★, The Big Knife, Heaven, Used Cars★, Throw Mamma from the Train★, The Day of the Locust, Alien 3★, Blood Relatives, Freaky Friday (Nelson)★, Lisa and the Devil, Journey of Hope★, Song of the Exile★, The Maltese Falcon, Sisters★, Renaldo and Clara★, Stage Fright★, Amarcord, Barberella★, Life is Sweet, The Breakfast Club, Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, Red Heat, High Plains Drifter, Harvest of Hate, McCabe and Mrs Miller★, The Man who Knew too Much★, The Lost Boys, Alien★, The Elephant Man★, McCabe and Mrs Miller★, Waterland★, Cops (Keaton/Cline)★, Terms of Endearment, Riff-Raff, Commando, Peeping Tom★, Return to the Edge of the World, Les Amants du Pont-Neuf, Dead of Night★, Capricious Summer★
3/10/92: the list stopped. I moved to Wales to go to film school.
Most watched film: Un Chien Andalou (6) – Okay, it is only a short film but I had to go to a cinema each time to see it. I have it now on DVD but have yet to watch it. Ain’t it just the way?
Most watched directors: Bunuel, Hitchcock, Altman, Scorsese.