Movies are a happy place and anyone reading this knows that about me. Yup!
So here’s my whole list all together of all the new movies and re-sees I watched any chance I got! I watched a lot of fun and happy movies!
I rated 33 movies a 5, which is my rating for an excellent movie, a movie I loved, a movie I’d recommend a bunch and hope to watch again and again. Of those 33, 10 movies were from 2017. I am not keeping up well with new releases like I used to, d’oh! 4 movies from 2016 got my 5 rating and all the rest among my big faves ranged from the years of the 1930’s to the late 1990’s. My guy Dave and I did a lot of movie renting of Blu-Rays and checking out DVDs from the library! Yup! Go Old School!
NEW MOVIES:
- RUTHLESS (1948) | 1/3/17 | DVD (“Came in for a drink and found a memory.” – Buck Mansfield)
- WAR REQUIEM (1989) | 15/17 | DVD
- COIN HEIST (2017) | 1/6/17 | Netflix
- EAT THE RICH (1987) | 1/8/17 | DVD
- BLACK EYE (1973/1974) | 1/10/17 | DVD
- FORGOTTEN SILVER (1995) | 1/12/17 | DVD
- SHE’S BACK ON BROADWAY (1953) | 1/13/17 | DVD
- THE SHADOW OF THE CAT (1961) | 1/15/17 | Svengoolie/MeTV
- TERMINAL ISLAND (1973) | 1/15/17 | TCM Underground/DV-R
- ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO (1964) | 1/18/17 | TCM/DV-R
- CRY OF THE CITY (1948) | 1/19/17 | DVD
- THE YAKUZA (1974) | 1/21/17 | New Beverly
- MOONTIDE (1942) | 1/22/17 | DV-R / FXM Retro
- THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM (1966) | 1/22/17 | DVD
- IGUANA (1988) | 1/23/17 | DVD
- TERMINAL MAN (1973) | 1/23/17 | DV-R / TCM
- THE DAY AFTER HALLOWEEN (a.k.a. Snapshot or One Minute More) (1979) | 1/25/17 | DVD
- THE PUSHER (1958) | 1/25/17 | DVD
- DAY OF THE ANIMALS (1977) | 1/26/17 | Amazon Instant
- HORNETS’ NEST (1970) | 1/27/17 | DVD
- THE LAST RUN (1971) | 2/1/17 | DVD
- THE LONG GOODBYE (1973) | 2/1/17 | FilmStruck
- JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 (2017) | 2/9/17 | AMC Atlantic
- SWISS ARMY MAN (2016) | 2/10/17 | Netflix
- GRIZZLY (1976) | 2/12/17 | Amazon
- THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS (1944) | 2/18/17 | DVD
- VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED (1976) | 2/18/17 | DVD
- WOOL 100% (2006) | 2/20/17 | DVD
- GUMSHOE (1971) | 2/21/17 | DVD
- LOOPHOLE (1981) | 2/21/17 | DVD
- OUT OF THE DARK (1988) | 2/23/17 | DVD
- GET OUT (2017) | 2/24/17 | AMC Monterey Park
- DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (1962) | 2/24/17 | DVD
- THE NESTING (1981) | 2/26/17 | DVD
- CONTAMINATION (1980) | 2/28/17 | Blu-Ray
- COUNTDOWN (1967) | 2/28/17 | DVD
- SMART MONEY (1931) | 3/7/17 | DVD
- MEN & CHICKEN (2015) | 3/10/17 | Blu-Ray
- WAKE IN FRIGHT (1971) | 3/13/17 | Blu-Ray
- NIGHTMARE AT BITTER CREEK (1988) | 3/14/17 | Amazon Instant
- HUNT FOR WILDER PEOPLE (2016) | 3/17/17 | Stream
- MST3K: ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE (1987) | 3/19/17 | Netflix
- KONG: SKULL ISLAND (2017) | 3/25/17 | Edwards Alhambra
- THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE (2017) | 3/25/17 | Edwards Alhambra
- THE BELKO EXPERIMENT (2016) | 3/25/17 | Edwards Alhambra
- THE LAST SUPPER (1995) | 3/25/17 | DVD
- BRANDED TO KILL (1967) | 3/27/17 | Blu-Ray
- DEAD PIGEON ON BEETHOVEN STREET (1974) | 3/28/17 | DVD
- HEART OF MIDNIGHT (1988) | 4/5/17 | DVD
- THE DAMNED DON’T CRY (1950) | 4/10/17 | DVD
- GRAVEYARD SHIFT (1990) | 4/11/17 | DVD
- MST3K: THE RETURN: REPTILICUS (1961) | 4/16/17 | Netflix
- RiffTrax: SAMURAI COP (1991) | 4/18/17 | Edwards Alhambra
- THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS (2017) | 4/18/17 | Edwards Alhambra
- MST3K: THE RETURN: CRY WILDERNESS (1986) | 4/19/17 | Netflix
- MST3K: THE RETURN: TIME TRAVELERS (1964) | 4/24/17 | Netflix
- MST3K: THE RETURN: AVALANCHE (1978) | 4/26/17 | Netflix
- PATERSON (2016) | 4/30/17 | On Demand Rental
- AFRAID TO DIE (1960) | 5/2/17 | DVD
- GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (2017) | 5/4/17 | Arclight Pasadena
- MST3K: THE RETURN: BEAST FROM HOLLOW MOUNTAIN (1956) | 5/5/17 | Netflix
- MST3K: THE RETURN: STARCRASH (1978) | 5/7/17 | Netflix
- MST3K: THE RETURN: THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (1974) | 5/8/17
- WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE? (1974) | 5/8/17 | Stream
- THE STREET WITH NO NAME (1948) | 5/15/17 | DVD
- MST3K: THE RETURN: THE LOVE OF HERCULES (1960) | 5/18/17 | Netflix
- ALIEN: COVENANT (2017) | 5/20/17 | AMC Monterey Park
- CRIMSON PEAK (2015) | 5/20/17 | HBO Go
- THE JUNGLE BOOK (2016) | 5/26/17 | Netflix
- ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (1950) | 5/27/17 | Rosemead High 24hr Film Fest
- DON’T THINK TWICE (2016) | 5/29/17 | Netflix
- ADRENALINE DRIVE (1999) | 5/30/17 | DVD
- THE IRON HORSE (1924) | 5/31/17 | DVD
- MST3K: THE RETURN: YONGARY (1967) | 5/31/17 | Netflix
- WONDER WOMAN (2017) | 6/1/17 | Vista
- WILD TALES (2014) | 6/4/17 | DVD
- VOICE OF THE KING (2017) | 6/7/17 | NoHo7 | Rating: 4 (Q&A w/ Bob Miller)
- IT COMES AT NIGHT (2017) | 6/8/17 | AMC Monterey Park
- THEM (2006) | 6/18/17 | Amazon Prime
- MST3K: THE RETURN: WIZARDS OF THE LOST KINGDOM (1985) | 6/20/17 | Netflix | (FINISHED ON 7/10/17 )
- MINIONS (2015) | 6/30/17 | Netflix
- CERTAIN FURY (1985) | 7/2/17 | DVD
- MUTANT (1984) | 7/11/17 | Amazon Instant
- VALERIAN (2017) | 7/20/17 | AMC Mission Hills San Diego
- BATMAN & HARLEY QUINN (2017) | 7/21/17 | SDCC Ballroom 20
- ONE DARK NIGHT (1982) | 7/23/17 | Amazon
- ROAD HOUSE (1948) | 8/8/17 | DVD
- ALLISON’S BIRTHDAY (1981) | 8/28/17 | YouTube
- KNIGHT RIDERS (1981) | 8/31/17
- COLOSSAL (2016) | 9/2/17 | Blu-Ray
- IT’S A DISASTER (2012) | 9/14/17 | DVD
- THE MOST TERRIBLE TIME IN MY LIFE (1993) | 9/15/17 | DVD
- UNLOCKED (2017) | 9/19/17 | Amazon Instant
- WHEELS OF FIRE (1985) | 9/23/17 | YouTube
- MOANA (2016) | 9/28/17 | Netflix
- WHAT HAPPENED TO MONDAY (2017) | 9/29/17 | Netflix
- THE STAIRWAY TO THE DISTANT PAST (1995) | 9/30/17
- EQUINOX (1979) | 10/4/17/ | FilmStruck
- GATE OF HELL (1953) | 10/6/17 | DVD
- CULT OF CHUCKY (2017) | 10/7/17 | Netflix
- THE GRAVE(1996) | 10/8/17 | Amazon Instant
- THE TRAP (1996) | 10/13/17 | DVD
- TOP SECRET AFFAIR (1957) | 10/14/17 | DV-R
- WOLF GUY (1975) | 10/17/17 | Blu-Ray
- THE MAGICIAN (1958) | 10/17/17 | DVD
- BABY DRIVER (2017) | 10/20/17 | Amazon Rental
- THE RETURN (1980) | 10/20/17 | Amazon
- BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (1974) | 10/28/17
- BEWARE! THE BLOB (1972) | 10/31/17
- THE DEVIL PLAYS (1931) | 11/1/17
- THOR: RAGNAROK (2017) | 11/2/17 | Arclight Pasadena
- THE SPANIARD’S CURSE (1958) | 11/5/17 | Amazon
- GANG BULLETS (1938) | 11/5/17 | Amazon
- MONKEY’S PAW (1948) | 11/8/17 | Amazon
- SHADOW OF A MAN (1954) | 11/9/17 | Amazon
- BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL (2017) | 11/10/17 | Pasadena Playhouse
- ATOMIC BLONDE (2017) | 11/17/17 | Google Play
- WIND RIVER (2017) | 11/18/17 | Google Play
- BLADE RUNNER 2049 (2017) | 11/19/17 | Regal Garfield
- THE TROLLENBERG TERROR a.k.a. The Creeping Eye (1958) | 11/20/17 | Amazon
- KRAMPUS (2015) | 11/23/17 | HBO GO
- GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORA (1991) | 11/23/17 | Starz App
- GODZILLA, MOTHRA & KING GHIDORAH MONSTERS ALL OUT ATTACK (2001) | 11/24/17 | STARZ APP
- SUPERNATURALS (1986) | 11/24/17 | Amazon
- GODZILLA VS MEGAGURIUS (2000) | 11/26/17 | STARZ App
- COCO (2017) | 12/3/17 | AMC Monterey Park
- SHIN GODZILLA (2016) | 12/3/17 | Blu-Ray
- THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON (1958) | 12/13/17 | Amazon
- INNOCENTS IN PARIS (1953) | 12/13/17 | Amazon
- HELLBENT (1987) | 12/15/17 | Amazon
- STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (2017) | 12/17/17 | Arclight Pasadena
- SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE WOMAN IN GREEN (1945) | 12/25/17 | Amazon
- SHERLOCK HOLMES: TERROR BY NIGHT (1946) | 12/25/17 | Amazon
- SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE SCARLET CLAW (1944) | 12/25/17 | Amazon
- SECRETS (1933) | 12/29/17 | Filmstruck
- THE MAN WHO HAUNTED HIMSELF (1970) | 12/29/17
- THE WOMAN IN QUESTION (1950) | 12/29/17
- MST3K: THE RETURN: AT EARTH’S CORE (2017) | 12/30/17
- ROBIN AND THE 7 HOOD (1964) 12/30/17 | TCM
WHAT A LIST, right?! I saw 139 new movies in all! Now more lists and ramblings follow!
8 FAVORITES of 2017:
- WONDER WOMAN
- THOR: RAGNAROK
- KONG: SKULL ISLAND
- JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2
- GET OUT
- BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL
- COCO
- WIND RIVER
*As you can see I kept to the fun escapism movies, I’ll catch up on the more serious stuff probably in 2018. These movies made me happy, gave me stuff to think about, dream about and just dwell in the nice feels. WONDER WOMAN, kick ass and the movie I didn’t know I had been waiting a lifetime to see.
4 FAVORITES FROM 2016:
- PATERSON
- HUNT FOR WILDER PEOPLE
- SHIN GODZILLA
- MOANA
*Still sad that I missed PATERSON in 2016! I love Jim Jarmusch so much and have not missed one of his movies on a big screen since I first saw NIGHT ON EARTH. I did get to enjoy PATERSON with my dad when we rented itone night and it was my dad who first to introduce me to a Jim Jarmusch movie. We loved the flick a lot and yeah, it was a 5 movie for us both. SHIN GODZILLA was just a blast as I said recently. And I have to highlight HUNT FOR WILDER PEOPLE which made me laugh a lot, a lot more than I expected. I saw it back in March and only recently did my sister finally see it too, we got to gush about it together over the holidays.
10 FAVORITE MOVIE DISCOVERIES FROM YEARS OF OLD:
- ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO (1964)
A wonderful little movie, that still plays so relevant when it comes to racisms and fear that people place on others. Being it’s a movie you hoped they’d go with the happy ending, but it was very much about real life and it’s not always happy even when people really are in love. I ended up watching this twice, the second time with my mom. - VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED (1976)
An all star cast in a movie about a very real event. The SS St. Louis carried over 900 Jewish German refugee passengers in 1939 right before World War II and they are headed to Havana, seeking asylum to escape Hitler’s Germany. This movie was hard to watch and it only fueled my anger for events happening now. Again it is fear that hurts people, fear of people who believe different things. It was worth the watch and thinking about it keeps me fueled to keep the fight going for what is right in everyday life. - ROAD HOUSE (1948)
Ida Lupino is one of my favorite actresses and filmmakers. Road House is now one of my favorite noir films. Ida is Lily Stevens, she’s a lounge singer who is independent and sure of herself. When Lily comes to a new club the owner, Jefty, played by Richard Widmark thinks he’s got dibs. Lily falls for Jefty’s partner instead and well, there’s drama and scheming
- THE MOST TERRIBLE TIME IN MY LIFE (1933)
- THE STAIRWAY TO THE DISTANT PAST (1995)
- THE TRAP (1996)
These three movies above are a trilogy! My dad first checked THE MOST TERRIBLE TIME IN MY LIFE from the library and I couldn’t rent the other 2 fast enough. I still wonder how these movies escaped me in the 90’s. I absolutely love this world of detective Makiu Hama, that’s his real name, played by Masatoshi Nagase. I loved everything about these movies, EVERYTHING! From the style, to movie references, to the satisfying tale that was told about Makiu’s world. I can’t recommend these movies enough and they really are the best thing I saw in 2017, yup! - GATE OF HELL (1953)
This Japanese movie is a beautiful movie, simply beautiful to look at and fall into. It’s also incredibly tragic. A Samurai has fallen for the woman he saved during a rebellion and when he asks for her hand as a reward he discovers she is already married. Her his obsession only intensifies as he tries to get the woman he wants by almost any means possible. - WOLF GUY (1975)
Oh Arrow Video helping me discover cool movies. SONNY CHIBA is Wolf Guy! From a clan of werewolves he is the only survivor and living in the city working as a private detective. He’s soon on a case where a gang of men are being killed by a tiger spirit. Who is wielding the tiger spirit? What is the cause for revenge? When is SONNY gonna wolf out and show just how immortal he is during a full moon? I know all the answers because I watched it, yup. - GUMSHOE (1971)
Albert Finney is a comedian, wannabe detective, Eddie Ginley in this feature debut by director Stephen Frears. I really dug this little flick as Eddie says, “Me moments of glory all in me head.” He finds himself mixed up in a strange plot as he seeks out his own Dashiell Hammett fantasy life. It had some shocking moments and lots of sharp one liner wit. - BLACK EYE (1974)
I really do have a love of private detectives and this one tickled my fancy from beginning to end. To quote my own review from the beginning of the year: “Fred Williamson is private eye Shep Stone, he was once a cop and now does his own thing; solving cases and eating peanuts along the way.” I love Fred Williamson and he delivers his brand of charm here, the tough guy who has a heart, but means business. Don’t piss of Shep and if your’e a bad guy, well, don’t let him catch you!
Runner up: Finally I saw THE LONG GOODBYE (1973) and yes you can give me some shite for not having seen it before, I was indeed missing out!
MOVIE OUTING: Being a big movie goer, I have not been to the theater as much as usual, hey you got to save that $$ sometimes. I must admit I only made it to the New Beverly once in 2017! It was a great time though as my guy Dave and I went with some good pals for a date night and we saw THE YAKUZA (1974) (Thanks JEFF & EMILY for a good outing!)
Seeing WONDER WOMAN, THOR and COCO with my nieces were among my top movie outings too as they are so much fun to watch movies with!
Next up my re-see movies, the movies I’ll watch again and again any chance I get:
RE-SEE:
- BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986) | 1/1/17 | Netflix
- THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) | 1/1/17 | Netflix
- GREASE (1978) | 1/1/17 | Netflix
- THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) | 1/1/17 | Netflix
- ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING (1987) | 1/1/17 | Netflix
- THE FOG (1980) | 1/2/16 | DVD
- EATING RAOUL (1982) | 1/8/17 | DVD
- A BITTERSWEET LIFE (2005) | 1/9/17 | DVD
- ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO (1964) | 1/20/17 | TCM/DV-R (watched w/ mom)
- THEY LIVE (1988) | 1/20/17 | BluRay
- WILD BEASTS (1984) | 1/13/17 | YouTube
- ZOOT SUIT (1981) | 3/14/17 | DVD
- ALIEN (1979) | 3/22/17 | Blu-Ray
- ALIENS (1986) | 3/22/17 | Blu-Ray
- ALIEN 3 (1992) | 3/23/17 | Blu-Ray
- WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (1988) | 3/27/17 | Netflix (w/ Celia and Effie!)
- ALIEN RESURRECTION (1997) | 3/29/17 | Blu-Ray
- BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986) | 4/1/17 | Netflix (w/ Celia and Effie!)
- NEEDFUL THINGS (1993) | 4/7/17 | DVD
- SLEEPWALKERS (1992) | 4/7/17/ | DVD
- THE LOST BOYS (1987) | 5/22/17 | DVD (w/ Celia)
- ANIMAL CRACKERS (1930) | 5/27/17 | Rosemead High 24hr Film Fest
- ALIENS (1986) | 5/27/17 | Rosemead High 24hr Film Fest
- MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960) | 5/27/17 | Rosemead High 24hr Film Fest
- CLUE (1985) | 5/27/17 | Rosemead High 24hr Film Fest
- SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004) | 6/12/17 | CABLE
- WONDER WOMAN (2017) | 6/13/17 | Edwards Alhambra (w/ Celia and Effie)
- MIDNIGHT MADNESS (1980) | 6/17/17 | YouTube (rental)
- STREETS OF FIRE (1984) | 6/22/17 | DVD (Finished 6/26/17) (w/ Celia and Effie)
- TANK GIRL (1995) | 6/27/17 | Blu-Ray
- THE CURSE (1987) | 6/28/17 | YouTube
- DEAD END DRIVE-IN (1987) | 7/1/17 | DVD
- ICEBREAKER (2000) RiffTrax | 7/5/17 | Amazon Instant
- STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (director’s cut) (1979) | CABLE | 7/27/17
- ROAD HOUSE (1989) | 8/12/17 | DVD, outdoors screening
- POLTERGEIST (1982) | 9/4/17 | DVD
- CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) | 9/13/17 | Living Room Theaters (Portland) *Only people in the theater!
- MARY POPPINS (1964) | 9/24/17 | DVD
- HOT FUZZ (2007) | 9/24/17 | DVD
- ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) | 9/24/17 | DVD
- HERCULES (1997) | 9/27/17 | Netflix
- MYSTERY TRAIN (1989) | 9/30/17 | FILMSTRUCK
- FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980) | 10/1/17 | CABLE
- WACKO (1982) | 10/5/17 | YouTube
- THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990) | 9/7/17 | Amazon
- BORN IN EAST L.A. (1987) | 10/9/17 | Samuel Goldwyn Theater (Q&A Cheech Marin)
- EVIL DEAD (1981) | 10/21/17 | THE FRIDA CINEMA
- SLEEPAWAY CAMP (1983) | 10/21/17 | THE FRIDA CINEMA
- BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999) | 10/22/17 | THE FRIDA CINEMA
- FRIDAY THE 13th: THE FINAL CHAPTER (1984) | 10/22/17 | THE FRIDA CINEMA
- THE BURNING (1981) | 10/22/17 | THE FRIDA CINEMA
- DRACULA 2000 (2000) | 10/28/17 | Amazon
- HALLOWEEN (1978) | 10/31/17 | Amazon Rental
- PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE (1985) | 11/3/17 | Netflix
- THOR: RAGNAROK (2017) | 11/11/17 | Arclight Pasadena (with Q girls)
- INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989) | 11/12/17 | On Demand Cable
- WAYNE’S WORLD (1992) | 11/19/17 | Starz App
- THE THING (1951) | 11/23/17 | YouTube Rental
- GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (2017) | 12/10/17 | Netflix
- DREDD (2012) | 12/11/17 | Blu-Ray
- THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) | 12/18/17 | Blu-Ray
- TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991) | 12/23/17 | Google Rental
- DIE HARD (1988) | 12/23/17 | Google Rental
- NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989) | 12/25/17 | DVD
- NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989) | 12/25/17 | DVD (w/ Commentary)
When it comes to re-see movies, watching some of these with my nieces was the best, because I’m sharing my favorite movies and crossing my fingers that they’ll fall in love with them too. Celia and Effie enjoyed BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA and STREETS OF FIRE. Celia is the older one and she’s getting to the age where she can watch some more scary stuff, and rated R stuff…(shhhh Don’t tell Grandma!) Dave and I got to watch THE LOST BOYS, TERMINATOR 2 and DIE HARD with Celia and yup, she LIKED THEM! Whew!!
I also got to see some of my favorite re-sees in theaters! Dave and I had a movie theater all to ourselves while vacationing in Portland to watch CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. We also got to drink some beer with our movie snacks.
Guess what? I went to the movies with my little sister. I can’t recall the last time that she and I did that. But it was a most special occasion as we went to see an Academy screening of BORN IN EAST L.A and Cheech Marin was there with some of the other cast for a Q&A. This is a special movie for us, we watched it tons growing up. Our dad was actually BORN IN EAST L.A. and well we’re latino girls too. BORN IN EAST L.A. was one we would watch anytime it was on cable. We watched it as a family together. We had only watched it on VHS, Cable and DVD before. Thanks L.A. for making our movie dreams come true. I was glad I got to take me sister out to the movies and watch a movie we loved for the first time on a big screen. WAAS SAPPENING!?!
And I finally got the chance to attend a horror movie marathon at a very cool theater in Santa Ana, THE FRIDA. I wrote all about the adventure right here: http://shempcat.com/camp-frida-outing/
2017 sure has been a strange year, a year that has made me angry because there’s things to fight for and a world to not give up on! I am so thankful that I have been able to turn to movies for some distraction for a few hours at a time. That’s what I’ll always have thanks to movies. I’m glad I got to see 204 movies in all, so glad I made it to 200+. Now, here’s to more movies in 2018. YUP! HAPPY NEW YEAR!