Revisiting the 2021 to-see list

Posted on January 8, 2022 by frothy

At the beginning of 2021, I posted a long, long list of movies I wanted to see that year. Good news! I saw a bunch of them. And saw a bunch of others that weren’t even on this list! Amazing!

Below is the original 2021 table. Bold denotes a movie I actually did see last year. My rating (* to **** stars) is also included. Coming up later: the movies I saw that weren’t on this list to begin with!

TitleYearWhere (currently)
355, The2022Netflix DVD Saved
Black Widow (***)
2021Netflix DVD Saved
Chaos Walking (**)2021Netflix DVD Saved
Death on the Nile2021Netflix DVD Saved
Free Guy (***)
2021Netflix DVD Saved
King’s Man, The2021Netflix DVD Saved
No Time to Die (**1/2)
2021Netflix DVD Saved
Bill & Ted Face the Music (**1/2)2020Netflix DVD
Fatman (**)2020Netflix DVD
Possessor (***)2020Netflix DVD
Sea Fever2020Netflix DVD Saved
Sputnik (***)
2020Netflix DVD Saved
Depraved2019Netflix DVD Saved
Velvet Buzzsaw (***1/2)2019Netflix DVD Saved
Freaks (***)2018Netflix
Monstrum2018NA
Our House (***)2018Netflix
Prospect (**1/2)2018Netflix DVD
Creep (**)2014Netflix
Sensored (*1/2)2009own
Awaken the Dead (*1/2)2007own
Session 9 (**)2001Netflix
Cure (**1/2)1997Netflix DVD Saved
Cast a Deadly Spell1991NA
Carrier, The (*)1988NA
Pin (***)1988NA
Bay Coven (*1/2)1987own
Dolls (**1/2)1987NA
Ground Zero (***)1987NA
Land of Doom (*)1986NA
Night of the Creeps1986NA
Ewok Adventures: Caravan of Courage/Battle for Endor (**)1985Netflix DVD Saved
Lady Streetfighter (*)1985Netflix DVD
Night Train to Terror (*)1985NA
Razorback (**1/2)1984NA
Possession1983Netflix DVD Saved
Vigilante (**)1983Tubi
Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker1982NA
Fast Walking1982NA
House Where Evil Dwells, The (**1/2)1982Netflix DVD
Slumber Party Massacre (**)1982Netflix DVD Saved
Victor Victoria1982Netflix DVD Saved
All the Marbles1981NA
Carnival Magic1981NA
Das Boot1981Netflix DVD Saved
My Bloody Valentine (**1/2)1981Netflix DVD
Night School1981NA
Polyester (**1/2)1981Netflix DVD
Road Games1981Netflix DVD Saved
Strange Behavior (**)1981Prime
Apple, The (**)1980Netflix DVD
Don’t Answer the Phone! (*1/2)1980NA
Times Square1980Netflix DVD Saved
Roller Boogie (**)1979Netflix DVD Saved
Snapshot1979NA
Convoy (**)1978Netflix DVD
Manitou, The1978NA
Stunt Rock1978NA
Swarm, The (*1/2)1978NA
Who’ll Stop the Rain1978Netflix DVD Saved
Zoltan, Hound of Dracula (**)1978Netflix DVD
Blue Sunshine1977NA
Grand Theft Auto (***)1977NA
Pack, The (**)1977NA
Furies, The1976NA
Futureworld (**)1976IMDbTV
Town That Dreaded Sundown, The (**1/2)1976NA
Boss Nigger (**1/2)1975NA
Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold1975NA
Giant Spider Invasion, The (*)1975NA
Bad Ronald1974NA
Black Eye1974NA
Busting (**1/2)1974NA
Caged Heat (**1/2)1974NA
Celine and Julie Go Boating1974NA
Female Trouble (**)1974Netflix DVD
Land That Time Forgot, The (**1/2)1974NA
Macon County Line (*1/2)1974Prime
Massacre Mafia Style (*1/2)1974Tubi
Phase IV (**)1974Netflix DVD Saved
Shanks1974NA
Shoot First, Die Later (**)1974NA
Sister Street Fighter (**1/2)1974Prime
Street Fighter, The (**1/2)1974Prime
Sugar Hill (***)1974NA
Swept Away (***)1974NA
Thomasine and Bushrod (***)1974Tubi
Three the Hard Way1974NA
Black Caesar (**1/2)1973NA
Five on the Black Hand Side1973NA
Hell Up in Harlem (**)1973NA
Lady Snowblood (***)1973Netflix DVD
Slams, The1973NA
Terminal Island (*1/5)1973NA
Wicked, Wicked1973NA
American Hippie in Israel, An (*1/2)1972NA
Black Mama, White Mama (**1/2)1972Netflix DVD Saved
Blood Freak1972NA
Melinda1972NA
Stone Tape, The1972NA
Superfly (**1/2)1972Netflix DVD
Tower of Evil (**)1972NA
Unholy Rollers, The (*1/2)1972Prime
Big Doll House, The (**1/2)1971Netflix DVD Saved
Deep End (**1/2)1971NA
Little Murders (**)1971Netflix DVD Saved
Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things (**)1971NA
Willard (**)1971NA
Zaat1971NA
Zodiac Killer, The (*)1971Tubi
Battle of Cable Hogue1970Netflix DVD Saved
Cover Me Babe (*1/2)1970NA
Rebel Rousers1970NA
Machine Gun McCain (**)1969Prime
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (**)1968NA
Born Losers1967Netflix DVD Saved
Psych-Out (***)1967Netflix DVD Saved
She Freak (*)1967NA
Fun in Balloon Land (*)
1965NA
Mudhoney (**)1965NA
Spy with My Face, The1965NA
Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (*)1964NA
Kitten with a Whip1964NA
Sadist, The (**1/2)1963Prime
Awful Dr. Orloff, The (***)1962NA
Night of the Eagle1962NA
Blast of Silence (***)1961NA
Cash on Demand (**1/2)1961Netflix DVD
Full Treatment, The1960NA
Stop Me Before I Kill (**)1960Netflix DVD
Maniac (***)1958Netflix DVD
Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy (*)1958Prime
Snorkel, The (**1/2)1958Netflix DVD
Thing That Couldn’t Die1958NA
Night of the Demon1957NA
Fright1956NA
Gamma People, The (***)1956NA
Werewolf, The (**)1956Netflix DVD
Ladykillers, The1955Netflix DVD Saved
Human Desire (***)1954Netflix DVD Saved
Dark City1950Netflix DVD
Alias Nick Beal1949NA
Caught (*1/2)1949NA
Secret Beyond the Door1948NA
Decoy (***)1946NA
Spiral Staircase, The (***1/2)1946Netflix DVD
Clock, The (***)1945NA
Hangover Square (***)1945Netflix DVD
Pillow of Death (***)1945own
Strange Confession (**)1945own
Leopard Man, The (***)1943Netflix DVD
Grapes of Wrath (***1/2)1940Netflix DVD Saved
Stage Door (***1/2)1937Netflix DVD Saved
L’Age d’Or1930NA
Wind, The1928NA

These posts are kinda like this one:

  1. What I Done Seen This Year, Pandemic Edition, Halfway Point At the beginning of the year, I posted a long,...
  2. Movies that ain’t on DVD right now, s’far as I know In my My Movies section of IMDb, I’ve saved various...
  3. Not on DVD? Why not? By now, most movies have been released on DVD, but...
  4. Here’s what I wanna watch in 2021 In 2020, I saw 280 movies that were new to...
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

What I Done Seen This Year, Pandemic Edition, Halfway Point

Posted on July 20, 2021 by frothy

At the beginning of the year, I posted a long, long list of movies I wanted to see this year. Here we are, halfway through another weird time for cinema, so I thought I’d revisit the list and see what I done seen.

155 movies were on that initial list. Turns out I’ve seen 69 (nice!) of them.

Here they are, in descending chrono order.

Chaos Walking2021
Bill & Ted Face the Music2020
Fatman2020
Possessor2020
Velvet Buzzsaw2019
Freaks2018
Our House2018
Prospect2018
Creep2014
Sensored2009
Awaken the Dead2007
Session 92001
Bay Coven1987
Dolls1987
Land of Doom1986
Ewok Adventures: Caravan of Courage/Battle for Endor1985
Lady Streetfighter1985
Razorback1984
Vigilante1983
House Where Evil Dwells, The1982
Slumber Party Massacre1982
My Bloody Valentine1981
Polyester1981
Strange Behavior1981
Apple, The1980
Don’t Answer the Phone!1980
Convoy1978
Swarm, The1978
Who’ll Stop the Rain1978
Zoltan, Hound of Dracula1978
Futureworld1976
Town That Dreaded Sundown, The1976
Boss Nigger1975
Giant Spider Invasion, The1975
Caged Heat1974
Female Trouble1974
Macon County Line1974
Massacre Mafia Style1974
Phase IV1974
Shoot First, Die Later1974
Sister Street Fighter1974
Street Fighter, The1974
Swept Away1974
Thomasine and Bushrod1974
Black Caesar1973
Hell Up in Harlem1973
Lady Snowblood1973
Black Mama, White Mama1972
Superfly1972
Unholy Rollers, The1972
Deep End1971
Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things1971
Zodiac Killer, The1971
Machine Gun McCain1969
Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies1964
Sadist, The1963
Cash on Demand1961
Stop Me Before I Kill1960
Maniac1958
Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy1958
Snorkel, The1958
Gamma People, The1956
Werewolf, The1956
Spiral Staircase, The1946
Hangover Square1945
Pillow of Death1945
Strange Confession1945
Leopard Man, The1943
Stage Door1937

 

These posts are kinda like this one:

  1. Here’s what I wanna watch in 2021 In 2020, I saw 280 movies that were new to...
  2. Movies that ain’t on DVD right now, s’far as I know In my My Movies section of IMDb, I’ve saved various...
  3. Halloween! With Halloween lurking nearby, you’re probably wondering what scary movies...
  4. Not on DVD? Why not? By now, most movies have been released on DVD, but...
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Here’s what I wanna watch in 2021

Posted on January 3, 2021 by frothy

In 2020, I saw 280 movies that were new to me. I thought it might be instructive to list the ones I’d like to see in 2021 and then look back in a year to see how well I did. I don’t expect to see everything on this list, if only because some aren’t easily found. Some aren’t streaming, and some aren’t on DVD.

The list is ordered by (descending) release date, although that may change for those that haven’t yet come out. Who knows what theater releases will look like in 2021?

Some are in Netflix’s system but not currently available on DVD or via streaming. Those are in my Saved queue and are so marked below. Those marked simply “Netflix” are streaming on NF currently.

I included titles from Prime, since I have a subscription, but not any from Hulu or others, because I don’t have those services. Finally, “NA” signifies that I can’t find the movie on any of the streaming services or via rent on DVD from Netflix. (By the way, to find out if a movie is streaming anywhere, visit www.reelgood.com, which is an invaluable resource!)

 

TitleYearWhere (currently)
355, The2022Netflix DVD Saved
Black Widow2021Netflix DVD Saved
Chaos Walking2021Netflix DVD Saved
Death on the Nile2021Netflix DVD Saved
Free Guy2021Netflix DVD Saved
King’s Man, The2021Netflix DVD Saved
No Time to Die2021Netflix DVD Saved
Bill & Ted Face the Music2020Netflix DVD
Fatman2020Netflix DVD
Possessor2020Netflix DVD
Sea Fever2020Netflix DVD Saved
Sputnik2020Netflix DVD Saved
Depraved2019Netflix DVD Saved
Velvet Buzzsaw2019Netflix DVD Saved
Freaks2018Netflix
Monstrum2018NA
Our House2018Netflix
Prospect2018Netflix DVD
Creep2014Netflix
Sensored2009own
Awaken the Dead2007own
Session 92001Netflix
Cure1997Netflix DVD Saved
Cast a Deadly Spell1991NA
Carrier, The1988NA
Pin1988NA
Bay Coven1987own
Dolls1987NA
Ground Zero1987NA
Land of Doom1986NA
Night of the Creeps1986NA
Ewok Adventures: Caravan of Courage/Battle for Endor1985Netflix DVD Saved
Lady Streetfighter1985Netflix DVD
Night Train to Terror1985NA
Razorback1984NA
Possession1983Netflix DVD Saved
Vigilante1983Tubi
Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker1982NA
Fast Walking1982NA
House Where Evil Dwells, The1982Netflix DVD
Slumber Party Massacre1982Netflix DVD Saved
Victor Victoria1982Netflix DVD Saved
All the Marbles1981NA
Carnival Magic1981NA
Das Boot1981Netflix DVD Saved
My Bloody Valentine1981Netflix DVD
Night School1981NA
Polyester1981Netflix DVD
Road Games1981Netflix DVD Saved
Strange Behavior1981Prime
Apple, The1980Netflix DVD
Don’t Answer the Phone!1980NA
Times Square1980Netflix DVD Saved
Roller Boogie1979Netflix DVD Saved
Snapshot1979NA
Convoy1978Netflix DVD
Manitou, The1978NA
Stunt Rock1978NA
Swarm, The1978NA
Who’ll Stop the Rain1978Netflix DVD Saved
Zoltan, Hound of Dracula1978Netflix DVD
Blue Sunshine1977NA
Grand Theft Auto1977NA
Pack, The1977NA
Furies, The1976NA
Futureworld1976IMDbTV
Town That Dreaded Sundown, The1976NA
Boss Nigger1975NA
Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold1975NA
Giant Spider Invasion, The1975NA
Bad Ronald1974NA
Black Eye1974NA
Busting1974NA
Caged Heat1974NA
Celine and Julie Go Boating1974NA
Female Trouble1974Netflix DVD
Land That Time Forgot, The1974NA
Macon County Line1974Prime
Massacre Mafia Style1974Tubi
Phase IV1974Netflix DVD Saved
Shanks1974NA
Shoot First, Die Later1974NA
Sister Street Fighter1974Prime
Street Fighter, The1974Prime
Sugar Hill1974NA
Swept Away1974NA
Thomasine and Bushrod1974Tubi
Three the Hard Way1974NA
Black Caesar1973NA
Five on the Black Hand Side1973NA
Hell Up in Harlem1973NA
Lady Snowblood1973Netflix DVD
Slams, The1973NA
Terminal Island1973NA
Wicked, Wicked1973NA
American Hippie in Israel, An1972NA
Black Mama, White Mama1972Netflix DVD Saved
Blood Freak1972NA
Melinda1972NA
Stone Tape, The1972NA
Superfly1972Netflix DVD
Tower of Evil1972NA
Unholy Rollers, The1972Prime
Big Doll House, The1971Netflix DVD Saved
Deep End1971NA
Little Murders1971Netflix DVD Saved
Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things1971NA
Willard1971NA
Zaat1971NA
Zodiac Killer, The1971Tubi
Battle of Cable Hogue1970Netflix DVD Saved
Cover Me Babe1970NA
Rebel Rousers1970NA
Machine Gun McCain1969Prime
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One1968NA
Born Losers1967Netflix DVD Saved
Psych-Out1967Netflix DVD Saved
She Freak1967NA
Fun in Balloon Land1965NA
Mudhoney1965NA
Spy with My Face, The1965NA
Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies1964NA
Kitten with a Whip1964NA
Sadist, The1963Prime
Awful Dr. Orloff, The1962NA
Night of the Eagle1962NA
Blast of Silence1961NA
Cash on Demand1961Netflix DVD
Full Treatment, The1960NA
Stop Me Before I Kill1960Netflix DVD
Maniac1958Netflix DVD
Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy1958Prime
Snorkel, The1958Netflix DVD
Thing That Couldn’t Die1958NA
Night of the Demon1957NA
Fright1956NA
Gamma People, The1956NA
Werewolf, The1956Netflix DVD
Ladykillers, The1955Netflix DVD Saved
Human Desire1954Netflix DVD Saved
Dark City1950Netflix DVD
Alias Nick Beal1949NA
Caught1949NA
Secret Beyond the Door1948NA
Decoy1946NA
Spiral Staircase, The1946Netflix DVD
Clock, The1945NA
Hangover Square1945Netflix DVD
Pillow of Death1945own
Strange Confession1945own
Leopard Man, The1943Netflix DVD
Grapes of Wrath1940Netflix DVD Saved
Stage Door1937Netflix DVD Saved
L’Age d’Or1930NA
Wind, The1928NA

These posts are kinda like this one:

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  2. Not on DVD? Why not? By now, most movies have been released on DVD, but...
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Posted in Lists | Leave a comment

Movies I’ve Seen during the Pandemic, part iii

Posted on March 26, 2020 by frothy

Creepy (NR, 2016, ***). This Japanese thriller is about a retired detective who looks into a case involving a family that completely disappeared – but left their youngest child. Huh. Little does Det. Takakura know how close to home this case will hit for him. Fine police procedural at first, and then it veers into, well, creepy territory – and I mean that in the nicest way, as things just get hairier and hairier. Viewed on Amazon Prime.

Cropsey (NR, 2009, **1/2). When I read the synopsis for this, I thought it was another found-footage horror movie, but it’s based on real events and is more a true-crime documentary. The true crime in question is the disappearance of several children on Long Island, NY. Kids in that area in the 1980s grew up hearing about an abandoned sanitarium and a janitor who abducted youngsters, but they thought it was used as a cautionary tale by parents to scare their children into behaving. Not so! Interesting story, although it doesn’t really settle on a thesis and does a lot of presenting people’s views without context. Viewed on Amazon Prime.

Julia’s Eyes (NR, 2010, ***). While investigating the disappearance of her blind twin sister, Julia discovers more than she wanted in this sometimes harrowing horror thriller. Adding to her problems is Julia’s own macular degeneration. Will she find out the truth before she becomes completely sightless? Intense, well crafted, and a psychological roller coaster. In Spanish. Viewed on Netflix.

The Phantom of the Opera (NR, 1925, ***). Lon Chaney’s masterful performance as the Phantom, sans sound. A disfigured composer lives in the catacombs beneath the Opera of Paris and uses terror to scare off the female lead in Faust so his preferred ingenue can have the role. But at what cost? Sure, the effects are dated, since they’re 95 years old, but the drama and especially the makeup and costuming are superb. Viewed on Amazon Prime.

The Trip (NR, 1967, **1/2). A straightlaced man (Peter Fonda) goes on an LSD trip after his wife (Susan Strasberg) leaves him, with the calm coaching of a buddy (Bruce Dern). That’s it, that’s the entire plot. Jack Nicholson wrote it, Roger Corman directed it, and Dennis Hopper is aboard as a scenester cat with a cool pad, if you can dig it. This is definitely a relic of the times. It’s a fun movie if it hits you in the right mood, and it certainly doesn’t take itself seriously! Viewed on Amazon Prime.

 

These posts are kinda like this one:

  1. Movies I’ve Seen During the Pandemic, Part I There’s no theme here. These are just what I’ve watched...
  2. Movies I’ve Seen During the Pandemic, Part 2 Crawl (R, 2019, ***). Are you afraid of alligators? Stay...
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  4. 284 – Saw III “Why should I see Saw III,” you ask, deftly avoiding...
Posted in Creepy, Cropsey, Julia's Eyes, Phantom of the Opera (1925), Trip (1967) | Leave a comment

Movies I’ve Seen During the Pandemic, Part 2

Posted on March 25, 2020 by frothy

Crawl (R, 2019, ***). Are you afraid of alligators? Stay away from this one. Haley, a collegiate swimmer, travels to southern Florida to check on her dad during a Category 5 hurricane (rather nonchalantly, I might add). Floods from the hurricane have allowed a couple of big ol’ gators to enter the house’s basement, where her dad is. Claustrophobic. Viewed on Netflix.

Messiah of Evil (R, 1973, **). This felt more like a ripoff of Italian horror movies, which themselves are usually low-budget knockoffs of better movies. A young woman travels to a remote California town to find her artist father, from whom she hasn’t heard in a long time; finds the townfolk ruled by a mysterious cult. Thrown into the mix are a bohemian and his two groupies, er, companions. Elisha Cook, Jr. shows up in a quick but memorable role as a supposedly crazy old man. Viewed on Prime.

Please Murder Me (NR, 1956, **1/2). Unheralded noir about a lawyer who gets his femme fatale client off for murder and then discovers she was guilty, guilty, guilty. Angela Lansbury is the murderess, and Raymond Burr is the lawyer, with able support from Dick Foran. Sure, you may think of Dame Angela as a sweet old lady now, but she could play the most wicked of characters. Second half is a little slow, but this is still worth your while. Viewed on Prime.

The Seventh Victim (NR, 1943, ***). Val Lewton produced some terrific horror movies in the 1940s, including Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie. This one is similarly good, and it tackles a topic that was none too common to movies of the time – Satanists! Kim Hunter, in her debut, plays a college girl trying to track down her sister (Jean Brooks). She soon finds out that a Satanic cult has their hooks into the sister, and they’re bound and determined to make sure she keeps their secrets – to her grave, if necessary. Very moody and suspenseful, the movie also features Tom Conway in a very George Sanders-like role (Conway and Sanders were brothers in real life), as well as Leave It to Beaver’s Hugh Beaumont. Fantastic (in both senses of the word) film. Viewed on Netflix.

Viy (NR, 1967, ***). Touted as the first-ever Russian horror film, this one has an old legend as its basis. A young seminarian is asked by a wealthy landowner to pray over his dead daughter for three nights, per her dying request. The seminarian is then beset by a series of otherworldly creatures, including succubi, incubi, and the titular demon. Even with subtitles, it’s a very chilling movie, packed with import and scares. Viewed on TubiTV.

 

 

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  1. Movies I’ve Seen During the Pandemic, Part I There’s no theme here. These are just what I’ve watched...
  2. Guilty movies No, not movies that are guilty pleasures, like Ilsa, Harem...
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Posted in Crawl, Messiah of Evil (1973), Please Murder Me (1956), Seventh Victim (1943), Viy (1967) | Leave a comment