(Be sure to see the list of movies I’ve seen in 2024 for reference!)
In 2024 I set out to watch 100 movies over the course of the year. I think it is a solid number to strive for since it’s very do-able (a couple movies a week more or less) while still requiring a bit of dedication. I am happy to announce that I have watched 131 movies in total this year! This does not include a handful of movies I did not finish for one reason or another. It does include rewatches, other than movies I was already intimately familiar with (I would not count a rewatch of Star Wars or Back to the Future for example). These movies were mostly viewed at home across all your typical streaming services, along with a handful that were seen in the theater and a small batch from my svelte but mighty Blu-Ray collection. I am always watching documentaries and true crime stories but I did not count those here and so, as far as I can recall, everything on my list is a traditional feature film.
Regardless, I am very happy to have smashed my goal! Since I have many hobbies and fun distractions, there were some lulls in my movie-watching. Everything evened out though, with some weekends that were completely dominated by movies. If you’re like me and always wished you watched more movies, set a goal! It’s easier than you think. Almost anyone can manage to watch 50 movies a year, but choose any number you’re comfortable with! I actually watched 70 movies in 2023 without any specific goals in mind, so you will likely surprise yourself if you decide to keep track.
I didn’t attach any particular theme to the movies I watched this year. You will see drama, action, animation, sci-fi, wholesome and foreign movies on my list as well as anything else you might think of. Over the course of watching I would say that one trend did emerge though. I always seemed to pick a few movies in a row that didn’t really do it for me and then a few in a row that I really loved. Total coincidence of course, but if there was an accidental theme attached to my 2024 movie-watching it would be “chunks of good, chunks of bad”………..or something.
The two movies I saw in the theatre this year were Alien: Romulus and Deadpool & Wolverine. I have to say that while there is a lot of discourse surrounding bad theatre experiences, this hasn’t been the case for me. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a notable issue with behavior in a movie theatre, so I’m lucky in that respect. I also typically go for matinee showings and generally my area doesn’t have expensive tickets. I don’t think I’ve ever paid more than $15 to see a movie around here and $8-12 is probably more typical as long as you don’t have to see everything on a Saturday night. I might get a concession or two but the prices for those have always been high. I say all this simply to note that I think I’m lucky as far as the area I live in given that a lot of people insist that movies have become too expensive. Around here I would say they’re priced fairly.
For reference I watched movies on the following streaming services: Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, Hulu and Paramount Plus. I also watched a single movie, Monster (2023), on Mubi. Out of all of these services I would say Prime Video was the most frequently visited app for my movie-watching. HBO Max and also Netflix provided and consistent selection, while I think Hulu and Paramount Plus are more TV-focused and therefore didn’t have as much that interested me. Paramount Plus in particular has a movie section that is really lacking. It came in real handy a few times when it had a movie I was very keen to watch, but most of the time it seems like they barely add anything. Also the search functions suck. This is a complaint I have about all of these services but Paramount Plus is among the worst. As I said, at least it had a few things. Interestingly, I did not watch any movies on AppleTV this year. It’s just not an app I open very often, and for all the talk about Apple “only accepting the best content”, I’ve found their offerings to be the same level of hit-or-miss as any other channel or service. I also didn’t watch anything on Disney Plus as far as I can recall. This is a service I mean to circle back to but never make it. As much as Disney tries, I think this app lives largely on content from the past that all of us have already seen 50 times. That’s not a terrible thing but it’s very limiting depending on what you’re looking for.
As I wrap this up and begin work on my awards for the year (!) I would just like to say that quality movies are alive and well, but you do have to work a little harder to find them. There is just so much out there and there has never been more cash grabs as well, so sifting through the BS can be difficult. This is not the same as “there are no good movies anymore”. If someone tells you that they’re just not really trying. Find a source(s) you like and check in occasionally for some recommendations. You don’t have to do this but it might point you in some interesting directions at least. I wasn’t familiar with quite a few of the movies I watched this year until I heard about them on the internet. You’re never going to pick a winner every time, but there are a lot of past and present hidden gems to be found. Movies just aren’t going to be advertised in your face constantly anymore unless they’re about superheroes. You do have to search a bit sometimes, but that’s the case with literally every type of content.
On the flip side it can be refreshing to just click Play on whatever pops up on your screen first. It’s fun to parse which movies people are talking about and discover that triumphant film only those in small corners of the internet have seen, but sometimes I forget the value of just going in blind. It’s nice to see a movie at face value, before you’ve heard what dozens of other people think of it and all the reasons why you should or shouldn’t like it. Though I do maintain that it’s beneficial to sift through to find those movies that will speak to you, be sure to wing it every so often.
That’s all my general thoughts on my movie-watching in 2024. Coming up I will be adding one or more awards announcements. Which movies were the best I’ve seen? The most surprising? I will likely make the categories a little more fun than usual while still maintaining an informative angle. Hope you enjoyed this and you’ll see more here soon!