I don’t have a lot to say about my film viewings in March, other than seeing my first 2014 release! March is usually when I start going to the theater, so I’m looking forward to seeing more films outside my room in the coming months. I’m going to keep my thoughts on my favorite film discoveries brief since I’m a little busy today.

New-to-Me: 33

Re-Watched: 8

New-to-Me Films by Decade:

• 1920s – 1
• 1930s – 13
• 1940s – 4
• 1950s – 6
• 1960s – 3
• 1970s – 2
• 1980s – 0
• 1990s – 1
• 2000s – 0
• 2010s – 3

List of New-to-Me Films:

1. King Solomon’s Mines (1950)
2. Dangerous (1935)
3. The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931)
4. A Free Soul (1931)
5. The Champ (1931)
6. Captains Courageous (1937)
7. Masculin féminin (1966)
8. The Piano (1993)
9. Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)
10. Bright Eyes (1934)
11. New York, New York (1977)
12. Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)
13. The Great Lie (1941)
14. The Great Beauty (2013)
15. Red Dust (1932)
16. Airport (1970)
17. Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967)
18. Speedy (1928)
19. One Way Passage (1932)
20. Across the Pacific (1942)
21. Speed (1936)
22. Beat the Devil (1953)
23. The Public Enemy (1931)
24. The Mating Game (1959)
25. Thrill of a Romance (1945)
26. Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939)
27. Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
28. Having Wonderful Time (1938)
29. Wild River (1960)
30. Great Expectations (1946)
31. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
32. O. Henry’s Full House (1952)
33. Crest of the Wave (1954)

Monthly Tallies

• Best Picture Nominees Watched: 7
• Movies Watched from The Criterion Collection: 4
• Movies Watched via the Watch TCM app: 18
• Movies Watched on TCM: 1
• Movies Watched on Hulu: 3
• Movies Watched in theaters: 1

Trends and Notes

• Thanks to the Watch TCM app, I watched 7 more movies from TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar program.
• Watched 4 films from the year 1931, 3 of them in a row.
• Watched the 2 films for which Helen Hayes won her Oscars.
• Watched 3 films starring or featuring Mary Astor, as she was TCM’s Star of the Month for March.

A Few Favorite Discoveries:

The Piano (1993), directed by Jane Campion

I’ve been meaning to see this film for a while since Holly Hunter is one of my favorite actresses and I’ve heard great things about The Piano. Phenomenal acting all around, especially from the Oscar-winning performances of Hunter and young Anna Paquin. Really loved the cinematography in this as well.

Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013), directed by Abdellatif Kechiche

I wasn’t expecting to love this film as much as I did, but it really had an impact on me. This is mostly thanks to Adèle Exarchopoulos’ amazing transformation throughout the film; definitely one of my favorite performances from the past year. She and Léa Seydoux also had great chemistry. The film also had good pacing, it didn’t feel long for a nearly three-hour movie (though I will say the seven-minute sex scene dragged…but I guess that was the director’s intention).

Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), directed by John Sturges

Another film I’d been meaning to see, Spencer Tracy gives another wonderful performance. The film features a powerhouse cast as well, including Ernest Borgnine, Lee Marvin, Walter Brennan, and an underrated favorite of mine, Robert Ryan. The film provides great tension in a story about a war veteran looking for answers in a small, isolated town.

Great Expectations (1946), directed by David Lean

David Lean proves once again how great of a director he is. I’ve seen a few of his films, and I don’t think there’s one I’ve seen that I didn’t love, and Great Expectations is no exception. The film has some gorgeous black and white cinematography; I especially loved the atmosphere of Miss Havisham’s home.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), directed by Wes Anderson

A film I’d been anticipating since it was announced (though at the time I was very excited to see Angela Lansbury in what would ultimately be Tilda Swinton’s role, but here’s hoping Lansbury and Wes Anderson collaborate in the future). Anyway, another colorful film from Anderson, featuring the usual immense cast of characters. I love that Anderson used three different aspect ratios throughout the film to convey the different time periods the film takes place in.