Got back on track with watching several Best Picture nominees in December, and now only have about 150 left to see! And of course, I watched a few holiday movies here and there but didn’t get around to re-watching as many favorites as I wanted. I also caught up with some new releases thanks to being on break.

And HAPPY NEW YEAR! I expect to get a year-end review of my 2014 movie adventures posted in the next couple of days.

New-to-Me: 31

Re-Watched: 9

New-to-Me Films by Decade:

• 1920s – 0
• 1930s – 3
• 1940s – 5
• 1950s – 4
• 1960s – 2
• 1970s – 1
• 1980s – 6
• 1990s – 2
• 2000s – 2
• 2010s – 6

List of New-to-Me Films:

1. Blossoms in the Dust (1941)
2. This Is the Night (1932)
3. Suzy (1936)
4. Boyhood (2014)
5. Working Girl (1988)
6. Witness (1985)
7. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
8. The Sure Thing (1985)
9. Maps to the Stars (2014)
10. Still Alice (2014)
11. Nightcrawler (2014)
12. We’re No Angels (1955)
13. Pocketful of Miracles (1961)
14. Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942)
15. Serendipity (2001)
16. A Christmas Carol (1938)
17. It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)
18. Say Anything… (1989)
19. Moonstruck (1987)
20. The Joker Is Wild (1957)
21. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
22. Bundle of Joy (1956)
23. Hail the Conquering Hero (1944)
24. Into the Woods (2014)
25. The Male Animal (1942)
26. Easy to Love (1953)
27. The Fugitive (1993)
28. Foxcatcher (2014)
29. Reds (1981)
30. The China Syndrome (1979)
31. The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)

Monthly Tallies

• Best Picture Nominees Watched: 7
• Movies Watched from The Criterion Collection: 1
• Movies Watched via the Watch TCM app: 12
• Movies Watched on TCM: 1
• Movies Watched on Hulu: 0
• Movies Watched in theaters: 1

Trends and Notes

• Watched 5 films starring Cary Grant (2 were back-to-back re-watches), as he was TCM’s Star of the Month for December.
• Watched 6 new releases, 3 of them were in a row.
• Watched 3 films starring Harrison Ford, 2 of them were in a row.
• Watched 4 films starring or featuring John Cusack, 2 of them were in a row.
• Watched 2 films starring Julianne Moore in a row, and both were new releases.

A Few Favorite Discoveries:

Witness (1985), directed by Peter Weir

As I mentioned in the trends and notes section, I watched a few Harrison Ford movies this month and enjoyed them all, but I easily loved this one the most. It’s the only film for which Ford was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, and he really does give a great performance here that is more subdued than what I’m used to seeing from him.

It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947), directed by Roy Del Ruth

This movie is played on TCM several times throughout December, so I thought it was about time I see it as it seems to be an underrated holiday favorite among classic film fans. And what a charming film it is! I love the dynamics between all the characters, especially the ones that involve Charles Ruggles as the millionaire.

Say Anything… (1989), directed by Cameron Crowe

So I’ve now seen four films directed by Cameron Crowe, and so far I’ve loved them all and he has yet to disappoint me. Anyway, as mentioned earlier, I went through a small John Cusack phase this month, so I thought it was about time I watch one of the movies he’s most known for. My one small gripe about the movie is actually that iconic boombox scene, only because I found it a little underwhelming in context. Since it’s so well-known I expected much more out of the scene itself, but I did still enjoy the scene for what it was. Regardless, I really loved this movie a lot, and it’s perhaps my favorite discovery of the month.

Reds (1981), directed by Warren Beatty

Though this film is known for how epic it is in scope, it actually exceeded my expectations. All I really knew going into it was that romance and communism were 0involved. This is the first film I’ve seen directed by Warren Beatty (and somehow this is only the third film I’ve seen him in), and he does a really stellar job behind the camera. I love how the film integrates real interviews with witnesses who lived in the period; it really enhanced the story and provided great transitions between changing times.

The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967), directed by Jacques Demy

I thought I’d top off the year with this colorful musical by Jacques Demy, and it was a truly joyous way to end my movie-watching in 2014. It’s always interesting seeing family members act alongside one another, especially siblings. Sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac worked so well together, I enjoyed their shared scenes the most. And of course, it’s always a delight to see Gene Kelly doing what he does best.