August was a busy month between seeing films at home, in theaters, and even outdoors on more than one occasion (not to mention catching some of the Olympics at the beginning of the month in between all the movie-watching). TCM hosted its annual Summer Under the Stars series, so at home I’ve mostly been watching some of what they programmed this year (and will be catching up with several more titles this month). The Academy Museum wrapped up its incredible programming series honoring filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, which included screenings of some of my all-time favorite films like A Matter of Life and Death and The Red Shoes, and movies I hadn’t seen before such as The Tales of Hoffmann, Gone to Earth, and The Elusive Pimpernel (the latter two of which were rare 35mm screenings!). Another fun programming series was the American Cinematheque’s second annual Friend of the Fest, in which movies were selected by various podcast hosts, including The Thin Man on 35mm and Miami Vice with a surprise Q&A with director Michael Mann. Another special guest I saw thanks to the AC was Brie Larson, who did a Q&A between a double feature of her Emmy-nominated work in Lessons in Chemistry (just the first episode was shown) and her Oscar-winning performance in Room. I also attended the L.A. premiere of The Good Half, which ran into some technical difficulties, but it was still fun to see the likes of Robert Schwartzman, Nick Jonas, Elisabeth Shue, and David Arquette (the latter of whom I got a picture with after the screening). But perhaps the biggest movie-watching highlights of August happened outdoors: a double feature of Kirsten Dunst classics Bring It On and The Virgin Suicides screened by Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which included a surprise appearance from the beloved star herself, and my favorite movie of all time, Singin’ in the Rain, screened at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic performing the music live. Now with September just beginning, we’re heading into the fall season, aka my favorite time to go to the movies, so I’m very much looking forward to seeing what’s in store for the rest of the year. But until then, a look back at all I watched in August…

New-to-Me Films by Decade:

• 1910s – 0
• 1920s – 0
• 1930s – 3
• 1940s – 5
• 1950s – 5
• 1960s – 5
• 1970s – 4
• 1980s – 4
• 1990s – 1
• 2000s – 4
• 2010s – 0
• 2020s – 1

List of New-to-Me Films:

1. Kelly’s Heroes (1970)
2. French Cancan (1955)
3. The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)
4. Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948)
5. Escape Me Never (1947)
6. The Man Who Loved Women (1983)
7. The Tamarind Seed (1974)
8. Hawaii (1966)
9. I Dood It (1943)
10. Our Blushing Brides (1930)
11. War Nurse (1930)
12. The Easiest Way (1931)
13. The Good Half (2023)
14. To Be or Not to Be (1983)
15. Gone to Earth (1950)
16. State and Main (2000)
17. Can’t Hardly Wait (1998)
18. The Elusive Pimpernel (1949)
19. One Hour Photo (2002)
20. Margie (1946)
21. The Caddy (1953)
22. The Ladies Man (1961)
23. A Knight’s Tale (2001)
24. Miami Vice (2006)
25. One Crazy Summer (1986)
26. High Society (1955)
27. A Delicate Balance (1973)
28. Love Streams (1984)
29. Seven Days… Seven Nights (1960)
30. A Monkey in Winter (1962)
31. Borsalino (1970)
32. Love Is a Funny Thing (1969)

List of Re-Watched Films:

1. A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
2. East of Eden (1955)
3. Il sorpasso (1962)
4. Seven Samurai (1954)
5. Original Cast Album: Company (1970)
6. Her (2013)
7. The Red Shoes (1948)
8. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019)
9. Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
10. The Small Back Room (1949)
11. Torn Curtain (1966)
12. My Favorite Wife (1940)
13. A Cinderella Story (2004)
14. Bring It On (2000)
15. The Virgin Suicides (1999)
16. Peeping Tom (1960)
17. Room (2015)
18. To Be or Not to Be (1942)
19. Gone Girl (2014)
20. High Society (1956)
21. Rear Window (1954)
22. The Thin Man (1934)
23. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
24. Pat and Mike (1952)

List of Films I Saw in Theaters (re-watches marked in italics):

1. A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
2. East of Eden (1955)
3. Il sorpasso (1962)
4. Kelly’s Heroes (1970)
5. Seven Samurai (1954)
6. The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)
7. Her (2013)
8. The Red Shoes (1948)
9. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019)
10. Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
11. The Small Back Room (1949)
12. The Good Half (2023)
13. Gone to Earth (1950)
14. A Cinderella Story (2004)
15. The Elusive Pimpernel (1949)
16. Peeping Tom (1960)
17. Room (2015)
18. To Be or Not to Be (1942)
19. Gone Girl (2014)
20. A Knight’s Tale (2001)
21. Miami Vice (2006)
22. The Thin Man (1934)
23. One Crazy Summer (1986)
24. Love Streams (1984)