2016 in Films: A 365 Day New-To-Me Films Year-End Recap

2016 was quite a year for me, both on a national/international level, but on a personal one as well. I left my job at Rotten Tomatoes and moved from California (I’m a 6th generation Californian!) to Atlanta, Georgia to start work at Turner Classic Movies (and FilmStruck). Uprooting my entire life took a toll on my film watching for most of the year (though I got my numbers up pretty high while attending the Pordenone Silent Film Festival; more on that later). All and all, I think I managed to strike a pretty good balance in my film watching this year. I was afraid after A Year With Women that jumping back into the cinema of men I would find myself just as disgruntled as I started to feel at the end of 2014, however I took much more curatorial approach to my watching this year and chose to skip certain films that were a big part of the ~film conversation~ because I knew I would not like them and focused more on the films I knew I would enjoy. Starting work with TCM reminded me once again how much I love classic Hollywood films, and I found myself watching more older films again. I also spent a good deal of 2016 rewatching films that I love, but maybe hadn’t watched in year. There really is a special joy to revisiting an old favorite. Also, obviously Movie Quote of the Day went away this year. But I did bring back Female Filmmaker Friday – this time in the form of a podcast! So, without any further ado, after the cut you will find every new-to-me film I watched in 2016, plus a few thoughts on some of my watching goals and trends.

2016_in_films

(January) Paddington
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Tangerine
Rocky Balboa
Creed
Khaneh siah ast (The House is Black)
Carol
Boxing Helena
Mad Max: Fury Road
While We’re Young
Mistress America
Far from the Madding Crowd
Get Your Man (1927)
The Blazing Trail (1921)
Above Suspicion
Red Riding Hood
Swing!
Hallelujah!
Valerie a týden divu (Valerie and Her Week of Wonders)
Ayanda and the Mechanic
Begin Again
Impromptu
A Soldier’s Story
Mo’ Better Blues
The Great Debaters
Saving Face
TiMER
Kung Fu Panda 3
(February) Cadillac Records
Idlewild
Down in the Delta
Hail, Caesar!
Nas: Time Is Illmatic
Dope
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong
The Tanning of America: One Nation Under Hip Hop
Straight Outta Compton
Sorry We Don’t Help Darkies
Mississippi Damned
Honey
In Too Deep
Dave Chappelle’s Block Party
Yelling To The Sky
Out of Time
(March) The Story of Temple Drake
Send Me No Flowers
(April) Naughty Marietta
River of Grass
Lover Come Back
Never Fear
On Dangerous Ground
Born To Be Blue
The Rose Tattoo
Kid Nightingale
Winchester ’73
Nothing But a Man
Miles Ahead
Seven Men From Now
Lemonade
(May) Too Late
Dumbland
Hollywood Canteen
Purple Rain
Money Monster
A Bigger Splash
The Meddler
The Perfect Guy
The Lobster
Battle of the Bulge (1965)
(June) Love & Friendship
Gun Fury
Maggie’s Plan
The Equalizer
The Halliday Brand
Satisfaction
The Neon Demon
The Fits
Echo Park
The Great Sioux Massacre
Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams
The World, The Flesh, And The Devil
(July) Raffles
Our Kind of Traitor
White Comanche
The L-Shaped Room
The Paper Chase
Zorba the Greek
They Died With Their Boots On
The Picasso Summer
Two Friends
Mishaps of Seduction and Conquest
The Girl He Left Behind
Tab Hunter Confidential
Lafayette Escadrille
It Always Rains on Sunday
Where the Boys Are
Ghostbusters (2016)
The Naked Spur
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
Under the Skin (1997)
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
What We Do in the Shadows
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie
Red Sun
Les Innocentes (The Innocents)
Birthright (1939)
Ten Nights in a Barroom (1926)
Touki Bouki
Tallulah
The Shooting
Within Our Gates
Veiled Aristocrats
The Blood of Jesus
Dirty Gertie From Harlem U.S.A.
Heaven-bound Traveler
Verdict Not Guilty
Commandment Keeper Church, Beaufort South Carolina, May 1940
Two Knights of Vaudeville
Mercy, the Mummy Mumbled
(August) Shadow on the Wall
Logan’s Run
The Country Girl
Five Nights In Maine
Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody?
The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935)
Delicious (1931)
Change of Heart (1934)
Fabrica de Tabacos
Plaza Vieja
Isla del Tesoro
Una isla para Miguel
Ire a Santiago
Y tenemos sabor
En la otra isla
De cierta manera
Falsche Bewegung (Wrong Move)
Im Lauf der Zeit (Kings of the Road)
Multiple Maniacs
Ladies In Love (1936)
The Young in Heart
Small Town Girl (1936)
City Girl (1930)
Liliom (1930)
Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World
Bad Girl (1931)
After Tomorrow
Man’s Castle
The Mystery of Mr. X
Hide-Out
Piccadilly Jim
Ever Since Eve
Haunted Honeymoon
Don’t Think Twice
Southside With You
Equity
The Intervention
The Whole Town’s Talking
High Tide (1987)
(September) The Great McGinty
Hail the Conquering Hero
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
Women He’s Undressed
When the Bough Breaks (2016)
Ithaca
Sons of the Desert
A Beautiful Now
The Private Life of a Cat
Bridget Jones’s Baby
The Magnificent Seven
Queen of Katwe
(October) (Pordenone Silent Film Festival) Z Dziedziny Sportu Strażackiego
The Mysterious Lady
The Tight Rein
The Silent Shame
Mutt and Jeff Join the Opera
Mutt and Jeff Discover a Wonderful Remedy
His Friend The Elephant
Operating On Cupid
Somebody’s Widow
Father’s Close Shave
A Pair of Sexes
Navy Blues (1923)
Long Hose
Street Life in India
People Die For Metal
Pożar W Zapałczarni
The Man in the Dark
The Everlasting Triangle
The Mission of Mr. Foo
On The Stroke of Twelve
Animacja Czołówka Kroniki Filmowej
Junnileusz 3-Lecia Klubu Sportowego Victoria W Częstochowie
Jank Muzykant (Janko the Musician)
Sowing The Wind
Beyond Recall
Algol. Tragödie Der Macht
Así Nació El Obelisco
Sāo Paulo, A Symphonia Da Metrópole
Budapest Fürdõvaros
Glorious Vamps
Tempest (1928)
Padenia Dinastii Romanovykh (The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty)
A Trial of Souls
Nanà (1917)
Three Live Ghosts
At The End of the Trail
A Wife of the Hills
The Greater Love
The Escape of Jim Dolan
The Rattlesnake – A Psychical Species
The Trail of Cards
Nana (1926)
Namakura Gatana (A Blunt Sword)
Kraków
The Cossack Whip
Pottemageri I Dahomey
Africa Before Dark
The Guns of Loos
Die Weisse Wüste
The Lost Paradise
Do Paryża Na Harleyu
Waltzing Around
Inoculating Hubby
Why Wild Men Go Wild
No Parking
Saving Sister Susie
A Hula Honeymoon
McKinley At Home, Canton, Ohio
Empire State Express
Roosevelt’s Rough Riders
Governor Roosevelt and Staff
Terrible Teddy, The Grizzly King
President Roosevelt’s Homecoming
Judge Parker Receiving the Notification of His Nomination
A Visit To Theodore Roosevelt At His Home
Roosevelt
The Old Way and the New Way
Pathe News No. 46 (Republicans and Progressives Meet)
Warren Gamaliel Harding
Democratic National Convention, New York City, 1924
President Coolidge – Taken On The White House Grounds
The Girl Without Soul
Monte-Cristo
Weighed In The Balance
Amerykanizacja Stolicy
Halsted Street
Fukkõ Teito Shinfoni
Beograd – Prestonica Kraljevine Jugoslavije
Nipponichi Momotaro
Der Adjutant Des Zaren
Broncho Billy’s Narrow Escape
A Girl Of The West
The Craven
A Bit of Blue Ribbon
Una Of The Sierras
Sallie’s Sure Shot
Behind The Door
Upside Down; Or, The Human Flies
The Haunted Curiosity Shop
Artistic Creation
The Cheese Mites; Or, Lilliputians In A London Restaurant
A Railway Collision
Undressing Extraordinary; Or, The Troubles of a Tired Traveller
The Waif And The Wizard; Or, The Home Made Happy
The Magic Sword; Or, A Mediaeval Mystery
An Over-Incubated Baby
Scrooge; Or, Marley’s Ghost
The Extraordinary Waiter
A Chess Dispute
An Extraordinary Cab Accident
The Medium Exposed
The ? Motorist
A Lively Quarter-Day
The Soldier’s Courtship
A Collier’s Life
The Fatal Hand
The Hand of The Artist
Keane Ou Désordre Et Génie
Manden Med De 9 Finger 1 (The Man With The Missing Finger 1; or, The Murder in the Villa Falcon)
Manden Med De 9 Finger IV. Mysteriet I Citybanken (The Man With The Missing Finger 1V, or, the
Lonely House)
The Goad of Jealousy
Blue Jeans (1917)
Le Musée Des Grotesques
Les Fantasies D’Agénor Maltracé
Jobard A Tué Sa Belle-Mère
Jobard Ne Veux Pas Voir Les Femmes Travailler
Jobard Change De Bonne
Jobard Fiancé Par Intérim
Le Retapeur De Cervelles
Le Cheveu Délateur
Umi No Momotaro
The Wizard’s Apprentice (1930)
The Dove
The Arrow of Defiance
When The West Was Young
The Lieutenant’s Last Fight
The Struggle (1913)
The Flaming Arrow
L’Onore Riconquistato
Arrivée En Gondole
Pigeons Sur La Place Saint-Marc
Tramway Sur Le Grand Canal
Grand Canal Avec Barques
Panorama Du Grand Canal Pris D’Un Bateau
Venise: Place Saint-Marc
Arrivée En Gondole Des Souverains
D’Allemagne Et D’Italie Au Palais Royal De Venise
Départ En Gondole De Leurs Majestés
Venetianische Nacht
A Ray Of Sunshine After The Rain
Flirtation On Park Bench
The Summer Boarders
A Strange Adventure
Bezúčelná Procházka (Aimless Walk)
The Irony of Justice
Behind The Screen
Beans For Two
Monkey Shines (1920)
Second Childhood
Grandpa’s Girl
No Sparking
Sora No Momotaro
Min Svigerinde Fra Amerika (My Sister-In-Law From America)
Riders of the Night
Karyjatury Jotesa, Serja VIII: Świat Filmowy
Zza Kulis Dźwiękowców Ploskich
Mocny Człowiek (A Strong Man)
The Woman Disputed
The Little Rascal (1922)
Brooklyn
Pickle (2016)
Girl Asleep
American Honey
The Dressmaker
Power
Red Road
Old Joy
Night Moves (2014)
The Caveman’s Valentine
The Whole Truth (2016)
Safe House
John Wick
Horror of Dracula
Dracula: Prince of Darkness
Certain Women
The Tingler
The Abominable Dr. Phibes
The Invitation
(Noirvember) Mystery Street
The Naked Kiss
Moonlight (2016)
One False Move
Tokyo Drifter
Gimme Danger
Border Incident
Dead Reckoning
I Died A Thousand Times
Storm Warning (1951)
Farewell, My Lovely
Cruel Gun Story
Stray Dog
The Frontier
Christine
Arrival
Drunken Angel
The Enforcer (1951)
The Sorrow and the Pity
The Phenix City Story
Dial 1119
Black Angel (1946)
Storm Fear
Force of Evil
Loving (2016)
The Edge of Seventeen
High And Low
Fallen Angel
Aquarius
Whirlpool
JFK
Nocturnal Animals
I Am Waiting
Pale Flower
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
A Colt Is My Passport
Take Aim At The Police Van
Branded to Kill
Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise
Le Samouraï
Black Widow (1987)
(Dec) The Man Who Came to Dinner
Kitty (2016)
Inner Workings
Moana
La sirène du Mississipi (Mississippi Mermaid)
La mariée était en noir (The Bride Wore Black)
Les mistons
L’enfant sauvage (The Wild Child)
L’histoire d’Adèle H. (The Story of Adèle H.)
L’homme qui aimait les femmes (The Man Who Loved Women)
La chambre verte (The Green Room)
O.J.: Made in America
13TH
Into the Forest
Jackie
La La Land
Fences
Hidden Figures
The River (1928)
Underworld: Awakening
Keanu
Lion
No Home Movie

1880s: 0
1890s: 7
1900s: 34
1910s: 68
1920s: 44
1930s: 40
1940s: 23
1950s: 24
1960s: 32
1970s: 16
1980s: 9
1990s: 10
2000s: 15
2010s: 93

I guess I got my count messed up somewhere along the way because I thought I was at 412 films, but this list shows 414 films! Whoops. Here are a few highlights from my cinematic year:

under-the-skin-97

After watching over 300 films by women in 2015, I was hoping to do the #52FilmsByWomen challenge and then double it. However, that did not happen. I made it to 67 films directed by women, though. Also of the 63 new releases I watched this year 33 of them were directed by women, so that’s a pretty good percentage. Of the non-2016 films by women that I saw this year, the one that stayed with me the longest was Carine Adler’s Under The Skin (’97), which features a stunning debut performance from Samantha Morton.

viola-dana-john-h-collins

I was lucky enough to get a grant to help pay for my travels and lodging in order to attend the 35th Annual Pordenone Silent Film Festival in ITALY. I did a video recap here and a longer written re-cap for Turner Classic Movies here. Of all the films I watched (and I watched A LOT of films during that fest), the ones directed by John H. Collins starring his wife Viola Dana were my favorites. I wish his films were more accessible, because boy he is one of the great forgotten filmmakers of cinema’s early days.

i-am-waiting

Noirvember celebrated its 7th anniversary this year! I really never thought Noirvember would take off as much as it did, but I’m so glad that it has. I spent most of this year’s Noirvember catching up on various Japanese noir films that I had been promising a friend I would watch for years. They did not disappoint. I hope you all had a great Noirvember, and if you didn’t participate this year, I hope you will next year!

femalefilmmakerfridaypod

Along with launching the Female Filmmaker Friday Podcast this year, I guested on quite a few podcasts:

videodrome

I’d like to send a shout out to two theaters and a video rental store that helped me immensely in my cinematic journey this year: the Landmark Midtown Art Theatre, the Tara Cinemas, and Videodrome – Atlanta’s last video store! I spent a good deal of my time in one of these three places all year.

denzel-point

Along with continuing my #52FilmsByWomen pledge in 2017, I plan to (finally) finish off Denzel Washington’s filmography. I meant to do it last year (even made plans starting last January!) and didn’t do it. I have seen 28 of his films and have 19 left to see (counting a film that is supposed to be released later this year). I already have three rented from Videodrome that I plan to watch today! So here’s to setting cinematic goals in 2017 and actually sticking to them!