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.
- (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:
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.
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.
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!
Along with launching the Female Filmmaker Friday Podcast this year, I guested on quite a few podcasts:
- Battleship Pretension: Episode 459: A Year Withe Women (part 2)
- Flixwise: 2015 in Review
- Matineecast: Episode 151: 88th Oscar Nominees
- Smug Film: Episode 63: A Year With Women
- Alien Minute: Episode 91: The Clanging of Canisters
- Alien Minute: Episode 92: Leading Up to a Jump
- Alien Minute: Episode 93: Lambert in the Spotlight
- Alien Minute: Episode 94: Requiem for a Navigator (and an Engineeer)
- Alien Minute: Episode 95: The Big Shift
- Alien Minute: Episode 106: A False Sense of Safety
- Alien Minute: Episode 107: Women Do Wear Long Johns
- Flixwise: Episode 53: Raging Bull
- Radio Dan: Noirvember
- Flickin’ Out: Natalie Wood
- Filmspotting: Episode 613: Teenage Girls Directed By Women
- Filmspotting: Episode 617: End of Year Faves
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.
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!
Posted on January 1, 2017, in 2016 in Films. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
Leave a comment
Comments 0