Thunderbolt's 2021 Movie Diary

Everyone should certainly find the time for doing the things that they love so I am setting myself a challenge. My movie watching has plummeted over the past 6 months due to the chaos of just life in general. I want to make sure that in 2021 I find the time to watch at least 200 movies over the year. To some this is probably a simple task, but at the moment I’m only managing to view a single film every 2 or 3 weeks. I’ve never logged movie watching before but I figure it will keep me motivated to hit the 200 target. I’ll briefly comment and rate each film even if it’s something really bad from late night TV.

”So 200 movie views for 2021, or else.......”


My ratings system:
Awful, never view again.
Passable, a few entertaining moments at best.
Good effort and would happily view again in a year +.
Great performances and plot.
Outstanding.

Movies watched so far:

January
1.The Searchers (1956)
2.The Karate Kid (1984)
3.Inferno (2016)
4.Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
5.The Evil Dead (1981)
6.The Abominable Snowman (1957)
7.The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (1974)
8.The Row (2018)
9.Wind Chill (2007)
10.The Karate Kid Part 2 (1986)
11.The Karate Kid Part 3 (1989)
12.All Is Bright (2013)
13.Re-animator (1985)
14.American Beauty (1999)
15.Get Carter (1971)
16.Final Destination (2000)
17.Final Destination 5 (2011)
18.No Country For Old Men (2007)
19.Groundhog Day (1993)
20.The Polar Express (2004)
21.Them! (1954)
22.Rio Bravo (1959)
23.Seventh Son (2014)
24.Yes Man (2008)
25.Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
26.Ghost Ship (2002)
27.Married to the Mob (1988)
28.The Boston Strangler (1968)
29.Scrooged (1988)
30.Casablanca (1942)
31.Night of the Creeps (1986)
32.Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
33.The Deep End of the Ocean (1999)
34.Raging Bull (1980)
35.Kindergarten Cop (1990)

February
36.Rio Lobo (1970)
37.The Gambler (2014)
38.Django (1966)
39.Red River (1948)
40.Out of the Furnace (2013)
41.The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
42.Angel Face (1953)
43.Videoman (2018)
44.In Fabric (2018)
45.Seabiscuit (2003)
46.Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
47.The Gift (2015)
48.Eddie the Eagle (2016)
49.Predators (2010)
50.Hondo (1953)
51.Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
52.Beethoven (1992)
53.Winchester ’73 (1950)
54.The Fugitive (1993)
55.Videodrome (1983)
56.Rudderless (2014)
57.3:10 to Yuma (1957)
58.Sahara (1943)
59.Gaslight (1944)
60.The World’s End (2013)
61.Phantom Lady (1944)
62.Coogan’s Bluff (1968)
63.Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

March
64.Frankenstein (1931)
65.The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
66.Phantom of the Opera (1943)
67.The Wolfman (1941)
68.Phantom of the Opera (1929)
69.Werewolf of London (1935)
70.Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
71.Hitchcock (2012)
72.The Unforgiven (1992)
73.The Shadow of the Cat (1961)
74.X the Unknown (1954)
75.The Old Dark House (1932)
76.The Truman Show (1998)
77.Wolf (1994)
78.Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)
79.The Big Lebowski (1998)

April
80.King Kong Escapes (1968)
81.Chopping Mall (1986)
82.Big Momma’s House (2000)
83.Cliffhanger (1993)
84.Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
85.Return of the Living Dead (1985)
86.Emoji Movie (2017)
87.Train to Busan (2016)
88.The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976)
89.The Machinist (2004)
90.The Initiation (1984)
91.Friday the 13th (1980)
92.The Last Picture Show (1971)
93.What Lies Beneath (2000)
94.Ferdinand (2017)
95.She Wolf of London (1946)

May
96.Commando (1985)
97.The Legacy (1979)
98.Winchester ’73 (1950)
99.Burial Ground (1950)
100.Best Laid Plans (1999)
101. Rio Bravo (1959)
102. In Fabric (2018)
103.Smallfoot (2018)
104.Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
105.Behemoth the Sea Monster (1959)
106.The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
107.Godzilla (1954)
108.The Karate Kid (1984)
109.Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
110.Ring (Ringu) (1998)
111.Crazy Heart (2009)
112.The Big Steal (1949)
113. Go (1999)
114.Wonder Park (2019)
115.Saboteur (1942)
116.The Ring (2002)
117. The Grudge (2004)
118.The Grudge 2 (2006)
119.Ju-On The Grudge 2 (2003)
120.3:10 to Yuma (1957)

June
121.Finding Dory (2016)
122.Rope (1948)
123.Madagascar 2 (2008)
124.The Birds (1963)
125.The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
126.Angels and Demons (2009)
127.Swan Lake (2010)
128.John Carpenter’s Vampires (1998)
129.The Untouchables (1987)
130.L.A. Confidential (1997)
131.Enter the Dragon (1973)
132.Amityville 3D (1983)
133.Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)
134.El Dorado (1966)
135.Dirty Harry (1971)
136.Magnum Force (1973)
137.The Enforcer (1976)
138.Sudden Impact (1983)
139.The Next Karate Kid (1994)
140.The Dead Pool (1988)
141.The Amityville Horror (1979)
142.Mad Max (1979)
143.The Big Short (2015)
144.Tom and Jerry The Movie (2021)
145.Commando (1985)
146.Rio Lobo (1970)
147.Red Sonja (1985)

July
148.Conan the Barbarian (1982)
149.Total Recall (1990)
150.Payback (1999)
151.Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974)
152.The Thing From Another World (1951)
153.Singles (1992)
154.American Heart (1992)
155.Conan The Destroyer (1984)
156.In a Lonely Place (1950)
157.Rocky 3 (1982)
158.The Karate Kid (2010)
159.Space Jam A New Legacy (2021)
160.Two By Two (2015)
161.The Croods 2 A New Age (2020)

August
162.Rings (2017)
163.Dangerous Minds (1995)
164.Halloween 4 The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
165.Escape From Alcatraz (1979)
166.Halloween 5 The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
167.The Croods (2013)
168.Paddington (2014)
169.Wild Bill (1995)
170.The Cable Guy (1996)
171.Land of the Dead (2005)
172.Species (1995)
173.Three Amigos (1986)
174.Paddington 2 (2017)
175.In the Line of Fire (2017)
176.Scarlet Street (1945)
177.Peter Rabbit 2 (2021)
178.Rooster Cogburn (1975)
179.Halloween 6 The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
180.Amityville 3D (1983)
181.Looney Tunes Back in Action (2003)
182.Peter Rabbit (2018)
183.Peter Rabbit 2 (2021)
184.Grudge 2 (2006)
185.Dellamorte Dellamore (1994)
186.Anaconda (1997)

September
187.Batman The Movie (1966)
188.Batman Forever (1995)
189.Eyes Without a Face (1960)
190.Batman and Robin (1997)
191.Lego Batman Movie (2017)
192.The Cowboys (1972)
193.Metropolis (1927)
194.The Skeleton Key (2005)
195.Detour (1945)
196.Last Action Hero (1993)
197.Birth of the Dragon (2016)
198.Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
199.Hotel Trasylvania (2012)
200.Pacific Heights (1990)
201.Howl (2015)
202.El Dorado (1966)
203.Identity (2003)
204.The Queen’s Corgi (2019)
205.Play Misty For Me (1971)
206.8mm (1999)
207.Corpse Bride (2005)
208.Arlington Road (1999)

October
209.The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
210.Shivers (1975)
211.Scream 2 (1997)
212.Halloween Resurrection (2002)
213.Hellraiser (1987)
214.The Haunting (1963)
215.Night of the Living Dead (1968)
216.Ju-On The Grudge 2 (2003)
217.The Burning (1981)
218.Dracula (1958)
219.Brides of Dracula (1960)
220.Halloween 4 The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
221.Addams Family 2 (2021)
222.Bad Moon (1996)
223.Halloween 6 The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
224.The Kid (2019)
225.House on Haunted Hill (1959)
226.The Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)
227.The Fog (1980)
228.The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
229.Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)
230.Vampire Lovers (1970)
231.Le Mans ‘66 (2019)
232.Lust for a Vampire (1971)
233.Twins of Evil (1971)
234.The Blob (1988)
235.House of Wax (2005)
236.The Plague of the Zombies (1966)
237.The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb (1964)
238.Halloween 3 Season of the Witch (1982)
239.Halloween (2018)
240.Halloween H20 (1998)
241.Halloween Kills (2021)
242.Dracula Has Risen From the Grave (1968)
243.Boss Baby 2 (2021)
244.Taste the Blood of Dracula (1969)
245.The Mule (2018)
246.Scars of Dracula (1970)
247.Halloween (1978)

November
248.The Man With Two Brains (1983)
249.Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)
250.The Mummy’s Hand (1940)
251.The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
252.Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)
253.The Lady From Shanghai (1948)
254.Rocky 4 (1984)
255.The Killers (1946)
256.The Blue Dahlia (1946)
257. Day of the Dead (1985)
258.Last Night in Soho (2021)
259.Dawn of the Dead (1978)
260.The Nut Job 2 (2017)
261.Black Sunday (1960)
262.Tales From the Crypt (1972)
263.Vault of Horror (1973)
264.Conan the Barbarian (1982)
265.Ghostbusters (1984)
266.Black Christmas (1974)
267.Ghostbusters 2 (1989)

December
268.Point Break (1991)
269.Breakdown (1997)
270.Ghostbusters Afterlife (2021)
271.Deck the Halls (2006)
272.Trespass (1992)
273.Elf (2003)
274.Jurassic Park (1993)
275.National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
276.Scrooge (1935)
277.The 39 Steps (1935)
278.Ron's Gone Wrong (2021)
279.Home Alone (1990)
280.Gremlins (1984)
281.The Glass Key (1942)
282.Jurassic Park 2 The Lost World (1997)
283.Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979)
284.Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021)
285.Holiday Affair (1949)
286.Jurassic Park 3 (2001)
287.The Grinch (2018)
288.Mo' Better Blues (1990)
289.Jurassic World (2015)
290.Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
291.Encanto (2021)
292.Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom (2018)
293.Beethoven's Christmas Adventure (2011)
294.It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
295.Scrooge (1951)
296.Brewster's Millions (1985)
297.Hands of the Ripper (1971)
298.Abominable (2019)
299.Who Saw Her Die? (1972)
300.Batman (1989)
301.The Evil of Frankenstein (1964)
302.Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

1. The Searchers (1956) DVD rewatch
A great start to my challenge with this John Wayne western/drama. One of the best John Wayne films I have seen with great cinematography. The landscapes look stunning.

Jabs 2021 challenge is a great way to reach this goal. All told, with both Regular and Nightmare mode combined, it’s 162 films. From there, it’s an easy walk to reach 200.

2. The Karate Kid (1984) TV rewatch
After viewing a few minutes on TV, I ended up watching the entire movie. Haven’t seen this in 25 years + but for what it was, it didn’t disappoint.

3. Inferno (2016) DVD rewatch
The content certainly made me paranoid about how viruses could be developed. Even though it’s not connected with the current pandemic, it’s a great film for any conspiracy theorists. Faster paced than The Da Vinci Code and well worth a look for any fans of the Dan Brown novels.

4. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) DVD rewatch
Sergio Leone’s epic Spaghetti Western is incredibly slow paced but there many moments of creative flare and action. Regarded as a mediocre movie at the time of its release, this has gained a great cult status over the years with many critics rating it as one of the best Westerns ever made.

The score adds a haunting spirit to the movie and was written by the late Ennio Morricone.

Clint Eastwood turned down the role of the protagonist, but Charles Bronson does a fine job as the harmonica playing stranger seeking revenge.

5. The Evil Dead (1981) TV rewatch
My favourite of the series. Great old school effects.

6. The Abominable Snowman (1957) DVD rewatch
Peter Cushing brings a touch of class to this lesser known Hammer Studios film. Obsessed with finding the Yeti in the Himalayas, Cushing and his team go in search of the legend. But after a long search, Cushing discovers that it’s actually man who is the beast rather the creatures.

This Hammer film was released the same year as The Curse of Frankenstein and was some what over shadowed by the Frankenstein success. There are many Hammer films that are well worth checking out. Not just the same half dozen which are permanently rehashed on TV.

7. The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (1974) DVD rewatch
Also know as “Let Sleeping Corpses Lie” and “Don’t Open the Window.”
Tension and suspense build slowly in this Jorge Grau directed Zombie movie. Originally on the UK banned “video nasty list” and deemed unacceptable, the gore is by no way over the top. Some may feel cheated by the lack of flesh and blood but there is some pure class to the film making. Well acted, a great finale and with a strong message at the end, this is quite an intelligent Zombie flick.

8. The Row (2018) TV First watch
I’m a sucker for old Slasher movies but this modern day addition to the genre really scraped the bottom of the barrel. Modern Horror at its worst. Well it was on the Horror channel so that explains the bad quality. Many Slashers are far from great but this was something else.

9. Wind Chill (2007) TV First watch
What started off promising quickly turned into a pretty dull, uninspiring story. The acting was passable but would not view again.

10. The Karate Kid Part 2 (1986) TV rewatch
So so sequel which already seems like it’s struggling for new ideas and plot. The series should have stopped here.

11. The Karate Kid Part 3 (1989) TV rewatch
Certainly no worse than part 2. The story is more of a continuation of the first film. A few new ideas keeps the viewer intrigued but this is where my enthusiasm for the series stops. As with many films, the first is by far the best.

12. All Is Bright (2013) TV first watch
Also know as “Almost Christmas.”
Dull black comedy about two buddies trying to make a buck selling trees at Christmas time. But things never go according to plan with their love/hate relationship always being put to the test. Most will find it hard to find much to laugh at. Best part was finally seeing the credits roll.

13. Re-animator (1985) TV rewatch
Die hard gore fans will be in their element with this twist on the Frankenstein story from the 80s. The gore does not disappoint.

14. American Beauty (1999) DVD rewatch
Adults and teens struggle to find happiness in suburban America.
This movie is easily in my top 10 of all time. I avoided this film for years in view of the hype. However when I finally gave in I was floored. With a sharp script, superb performances and an ending so powerful, this should not be missed.

15. Get Carter (1971) TV first watch
Jack Carter travels to Newcastle to find out who is responsible for the death of his brother.
Although very well acted, this gritty Northern England drama looks very dated. Michael Caine is however very convincing as the brother seeking revenge.

16. Final Destination (2000) TV rewatch
Teens try to work out death’s design after they escape a plane accident.
This movie had a greater effect on me at the time of its release when the idea was fresh and new. Although I enjoyed the repeat viewing, the whole idea has become slightly tiresome. That being said this instalment is certainly the best of the series.

17. Final Destination 5 (2011) TV first watch
Almost a rehash of the first movie. The series has now become very tiresome with no originality. Even the CGI effects are substandard compared with its predecessors. I did however like how the finale comes full circle and links itself back to the first film.