Thunderbolt's 2021 Movie Diary

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200 Movies Watched
So I have achieved my goal of 200 movies with still 4 months of the year left. I actually thought that I would struggle to reach this by the end of the year. This is already by far the most films that I have watched in a single year. Logging them has certainly kept me motivated to press on and reach this point.
Thank you to all who have left comments and checked out this thread. You have all made this seem worth while. I’m intrigued how far I will get to by the end of the year and with the horror month fast approaching, I can’t wait to continue.



'Grats on reaching the 200 target and with less than three-quarters of the year gone


19. Groundhog Day (1993) TV rewatch
Watched this when it was first released in cinemas but couldn’t remember too much about it.
This definitely wins my 'Comment of the thread' award




202. El Dorado (1966) (New purchase)
I’ve enjoyed the John Wayne/Howard Hawks collaborations this year so I decided to complete the western set with this on DVD. Robert Mitchum adds to the fine quality of the overall movie. It was nice to view this again even though it’s only been a few months since I saw it on late night TV.




203. Identity (2003) TV first watch
This tried so hard to be clever but when the twist came, oh dear. Perhaps I was in the wrong frame of mind to watch it. Another classic presented by The Horror Channel.



I think Hotel Transylvania is an underrated movie. I haven't seen any of the sequels yet, but I thought the first movie was a lot of fun.
If you liked the first it’s worth checking out the sequels.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.

203. Identity (2003) TV first watch
This tried so hard to be clever but when the twist came, oh dear. Perhaps I was in the wrong frame of mind to watch it. Another classic presented by The Horror Channel.

I liked Identity, up until the final twist.
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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
I think Hotel Transylvania is an underrated movie. I haven't seen any of the sequels yet, but I thought the first movie was a lot of fun.
If you liked the first it’s worth checking out the sequels.

I have the DVDs of both sequels. I just haven't found the time to watch them yet.




204. The Queen’s Corgi (2019) DVD rewatch
Another entertaining family animation. There have been quite a few surprisingly good kids films which are just as enjoyable for adults over the past few years and this is another to add to the list. Loved the Rocky “training” moment and the Donald Trump character was pretty amusing.




205. Play misty for me (1971) DVD rewatch
Fantastic thriller with Clint Eastwood starring and making his directorial debut. Jessica Walter is equally as good as the obsessed fan, stopping at nothing to be with a late night jazz DJ.




206. 8mm (1999) DVD rewatch
Tom Welles (Nicolas Cage) enters the dark side of film making in search of the authenticity of a Snuff film. A well told thriller showing the power of high society and money.




207. Corpse Bride (2005) TV first watch
Of all the animations I have watched this year I have enjoyed this one the least. Some nice animation but the story was a bit of a yawn.




208. Arlington Road (1999) DVD rewatch
A great Bridges performance with a haunting twist at the end. The finale could make anyone paranoid about the facts we are fed by the media on a daily basis.



208 Movies Watched

+8 Over Target

Well I finally reached my goal this month so I’ll continue until the end of the year to see what I hit.
And now introducing “Horror Month.” I can’t wait.




209. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) DVD rewatch
I kick off the horror season with this macabre number. Banned in the UK for decades (and probably a number of other countries) there’s bizarrely not much blood in this notorious horror flick. Not too much in the way of a storyline either but a great sense of terror, tension and plenty of dark humour. I don’t care for any of the sequels, prequels, reboots or whatever other spin-offs get made. For me this is the only one worth viewing. Nothing will match the eerie, gritty feel of Tobe Hooper’s classic.
Some regard this as a slasher film but I think it proudly sits somewhere all by itself.




210. Shivers (aka The Parasite Murders/They came From Within) (1975) DVD rewatch
After a scientist kills himself due to an experiment gone wrong, his creation of parasites start to infect people in a posh tower block turning them into sex zombies.
One of David Cronenberg's original body horror films. It looks very dated now but with some great gore and effects, it certainly caused some controversy in its day.




211. Scream 2 (1997) DVD rewatch
This second instalment has my favourite opening of the whole franchise. Tongue in cheek but gripping stuff. For a sequel this is well up there with the original.




212. Halloween Resurrection (2002) DVD rewatch
This is well near the bottom of the Halloween franchise pile where they have tried to lay to rest an old story and bring in a more up to date plot. Enter lots of bad body cam footage and the easy (and cheap) option of reality TV. From a horror point of view, it’s not great. But I did however laugh throughout at many of the bad one liners, character situations, bad acting, Busta Rhymes as a martial arts expert? Enough said.
My rating is for where I believe this sits in the position of best Halloween to worst. Having said that I would happily view this again in a year. A total guilty pleasure. It still beats the Rob Zombie efforts.




209. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) DVD rewatch
I kick off the horror season with this macabre number. Banned in the UK for decades (and probably a number of other countries) there’s bizarrely not much blood in this notorious horror flick. Not too much in the way of a storyline either but a great sense of terror, tension and plenty of dark humour. I don’t care for any of the sequels, prequels, reboots or whatever other spin-offs get made. For me this is the only one worth viewing. Nothing will match the eerie, gritty feel of Tobe Hooper’s classic.
Some regard this as a slasher film but I think it proudly sits somewhere all by itself.
That's the score I'd give TCM too, since, while the second half is a bit too repetitive/tiresome for it to be a truly great movie, the overall style is still vivid enough to render it a memorable experience despite that.