Movie Marathon

Last January, I decided to embark on a quest. It would take a lot of time, and it would take a LONG time.

I would watch all of my movies in alphabetical order.

Okay, so it wasn't learning a new language or anything. But I own over 200 movies, and I've never before attempted something like this. Sure, I'll decide to watch a movie here or there, but I realized I'd left some languishing on the shelf for years. It's not because I don't like them, but because I just don't often say, "I think I'll watch 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' today!" I don't think I've ever gone, "You know what my day needs? A little 'Curious Case of Benjamin Button.'" Both good movies, but not go-tos for me.

So it was decided. One at a time, from A to Z. Or rather, from '2 Days in Paris' to 'Zombieland.' 

Some of my movies.

A little background on my watching patterns: I have a television in my room, and I always have something playing on it (usually a TV show) while I get ready for work, fold clothes, get ready for bed, etc. I decided to instead use this time to chip away at my movie collection, and really take stock of the DVDs that I own.

I ended up getting rid of the very first movie that I watched: '2 Days in Paris.' I couldn't see myself watching it again, and I also couldn't imagine anyone wanting to borrow it. So congratulations, Goodwill! Another DVD for your illustrious collection.

From then on I kept plugging away, going through roughly one movie every two days. Sometimes I was away on vacation and didn't take any movies with me, other times I worked on a project in my room and watched more than one movie in a sitting.

One of the most entertaining aspects of this venture was that every so often my co-workers would want to play "Guess What Movie Valerie is Watching," and I'd give them different clues, leaving them to try to come up with what movie might come between.

Fourteen months and 227 movies later, I'm finally done! It was a sad moment when the credits for 'Zombieland' finally rolled – so much so that I immediately watched the entire movie again with commentary. 

In not-so-shocking news, I made several lists as I watched. Sometimes I forgot to write things down, so it's not as comprehensive as I'd like, but c'est la vie. ("La vie." –Woodchuck Todd, 'Easy A')

Standout Scenes (Or: Scenes to Make Your Soul Soar)

Almost Famous: Tiny Dancer
Big Fish: Daffodils
Casablanca: Marseilles
Finding Neverland: "That is Neverland"
Gone with the Wind: The End: Scarlett at Tara
Little Miss Sunshine: Olive puts her head on Duane's shoulder*
Return of the King: "You bow to no one"
Moulin Rouge: 'Come What May' Finale*
That Thing You Do: Good and kissed*
Up: House on Paradise Falls
Waitress: Dr. Pomatter Hugs Jenna
The Way Way Back: Owen shields Duncan from Trent**

*Terrible video quality, but it's all I could find, sadly. Still-- SO GOOD.
**I can't even find even a PICTURE of this moment, so here's a trailer instead.

Movies Better Than I Remembered 

Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
First Knight
Gone With the Wind
Notting Hill

Movies Less Awesome Than I Remembered

Grease
The Phantom of the Opera

Movies I Own That Take Place in 1899

Moulin Rouge
Newsies
The Prestige

Funniest Movies I Own

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Hot Fuzz
Waiting for Guffman
Zombieland

Favorite Teen Comedies

10 Things I Hate About You
Easy A
Clueless
Mean Girls
Never Been Kissed
Can't Hardly Wait

Actors That Are In More Than Five Of My Movies

Tom Hanks
Kate Winslet
Joseph Gordon-Levitt

ZOMG This Is My Childhood

3 Ninjas
Charlotte's Web
The Chipmunk Adventure
Gulliver's Travels
The Last Unicorn
The Rescuers Down Under

I Just Really Want You To Watch These Movies

Blast from the Past
Return to Me
Waitress
The Way, Way Back
Zombieland

My Top Five Favorites

Almost Famous
A League of Their Own
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Moulin Rouge
That Thing You Do

So there it is. The movie marathon that took over a year.

Roll credits.

Final note: Five is a lot of 'Twilight' movies to watch in a row.