Stay At Home: The First 50 Films

On Tuesday, 17 March 2020, my company closed its office.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had said that all non-essential businesses needed to close. As we fit that criteria, our company did what was required.

So, I've been home.

Several years ago, I had an operation that kept me home for a couple of weeks. I spent that time watching early French Silent Films and learning about the pioneers of Cinema. Now, home again, it's time to fill in some holes in my viewing and check out some movies that I finally get around to.

For fun, I figured I'd go through the first 50 I've seen. I have taken the time to group them accordingly.

The best place for me to begin is an old favorite - Zombie films. A number of my friends on Twitter talk about being over the zombie genre. I am not. I still have films to see and I still have love for those flesh eaters and the way they shamble away with one's heart. So far, I have seen eight.

One Cut of the Dead (2019)
Zombie with a Shotgun (2019)
Doc of the Dead (2014)
Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection (2012)
Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)
The Dead Don't Die (2019)
The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)
Zoombies 2 (2019) from The Asylum

The Girl with All the Gifts

Of these, "The Girl with All the Gifts" may be one of the best and more inventive Zombie films out there. Currently, it's on Netflix and is well worth your time and effort. "One Cut of the Dead" is a Japanese film currently on Shudder that also deserves your attention. The only advice about this film is Don't Quit On It. The remainder ranged from good to disappointing.

Alice Guy-Blache

Next, Alice Guy-Blache was a focus as Turner Classics showed the documentary "Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache" (2018), along with a number of her films, some of which I had already seen. The new entries were:

Matrimony's Speed Limit (1913)
Canned Harmony (1911)
A House Divided (1913)
The Ocean Waif (1916)
The Birth, the Life and the Death of Christ (1906)

The documentary is an amazing study of the first female director in film history and the mark she left on cinema, that she only recently received credit for. Many of her films are on YouTube. If you are a true student of film, seek her out!!!

Patrick Rea

Several years ago, I did a series about short horror films for Bloody Whisper, a horror site run by the woman who gave me my first real chance to write, Cassie Carnage. The letter "R" got two entries: one for the film title and the other for two filmmakers whose talent deserved special attention, one of which was Patrick Rea. I was lucky enough to add four more of Mr. Rea's works to my list.

Justice Served (2017)
Fused (2019)
The View from Here (2019)
Spiritual Practice (2020)

Many of Mr. Rea's works are viewable on Vimeo. He tells great stories in a short time. His films can make you scared, make you laugh, or make you cry. I've managed to view 34 of his short films. Not a bad one in the bunch.

Being a lover of animation, it only would follow that I would add several films to my long list of cartoons and CGI. Viewed were:

The Willoughbys

Wonder Park (2019) no director, but not bad
The Little Vampire (2017) remake of the 2000 live action film
Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon (2019) an Aardman product, BAFTA nominated
Onward (2020) the newest from Pixar on Disney+
The Simpsons: Playdate with Destiny (2020)
The Willoughbys (2020) based on the Lois Lowry book
Pokemon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life (2009) don't judge me
My Hero Academia: Two Heroes (2018) yeah, I like the anime. What's it to ya?
Butterfly (1972) a Russian animated short
Hells (2008) a unique anime, often preachy

Farmageddon

The best of the lot is definitely "Farmageddon". Nick Park's company Aardman (home of Wallace and Gromit) once again produces an amazing film filled with laughs, sight gags, and Easter eggs. "The Willoughbys" is a close second. Both are on Netflix.

What else?

Well, there were monsters, with:

Jurassic Galaxy (2018)
Colossal (2016)
The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961)
Beneath (2013)
Killer Sofa (2019) yes, a possessed lounge chair
The First Purge (2018)


There were comedies like:

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (2020) Disney+
The First Wives' Club (1996)
Listen Lena (1927) starring Al St. John with a cameo by Roscoe Arbuckle
Haunted Spooks (1920) with Harold Lloyd

And finally, films I should have seen already, but hadn't, like:

Stan & Ollie

Kuroneko (1968) a Japanese ghost story
Yokai Monsters: Along with Ghosts (1968) the 3rd part of the trilogy
Hangover Square (1940)
Once Upon a Time..in Hollywood (2019)
The Black Sleep (1956)
Happy Death Day 2U (2019) not a bad sequel
Stan & Ollie (2018)  very touching
Hitsville: The Making of Motown (2019)
Let Me In (2010) not a bad US version
Snowpiercer (2013)
Shazam! (2019)
Chopping Mall (1986)

I really am sorry it took so long to see both "Let Me In" and "Snowpiercer". I really like both.

Most of these films can be found on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, epix, Starz, Disney+, Cinemax, YouTube, Vimeo and Turner Classic Movies On Demand.  I suggest you seek out what you can.

Numbers game:

My total film tally stands at 5301. 2944 are in the Horror/Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre. 267 Animated Features. 1848 Short Films, of which 720 are Animated.