2025: The Year In Movies Part 2

Over 100 different actors starred in the 55 movies I saw last year (starring in being the first two named stars, a tradition dating back to the old Chicago Tribune TV guide which populated the early days of my database), and seven of them were in more than one film. Those seven thespians are:

Films Per Actor Per Year

Actor Name Films
Emma Stone 3
Julia Garner 2
Anne Hathaway 2
Jesse Plemons 2
Florence Pugh 2
Margaret Qualley 2
Aaron Taylor-Johnson 2

Now let’s take a look at the remaining movies that I saw in 2025, following up on last week’s post.

Death of a Unicorn (2025)
Billionaires try to exploit the magical properties of unicorns, but the unicorns have other ideas.

Bugonia (2025)
A conspiracy theorist kidnaps a CEO, convinced that she is an alien.

American Sweatshop (2025)
A content approver for a website that definitely isn’t YouTube tries to identify a man in an abhorrent video.

The Girl Who Got Away (2021)
A serial killer escapes and goes after her one victim who got away.

Another Simple Favor (2025)
Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively return for a sequel to their 2018 hit.

You Ought To Be In (15) Pictures

Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  Given those guidelines, it is time once again to look at the now 107 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1.

We continue today with the twelve actors that have starred in exactly 15 movies that I have seen, an increase of three from 3 years ago.

Amy Adams

Amy Adams made her first appearance on my screen in 2001, when I watched the repurposed television pilot that became Cruel Intentions 2.  She returned in 2008, starting a run of eight films in four years.  After a five-year absence, she returned in 2022 with the previous year’s The Woman In The Window.

Jamie Lee Curtis

My first experience with the former teenage scream queen was likely one of the first two Halloween films, the franchise that is responsible for nearly 47% of the films on this list.  After a seven-year lull, she returned with the latest reboot/continuation of the Halloween franchise, culminating in 2022’s Halloween Ends.

Will Ferrell

The SNL alum first streaked on to the list of film actors I’ve seen in 2003 with Old School.  Since then, his appearances have been pretty consistent, with 2012-2013 being the longest streak of him not appearing on my screen.  The most recent film of his I’ve seen was 2013’s Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, which I finally saw last year.

Anne Hathaway

Like most of America, I first saw Anne Hathaway on the silver screen back in 2003 in The Princess Diaries.  In the intervening years, she had been a steadfast presence on my movie (or television) screen, including three films in 2005 and four in 2009.  Things have slowed a bit this decade, with her latest appearance being 2019’s The Hustle, which I saw in 2020.

Angelina Jolie

Her last appearance on my screen is still in 2012, when I saw her in Changeling.

Steve Martin

The last starring role of his that I saw remains 2005’s Shopgirl, which I saw in 2009.

Julia Stiles Continue reading →

You Ought To Be In (13) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22

Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  So, given those guidelines, it is time to look at all of the actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1st.

Today, we continue with the 8 actors that have starred in 13 movies that I have seen, 3 more than what there were 3 years ago.

Amy Adams

A 3 spot jump for Adams, thanks to films in 2014, 2016, and earlier this year with 2016’s Arrival.

Morgan Freeman

2014’s Lucy, which I saw in 2015, enabled Freeman to move up one slot.

Anne Hathaway

A 2 spot jump for Hathaway, who added films in 2015 and 2016, where The Intern was her most recent starring role.

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt had a 4 year streak come to an end in 2013, when I saw World War Z.

Natalie Portman

My last experience with Portman’s work remains 2013’s Thor: The Dark World.

Julia Stiles Continue reading →

Most Watched Actors – The Late 2000s

Movie_Reel_22Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime. The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since. So, given those guidelines, it is time to look at the most prolific actors that have starred in the movies that I have seen in the second half of the first decade of the new millennium, the 2000s.

2006

Films Per Actor Per Year
Last Name Films
Scarlett Johansson 5

Scarlett Johansson ties Tori Spelling and Maria Ford for the record of most films seen in a single year by starring in An American Rhapsody, Match Point, The Island, A Good Woman, and Scoop.

2007

Films Per Actor Per Year
Last Name Films
Bruce Willis 3

Bruce Willis returns to the top of the heap for the first time since 1985 with his starring turns in Alpha Dog, Live Free Or Die Hard, and 16 Blocks.

2008

Films Per Actor Per Year
Last Name Films
Robert Downey Jr. 4

Robert Downey Jr. returned to leading man status in a big way in 2008, culminating in his roles in Gothika, Tropic Thunder, Charlie Bartlett, and, of course, Iron Man.

2009

Films Per Actor Per Year
Last Name Films
Zooey Deschanel 4
Anne Hathaway 4

The ladies took over in 2009, with Zooey Deschanel and Anne Hathaway tying for the top spot with 4 films apiece.  Deschanel appeared in Yes Man, (500) Days Of Summer, The Happening, and The Go-Getter.  Hathaway made her mark with Rachel Getting Married, Bride Wars, Becoming Jane, and Passengers.

2010

Films Per Actor Per Year
Last Name Films
Amy Adams 4
Nicolas Cage 4
Mila Kunis 4

A 3 way tie for first place, with 4 films apiece for Amy Adams, Nicolas Cage, and Mila Kunis.  Adams got things going with her roles in Julie & Julia, Leap Year, Sunshine Cleaning, and Standing Still.  Cage attempted to pay back the IRS with his roles in Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call – New Orleans, National Treasure, Knowing, and National Treasure: Book Of Secrets.  Kunis had a good year with Moving McAllister, Extract, After Sex, and Boot Camp.

 

You Ought To Be In (11) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  So, given those guidelines, it is time to look at all of the actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of May 30th.

Today, we continue with the 11 actors that have starred in 11 movies that I have seen.

Jim Carrey

I first encountered the rubber faced comedian in his breakout film, 1994’s Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.  For a while there, Carrey became one of the biggest stars in the world.  I took in 2 films featuring him in 1997, 1999, and again in 2008.  Then, a funny thing happened and Jim Carrey wasn’t much of a star anymore.  The last film I saw him in was back 2009, when I saw the previous year’s Yes Man.

Michael Douglas

Michael Douglas made his first impression upon my movie-going consciousness with 1989’s War of the Roses.  My big Douglas year was 1995, when I saw him in Basic Instinct, Disclosure, and 1978’s Coma.  Things have been quiet for Douglas here in the 21st century, with the last film of his that I’ve seen, The Sentinel, was in 2006.

Woody Harrelson

In 1992, I headed to the theaters to see White Men Can’t Jump, where I first encountered Woody Harrelson in film. 7 of Harrelson’s films came between 1992 and 2000, after which there was a long lull.  Harrelson came back in to my world in 2008, then added 2 more in 2010.  2011 was the last time I saw one of his films, 2009’s Defendor.

Anne Hathaway

Like most of America, I first saw Anne Hathaway back in 2003 in The Princess Diaries.  In the intervening 11 years, she has been a steadfast presence on my movie (or television) screen, including 3 films in 2005 and 4 in 2009.  In 2011, I saw my last starring vehicle starring Hathaway, 2010’s Love And Other Drugs.

Katherine Heigl

Katherine Heigl burst on to the scene in 1994’s My Father, The Hero, which I took in the following year.  She dropped off my radar, went through puberty, and came back in 1999.  After achieving television stardom, she leaped back to the big screen in a big way in the mid-2000s, including 4 films in 3 years between 2006 and 2008.  The last time I saw a Heigl starring vehicle was 2011, when I took in both Life As We Know It and Killers.

Helen Hunt Continue reading →

Oscar Night

As they finish polishing up the statues for tonight’s awards ceremony, it’s time to finish up our predictions with a look at the acting categories and the big one:

Best Picture

Amour

Argo

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Django Unchained

Les Miserables

Life of Pi

Lincoln

Silver Linings Playbook

Zero Dark Thirty

The early money was on either Lincoln or Zero Dark Thirty taking home the big prize, but Argo has been raking up Best Picture wins starting with the Golden Globes and has momentum on its side.

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables

Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

Denzel Washington, Flight

While Lincoln may have fallen out of favor in the Best Picture race, this is still Daniel Day-Lewis’ trophy to lose.

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Emmanuelle Riva, Amour

Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Naomi Watts, The Impossible

In my mind, this comes down to Jessica Chastain or Jennifer Lawrence. Not having seen either performance, my gut tells me that the backlash against Zero Dark Thirty hurts Chastain here and that Jennifer Lawrence brings home the Oscar.

Continue reading →