Category / Movies

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You Ought To Be In (14) 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 111 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of August 1.

We continue today with the six actors that have starred in exactly fourteen movies that I have seen, a decrease of three from three years ago.

Morgan Freeman

The first film I saw starring Morgan Freeman was the Kevin Costner vehicle Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.  Starting in 2000, he put together a six-year streak that covered eight films.  My biggest Freeman years were 2000, 2005, and 2008, when I saw him in two films each.  After a five-year layoff, he returned in 2020, starring in 2019’s Angel Has Fallen.

Woody Harrelson

In 1992, I headed to the theaters to see White Men Can’t Jump, where I first encountered Woody Harrelson in film.  That was followed by six more films between 1994 and 2000, after which there was a long lull.  Harrelson came back in to my world in 2008, then added two more in 2010.  His most recent appearance came in 2024, when I saw 2017’s War For the Planet of the Apes.

Anna Kendrick

Kendrick, who packed nine films into just three years, started in 2016, when Pitch Perfect 2 was the first of four films I saw starring her.  She followed that up with another four in 2017, an additional two in 2018, and single outings in 2019 and 2021 and again in 2024 and 2025, when I watched her in Another Simple Favor.

Adam Sandler

2011’s Just Go With It, which I saw in 2013, is still my most current exposure to Sandler’s work.

Christian Slater

The last film of Slater’s that I saw was Alone In The Dark, all the way back in 2006.

John Travolta

The last starring role of Travolta’s that I saw was the 2009 remake of The Taking Of Pelham 123, which I saw in 2010.

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You Ought To Be In (13) 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 111 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of August 1.

We continue today with the seven actors that have starred in exactly thirteen movies that I have seen, an increase of one from three years ago.

Kristen Bell

The Veronica Mars star made her first “big screen” appearance in my life with the television remake of Reefer Madness in 2005.  She’s been a pretty steady presence since, with a two-year gap in 2015 and 2016 being her largest.  After a four-year absence, she returned to my screen in 2025, thanks to her role in 2021’s Queenpins.

Gene Hackman

Hackman, who died in 2025 at age 95, first entered my movie consciousness when I saw the original Christopher Reeve Superman.  My most recent experience with his work remains 1971’s The French Connection, which I saw in 2018.

Katherine Heigl

Katherine Heigl first burst on to the scene in 1994’s My Father, The Hero, which I took in the following year.  After achieving television stardom, she leaped back to the big screen in a big way in the mid-2000s, including four films in three years between 2006 and 2008.  She last showed up on my screen in 2018, with the ironically titled Unforgettable.

Tommy Lee Jones

Tommy Lee Jones first showed up on my screen back in 1993 in The Fugitive.   My big Tommy Lee Jones years were 1997 and 2000, when I saw him in two films per year.  After a few years away, my most recent experience with him was in 2020, in 2019’s Ad Astra.

Mila Kunis

After years on That ’70s Show, Mila Kunis first moved to my movie screen in 2003, with the unfortunate American Psycho II: All American Girl.  After a six-year break, she came back with a vengeance, appearing in seven films I saw between 2009 and 2011.  I last saw her work earlier this year, thanks to 2022’s Luckiest Girl Alive.

Julianne Moore

Julianne Moore first showed up on my screen in 1996, thanks to the previous year’s Nine Months.  She was helped by two movies each in 2003, 2011, and 2014.  After a decade away, she returned to my screen in both 2024 and 2025, with Echo Valley being my most recent exposure to her work.

Al Pacino

My first experience with Al Pacino was in 1997, when I saw him in City Hall.  I splurged on his films in 2000 and 2001, when I took in five, including The Godfather and The Godfather II.  After a twelve-year absence, Pacino returned to my screen twice in 2020, in 2017’s horrible Hangman and 2008’s Righteous Kill.

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You Ought To Be In (12) 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 111 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of August 1.

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

Kevin Bacon

Our first newcomer of the week, Bacon first showed up on my screen prior to the start of my database, either with 1988’s She’s Having a Baby or 1991’s He Said, She Said.  After that, he showed up in spurts, with two films each in 1996, 1998, and 2001.  He laid fallow for 17 years before returning in 2018 with 2017’s Patriots Day.  His most recent appearance came in 2023 thanks to the prior year’s They/Them.

Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig first appeared on my radar in a starring role in 2007, when I watched his initial outing as James Bond in Casino Royale.  I had two three-year mini-streaks, with films in 2007 through 2009 and 2011 through 2013.  His most recent appearance came earlier this year in 2025’s Wake Up Dead Man, his third go-around as Benoit Blanc in the Knives Out franchise.

Leonardo DiCaprio

DiCaprio first appeared on my movie screen in 1996, with The Basketball Diaries.  After a three-year run to start, I had a gap of eight years between his films, from 2002-2009.  2011 was his most prolific year, with three different films.  The most recent film of his that I’ve seen was 2021’s Don’t Look Up.

Michael Douglas

I have not seen a Michael Douglas starring project since 2015’s Ant-Man.

Aaron Eckhart

Aaron Eckhart first showed up on the list of film actors I’ve seen way back in 1999 with Your Friends & Neighbors.  Since then, his appearances have been a little haphazard, with nothing more than three two-year streaks over the past 21 years.  The most recent film of his I’ve seen was 2014’s atrocious I, Frankenstein, which I unfortunately saw in 2020.

Chris Evans

Chris Evans first appeared on my screen in 2002 thanks to the previous year’s Not Another Teen Movie and has been a pretty steady presence ever since.  In 2011, he debuted as Captain America in Captain America: The First Avenger and picked up an additional five films for the remainder of the decade, ending with his final appearance in Avengers: End Game in 2019.  His most recent appearance came in 2024 with Red One.

Hugh Grant

There haven’t been many years that I’ve seen a Hugh Grant film, but, when I do, they tend to come in spurts.  My first experience with him was likely 1994’s Sirens, which I am unsure of when I actually saw it.  He notched three films in 2000, and two apiece in 2005 and 2008.  After a twelve-year absence, he returned to my screen in 2020, thanks to 2004’s Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason.  His most recent appearance came in 2024’s Heretic, which I saw in a theater in Boston with Angelina

Corey Haim Continue reading →

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You Ought To Be In (11) 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 111 actors that have starred in at least ten films that I have seen, as of August 1.

We continue today with the eleven actors that have starred in exactly eleven movies that I have seen, down three from three years ago.

Halle Berry

Berry has racked up starring roles in four different decades now.  I first saw Berry in 1992’s Boomerang, which I saw in a screening at Stewart Center at school.  After notching five films during the 2000’s, she had a seven-year quiet period before returning to my screen in 2020 with John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.  Her most recent film that I’ve seen was 2022’s Moonfall.

Gerard Butler

The Scottish actor first appeared on my screen thanks to 2003’s Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, which I saw in 2005.  The Has Fallen franchise gave him three additional appearances, in 2013, 2016, and 2020.  He made multiple appearances in 2010 and 2022 and appeared on my screen earlier this year with 2020’s Greenland.

Jim Carrey

There has been no change for Carrey since I last encountered him back in 2009, when I saw the previous year’s Yes Man.

Jennifer Connelly

As a 16-year-old in the spring of 1991, I fell in love with Jennifer Connelly thanks to the ads for Career Opportunities, which is very likely the first film of hers that I saw.  2000 was my most prolific Jennifer Connelly year, when I saw a whopping two movies starring her, followed by pretty consistent appearances throughout the decade.  After a thirteen-year absence, she returned to my screen in a starring role last year alongside Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick.

Carla Gugino

Gugino first showed up on my radar in the mid-90s, thanks to her role in the Pauly Shore classic Son-In-Law.  She appeared in two films that I saw in 2001, 2016, and, most recently, 2020, with 2011’s Hide and 2017’s Gerald’s Game.

Nicole Kidman

I first saw Nicole Kidman in 1993’s My Life.  Since then, she has appeared in bursts, with lengthy layoffs in between.  After a twelve-year dry spell, she graced my screen once again in 2020 thanks to 2005’s Bewitched.

James McAvoy

First appearing in 2008’s Wanted, McAvoy has been a surprisingly steady presence on my screen, thanks in part to the X-Men franchise.  He had a five-year streak, starting in 2016 with X-Men: Apocalypse and going through 2019’s It Chapter 2.  His most recent appearance came in 2024 thanks to Speak No Evil.

Bill Murray Continue reading →

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You Ought To Be In (10) 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 111 actors that have starred in at least ten films that I have seen, as of August 1.

We start today with the 28 actors that have starred in exactly ten movies that I have seen, up one from three years ago.

Jessica Alba

With her first starring role coming in 2000’s Paranoid before stringing together eight films in six years in the mid 2000s, there has been nothing new for Jessica Alba since I saw her in 2010’s Valentine’s Day in 2011.

Dan Aykroyd

No change in Aykroyd’s total, with it going on 24 years since I last saw one of his starring roles, in the 2000 film Stardom.

Elizabeth Banks

Banks first graced my screen in a starring role in 2006 thanks to The Baxter.  After a dry spell in the early 2010s, she bounced back with seven films in five years, finishing up with 2018’s The Happytime Murders, which I saw in 2019.

Kate Beckinsale

It’s been a quiet six years for Beckinsale, who I last saw in Underworld: Blood Wars in early 2017.

Emily Blunt

Emly Blunt’s first starring role was in 2007’s Wind Chill.  Thanks to three films in 2014 and another two in 2018, her latest, 2021’s A Quite Place Part II, gave her ten appearances.

Chevy Chase Continue reading →

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Tired Discourse – Is Die Hard A Christmas Movie

In January of 2025, the good folks at Defector.com published a list of 35 topics that have been discussed to within an inch of their life here on the internet.  Lucky for me, I haven’t publicly commented on most, if not all, of these topics, so I figured why not dip my toes into the fray on occasion.  We will start today with the first question on their list:

Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?

Die Hard, the now-classic action movie released in July of 1988, stars Bruce Willis as a New York city police officer who travels to Los Angeles to see his estranged wife and kids and ends up interrupting a terrorist attack, saving his wife and (most of) her co-workers from a certain death.  At first glance, nothing about this screams Christmas movie.  But, the movie’s setup only works because the action takes place on Christmas Eve.

Why is Willis’s Det. John McClane in Los Angeles?  To see his family for Christmas.  Why is he meeting his wife at her office?  It’s their Christmas party.  Why are the terrorists attacking now?  It is Christmas Eve and, aside from the people at the party, who are needed to give the terrorists the access they need, the building is deserted.

Now, detractors will say that you can strip out the Christmas trappings and have basically the same movie.  Which, for the most part, is probably true.  That said, those trappings are not stripped out and very much exist in the film, tying it directly to the holiday season.

So, bottom line, is Die Hard a Christmas movie?  Of course it is.  Is it a traditional Christmas movie.  No, I will concede that point.  But Christmas drives the plot, in the movie as it actually exists versus some make-believe alternate version.  And what embodies the spirit of Christmas more than overcoming obstacles of circumstance to reunite with your loved ones for the holiday?

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And The Oscar Goes To…

As they finish polishing up the statues in Hollywood for Sunday’s ceremony, it’s time to finish up our predictions with the major categories for the 98th Academy Awards.  So, without further ado, we begin with:

Best Picture

Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams

I’ve actually seen three of these, so I’ll go with Ryan Coogler’s Sinners.

Best Actor

Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Michael B. Jordan played two roles in Sinners, so that’s got to be worth something.

Best Actress

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
Emma Stone, Bugonia

I’ve only seen one of these, but I’ll take a stab in the dark and pick the one actress I’ve never heard of for this.

Continue reading →

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And The Nominees Are…

Next Sunday, it will be time to play the music and to light the lights for the 98th Academy Awards.  Once again, my woeful predictions are back, despite not having seen, let alone heard of the majority of the nominated films.  But I’m not going to let that stop me, so, with less basis in fact than most years, here’s my uneducated predictions for the non-acting awards.

Best Original Screenplay

Robert Kaplow, Blue Moon
Jafar Panahi; in collaboration with Nader Saïvar, Shadmehr Rastin, and Mehdi Mahmoudian, It Was Just an Accident
Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler, Sinners

I’ve heard of a whopping two of these films but only seen one, so I will go with Ryan Coogler and Sinners.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Will Tracy, Bugonia
Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein
Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, Train Dreams

I’ve actually seen two of these films and heard of one other, so I’ll go with Bugonia.

Best Animated Feature

Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2

Taking a shot in the dark as I haven’t seen any of these and have only heard of two of them.

Best Cinematography

Dan Laustsen, Frankenstein
Darius Khondji, Marty Supreme
Michael Bauman, One Battle After Another
Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners
Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams

Of the two of these that I’ve seen, I’m going with the more classic one.

Best Costume Design

Deborah L. Scott, Avatar: Fire and Ash
Kate Hawley, Frankenstein
Malgosia Turzanska, Hamnet
Miyako Bellizzi, Marty Supreme
Ruth E. Carter, Sinners

This seems like another win for Sinners.

Continue reading →

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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.

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2025: The Year In Movies

The return of my annual long December vacation helped push up a weak first eleven months of the year, giving me my lowest total since last year.  I managed to watch 55 movies last year, my fifth consecutive year under 100, despite being home all day and not needing to bother with pesky things like a commute.  Or exercise.  Reading 66 books and watching game shows all day probably didn’t help either.

Here’s a look back at the first 50 movies I watched last year and what recollection, if any, I have of them. The films are listed in the order I saw them.

Queenpins (2021)
A pair of housewives create a $40 million coupon scam.

Blackwater Lane (2024)
A woman believes she will be the next victim of a serial killer.

MaXXXine (2024)
Mia Goth returns in this prequel to X.

Mothers’ Instinct (2024)
The friendship between two women is tested when one loses her son.

Blitz (2024)
A group of Londoners tries to survive during the German bombing during World War II.

Poor Things (2023)
Emma Stone plays a woman who has the brain of a baby transplanted into her head.

The Idea of You (2024)
A 40-year-old single mom begins an unexpected romance with the lead singer of the hottest boy band on the planet.

Back in Action (2025)
Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz star as retired CIA agents forced to come out of retirement to save their family.

Kinds of Kindness (2024)
Emma Stone reteams with writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos.

Y2K (2024)
Machines go nuts as the clock strikes midnight and the world enters the year 2000.

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