365-Day Film Challenge

In 2013, I aim to watch one film per day. I'm sure many film buffs already do this without considering it a 'challenge', but for me, one film per day for a whole year sounds exhausting! This challenge provides an opportunity to expand my tastes a little bit, and discover the films of directors I've never checked out but have always wanted to. The process involved in selecting 365 films was quite simple, although it wasn't easy. 365 is a larger number than it sounds. I scoured hundreds of IMDb pages, looking for films that piqued my interest. I read lists posted by fellow bloggers (e.g. "The scariest films of all time"). I asked friends for suggestions, and called on the wisdom of my Twitter followers. I would watch interviews with directors and hear about the films they were influenced by. I wanted a lot of great films to make the list, but I also left room for quite a few guilty pleasures and movies for lazy afternoons. I have films from all over the globe, and there were no criteria for films I could and couldn't select, other than the stipulation that every film had to be feature-length (no short films allowed). Because I am a meticulous person, I have designated a strict order in which to view the films. I already know what film I'll be watching on December 31, 2013 (or any other date next year, for that matter). You see, once I gathered all 365 titles, I put them through a random number generator to determine the order. One film per day for 2013, and I already know the exact dates I'll be watching each film. This is good because friends can see what I'm watching and when I'm watching it, and if they like the film, they can watch it with me. A random order is also good because it allows for diversity. A romantic comedy may follow a war film, for example. If I left the list intact, I'd have a string of horror films and a string of every Woody Allen film I'm yet to see. That's right, Woody Allen's films took up 32 places on the list. I added every single one I haven't seen. Some of the films on the list are ones I've already seen, but don't remember too well. Another viewing of these films would help immensely. Most of the films, however, are things I've never laid my eyes upon, and I can't wait to immerse myself in them. I understand that many of the films will be difficult to track down. I figure that if I can't find a title at my video rental store, at a DVD store, or on the Internet, it must be really obscure. If any of the films cannot be attained, I will replace it with something showing on TV that day (having Foxtel helps). If, for whatever reason, I do not have the time to squeeze a movie in for a particular day, I will watch two films the next day. Also, I'm not putting off trips to the cinema just for this challenge. There will be days where I watch a film at the cinema as well as a film from this list. I am mentally preparing myself for this challenge, and I am prepared for failure, yet also optimistic. Wish me luck, and if you suggested even one of the films that made this list, thank you. Your input is greatly appreciated.

January
1. The Seventh Continent (Michael Haneke, 1989)
2. Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006)
3. Heathers (Michael Lehmann, 1988)
4. Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998)
5. A Short Film About Love (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1988)
6. The Godfather: Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
7. Tape (Richard Linklater, 2001)
8. Cape Fear (Martin Scorsese, 1991)
9. Arachnophobia (Frank Marshall, 1990)
10. Friday the 13th (Sean S. Cunningham, 1980)
11. Man on the Moon (Milos Forman, 1999)
12. In the Mood for Love (Kar Wai Wong, 2000)
13. Amores perros (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2000)
14. Death to Smoochy (Danny DeVito, 2002)
15. The Mudge Boy (Michael Burke, 2003)
16. Everyone Says I Love You (Woody Allen, 1996)
17. Wayne's World (Penelope Spheeris, 1992)
18. Husbands and Wives (Woody Allen, 1992)
19. Up (Pete Docter & Bob Peterson, 2009)
20. Breakfast at Tiffany's (Blake Edwards, 1961)
21. Werckmeister Harmonies (Béla Tarr & Ágnes Hranitzky, 2000)
22. Big Fish (Tim Burton, 2003)
23. Autumn Sonata (Ingmar Bergman, 1978)
24. Reprise (Joachim Trier, 2006)
25. What About Bob? (Frank Oz, 1991)
26. Planes, Trains & Automobiles (John Hughes, 1987)
27. Secretary (Steven Shainberg, 2002)
28. Melancholia (Lars von Trier, 2011)
29. Rebecca (Alfred Hitchcock, 1940)
30. Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese, 1973)
31. Slugs, muerte viscosa (Juan Piquer Simón, 1988)

February
1. Antichrist (Lars von Trier, 2009)
2. Sleeper (Woody Allen, 1973)
3. The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982)
4. Hunger (Steve McQueen, 2008)
5. 48 Shades (Daniel Lapaine, 2006)
6. The Bad Seed (Mervyn LeRoy, 1956)
7. The World According to Garp (George Roy Hill, 1982)
8. Exam (Stuart Hazeldine, 2009)
9. The Great Dictator (Charles Chaplin, 1940)
10. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
11. WALL-E (Andrew Stanton, 2008)
12. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Nicholas Stoller, 2008)
13. The Sessions (Ben Lewin, 2012)
14. Less Than Zero (Marek Kanievska, 1987)
15. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (Martin Scorsese, 1974)
16. Ms. 45 (Abel Ferrara, 1981)
17. Super Troopers (Jay Chandrasekhar, 2001)
18. Amour (Michael Haneke, 2012)
19. Opening Night (John Cassavetes, 1977)
20. What's Up, Tiger Lily? (Woody Allen & Senkichi Taniguchi, 1966)
21. Starter for 10 (Tom Vaughan, 2006)
22. Once (John Carney, 2006)
23. The Wicker Man (Robin Hardy, 1973)
24. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
25. Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica, 1948)
26. The Departed (Martin Scorsese, 2006)
27. Take the Money and Run (Woody Allen, 1969)
28. Dawn of the Dead (Zack Snyder, 2004)

March
1. Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell, 2012)
2. American Graffiti (George Lucas, 1973)
3. Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 1975)
4. Never Been Kissed (Gosnell, 1999)
5. Speed (Jan de Bont, 1994)
6. Angel Baby (Michael Rymer, 1995)
7. The Hairy Bird (Sarah Kernochan, 1998)
8. Adam (Max Mayer, 2009)
9. Breathless (Jean-Luc Godard, 1960)
10. Bad Education (Pedro Almodóvar, 2004)
11. Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996)
12. Mighty Aphrodite (Woody Allen, 1995)
13. Biutiful (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2010)
14. Small Time Crooks (Woody Allen, 2000)
15. Dirty Harry (Don Siegel, 1971)
16. Last Train to Freo (Jeremy Sims, 2006)
17. We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsay, 2011)
18. City Lights (Charles Chaplin, 1931)
19. Breaking Away (Peter Yates, 1979)
20. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
21. The Imposter (Bart Layton, 2012)
22. Like Water for Chocolate (Alfonso Arau, 1992)
23. The Burning (Tony Maylam, 1981)
24. Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg, 1998)
25. Short Cuts (Robert Altman, 1993)
26. Killer Joe (William Friedkin, 2011)
27. Through a Glass Darkly (Ingmar Bergman, 1961)
28. Ikiru (Akira Kurosawa, 1952)
29. Night on Earth (Jim Jarmusch, 1991)
30. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Amy Heckerling, 1982)
31. Delirious (Tom DiCillo, 2006)

April
1. Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, 1994)
2. Somewhere (Sofia Coppola, 2010)
3. Paths of Glory (Stanley Kubrick, 1957)
4. The Acid House (Paul McGuigan, 1998)
5. Bend It Like Beckham (Gurinder Chadha, 2002)
6. Café de Flore (Jean-Marc Vallée, 2011)
7. The Darjeeling Limited (Wes Anderson, 2007)
8. September (Woody Allen, 1987)
9. Eastern Promises (David Cronenberg, 2007)
10. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (Woody Allen, 2010)
11. Safety Not Guaranteed (Colin Trevorrow, 2012)
12. Don't Drink the Water (Woody Allen, 1994)
13. Stranger Than Paradise (Jim Jarmusch, 1984)
14. Flipped (Rob Reiner, 2010)
15. Monster's Ball (Marc Forster, 2001)
16. Whatever Works (Woody Allen, 2009)
17. Hollywood Ending (Woody Allen, 2002)
18. Basic Instinct (Paul Verhoeven, 1992)
19. Paperhouse (Bernard Rose, 1988)
20. Cassandra's Dream (Woody Allen, 2007)
21. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (Woody Allen, 2001)
22. The Devil's Rejects (Rob Zombie, 2005)
23. The Artist (Michel Hazanavicius, 2011)
24. Being There (Hal Ashby, 1979)
25. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
26. After Life (Hirokazu Koreeda, 1998)
27. The Purple Rose of Cairo (Woody Allen, 1985)
28. 3 Idiots (Rajkumar Hirani, 2009)
29. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978)
30. Heavenly Creatures (Peter Jackson, 1994)

May
1. Inland Empire (David Lynch, 2006)
2. Sunset Blvd. (Billy Wilder, 1950)
3. Muriel's Wedding (P.J. Hogan, 1994)
4. Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh, 2008)
5. Gremlins (Joe Dante, 1984)
6. St. Elmo's Fire (Joel Schumacher, 1985)
7. Benny's Video (Michael Haneke, 1992)
8. Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe, 2000)
9. The Terminal (Steven Spielberg, 2004)
10. Bug (William Friedkin, 2006)
11. The Vicious Kind (Lee Toland Krieger, 2009)
12. Dark Horse (Todd Solondz, 2011)
13. I Stand Alone (Gaspar Noé, 1998)
14. Blackboard Jungle (Richard Brooks, 1955)
15. Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)
16. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (Adam McKay, 2004)
17. The Daytrippers (Greg Mottola, 1996)
18. Bad Santa (Terry Zwigoff, 2003)
19. Daydream Nation (Michael Goldbach, 2010)
20. Last Year at Marienbad (Alain Resnais, 1961)
21. Code Unknown: Incomplete Tales of Several Journeys (Michael Haneke, 2000)
22. The Loved Ones (Sean Byrne, 2009)
23. Braveheart (Mel Gibson, 1995)
24. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
25. Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger, 1969)
26. Faces (John Cassavetes, 1968)
27. The Daydreams of Angels (Erick Zonca, 1998)
28. Man on Wire (James Marsh, 2008)
29. Funny People (Judd Apatow, 2009)
30. Kidulthood (Menhaj Huda, 2006)
31. Shadow of a Doubt (Alfred Hitchcock, 1943)

June
1. But I'm a Cheerleader (Jamie Babbit, 1999)
2. Lilya 4-ever (Lukas Moodysson, 2002)
3. Sweet and Lowdown (Woody Allen, 1999)
4. Slacker (Richard Linklater, 1991)
5. Frenzy (Alfred Hitchcock, 1972)
6. Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder, 1951)
7. Lost and Delirious (Léa Pool, 2001)
8. Monster (Patty Jenkins, 2003)
9. Fracture (Gregory Hoblit, 2007)
10. Paris, je t'aime (Various directors, 2006)
11. Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock, 1946)
12. Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese, 2010)
13. The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998)
14. Puberty Blues (Bruce Beresford, 1981)
15. Romper Stomper (Geoffrey Wright, 1992)
16. Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005)
17. Last Night (Massy Tadjedin, 2010)
18. Departures (Yôjirô Takita, 2008)
19. Fried Green Tomatoes (Jon Avnet, 1991)
20. Marnie (Alfred Hitchcock, 1964)
21. Celeste & Jesse Forever (Lee Toland Krieger, 2012)
22. The Puffy Chair (Jay Duplass & Mark Duplass, 2005)
23. Dogtooth (Giorgos Lanthimos, 2009)
24. V for Vendetta (James McTeigue, 2005)
25. The Birthday Party (William Friedkin, 1968)
26. Love Me If You Dare (Yann Samuell, 2003)
27. The Savages (Tamara Jenkins, 2007)
28. In Bruges (Martin McDonagh, 2008)
29. Bad Taste (Peter Jackson, 1987)
30. Yi Yi: A One and a Two... (Edward Yang, 2000)

July
1. Somersault (Cate Shortland, 2004)
2. Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson, 2012)
3. Five Easy Pieces (Bob Rafelson, 1970)
4. Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988)
5. The Sentinel (Michael Winner, 1977)
6. Orgazmo (Trey Parker, 1997)
7. Speaking of Sex (John McNaughton, 2001)
8. The Lady Vanishes (Alfred Hitchcock, 1938)
9. Atonement (Joe Wright, 2007)
10. Cactus (Jasmine Yuen Carrucan, 2008)
11. Singin' in the Rain (Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly, 1952)
12. Caddyshack (Harold Ramis, 1980)
13. A Christmas Story (Bob Clark, 1983)
14. Another Woman (Woody Allen, 1988)
15. Dazed and Confused (Richard Linklater, 1993)
16. The Tenant (Roman Polanski, 1976)
17. Paris (Cédric Klapisch, 2008)
18. My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988)
19. Logan's Run (Michael Anderson, 1976)
20. The Silence (Ingmar Bergman, 1963)
21. The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955)
22. Dead Man Drinking (Rohan Harris, 2008)
23. Monsieur Lazhar (Philippe Falardeau, 2011)
24. House of Sand and Fog (Vadim Perelman, 2003)
25. The Red Shoes (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1948)
26. Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007)
27. Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks, 1974)
28. Sex, Lies, and Videotape (Steven Soderbergh, 1989)
29. Repulsion (Roman Polanski, 1965)
30. Le Havre (Aki Kaurismäki, 2011)
31. Powder (Victor Salva, 1995)

August
1. 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu, 2007)
2. Switchblade Romance (Alexandre Aja, 2003)
3. Eden Lake (James Watkins, 2008)
4. Survive Style 5+ (Gen Sekiguchi, 2004)
5. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (Jonathan Levine, 2006)
6. Phoebe in Wonderland (Daniel Barnz, 2008)
7. Casino (Martin Scorsese, 1995)
8. Chicken with Plums (Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi, 2011)
9. Possession (Andrzej Zulawski, 1981)
10. City Island (Raymond De Felitta, 2009)
11. Pretty in Pink (Howard Deutch, 1986)
12. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (Kurt Kuenne, 2008)
13. Every Thing You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (Woody Allen, 1972)
14. Ted (Seth MacFarlane, 2012)
15. Critters (Stephen Herek, 1986)
16. Bernie (Richard Linklater, 2011)
17. The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1983)
18. Badlands (Terrence Malick, 1973)
19. Leaving Las Vegas (Mike Figgis, 1995)
20. Anything Else (Woody Allen, 2003)
21. Lake of Fire (Tony Kaye, 2006)
22. Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988)
23. All the Real Girls (David Gordon Green, 2003)
24. La strada (Federico Fellini, 1954)
25. A Separation (Asghar Farhadi, 2011)
26. The Most Dangerous Game (Irving Pichel & Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1932)
27. Cloverfield (Matt Reeves, 2008)
28. An Education (Lone Scherfig, 2009)
29. The Goonies (Richard Donner, 1985)
30. The Mist (Frank Darabont, 2007)
31. The Gods Must Be Crazy (Jamie Uys, 1980)

September
1. The History Boys (Nicholas Hytner, 2006)
2. This is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984)
3. Bullets Over Broadway (Woody Allen, 1994)
4. The Player (Robert Altman, 1992)
5. Wonder Boys (Curtis Hanson, 2000)
6. Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977)
7. 3 Women (Robert Altman, 1977)
8. The Burning Plain (Guillermo Arriaga, 2008)
9. Enter the Void (Gaspar Noé, 2009)
10. Kes (Ken Loach, 1969)
11. 8½ (Federico Fellini, 1963)
12. Fargo (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, 1996)
13. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001)
14. The Black Balloon (Elissa Down, 2008)
15. Monsters, Inc. (Pete Docter, David Silverman & Lee Unkrich, 2001)
16. Visitor Q (Takashi Miike, 2001)
17. Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
18. Providence (Alain Resnais, 1977)
19. Life During Wartime (Todd Solondz, 2009)
20. All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950)
21. After Hours (Martin Scorsese, 1985)
22. The Holiday (Nancy Meyers, 2006)
23. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
24. The Skin I Live In (Pedro Almodóvar, 2011)
25. Platoon (Oliver Stone, 1986)
26. World's Greatest Dad (Bobcat Goldthwait, 2009)
27. I Heart Huckabees (David O. Russell, 2004)
28. Airplane! (Jim Abrahams, David Zucker & Jerry Zucker, 1980)
29. Thank You for Smoking (Jason Reitman, 2005)
30. The Machinist (Brad Anderson, 2004)

October 
1. Radio Days (Woody Allen, 1987)
2. A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (Woody Allen, 1982)
3. Rest Stop (John Shiban, 2006)
4. City of God (Fernando Meirelles & Kátia Lund, 2002)
5. Martyrs (Pascal Laugier, 2008)
6. Naked (Mike Leigh, 1993)
7. Rain (Christine Jeffs, 2001)
8. Another Year (Mike Leigh, 2010)
9. Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)
10. Arsenic and Old Lace (Frank Capra, 1944)
11. Wait Until Dark (Terence Young, 1967)
12. Hour of the Wolf (Ingmar Bergman, 1968)
13. The Straight Story (David Lynch, 1999)
14. Gosford Park (Robert Altman, 2001)
15. Clerks II (Kevin Smith, 2006)
16. Porky's (Bob Clark, 1982)
17. Les diaboliques (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955)
18. Footnote (Joseph Cedar, 2011)
19. Celebrity (Woody Allen, 1998)
20. Crash (David Cronenberg, 1996)
21. The Virgin Suicides (Sofia Coppola, 1999)
22. Martha Marcy May Marlene (Sean Durkin, 2011)
23. Shattered Glass (Billy Ray, 2003)
24. Kids (Larry Clark, 1995)
25. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (Wes Anderson, 2004)
26. Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968)
27. Akeelah and the Bee (Doug Atchison, 2006)
28. Bottle Rocket (Wes Anderson, 1996)
29. Intouchables (Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano, 2011)
30. Husbands (John Cassavetes, 1970)
31. Dead Ringers (David Cronenberg, 1988)

November
1. Now Is Good (Ol Parker, 2012)
2. Vivre Sa Vie (Jean-Luc Godard, 1962)
3. Freaks (Tod Browning, 1932)
4. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Milos Forman, 1975)
5. Broadway Danny Rose (Woody Allen, 1984)
6. The Piano Teacher (Michael Haneke, 2001)
7. A Fish Called Wanda (Charles Crichton, 1988)
8. Modern Times (Charles Chaplin, 1936)
9. Come and See (Elem Klimov, 1985)
10. A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)
11. Bridesmaids (Paul Feig, 2011)
12. L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson, 1997)
13. New York Stories (Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola & Martin Scorsese, 1989)
14. The Crying Game (Neil Jordan, 1992)
15. Risky Business (Paul Brickman, 1983)
16. Waking Life (Richard Linklater, 2001)
17. The Strangers (Bryan Bertino, 2008)
18. Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2006)
19. Away We Go (Sam Mendes, 2009)
20. The Jerk (Carl Reiner, 1979)
21. Secrets & Lies (Mike Leigh, 1996)
22. In the Bedroom (Todd Field, 2001)
23. Interiors (Woody Allen, 1978)
24. Jack Goes Boating (Philip Seymour Hoffman, 2010)
25. Clue (Jonathan Lynn, 1985)
26. Stardust Memories (Woody Allen, 1980)
27. Harvey (Henry Koster, 1950)
28. The Indian Runner (Sean Penn, 1991)
29. In the Loop (Armando Iannucci, 2009)
30. Reality Bites (Ben Stiller, 1994)

December
1. Shadow of the Vampire (E. Elias Merhige, 2000)
2. M (Fritz Lang, 1931)
3. Shadows and Fog (Woody Allen, 1991)
4. When Harry Met Sally... (Rob Reiner, 1989)
5. Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich, 2003)
6. Scum (Alan Clarke, 1979)
7. Red Eye (Wes Craven, 2005)
8. Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004)
9. Scoop (Woody Allen, 2006)
10. Alice (Woody Allen, 1990)
11. Series 7: The Contenders (Daniel Minahan, 2001)
12. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (Stephen Herek, 1989)
13. The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971)
14. Pretty Persuasion (Marcos Siega, 2005)
15. The Vanishing (George Sluizer, 1988)
16. Eyes Without a Face (Georges Franju, 1960)
17. Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders, 1987)
18. Caché (Michael Haneke, 2005)
19. The Lodger (Alfred Hitchcock, 1927)
20. Manhattan Murder Mystery (Woody Allen, 1993)
21. Winter Light (Ingmar Bergman, 1963)
22. Welcome to the Sticks (Dany Boon, 2008)
23. The Sadist (James Landis, 1963)
24. Water Lilies (Céline Sciamma, 2007)
25. Room 237 (Rodney Ascher, 2012)
26. Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983)
27. Panic Room (David Fincher, 2002)
28. Dead Man's Shoes (Shane Meadows, 2004)
29. The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko, 2010)
30. The Great Escape (John Sturges, 1963)
31. Melinda and Melinda (Woody Allen, 2004)