Because for me 2023 has been The Year of the Movie—sold my first few scripts, optioned a couple more, and even saw one of my screenplays made into a feature that’s currently in post-production—my impending New Year meditations and contemplations are revolving heavily around film.

2023 was also the year I made a point to watch more of the movies I’ve been meaning to see over the years. I finally sat down to a number of classics including On the Waterfront, Breathless, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Day for Night, Blow-Up, Wild Strawberries, Sugar Baby, Cleo from 5 to 7, Contempt, The 400 Blows, Alphaville, Fantastic Planet, and Spider Baby just to name a few.

Despite having spent waaay too much time watching TV throughout my life, I still managed to miss a whole bunch of films I’d like to see. To help remedy that, I’m starting a list—by no means comprehensive, and subject to amendment—of movies I’m going to try and see in 2024.

Here’s the To Be Watched list I’ve compiled so far:

• Nosferatu (1922)
• Faust (1926)
• Lady Windermere’s Fan (1927)
• Chicago (1927)
• The Jazz Singer (1927)
• Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
• Dracula (1931)
• As You Like It (1936)
• The Petrified Forest (1936)
• The Great Dictator (1940)
• Notorious (1946)
• Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
• Vertigo (1958)
• Marnie (1964)
• A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
• The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
• Coffy (1973)
• Zardoz (1974)
• Barry Lyndon (1975)
• The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976)
• Days of Heaven (1978)
• Blow Out (1981)
• Thief (1981)
• The Sacrifice (1986)
• Paperhouse (1988)
• The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)
• Pretty Woman (1990)
• La Haine (1995)
• Set it Off (1996)
• American Psycho (2000)
• Mutual Appreciation (2005)
• Inland Empire (2006)
• Canvas (2006)
• Choke (2008)
• Lake Mungo (2008)
• Dogtooth (2009)
• Moonlight (2016)
• Licorice Pizza (2021)
• Lynch/Oz (2022)
• GoodBurger2 (2023)

That’s, what, about 40 films? Woof!

Well, I figure I can add another dozen and then plan on watching one per week throughout the New Year. Who knows, celluloid willing and subject to streaming availability … I might actually accomplish this funnest of tasks.