Mike P. Watch List 2021
WARNING: Many of these films are not for the faint of heart or younger audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.
Creating a watch list is a great way to keep a creative routine going, if you are in search of inspiration of course. If we are not making movies, we should probably be watching them. For this year of 2021, I will be publishing films that I watch throughout the year. Including the shows would be a bit extreme to keep track of. After all, entertainment should be entertaining, not a chore. This is for you whom might be in search of inspirational movies, maybe even just one diamond in the ruff you've never seen before. While revisiting some of these films, others I had never seen before. Fair warning; there's a few bad apples on this list, but everything placed on this list is there for a reason. If you are a xenophobe, please feel free to explore these titles and become something else.
TO WATCH anything you can't find, just click the film title link and IMDB should list the current viewing options. This list will be updated throughout the year as consistently as possible. I've added a rating system of (+) to indicate very good films. Think of it like a "required reading".
(+) = MUST SEE
Here's the rules I've set for myself in case anyone wants to follow along with me;
- Never watch the same thing twice. Always watch something else.
- Only movies. No episodic shows.
- Try to watch an average of one movie a day minimum. This is not required, just an experiment.
Enjoy the show!
01/01/2021 "Scrooged" (1988) +
Directed by Richard Donner Screenplay by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue Based on the book A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Cinematography: Michael Chapman
Starring: Bill Murray and Karen Allen
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
01/03/2021
"Time Bandits" (1981)
Directed by Terry Gilliam
Written by Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam
Cinematography: Peter Biziou
Starring: David Rappaport, Craig Warnock, Kenny Baker, Sean Connery, Shelly Duvall and John Cleese
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
01/19/2021 "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977) +
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by Steven Spielberg
Cinematography: Vilmos Zsigmond
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon and Francois Truffaut
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
01/20/2021 "Tenet" (2020) +
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Written by Christopher Nolan
Cinematography: Hoyt Van Hoytema
Starring: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson and Elizabeth Debicki
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
01/21/2021 "Catch Me If You Can" (2002)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Screenplay by Jeff Nathanson
Based on the biography Catch Me If You Can by Frank W. Abagnale and Stan Redding
Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski
Starring: Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio and Christopher Walkin
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
01/23/2021
"The Thing" (1982) +
Directed by John Carpenter
Written by Bill Lancaster and John W. Campbell Jr.
Cinematography: Dean Kundey
Starring: Kurt Russel, Wilford Brimley and Keith David
Genre: Cosmic Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
01/24/2021
"The Grey" (2011) +
Directed by Joe Carnahan
Screenplay by Joe Carnahan and Ian Mackenzie Jeffers
Based on the short story Ghost Walker by Ian Mackenzie
Cinematography: Masanobu Takayanagi
Starring: Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney and Frank Grillo
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
01/25/2021
"The Survivors" (1983)
Directed by Michael Ritchie
Written by Michael Leeson
Cinematography: Billy Williams
Starring: Robin Williams and Walter Matthau
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
01/29/2021
"Conan the Barbarian" (1982) +
Directed by John Milius
Screenplay by John Milius and Oliver Stone
Based on the works of Robert E. Howard
Cinematography: Duke Callaghan
Starring: Arnold Schwartzenegger, James Earl Jones and Sandahl Bergman
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
01/30/2021
"Conan the Barbarian" (2011)
Directed by Marcus Nispel
Screenplay by Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer and Sean Hood
Based on the works of Robert E. Howard
Cinematography: Thomas Kloss
Starring: Jason Momoa, Stephen Lang and Rachel Nichols
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
02/01/2021
"The Big Short" (2015) +
Directed by Adam McKay
Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
Based on the biography The Big Short by Michael Lewis
Cinematography: Barry Ackroyd
Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
02/03/2021
"Wall Street" (1987)
Directed by Oliver Stone
Written by Stanley Weiser and Oliver Stone
Cinematography: Robert Richardson
Starring: Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas and Tamara Tunie
Genre: Crime, Drama
02/04/2021
Directed by Oliver Stone
Written by Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff
Cinematography: Rodrigo Prieto
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Michael Douglas and Carey Mulligan
Genre: Drama
02/05/2021
"Forrest Gump" (1994) +
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Screenplay by Eric Roth
Based on the book Forrest Gump by Winston Groom
Cinematography: Don Burgess
Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise
Genre: Drama, Romance
02/07/2021
"War Dogs" (2016)
Directed by Todd Philips
Screenplay by Stephen Chin, Todd Philips and Jason Smilovic
Based on the Rolling Stone article Arms and the Dudes by Guy Lawson
Cinematography: Lawrence Sher
Starring: Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Steve Lantz and Bradley Cooper
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Crime
02/09/2021
"Doctor Sleep" (2019) +
Directed by Mike Flanagan
Screenplay by Mike Flanagan
Based on the novel Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
Cinematography: Michael Fimognari
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson and Kyliegh Curran
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
02/24/2021
"I Care A Lot" (2020)
Directed by J. Blakeson
Written by J. Blakeson
Cinematography: Doug Emmett (never hire)
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza Gonzalez and Diana Wiest
Genre: Crime, Thriller
03/04/2021
"Joker" (2019) +
Directed by Todd Philips
Screenplay by Todd Philips and Scott Silver
Based on characters created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson
Cinematography: Lawrence Sher
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert Di Niro and Zazie Beetz
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
03/04/2021
"The Dark Knight" (2008) +
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
Based on characters created by Bob Kane
Cinematography: Wally Pfister
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Maggie Gyllenhaal
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
03/07/2021
"Annihilation" (2018)
Directed by Alex Garland
Screenplay by Alex Garland
Based on the book Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Cinematography: Rob Hardy
Starring: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Lee and Tessa Thompson
Genre: Cosmic Horror, Drama, Adventure
03/07/2021
"The Void" (2016)
Directed by Jeremy Gillespie, Steven Kostanski
Written by Jeremy Gillespie, Steven Kostanski
Cinematography: Samy Inayeh
Starring: Aaron Poole, Kenneth Welsh and Daniel Fathers
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Sci-fi
03/07/2021
"Color Out of Space" (2019) +
Directed by Richard Stanley
Screenplay by Richard Stanley and Scarlett Amaris
Based on the short story The Colour Out of Space by H.P. Lovecraft
Cinematography: Steve Annis
Starring: Nicholas Cage, Joely Richardson and Madeleine Arthur
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
03/08/2021
"The Color Out of Space" (2010)
Directed by Huan Vu
Screenplay by Huan Vu
Based on the short story The Colour Out of Space by H.P. Lovecraft
Cinematography: Martin Kolbert
Starring: Paul Dorsch, Jürgen Heimüller and Ingo Heise
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Drama
03/09/2021
"Resolution" (2012) +
Directed by Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead
Written by Justin Benson
Cinematography: Aaron Moorhead
Starring: Peter Cilella, Vinny Curran and Emily Montague
Genre: Horror, Drama, Mystery
03/09/2021
"The Endless" (2017)
Directed by Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead
Written by Justin Benson
Cinematography: Aaron Moorhead
Starring: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead and Callie Hernandez
Genre: Horror, Drama, Fantasy
03/10/2021
"We Are Still Here" (2015)
Directed by Ted Geoghegan
Written by Ted Geoghegan
Cinematography: Karim Hussain
Starring: Andrew Sensenig, Barbara Crampton and Larry Fessenden
Genre: Horror, Mystery
03/10/2021
"The Mist" (2007)
Directed by Frank Darabont
Screenplay by Frank Darabont
Based on the novel The Mist by Stephen King
Cinematography: Rohn Schmidt
Starring: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden...
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
03/10/2021
"Dagon" (2002)
Directed by Stuart Gordon
Screenplay by Dennis Paoli
Based on the short stories Dagon and The Shadow Over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft
Cinematography: Carlos Suárez
Starring: Ezra Godden, Francisco Rabal and Raquel Meroño
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
03/10/2021
"Event Horizon" (1997) +
Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson
Written by Philip Eisner
Cinematography: Adrian Biddle
Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Sam Niel and Kathleen Quinlan
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
03/11/2021
Directed by Emil Marczak
Written by Emil Marczak
Based on the book Millennial Hospitality by Charles James Hall
Cinematography: NOT LISTED
Starring: Charles James Hall and Marie Therese Hall
Genre: Sci-Fi
03/11/2021
"Mirage Men" (2013) +
Directed by John Lundberg, Roland Denning and Kypros Kyprianou
Written by Mark Pilkington
Cinematography: Zillah Bowes and Grant Wakefield
Starring: Robert J. Duran, Richard Doty and Tracy Tormé
Genre: Documentary
03/11/2021
"Sir Noface" (2018)
Directed by Chad Calek
Written by Chad Calek
Cinematography: Justin Holstein
Starring: Chad Calek, Justin Holstein and Craig Powell
Genre: Documentary
03/13/2021
"Cold Skin" (2017)
Directed by Xavier Gens
Screenplay by Jesús Olmo and Eron Sheean
Based on the novel Cols Skin by Albert Sánchez Piñol
Cinematography: Daniel Aranyó
Starring: Ray Stevenson, David Oakes and Aura Garrido
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
03/14/2021
"The Colony" (2013)
Directed by Jeff Renfroe
Written by Jeff Renfroe, Svet Rouskov, Patrick Tarr and Padcal Trottier
Cinematography: Pierre Gill
Starring: Kevin Zegers, Laurence Fishburne and Bill Paxton
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
03/14/2021
"No Safe Spaces" (2019) +
Directed by Justin Folk
Story by John Sullivan
Cinematography: Anton Seim, Andy Patch and Brandon Lippard
Starring: Adam Corolla and Dennis Prager
Genre: Documentary
03/15/2021
"The Conjuring" (2013)
Directed by James Wan
Screenplay by Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes
Based on the paranormal investigations of Ed Warren and Lorraine Warren
Cinematography: John R. Leonetti
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson and Ron Livingston
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
03/16/2021
"Sphere" (1998)
Directed by Barry Levinson
Adaptation by Kurt Wimmer
Screenplay by Stephen Hauser and Paul Attanasio
Based on the novel "Sphere" by Michael Crichton
Cinematography: Adam Greenberg
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Coyote and Liev Schreiber
Genre: Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
03/17/2021
"Extra Ordinary" (2019)
Directed by Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman
Written by Mike Ahern, Enda Loughman, Demian Fox and Maeve Higgins
Cinematography: James Mather
Starring: Maeve Higgins, Barry Ward and Will Forte
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
03/20/2021
"The Thirteenth Floor" (1999)
Directed by Josef Rusnak
Screenplay by Josef Rusnak and Ravel Centeno-Rodriguez
Based on the book "The Thirteenth Floor" by Daniel F. Galouye
Cinematography: Wedigo von Schultzendorff
Starring: Craig Bierko, Gretchen Mol and Armen Mueller-Stahl
Genre: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
03/20/2021
"Insidious" (2010)
Directed by James Wan
Written by Leigh Whannell
Cinematography: John R. Leonetti and David M. Brewer
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Barbara Hershey and Lin Shaye
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
03/20/2021
"Insidious: Chapter 2" (2013)
Directed by James Wan
Based on characters created by Leigh Whannell
Written by Leigh Whannell and James Wan
Cinematography: John R. Leonetti
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Barbara Hershey and Lin Shaye
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
03/21/2021
"Doctor Strange" (2016)
Directed by Scott Derrickson
Screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill
Based on the Marvel comics by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Cinematography: Ben Davis
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen and Tilda Swinton
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
03/21/2021
"Predistanation" (2014) +
Directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig (as The Spierig Brothers)
Screenplay by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig (as The Spierig Brothers)
Based on the short story "All You Zombies" by Robert A. Heinlein
Cinematography: Ben Nott
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook and Noah Taylor
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
03/22/2021
Directed by Peter Hyams
Screenplay by Peter Hyams
Based on the novel "2010: Odyssey Two" by Arthur C. Clarke
Cinematography: Peter Hyams
Starring: Roy Scheider, John Lithgow, Helen Mirren and Bob Balaban
Genre: Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi
03/23/2021
"Coherence" (2013)
Directed by James Ward Byrkit
Written by James Ward Byrkit and Alex Manugian
Cinematography: Arlene Muller and Nic Sadler
Starring: Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon, Lorene Scafaria, Elizabeth Gracen, Hugo Armstrong, Alex Manugian and Lauren Maher
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery
03/23/2021
"Take Shelter" (2011)
Directed by Jeff Nichols
Written by Jeff Nichols
Cinematography: Adam Stone
Starring: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain and Shea Whigham
Genre: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
03/23/2021
"Third Eye Spies" (2019)
Directed by Lance Mungia
Written by NOT LISTED
Cinematography NOT LISTED
Starring: Russell Targ, Skip Atwater, Daryl Bem, Bernard Carr, Karil Daniels and Uri Geller
Genre: Documentary, Biography, History
03/24/2021
"The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" (2018) +
Directed by Terry Gilliam
Screenplay by Terry Gilliam and Tony Grisono
Based on the novel "Don Quixote" written by Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra
Cinematography: Nicola Pecorini, José Luis Ferrer
Starring: Adam Driver, Jonathan Pryce and Joana Ribeiro
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama
03/25/2021
"Lost in La Mancha" (2002) +
Directed by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe
Written by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe
Cinematography: Louis Pepe
Starring: Terry Gilliam, Johnny Depp and Jeff Bridges
Genre: Documentary
03/26/2021
"Ad Astra" (2019)
Directed by James Gray
Written by James Gray and Ethan Gross
Cinematography: Hoyte Van Hoytema
Starring: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones and Ruth Negga
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Mystery
03/28/2021
Directed by Walter Hill
Screenplay by John Milius and Larry Gross
Based on the true story of Geronimo
Cinematography: Lloyd Ahern II
Starring: Jason Patric, Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall, Wes Studi and Matt Damon
Genre: Drama, History, Western
03/29/2021
"The Good Shepherd" (2006)
Written by Eric Roth
Cinematography: Robert Richardson
Starring: Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and William Hurt
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
03/30/2021
"The Incredible Hulk" (2008)
Directed by Louis Leterrier
Screenplay by Zak Penn
Based on the Marvel comics by Stan Lee and Zack Kirby
Cinematography: Peter Menzies Jr.
Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth and William Hurt
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-fi
03/31/2021
"Lockout" (2012)
Directed by James Mather and Stephen Saint Leger
Screenplay by James Mather, Stephen Saint Leger and Luc Besson
Based on "Escape From New York" by John Carpenter and Nick Castle
Cinematography: James Mather
Starring: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace Joseph Gilgun and Peter Stormare
Genre: Action, Sci-fi, Thriller
04/01/2021
"American Sniper" (2014)
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Screenplay by Jason Hall
Based on the book "American Sniper" by Chris Kyle, Scott McEwan and Jim DeFelice
Cinematography: Tom Stern
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller and Kyle Gallner
Genre: Action, Biography, Drama
04/01/2021
Directed by Takeshi Nozue
Screenplay by Takashi Hasegawa
Based on the series created by Hironobu Sakaguchi
Art Director: Bela Brozsek
Starring: Aaron Paul, Sean Bean and Lena Headey
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
04/02/2021
"The Ghost and the Darkness" (1996) +
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Written by William Goldman
Based on actual events
Cinematography: Vilmos Zsigmond
Starring: Val Kilmer, Michael Douglas and Tom Wilkinson
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
04/03/2021
"Jupiter Rising" (2015)
Directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski
Written by Lana and Lilly Wachowski
Cinematography: John Toll
Starring: Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne and Sean Bean
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
04/04/2021
"The Passion of the Christ" (2004) +
Directed by Mel Gibson
Screenplay by Mel Gibson and Benedict Fitzgeralg
Cinematography: Caleb Deschanel
Starring: Jim Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern and Hristo Shopov
Genre: Drama
04/04/2021
"Risen" (2016)
Directed by Kevin Reynolds
Screenplay by Terence Berden and Andrew Hyatt
Cinematography: Lorenzo Senatore
Starring: Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton and Peter Firth
Genre: Action, Drama, History