Mini-Marathons/Watching Projects 2020

Just some binges of thematically connected movies. Not sure I'll be doing this each and single year, but I'm willing to experiment in 2020.

Note: 2020 was seemingly not willing though: COVID-19 pandemic postponed so much of the projected theatrical releases, many of which were supposed to be linchpins in planned mini-marathons, that most of them were either postponed or scrapped in March-April. This video essay by Thomas Flight inspired me not to give up on "watching projects" (probably a better term than mini-marathon, but I'm keeping both), but rather explore new patterns, themes and options.

01-11,31-39: Winter Holidays (Christmas(es), New Year, "Old New Year" (idiosyncratic Post-Soviet oddity thanks to calendar reform), Chinese New Year and so on). 12: Friday the 13th (oops, could've been 13th, but alas; let's consider it an unintentional "being a rebel I am" moment). 13: Twin Peaks 30th Anniversary. 14-22: Sudden Doctor Who Binge. 23: Alfred Hitchcock's Birthday. 24-25: Independence Day of Ukraine. 26-27: The Mask. Gas Station September. 28-29: Ukrainian Cinema Day. 30: Dino Drac's Chilling Challenge (#3)

39 titles

1. Home Alone (1990)

PG | 103 min | Comedy, Family

7.7

Winter Holidays, 3 January: Re-watch.

2. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)

R | 84 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Horror

6.6

Winter Holidays, 6 January.

3. Citizen Kane (1941)

PG | 119 min | Drama, Mystery

8.3

Winter Holidays, 6 January.

4. Die Hard 2 (1990)

R | 124 min | Action, Thriller

7.1

Winter Holidays, 6-7 January.

5. The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Not Rated | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir

Winter Holidays, 7 January.

6. Grinch's ultimatum (2016)

2 min | Animation, Short, Comedy

7.7

Winter Holidays, 7 January.

7. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

PG | 120 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime

6.9

Winter Holidays, 7-8 January.

8. Happy New Year (1973)

PG | 115 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

7.3

Winter Holidays, 14 January.

9. Happy New Year (1987)

PG | 85 min | Comedy, Crime, Romance

5.8

Winter Holidays, 14-15 January.

10. Fiend Without a Face (1958)

Approved | 74 min | Horror, Sci-Fi

6.1

Winter Holidays, 24-25 January. Oddball, but it's a tie-in for next one which is more thematically relevant.

11. Bloody New Year (1987)

R | 90 min | Comedy, Horror, Mystery

4.5

Winter Holidays, 25 January.

12. Friday the 13th: The Series (1987–1990)
"The Inheritance" (1987)

TV-14 | 46 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery

Friday the 13th, 13-14 March.

13. Twin Peaks (1990–1991)
"Northwest Passage" (1989)

Unrated | 94 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

8.9

Twin Peaks 30th Anniversary, 8-9 April.

14. Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time (1993)

13 min | Short, Comedy, Sci-Fi

4.8

Sudden Doctor Who Binge, 16-17 April.

15. Doctor Who: The Movie (1996 TV Movie)

TV-14 | 89 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

6.3

Sudden Doctor Who Binge, 17 April.

16. The Last Day (2013)

4 min | Short, Adventure, Drama

6.6

Sudden Doctor Who Binge, 20 April.

17. The Night of the Doctor (2013 Video)

7 min | Short, Sci-Fi

Sudden Doctor Who Binge, 20 April.

18. Doctor Who (2005–2022)
"The Day of the Doctor" (2013)

TV-PG | 77 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

9.3

Sudden Doctor Who Binge, 20-21 April.

19. Doctor Who (2005–2022)
"The Time of the Doctor" (2013)

TV-PG | 61 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

8.4

Sudden Doctor Who Binge, 21 April.

20. Doctor Who (2005–2022)
"Deep Breath" (2014)

TV-PG | 76 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

7.8

Sudden Doctor Who Binge, 22-23 April.

21. Doctor Who (2005–2022)
"Deep Breath" (2014)

TV-PG | 76 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

7.8

[Placeholder for Deep Breath Prequel] Sudden Doctor Who Binge, 25 April.

22. Doctor Who (2005–2022)
"Robot of Sherwood" (2014)

TV-PG | 46 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

6.9

Sudden Doctor Who Binge, 25 April.

23. The Pleasure Garden (1925)

75 min | Drama, Romance

5.8

Alfred Hitchcock's Birthday, 13-14 August.

24. Dukhi ada (1992)

76 min | Action

Independence Day of Ukraine, 24 August.

25. Fantom (1994)

68 min | Action, Fantasy, Romance

Independence Day of Ukraine, 24 August.

26. The Mask (1994)

PG-13 | 101 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

6.9

The Mask, 28 August.

27. Son of the Mask (2005)

PG | 94 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy

2.3

The Mask, 30 August.

28. Nyne proslavisya syn chelovecheskiy (1990)

Drama, History

5.8

Ukrainian Cinema Day, 12 September.

29. Obitnytsia (1992)

70 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance

6.8

Ukrainian Cinema Day, 12 September.

30. Death Nurse (1987 Video)

60 min | Horror

3.6

Dino Drac's Chilling Challenge (#3), 17 September.

31. The Pretender (1996–2000)
"Not Even a Mouse" (1996)

TV-14 | 47 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

7.9

Winter Holidays, 19 December (St. Nick Day in Orthodox Christianity).

32. Batman Returns (1992)

PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Crime, Fantasy

7.1

Winter Holidays, 25 December (Christmas): re-watch.

33. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

PG-13 | 151 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

5.4

Winter Holidays, 26 December.

34. Nostalgia Critic (2007– )
"Batman Returns" (2020)

TV-MA | 32 min | Comedy

7.4

Winter Holidays, 27-28 December.

35. The New Batman Adventures (1997–1999)
"Holiday Knights" (1997)

TV-PG | 22 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

7.6

Winter Holidays, 28 December.

36. Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995)
"A Bullet for Bullock" (1995)

Unrated | 21 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

8.1

Winter Holidays, 28 December.

37. The Christmas Lodge (2011 TV Movie)

G | 86 min | Comedy, Drama, Family

Winter Holidays, 31 December (New Year's Eve).

38. Coming Home for Christmas (2017 TV Movie)

TV-G | 86 min | Drama, Romance

6.6

Winter Holidays, 31 December (New Year's Eve).

39. The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1976 TV Movie)

TV-G | 192 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

8.1

Winter Holidays, 31 December (New Year's Eve).