Some of us here keep diaries (Jeffrey's and Peter's are the only ones I'm aware of) of the movies we watch. I started one this year because I thought it might be fun to look back on the year in film, and useful in case I needed to remember the date of a screening. I also wanted to figure out just how many movies I average a month, although I've had my suspicions for a while. (I probably see as many movies as Peter, maybe a little more, but then I don't have a wife and kids, which I assume makes a huge difference.)

So, how many movies do you average? It'd be nice to get a feel for the viewing habits of the users on this board.

Ulterior motive: I want to measure my level of commitment to film and perhaps even question my mental health.

I don't do movies at home except those that appear on TV. Since our column requires a weekly submission to the papers, I average around 60 films a year.

I see that you do around 20 a month! That's 4X what I do.

Denny

Thanks, Denny! I wonder if a more relaxed viewing schedule (maybe 5 or 6 a month) is better for the film critic since it allows more time for reflection. If a writer is spread to thin, his work will inevitably suffer.

Then again, in order to be a competent movie reviewer, I feel the need to catch up with 100 years of film history, hence my accelerated intake.

So far this year, I'm averaging 32.5 a month (not counting shorts). A few of us keep our lists at the film journal section herel

Awesome. Thanks for the link, Darrel!

I saw 128 of the 2007 releases last year... But as to releases from previous years, I really couldn't say. I don't write reviews of "classics," by and large, so I don't track my viewing, and can't see any reason to. The only reason I can count and list what I see each year is due to the need to keep on top of such things for professional purposes.

As to how many movies a critic should see each week... That's a toughie. I think it all depends on the critic, and how much "time off" one needs in order to "stay fresh." I imagine it's rather like big-league pitching: relievers need different rest schedules than starters, and each requires a different schedule of rest. And then... is it playoff time? How many seasons under the belt already? How much risk of burnout is one willing to take?

But the big thing is not getting jaded or over-saturated. One needs to come to each viewing experience fresh, ready to engage, open-minded.

Is this referring to in theatres or at home, or both? Me being quite young (17) and relatively new into being a hardcore cinephile (2 years maybe), I average around a film a day throughout the year (In theatres and at home). I try to go the theatre once a week so my year-end average for theatres is probably around 50, not including repeated viewings. Unfortunately I don't have the advantage of being a critic and getting into films for free, so the cost of film-going does come into play. I'm curious as to how many classics people watch on average. There are a lot of films I need to see, and so I take every opportunity I can to watch an "important" film. So I'm wondering, if you're surfing the television and Stalag 17, for example, comes up on TCM, do you take the time to watch it (If you haven't already)?

Greg, I agree greatly with this observation. Although I would go to more films if I didn't have a full-time ministry responsibility, I find that one of the most significant differences between a reviewer and a normal person who enjoys film, is that the reviewer gets caught up in novelty - simply because it is novel. Having become bored or over-saturated with the "common film" the reviewer can begin looking for something new to catch their attention. It may be a horrendous film socially or spiritually but if it is done in a new way the social and spiritual impact is ignored.

Denny

This is so true. I hang out with critics who sometimes have to watch three films a day, with nothing so much as a bathroom break in between. In these cases, something of a palate cleanser is needed.


As an eternal film student, "classics" are my bread and butter. (In a good year, I'd say I probably watch 100 new releases and 200 older films). There are at least a half dozen really good theaters in L.A. that specialize in director retrospectives, and I try to frequent these as often as possible. I don't have cable or satellite at home, so I rely on Netflix for the bulk of my education.

I'm also big on extracurricular activities (reading books, attending special events, even occasionally making movies) to facilitate the learning process. And I don't limit myself to just films. Last year, I managed to watch all 156 episodes of the original Twilight Zone, which should give you an idea of how obsessive I can be!

It's like pornography. Seriously. Back about 1996, I had to swear off movies completely for a couple of years because I was literally addicted to seeing them -- averaging, by count, over 3.5 movies per week in theaters alone (all on my own dime) plus who knows how many on video (I had a library of hundreds of titles on Beta at the time). And precisely the effect you describe was happening... I was just seeking bigger and bigger thrills out of movies (even small, quiet ones) and was losing all objectively. I was passively doing what Ingmar Bergman described: surrendering my will and my intellect to the cinema.

Things are quite different now. I'm seeing roughly the same number of films -- but experiencing them as a reviewer is not the same thing as watching purely for enjoyment (or study, even).

But the knack of objectivity is not something cheaply acquired with this medium.

(edit: I don't make the porn analogy lightly. I was addicted to hardcore porn for twenty-five years, too.)

Over the past five years, I've averaged 128 films a year, of which 99 have been first time viewings.

2003 117 (100 first-time viewings)
2004 133 (102 first-time)
2005 134 (97 first-time)
2006 118 (87 first-time)
2007 141 (111 first-time)

I don't watch films on TV, because I can't stand commercials, or seeing only part of a movie. (The list above doesn't include partial viewings.) My viewing is way down so far this year, but it's been an extremely busy January and February, and I'm definitely feeling the lack! But most years have a low ebb in the movie watching at some point, so I bet by year's end I'll be back on track.

I heartily agree with the cautions about seeing "too many films." I very carefully guard my movie-watching: the minute it feels obligatory, academic or compulsive, I back off. My over-worked metaphor is "soul food," but I really do go to the arts to nourish my soul. I daren't become an objective assessor, nor an increasingly jaded thrill seeker: I settle into a film to be enlivened.

FYI, our (2008) film journal thread is here.

I will admit that January was a bit overwhelming for me. 50 is a bunch. 23 of those were in 9 days. Then a few days off and 10 in the next 4. I still have a couple of reviews I want to write, but it will be tough this far away from the viewing.

A few years ago I was watching over 210 movies a year. But back then I was also trying to write about the experiences for quite a few people here. Now that I've backed away from writing, and now that I've moved to a city that has a lot less art-house availability, I rarely go out to a movie, and I probably see less than 15 a month on DVD.

I do still think that film has the greatest potential of all the arts, but the potential is squandered 99% of the time.

I haven't been an in the theater, "new release" movie person since high school. The aversion to new releases only grew as I went through a little film/audio program. A few years ago I would say I averaged about 100 films a year and only maybe 10 to 15 new releases and most of those were foreign or documentaries at art house or independent theaters. Although my withdrawal from the mainstream, popular movie release has been minimized - thanks to some great friends here - I still see most of my films on DVD or VHS; whichever and whatever I need to do to get a film I would like to engage. Currently, I think I average 10 a month.

I am much more interested in non-mainstream, less hollywoodized, non-conventional film than I am in the standard format and production of popular movies - so, DVDs suite me fine.

Thanks Darren and Alan for making sure the film journal links were place here. Those are excellent resources to the minds that contribute to to the conversation here.

This past year was the first year I subscribed to Netflix, so I think I set a new personal record in how many films I saw overall, around 200. The last few years, I've been averaging seeing about 80-100 films in the theater, but that's because there are good art-house theaters and a a second-run movie house where I live. If I had to rely solely on the multiplex, I wouldn't go nearly that often.

A Twin Peaks blank midget stare: "Doppelganger!"

Ha. My computer must have gotten a case of double vision, ala Foreigner circa 1978.