Category: Movie Marathon Ideas

Suggested movie marathon movies

My 24-Hour Movie Marathon Schedule Is Set!

The Children’s Leukemia Foundation’s 24-Hour Movie-Thon is tomorrow, and I couldn’t be more excited! The Emagine theater is playing 13 different movies Friday and Saturday, and I have a 24-hour movie marathon schedule that gets me to 10 of them. You might be thinking: “Hey – 10 movies in 24 hours is great, but why couldn’t you pack in all 13?” That sounds reasonable until you realize the two of the three I’m missing are Boo! A Medea Halloween and The Pickle Recipe. No thanks! I think this schedule is a win-win.

Check out this 24-hour schedule of the best Hollywood has to offer in the fall of 2016:

 MovieStartFinish
Miss Peregrine10:05 AM12:12 PM
Hacksaw Ridge12:20 PM2:31 PM
Doctor Strange3:00 PM4:55 PM
Trolls5:45 PM7:17 PM
The Accountant7:19 PM9:27 PM
Arrival9:30 PM11:36 PM
Almost Christmas11:45 PM1:46 AM
Shut In2:30 AM4:11 AM
Jack Reacher4:30 AM6:38 AM
Inferno8:00 AM10:12 AM

It won’t be easy. The home stretch of the marathon is stacked with Jack Reacher: Never Go Back and Inferno, which are cinematic garbage according to the critics. But Children’s Leukemia isn’t going to cure itself. I need to make my donors proud and stick with it for the full 24 hours! Tally-ho!

Horror Movie Marathon 2016!

October brings us crisp fall air, freshly harvested apples, and flickering images of unspeakable horror piped directly into our quivering eyeballs! Graphic eh? My high-school advanced english class did not go to waste. Anyway – want to know the best options for your very own 24-hour horror movie marathon 2016? Then read on…if you dare!!!

If you live in Ohio, you are in luck. The 8th Annual Ohio 24-Hour Horror Marathon “Shock Around the Clock” starts at noon on October 15th and goes until noon on October 16th. It plays at the Drexel Theater, and you can find the event on Facebook. Advanced tickets are $40. That is a mere $1.60 for each hour of horror! You would be stupid not to go! You can see the schedule of movies here.

If you live in Chicago instead of Columbus, you could try The Massacre 24-Hour Movie Marathon. It starts at noon on October 22nd and goes until noon(?) on October 23rd. It plays at the Patio theater. A detailed schedule doesn’t seem to be available, but advance tickets are $20. That is a mere $0.83 per horror hour! You’d be even stupider not to go!

Don’t live in the Chicago or Columbus. but you have cable? Then your next best bet is American Movie Classics Fear Fest. It starts on Thursday October 13th at 9 AM and runs until the wee hours of Tuesday, November 1st. That’s 19 days and over 80 movies. At a going rate of about $80 a month for cable TV, prorated for those 19 days, that’s $49 dollars for 19 days, or a mere $0.10 an hour! You’d be…well, you know.

Don’t have a good cable TV package? There’s still hope. You can stitch together your own horror movie / TV show marathon via this handy schedule of horror movies and shows playing on TV this month. The one nice thing about The Simpsons running for the last 26 years is we always get an annual Treehouse of Horror Episode.

Don’t watch cable or broadcast TV? Thankfully, we live in the 21st century where Netflix has done away with the need for such things. Paste magazine has put together an excellent article of the 60 best horror movies streaming on Netflix in 2016. Your choices range from The Exorcist to Zombeavers. Yes. Zombeavers. What? Zombeavers got a 69% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Is it unclear what the movie is about? (Hint: It’s about zombie beavers).

None of these sound good? I’ve got your back. 24hourmoviemarathon.com has some excellent recommendations for 24-hour horror movie marathons, if I do say so myself.

This season is truly an embarrassment of riches when it comes to opportunities for movie marathons. If you can’t find something to scare the pants off of you this season, then you make my head explode. Happy Halloween!

Photo by Alexas_Fotos

Movie Marathon Scorecard

Keeping score is the best. Everyone needs to know that they are the best at something, no matter how meaningless or stupid that activity is. Take golf, for example. Grown men obsess over statistics reflecting their ability to whack a ball with a stick into a little hole. They spend hundreds of dollars just to gain a slight bump in their ball-whacking metrics. Golf and movie marathons involve about the same amount of athletic prowess. Isn’t it time we similarly obsess over who is best at movie marathons?  I say “Yes!”. And if you say “No!”, you are visiting the wrong website.

That is why I am proud to announce that I have created the world’s first movie marathon scorecard! No longer do you have to wonder: “Do I really measure up in my movie marathon skills?” or “Is this movie marathon really helping me meet my life goal of a movie-watching perfection?” or “How can I brag to my friends about how many movies I’ve watched without sounding like a total dork?”. This scorecard provides you the answer.

If you are wondering if this scorecard is legit, don’t worry – it’s science. The scorecard works by gathering up a master list of movies from four sources: Academy Award Best Picture Winners, the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Movies, the British Film Institute’s top 50 movies, and the Internet Movie Database’s top 100 movies. All you have to do is mark which movies you have seen, and the scorecard calculates your personal movie marathon score. Scoring comes in four categories:

  • Ultimate Movie Marathon Score – How many movies you’ve seen on the list, with movies appearing in more than one source list weighted more heavily.
  • American Film Buff Score – How many movies you’ve seen on the list that appear on the Academy Awards best picture list, the American Film Institute list, or both.
  • International Film Snob Score – How many movies you’ve seen on the British Film Institute list, which favors class European movies.
  • Pop Culture Hipster Score – How many movies you’ve seen in the top 100 list from the Internet Movie Database, which favors recently made or otherwise popular movies.

Conveniently, this scorecard serves as both a measurement of self-worth and a handy guide for movies that you might want to include in your next movie marathon. This master list of movies pushes you to movies the world agrees you need to go see. For example, The Godfather appears in all four source lists, and therefore contributes to your ultimate movie marathon score by 4 points. The Matrix, despite the fact that it has at least double the amount of Kung Fu than The Godfather, only counts for 1 point. Those who are serious about their movie marathon game know what they should watch next.

My Movie Marathon Scorecard Results

To get started, you need a benchmark to compare yourself against. I ran filled out the scorecard for myself, and the results are below. I’m laying down the gauntlet, world. Beat these stats!

That probably won’t be too hard! Especially for film majors! But no matter – as far as I know right this second, I am the king of all movie marathons!

Ultimate Movie Marathon Score145/33843%
American Film Buff Score75/18640%
International Film Snob Score13/5225%
Pop Culture Hipster Score57/10057%

The Movie Marathon Scorecard File Download

The movie marathon scorecard is presently available in Microsoft Excel format. I would like to make the scorecard available in other formats as well – such as a dynamic webpage page on this site. That will take a little more effort than just slapping web links and other data into Excel, so you’ll have to wait for that version. But, without further ado – the Excel files!

Photo by shorts and longs

Marvel Movie Marathon – Phase 2

In case you missed it, another movie marathon in a box is now available: The Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2. For those playing along at home, you can now acquire all Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies in two convenient (and expensive) boxes (see phase 1 box set here), complete with their own infinity stones and other nerdy nonsense!

When Avengers: Age of Ultron premiered, some were brave enough to watch all the previously released MCU films in one 27-hour marathon. Some pop culture reporters attended these marathons, and their movie marathon diaries are a hoot to read. My favorite quote is from the AV Club’s Alex McCown, who said:

The movie induces a sense of floating. All cares have subsided, all desires sated, all needs met. It’s like 1984: I’m at a Marvel movie marathon. I have always been at a Marvel movie marathon. I will always be at a Marvel movie marathon. This is life.

And that, right there, is the pure, transcendental experience good movie marathons provide. Wasting time with meditation and self-reflection is for suckers.

Sadly, not everyone is ready to achieve Nirvana. Scott Bixby at Arts.Mic was rooting for Ultron by the time his marathon was over, and Alex Abad-Santos from Vox just sounded plain old tired. Still, their misery is our gain, like this goofy quote from Scott:

11:36 p.m.: Two tubs of popcorn later, I’m thirsty enough to try cracking open my can of Monster. I discover that the worst thing about Monster is how good Monster tastes. It’s like how cats love the taste of antifreeze because it’s so sweet.

Anyway, take a look at their harrowing accounts of 27-hours of spandex-clad superheros. Maybe a Marvel movie marathon is finally within your grasp! Like, you know, ultimate power or something.

Photo by QuadAssassinCustoms

Movie Marathon 2016

A new year means a new annual movie marathon! Here is what my wife and I selected for our annual friends and family movie marathon. It may look like there is no method to the madness, but we are following our usual theme of movies neither of us has seen before, but have always wanted to see, or have heard that we should see.

A detailed schedule is below, along with detailed movie information. If you are one of the usual suspects that are invited to this event, I hope the movie list inspires you to come! If you are a visitor to this website, I hope this list inspires you to hold your own movie marathon!

I’m happy to report that kid-friendly zones we a big hit last year, so we are bringing them back Saturday evening and Sunday morning.  From 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM Saturday, we have Shaun the Sheep and Song of the Sea. And at 9:45, for older kids that want to stay late, we have The Dark Crystal. From 8:45 AM to 12:00 PM Sunday, we have Surf’s Up and Ella Enchanted.

Movie Marathon 2016 Schedule Overview

Start TimeEnd TimeTitleRuntime
11:00 AM11:00 AMDoors Open0 minutes
12:00 PM01:57 PMYou Only Live Twice117 min.
02:15 PM04:13 PMRoman Holiday118 min.
04:15 PM06:14 PMRocky119 min.
06:30 PM07:55 PMShaun the Sheep85 min.
08:00 PM09:33 PMSong of the Sea93 min.
09:45 PM11:18 PMThe Dark Crystal93 min.
11:30 PM12:55 AMHigh Noon85 min.
01:00 AM02:42 AMThe Crow102 min.
02:45 AM04:26 AMNotorious101 min.
04:30 AM06:36 AMThe Treasure of the Sierra Madre126 min.
07:00 AM08:42 AMSeven Brides for Seven Brothers102 min.
08:45 AM10:10 AMSurf’s Up85 min.
10:30 AM12:06 PMElla Enchanted96 min.
12:06 PM12:06 PMFinish min.

Movie Marathon 2016 Details

You Only Live Twice (1967)

Action | Adventure | Thriller – Rotten Tomatoes score: 72%
Plot: Agent 007 and the Japanese secret service ninja force must find and stop the true culprit of a series of spacejackings before nuclear war is provoked.
Why watch? James Bond has been a big crowd-pleaser for the past couple movie marathons. We’re going down the list of James Bond films from best to worst.

Roman Holiday (1953)

Comedy | Romance – Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Plot: A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.
Why watch? Bringing up Baby was a hilarious classic comedy, and well-received at our last movie marathon. We’re going to try another classic comedy with a fantastic leading couple: Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.

Rocky (1976)

Drama | Sport – Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Plot: Rocky Balboa, a small-time boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight the heavy-weight champion, Apollo Creed, in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.
Why watch? Yep. We’ve never seen it. Honest. File this one under “required pop culture viewing”.

Shaun the Sheep (2015)

Animation | Adventure | Comedy – Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%
Plot: When Shaun decides to take the day off and have some fun, he gets a little more action than he bargained for. A mix up with the Farmer, a caravan and a very steep hill lead them all to the Big City and it’s up to Shaun and the flock to return everyone safely to the green grass of home.
Why watch? Who doesn’t love Wallace and Gromit? Shaun the Sheep is a Wallace and Gromit spin-off and has a can’t-miss Rotten Tomatoes score of 99%. Here’s hoping the kid-friendly zone opens up with a bang!

Song of the Sea (2014)

Animation | Family | Fantasy – Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%
Plot: Ben, a young Irish boy, and his little sister Saoirse, a girl who can turn into a seal, go on an adventure to free the faeries and save the spirit world.
Why watch? Song of the Sea and the Secret of Kells were both produced by the same studio and feature a plot based on Irish folklore. The Secret of Kells may be too scary for the very young children at our movie marathon. Song of the Sea is more age appropriate but should be just as beautiful and quirky.

The Dark Crystal (1982)

Adventure | Family | Fantasy – Rotten Tomatoes score: 72%
Plot: On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal, and so restore order to his world.
Why watch? We missed this key piece of 80s pop culture too. We hear it is a tad dark, so we are playing it right after the kid-friendly zone for any adventurous kids that want to stay up late.

High Noon (1952)

Action | Drama | Western- Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Plot: A marshall, personally compelled to face a returning deadly enemy, finds that his own town refuses to help him.
Why watch? Every movie marathon needs a good western – at least in our family! Some regard High Noon as a candidate for best western ever made. It promises a non-traditional story line, and is John Wayne-free.

The Crow (1994)

Action | Drama | Fantasy – Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%
Plot: A man brutally murdered comes back to life as an undead avenger of his and his fiancée’s murder.
Why watch? The Crow was highly regarded by some of the comic book and fantasy nerds I went to college with, and yet I’ve never seen it. Time to fix that!

Notorious (1946)

Drama | Film-Noir | Romance – Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Plot: A woman is asked to spy on a group of Nazi friends in South America. How far will she have to go to ingratiate herself with them?
Why watch? An Alfred Hitchcock movie is required at every movie marathon. We’ve already seen his most well-known films. Notorious is a less well-known film, but has a good reputation, and stars Ingrid Bergman (the leading lady from Casablanca)!

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Action | Adventure | Drama – Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%
Plot: Fred Dobbs and Bob Curtin, two Americans searching for work in Mexico, convince an old prospector to help them mine for gold in the Sierra Madre Mountains
Why watch? If you haven’t caught on already, we’re suckers for certain actors, directors, and genres in our movie marathon. After seeing Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart is one of our weaknesses. This is the latest in a line of Bogart films we’ve seen. I believe this one has a twist, in that Bogart is not the leading “good guy”.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

Comedy | Drama | Musical – Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
Plot: In 1850 Oregon, when a backwoodsman brings a wife home to his farm, his six brothers decide that they want to get married too.
Why watch? Because sometimes you have a have an exuberant musical in your life. That’s why.

Surf’s Up (2007)

Animation | Comedy | Family – Rotten Tomatoes score: 78%
Plot: A behind-the-scenes look at the annual Penguin World Surfing Championship, and its newest participant, up-and-comer Cody Maverick.
Why watch? Leonard Maltin identified Surf’s Up as a great overlooked children’s movie in his Maltin on Movies podcast. I think Happy Feet came out around the same time and audience only have so much capacity for talking penguins.

Ella Enchanted (2004)

Comedy | Family | Fantasy – Rotten Tomatoes score: 50%
Plot: Ella is under a spell to be constantly obedient, a fact she must hide from her new step-family in order to protect the prince of the land, her friend for whom she’s falling.
Why watch? Ever since Roger Ebert wrote a positive review of this movie, I’ve wanted to see it. It seems to be a Shrek-like take on fairy tales, with some good comedy and modern sensibilities thrown in.