It is 2019, which can only mean it is time to throw 24-hour movie marathon 2019! We have selected the movies and set the schedule. Read on to learn all about the movies we picked out. I hope we inspire you to throw your own 24-hour movie marathon this year.
Movie Marathon 2019 Theme
When my wife and I host a movie marathon, we don’t center it around a single genre or theme as most people expect. Instead, we always follow two rules when selecting movies:
- We have never seen the movie before
- The movie is one we’ve always wanted to see, or have heard we “should” see
We’ve found that this really helps foster variety and novelty in our movie marathons. Compared to, say, watching our favorite movie series for the 100th time, it is a risky approach. Sometimes the movies don’t work out. But sometimes we stumble on a real gem, and it becomes a favorite movie we re-watch for years to come. We don’t know until the movie marathon what we are going to get. It is all really exciting!
This year is no different. We’ve assembled a variety of films based on recommendations from friends, recent releases which we missed, entries from great film lists, and more. Let’s look in detail at the movie roster.
Movie Marathon 2019 Movies
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Start: 12:00 PM Finish: 2:30 PM
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%
Common Sense Media Age: 16+
TMDB Description: The story of a super-secret spy organization that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.
My take: James Bond has been a reliable opener for all of our movie marathons – but we ran out of the best bond films! I hear the Kingsman movies are a ridiculous over-the-top action-oriented James Bond-like experience. Let’s give it a try!
Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
Start: 2:30 PM Finish: 4:15 PM
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%
Common Sense Media Age: 13+
TMDB Description: A race car driver tries to transport an illegal beer shipment from Texas to Atlanta in under 28 hours, picking up a reluctant bride-to-be on the way.
My take: Would you believe I’ve never seen a Burt Reynolds movie? In fact, I may have first become aware that Burt Reynolds was a celebrity of note from Saturday Night Live’s Celebrity Jeopardy series of skits. Now I can find out if the parody lives up to the reality!
Bullitt (1968)
Start: 4:15 PM Finish: 6:15 PM
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Common Sense Media Age: 13+
TMDB Description: Senator Walter Chalmers is aiming to take down mob boss Pete Ross with the help of testimony from the criminal’s hothead brother Johnny, who is in protective custody in San Francisco under the watch of police lieutenant Frank Bullitt. When a pair of mob hitmen enter the scene, Bullitt follows their trail through a maze of complications and double-crosses. This thriller includes one of the most famous car chases ever filmed.
My take: Look. It is just time to watch the greatest car chase of all time. It just is.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
Start: 6:15 PM Finish: 8:00 PM
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 49%
Common Sense Media Age: 8+
TMDB Description: The world’s most highly qualified crew of archaeologists and explorers is led by historian Milo Thatch as they board the incredible 1,000-foot submarine Ulysses and head deep into the mysteries of the sea. The underwater expedition takes an unexpected turn when the team’s mission must switch from exploring Atlantis to protecting it.
My take: This is one of those Disney movies time forgot. Or, at least, I forgot about it. I was in college when it was released, so I wasn’t exactly the target demographic. Now that I’m a parent of multiple children, I’m right back there again!
Chicken Run (2000)
Start: 8:00 PM Finish: 9:30 PM
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Common Sense Media Age: 7+
TMDB Description: Having been hopelessly repressed and facing eventual certain death at the British chicken farm where they are held, Rocky the american rooster and Ginger the chicken decide to rebel and lead their fellow chickens in a great escape from the murderous farmers Mr. and Mrs. Tweedy and their farm of doom.
My take: Shaun the Sheep was a big hit in a past movie marathon, and has been rewatched many times in our house. Let’s see if lightning will strike twice by watching another claymation classic from Aardman Animations.
Shane (1953)
Start: 9:30 PM Finish: 11:45 PM
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Common Sense Media Age: 10+
TMDB Description: A weary gunfighter attempts to settle down with a homestead family, but a smouldering settler and rancher conflict forces him to act.
My take: All of our movie marathons include a western. This is the Western. Why this picture? Well – it was definitely on a list of best Westerns of all time. I also hear Shane is supposed to come back. Other than that – I don’t really know what to expect out of this film. Sometimes, surprises are nice.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Start: 11:45 PM Finish: 1:35 AM
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
Common Sense Media Age: 14+
TMDB Description: A psychological thriller about an eight year old boy named Cole Sear who believes he can see into the world of the dead. A child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe comes to Cole to help him deal with his problem, learning that he really can see ghosts of dead people.
My take: Ok – to be clear. I know the super-secret twist ending. But, to be doubly clear – I still have not seen this movie. Yes, that seems impossible in this day and age, but there it is. It is time to correct this pop culture blind spot.
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Start: 1:35 AM Finish: 3:40 AM
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
Common Sense Media Age: 14+
TMDB Description: An American-born Chinese economics professor accompanies her boyfriend to Singapore for his best friend’s wedding, only to get thrust into the lives of Asia’s rich and famous.
My take: Rom-coms seemed to die out in the early 2000, but then this movie suddenly blew into 2018 to much fanfare. Adding this movie to the schedule adds a little humor to the schedule and lets me pretending I’m current and woke. Win-win-win!
Ex Machina (2015)
Start: 3:40 AM Finish: 5:30 AM
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
Common Sense Media Age: 17+
TMDB Description: Caleb, a 26 year old coder at the world’s largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world’s first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl.
My take: A movie about a super-intelligent, sexy, evil robot lady? It sounds like this movie was made for me.
All About Eve (1950)
Start: 5:30 AM Finish: 8:00 AM
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Common Sense Media Age: 8+
TMDB Description: From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, Eve Harrington is determined to take the reins of power away from the great actress Margo Channing. Eve maneuvers her way into Margo’s Broadway role, becomes a sensation and even causes turmoil in the lives of Margo’s director boyfriend, her playwright and his wife. Only the cynical drama critic sees through Eve, admiring her audacity and perfect pattern of deceit.
My take: The Unspooled podcast really sold me on this movie. I’m hoping for witty, fast-paced dialog like some of the other classic movies I love, like Casablanca.
Matilda (1996)
Start: 8:00 AM Finish: 9:45 AM
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
Common Sense Media Age: 9+
TMDB Description: An extraordinarily intelligent young girl from a cruel and uncaring family discovers she possesses telekinetic powers and is sent off to a school headed by a tyrannical principal.
My take: Ronald Dahl wrote a surprising number of recognizable childrens books, including James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches, Fantastic Mr Fox, and this story: Matilda. While I’ve read much of his work, I’ve never read “Matilda” or seen this movie. I’d like to see what its all about.
Spirited Away (2001)
Start: 9:45 AM Finish: 12:00 PM
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Common Sense Media Age: 9+
TMDB Description: A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.
My take: I’m a sucker for Hayao Miyazaki films. My kids really enjoyed Howl’s Moving Castle last year, and I’m hoping to end the marathon with another classic.
