1. Hey everyone my name is Ndegwa and I grew up moving around a lot but a constant in my life was film. Moving around a lot you get used to long stretches on the road. Watch a road movie.

2. I’ve been into movies for as long as I can remember, but I think one director who was the most influential on me becoming a cinefile was Christopher Nolan. The Dark Knight came out when I was 11 and blew my young mind with what a movie and acting could be. Watch a Christopher Nolan movie. If you’ve seen them all, watch a movie starring one of the infinite number of cast members spawning into his new movie Oppenheimer.

3. My grandfather is definitely someone who was integral in my movie journey. He used to show me all kinds of films when I was little. His favorite genre is westerns and his favorite movie is The Big Country. Watch The Big Country if you haven’t or any other classic western if you have.

4. In my teens I really started paying attention to filmmaking and how films were put together. That being said, I'm a sucker for movies that depict the process itself. Watch a movie about making movies. Here is a list to get you started from Sean Fennessey the host of one of my favorite podcasts The Big Picture: boxd.it/5xBzE

5. As much as I love movies, acting is my passion. I’ve wanted to do it professionally forever and some of my big influences were and still are: Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, and Robin Williams. You know where this is going. Watch a movie starring Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, or Robin Williams.

6. Ok enough about my origin story let’s get into the movies. I’ve watched MANY movies over the last two years and it’s been a pretty great time for discovering older films. Watch a movie off my 2021 Favorite First Time Watches (Expanded) list.

7. For as many filmmakers as I’ve discovered since the world went to shit there are plenty I’ve yet to explore. Watch a film from a director’s filmography that you’ve been meaning to start.

8. I believe that at least if your film friends recommend you a favorite of theirs you should give it a shot. Watch a favorite film recommended from one of your friends you haven’t seen.

9. Visiting/learning about different countries & cultures is important to becoming a more well rounded person. Of course this holds true for being a cinephile. Watch a film from a country you’ve always wanted to visit.

10. So I think that the Planet of the Apes trilogy from the 2010’s is easily one of the best of all time and the final film War for the Planet of the Apes is a masterpiece. But for some reason many people I know haven’t seen it because they never saw the previous installment. Watch the earliest installment of the reboot Apes trilogy you haven’t seen or if you watched them, watch a film from this best sci-fi films of all time list.

11. The Oscars do get it right sometimes but so many great films every year go without a single nomination. Watch a movie that you think should’ve been nominated for an Oscar in any category. Bonus points if you list all the nominations that it should’ve got.

12. Animation is a medium people still don’t take seriously enough, mislabeling it as ”for kids”. Honestly it might be the truest way to tell stories visually. I’m happy that the Annie Awards celebrate animation in all its forms. Watch a movie nominated for an Annie Award.

13. There’s no way I wouldn’t have a horror prompt on here when it’s the season of tricks and treason. I love all genres of film but horror is a genre that feels almost extra special to me because it doesn’t get awards love, it can be crazy and disturbing, and some people simply don’t like to be scared. There have been so many exceptional horror films in the last several years. Watch a horror movie with a 3.5 - 4 average rating.

14. I don’t come to movies in general to feel a certain thing. Sometimes I like to watch a movie that reminds me that there’s still hope in the world. Other times, I want to leave the theater with my soul broken on the ground. And you’re going to join me *cue maniacal laugh*. Watch one of Indiewire’s 35 Disturbing Foreign Films to Watch. (P.S. some like Battle Royale and Raw aren’t too bad).

15. Documentaries have been gaining popularity the last few years and they’re definitely still a blind spot for me. Watch a documentary.

16. If you’re like me, one of the factors that goes into picking a movie to watch can be the run time. I have to prepare myself for a long movie and here’s an excuse to see one. Watch a movie that’s three or more hours long.

17. That was a big runtime, give yourself something easy. Watch a movie 100 minutes or less.

18. For these scavenger hunts I try to use movies in my watchlist already. Go to your watchlist, click shuffle, and pick one of the first four movies you get.

19. Like your watchlist on Letterboxd, your watchlist on streaming services can get pretty long. Watch a movie on a streaming service you’ve had on a watchlist for awhile.

20. You’ll never be able to watch everything but that doesn't mean you can’t try haha. There’s plenty of classic movies waiting to be discovered. Watch a film made before 1960.

21. There’s countries who’ve had a vast rich film history since the beginning but I have yet to see a bad film come out of South Korea. Watch a film from South Korea.

22. Mid budget movies were everywhere growing up as a 90’s kid and now…tumbleweeds. I hope one day they can come back. Watch a mid budget movie. Here’s a list to help: boxd.it/fz4gS

23. City life has always appealed to me since there’s so much to do and the energy of a place with so many different people is intoxicating. Watch a movie that takes place in any major city.

24. Ratings are arbitrary but I still don’t give out high scores a lot unless it really hits me a certain way. Watch a movie I give 4 stars or higher.

25. The 70’s had arguably the best decade of cinema. Popular movies and critical success went hand in hand and we got an amazing group of auteurs, some still making movies today. Watch a movie from the 70’s.

26. That guy Willem Dafoe sure can act huh? I don’t know what to call this Dafoe moment that’s been going for the last five years but I’m loving it. He’s been around for so long portraying widely different characters. Watch a Willem Dafoe movie.

27. Because of the pandemic I think that 2020 will always be a lost year for movies. Virtually no theatrical releases happened so I think people will forget the movies that came out that year. But there were so many great movies that came out and thankfully to streaming services. I will always, especially in these times where movies are not the center of culture, support new films and see as many as possible in the theater because more people than ever are able to tell their stories and I think as movie lovers we should now more than ever spread the word of the new. Ok speech over. Watch a film from 2020.

28. Sometimes when I hear people talk about black filmmakers it feels like they’re only talking about the “prestigious” ones that would get Oscar buzz. But of course films by Black filmmakers are so eclectic and can’t be put into one box. Watch a feature film off of the 1800+ Films Directed By Black American Filmmakers list.

29. In January 2020 I decide to embark on a journey of watching 100 Films in 100 Days to expand my horizons further and fill those gaps in my film knowledge. It’s a lot of fun and I definitely recommend it. So for this prompt, watch a film in a genre or time period or country that you’re not well versed in.

30. I’m a theater kid and I love musicals. My favorite was West Side Story (1961), but then last year Steven Spielberg did the impossible and made one of the best even a little better. Yeah come for me in the comments I can take! Anyway, watch a movie musical.

31. Wow, the last prompt. It’s been so fun making this list but something is missing…MUSIC! I listen to film scores now more than I listen to other music. Behind the acting itself, the score is probably my favorite part of the movie. Watch a film off of this film scores list or watch another film composed by one of those composers or even watch a film, composed by one of your favorite composers. The world is your oyster!

If you need an alternative to any of these prompts, watch any movie that I gave four stars or higher. Cheers to spooky season!