Letterbox Scavenger Hunt #97: April 2023
See original list by Letterboxd member audrey
Master list of all past Scavenger Hunts

Wow, my first Letterboxd Scavenger Hunt in over a year! I was a regular when these first started out, but as my life as a freelancer has gotten busier and more successful over the pandemic, I've had less and less time to devote to movie-watching. Coming across April's list accidentally on a Sunday morning while at Letterboxd, though, has inspired me to once again participate. To help those who might also want to watch these, I've also mentioned where online I'll be watching them (or in the case of "BT," where I'll be BitTorrenting them); and you'll see as well that I actually opted out of two categories this particular month, for the reasons listed below. Other than that, I look forward to the attempt once again to get through all of these in a single month, and I wish you good hunting as well!

1. Happy April Fool’s Day! Watch a comedy starring an actor who isn’t usually known for being in comedic films.
COMPLETED: Tom Jones (HBO)

2. An actor who never fails to make me laugh is Peter Falk, who was on my 2022 most-watched actors list. Watch a movie starring one of my all-time most watched actors.
COMPLETED: The Princess Bride (BT)

3. Peter Falk often collaborated with John Cassavetes, who is the current subject on my podcast, Gone But Not Forgotten, which I co-host with my best friend Louise. Watch a movie we've mentioned in an episode or starring someone we've covered on the show (Sharon Tate // River Phoenix // Brittany Murphy // Elvis Presley // Natalie Wood // John Garfield // Judy Garland // John Cassavetes).
COMPLETED: The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (HBO)

4. The third prompt is also one on The Other Filmmakers Challenge, which I’m co-hosting. Watch a movie directed by an early female film pioneer. Some ideas to start with: Ida Lupino // Dorothy Arzner // Alice Guy-Blache // Lois Weber // Mabel Normand // Germaine Dulac // Lotte Reiniger // Frances Marion // Leontine Sagan // Maya Deren // Edith Carlmar // Jacqueline Audry // Muriel Box
COMPLETED: The Hitch-Hiker (Ida Lupino) (Tubi)

5. Today is the anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death, one of my personal idols and someone who was a pioneer in the music industry. Watch a movie with grunge/punk themes. Here is a list of some ideas.
COMPLETED: Over the Edge (BT)

6. Watch a movie starring a singer.
COMPLETED: The Jazz Singer (1928) (Tubi)

7. One of my mom’s favorite singers is Elvis Presley. Watch one of my family members’ favorite films.
The Night of the Hunter (Amazon)

8. Watch a movie featuring real-life siblings.
COMPLETED: The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley: Seaworld Adventure (YouTube)

9. John and Joan Cusack are one of my favorite Hollywood sibling duos. They started their careers in iconic ‘80s teen films. Watch an ‘80s movie starring a member of the Brat Pack. Please pick from this list.
COMPLETED: Bad Boys (Amazon)

10. While they may not be the world’s greatest actors, I feel like the Brat Pack doesn’t get the recognition they deserve for being the faces of an entire generation/decade of film. Sometimes the rarest movies are the best ones. Watch the most obscure film on your watchlist.
Breaker Morant (HBO)

11. I love watching movies that not many people have heard of and finding out which are hidden gems and which ones deserve to be forgotten. I recently made a challenge to watch Oscar nominated/winning films with less than 10k logs on Letterboxd. Watch one of the movies in the challenge.
Murphy's Romance (Tubi)

12. Today is my beloved Saoirse Ronan’s birthday! She is only one of two people who has earned four Oscar nominations by the age of 26. Watch one of Saoirse's movies.
How I Live Now (HBO)

13. Little Women is one of the first films I remember identifying with on an extremely personal level and was so glad I could watch it at the theater when it came out. Rewatch a movie that changed your life and see if it still resonates with you.
Eraserhead (HBO)

14. I usually gravitate more towards actors rather than directors. Watch a movie directed by an actor. Here’s a list to get you started.
The Last Movie (BT)

15. Watch a movie mentioned in Turner Classic Movies’ Essential Directors book.
DOUBLE-FEATURE: The Other Side of the Wind / They'll Love Me When I'm Dead (Netflix)

16. Today is Charlie Chaplin’s birthday, who was a pioneer in acting and directing in the early 20th century. I’ve only seen one of his films and am embarrassingly not very familiar with silent movies (it’s a knowledge gap I’m hoping to fill). Watch a silent film released between the 1890s-1920s.
Destiny (YouTube)

17. Charlie Chaplin was involved in many scandals, including being on the yacht when director Thomas Ince was murdered (Chaplin was supposedly the intended target). I don’t like true crime but am interested in all the wild stuff that went down in the early days of Hollywood. Watch a movie or documentary about Old Hollywood. Here’s a list to get you started.
DOUBLE-FEATURE: Liz & Dick (Tubi) / Burton and Taylor (Amazon)

18. Today is Kenny Ortega’s birthday! He was the choreographer for Madonna’s ‘Material Girl’ music video, which pays homage to Marilyn Monroe’s ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’ number in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. What a movie that he was involved with - whether it be directing or choreography.
Newsies (BT)

19. Kenny Ortega made some of my all-time favorite Disney Channel Original Movies. Watch a DCOM.
Phineas and Ferb: The Movie: Candace Against the Universe (BT)

20. A majority of DCOMs are available on Disney+ and I feel like the world is so run by streaming services now. Physical media still deserves love! Watch a DVD you own (but haven’t seen yet), something from your library or a video store, or go see a new release at a theater!
Air

21. I’m lucky to have a great video store where I live and I go there often to get recommendations. Unfortunately that means my watchlist piles up and I neglect films I added to it a long time ago. Watch one of the movies that has been on your watchlist the longest or that you've been putting off for a while.
I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore (Netflix)

22. I like to ask my grandma for music and movie recommendations from when she was my age. Ask someone you know what some of their favorite musical artists are and watch a movie with one of them on the soundtrack.
Opting out (feeling a bit overwhelmed by how wide this category is)

23. My grandma grew up in a really small town. Watch a film set in a small town in America (real or nonexistent). Here’s a list to get you started.
Empire Falls (HBO) (also reading book for Goodreads)

24. Where I live, it rains a lot in the springtime. Watch a movie with a scene set in the rain. Here’s a list to get you started.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (BT) (also reading book for Goodreads)

25. The last prompt was recommended by my best friend Louise! She’s trying to watch every single movie in the 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die book. Watch a movie on the list.
Safe (Tubi)

26. Today is my birthday!! Watch one of my favorite films.
Little Darlings (YouTube)

27. One of my favorite Instagram accounts is called Cakes in Cinema, which posts stills of cakes from all kinds of movies. Watch a movie featured on their page.
Opting out (don't have an Instagram account, so can't open the relevant page)

28. I used to bake a lot but don’t anymore. Finish a movie that you started but didn’t complete, or watch a movie on my ‘couldn’t finish watching’ list.
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (Pluto)

29. While my incomplete watches list is very long, I like to binge actors’ filmographies. Right now I’m focused on Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda. Watch one of their movies.
DOUBLE-FEATURE: The Razor's Edge (1946) (YouTube) / The Razor's Edge (1984) (also reading book for Goodreads)

30. Today is Kirsten Dunst’s birthday! She is one of my favorite actors and I’ve watched almost all of her movies. Watch a film she’s starred in or one of her favorites - list supplied by my friend/#1 Kirsten Dunst fan, Nicholas.
DOUBLE-FEATURE: Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) / Picnic at Hanging Rock (2018)