Anton Yelchin

Thoughts on… My most watched actors (2021 edition)

It has accidentally become a thing where every couple of years I look at my most watched actors ever list courtesy of Letterboxd and see what conclusions I can come to from it.

It’s fun to see how much (if any) change there’s been since I did this in 2017 and in 2019. The first thing I noticed that while their position to one another may have changed; Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Statham, Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman have always been my top four most watched actors since I started looking at these stats.

This year a quarter of my most watched actors are women – the most I’ve ever had on this list. Kristen Stewart, Anna Kendrick and Anne Hathaway making an appearance here for the first time. I definitely would like to see more women on here and I wouldn’t be surprised if Kristen Stewart especially manages to stay on here as I have about half a dozen of her films on my watchlists on various streaming services.

There are also six actors of colour, two more than last year as Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie make their first appearance on this list. Both of whom I’m not surprised about as they’re both the kind of actors I’ll watch a film just because they’re in it.

Having Anton Yelchin on this list is kind of bittersweet. Last year I watched a load of his films I hadn’t seen before so that helped get him onto this list. And while I do still have over a dozen more of his films to see, there will come a time when he probably won’t be able to stay on this list just because he is no longer with us and making films when other actors are.

It seems like every time I do this, this top twenty list gets more and more competitive. Back in 2019 the actors with the least amount of watches to their name were Rachel Weisz, Jim Broadbent, Maggie Smith, and Channing Tatum who all had 24. In 2021, none of them make the list and now my “least watched” are Denzel Washington, Liam Neeson, Scarlett Johansson, Dwayne Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Anthony Mackie, Anton Yelchin and Kristen Stewart with 27 films each.

It’ll be interesting to see in two years’ time who will still be on this list. For instance, John Goodman still has a spot like he did in 2019 but I haven’t watch one single more new-to-me film of his in two years. He often plays supporting characters and sometimes pops up in the most random of films so it’s easy to see why I haven’t seen more of his films but equally I wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to cling onto the list.

My predictions for 2023 is that Samuel L. Jackson and Jason Statham will still be my most watched actors but I think Idris Elba will surpass Morgan Freeman. I think Kristen Stewart will manage to stay in my top 20 most watched actors and I’d like it if more women could join her on this list too. Otherwise, who knows what could happen in two years!

My Film Year in Review and my Film-related Goals of 2021

What with 2020 being what it was, my film-watching didn’t really take a hit. I watched 265 different films and of those films, 93 of them were rewatches. I think with everything going on I definitely enjoyed revisiting old favourites, where I knew the story so didn’t necessarily have to think too much. I did manage to see 16 films in the cinema in 2020, pre-pandemic and in between the various lockdowns the UK has had. I shared my Ten Favourite Films last month, in some ways it was hard to pick favourites as I felt I hadn’t seen many new UK releases what with everything else going on, but I really would recommend all the films I mentioned in that post.

I completed the 52 Films by Women challenge for both directors and screenwriters again, which was the fifth year in a row. I watched 57 films directed by women and 70 that were written by women.

I did make some headway with my unwatched DVDs and Blu-Rays! That’s thanks to the A-Z in April Challenge where I posted a film review for every letter of the alphabet. Now I have 63 unwatched physical films so that’s good. I did watch some of my Clint Eastwood and Alfred Hitchcock boxsets but I still have over 10 films in each boxset.

I didn’t spend much time watching TV series in 2020 (what a surprise!) but I did finally finish watching Shadowhunters and I was really happy with how they managed to wrap everything up. I also watched series two of The Alienist and His Dark Materials, Good Omens and Down to Earth with Zac Efron, which I all really enjoyed in different ways. My newest TV obsession is Cobra Kai, I watched the first two seasons in one weekend in September and fell in love with it, then I watched season three in two days at the beginning of the month and even got my mum into it. I love that show a whole lot.

Now it’s time for the fun actor and director stats I get from having a Letterboxd pro account.

My most watched actors of 2020 were:

I watched the Underworld series, the Karate Kid series and the Descendants trilogy for the first time, and I rewatched the entire MCU in April/May (and wrote about how that helped me grieve for my dad). I also rewatched The Chronicles of Narnia, the original Ocean’s trilogy, the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy (that was back in January and wow does that seem like a long time ago!), the Bourne series, the Jurassic Park/World films and The Lord of the Rings – so that explains most of the actors who make an appearance. I also made an effort to watch more of Anton Yelchin, Chadwick Boseman, Kristen Stewart and Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s filmographies.

My most watched directors definitely reflect the fact I watched a lot of different series. Kenny Ortega (Descendants), Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s), the Russo brothers and James Gunn (MCU), Paul Greengrass (Bourne), Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean), Steven Spielberg and Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic Park/World), John Avildsen (Karate Kid) and Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings). It’s disappointing but not surprising that it’s just male directors as I didn’t watch many films made by the same woman.

So what are my film-related goals of 2021? I’ll continue to be a mood watcher, there’s loads of films of different genres in my Netflix and Amazon Prime queue to keep me busy as well as the physical films I have. I want to watch 52 Films by Women, both directors and screenwriters, again. I was considering to try and watch one Alfred Hitchcock film, one Clint Eastwood film, and one Studio Ghibli film (they’re all on Netflix and I’ve only ever seen Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle) a week but we’re a week into 2021 and I haven’t watched any of them yet. But I do like that idea and hopefully going forward I’ll watch at least one of those types of films each week.

With regards to TV, I suppose what I’d really like to do in 2021 is finish all the Marvel Netflix series. I’ve watched up to and including season one of The Punisher so that means I have six series left to watch. Speaking of Marvel, I’m really looking forward to all the MCU shows coming to Disney+ this year, with WandVision starting next week. I do think I’m generally better at watching shows when they’re released weekly so I should be able to keep up with them. Otherwise, there are a load of series I’d like to try like The Madalorian, Dickinson and Ted Lasso but I won’t hold out too much hope with that one – I know what I’m like with TV.

Do you have any film or TV-related goals for 2021? If you have a Letterboxd account do let me know so I can follow you.

Mid-year Film Update 2020

Last year was the first time I did a mid-year check in on my film-related goals and I thought I’d do the same again this year – mainly because I like to see how much my most watched actors change over the course of a year.

My film-related goals are pretty chill. They are:

And I have to say, I’m on the right track with both of those so far. I have watched 28 films directed women so over half way there and I’ve watched 40 films written by women which is over three quarters of the way to 52. I’ll definitely hit 52 films for both directors and screenwriters by the end of the year, the question is what will my final total be. My favourite films made by women I’ve seen so far this year are Miss Americana, Little Women and Misbehaviour. I also rewatched Mamma Mia! which was a delight as always.

Thanks to COVID-19 and lockdown, naturally I haven’t been to the cinema since March (and I’m not sure when I’ll be going back even though they being to open here in a couple of weeks), and a lot of the big films directed by women – Black Widow, Mulan, Wonder Woman 1984 – have been pushed back. So, if it hadn’t have been for COVID, I’ll have probably seen more films directed by women by now but there we go.

Thanks to the A-Z in April Challenge this year, I have knocked 20 films off my unwatched DVD/Blu-rays list so now I have 64 left to watch. I do hope to watch more of them over the next six months, especially the Hitchcock and Clint Eastwood films.

I love my Letterboxd stats. Here’s my most watched actors of 2020 so far:

I have done a lot of rewatching of some of my favourite franchises so far this year which pretty much explains everyone here. So far in 2020 I have rewatched; the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy, The Lord of the Rings (normally a Christmas rewatch for me but I needed the extra comfort that those films bring me), and The Chronicles of Narnia films. Last month I decided to watch all of Anton Yelchin’s films that I hadn’t seen before that were available on Netflix/Prime so that’s how he made it on the list. I’m interested to see how many of the MCU actors especially manage to stay in my most watched actors list by the end of the year.

My most watched directors of 2020 so far:

Again, my director list isn’t that surprising based on the franchises I’ve rewatched so far this year. The Russo’s, James Gunn, Peyton Reed, Joss Whedon, Jon Watts and Jon Favreau all directed multiple films in the MCU, while Steven Soderbergh, Gore Verbinski and Peter Jackson directed the Ocean’s trilogy, Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, and Lord of the Rings trilogy respectively. It’d be nice if I could have a more diverse range of filmmakers in this list by the end of the year (at least Bong Joon-ho is there!) but we’ll see how that goes. While I often at least watch 52 films directed by women each year for example, they are often from 52 different women so female directors don’t often make this list.

In the first half of 2020 I have seen 144 different films with 13 being at the cinema, and as I said while I miss spending a Saturday watching three films in the cinema back to back, I’m not sure when I’ll be doing that again.

What are some of your favourite films you’ve watched so far in 2020? Are you missing the cinema at all? Besides the ones I’ve already mentioned, some of my favourite films have been Dark Waters, Da 5 Bloods and Love, Antosha. Each month on Twitter I share my Top 5 First Views if you ever want to see my monthly film highlights.

H is for House of D (2004)

Tom Warshaw (David Duchovny), an American artist living in Paris, looks back on when he was a teenager and the friends he had and begins to discover who he really is.

The vast majority of House of D is set in New York in 1973, and follows Tom as a teenager, played by Anton Yelchin, and his friendship with Pappass (Robin Williams), a mentally handicapped man who is often called a retard, his relationship with his mother (Téa Leoni) who relies of pills and is paranoid about keeping her son safe, and the quasi-friendship he was with an unseen woman (Erykah Badu) who is locked up in the Women’s House of Detention.

There is a lot going on in House of D in terms of themes and plot lines and the various relationships Tom has – there’s also the start of a romance with a girl at his school. Just one of these aspects could’ve made a decent film if it was the primary focus, but having to juggle so many different things means none of them are ever truly developed.

Based on the plot summary and even the trailer, you are left expecting more than what the film gives you. There’s a lot of set up for what could be a big, emotional and dramatic payoff but it ends up being more of a whimper. There’s no real satisfying conclusion to Tom airing his secrets and trying to atone for past mistakes as the payoff isn’t as emotionally satisfying as the lead up promised.

Really the thing that makes you most emotional watching House of D isn’t the story, but the fact you’re watching Anton Yelchin and Robin Williams together on screen and after both of their untimely deaths. While the story leaves a lot to be desired, their performances don’t – especially Yelchin. Even in a film that’s not that great you’re reminded of what an incredibly young talent he was as you see him hold his own against the likes of Williams and Leoni.

The tone of House of D is a weird one. It’s a story that is often very depressing, but it also has scenarios where you’re not sure if you’re supposed to be laughing or not. A lot of this comes from Williams’ Pappass. Thanks to Williams’ comic timing and visual comedy, he is funny, but because his character is mentally disabled, there’s that conflict of are you supposed to be laughing with him or at him.

House of D is a sad drama and it’s one that isn’t particularly memorable. It’s messy and somewhat insulting and insensitive at times, and really Anton Yelchin is the standout and only diehard fans of him should seek out House of D. 2/5.

REVIEW: 5 to 7 (2014)

Twenty-four-year-old aspiring writer Brian Bloom (Anton Yelchin) embarks on a relationship with thirty-three-year-old Arielle (Bérénice Marlohe), the only catch is she is married with two young children and they can only meet between the hours of 5 to 7 each evening.

5 to 7 is a sweet romantic film that is elevated by the performances and chemistry between the leads. Brian could easily be an annoying would-be writer, putting off going to law school in order to “follow his dream”, but Yelchin has this effortless charm that makes Brian an idealistic romantic. Arielle is the more complex and interesting of the two of them, she’s up front with what she wants and the rules of their relationship. Seeing Brian and Arielle’s relationship grow is surprisingly beautiful.

Glenn Close and Frank Langella are Brain’s parents and while they aren’t in the film much, when they do make an appearance, they are hilarious, Langella especially. Their reactions to Brian and Arielle’s relationship is very realistic as they care about their son and don’t want him to get hurt, but can also see that he’s happy.

The directing, cinematography and music is all top notch and the film shows New York City at its most picturesque.

5 to 7 is unexpectedly lovely. The way the story unfolds as these two people fall more and more in love is both touching and wistful. 5 to 7 is an intriguing take on love, and how there can be so many different types of it and you can encounter it when you least expect it. 4/5.

REVIEW: Rudderless (2014)

When his son Josh (Miles Heizer) dies, Sam (Billy Crudup) stumbles across a box of his demo tapes and lyrics and starts to perform them. Soon he finds himself in a band, trying to use his son’s music to find some piece.

Rudderless is directed and co-written by William H. Macy (who also stars in the film as the owner of the bar Sam performs at) and for his directorial debut he puts together a great film. It’s filled with soft lighting, brilliant performances, wit and emotion.

The script has its twists and it deals with a heavy subject matter but all the cast handles it brilliantly. While it is sometimes a film that tugs on your emotions, it also has humour and vibrant characters that all feel like real people with their own problems.

So much of the emotion in the film comes from the music. It’s where Sam finds a connection with his son and where he finds a lovely yet unexpected friendship with fellow musician Quentin (Anton Yelchin). The songs are all fantastic and it’s the first time I’ve bought a films soundtrack in ages. Each song is touching and they are all well performed, Crudup and Yelchin both have great voices and chemistry both hen performing a song together and in just about every scene they share.

Rudderless is one of those films where I don’t really know how to describe it – it’s full of wonderful characters, a touching story and it is something special. It’s a hidden gem and I feel it’s a film that’s best to go in knowing as little as possible. Rudderless really is a delightful film. 4/5.

Y is for Anton Yelchin

Anton Yelchin was one of the actors I’d go on an actor-binge for, just buy and watch films only because he was in them never really mind the genre or reviews. I watched Charlie Bartlett (2007) that way and Middle of Nowhere (2008) which I watched last year and it really is a delightful film.

I think the first film I saw him in was Star Trek (2009) and he made a wonderful Chekov and he was instantly my favourite character. The same year Terminator Salvation was released and while it’s not the most liked film in the franchise, I enjoy it and think Yelchin made the best young-Kyle Reese. It was great because you could see the baseline for the man he’d grow up to be aka Michael Biehn in Terminator (1984).

I don’t know where I got it from but downloaded music from Anton Yelchin’s band – The Hammerheads. It’s loud and manic, very different to what I’d usually listen to but I do like it. I do love Yelchin’s vocals, and another great thing about Green Room (2015) besides it being a brilliant film, is you get to see some of Yelchin’s musical talent on screen.

Anton Yelchin was a really talented actor and it hurt when I heard of his death via social media. It was one of those that I didn’t believe and was in denial about until the news as being picked up on other sites. It was such a freak accident and I couldn’t believe it. His was the first “celebrity death” that really hit me and made me cry. I think it was not only because he was super talented and one of my favourite actors, but because it was such a shock giving the circumstances of his death and how young he was.

I’ve still got unwatched films of his, for an actor so young he’s made a hell of a lot of films, so it’s nice to go back and see him on screen.

REVIEW: Middle of Nowhere (2008)

middle-of-nowhere-2008-posterWhen Grace (Eva Amurri Martino) realises her irresponsible mother (Susan Sarandon) hasn’t paid of the credit cards that she took out in her name, thus running her chances of getting funding for college, she teams up with her summer job co-worker Dorian (Anton Yelchin) in his scheme to make money from selling marijuana.

Middle of Nowhere has some great performances and some believable and relatable teenage characters. While Dorian and Grace are good friends it doesn’t mean they don’t fight and fall-out with each other, but again, just because they fight doesn’t mean they won’t still look out for and still care about each other.

Middle of Nowhere doesn’t go in with all the usual clichés for coming-of-age films and it is very true to life because when you find out that someone has hurt you it doesn’t always turn into a huge shouting match. Sometimes, you have to hide the fact you’re hurt and then just get over it. Also sometimes you might kiss someone and then you go back to being exactly as you were, you neither never talk to them again nor suddenly realise they are the love of your life.

Grace’s younger sister Taylor (Willa Holland) is also a great character and manages to be her own person and avoids being the “annoying younger sister”. Grace cares about her, and so does Dorian. There’s a scene where Taylor ends up at a party with Dorian because he has drugs to sell and when she gets into trouble he reacts and helps her even though it could potentially put himself at risk. Yelchin, Holland and Martino all have amazing chemistry which is important because the film pretty much rests on their performances and relationships.

Middle of Nowhere is a hidden gem; it’s teenage characters are relatable as they struggle with parents’ expectations and figuring out what they want to do with their lives. With great performances and a lovely soundtrack, Middle of Nowhere is worth checking out. 4/5.

REVIEW: Odd Thomas (2013)

odd thomas movie posterSmall town cook Odd Thomas (Anton Yelchin) isn’t exactly normal. He can see dead people and sense when something bad is about to happen. When he encounters a mysterious man (Shuler Hensley) with links to dark forces, Odd must do something before the whole town is under attack.

Odd Thomas is a supernatural, horror film but it also fun and full of surprises. While it’s got a lot of death and evil creatures, Odd Thomas is more of a mystery really as Odd tries to figure out what’s going to happen to the town and when. All the strands of the mystery are there; some are more obvious than others but it doesn’t take anything away from the twists and turns.

The CGI in Odd Thomas isn’t the greatest but it is used sparingly and as the focus is more on the characters than big action-set pieces, the dodgy CGI doesn’t pull you out of the film too much.

One of the highlights of Odd Thomas is the characters. They are all likeable and believable and they actually communicate with each other. The fact that Chief Wyatt Porter (Willem Dafoe) knows about Odd’s supernatural gift means that Odd actually has help in catching bad guys and has someone to cover for him from the rest of the police department. Odd’s girlfriend Stormy (Addison Timlin) also knows about Odd and supports and helps him when she can as well as being the voice of reason when he’s being reckless. So often in films about a guy with special abilities who must save the world, he keeps everything a secret from the people he’s closest too, causing unnecessary problems and conflict – Odd Thomas manages to avoid this cliché.

Odd Thomas is a fast-paced, mystery/horror film with likeable characters. It packs an emotional punch and is well-worth a watch. 4/5.

REVIEW: Star Trek Beyond (2016)

star trek beyond movie posterWhen responding to a distress signal in the far reaches of uncharted space, the crew of the USS Enterprise a drawn into a trap by the ruthless and mysterious Krall (Idris Elba). Stranded on a barren planet, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and his crew must work together to find a way to save the universe.

What Star Trek Beyond gets really right, is the characters. The crew of the Starship Enterprise are supposed to be like a family and that really comes through here. It helps that unlike the previous two Star Trek films where they were primarily focused on the relationship between Kirk and Spock (Zachary Quinto), this time they and the rest of the crew are split up into teams that you don’t normally see. It’s a clever move by script writers Simon Pegg and Doug Jung as it allows the film to explore different character dynamics and still gives each character time to shine.

When Scotty (Simon Pegg) ends up stranded, he meets Jaylah (Sofia Boutella), someone who has also been stranded and is fighting to survive. Jaylah is a brilliant character. She’s a badass, she’s funny and she’s also really interesting. She fits in well with the crew of the Enterprise and while she may be a new character, there is neither too much focus on her nor is she pushed into the background.

One of the best character dynamics presented in Star Trek Beyond is that of Bones (Karl Urban) and Spock. They must work together and you see how their personalities clash but they still respect each other. Both Urban and Quinto are funny and give great performances. While Chekov (Anton Yelchin), Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and Sulu (John Cho) may have less to do than their crewmates, they all still shine and have a moment or two of awesomeness. To be honest, one of the best things about the rebooted Star Trek movies is the casting – it has been spot on and each actor brings a lot to their role even when the script doesn’t give them so much.

The script really is great as it combines action, humour and the heart of Star Trek which is hope and unity. There’s never a dull moment in Star Trek Beyond because the film starts right in the middle of a mission and from there there’s always something happening. Justin Lin does a great job directing. He has proved with his outings as director of four of the Fast & Furious films that he can handle action sequences but with Star Trek Beyond there are also quieter moments where the camera barely moves at all. Plus, like the Fast & Furious franchise Star Trek, in amongst the explosions and death-defying situations it really is all about family.

Krall is an interesting villain. He’s foreboding yet pretty mysterious throughout most of the film but when his motivations become clear it offers another layer to his character and everything he has said and done previously makes even more sense. Idris Elba is two of the most threatening and potentially scary villains this year, Krall and Shere Khan in The Jungle Book, and both times you don’t really see his face. That’s some acting.

Star Trek Beyond was truly wonderful. Full of action, humour and brilliant character moments. It is definitely one of the better Star Trek films, not just in the rebooted series but including the previous ten Star Trek films as well. 5/5.