These are the perfect films to watch for every day of the year

Settling on a film to watch on a night in can be difficult.

You’ll say you don’t really mind what you see, then your partner will do the same. That should make it easier, but in fact the opposite is true.

Eventually the impasse ends and you suggest something, but you can tell from their face that they don’t really fancy it. They throw in a suggestion, but it’s something you watched last week without them and now you feel guilty.

If only there was a date-appropriate film you could go for. And, for once, we mean ‘date’ in the same way as Miss Rhode Island, rather than your standard dinner-and-a-movie definition.

Carphone Warehouse has compiled a calendar of films, one for each day of the year, with a specific reason for including each one.

The full list can be found here, but we’ve picked out a few of the best ones.

1. 1.Die Hard - December 24

   Sure, it might officially fall into the ‘not a Christmas film’ camp, but it’s still set on Christmas Eve. The 1988 classic might have been released over the summer, but that’s no reason to avoid it during the festive season.

2. 2.Home Alone - December 28

   Okay, this one’s set at Christmas and Christmas is relevant to the plot, so surely it counts as a Christmas movie. Kevin is left home alone (geddit! Like the name of the film!) when his family goes on a late-December trip to Paris, so even if the action of the film is often unrelated to the festive season, it absolutely still qualifies.

3. 3.Reservoir Dogs - January 25

   The world’s largest diamond was discovered on January 25, and if that sounds like too contrived a reason to watch this classic heist film then you’re simply not trying hard enough. Still as riveting as it was upon its release 25 years ago, Reservoir Dogs will be a great pick when you give it another chance in a few weeks’ time.

4. 4.Groundhog Day - February 2

   This one’s fairly self-explanatory. The first day’s action in Groundhog Day takes place on February 2. So does the second, the third, the fourth, and so on. You should probably watch this over and over on that particular day, from dawn till dusk.

5. 5.The Death of Stalin - March 5

   March 5 was when Stalin died. No-brainer, this.

6. 6.The Shawshank Redemption - April 6

   Quite a clever one, here. You might be scratching your heads to figure out the relevance of the date to the film, but April 6 is the start of the tax year, and tax returns play an important part in The Shawshank Redemption, in case you hadn’t heard.

7. 7.Star Wars - May 4

   May the fourth be with you, geddit? What’s that, you’ve heard the same joke every year for the last 20 years? Why not make it 21?

8. 8.The Dark Knight - June 26

   It’s the day on which Bruce Wayne’s parents are murdered (sorry, spoilers, but not really), so why not use the occasion to watch the best Batman movie of the recent crop. Don’t mention that one you were thinking of suggesting instead, because you’re wrong.

9. 9.Amy - July 23

   If you haven’t watched this brilliant documentary on Amy Winehouse, make up for lost time by giving it a viewing next summer on what will be the seventh anniversary of the singer’s untimely death.

10. 10.I Am Not Your Negro - August 2

    I Am Not Your Negro, based on the writing of James Baldwin, was one of the best under-the-radar documentaries of the last 18 months. You may well have missed it as the cinema, so make up for lost time on what would have been Baldwin’s 94th birthday.

11. 11.The 40-Year-Old Virgin - September 16

    September 16 is the date on which Steve Carell’s Andy, the virgin of the title, begins dating Trish in this Judd Apatow comedy. Watch this, then watch Carell in one of his more serious roles, and try to figure out how it’s the same guy in both.

12. 12.The Wolf of Wall Street - October 14

    If you’re looking for an excuse to rewatch this Martin Scorsese gem, why not use the anniversary of the 1991 Forbes article which introduced Jordan Belfort to a wide audience for the first time?

13. 13.Argo - November 4

    Sure, you might not want to wait another 11 months to catch this Oscar winner on the anniversary of the Iran Hostage Crisis, but if you want to follow the system then you’ll have to. Okay, fine, maybe sneak in another viewing around Christmas time if you’ve worked your way through your scheduled movies.

Just one final reminder that the full list of films can be found here. Plenty of time to plan your viewing for Christmas and beyond.

(Main image: Rex Features)