Ryan McNeil
So it would appear as though the running goal of 400 films watched in 2011 is well in hand. In hindsight, I wouldn’t have minded seeing a few more first-timers than 168…maybe that can be next year’s goal (after all, Marya Gates managed to get in 1000 of ’em this year!).
But back to what was watched, as opposed to thinking about what wasn’t. There are a few films I’m still anxious to see theatrically this year, including a pair by some of my favorite directors – David Fincher and Cameron Crowe.
As is my habit, I found myself gearing up for WE BOUGHT A ZOO and THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by pulling all my old Crowe and Fincher films from the shelf to re-watch. I know, it seems like compulsion…does anyone else do this or is it just me?
Along the way I also got out to see another screening in advance thanks to my sis-in-law, and doubled back to a summertime hit that I’d skipped upon release.
Here’s The Week at Hand…
Screenings
CARNAGE – Who knew Roman Polanski could do comedy so well?
Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Never Seen
THE HELP – Much better than I thought it’d be. Look for a post on it tomorrow.
Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Watched Before
ELIZABETHTOWN – Messy as hell, but there’s still quite a bit about it I like.
JERRY MAGUIRE – It’s been ages since I watched this, and Lordy has it held up a lot better than I’d have guessed.
JUNO – Watching this again, I have to wonder if the backlash was a bit too harsh.
VANILLA SKY – This might well be Crowe’s most visually stylish film.
ZODIAC – As the week ended it was time to move from Crowe to Fincher. This might be his most underrated film.
Boxscore for The Year
226 First-Timers, 168 Re-Watched
394 Movies in Total
How’s about you – seen anything good?
I still think Elizabethtown is shit although I think it would’ve been a worse film if Ashton Kutcher was cast as the lead.
This week, not a lot for the time being as I’m watching We Need to Talk to Kevin right now via screener. This week, I saw The Descendants, Hunger, and Mouchette while I also re-watched Lord of the Rings: Return of the King which was on TV. I love that trilogy. BTW, which version of Zodiac did you see? The Theatrical or Director’s Cut?
I own the director’s cut, but I’m not certain that I’ve ever watched that version – should I bother? I’m a fan of the film and all, but it already felt like Fincher said everything he wanted to say.
I cannot wait for KEVIN to hit screens up here – it’ll be one of those year-end holdovers that make my january much more palatable.
It has been another slow week.
The Jackal – The Bruce Willis/Richard Gere one and I got to say it was better (entertaining) than I could imagine.
However, on thursday I’ll screen The girl with the dragon tattoo.
I can’t recall, did you like the original Tattoo?
I liked it better than the book. I’m not that stoked about the remake since it feels very much like a shot-by-shot remake but I worked on the Swedish crew so thats why I get to see it earlier.
Nice! We’ll have to compare notes next week…
I’m always tempted to say Zodiac is Fincher’s best film. Even if Fight Club is more entertaining.
SE7EN is better than both of them.
I can never accurately judge the film because I had the ending blown for me before I watched it.
There’s lots more to love about that film besides “the twist”.
Oh, I completely agree, but it does color one’s perception when you already know the end.
Another slow week…
Timecrimes: I didn’t love it as much as I was supposed to.
The Best Years of Our Lives: A truly amazing film that still holds up 65 years later.
The Graduate: Had I watched this 20 years ago, it might be one of my favorites.
Last Chants for a Slow Dance: Jon Jost’s ultra-indie is weird and disturbing and worth a look if you can find it.
M*A*S*H: If Altman hadn’t made The Player, this would be his best film.
I love how we’re calling five-film weeks “slow”.
I’ve never even heard of Slow Dance – might have to go chase that one down. As for M*A*S*H, that’s an all-time fave, if only for the line “Colenol, fair’s fair: If I nail Hot Lips and hit Hawkeye, can I go home too?”
Based on the blazing speed at which you put away films, a five-film week is slow. You’re already at a solid hundred films more than I’ll watch this year, with three weeks to go in the year.
Amateur.
I kid. I wager you make up for the imbalance by actually having a life. Trade ya!
I’ll end up with just under 300 reviews on the year, I think. I’m at 280 right now. I’m certain I’ve watched more, but those are the ones I have definite proof of seeing.
As for a life, I teach for a living, so…
I vote in 2012 you keep a complete tally – perhaps by doing a weekly post something like this. Oddly enough, this has become the feature that consistantly lands me the most amount of chatter from my readers. Go figure.
I saw Vanilla Sky when I was like 10 and it was (and probably still is in my head) the most nonsensical film I have ever seen.
Slow week- Firsts:
Certified Copy– I thought it was very beautiful and well-acted, but I don’t love films that make me feel stupid while watching them, because I seriously felt that I was missing something.
We Need to Talk About Kevin– Brilliant and so unsettling. Fab performances from Swinton and Miller.
Rewatched: The Tree of Life– I loved it so much more this time because I just gave up trying to understand the more obscure things and just gave into the beauty of it all.
LoTR: Fellowship of the Ring (Director’s cut)– I’m finally going around watching the extended versions. Love these films.
CERTIFIED COPY is sitting on my shelf just waiting to be watched. Hopefully I can get it in sometime soon, but with what’s shaping up to be a four-screener week coming up, it may have to wait a little while longer.
And another person who has seen KEVIN!! It’s like I’m being mocked all of a sudden.
First Time:
-The Goonies (I missed out on the bulk of the fun based on the fact I first saw this as an adult… but still a lot of fun)
-30 Minutes or Less (It was alright)
-Our Idiot Brother (…It was alright)
-Melancholia (The feel good movie of the year!… or something)
-Time After Time (Cheesy and totally ridiculous, but fun)
Re-Watch:
-Dead Man (Not as bad as I remember, but still really freakin’ weird. I still prefer Ghost Dog for Jarmusch)
-Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (one of my favorites of the year)
-Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief (I just needed something light and fun that night)
I’m of the opinion that THE GOONIES hasn’t held up all that well. I keep hearing suggestions to use it for my “Falling for The First Time” series, but continually veto it.
Slow week on account of exams and then a funeral. Next week should be an all-out binge, though.
First times:
WARRIOR: Unexpectedly brilliant and one of the few sports movies I really enjoy.
GALLANTS: Sasha sent me some Asian festival screeners like a year ago but they got set aside for awards season and ended up getting buried in a drawer. I’d wanted to see this for months and only realized it was among those screeners when I found them again. Movie was excellent, fantastic mix of comedy, action and a bit of pathos.
THE DESCENDANTS: Oh, if only I could sneak in and edit that damn prologue with the clunky narration this would be a perfect film. Manages to speak often in exposition yet leave all its crucial matters unsaid. Clooney gives an old-school, almost Cary Grant-like performance of reserved pain, and the supporting cast won me over as much as the parade of talent for TINKER TAILOR. Initially shaky but ultimately beautiful.
Re-watch
INCEPTION: I still get a kick out of the actual dream heist, which is good since that constitutes about an hour-and-a-half of the 2.5-hour movie, but man does a lot of stuff fall apart barely a year later. That Mombasa sequence is visually and narratively incoherent and ends up killing the momentum rather than overcoming the hour of exposition as intended. Would probably dock a full star from my original rave.
I agree on Inception. It doesn’t hold up nearly as well on repeated viewings.
Damn man – looks like one stellar week of watching. I’m still very much a lover of INCEPTION (including that Mombassa sequence). I think what you’re seeing is a return to earth after the heavenly praise that film got last summer. Crazy what hype can do to something, ain’t it?
I just posted up my version of this post…
had 5 new films this week putting me up to 242 first time watches for the year so far.
Zodiac is my fav Fincher film (still not ready to put up The Social Network against it)…
fav film of the week for me is THE MUPPETS 🙂 AM I MAN OR A MUPPET!!!
242 for the year, but how many including re-watch?
I was actually talking about this chronicle with a fellow blogger at the bar this week, and we realized that my yearly tally might be closer to 700 or so if I didn’t watch any TV shows. Scary, ain’t it?
all of the 242 are first time views only…
I’ve never kept track of how many times I rewatch movies… would prob be double the number if I counted that (will probably start tallying that when next year begins). Also TV does take up a lot of time, I watch about 10 shows a week at any point in time and I’ve caught up with a lot of older shows this year (Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy)… so I see what you mean.
When you look at it at the end of the day you can’t blame someone for attempting to judge you going “how you spend so much time on this?”… I guess the only answer is I love it.
Not only that, but it’s inspiring you to create content about it, right? I’d rather someone told me they watched 500 movies in a year than tell me they spent 1000 hours hanging out in bars.
Keep it coming, and next year add repeat watches to the tally.
Back to the Crowe eh? I agree with you about Jerry Maguire. It hold up really well and is still a lot of fun (as are most of – if not all – Tom Cruise films are apt to be). And Vanilla Sky is harshly criticized I think. It’s a great ride and a visual treat… and Penny boobs of course.
I’ve had JUNO on my “rewatch and reconsider” list for some time and can’t get the strength to pop it in; despite owning it on Blu.
Dug out the Blu for Apocalypto last night and holy eating balls is that a fantastic film on every conceivable level!
And you’ve got me beat on viewings this year. I’m only at 116 first time watches. I don’t keep tack of rewatches, but I’m going to start doing that in 2012.
My tally is rigged by film festivals and podcast fodder. I wonder what number I’d land at if left to my own devices?
APOCALYPTO is one of those slightly maligned movies I keep meaning to watch (like SUNSHINE – though I have seen that now). Strikes me as the sort of film that’d look stellar on blu.
Do give JUNO another look now that most of the fervor has died off. I don’t think it’s nearly as overly-clever or slight as the backlash would have had us believe.