A Project

It's good to set yourself a challenge, so at the start of this year I decided to set myself the challenge of seeing 100 films over the ensuing 12 months. The only rule I gave myself is that these have to be films I've never seen before. Doesn't matter if they're new releases or golden oldies, as long as I've never watched them then they count.

Now, this challenge seemed pretty straightforward back in January, as this was when loads of good stuff was coming out in the cinemas in the lead-up to Awards season (my friend Rob always gets unfeasibly excited about the procession through the Golden Globes, the Directors' Guild and the BAFTAs, all the way to the Oscars, and especially if Kate Winslet's involved). However, since the middle of February, things have tailed off a wee bit. Anyway, here's how I'm doing so far. They're listed in chronological order of viewing:

1 - The Reader
2 - Slumdog Millionaire
3 - Serial Mom
4 - Of Time and the City
5 - Milk
6 - I've Loved You So Long
7 - Waltz with Bashir
8 - Revolutionary Road
9 - Frost/Nixon
10 - Doubt
11 - Rachel Getting Married
12 - Vera Drake
13 - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
14 - Election
15 - Mean Girls

- and that's where it stops for now. Did buy 28 Weeks Later cheap on DVD this morning. And I'm still vacillating over whether or not to go and see The Damned United. It's another Peter Morgan/Michael Sheen collaboration, and for some reason the former's writing and the latter's acting just don't impress me like they seem to impress everyone else. Plus I'm still feeling a bit deflated by the rather sketchy attempt to bring David Peace's Red Riding books to TV. Still, I'm one of these people who tend to cast, direct and soundtrack the TV/film adaptation whilst they're reading the book - then, when somebody actually goes and does it, the results are invariably a bit disappointing. Or if you watch the film, then go and read the book, you revise your opinion of the film, usually downward.

Anyway, I digress (I do a lot of that, so I apologise now for this and all future instances). I need a splurge as I've fallen badly behind schedule - should be up to about 25 by now. If anyone wants to make suggestions as to what else I could watch, old or new, they'd be greatly welcome.

Cheers!

Chris