Three Months Down... Only Four Films to Go.

Some of you may remember back in January when I challenged myself to watch 11 specific movies this year that I have been intentionally avoiding due to various personal reasons. Well, we've now reached April, and I thought it timely to check out how far I've gotten. Surprisingly enough, pretty far considering my various reservations.

Now, many of you are probably thinking to yourself, "that's it!?" But to be honest, I don't watch as many movies these days as I used to. Most of that is due to my desire to do multiple things at once, and constant changing tastes. Very seldom do I really take the two hours necessary to plop into a chair and become absorbed in the world of cinema. Which is equal part shame and lovely. On some level I've always thought of movies as a reward to myself for accomplishing various tasks. If they haven't been done, then I don't step into the foray of movies.

Either way, here is the list that I made all the months ago with the ones I've watched marked out.

• All About Eve
• Tokyo Story
• Das Boot
• La Dolce Vita
• Amadeus
• Straw Dogs
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
• Frankenstein (1931)
• Battle of Algiers
• Judgment at Nuremberg
• Aguirre, the Wrath of God

Now, I know that in and of itself tells you nothing about the experience of seeing those films. So let me break it down a bit more for you.

All About Eve: A bit misguided at points, but I appreciate what it does and found myself wholly captivated by the tale of deceit and woe it was spinning. A prime case of quality outweighing predictability.

Das Boot: Overly long, but its incredibly detailed nature helps keep this movie afloat, even when its characterizations falter. The question of whether or not it's a classic is indisputable, but I couldn't help feeling a grave disconnect from the story at hand.

Amadeus: My love for classical music and desire to absorb F. Murray Abraham through osmosis helped me through this epic work of cinema. Unfortunately its greatest strength is by turn also its greatest weakness - the performances. I can't say they were all so shining as FMA.

Straw Dogs: Something about Peckinpah's style that just didn't work for me here. His jagged and violent cuts felt almost overkill given the dark and unemotional nature of the narrative. Still, on the whole I found it gripping, to say the least.

Battle of Algiers: You know, I always find it captivating and sobering when I watch a movie decades old and find its relevance to modern times so transparent the fact that so few see it ought to lead all aware to tears. Still as relevant now as it was then, and still as powerful.

Judgment at Nuremberg: Amazing performances capped off by a true and trying tale. If you didn't know better, you could almost make a case that the performers were born to play each and every one of their respective characters.

Aguiree, the Wrath of God: Right... Yeah... Ummmm... Well, how about this one, eh? To be honest the three primary emotions I felt throughout this film were: boredom, disinterest, and hunger. However, I don't hold it accountable to the last one. The prior two on the other hand, it should suffice to say this movie failed to connect. However, it didn't fail to resonate. Which is more than I can say for most movies I watch throughout a calendar year.


So, how are you all doing on your New Year's Film Resolutions? Oh, and if you don't remember which 11 films you said you were going to watch, click here and scroll on down to the comments.