Well it was short sighted (and I am that) of me to think I could watch the entire IMDb Top 250 in a year. Yeah sure you could but when I was working off one list (a snap shot I took from January 1st 2013) the list was ever changing.
So I've not abandoned the list... but it seems more like a lifelong goal to keep up with the movers and shakers of the list. I mean right now "Let the Right One In" (2008) is not on the list, but was when I started this. To be fair I'd already seen that when it first came out but I was going to revisit it solely for the purpose of it crept up on the list.
Now its off the List I've put my plans to revisit it to the back of my mind, even though its a fantastic movie.
Another case in point, "Perks of Being a Wallflower" has disappeared and been replaced by "Arsenic and Old Lace". This happens all the time, but luckily I found sites which notes these changes.
(I'm preferring the latter as it has a more similar layout to that of the IMBd site and you can see clearly what new movies are in, and a nice feature of what past movies have been in the list for one day, but the Informer site lets you track what you've seen on that site if you register, so either or both is good. Though you can check-in to what you watch on IMDb itself so there's that...)
Where before I was trying to watch all movies, including those I'd seen before, now I'm concentrating on those I never have. (And not just those from the IMDb Top 250, just movies I've generally never seen... re- my last "List of Shame" post)
So in closing, no I've not given up, I've just changed the rules on myself.
I was reading a great article over at "Movies At Dog Farm" (go read, I'll be here waiting....) where Brandon posts his "List of Shame". To be fair to him his list is obscure and there's no shame in not having seen the movies he cites... unless your us. Yep a horror geek that feel the need to see the classics, the cheesy, the rare and mysterious.
This made me go look at what I'd watched this month so far... and yes we are 3 days in, but that's 3 days of Movie Geekness... and what had I watched... oh nothing but movies I'd never seen before.
Shadow People
Recent movie, sure and not even sure how I stumbled upon it on youtube. I've watched strange creepypasta-esque vids on youtube before but it was middle of the AM's on the 1st and I can't honestly remember how I found this. I saw Dallas Roberts was in it and he's cute so I gave it a go on that alone. I kinda liked it for the most part but its nothing I'd be all "YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!!" about. If you're interested in fake documentaries, cause they try to in the style of The Fourth Kind splice scenes in with the "actual" people its "based on" then give it a go, it's worth the one watch.
The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)
I guess I first remember hearing this referenced by Sidney and Dewey in Scream, and ever since wanted to see it. I thought I had years earlier saw it but that turned out to be 'Near Dark'... yeah I dunno how I could have ever confused the two either.
After having watched it... I wasn't exactly blown away by anything but its effects. I can see how this one had passed me by, but still so glad I can say I've seen it.
The Thing From Another World (1951)
Now this one I was ashamed to not remembering much of, sure I'd caught bits on the TV as a child but being on in the wee hours I remember falling asleep so I could never say I'd seen it.
I can't believe with my love of John Carpenters remake (yes I have the Fright Rags T-Shirt) that it took me until I'm 25 to see this.
Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957)
I hadknown of this movie purely by the poster for years and I love cheesy old sci-fi so I was glad to check this off the "Never Seen" list.
The Prowler (1981)
I scarcely knew of this movie, I'd seen a T-Shirt of it on Fright Rags, and knew little beyond that. I'm always interested in seeing old slashers that never got the sequels or infamy that the likes of Jason, Freddy or Michael got. So for being an old slasher I was glad for that alone to tick it off.
V/H/S/2 (2013)
I liked the first one and I really liked this one too. Sure some parts look so bad, like amateurs with camcorders bad but as a whole I like the anthology concept which hasn't seen the light of popularity in forever and if you are not enjoying one segment, don't worry another will be up in a few.
First up is "Phase I Clinical Trials" which is creepy but not creepy enough once they show you way too much but good use of an eye-camera I guess?
I think I liked the "A Ride in the Park" segment the best, because of my love of zombies. I liked the way that was filmed with the dudes helmet cam, and so we get to see part of the segment from the zombies perspective.
"Slumber Party Alien Abduction" was cool if a tad obvious in their alien design, maybe coulda came up with something original but still that poor dog.
"Safe Haven" was a whole load of awesome, and what-the-fuck!?! I'd recommend watching that segment alone if you're determined to skip the rest of the movie, not my favourite but perhaps the best.
Y'know even if you were a hater of the first one, just skip to the segments to give them a go in this one, the wrap around story is bad so FFW'd that if ya like but watch the end of it, that's kinda ok.
So I'm gonna try a week of it, movies I've never seen. So far I've got lined up... thanks to Brandon "Something Wicked This Way Comes", which I've wanted to see since I saw Reece Sheersmith mention it on some TV show... maybe one of those countdown 100 Best shows, I'm not sure since Mark Gatiss has done a few horror specials for BBC4 maybe it crept up amongst one of those. I remember Reece saying that he took inspiration for the circus coming to town in "The League of Gentlemen" with Papa Lazarou.
"Eyes Without a Face", always knew the poster and that it was "good" but never got my arse round to seeing it, oh but that will change... I hope.
I'm also gonna get my ass to see John Carpenters "In the Mouth of Madness". It crept up on some horror list, perhaps on BloodyDisgusting of "how many of these horror movies have you seen equals how much of a horror fan you are" and this was one of the few I hadn't seen. Again I've known of it since I was young but it never became a rental. Let's add "Lifeforce" to the list of movies from horror directors I've never seen too.
I also also want to see "Ice Cream Man", another poster I remember but my mother wouldn't let me rent it, and we rented lots of horrors... heck mostly horrors in my youth but she thought it looked bad, and yeah it does but I like bad. So I'm gonna get my ass to see that in the next few days too. And yes I use that tagline any time I have Ice Cream "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream" with friends, even though I've never seen the movie... shame on me. But more seriously, look at that poster, doesn't that scream awesome bad movie...? Well I hope so.
Oh and 'The Conjuring' came out this weekend here so I've got to go see that, really rather excited about that one.
What is on your own personal list of shame? Be it big block busters or genre obscurities that you know you should watch but somehow have managed to put off all your life... and any recommendations for me that I have to see, bring them forth and I will watch.
The time comes once more... there's to be a new Doctor. I'd be more than happy to wait until the Christmas Day episode to find out but that's not going to happen. And now I know we are all going to find out together on Sunday... I cannot wait!
I'm going to be glued to my tv on Sunday evening with the rest of the Whovian world to find out who is who next.
Wasn't it John Hurt at the end of the last episode? Or does he slot into the timeline before Christopher Eccleston. (Damn I loved me some "fantastic" Eccleston) Whatever, its sure to be a great 50th Anniversary episode and Christmas Changeover. And Moffat has promised to wrap his storylines up... But since we were given an episode called "The Name of The Doctor" and we got nowhere with that, I'm not holding my breath...
I still think his name is "Sweetie"
Here's what I'd like though... somebody I don't know. Yeah cast somebody I barely if not at all know. And if not that... someone from Harry Potter. Like
Tom Felton
Matthew Lewis
or Harry Melling (Purely because he is the grandson of 2nd Doctor Patrick Troughton) or make the Doctor ginger but it does not have to be our very own Ronald Weasley, because The Doctor wants to be ginger, he's never been ginger. Hey give us ginger and a girl.
This is purely selfish on my part, I'm not a Harry Potter fan, but I don't dislike it either. No but my sister is a big Harry Potter fan and casting someone from it would make her watch Doctor Who. Properly. Sure she's dabbled and owns a lovely Doctor Who bag but ever since David Tennant left nobody else in my family really watches it much. Shame on them, cause I bloody love Matt Smith.
I like to go into a new Doctor with little impressions, I want this new person to become the Doctor but if I can't have that give me someone who is a fantastic actor... and maybe someone my sister would watch. Who do you want to be The Doctor?
We go into a movie with prior knowledge, from trailers and stills and on-set reports and interviews and posters and reading the book or comic it's based on or having seen the original, all this information and expectations.
I try to keep my expectations low in the words of Otis B. Driftwood "So I'm never disappointed." But movies are hyped or a friend tells you its the most awesome thing and this only sets us up for a fall, for expectations to be dashed.
I often try to go into seeing a movie on gut instinct alone, with as little information as possible. Take 'The Conjuring' coming out here tomorrow, I've only seen two posters for it and literally sat in the cinema with headphones in during the trailers and eyes closed to avoid some trailers, this being one on them. I want to go in knowing nothing. All I need is, "Its a horror" and I like Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. That sold me on it. Nothing more. I did the same for the Evil Dead remake, and after I saw the movie I went and watched the trailer to see if I was justified in my strange behaviour of avoiding trailers... yes, yes I was. The trailer shows you all the "money shots".
Remember folks, the film-makers do not cut the trailer, that's the studio, they don't care if they spoil the movie for you, they don't care if the final shot is in the trailer (That Rec remake Quarantine... I'm looking at you.) Their goal is bums in seats.
But these thoughts made me realize something...
Its now August, yeah already huh? (Not long now til Second Christmas aka Halloween and then actually Christmas, of which I do already have technically two presents for, tickets to see Less Than Jake/Reel Big Fish co-head-liner tour) And I haven't changed my calendar yet... I wonder what beautiful bus it will be this month! (Yeah my mom bought me a calendar of Buses, its a thing we do, try to find the shittest calendar for each other possible, mine to her? I got her 'goats in trees'... check out Miss. December if you can... truly terrifying.)
You, gentle (or not so) reader, may have noticed I sorta kinda gave up on the IMDB Top 250, sort of... well yeah. And here's a little of why...
Y'see I have a problem with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 being in the IMDB Top 250, you can only enjoy it with a hell of a lot of prior knowledge.
I did not want to watch the last in a long series just to tick it off the list, me being me, would have to watch the whole series.
If one is in the list, the lot should be, like Peter Jackson's LOTR's and now the Hobbit, or none at all.
I'm not giving up on the list entirely, it is a fine list, for the most part. I have found it odd that where music is concerned I care nothing for the Top 40 or Billboard Chart, what's popular in music does not always seem to be good.
The difference I noticed with the "Top" lists of movies is they generally do tend to be good. Box Office numbers and "Best Of" lists do not coincide, but somewhere in the middle are lots of people out there with good taste. People going out in droves to see a new Transformers movie does not make it good... an example of box office and "good" not intersecting, but the success of Avengers is warranted, a good movie doing good business.
And case in point, the Avengers... can you see it without seeing all the movies leading up to it? I do not honestly know as I've came at it from a comic geek perspective and all the prior knowledge that entails.
If I remember correctly, and I do, a friend went to see The Avengers without seeing most of the previous movies, and him and his boys enjoyed the movie, I'm pretty sure his kids knew the other movies but he was oblivious when I asked about which previous movie he liked and he had only seen the first Iron Man.
Recently I saw the Wolverine, and I go in with my geek brain and it all makes sense, but does everyone?
I heard people and read people be confused by Prof. X rolling up at the end during the mid-credits scene... was I the only one that made it to the end of The Last Stand? (Yeah and I like that movie. Surprised? David Hine was too when I met him.)
And for those who haven't...
Even seeing Magneto floating shit in the airport answered the question that hung at the end of The Last Stand... did that chess piece move? Or no?
...and an aside, Hugh Jackman looks the most like a comic book Logan than he ever has before, supposedly he didn't consume any water for 36 hours prior to filming his shirtless scenes to make himself lose the "water weight" and look more "cut" and "trim" on camera, dude the headaches were worth it, he looks fierce.
So has anyone went into these movies without seeing the previous movies? Can you and enjoy them? I guess that's why by Saw V there was so much flashbacks and intertwining of timeline throughout the entire Saw series... they were made that way for the people that saw the previous movies once, the previous year in the cinema. Or perhaps the Rocky movies that start with the finale of the previous movie due to the audience not expected to have seen it just before going into the new movie, forget VHS the audience needed to be caught up again as they wouldn't have seen the previous movie since they first saw it. And forget what us Movie Geeks do now or what the cinemas provide, a marathon before the new movie. Before The Hobbit I went to a Lord of the Rings-a-thon, before The World's End coming out, fans could see Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and then The World's End in some cinemas.
(If you're a movie geek you know you do it too... before seeing The Dark Knight Rises, I re-watched Batman Begins and The Dark Knight... you know you did too.) But now movies don't need to do that, cause we have all the prior knowledge... we no longer need the recaps, the Sunset Beach effect.
I also started to pick up a lot of Eureka! releases (which do include some Billy Wilder, F.W Murnau, Fritz Lang, and Orson Welles) and I generally like to explore movies that are on the more obscure side of things. Sure it's good to say you've watched a lot of the Top movies of all time but I started to feel like I was just watching what other people said were good and not finding my own good movies. I got through a fair few and have generally seen most of them now, just not all in this year like I had planned to.
I'd roughly say out of the current list (not the one I was working from... remember it changes all the time) that there's about 30 that I haven't seen. Which ain't too bad I reckon. There's a few out of them that have been on my "To Watch" list for a while and for the effort I put in earlier in the year I'll try to get round to watching new entries on the list that were not there on my list from the start of the year.
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