Monday, September 30, 2013

Month 45 Status Report

Ah, September, you cruel bitch.

I took out 29 films in September, but ended up further away from the end than when the month started. That's because of the massive update to The List that happened a few weeks ago. I currently stand at 47 films left to review, which makes the end of November completely within the realm of possibility. That's pretty cool, since it's fewer films in October and November than I typically try to do. My standard goal in any month is 25.

What this means is that a secondary goal of mine, reviewing all 86 of the Best Picture winners in Oscar history, is within reach by the end of the year. I have only nine left--technically only eight, since one of those is already written and waiting for when I don't have a chance to put up a new review. That film may well go up tonight, because I probably won't get a new one done today.

So far, the new additions have been a mixed bag. Of the 47 left, 28 are new additions, so we'll see how those go soon enough. I feel a little guilty about focusing solely on the new films.

9 comments:

  1. "I feel a little guilty about focusing solely on the new films."

    But all those shiny new toys are hard to resist, aren't they? They're calling out "Steeeve. Come look at us. Aren't we interesting?" :-)

    Maybe this will help. Try either Real Life or The Last Seduction from among the ones on the original list that you haven't seen yet.

    From the additions you've still got Distant Voices, Still Lives to see, right? That's one of the ones that you can't get from Netflix but is on Youtube at the moment. Not that I'm saying you should run out and watch it. It was one of the seven additions that I didn't like.

    And on a related topic, Cavalcade is the only Best Picture winner that isn't available on DVD. It's also on Youtube right now. Other than this it's not a "run out and see it" kind of movie, although I didn't dislike it, either.

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    1. They are shiny and new, and it's why the next few reviews will be new additions as well. However, I made sure to check out an old entrant for later this week, and my next arrival from NetFlix is one that's been on The List for some time.

      Distant Voices is on deck for later this week. That leaves only Hana-bi as a difficult one, and I'll put in a request for it within the next seven days.

      I'm aware of Cavalcade. That'll be one I take out very soon, even if I don't post it for some time.

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  2. I watched Cavalcade on YouTube. I think it is in parts but still watchable. It is not the worst Best Picture winner by far. I would give that title to Cimarron, though I have yet to see The Greatest Show on Earth. Hard to think that anything could be worse than watching Richard Dix "act" for a couple of hours.

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    1. I've got a few Best Picture winners that are critically acclaimed that I dislike a lot (i.e. The English Patient). Leaving those aside, I feel the worst Best Picture winner in terms of quality, acting, songs, story, etc. is The Broadway Melody of 1929. Cimarron, The Greatest Show on Earth, and Cavalcade are cinematic triumphs next to it.

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    2. The five I haven't seen are:
      The Broadway Melody of 1929
      The Great Ziegfeld
      Hamlet
      Tom Jones
      Driving Miss Daisy


      The three I need to rewatch for reviewing are:
      Oliver!
      The Last Emperor
      A Beautiful Mind


      Going My Way is written, but not yet posted.

      So far, my bottom five are (worst to almost worst) Gigi, The Sound of Music, Around the World in 80 Days, The Greatest Show on Earth, and Cimarron. Regarding Cimarron, I thought it was completely appropriate that it starred a guy named Richard Dix, or Dick Dix, as I call him.

      For reference, my favorite five, top to bottom are Casablanca, Amadeus, No Country for Old Men, The Bridge on the River Kwai, and Lawrence of Arabia.

      When I get them all reviewed, I'll rank them all. I have a feeling Broadway Melody might slide into that bottom 5.

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  3. Interesting that the first Oscar ceremony really had two Best Pictures- "Sunrise" as Best Picture, Unique and Artistic Production...and "Wings" as Best Picture Production. Wings is usually referred to as the Best Picture winner from that year, but obviously Sunrise is considered a much better film. I confess I haven't gotten around to seeing either yet.

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    1. For what it's worth, I thought Wings was much more impressive.

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  4. Hey, best of luck on finishing THIS MONTH!! Like you, I was dismayed to see the major revamp of "the list" in September, and like you, I started with the new entries first. I had seen 1/3 of them, but still went from 91% complete to 89% complete overnight. 112 films to go. All the best, and keep those reviews coming. Bruce

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    1. In a way, it gets more difficult when you get close. I've found it's taken a lot more focus to get through these last films than it did when it felt like I had so much choice.

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