#101 - Great Expectations

Like a lot of books to screen films this one is not as interesting or enjoyable when put on screen as it was on the page. What is good about it is that this movie adaptation of Great Expectations was very faithful to the book, however, it doesn't quite translate to the screen because it doesn't retain it's energy, and the film is flatter than the text on the page.

In addition, the performances were not attention grabbing and were rather stilted. They didn't bring the characters to life and I feel that when I was reading the book that my imaging of the characters in my head was more satisfying than the movie's portrayal.

This movie plodded along, and was rather boring. When I read the book I found the story riveting and a real page turner. When I read the story it flew by, but when I watched the movie it felt like it took forever to be over.

#99 & #100 - Captain Blood/The Adventures of Robin Hood

Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, and Basil Rathbone star in these two swashbuckling adventures that set a template or formula for all swashbuckling adventures to follow.

Captain Blood came first in 1935 and marked the first time Flynn and de Havilland were paired up. Both of them have classic good looks to spare and have fantastic chemistry. They seem natural and believable as love interests. As for Basil Rathbone, he is awesome as Flynn's adversary. He sets an example of what the "bad-guy" should be like.

As 1001 perfectly puts it: "This movie has everything you want from a swashbuckler: sea battles, and flashing blades, a dashing hero, an imperiled but plucky heroine, cutthroats, plumed hats, wrongs rights....it's super fun."



If you enjoy Captain Blood then watch The Adventures of Robin Hood. Flynn, de Havilland, and Rathbone are together in another enjoyable, fantastic, and fun "swashbuckler, costume romance."

Flynn is perfect as Robin Hood: handsome, athletic, and as 1001 says,"a light-hearted trickster one moment and a determined rebel the next." De Havilland is gorgeous and perfectly cast as the fairest lady in the land Marian. As in Captain Blood, the chemistry between her and Flynn is undeniable and watching them flirt with one another is so much fun. Basil Rathbone brings his evil "A" game as Sir Guy of Gisbourne.

This movie is a delightful adventure full of "sword-clashing and arrow-shooting battles" with a love story in between. Like Captain Blood, "it's super fun."

#98 - Philadelphia

This film is beautiful. It is artful, touching and entertaining. I may be a bit bias b/c I have spent a lot of time in Philly but, I found this to be one of the best films that takes place in Philly that I've seen.

For it's time "Philadelphia" was a revolutionary film. It was the first mainstream movie to tackle the subject of AIDS. In this picture, "Tom Hanks stars as Andrew Beckett, a homosexual Philadelphian lawyer who is fired by his firm after they discover he has AIDS. They claim to have fired him for being incompetent at work and so Andrew hires a homophobic, hotshot lawyer Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) who harbors many misconceptions about the disease."
(pg. 821)

From the 1st minute this film grabbed me. The opening scene/credit sequence is one of the most well-done credit sequences I've seen. As the credits roll, the viewer is treated to different views of the people, places, and well, the streets of Philadelphia. The sequence isn't just a treat for the eyes but a delight for the ears. As you see the sights of Philadelphia, Bruce Springsteen's beautiful song "The Streets of Philadelphia" serenades you. The opening is a perfect introduction for this film.

But, the greatness doesn't end after this opening sequence. This movie continues to be great all the way to the end. First, the performances are excellent and make you believe you are watching real life. Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington are magnificent. Casting or having a strong casting director working for him seems to be one of director Jonathan Demme's strengths. In one of Demme's more recent movies "Rachel Getting Married" the characters also seem real and are relatable. You feel like you know them and therefore care about them.

What also makes this movie so watchable is how it was shot. A majority of the time in this film is spent in the Philly Courthouse (Trivia: The courtroom scenes were filmed in an actual courtroom that the city let the producers used. It was not a set.) You'd think this would get repetitive & boring. However, it never does. Demme has us enter the courthouse from different vantage points, shows us different point of views in each scene, and keeps the dialogue interesting. The dialogue is mixed with emotion and humor that help advance the plot.

Another thing I like about how Demme shoots his movies is how he focuses close-up on people's faces and lingers on them. He allows the characters to use expressions or body language to convey emotion without telling us how they feel all the time. It gives the audience a richer and more intimate experience that helps make Philadelphia a very moving picture.

Philadelphia and Rachel Getting Married are two movies that caused me to get emotional b/c they had very relatable, flawed characters who just want to be loved for who they are, flaws and all.

#97 - Sideways

I settled in on a sunny afternoon and throughly enjoyed myself as I watched Sideways. This movie is thought provoking, funny, and emotional. A truely delightful little-film.

While it might be a "little film" (i.e. not a blockbuster) it has big performances from all four leads (Paul Giamatti, Thomas Hayden Church, Virginia Madsen, and Sandra Oh). There performances are what make this film shine. All four play their roles to perfection showing a range of emotions w/o being over dramatic.

This movie is a road-trip picture w/ a dash of mid-life crisis. Paul Giamatti and Thomas Hayden Church are great on screen as friends Miles and Jack, who on a tour of California's wine country a week before Jack is to be married.

As you might predict, some hilarity and awkwardness ensues. However, probably not exactly how you would think and w/ more heart then one might expect.

The script is great and if you are a fan of wine than this is a movie for you. I myself became more of a fan after seeing this enjoyable movie. It will leave you feeling like your time was well spent having watched it.

#96 - Bad Day at Black Rock

Going in I really thought I would like this movie. The concept of the movie has some "Lost" like qualities. However, for me "Bad Day at Black Rock" just fell flat. It has a great concept:




"It's 1945, just after World War II, and Spencer Tracy is a one-armed ex-army man who steps off the train in Black Rock, a remote California desert town. We don't know what he's come for, nor do the inhabitants. But they are hostile, and it soon becomes clear that they are hiding something." (pg. 308)

However, the execution is just not there. When the secret that the hostile town folk have been keeping is revealed it just doesn't really make an impact that I feel it should. The performances are unremarkable and overall it was just underwhemling.

I was disappointed because I expected to like this film. I somewhat question it's inclusion in the 1001 Movies you must see because it's not a very impressive, impactful, or entertaining movie.

#95 - The Graduate

"The Graduate" might have been scandalous in 1967 but by today's standards I don't really think it would be considered all that scandalous, considering that right now on ABC their is a show called "Cougartown."

Unless you've lived under a rock for some period of your life you know the story: Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) has just graduated from college, comes home and is spending lots of time contemplating what he's going to do with his life. All of this free time leads to him having an affair with his father's, partners wife Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) and then falling in love with her daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross).

Overall the acting is just okay. Dustin Hoffman is good and Anne Bancroft is pretty fantastic. However, Katharine Ross is very weak in her role as Elaine. There just isn't really any chemistry between her and Dustin Hoffman.

In my opinion, the real strength of this film is the sound and music. The sound or audio in many scenes is very effective. For example, when Dustin Hoffman is in his family's pool under water and we get to hear his perspective of "the world" above him, it really gives you an idea of how he is feeling in general about life: there is not enough silence or time for him to think. His parents and their friends are pushy & opinionated about what he should do with his future.

Secondly, the music is fantastic. All the songs throughout by Simon & Garfunkel are well placed, especially "The Sound of Silence" which accompanies the opening scene/credit sequence.

While this film didn't blow me away it was overall one of the better movies I've seen. It won't seem shocking or daring today. But, as your watching it you can see why it was scandalous or shocking in 1967.

#94 - The Matrix

I don't know how to describe "The Matrix".

It is not just a movie, not just one of the best films of the late 90's, it is an experience. Though it is a blockbuster type film, it is unlike most blockbuster-type movies I've ever seen. It geeks out in explaining "the tech" that the characters are using, which satisfies the sci-fi geeks (like me) and has plenty of great action and special effects to satisfy the mainstream movie-going masses.

This picture is combines with style awesome dialogue filled with mythologies and technology which the characters discuss at great length and stunning, breath-taking action sequences that have most likely influenced any sci-fi/action film that has been made since. Unlike other thoughtless blockbusters, "The Matrix" requires you to pay attention and frankly I don't know how you won't sit their engaged every minute of the movie.

What truly makes "The Matrix" enjoyable is that everything is fits including the fantastic techno-rock soundtrack that accompanies most scenes in the movie and in my opinion the cool "Alice in Wonderland" references that are made, which in my mind could elevate any film.

I'm not going to give away any plot and really any description of what happens would not do the film justice. Experience this sci-fi treat for yourself and then you'll know what I'm talking about.

#93 - The Big Chill

I realized as I watched "The Big Chill" this movie wasn't made for me or anyone of my generation. Joanna Berry said it best in her write-up about the film in "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die"

"Kasdan and Barbara Benedek's observant script captures all the idealistic feelings and disappointments of a 60's generation stuck in a far more materialistic 80's."



However, despite not being the target audience for this film, I found it to be enjoyable and felt the movie was successful in three ways.

The film starts out with seven friends reuniting for the weekend to attend the funeral for their friend Alex who committed suicide. After the funeral, they spend the weekend reminiscing about Alex and the past.

One way this film succeeds is that it's cast is very likable and engaging. Sarah (Glenn Close) and Harold (Kevin Kline) are quite believable as a married couple, who during the weekend put up their friends Sam (Tom Berenger), Michael (Jeff Goldblum), Nick (William Hurt), Karen (JoBeth Williams), and Meg (Mary Kay Place) who all do a very good job in this movie as well. It was especially fun seeing Mary Kay Place in a completely different role than the one she plays on the show Big Love as Roman's first wife.

Secondly, this movie seems like it was successful in giving adults a movie to see during the 80's about them. During the 80's John Hughes was capturing quite successfully the trials and tribulations of the teenage years. This film does the exact opposite with equal success in capturing the trials and tribulations of adulthood.

Lastly, this picture has a great soundtrack. Throughout the film, music is used quite well, particularly in two different scenes. First, at the end of the funeral, one of the friends gets up to play one of Alex's favorite songs on the organ, which happens to be "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones. As they drive to the burial plot the song plays and it fits perfectly with the dialogue and mood of the scene.

Secondly, Their is a scene toward the end of the film where they show everyone coming in and out of the kitchen on Sunday morning and the song "The Weight" by The Band is playing and it is just the perfect song for this particular scene.

Overall, I did find this movie enjoyable and worth watching. However, in my opinion, someone in their thirties would probably relate to and enjoy this movie more than I did.

#92 - The English Patient

Again, I must preface an entry with some information about my taste in films. Typically, I am not a fan of romantic movies (comedies, dramas, etc.) However, one of the exceptions to this would be “The English Patient.”

There are several reasons why this film is an example of a well-done dramatic, romantic, epic movie. First, the story is an intriguing one. As summarized by Angle Errigo:


“A severely burned and disfigured pilot (Ralph Fiennes) is found in the wreckage of his biplane in North Africa near the end of World War II. Apparently amnesiac, unidentified but presumed to be English, he is dying and in the care of French-Canadian nurse Hana (Juliette Binoche). Taking refuge in a devastated Italian monastry, they are joined by Willem Dafoe’s vengeful Canadian torture victim and two bomb disposal experts.” (pg. 864).

This is not only an interesting story, but is told in a very interesting way. As we watch the disfigured man being treated, follow what Hana, David Carraviggo (William Dafoe), and the bomb disposal experets are doing in the present, we also get to know this dying, unidentified man through a series of flashbacks that are interspersed with the present-day happenings.

As the disfigured man remembers his past we learn that he is Count Laszlo Almasy and that he is in fact Hungarian, not English. The memory that we witness is that of his time spent in Tuscany, Cairo, and the Sahara Desert in the late 1930s and 1945. the main focus of these memories amongst other events is the epic love affair he has with the married Katherine Clifton (Kristin Scott Thomas) that was both passionate and tragic.

The second reason this movie works is the casting of Ralph Fiennes as Count Laszlo Almasy and Kristin Scott Thomas as Katherine Clifton. In order for the affair between Laszlo and Katherine to work you need attractive people who can act. Ralph Fiennes is well-cast as Count Laszlo Almasy because he is both an excellent actor and good-looking. While, Fiennes is easy on the eyes, he also has the acting chops to handle the complex emotions that his character has at different points in the movie. Personally, I tend to find older or mature men attractive so; in this picture Ralph Fiennes is perfect.

In addition, Kristin Scott Thomas gives an first-rate peformance as Katherine Clifton. The role requires an actress who is beautiful, but who can play a strong and some-what complex women. Like, Fiennes, Scott Thomas fits the bill perfectly as she is both appealing to look at and capable of providing the right output of emotion to the various scenes.

However, perhaps what makes the torrid love affair work is the chemistry that Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas on screen. We believe that these two are in love throughout the flashbacks of their affair, and it becomes clear to the viewer in a scene with these two in a cave, during a sandstorm that an attraction to each other is developing.

Overall, the rest of the cast does a serviceable job in their roles. Besides Fiennes and Scott Thomas, the personal highlight for me in this movie is Naveen Andrews as one of the bomb disposal experts.


I am a huge fan of the tv show Lost and so it was a delight to see him in an earlier role.

One other thing about The English Patient worth noting is the gorgeous cinematography of John Seale. We are treated to majestic shots of planes flying over deserts filled with sparkling sand, as well as intimate scenes such as the previously mentioned cave scene. At times it’s quite breathtaking.

The English Patient is a film that definitely is elevated above most romantic-epics because it has an intriguing story, superb performances from Fiennes and Scott Thomas, and breathtaking cinematography.

#91 - Glory

Let me preface this entry by saying that the Civil War is not really a war that I find to be all that interesting. For whatever reason, Civil War is not really a war that I find to be all that interesting. unlike movies about WWII or aspects of that era in history, which I find to be fascinating. Nevertheless, Glory is a solid movie about the Union Army’s first all –black volunteer company and overall is a good “war film.”

This movie is compelling and interesting not only because of the subject matter, but the performance given by the cast in their portrayal of these soldiers. While there are many strong performances given by the cast in their portrayal of these soldiers. While there are many strong performances in this movie, in my opinion the real standout performances come from Denzel Washington (Private Trip), Andre Braugher (Cpl. Thomas Searles), and Morgan Freeman (Sgt. Major John Rawlins). All three actors give excellent performances in this film. One other notable performance is that of the multi-talented actor Cary Elwes. Elwes who I've seen in several other movies including The Princess Bride, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and Ella Enchanted does a fine job here in portraying Major Cabot Forbes.

The overall look and feel of the picture is superb. The battle sequences were executed masterfully with the right look and feel. In some war movies the battle sequences become "special effects extravaganzas" and while they might be impressive, those extravaganzas forget to include the reactions and the personal experiences of the soldiers. The battles in Glory give a great account of the "soldier experience", providing the viewer with close-ups of soldier reactions to the events occurring in the various battles.

The only weakness in this film is perhaps the casting of Matthew Broderick in the role of Colonel Robert Shaw. Though, I've liked Matthew Broderick in movies such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off he didn't really seem fitted for this particular part. Every time he was on screen I kept seeing Matthew Broderick, instead of seeing Colonel Shaw. Broderick does a serviceable job and I can't off the top of my head think of any other actor who would have been better suited. I just know that he wasn't quite the right man for this role.

Hollywood doesn't always hit the mark when it comes to war movies (ex. Pearl Harbor). However, when they get it right, the result is often a great tribute to those who served our country in the quest for freedom and justice for all. The movie Glory is one of the times Hollywood did hit the mark and the result is a glorious, stirring, and compelling piece of war cinema.

#90 - The Last Picture Show

Joshua Klein describes The Last Picture Show:

"As a eulogy for the previous generation of master filmmakers (like Howard Hawks or John Ford) as a new generation of youthful pioneers steered filmmaking in a looser, more visceral direction."(pg. 543).


“The Last Picture Show” is described as old-fashioned in a variety of reviews.

However, I think many of the experiences and the feelings of the characters during this quiet but, emotionally strong film are things we can relate to today.

At the start of the film it feels like you have drifted into Anarene, Texas (the setting of this film) with the wind and drift back out when the credits roll.

No major event takes place and the movie is not building up to a major crescendo. Rather, we watch the characters go through several different experiences and make decisions about their present and future.

This picture focuses the majority of it’s time on the young people of Anarene. In particular, we follow the trials and travails of Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) and Duane (Jeff Bridges). We follow them around as they try to find ways to pass the time as high-school graduation approaches.

Like most young males in many a coming of age movie we watch several awkward moments involving the opposite sex, and pining over/competing for the affections of the town beauty. Both get their chance with her and gain valuable wisdom from the experience.

One other very common theme in coming of age or movies focused on young people is losing your virginity. In this movie, the town beauty Jacy Farrow (Cybill Shepherd) is on somewhat of a quest to have sex and with the right guy. It seems that in many movies from Clueless to American Pie both boys and girls are often on a quest to get laid.

The one constant thing going on in this movie is the slow-death of Anarene. The town is slowly dying as people move away to big cities. As this happens, the already deserted-looking main street loses the small-movie house when it’s doors close forever. The closing of the town’s only movie theater leaves the youth of the town with even less to do than before.

Anarene has some of the stereotypical qualities small towns have on the big screen: everyone knows everyone and everything going on in their lives, not having much too do, etc.

Despite the stereotypes, this movie shines above similar small-town coming of age movies in two ways. One, the relationship that develops between Sonny and Ruth Popper (Cloris Leachman).

This is one of the highlights of the film. The scenes between these two characters are so well acted and filled with such strong emotions. Leachman is especially great and won a well deserved Oscar for her acting in this movie.

Another way this picture shines is in its cinematography. Filmed in black and white, you can almost feel the wind and the dust blow across your face.

As we meet all the characters and go to various parts of this small town we truly get a sense of what their lives are like. The town feels claustrophobic, dusty, and desolate. We are given visual evidence of this through the many abandoned storefronts, and the lack of people walking around town.

The look of the film combined with the slow but smooth pace really makes you feel all of the emotions the characters are experiencing such as sadness, feeling stuck, lost, and at times lonely.

“The Last Picture Show” is one of the better movies you can watch about teenagers as they come of age. It is an interesting portrait of a small town and the people who live there. In the end, this movie is elevated above some other similar coming of age and “small town” films because of the performances of the actors. They command your attention and keep you watching till the credits roll.

Part Five: 1001 Movies

No, I haven't seen all of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. However, I have seen 89 of the films that are listed in this book.

Yeah, I know....doesn't seem like I've seen many movies. I've seen way more movies than 89 movies in my lifetime...just not all them are listed in this book.

Here are the titles of the movies I've seen listed in alphabetical order:

American Beauty
American Graffiti
Atonement
Babe
Batman
Big
Blade Runner
Blazing Saddles
The Breakfast Club
Brokeback Mountain
The Butcher Boy
Casablanca
A Christmas Story
Clerks
A Clockwork Orange
Clueless
Crash
The Departed
Dumbo
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Edward Scissorhands
The Elephant Man
The Empire Strikes Back
The Exorcist
Fahrenheit 9/11
Fantasia
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Fight Club
A Fish Called Wanda
Forrest Gump
GhostBusters
Gladiator
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather
Grease
Groundhog Day
The Ice Storm
Into the Wild
It's a Wonderful Life
Kill Bill Vol. 1
The Lion King
Little Miss Sunshine
The Lord of the Rings (The Trilogy)
Meet the Parents
Memento
Moulin Rouge!
My Fair Lady
My Left Foot
Natural Born Killers
Once
Pan's Labyrinth
Pinocchio
Pretty Woman
The Princess Bride
Pulp Fiction
The Queen
The Quiet Man
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Return of the Jedi
The Royal Tenenbaums
Saturday Night Fever
Saving Private Ryan
Say Anything
Scream
Se7en
The Shawshank Redemption
The Silence of the Lambs
Singin' in the Rain
The Sixth Sense
The Snake Pit
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The Sound of Music
Stand by Me
Star Wars
The Ten Commandments
There will be Blood
This is Spinal Tap
Three Kings
Titanic
To Kill a Mockingbird
Top Gun
Toy Story
Trainspotting
West Side Story
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
The Wizard of Oz
Young Frankenstein

I have only linked a select # of the movies that are listed above....ones that have become favorites of mine or that I really think are worth at least one viewing. That being said I think that with the exception of a few movies all 89 listed above are worth at least one view.

One thing I noticed as I was checking off the movies I've seen is that I have seen none of the movies in this book whose titles start w/ an "H", a "U", a "V", an "X", or a "Z." I found that to be quite interesting.

Well, let the movie watching commence...coming up in the next two entries are reviews/analysis of the movies: The Last Picture Show & Glory.

Part Four: Overview of the Book

In this entry, I have decided to provide everyone with a general overview of the book "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die." I figure it would be good for anyone reading this to know how it's organized and to have some basic knowledge about the source material I am using for this personal challenge.

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die is essentially a gigantic movie list put together by a group of various contributors: movie experts, reviewers, journalists, etc. The cover page lists a general editor (Steven Jay Schneider) rather than an author for the book. The book begins with a forward, an introduction, and a film index & checklist (organized in alphabetical order) of all the movies.

The book itself is organized by decade starting with 1900 and ending with 2000. The oldest movie (Le Voyage Dans La Lune - A Trip to the Moon) was shown in 1902 and the most current movie featured in the book (Atonement) came out in 2007.

Each film featured in this book has a list general information (country of origin, director, producer, screenplay, photography, music, cast, and if applicable award info) accompanied by a paragraph (sometimes more) that has been written by one of the contributors of the book about the movie.

They are not strictly reviews of the movie(s) rather these paragraphs or pages provide you with some great information about various aspects of the film and most importantly explains why you should watch the film.

At the end of the book their is a page about the contributors, a genre index, and a directors index. All the different indexes are helpful in finding out if a certain title is featured in the book or not.

This is a really great reference to have if you are a fan of movies or are in a rut and are trying to find some good movies to watch.

Coming up in Part Five I will reveal the # and the titles of the films out of the 1001 Movies featured in the book.

Part Three: The Execution

You know what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. Now on to the how.

Julie set up a timeline of a year. I am not going to set up a timeline per say. However, I do plan on aggressively attacking the list of movies in a somewhat thoughtful way.

1.) Netflix - With my subscription to Netflix, I plan on getting the movies that are not on demand or being shown on any of the # of movies channels available to me through digital cable. They don't have everything but, a pretty deep selection so I should be able to get lots of the titles through them.

2.) On Demand - 3 different on demand sections carry movies that are no additional cost to me

• Free Movies - Spotty at best, only sometimes can I find titles their
• HBO - Often have some great titles for more recent movies
• Encore - A mixture of old and new movies
  

3.) DVR - Through digital cable I get many movie channels and have the capability of DVRing movies that I find on those channels. Besides Netflix, this will likely be my most useful asset in accomplishing my goal.

Now, that I've established where I will get access to the movies, we move on to the order in which I will watch them in.

Basically, I don't plan on setting up a very rigid order to watch the movies in. One reason is that some movies are better to watch at certain times of the year. For example horror/scary movies I will wait and watch in October and Military/War movies I will be waiting till May in honor of Memorial Day or November in honor of Veterans Day to watch.

Secondly, there are different movie marathons/themed months that come along and they may dictate what movies I watch. For example, during February Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has their 31 Days of Oscar. During these 31 days the channel show movies that were either nominated for or won Oscars.

So, this will dictate the films I watch in February and they will not be all the same genre. If I watch a particular marathon/themed movie month, night, week, etc. I will reveal that in my blog entry(s) and post links, info about it.

Lastly, if those three avenues fail me in getting hold of a particular title I shall see if a friend or family member owns whatever title I am looking for or see if my local public library system has any movie I struggle to get a hold of.

So, we have the what, the why, and the how. In Part Four, I shall give an overview of the book I am using and in Part Five I will list the movies I have seen.

Part Two: What is the Point?

You know the what and maybe your wondering why do such a thing? I want to blog about my experience watching all these movies for a few reasons.

1.) I want to remember and be able to record what I thought about each movie when I am done watching it so, if someone asks me about it, perhaps I will better remember what I thought about it.

2.) I want to share w/ other people my love of movies and to hear what they think of the movies I have watched and share their opinions.

3.) It will be a personal challenge as I am not a huge fan of some of the genres in the book (in particular horror) so I will be watching quite a few movies I probably wouldn't have thought of watching before.

This mission, like Julie's will hopefully enrich my life in someway...yes, it's not the same or as challenging as cooking all different kinds of food. But, like attempting to cook all that food interested Julie, watching all these different movies I've never seen or heard of interests me.

You may be wondering how watching tons of movies would enrich someone's life? Truthfully, I'm not sure of how it will either. But, I am willing to take the time to find out and see. All I know is even if it doesn't make me better a person, it probably won't make me any worse of one.

Now you know why....In Part three, I shall discuss how I plan to execute my personal challenge.

Part One: The Mission

Greetings fellow movie watchers, lovers, etc. I love movies and am pretty sure I am a movie junkie. Not only do I love watching movies but, I love discussing them, analyzing them, reading movie magazines/movie lists, etc.

For Christmas, my parents got me the book Movies You Must See Before You Die. It is the 5th anniversary edition.

While I have seen some of the movies, I have decided a la "Julie and Julia" is to watch all the movies listed in the book I haven't seen and blog my review/thoughts on the each movie.

Please Note: If you haven't seen the movie or read the book, the basic concept is that a girl named Julie Powell decided to cook all the recipes in the Julia Child cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She blogged about her experiences w/ cooking each dish and about her life somewhat in comparison to Julia Child).

In Part Two, I shall expand on why I have decided to do this.