UPDATED 4/7/10
Growing up I used to watch my favorite movies over and over until they seeped into my bones. I can still recite Heaven Can Wait or China Syndrome verbatim (and I often do). In college I liked to watched three movies a day: one in the theater, one in film class and one on VHS in the dorm.
But as I’ve gotten older and busier and more addicted to internet porn, my cinema intake has dwindled dramatically.
So in the spirit of if not now, when?* and because I’m supposedly a “filmmaker”, I have made a solemn commitment to watch at least one movie a day during the month of April. This may not sound impressive to a lot of you Gen Y media hounds but guess what I don’t need to impress you so get off my back.
I’m planning out the titles in advance. A mix of classic, recent, current, foreign, domestic, arty and farty–movies I’ve been meaning to see over the years but never got around to (except one per week I’ve seen before but was very young and/or asleep and/or in a drive-in making out with Jenny Hovis so don’t remember it.)
Some of these are showing in theaters, others I’ll watch on DVD or in friends’ home media rooms with recliners and root beer (but on the last night, to celebrate, the “root” is going away and it’s gonna be straight up “beer” – YES…GET READY!)
It’s not in stone so if you have a suggestion of something I HAVE to see let me know. Or if something is playing in NYC (or L.A. April 5-14).
Because of the anticipated intense public interest in this amazing project I will be publishing a 900 page coffee table book about my experience and there will be an HBO special about it as well as an exhibition at the Smithsonian.
THE LIST:
WEEK 1
Th 4/1 – AN EDUCATION
Watched alone, in my office on DVD at 9am. As a morning person I particularly enjoyed the experience of watching a movie this early. Performances were amazing.
Fr 4/2 – TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
I’d seen this when it came out but I was 13 and barely remembered it. Wow does it hold up. Watched at home with my wife and her mom. Laughed laughed laughed then sobbed sobbed sobbed.
Sa 4/3 – FANTASTIC MR. FOX
Again watched at home with my wife. Fabulous!
Su 4/4 – (postponed)
Had a big family day and then packed for traveling then passed out. Any day I miss I’ll make up at the end.
WEEK 2
Mo 4/5 – (postponed)
Planned on watching a movie on the flight to L.A. but was working and ran out of time. I suck.
Tu 4/6 - (postponed)
Played squash after work then sat down to watch a movie in my hotel in L.A. but passed out. Oops. This is hard — I didn’t expect to be working so much (editing “Childrens Hospital” which debuts this summer on Adult Swim) so it’s harder than I thought to schedule the time!
We 4/7 – ACE IN THE HOLE
Tonight my friend Jason graciously offered to host a group of friends to watch “Down By Law” in his lovely home theater. My only job was to bring the DVD. But I screwed that up. So we instead watched this awesome Billy Wilder movie that most of us hadn’t seen. Movie month is back on!
Th 8 – METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER
Fr 9 – DOUBLE IDEMNITY
Sa 10 – ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
Su 11 – PANS LABRYINTH
WEEK 3
Mo 12 – GOLD RUSH
Tu 13 – BARRY LYNDON
We 14 – LIFE IS SWEET
Th 15 – HURT LOCKER
Fr 16 – LA STRADA
Sa 17 – KICK ASS
Su 18 – DIVING BELL AND BUTTERFLY
WEEK 4
Mo 19 – RULES OF THE GAME
Tu 20 – BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES
We 21 – LORD OF THE RINGS
Th 22 – THE CRUISE
Fr 23 – PRECIOUS
Sa 24 – HUMPDAY
Su 25 – RED BALLOON
WEEK 5
Mo 26 – 400 BLOWS
Tu 27 – SHAMPOO
We 28 – 1000 CLOWNS
Th 29 – THE SEARCHERS
Fr 30 – CITY LIGHTS
*Coined by Rabbi Hillel and later used as the slogan for the Cleveland Jewish Community Federation’s 1978 welfare fund drive. Continue reading
