I have been asked by a couple of my faithful readers about my process. I may have touched on it once or twice, but scattered throughout 150 entries, those references may be hard to find. Starting off, the origin story of the blog goes back to a viewing of
Gone with the Wind in a theater on a big screen and the subsequent conversation with my friend about how many great movies came out that year (1939) and how many awards
Gone with the Wind was nominated for (13) and won (10, including two honorary awards), and then one thing led to another and I decided to try and watch ALL of the Academy Award-winning films for every category. Unfortunately for me, that brilliant idea did not coincide with the idea to write everything down, which probably came about 6 months later. In order to keep this manageable and so that I could finish before 2020, I made my own rule that I did not have to re-watch any movie I had already seen as long as I could write a reasonable review, or at least something that captured my feelings about the movie. Of course, I can re-watch any movie if I want to, and I have done that a few times. As time as gone on, and realizing that any new movie has the potential to be nominated for an Oscar (witness
Bad Grandpa), I decided to review any movie that I may see so I could review it in a more timely manner instead of waiting up to 11 months to see if it would be nominated; and then since I was on a role, I also started including some of the TV shows I have watched on DVD. So, I suppose if I stayed focused, I could be a lot closer to the end of the list, but then I would also never leave my house and have the pasty complexion of Casper the Ghost. When I am watching a movie, I try not to do too much prep work, although I will make note of what it was nominated for (usually, sometimes I forget), who the actors were and maybe a high level storyline if it's hard to follow. I try very hard not to read too much into any analysis or critiques; most of the time I rely on my friend, Wikipedia for one-stop shopping, and so I can link to other articles, especially as they relate to the actors, directors or writers, or the historical setting, especially if it's a documentary. A lot of the time, I will wait until the movie is over and I am writing, but since I seem to have adult-onset ADD, I need to do something while watching. I don't take notes when watching and I don't write while I'm watching; mindless web-surfing is one thing, trying to write while watching is a totally different ballgame. In most cases I will wait a day (or sometimes longer) before writing, especially if I have watched a LOT of movies. I like to have time to process, maybe find some link between the movies, and make sure they don't blend together. Sometimes I do start writing in my head and come up with some great lines, but by the time I'm ready to write, I have forgotten them, or they ended up not fitting into everything else in the post. I like writing and sometimes the posts come quite easily, other times, I struggle; I have found the struggle may be because I didn't like the movie, or worse, didn't care; apathy is a killer. It can actually take a couple of hours to write a post, even if it doesn't seem like it did. I have enjoyed the process, going on two years, it has been the source of some great conversations, and most people watch movies in some form. I try to be honest in my reviews about whether I liked the movie or not, even if it's called a classic; they are my opinions and I am pretty clear about not being a fan of overly long movies, pretentious films (the two often go together), movies that don't hold up over time (
Shampoo), and self-indulgent movies. When I write, I try very hard not to give away the plot, so it doesn't ruin the movie for you; if it's really old or giving away plot points won't ruin the movie experience, then I may drop something in; but it may feel like I just stop the review. I'm working on my transitions. So, that's the facts, Jack. On to the reviews.
Well, this may be a little embarrassing, but I feel like I watched a movie but cannot remember what it was; I mean, could I really be current on what I've watched and what I've reviewed? I don't know, I hope it doesn't bite me in the ass.
4/6/14, Captain America: The Winter Soldier
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| Everyone should have Captain America on their desk |
What can I say? I loved it. Loved, loved loved it. My brother asked if I loved it because it was really good or because it was filmed in Cleveland. Um, I don't care. Yes, it was so fun to look for the 'Cleveland' in every shot (if you ask nicely, I'll tell you); yes it was SO cool to see my former employer, The Western Reserve Historical Society mentioned in the credits, but it was also SO cool to see Cap back in action, with his new friend, the Falcon and his old Avengers cohort, The Black Widow (there has been chatter about a standalone Black Widow movie, and I hope they do it; I'd see it). I'll give you a high level recap since it's only in its first week of release. Cap is back and helping S.H.I.E.L.D. carry out various missions, some which may be aboveboard and others, perhaps not. He is still adjusting to the 21st century, but his commitment to freedom and protecting Americans has not wavered. There are some references to
The Avengers and other characters in the Marvel universe throughout the movie. Nick Fury leads S.H.I.E.L.D. and has occasional conflicts with Captain America over the missions and the goal of S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm going to stop here with the story because I don't want to ruin anything. What I will say is there is plenty of action and usually, that's all I want in a super hero movie, don't give me no story! But, the story worked here, I didn't think it got too bogged down; I liked that it tied things together but also opened things up for all kinds of sequels. So, a good mix of action and story in my opinion. There were a lot of children in the audience, not my favorite (I mean under 8 years old); the movie is two hours and fifteen minutes, not including the 20 minutes of trailers, I'm not sure 5 year olds can sit or be quiet that long; there is violence, not as graphic as some movies, but perhaps you should screen that before subjecting your child to it. Also, you do not know what will be in the trailers (sex, more violence, language); again, maybe wait or screen them. Just a thought. Looking forward to
Avengers 2: The Age of Ultron, and whatever else is coming.
4/9/14: Post script: I remember what movie I forgot,
Blue is the Warmest Color. I'll get that next time, just wanted to let you know in case it kept you up last night.
