Chapter 2: The Arduous Work Ahead

Maybe the title of this chapter is a little melodramatic (because "They Serve Popcorn in Hell" is totally untheatrical). Its not like the final list is that god awful. There are some pretty decent ones I've been meaning to see like Ghost World (2001), Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011) and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). There are a few I'm a little skeptical towards like Treasure Planet (2002) and Bronson (2008) and then are some that prove that some people just pretend to be my friends (Twilight?! Seriously?!)

If anything this experiment gives me a better understanding of my friends' personal taste. Sure many were just giving me suggestions assuming I had seen their favorites and going for the more obscure but still. When suggested Dorian Gray (2009) for example, my friend's interest in theater was apparent. Likewise when another suggested When Good Ghouls Go Bad (2001) and Nightbreed (1990) anyone can deduce they like monster movies that aren't necessarily horror films, (when another friend chose the Twilight Saga it illustrated how much of a douche they are). Most won't claim they recommended their favorites but there are a couple I can gleam are guilty pleasures.

Early on, my first official favorite movie was BASEketball (1998). For those unfamiliar with it, its a sports satire about a fictional hybrid sport starring the South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Directed by one of the guys that brought you Airplane (1980) its overly goofy, incredibly stupid and raucously crude. With a cameo from Reel Big Fish, (my favorite band at the time) it was, to me, the perfect cinematic experience. My taste has since become more refined since middle school thankfully. I now like the occasional drama, historical epic and a few action thrillers here and there, I do however have a soft spot for films with strong political overtones like 12 Angry Men (1957), Brazil (1985) and Modern Times (1936). Those I can watch again and again.

When I mean "arduous work ahead" I mean the challenging task of finding all these films. One hundred films potentially means one hundred DVD rentals. At roughly $2.50 a pop that's $250! Not all will be rentals of course (this is the 21st century after all). A few Netflix streams here and there, a few borrows from friends, family and the library, not to mention a few set to release this year in theaters; still that's a lot of bungling around. Once I actually sit down to watch them for roughly an hour and half a pop, that rounds out to 150 hours. That's 9000 minutes of staring at a screen; computer, TV or otherwise. With approximately 43 weeks left in the year that's 2.32 movies a week. If I want to get this all done by August, its actually closer to 5 movies a week.

Luckily I have my lady Danni to help me track them down and watch them with me. Her father has a gigantic collection of movies from all eras so when I said she's my long suffering girlfriend I mean she has been suffering since birth; with cinephiles at least. Still I need a strategy.

I took a quick gander on Netflix and found a few I'll probably watch in the near future:
Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (2010)
Bunraku (2010)
Attack Force Z (1982)
Bronson (2008)
Animals (2008)

Not a bad start. That's a week's worth right there. With a week planned in advanced I can sniff for all these titles starting with the ones that stink the most. Hopefully with the stupidest, vilest most heinous ones out of the way (okay it was Nick...Nick recommended Twilight. All those who know a Nick take the time to slap them right now!!), I'll be able to enjoy all the good ones later...when all my readers would have lost interest anyway.