It was a dark and moderately cold night. As billions settled down in front of their television sets to take in the 80th Academy Awards, I collapsed on my couch and found myself watching the very same broadcast. At the time the ceremony was airing, I was suffering from a nasty bought of the flu. I watched the actors stream across the screen in their flowing gowns and chuckled along with Jon Stewart's introduction, but mostly I just drifted in and out of consciousness due to my commanding fever. I tried desperately to remember what movies I had selected for the office Oscar pool, and hallucinated I had all but two correct. (I learned the next day I had only 10 of 15 categories right, sadly. What a waste of three dollars.)
Then suddenly, it came to me: the realization I had not seen a majority of the movies that had won Best Picture! In reality, who has - after reviewing the list I discovered I had never even heard of a number of the tiles, such as Marty, How Green Was my Valley and most of, Wings. It was then and there I decided I needed to catch up on all that was culturally relevant! I would watch, and critique, each and everyone of these films! While I'm at it, why not toss in those on the American Film Institute's Top 100 Movies! Just to make sure I'm not depriving myself of any outstanding productions, I'll include those the AFI left behind from their 1997 listing when they re-did the countdown.
Will it be easy? NO! Will I become bored in about three weeks? YES! Will I give and face defeat? Possibly. For now I remain ambitious and optimistic the task will be completed. The memoir The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs chronicles a man reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica - I think I can manage 160-odd movies.
The Game Plan: Three movies a week, with individual reviews to follow. I've already seen a handful of the films, so those may or may not get re-watched, depending how I felt about them the first time around. For those unable to be obtained via Blockbuster, Netflix or the library....well, it was a valiant attempt. First three up: The Departed, Citizen Kane and The Godfather. (No Country for Old Men is not playing locally - that will have to be accounted for at a later date).
Thus the adventure begins! Wish me luck!
