New Series: A Lifetime in Film

Having just turned 30, and wallowed in my own chaotic insecure delusions about it for a few days, I've decided that the best way to embark on this next part of my life is to go back to doing things that fulfill me as a human being. One of them is regular exercise (especially running) and the other is watching and yes, writing about, film. The archives of this blog show my love/hate relationship with movies (I love the good ones and could care less about the bad ones), and I hope to add on to them by starting a new blog series: A Lifetime in Film. 

I have decided to look back over my life so far through the unforgivably honest frame of cinema. What was the over-arching theme in film of 1988 vs that of 2008? How has the art and science of filmmaking changed over my lifetime? What are some of the most notable performances and filmmaking careers of the last 30 years? I could probably answer these questions by doing some online research, but there's no better way to learn about cinema than watching movies. So I've decided to watch 15 notable movies from each year that I have been alive, starting with 1988 and ending with 2018.

OK, that's 450 movies that I have to watch and write about. Even now I'm unsure of the success of this series, but I'm 30! And there is something about that number that says "Do something with your life! However trivial, let it be something!" So I will.

So how did I get to the final list of 15 movies for each year? Well let's just say by using plenty of "Top" lists from such websites like Letterboxd, IMDB, BoxOfficeMojo, and RottenTomatoes. In fact, I have only come up with the list of 15 for 1988, and I won't bother creating the 1989 list until I'm done writing about the 1988 films.

What you can expect from this series, is about 17 posts for each year. The first will introduce the year, briefly touch on some movies that just missed making it to the list of 15, and preview the first film of the series. I will not spoil all 15 films in the beginning, so that hopefully you the reader can keep coming back for more. Then, I will have a post for each individual film that I plan on writing shortly after my initial viewing. The structure of these individual posts may vary, but they may mix in a short review, some background on the film/filmmakers and a look back on the film's legacy. Lastly, I will wrap up each year, by picking my most and least favorite films, and gathering my thoughts on what the year's films contributed to the history and future of the cinematic art form. 

Thank you again for reading my blog! I look forward to going on this journey of a lifetime with you. I'm sure there will be highs and lows that only cinema can provide.