This post has been adaoted from a January 2015 post.
At the end of each year I like to reflect on the year past and prepare for the coming year. I have been thinking quite a bit about some of my goals and whether I have achieved them this year. One goal I set each year and have so far failed to achieve is to watch 12 movies I have not seen before.I like movies and have worked at a movie theatre since 2019. Besides watching new movies at the theatre, I tend to watch my favorites over and over. I also like to watch movies that are new to me and discover new favorites. On many occasions I have attempted to watch 12 new to me movies in the course of the year. I may have accomplished this goal in the past, but I have always failed to chronicle it. Next year,I will try again to write a post each month about the "new" movie I have seen.
Let me explain the parameters I have placed upon myself. When I say new movies, I do not mean 12 2022 movies at the theater. I mean 12 movies released prior to 2022. Also, I don't only want to watch movies made in my lifetime, I want to explore through all the eras of cinema.
Let me explain the parameters I have placed upon myself. When I say new movies, I do not mean 12 2022 movies at the theater. I mean 12 movies released prior to 2022. Also, I don't only want to watch movies made in my lifetime, I want to explore through all the eras of cinema.
Here is how I am doing it: I was born in 1964 and have divided that time in 4 periods and then divided the time prior to my birth into 2 periods. These periods are:
2007 through 2021
1993 through 2006
1979 through 1993
1964 through 1978
1949 through 1963
Pre 1934 through 1948
I will attempt to watch 2 movies from each era, and report back here each month with a review. I was recently subbing for some high school English classes saw an assignment for a movie review. I am going to use that assignment as the template for my monthly reviews.
- I will rate each movie on a 1 (worst movie ever) to 5 (best movie I have seen) scale.
- I will provide a 2-3 sentence summary of the movie.
- I will share 1 theme from the movie.
- I will write one thing I liked about the movie and 1 thing I disliked about the movie.
- I will say who I think would make the best audience for this movie.
The thing I like most about this type of review is that it is only supposed to be 1 paragraph. I have failed many times in the past not to watch the movies but to chronicle them as I have had unrealistic expectations of the quality of such a review and the time it takes me to make a longer review. \
Last Thursday I finally watched The Matrix (1999) for the first time. It was playing at my theatre in anticipation of Matrix Resurrection which opens soon. When I told my wife that it was showing she noticed it was also on a streaming service we subscribe to so we watched it together after work.
Here is a review of The Matrix following the template and giving me some practice for the task at hand next year.
In my opinion The Matrix deserves 4 of 5 stars for being a thrilling innovative and entertaining film that kept me on the edge of my seat. The Matrix appears to take place at the turn of the 20th century but the main character Neo discovers that all is not what it seems. His discovery leads him to another reality and to a choice of which reality he should follow. Once Neo makes his choices he uses his new powers for the good of humanity. One important theme of the movie is the concept of fate. One thing I really liked about the movie was the fast paced frenetic action. I disliked the intense violence of the movie, I was not aware that this series of movies are all R rated, I think the violence could be ratchetted down a little for a PG13 rating instead. This movie is best suited for sci-fi fans who like post apocalyptic action films that are both dark and hopeful at the same time.
