Misty Mountain Hop

Well, it's taken a little longer than I anticipated, but I've finally started making my way through the list.  Tax season proved too busy to really get going on a project of this magnitude, and  I wasn't really sure how I wanted to tackle this project at first.  I gave some thought to working my way backwards, starting at #100 (Ben-Hur) and finishing at #1 (Citizen Kane).  Chronologically would have been an interesting way to tackle this, as it would have given a real sense of how films evolved over the last century.  However, I've decided that going in any set order would be too constricting, as this is supposed to be a fun project, and as such I'm going to go through the list in whatever order I want.  Ironically enough, the first film I chose happens fall right in the middle at #50.

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Now first things first: I understand the title of this post actually refers to a Led Zeppelin song influenced by The Hobbit, and not The Lord of the Rings, but if you're going to get that picky about it, then eat me.  I'm going to have to come up with a hundred different post titles for this list, and the fact that I found one that is A) the title of a great song, and B) somewhat related to the movie is good enough for me.  

I find it appropriate that, as the summer blockbuster season has kicked off in earnest, I chose to watch one of the biggest blockbusters of all time (#21 all-time in worldwide gross).  This is also the only film on the list to be released in the current century.  Keep in mind, the list came out in 2007, but to be the only film in a seven year period to make the list is nothing to sneeze at.  You would think that, being the most recent film in the list, Fellowship of the Ring would be more likely to fall into my two year rule, but I hadn't actually seen this movie since right after it came out on DVD. 

Revisiting this film was an interesting experience.  This is one of only four movies on the list that I saw in the theater (the others are Toy Story, The Sixth Sense, and Saving Private Ryan.  I saw Star Wars in the theater, but that was during the re-release prior to the prequels and I had already seen it at home, so it doesn't really count).  This film was such a huge spectacle, but it's funny that some of the special effects, as wonderful as they are, have become a little dated during the past ten years.  Regardless, the effects work was groundbreaking at the time, and it's still a visually stunning film.  The acting is also top-notch, which is a relief seeing as the source material could have lead to something that was really cheesy or heavy-handed.  Director Peter Jackson took great care in being reverent to the books, but not such a slave that the film became bogged down.

I really have two memories that stand out when thinking back to when Fellowship of the Ring was in theaters.  First, one of my roommates was surprised (and slightly annoyed) to find out that this was just the first of three movies, and I think he was expecting a little more closure than the end of the film provides.  Second, and I suppose this is more of a memory for the entire trilogy, my friend Sal was a huge fan of these movies and purchased several replicas of weapons from the movies (you know, the sort of thing you see in Skymall now).  Well one night, after several drinks, I decided to reenact the bridge scene with Gandalf and the Balrog, and as I was declaring "You shall not pass", I managed to stick a sword into the ceiling of Sal's apartment and left a sizable dent.

I suppose that wraps up my thoughts on Fellowship of the Ring.  Overall, great film, definitely my favorite of the trilogy, and probably the best fantasy film ever made.  I'm really curious to see what Peter Jackson does with the film adaptation of The Hobbit, which is currently in production.  Until next time (which will be much sooner than the three months between my last post and now)!

Welcome, welcome...

Welcome to the inaugural posting of my blog.  The title's a little misleading, as I won't necessarily be taking on the world, per se.  For starters, my initial target is the American Film Institute's 100 Years, 100 Movies list.

I've always loved movies.  When my brother and I would visit my dad on the weekends, one of our favorite pastimes was renting movies from the Wherehouse.  It's kind of funny that, as Blockbuster Video is experiencing its death rattle due to Netflix and other streaming video options, I'm reminiscing about it predecessor, which would later reinvent itself as a music store before it, too, would become extinct.  I remember going to the Wherehouse with my brother and having to agree on one movie we could rent for the weekend.  Anyone who experienced my brother and me as children know that agreeing on a single movie took a level of negotiation not unlike the current NFL labor talks.  I remember getting annoyed when the movie I wanted to rent was only available on Beta instead of VHS (yes, I know I'm dating myself here.)

As I got older, quoting movies became somewhat of a game with my friends.  One would throw out a quote, and the other would have to guess the movie, or name which character said it, etc.  It wasn't until I began dating my wife, Susan, that I started getting interested  in older movies.  My in-laws are very big into older movies; some classic, others not so much.  I often joke that my father-in-law won't like a movie unless it's in black and white. As I became more exposed to "classic" movies, I found that I had an appreciation for a much broader range of movies than I thought.  I'm currently typing this in my office, surrounded by old movie posters like 'Vertigo" and "Casablanca."

As much as I love movies, I've decided that I can't truly consider myself a "film buff" until I've seen all 100 movies on AFI's list.  It's something I've felt for awhile, and I've chipped a few off the list here and there, but now I've decided to make it my mission. Turner Classic Movies has been running what they call "31 Days of Oscar," and I thought this would be a good way to record a big chunk of the list on my DVR.   For some strange reason, I've also decided that I'm going to blog about the experience.  When I mentioned this to my mom, she asked "Who's going to read it?"  Maybe my friends, maybe my family, maybe nobody.  The truth is, I just think it'll be fun to chronicle the experience.  As an accountant, I don't get to flex my creative muscles that much, so this is a good excuse let my right brain do a few deep knee bends.

Now, the ground rules.  Well, really, there's only one.  If  my wife and I haven't seen the movie in the last two years, we have to watch it.  I'll be writing about all the movies on the list, and two years is a short enough time frame that the movie is fresh enough in my mind to write about.  This is partly to save time, as just two movies a week would take about a year to finish.  This is also a way to avoid movies on the list that I may have recently watched and have no interest in doing so again.  In that spirit, I'm calling this "The Annie Hall Rule."

I hope this blog brings somebody some entertainment, provokes some thought, or gives somebody something to do at their job other than work.  I'll try to keep it light, somewhat regular, and my wife may occasionally chime in.   

Thanks for reading!