2010: My Year in Movies
In 2009, I consumed more movies (90) than I did books (66). I didn’t like that ratio. Yes, a movie can be consumed in 2 hours, while most books take longer, e.g. Infinite Jest, which I read that summer. Still, I love books more than movies; I hoped I could reallocate my time and turn the emphasis around. At the end of 2010, I’d seen 68 movies and read 91 books. I almost exactly inverted the ratio!
In addition to cutting back on movies, I also cut back on television. I gave up Project Runway and Top Chef, gave up on House, Glee, The Office and How I Met Your Mother. I didn’t watch one new show this fall. The shows I did watch were all 30 minute comedies, ones that consistently made me laugh: Modern Family, Community and 30 Rock. I look forward to the return of Parks and Recreation.
By whittling away the time I spent chasing movies with good reviews and tv shows I used to like, I enjoyed what I saw more, plus had more time, which I used to read and write. Here were the movies I feel earned their time last year.
Made me laugh: Philadelphia Story, Fantastic Mr. Fox, It’s Complicated, Hot Tub Time Machine, The Awful Truth, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Fletch
Made me cry (in a good way): Up, Toy Story 3
Entertaining: Jaws, Serenity, True Grit (1969), The Holiday
These entertained AND made me think: The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Moon, Inception, The King’s Speech
Family movies liked by both kids and adults: How to Train Your Dragon, Porco Rosso, Castle in the Sky, Mary Poppins
Favorite holiday movies: The Shop Around the Corner, Trading Places and Die Hard
January 4th, 2011 at 7:54 am
I’d actually like to watch more movies. We watch (too much) TV, I think. But I do love Modern Family and 30 Rock. Oh, that Pixar, the way they draw the tears out of cynical adults! And I still wish Inglourious Basterds had won Best Picture, even though I really liked Hurt Locker.