Amelie (2001)

I first saw Amelie on an awkward date.  The cinema had bean bags rather than chairs, and we were stuck right down the front with an uncomfortable view of the screen.  The cinema provided a buffet meal beforehand, which gave me food poisoning.  And I couldn't determine how much chemistry I had with the guy, which lead me to pay much attention to any signal he gave off, and virtually no attention to the film.  These factors combined resulted in my leaving the cinema after the film with very little idea of what had transpired on the screen.

It was probably six years before I watched it again, and it may as well have been for the first time.  This second viewing was far more successful.  It bordered on a revelation in fact.  I had been living out of home for maybe a year, and I was a bit lost.  Watching a French film, on my own, by choice, made me feel oddly independent.  I saw it at a time when I needed to be reminded of the beauty of the small things in life.  Pretty sure that I went out and bought it immediately, and watched it again as soon as I got home.  Who wouldn't?

Final Thought:  Dipping one's hand in a bag of grain is marvelous.

Up Next:  America's Sweethearts (2001) 

 

Clarification...

In conversation with The Bassist this morning, he commented that I don't seem to be talking as much about the films in my posts as he expected.  My intention is not to review them, there's enough people out there who do that, successfully or otherwise.  I'm giving my opinions, yes, but the idea of this writing project was different to that.
I was looking for some simple idea to prompt me to write regularly.  I have so many movies that watching them and writing responses appeared to be a good place to start.  Depending on how strongly I feel about my opinions on a film, some posts may tend toward being a review, but for me it's not about that.  I'm just writing responses about whatever occurs to me.  Recounting the first time I saw the film, or why I felt the need to buy it, or the sentiments it stirs up, or an opinion I have about a general subject regarding films.  I'm just intending to write, not review.  It's about how I relate to my movie collection personally.  I can understand why The Bassist was confused, and most likely others will be too, if they read what I'm posting.

I'm not trying to review these movies, I'm just writing about them and whatever else I may be reminded of as a result of watching them.

New Project

It has been such a long time since I've posted and life has changed dramatically.

But, I've missed writing.  At the moment, in order to have the motivation to write, I need a reason.  Something to write about.  I've been waiting for a project idea to come to me, and, as I passed my shelves this evening, it finally did.

I'm going to watch all the movies I own.  In alphabetical order.

It's not a groundbreaking project, I know.
But it's an easy place to start, and it should give me a fair bit of fodder for writing.
It's easy to feel connected to movies.  It could be that you watched it after a bad breakup, or that you watched it every weekend as a child, or that it was introduced to you by someone who had an impact in your life.
I guess, in this project, I'm looking to entice these memories back to me, and use them as material to get myself writing again.
I have a policy that I don't tend buy DVDs that I don't feel I'd want to watch over and over again.  That means that I only buy movies that have grabbed my attention in one way or another.  Although, I must admit, there's some gambles in there as well.  Some left me pleasantly surprised, and some left me not entirely convinced.

So that's my simple idea.  I plan to write a post for each film I watch.  I have a lot of DVDs... I don't even know how long this will take, what with having a full time job.  Let's see how it goes.

Wandering the internet

Every so often (more and more frequently these days, if I'm honest), I get entranced by the internet. I'll visit somewhere familiar, follow a suggested link with curiosity, become fascinated by where I end up, wander further, next thing I know I'm slightly bewildered, trying to absorb ten sites at once, marveling at the myriad of things I've found.

via Katogi Mari Illustration

Add to this that I only just discovered Flickr. Not that I wasn't aware of it before, of course I was, however I put off delving into it as I'm not (yet) terribly interested in posting my own photos up there. I'd visit it when referred to it by other sites, but I wouldn't stay for long. I'm yet to determine the most efficient way to sift through the phenomenal number of photos on display, but I am, in a haphazard fashion, starting to look around it more.

via Flickr

There's so much inspiring stuff out there.