Every year we’re asked if we’ve made New Years Resolutions. Some join a gym to lose weight. Some want to learn a new language to better themselves. Others give up or cut back on their vices (smoking, drinking, Colin Farrell movies) Well I’m not good at coming up with resolutions and I’m even worse at sticking to them. So I decided to give myself New Years Cinelutions; movie related film resolutions that will increase my love for film as well as my knowledge of it. What’s a better way to keep a resolution than by watching movies? Give it a try! And if you’re looking for a starting point, check out my 6 New Years Cinelutions.
Learn French.
What does this have to do with film? Good question. Now this might come off as pretentious, even though this is the home of unpretentious film talk (served fresh daily), but I personally think it would be the coolest thing to learn a new language so I can watch foreign films without the subtitles. It would allow me to really immerse myself into a Jean Luc-Godard or Jean Cocteau film and better connect with those characters (even though I’m not in black and white). I just think that would be the coolest thing and you never know when you’ll need to know French!
See More Documentaries.
This year I was fortunate enough to catch Detropia, Searching for Sugarman, and Tchoupitoulas, three films that capture a place in time with vivid picture and incredible story-telling through the lives of those trying to make Detroit a better place or the lives of a country searching for it’s icon. But of the nearly 60 films I saw in theatres (and countless others at home) only a few were documentaries. I’ve got nothing against documentaries, they can just be hard to find. Some of the best documentaries I’ve seen I’ve either stumbled across them through Netflix Instant Watch or through a friend’s recommendations. This year, I want to take the time and really search them out. Not just happen across one through a screener or see a mainstream one in the vein of Michael Moore, but go out and make an adventure out of it. And no matter what I see, I’ll be coming out of the film learning something new or having a new opinion on something.
Watch More Female Centric Films.
I don’t watch a lot of films where the lead is a woman or the cast is predominantly female. The last time I saw a film like that in theatres was Anna Karenina, and before that it was Bridesmaids! I’m not one of those guys who thinks men act better than women or think all women-based stories are the same and boring, it just so happens that the films I see have women cast as supporting characters and/or not the lead of a film. So to remedy that, I plan to watch more films with female leads and films with a predominantly female cast. I can see where this is a problem though because a handful of those films will be romantic comedies and… no. Just, no thank you. I’m looking for strong films like Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene or Hanna or Sucker Punch (Sorry, I couldn’t resist). So to do that, I’m going to go back to the classics and watch those. I’ve never seen a Marilyn Monroe or Aubrey Hepburn film, and I’ve gotta figure out why Meryl Streep has so many award nominations.
Stop Being A Bitch.
As much as it pains me to write this, I want to watch more horror films. It’s no surprise that I am not at all a fan of horror films whereas the rest of the FTS Crew eat fear and shit nightmares (no matter what street they are on). My Versus the Scarecrow series has got me dipping my toe in the damp sand that the cold black waters of the horror genre touches as it crawls back out to sea, but to expose myself to more, I’m going to have to ask FTS for help…. which means they’ll be grabbing me by my arms and legs, throwing me into the deep end, and holding my head underwater.
Go to more Festivals.
This past year I attended the Maryland Film Festival and had a ball! I met lots of interesting people, got to see films that most people won’t get a chance to see, and nearly every film had a Q&A session with the director or producer right after the film. It gave instant insight and behind the scenes knowledge of the films which was pretty cool, regardless if you liked them or not. The year before, while living in New Orleans, I went to the New Orleans Film Festival and saw some great films that I continue to talk about. Festivals are loads of fun and I want to participate in them more. But, I don’t want to shoot for Tribeca or Sundance or Toronto International right out of the gate. I want to start small and go to a Pennsylvania, Virginia, or Ohio based Film Festival. I’d love to check out Fantastic Fest this year and make my way back to New Orleans for the New Orleans Film Festival, but as long as I go to one more festival in addition to the Maryland Film Festival, I’ll be happy.
What The Hell Is Fathom Events?
Just before the movie previews kick in, I always see ads for Fathom Events. They’re always showing a concert or opera for “one night only”. I want to go just once to this thing and see what they are about and if anyone actually goes to these things.
What are some of your New Years Cinelutions?