A Human Becoming
More than a Member
I wish I could read like you Mumei. Unless I get really into a book causing hyper focus, I read very slowly.
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50 books. 50 movies. 2015. (Follow Format in OP!)
- Thread starter Pau
- Start date
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Tragicomedy
Member
Mumei is like Johnny 5 in Short Circuit. He reads more in a week than I do in a month.
Beast Mode.
Beast Mode.
lastflowers
Banned
Munro is actually five people, not one
Sky Interloper
Member
January Update
Not so bad in the books front, yet I still need to watch some movies. But my pace is awfully inadequate compared to Mumei, so I have to step it up.
Not so bad in the books front, yet I still need to watch some movies. But my pace is awfully inadequate compared to Mumei, so I have to step it up.
TestMonkey
Member
There is no achievement in Mumei's reading world. Even 150 books a year is nothing. I have seen the backlog which seems to go on forever and is constantly growing. Doom.
January update:
After watching my first (sort of - I saw Spirited Away as a young lad but remember very little) few of the Studio Ghibli films late last year, I decided to work my way through most of the remaining catalog this month.
Not much I can say about their body of work that hasn't been said a thousand times over, and I regret not having seen these sooner. Such an incredibly charming and varied output. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind stand out as my favorites from this month. There are a few more I'd like to get to, but I'll probably move on to the rest of my backlog for now.
I'm already falling behind on the book front, but that will improve in a few weeks when I have more consistent opportunities to read. Into the Wild was interesting, but it didn't captivate me; I expect it worked better in its original form as an article. I'm currently working through The Count of Monte Cristo (the Robin Buss translation, per GAF's recommendation).
After watching my first (sort of - I saw Spirited Away as a young lad but remember very little) few of the Studio Ghibli films late last year, I decided to work my way through most of the remaining catalog this month.
Not much I can say about their body of work that hasn't been said a thousand times over, and I regret not having seen these sooner. Such an incredibly charming and varied output. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind stand out as my favorites from this month. There are a few more I'd like to get to, but I'll probably move on to the rest of my backlog for now.
I'm already falling behind on the book front, but that will improve in a few weeks when I have more consistent opportunities to read. Into the Wild was interesting, but it didn't captivate me; I expect it worked better in its original form as an article. I'm currently working through The Count of Monte Cristo (the Robin Buss translation, per GAF's recommendation).
Beeblebrox
Member
January update:
Since my last update, I saw John Wick (ok action movie, but I expected it to be better; it felt kind of... dunno, artifical), Wolf of Wall Street (another ok film), and Gone Girl (loved this one, from the story and twists, to acting, directing and everything else).
On the book front, I'm still reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and Kindle says I'm 74% finished. Gonna wrap it up soon, and then read couple of shorter ones in much shorter time span (I hope).
Since my last update, I saw John Wick (ok action movie, but I expected it to be better; it felt kind of... dunno, artifical), Wolf of Wall Street (another ok film), and Gone Girl (loved this one, from the story and twists, to acting, directing and everything else).
On the book front, I'm still reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and Kindle says I'm 74% finished. Gonna wrap it up soon, and then read couple of shorter ones in much shorter time span (I hope).
My end-of-month update:
Happy with my progress this month; I'm slightly ahead for now on the book front, though I expect that will change with midterm exams coming in February. The books I read were quite interesting too, none of them left me unsatisfied. Although each book is relatively short, the Freakonomics series which I read in its entirety this month was really good.
I took to heart the advice of always knowing what to read next; I always have a book in mind to look forward to these days and it's really helping me.
Movies though...I'm waaaay behind on that. Unless I pick up that pace, it's gonna be a summer of binge-watching for me...
Happy with my progress this month; I'm slightly ahead for now on the book front, though I expect that will change with midterm exams coming in February. The books I read were quite interesting too, none of them left me unsatisfied. Although each book is relatively short, the Freakonomics series which I read in its entirety this month was really good.
I took to heart the advice of always knowing what to read next; I always have a book in mind to look forward to these days and it's really helping me.
Movies though...I'm waaaay behind on that. Unless I pick up that pace, it's gonna be a summer of binge-watching for me...
I'm loving it! The length was daunting at first, but it's been hard to put down.
Glad to finally start reading it (and Dumas in general).
orthodoxy1095
Banned
My end of the month update:
This was a solid start. I'm definitely not blazing ahead, but I've enjoyed almost everything I've consumed. The main way for me to get through the reading is to set aside at least 10-15 minutes a day for reading. If I set that time aside and "force" myself to read, most nights it turns into me reading for double that time. By "forcing" myself to pause and read a book, I was actually finding myself enjoying myself. Besides that, I too have taken the advice of knowing what to read next. As soon as I get about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through a book, I go pick out a new one and stick it on my bedside table.
In terms of content, I got through four books. One theology book, two classic literature pieces and psychology book. The theology book was a hard one to chew on. The psychology book was really quite interesting and appealing. Definitely gave me something to think about for my studies (I'm studying psych). I enjoyed both of my fiction books, but I really enjoyed Brave New World. It was quite the page-turner.
For movies, I had some really solid watches. I could talk about all of them, but I'm lazy and I'd rather say that my favorite movies were the ones by Makoto Shinkai. His approach to anime in general and romance in particular is refreshingly realistic and beautiful. It says a lot to me that you can't really slap demographic labels like "josei" or "shounen" onto his works. The films are all beautiful in terms of visuals and audio and especially in terms of their portrayals of life. Shinaki's movie The Garden of Words (Kotonoha no Niwa) was one of my favorite films this month. On the TV side (which I know isn't really counted here), I loved Steins;Gate the most, but 5 Centimeters per Second (a Shinkai TV anime) was amazing as well.
I think the biggest result of this month is that I've taken to blogging again. I've started writing reviews and reflections on the movies, TV show, books and games that I consume. I don't know if this is a place to share it, but it's not quite ready yet anyways. I'm pretty excited about it.
orthodoxy1095 - 04/50 Books | 07/50 Movies
This was a solid start. I'm definitely not blazing ahead, but I've enjoyed almost everything I've consumed. The main way for me to get through the reading is to set aside at least 10-15 minutes a day for reading. If I set that time aside and "force" myself to read, most nights it turns into me reading for double that time. By "forcing" myself to pause and read a book, I was actually finding myself enjoying myself. Besides that, I too have taken the advice of knowing what to read next. As soon as I get about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through a book, I go pick out a new one and stick it on my bedside table.
In terms of content, I got through four books. One theology book, two classic literature pieces and psychology book. The theology book was a hard one to chew on. The psychology book was really quite interesting and appealing. Definitely gave me something to think about for my studies (I'm studying psych). I enjoyed both of my fiction books, but I really enjoyed Brave New World. It was quite the page-turner.
For movies, I had some really solid watches. I could talk about all of them, but I'm lazy and I'd rather say that my favorite movies were the ones by Makoto Shinkai. His approach to anime in general and romance in particular is refreshingly realistic and beautiful. It says a lot to me that you can't really slap demographic labels like "josei" or "shounen" onto his works. The films are all beautiful in terms of visuals and audio and especially in terms of their portrayals of life. Shinaki's movie The Garden of Words (Kotonoha no Niwa) was one of my favorite films this month. On the TV side (which I know isn't really counted here), I loved Steins;Gate the most, but 5 Centimeters per Second (a Shinkai TV anime) was amazing as well.
I think the biggest result of this month is that I've taken to blogging again. I've started writing reviews and reflections on the movies, TV show, books and games that I consume. I don't know if this is a place to share it, but it's not quite ready yet anyways. I'm pretty excited about it.
kinoki
Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
January down. Set up my Goodreads profile that I abandoned early 2013. Going to add the books from the last two years whenever I have time.
kinoki - 5 books | 12 movies
Books
Movies
kinoki - 5 books | 12 movies
Books
- The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (1994), Haruki Murakami - ★★★½ - It meanders around with no clear purpose for the longest of times while it keeps on deepening the mystery. I tend to like how mystery makes its way into seemingly normal life and Murakami knows how to deliver on it.
Movies
- Ip Man (2008, dir. Wilson Yip) - ★★★ - Nationalistic propaganda but surprisingly entertaining. The action is well-done and the main characters are what sells it. Too much at times but there's something that's appealing in it.
- 300: Rise of an Empire (2014, dir. Noam Murro) - ★★★ - Nationalistic propaganda but surprisingly entertaining. The action is well-done and the main characters are what sells it. Too much at times but there's something that's appealing in it.
- The Fighter (2010, dir. David O. Russell) - ★★★½ - Mark Wahlberg has only acted in one movie (The Departed) the rest of them, I'm sad to say, he's just Mark Wahlberg. Despite him being being the protagonist it's Christian Bale who gets all the acting slack. He deserves his Oscar with this performance. The movie is good but like The Wrestler I'm tired of the white trash USA life style.
END OF JANUARY SUMMARY
GAF totals.
Books: 414
Movies: 915
Monthly Progress.
Current pace needed for completion (as of March 1).
Everyone's info has been updated in the OP. I just gotta link to everyone's master post. After figuring out how to get all the data from Excel formatted nicely, this seems to be what's gonna take the most amount of time.
GAF totals.
Books: 414
Movies: 915
Monthly Progress.
Current pace needed for completion (as of March 1).
- 8/50 books | 8/50 movies
Everyone's info has been updated in the OP. I just gotta link to everyone's master post. After figuring out how to get all the data from Excel formatted nicely, this seems to be what's gonna take the most amount of time.
Ah, that would be it...
Folks, try to follow the format please so I don't look so incompetent.
Tragicomedy
Member
After figuring out how to get all the data from Excel formatted nicely, this seems to be what's gonna take the most amount of time.
Lord does it ever! The advantage of getting the links set up is that you can just go down the list and click the links to do your monthly updates going forward. You might have to check for one or two stragglers that joined since the past update, but the links made it a lot easier for me to update the thread.
Setting up the initial links, however...
Cystm - 1/50 books | 16/50 movies
Books
Movies
The What are you reading? threads are amazing resources. I have some catching up to do.
Pulling good reads from GAFers is going to make this month a lot of fun.
Books
- Fahrenheit 451
Movies
- Europa Report
- The Skeleton Twins
- Noah
The What are you reading? threads are amazing resources. I have some catching up to do.
Pulling good reads from GAFers is going to make this month a lot of fun.
Edit: I failed hard this month.
pete_townshend
Banned
pete_townshend - 03/50 Books | 09/50 Movies
Books:
1. Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times(Martin) ★★★
2. The Trial of Henry Kissinger(Hitchens) ★★★★
3. The Beak of the Finch(Weiner) ★★★½
Movies:
1. Pacific Rim ★★★
2. Life is Sweet ★★★½
3. The Trip to Italy ★★★½
4. Eyes Without a Face ★★½
5. 30 for 30: The U Part 2 ★★★
6. 30 for 30: Youngstown Boys ★★★
7. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold ★★★★
8. Dead Man's Burden ★★½
9. The World's End ★½
Books:
1. Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times(Martin) ★★★
2. The Trial of Henry Kissinger(Hitchens) ★★★★
3. The Beak of the Finch(Weiner) ★★★½
Movies:
1. Pacific Rim ★★★
2. Life is Sweet ★★★½
3. The Trip to Italy ★★★½
4. Eyes Without a Face ★★½
5. 30 for 30: The U Part 2 ★★★
6. 30 for 30: Youngstown Boys ★★★
7. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold ★★★★
8. Dead Man's Burden ★★½
9. The World's End ★½
A very late January update.
I'm barely scraping by on the book front, but that's OK considering that I've been slogging through Dracula for about 2 weeks now. I usually read 2 books at the same time so when one of them is going very slowly, that shows in my book completion rate.
Fathers and Sons has now made it impossible for me to not appreciate my elders. What a great novel which in typical Russian fashion ends
tragically
unless you count Dead Souls which Gogol himself classified as an "epic in prose"
Movie-wise, I watched a lot more movies than I thought I would. I may need to cut down for next (this) month! I really think that Gyllenhaal should have been nominated for an Oscar for his chilling performance in Nightcrawler. He really channelled his inner creepy Nicolas Cage in the vein of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zdWC9rHWmk but did it better.
kinoki
Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
kinoki - 7 books | 13 movies
Books
Movies
Books
- Paper Towns (2008), John Green - ★★½ - I am not the target audience for this book. My girlfriend had it and someone once said some good things about it so I thought I read it. So I did. To its defence I'd say it'd make a good movie but the writing is so aimed at children that there is little depth here. I cringed when I read the line "She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl."
- Finnegans Wake (1939), James Joyce - ★★★½ - this book that is far from the standard narrative with no clear beginning and no clear end but as you read it you kind off fall off the beaten track of plotting and the stories and thought lends itself to all kinds of creative endeavours while you wiskfully grab the words and worlds that you the reader are familiar with and let yourself be wisked away by
Movies
- Inside Llewyn Davis (2013, dir. Joel Coen, Ethan Coan) - ★★★★ - I love me a good Coen-movie. They make too few of them. Here they set out to make their take on the folk song scene while staying true to their roots of expanding narratives. There's some great songs in here. I really liked the cat.
Anas - 03/50 books | 22/50 movies
Books :
1,2. Fifty Shades of Grey ★★★☆☆
3. Thirteen Reason Why ★★★☆☆
4. Harry Potter ( not finished )
5. Mockingjay ( not finished )
Movies :
1. If I Stay ★★☆☆☆
2. The Roommate ★★☆☆☆
3. Clueless ★★★★☆
4. Nightcrawler ★★★★★
5. The Vow ★★★☆☆
6. Ghost ★★★★★
7. Pirates of The Carribean ★★★★☆
8. The Interview ★★★☆☆
9. Rudderless★★★★☆
10. Alexander and The Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day ★★★☆☆
11. Boyhood ★★★★☆
12. Birdman ★★★★★
13. Camp X-Ray ★★★☆☆
14. Precious ★★★★☆
15. Johnny English ★★★☆☆
16. The Purge Anarchy ★★★☆☆
17. No Reservation ★★★☆☆
18. Parker ★★☆☆☆
19. Prom Night ★☆☆☆☆
20. Pulp Fiction ★★★★★
21. Life as We Know it ★★★☆☆
22. Her ★★★★☆
Books :
1,2. Fifty Shades of Grey ★★★☆☆
3. Thirteen Reason Why ★★★☆☆
4. Harry Potter ( not finished )
5. Mockingjay ( not finished )
Movies :
1. If I Stay ★★☆☆☆
2. The Roommate ★★☆☆☆
3. Clueless ★★★★☆
4. Nightcrawler ★★★★★
5. The Vow ★★★☆☆
6. Ghost ★★★★★
7. Pirates of The Carribean ★★★★☆
8. The Interview ★★★☆☆
9. Rudderless★★★★☆
10. Alexander and The Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day ★★★☆☆
11. Boyhood ★★★★☆
12. Birdman ★★★★★
13. Camp X-Ray ★★★☆☆
14. Precious ★★★★☆
15. Johnny English ★★★☆☆
16. The Purge Anarchy ★★★☆☆
17. No Reservation ★★★☆☆
18. Parker ★★☆☆☆
19. Prom Night ★☆☆☆☆
20. Pulp Fiction ★★★★★
21. Life as We Know it ★★★☆☆
22. Her ★★★★☆
Freeza Under The Shower
Member
added Jupiter Ascending to movies:
Damn shame they choose cinderella as their entry into a Dune-like universe. It's kind of a mess, but it's not for lack of trying. I do want an entire movie of 'the Kunis family' though. Those scenes are charming and worth it, but the 'House Artreides' stuff just doesn't pan out the way it should. As said, this movie hinders its own story by its narration perspective. This could have used a merciless editor, but damn if they didn't try to make this a spectacle. Also: the ship you see within the first ten minutes just screams Warhammer 40k to me.
I really, really want to convince myself to like this movie.
Damn shame they choose cinderella as their entry into a Dune-like universe. It's kind of a mess, but it's not for lack of trying. I do want an entire movie of 'the Kunis family' though. Those scenes are charming and worth it, but the 'House Artreides' stuff just doesn't pan out the way it should. As said, this movie hinders its own story by its narration perspective. This could have used a merciless editor, but damn if they didn't try to make this a spectacle. Also: the ship you see within the first ten minutes just screams Warhammer 40k to me.
I really, really want to convince myself to like this movie.
Christoff Yurievich
Member
allegate - 11/50 Books 7/50 Movies
Books
10. No Longer Human Volume 1 - Usamaru Furuya / Osamu Dazai Feb 7th, 3.5/5
11. Among the Truthers - Jonathan Kay Feb 7th, 4/5
12.
Updated original post.
I'm reading No Longer Human based on a recommendation from the Jan What Are You Reading thread. The library didn't have the actual book so I'm going through the manga. I think I'm better off that way, actually.
Among the Truthers didn't make me as upset as I thought, and it's actually helped me understand (well, understand isn't the right word but it's close) their mindset and how it is shaped. I encourage everyone to read it.
Hmm going by some of the reviews on goodreads, this book has a lot of problems. Seems to spend more time attacking liberals and political correctness than actually talking about conspiracy theorists.
I would recommend Them by Jon Ronson instead.
Christoff Yurievich
Member
While the author does take his fair share of potshots at liberals, he also takes as many at conservatives. I think it's a bias on the part of the reader in that if you're liberal you don't want to hear bad things said about your team, as it were, and the same can be said for conservatives.
Thinking on it some more, if you include the attacks on liberal teachers then I concede the point. The problem then becomes the crazies teaching at these schools just happen to be liberal. It was embarrassing, frankly, to hear that these people are in charge of teaching others.
Thinking on it some more, if you include the attacks on liberal teachers then I concede the point. The problem then becomes the crazies teaching at these schools just happen to be liberal. It was embarrassing, frankly, to hear that these people are in charge of teaching others.
pete_townshend
Banned
pete_townshend - 04/50 Books | 10/50 Movies
Books:
1. Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times(Martin) ★★★
2. The Trial of Henry Kissinger(Hitchens) ★★★★
3. The Beak of the Finch(Weiner) ★★★½
4. The Numbers Game(Schwarz) ★★½
Movies:
1. Pacific Rim ★★★
2. Life is Sweet ★★★½
3. The Trip to Italy ★★★½
4. Eyes Without a Face ★★½
5. 30 for 30: The U Part 2 ★★★
6. 30 for 30: Youngstown Boys ★★★
7. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold ★★★★
8. Dead Man's Burden ★★½
9. The World's End ★½
10. Thanks for Sharing ★★★
Books:
1. Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times(Martin) ★★★
2. The Trial of Henry Kissinger(Hitchens) ★★★★
3. The Beak of the Finch(Weiner) ★★★½
4. The Numbers Game(Schwarz) ★★½
Movies:
1. Pacific Rim ★★★
2. Life is Sweet ★★★½
3. The Trip to Italy ★★★½
4. Eyes Without a Face ★★½
5. 30 for 30: The U Part 2 ★★★
6. 30 for 30: Youngstown Boys ★★★
7. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold ★★★★
8. Dead Man's Burden ★★½
9. The World's End ★½
10. Thanks for Sharing ★★★
Hey Pete, if you could update your first post, that'd be great.
You can keep posting the new stuff on separate posts, but it makes it a lot easier for me if I can go back to a single "master" list that's constantly updated.Trey - movies 11/50 | books 2/50
Movies
- Selma
- Return to Paradise
- Player's Club
- Grand Budapest Hotel
- Cast Away
- Batman Forever
- Dear White People
- Birdman
- Rain Man
- Enemy of State
- Kingsman
Books
kinoki
Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
Will post some small reviews later and update the main post.
kinoki - 10 books | 14 movies
Books
Movies
kinoki - 10 books | 14 movies
Books
- The Lives of Things (1978), José Saramago - ★★★½ - Saramago's short story collection. The focus is around inanimate objects and their relation to people. The Chair is the piece, I think, that stands out. I liked the feverish dreamlike Things. I liked Centaur in the way the mythological are also treated as objects.
- The Witches (1983), Roald Dahl - ★★★★ - I really need to read more Dahl. I remember being read this book as a child. I remembered bits and pieces. It's a kind of giddy feel that speaks to children (of all ages) to them on their own terms.
- Bra skrivet Väl talat (2013), Bo Renberg - ★★★ - First of this term's rethoric course literature. It was a good book for what it was. Some good advice. It never really went anywhere. Pretty basic stuff.
Movies
- Jane Eyre (2011, dir. Cary Fukunaga) - ★★★½ - The main story is really interesting and really well told. I can't really shake the feeling that they had no clue why they told the story, though. It feels like they're walking us through well-directed and well-acted scenes with no real purpose apart from just showing us it.
The Outsider
Member
Finally updated my totals. Haven't gotten much of anything done in February. It's been a pretty hectic month. Drove from California to Florida and I'm getting settled in a new place now.
Really need to step my reading game. I've read one measly book this year!
Also, Kingsman was great.
Really need to step my reading game. I've read one measly book this year!
Also, Kingsman was great.
A good movie in its own right - great photography, superb performance by Wasikowska, and cutting up the chronology was an inspired move - although like all other adapations of the book it can't convey the constant rage in Jane, nor the intellectual charm to her relationship with Rochester. Still, one of the best movie versions.
kinoki
Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
I agree. It's a good movie with some moments of brillance. I haven't read anything by the Brontë-sisters and correct that error in my ways... once, I'm done with my current pile of books. I felt that there was much that the movie hinted at but was never allowed to dwell on. Like it needed another 30 minutes in running time.
Glaurungr - 22/50 books | 47/50 movies
Update:Books:
- Cornelia Funke - Inkheart (2003)
- Edvard Eikill (trans.) - Flatøybok, bind 1 (The Flatey Book: Part 1) (1394)
- John H. Arnold - History: A Very Short Introduction (2000)
- John Williams - Stoner (1965)
- Katherine Addison - The Goblin Emperor (2014)
- Owen Davies - Magic: A Very Short Introduction (2012)
- Skjalg Bye - Kretsløpet (1997)
- Sven T. Arneberg and Kristian Hosar - Vi dro mot nord: Tyskernes skildring av felttoget i Norge i april 1940 (1989)
- Gilles Dossou-Gouin - Tunge nøkler rasler (2013)
- Marianne Mørk - Blått regn (2011)
- Robert Jordan - The Path of Daggers (1998)
Movies:
- Big Hero 6 - Don Hall and Chris Williams (2014)
- Dinosaur - Eric Leighton and Ralph Zondag (2000)
- Edward Scissorhands - Tim Burton (1990)
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - Steven Spielberg (1982)
- Fargo - Joel Coen (1996)
- Gone Girl - David Fincher (2014)
- Jaws - Steven Spielberg (1975)
- Jumanji - Joe Johnston (1995)
- Les triplettes de Belleville (The Triplets of Belleville) - Sylvain Chomet (2003)
- Mimi wo sumaseba (Whisper of the Heart) - Yoshifumi Kondô (1995)
- Red Sonja - Richard Fleischer (1985)
- Riddick - David Twohy (2013)
- Sunset Blvd. - Billy Wilder (1950)
- The Fox and the Hound - Ted Berman and Richard Rich (1981)
- The Raid 2: Berandal - Gareth Evans (2014)
- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - Ben Stiller (2013)
kinoki
Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
kinoki - 11 books | 17 movies
Books
Movies
Books
- En man som heter Ove (2012), Fredrik Backman - ★★★ - It's extremly clichéd and predictable. It's also extremely Swedish. But, it has heart and it's in the right place. It's also a lot of fun. Always entertaining.
Movies
- Manhunter (1986, dir. Michael Mann) - ★½ - Tone death and at times you can see Michael Mann not enjoy that he has to follow a traditional story. He also misses that Hannibal is the most interesting story and that the real conflict is one of empathy. Missed chance to make a good movie out of Red Dragon.
- Bram Stoker's Dracula (2011, dir. Francis Ford Coppola) - ★★½ - Soundstages and unfocused direction with horrible misscasting and a severe lack of a coherent script aside there's some good acting and iconic characters that are brought to life.
- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009, dir. Phil Lord, Christopher Miller) - ★★★ - Lord&Miller seem so aware of how you make endearing characters and warm humour come to life. Everything they do oozes with charm. It might not be the next coming but they always manage to produce something that shows humanity.
SupremeLoser
Member
Movies 6/50
The Guest- Adam Wingard (2014)
Fury- David Ayer (2014)
First Blood- Ted Kotcheff (1982)
The Terminator- James Cameron (1984)
Boyhood- Richard Linklater (2014)
Kingsman: The Secret Service- Matthew Vaughn (2015)
In total I have actually watched 17 movies this year, but most of those were repeat viewings, so the ones listed above are first-time viewings.
I'm ashamed to say that I haven't finished a book yet, even though I'm in the middle of 2 right now. Between work and trying to do the video game challenge, it's hard to find time to read. Usually I just unwind after work with a movie or Netflix series. I'm trying to get through House of Cards right now before Season 3 starts.
The Guest- Adam Wingard (2014)
Fury- David Ayer (2014)
First Blood- Ted Kotcheff (1982)
The Terminator- James Cameron (1984)
Boyhood- Richard Linklater (2014)
Kingsman: The Secret Service- Matthew Vaughn (2015)
In total I have actually watched 17 movies this year, but most of those were repeat viewings, so the ones listed above are first-time viewings.
I'm ashamed to say that I haven't finished a book yet, even though I'm in the middle of 2 right now. Between work and trying to do the video game challenge, it's hard to find time to read. Usually I just unwind after work with a movie or Netflix series. I'm trying to get through House of Cards right now before Season 3 starts.
20/50 books | 102/50 movies | 17/12 TV seasons
Books
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
4. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
5. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
6. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
7. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
8. The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
9. Autobiography of Red by Ann Carson
10. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
11. Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me by Richard Farina
12. The Epic of Gilgamesh: An English Version With An Introduction Translated by N.K. Sanders
13. Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbet
14. Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers by Kwame Anthony Appiah
15. Child of God by Cormac McCarthy
16. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
17. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
18. White Noise by Don DeLillo
19. Where Europe Begins by Yoko Tawada
20. Watchmen written by Alan Moore and Illustrated by Dave Gibbons
Movies
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) directed by Jonathan Liebesman
2. Godfather II (1974) directed by Francis Ford Coppola
3. Godfather III (1990) directed by Francis Ford Coppola
4. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) directed by Terry Gilliam
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo
6. M*A*S*H* (1970) directed by Robert Altman
7. Inherent Vice (2015) directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
8. Return of the Dragon (1972) directed by Joseph Koo
9. The Master (2012) directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
10. Frank (2014) directed by Lenny Abrahamson
11. The Big Boss (1971) directed by Lo Wei
12. Mauvais Sang (2001) directed by Leos Carax
13. The Secret of Kells (2010) directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey
14. Boyhood (2014) directed by Richard Linklater
15. Bullhead (2012) directed by Michael R. Roskam
16. Nebraska (2013) directed by Alexander Payne
17. House on Haunted Hill (1959) directed by William Castle
18. The Dark Crystal (1982) directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz
19. The Interview (2014) directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
20. Galaxy Quest (1999) directed by Dean Parisot
21. Gidorah: The Three Headed Monster (1964) directed by Ishirō Honda
22. Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
23. Once Upon a Time in the West (1969) directed by Sergio Leone
24. Horns (2013) directed by Alexandre Aja
25. Beyond the Black Rainbow (2012) directed by Panos Cosmatos
26. The Elephant Man (1980) directed by David Lynch
27. The Long Hot Summer (1958) directed by Martin Ritt
28. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989) directed by Terry Gilliam
29. FoxCatcher (2015) directed by Bennett Miller
30. Big Hero 6 (2014) directed by Chris Williams and Don Hall
31. Office Space (1999) directed by Mike Judge (Rewatch)
32. Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2005) directed by Prachya Pinkaew
33. Tank Girl (1995) directed by Rachel Talalay
34. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies (2014) directed by Peter Jackson
35. God's Not Dead (2014) directed by Harold Cronk
36. Wolfcop (2014) directed by Lowell Dean
37. Young Ones (2014) directed by Jake Paltrow
38. Labyrinth (1986) directed by Jim Henson
39. RoboCop (2014) directed by José Padilha
40. Atari Game Over (2014) directed by Zak Penn
41. LUCY (2014) directed by Luc Besson
42. Godzilla vs Monster 0 (1965) directed by Ishirō Honda
43. Godzilla's Revenge (1969) directed by Ishirō Honda
44. WILD (2014) directed by Jean-Marc Vallée
45. Mulholland Drive (2001) directed by David Lynch
46. Peter and the Wolf (2006) directed by Suzie Templeton
47. Grizzly Man (2005) directed by Werner Herzog
48. Deepstar six (1989) directed by Sean S. Cunningham
49. Wetlands (2013) directed by David Wnendt
50. Natural Born Killers (1994) directed by Oliver Stone
51. The Animatrix (2003) directed by Koji Morimoto, Shinichiro Watanabe, Mahiro Maeda, Peter Chung, Andy Jones, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, andTakeshi Koike
52. Buffalo soldiers (2003) directed by Gregor Jordan
53. Battle Royale (2000) directed by Kinji Fukasaku
54. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) directed by Ana Lily Amirpour
55. What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) directed by Lasse Hallström
56. Blue Velvet (1986) directed by David Lynch
57. Wet Hot American Summer (2001) directed by David Wain
58. The Babadook (2014) directed by Jennifer Kent
59. It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012) directed by Don Hertzfeldt
60. Locke (2014) directed by Steven Knight
61. Hot Girls Wanted (2015) directed by Ronna Gradus, Jill Bauer
62. The Machinist (2004) directed by Brad Anderson
63. Troll Hunter (2011) directed by André Øvredal
64. District 13 (2006) directed by Pierre Morel
65. Leon: The Professional (1994) directed by Luc Besson
66. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) directed by Clint Eastwood
67. Mad Max Fury Road (2015) directed by George Miller
68. Battleship Potemkin (1926) directed by Sergei Eisenstein
69. Joe (2014) directed by David Gordon Green
70. Avengers Age of Ultron (2015) directed by Joss Whedon
71. Detachment (2012) directed by Tony Kaye
72. Chinatown (1974) directed by Roman Polanski
73. Sex and Lucia (2002) directed by Julio Medem
74. (A)Sexual (2011) directed by Angela Tucker
75. Jurassic World (2015) directed by Colin Trevorrow
76. Monsters Dark Continent (2014) directed by Tom Green
77. Metropolis (1927) directed by Fritz Lang
78. Ex Machina (2015) directed by Alex Garland
79. Ant-Man (2015) directed by Peyton Reed
80. Rushmore (1998) directed by Wes Anderson
81. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) directed by Matthew Vaughn
82. Hercules (2014) directed by Brett Ratner
83. The Night Porter (1974) directed by Liliana Cavani
84. Alice (1988) directed by Jan vankmajer
85. Dogtooth (2009) directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
86. Brazil (1985) directed by Terry Gilliam
87. Underworld (2003) directed by Len Wiseman
88. The Producers (1967) directed by Mel Brooks
89. Serpico (1973) directed by Sidney Lumet
90. Valhalla Rising (2009) directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
91. Rosewater (2014) directed by Jon Stewart
92. Boogie Nights(1997) directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
93. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre(1974) directed by Tobe Hooper
94. The Night of the Living Dead(1968) directed by George A. Romero
95. John Wick (2014) directed by David Leitch and Chad Stahelski
96. I'm Still Here (2010) directed by Casey Affleck
97. Eyes Wide Shut (1999) directed by Stanley Kubrick
98. Why Don't You Play in Hell? (2013) directed by Sion Sono
99. 12 Years A Slave (2013) directed by Steve McQueen
100. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) directed by George Lucas
101. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) directed by Irvin Kershner
102 Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) directed by Richard Marquand
Television Seasons
1. Star Trek Next Generation Season 1
2. Star Trek Next Generation Season 2
3. Psycho-Pass
4. Jessica Jones Season 1
5. Dare Devil Season 1
6. The Office Season 1
7. The Office Season 2
8. The Office Season 3
9. The Office Season 4
10. The Office Season 5
11. The Office Season 6
12. The Office Season 7
13. The Office Season 8
14. Samurai Champloo
15. CowBoy Bebop
16. Deadman Wonderland
17. Fargo Season 2
Books
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
4. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
5. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
6. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
7. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
8. The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
9. Autobiography of Red by Ann Carson
10. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
11. Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me by Richard Farina
12. The Epic of Gilgamesh: An English Version With An Introduction Translated by N.K. Sanders
13. Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbet
14. Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers by Kwame Anthony Appiah
15. Child of God by Cormac McCarthy
16. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
17. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
18. White Noise by Don DeLillo
19. Where Europe Begins by Yoko Tawada
20. Watchmen written by Alan Moore and Illustrated by Dave Gibbons
Movies
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) directed by Jonathan Liebesman
2. Godfather II (1974) directed by Francis Ford Coppola
3. Godfather III (1990) directed by Francis Ford Coppola
4. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) directed by Terry Gilliam
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo
6. M*A*S*H* (1970) directed by Robert Altman
7. Inherent Vice (2015) directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
8. Return of the Dragon (1972) directed by Joseph Koo
9. The Master (2012) directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
10. Frank (2014) directed by Lenny Abrahamson
11. The Big Boss (1971) directed by Lo Wei
12. Mauvais Sang (2001) directed by Leos Carax
13. The Secret of Kells (2010) directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey
14. Boyhood (2014) directed by Richard Linklater
15. Bullhead (2012) directed by Michael R. Roskam
16. Nebraska (2013) directed by Alexander Payne
17. House on Haunted Hill (1959) directed by William Castle
18. The Dark Crystal (1982) directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz
19. The Interview (2014) directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
20. Galaxy Quest (1999) directed by Dean Parisot
21. Gidorah: The Three Headed Monster (1964) directed by Ishirō Honda
22. Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
23. Once Upon a Time in the West (1969) directed by Sergio Leone
24. Horns (2013) directed by Alexandre Aja
25. Beyond the Black Rainbow (2012) directed by Panos Cosmatos
26. The Elephant Man (1980) directed by David Lynch
27. The Long Hot Summer (1958) directed by Martin Ritt
28. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989) directed by Terry Gilliam
29. FoxCatcher (2015) directed by Bennett Miller
30. Big Hero 6 (2014) directed by Chris Williams and Don Hall
31. Office Space (1999) directed by Mike Judge (Rewatch)
32. Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2005) directed by Prachya Pinkaew
33. Tank Girl (1995) directed by Rachel Talalay
34. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies (2014) directed by Peter Jackson
35. God's Not Dead (2014) directed by Harold Cronk
36. Wolfcop (2014) directed by Lowell Dean
37. Young Ones (2014) directed by Jake Paltrow
38. Labyrinth (1986) directed by Jim Henson
39. RoboCop (2014) directed by José Padilha
40. Atari Game Over (2014) directed by Zak Penn
41. LUCY (2014) directed by Luc Besson
42. Godzilla vs Monster 0 (1965) directed by Ishirō Honda
43. Godzilla's Revenge (1969) directed by Ishirō Honda
44. WILD (2014) directed by Jean-Marc Vallée
45. Mulholland Drive (2001) directed by David Lynch
46. Peter and the Wolf (2006) directed by Suzie Templeton
47. Grizzly Man (2005) directed by Werner Herzog
48. Deepstar six (1989) directed by Sean S. Cunningham
49. Wetlands (2013) directed by David Wnendt
50. Natural Born Killers (1994) directed by Oliver Stone
51. The Animatrix (2003) directed by Koji Morimoto, Shinichiro Watanabe, Mahiro Maeda, Peter Chung, Andy Jones, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, andTakeshi Koike
52. Buffalo soldiers (2003) directed by Gregor Jordan
53. Battle Royale (2000) directed by Kinji Fukasaku
54. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) directed by Ana Lily Amirpour
55. What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) directed by Lasse Hallström
56. Blue Velvet (1986) directed by David Lynch
57. Wet Hot American Summer (2001) directed by David Wain
58. The Babadook (2014) directed by Jennifer Kent
59. It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012) directed by Don Hertzfeldt
60. Locke (2014) directed by Steven Knight
61. Hot Girls Wanted (2015) directed by Ronna Gradus, Jill Bauer
62. The Machinist (2004) directed by Brad Anderson
63. Troll Hunter (2011) directed by André Øvredal
64. District 13 (2006) directed by Pierre Morel
65. Leon: The Professional (1994) directed by Luc Besson
66. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) directed by Clint Eastwood
67. Mad Max Fury Road (2015) directed by George Miller
68. Battleship Potemkin (1926) directed by Sergei Eisenstein
69. Joe (2014) directed by David Gordon Green
70. Avengers Age of Ultron (2015) directed by Joss Whedon
71. Detachment (2012) directed by Tony Kaye
72. Chinatown (1974) directed by Roman Polanski
73. Sex and Lucia (2002) directed by Julio Medem
74. (A)Sexual (2011) directed by Angela Tucker
75. Jurassic World (2015) directed by Colin Trevorrow
76. Monsters Dark Continent (2014) directed by Tom Green
77. Metropolis (1927) directed by Fritz Lang
78. Ex Machina (2015) directed by Alex Garland
79. Ant-Man (2015) directed by Peyton Reed
80. Rushmore (1998) directed by Wes Anderson
81. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) directed by Matthew Vaughn
82. Hercules (2014) directed by Brett Ratner
83. The Night Porter (1974) directed by Liliana Cavani
84. Alice (1988) directed by Jan vankmajer
85. Dogtooth (2009) directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
86. Brazil (1985) directed by Terry Gilliam
87. Underworld (2003) directed by Len Wiseman
88. The Producers (1967) directed by Mel Brooks
89. Serpico (1973) directed by Sidney Lumet
90. Valhalla Rising (2009) directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
91. Rosewater (2014) directed by Jon Stewart
92. Boogie Nights(1997) directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
93. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre(1974) directed by Tobe Hooper
94. The Night of the Living Dead(1968) directed by George A. Romero
95. John Wick (2014) directed by David Leitch and Chad Stahelski
96. I'm Still Here (2010) directed by Casey Affleck
97. Eyes Wide Shut (1999) directed by Stanley Kubrick
98. Why Don't You Play in Hell? (2013) directed by Sion Sono
99. 12 Years A Slave (2013) directed by Steve McQueen
100. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) directed by George Lucas
101. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) directed by Irvin Kershner
102 Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) directed by Richard Marquand
Television Seasons
1. Star Trek Next Generation Season 1
2. Star Trek Next Generation Season 2
3. Psycho-Pass
4. Jessica Jones Season 1
5. Dare Devil Season 1
6. The Office Season 1
7. The Office Season 2
8. The Office Season 3
9. The Office Season 4
10. The Office Season 5
11. The Office Season 6
12. The Office Season 7
13. The Office Season 8
14. Samurai Champloo
15. CowBoy Bebop
16. Deadman Wonderland
17. Fargo Season 2
weemadarthur
Member
I'll type up a bit about the movies I watched for 2 months. In February I can only recommend one book for reading: Hawkwind's Tale by Katherine Smith. The rest was crap.
Black Widow (1966) - Not memorable whodunit.
Eragon - How long have I meant to see this? I recognized the actors from tv shows now. Wouldn't have when it came out.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space - Worse than I thought. Oddly, a bunch of characters survive. I'm shocked.
Lady Sings the Blues - Depressing of course. I watch these instead of reading biographies. They may be inaccurate, but I have no way of knowing anyhow.
The Madness of King George - Well acted. Hilarious to me. Now I want to learn more about George II.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi - I expected something other than a show about how much a workaholic can damage his family.
Much Ado About Nothing (2013) - So weird. Modern dress with Shakespeare's writing seldom works. Amy Acker makes a rather bitter Beatrice. Prefer Branagh's.
Catching Fire - It works. Not sure I want to watch the Mockingjay movies given that the book sucked hard.
Black Widow (1966) - Not memorable whodunit.
Eragon - How long have I meant to see this? I recognized the actors from tv shows now. Wouldn't have when it came out.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space - Worse than I thought. Oddly, a bunch of characters survive. I'm shocked.
Lady Sings the Blues - Depressing of course. I watch these instead of reading biographies. They may be inaccurate, but I have no way of knowing anyhow.
The Madness of King George - Well acted. Hilarious to me. Now I want to learn more about George II.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi - I expected something other than a show about how much a workaholic can damage his family.
Much Ado About Nothing (2013) - So weird. Modern dress with Shakespeare's writing seldom works. Amy Acker makes a rather bitter Beatrice. Prefer Branagh's.
Catching Fire - It works. Not sure I want to watch the Mockingjay movies given that the book sucked hard.
I'm keeping my set-goal pace of staying 4 books ahead so I have a cushion.
Man in The High Castle was great. I watched half of the pilot of Amazon's series based off it before falling asleep last night and it seemed pretty good too.
On the movie front, I've been trying to get into the Airplane!-style comedy and will probably watch Top Secret soon.
Man in The High Castle was great. I watched half of the pilot of Amazon's series based off it before falling asleep last night and it seemed pretty good too.
On the movie front, I've been trying to get into the Airplane!-style comedy and will probably watch Top Secret soon.
Updated my OP, I might watch a movie tonight but I will count it towards March
sestrugen - 0/5 Books 12/50 Movies
sestrugen - 0/5 Books 12/50 Movies
Camwi - 0/50 Books 6/50 Movies
Pretty sad update. Not a lot of time in February I guess. I get home from work, my wife and I try to catch up on TV episodes, but we usually manage one before the baby wakes up. I think we stretched Boyhood out between three days.
Making decent progress on the books I've read before in The Wheel of Time series, though. I need to check to see what the last one I read was, so I know when I can start adding these to my list.
I saw Birdman this month, it was a pretty great movie. Also another notable one was The Cabin in the Woods. Despite knowing the entire setup beforehand, it was still a fun horror comedy.
Didn't get to read that many more books. Tried to pick up couple of non-fiction stuff, but just couldn't grab my attention for long. Seems like I'm more of a fiction guy these days.
First update
Code:
[B]_Ryo_ - 2/50 books | 8/50 movies[/B]
[B]
Books:[/B]
[B]
Read[/B] - Revival [I]by[/I] Stephen King ★★★½
[B]Read[/B] - Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians [I]by[/I] Brandon Sanderson ★★★☆☆
Movies:
[B]Watched[/B] - The Terminal (2004)★★★☆☆
[B]Watched[/B] - 9 (2009) ★★★½
[B]Watched[/B] - Gone Girl (2014) ★★★★☆
[B]Watched[/B] - The Fifth Estate (2013) ★★☆☆☆
[B]Watched[/B] - Interstellar (2014) ★★★★☆
[B]Watched[/B] - Birdman (2014) ★★★★☆
[B]Watched[/B] - Joe (2013) ★★★★☆
[B]Watched[/B] - Crazy Stupid Love (2011) ★★★☆☆kinoki
Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
kinoki - 13 books | 18 movies
Books
Movies
Books
- Tender is the Night (1934), F. Scott Fitzgerald - ★★★½ - While the writing is great, There's some truely classical paragraphs in here that resonate to the point that you know you're reading some of the best words ever written, I never felt engaged in the story. Dick's living and his wanting to be something he's not is never interesting. At times it feels like a reversed Jane Eyre where you're following Rochester.
- After Dark (2004), Haruki Murakami - ★★★ - This would make a great movie. All the stuff is right there ready to be put on screen. The sleeping, the music, the weirdness and the mood, it's all there. Probably the most cinematic that Murakami has ever written. It's interesting but I don't think that a book is the right medium for this story.
Movies
- The Drop (2014, dir. Michaël R. Roskam) - ★★★★ - A good movie done right. The director knows his strengths and plays us all really well. I love these subtle movies that just lurk up on you.
- Status