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50 books. 50 movies. One year - 2016 edition

F

FlowersisBritish

fleurs n'est pas britannique
FlowersisBritish 1/50 books 4/50 movies

Book 1
More Pricks Than Kicks by Beckett 3/5 stars- It was alright, some interesting stuff to think about afterwards, but kind of a slog to get through. Love and Levette is great though.

Movie 4
Ridiculous 6 3.5/5stars- Oh wow, this is pretty offensive. Also the funniest thing Happy Madison has put out in years, but still. Do the good bits outweigh the brown face? Not really.
 
S

SoundsOfScience

Member
Gonna give this another go after falling off last year

SoundsOfScience - 1/50 books | 3/50 movies

Books:

1. Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said - 5/5
2. 1984 (Currently reading)

Movies:

1. The Last Stand (2013) - 3/5: It was nice starting off the year watching a good, dumb action movie with my dad.
2. Big Trouble In Little China (1986) - 4/5
3. Rumble in the Bronx (1995) - 5/5
4. The Brothers Solomon
5. Pride and Prejudice
6. Kung Fury
 
M

Malyse

Member
17974547.jpg

Genre: Space Sci Fi
Publication date: 2013

A century ago, the Faraday disappeared. The great ship dropped into the mysterious region known as L-space, never to be seen again. There are only legends left, legends of mutiny, murder, and the discovery of forbidden secrets. Today, the young midshipmen of the patrol ship Arbiter have found Faraday, a ghost ship orbiting a remote planet. And, somehow, someone... or something... has survived.
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18164472.jpg

Genre: Space Sci Fi
Publication date: 2013

Cernaq is a telepath from the planet Phaeton, the gentlest, most unassuming of the crew of the CNV Arbiter. After he must take a man's life in the line of duty, his behavior begins to take a turn for the worse. Another presence is slowly gaining control of his mind, and one of the most powerful telepathic intellects in the galaxy is now a threat to himself and his shipmates.
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18302714.jpg

Genre: Space Sci Fi
Publication date: 2013

In all of the history of the planet Phaeton, since it was settled hundreds of years ago, only a handful of its telepathic citizens have ventured into outer space. Professor Mors, a legendary intellectual, and his young protégé Cernaq are two of those. Now that Cernaq is serving on border patrol aboard the CNV Arbiter, his mentor has tasked him with chronicling the extraordinary events he is a part of. Cernaq's letters provide a glimpse of a very seedy corner of Naval service through very innocent, foreign eyes, as he learns that much of humanity is not governed by reason or science.
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18516069.jpg

Genre: Space Sci Fi
Publication date: 2013

Years ago on Terra, Midshipman Terry Metcalfe's little sister Lydia died at the age of twelve. Terry left Earth for the Navy of the Confederated Worlds, but his little sister's memory has haunted him ever since. Now, on the colony world of New Rhineland, a sinister figure, a demon ghost from stories he knew as a child, emerges, claiming to have a hold on Lydia's soul. All of his shipmates become trapped in the vengeful spirit's web, as the myth of the White Lady of Berlin becomes all too shockingly real.
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13416580.jpg

Genre: Superhero Fiction
Publication date: 2012
Rating: Excellent
Completed: 01-22-16

Edwin Windsor, Evil Efficiency Consultant, returns with his manic lawyer Topper and his faithful secretary in this prequel to How to Succeed in Evil. Edwin is approached by a vampire, who offers him the prospect of eternal life if Edwin will help him with the troubles the modern world has presented his kind. It's Edwin versus Nosferatu in this insightful satire of the highly exploited vampire genre.
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I mean, the series is an excellent one, soooo...

510so%2BaZb8L._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

Genre: Fantasy
Publication date: 2008
Pages: 309
Rating: What. The. FUCK?
Completed: 01-22-16

Peter is your typical high school student, but when his mother’s marriage falls apart he copes by dreaming up the story of Dorothea, an elf who lives in the magical Bois d’or forest. Inspired by classic high-fantasy themes, his tale has all the makings of a great adventure—a brave elvish warrior, a ruthless coven of witches, a renegade elf lord and a kingdom on the verge of collapse. But as the chaos intensifies in both the real world and his imagined one, Peter is forced to take a daring stand in each.
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I was more interested in the frame storg than the main story, but then it took a weird left turn into dumb. Like, what was the point of all that?

5970387.jpg

Genre: Fantasy
Publication date: 2008
Pages: 292
Rating: Ended better that it began
Completed: 01-23-16

Nothing unites old enemies like new ones. This is especially true for the inhabitants of Panamindorah as they begin to set aside their differences to fight their true enemies. In Laven-lay, wolflings and wood fauns are sharing counsel for the first time in a generation. In Danda-lay, cliff fauns and cats have joined forces in a last desperate attempt to save the city from the swamp faun invaders. In Kazar swamp, cats and their shelts have been reunited after hundreds of years of separation and abuse. But have all these answers and reunions come too late? Time is running out to stop their true enemy. The ruin of Selbis is awaking to welcome her king. Gabalon is coming home. This is the third book in The Prophet of Panamindorah trilogy.
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As difficult as I found the first two to follow, the third one worked. I don't think it's worth reading; hopefully the next series is better.

-------------------------

I've discovered that the weakest stories I've read have all had the same issue: too many characters. Like, I'm just not capable (nor do I have any intentions) of giving a fuck about 20+ people in your book. Particularly when it's just words on a page with no visual element. Not everyone needs a story arc, so keep it fucking simple.
 
D

donny2112

Member
While there aren't hard rules on how to count books, there was a general feel in past threads that > 100 pages was a good minimum. Most of those that I checked on Amazon (e.g. the one's you didn't list the page #s for) were < 100, though. What I've been doing since I want to track the < 100 page books, too, is group a few under a single #. Therefore, the total pages is well over 100 for that single listing, even if the per book pages is less than that. Feel free to track as you want, though, since this is not a competition. (^_^)
 
G

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
That is the rule of thumb. But as is the case (or at least my understanding), nobody ever checks to make sure the things people are listing are within the guidelines. We are going on good faith from everyone involved.
 
C

Cyan

Banned
donny2112 said:
While there aren't hard rules on how to count books, there was a general feel in past threads that > 100 pages was a good minimum. Most of those that I checked on Amazon (e.g. the one's you didn't list the page #s for) were < 100, though. What I've been doing since I want to track the < 100 page books, too, is group a few under a single #. Therefore, the total pages is well over 100 for that single listing, even if the per book pages is less than that. Feel free to track as you want, though, since this is not a competition. (^_^)
Click to expand...

I don't want to discourage anyone here, but I do think it's important to remember that the point of the exercise is to stretch yourself a bit for a goal, and maybe grow. It's worth considering whether reading a large quantity of really short works is aiding that, or is mostly serving to make a number larger. Of course, there's nothing wrong with working to make your numbers larger--as long as you remember that the number is the measurement and not the actual underlying thing! Sort of a map/territory distinction.
 
K

kinoki

Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
Cyan said:
I don't want to discourage anyone here, but I do think it's important to remember that the point of the exercise is to stretch yourself a bit for a goal, and maybe grow. It's worth considering whether reading a large quantity of really short works is aiding that, or is mostly serving to make a number larger. Of course, there's nothing wrong with working to make your numbers larger--as long as you remember that the number is the measurement and not the actual underlying thing! Sort of a map/territory distinction.
Click to expand...

I feel the same way. I've often contemplated what to count and what not to count for this challenge but my reasoning always leads me back to "read 50 books I haven't read and watch 50 movies I haven't watched" no matter how many times I think I'll count short stories and TV-series. Even though I might sneak a smaller book like The Old Man and the Sea in there it's there for diversity and has good company with À la recherche du temps perdu and other larger works. The point is to challenge yourself and I think that the goal itself is worth it. If this was a diet: how comfortable would you be sneaking a snack?
 
M

Mumei

Member
kinoki said:
I feel the same way. I've often contemplated what to count and what not to count for this challenge but my reasoning always leads me back to "read 50 books I haven't read and watch 50 movies I haven't watched" no matter how many times I think I'll count short stories and TV-series. The point is to challenge yourself and I think that the goal itself is worth it. If this was a diet: how comfortable would you be sneaking a snack?
Click to expand...

This is why you count short story collections. ;)

And you should count television series in a separate list!
 
N

nny

Member
I am not showing up on the list on post #2, I don't know if I formatted something incorrectly in my post (#106). Should I post my list again?
 
G

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
nny said:
I am not showing up on the list on post #2, I don't know if I formatted something incorrectly in my post (#106). Should I post my list again?
Click to expand...

Sorry! Added.


If I missed anyone else, please say so. I know there are a few I skipped since I wasn't sure if they were in or not.
 
K

kinoki

Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
Movies have really shot through the roof this year. We're nearing the end of January and I think we've broken some kind of record. We have Max Armstrong who has already completed the challenge. Personally I've gone from 11 movies in 2015 to being a sure 30+ in 2016. Even Mumei, the reigning king of books have increased from 12 movies seen in 2015 to 18 currently.

Last year we have the statistics for how January went due to the master tracker not being updated so it'll be interesting to see how much more we've read and seen. Good times everyone. :)
 
R

roosters93

Member
roosters93 - 6/50 books | 23/50 movies​


Watched a lot of movies recently!! Will post just the ones I've enjoyed the most.

Books:

The Luck of Politics By Andrew Leigh &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
Sick in the Head by Judd Apatow &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
Any Day Now by Terry Bisson &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
10 Short Stories You Must Read in 2011 - Various &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;

Truly recommend Judd Apatow's book for anyone interested in stand up and how comedians tick.

Movies:

Wild Tales &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½
Twenty &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½
Anomalisa &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
The Lobster &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
Right Now, Wrong Then &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;

Wild Tales is an Argentinian film of fucked up vignettes. Quite funny.
Twenty is a Korean coming of age film.
Right Now, Wrong Then is the latest film from Korean director Hong Sang-soo and it was so good. lovedddd it
 
M

Mumei

Member
kinoki said:
Movies have really shot through the roof this year. We're nearing the end of January and I think we've broken some kind of record. We have Max Armstrong who has already completed the challenge. Personally I've gone from 11 movies in 2015 to being a sure 30+ in 2016. Even Mumei, the reigning king of books have increased from 12 movies seen in 2015 to 18 currently.
Click to expand...

I don't think I've actually increased my movie watching that much; I'm pretty sure most of those Disney movies I rewatched were rewatched in January. So, it's more that I'm just watching more movies that I can count.
 
S

Spectromixer

Member
Spectromixer said:
Did pretty terrible last year, so time to try again. Going to cut out video games more.

Spectromixer - 4/50 Books | 9/50 Movies​
​

Books
  • VALIS by Phillip K. Dick - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  • Brisingr by Christopher Paolini - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  • Star Wars: The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  • Inheritance by Christopher Paolini - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;

Movies
  • Before I Disappear (2014), dir. Shawn Christensen - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½
  • Happiness (1998), dir. Todd Solondz- &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  • Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), dir. Michael Bay - &#9733;
  • Paper Towns (2015), dir. Jake Schreir - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½
  • The Hateful Eight (2015), dir. Quentin Tarantino - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  • The Revenant (2015), dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  • Spotlight (2015), dir. Tom McCarthy - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½
  • Room (2015), dir. Lenny Abrahamson - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½
  • The Maze Runner (2014), dir Wes Ball - &#9733;&#9733;½


My profiles
Goodreads
Letterboxd

For copy paste - &#9733;½
Click to expand...

This will probably be my January status unless I watch something or finish what I'm reading by the weekend.
 
G

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
To help things a bit, you guys can start posting your January updates.

I will update the lists/OP over the weekend, and post the January stats Monday night.
 
K

kinoki

Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
Pau said:
^_^;
Click to expand...

Don't worry about it. You left us a critical piece of history in that post. :)

Milksheikhs said:
Does anyone else find themselves not posting movies they've seen out of embarrassment for how horrible they were?
Click to expand...

I see this openness as a way of shaming away the worst parts of my guilty pleasures. I kid. I do however include everything I see and read, that meets the criteria.

Mumei said:
I don't think I've actually increased my movie watching that much; I'm pretty sure most of those Disney movies I rewatched were rewatched in January. So, it's more that I'm just watching more movies that I can count.
Click to expand...

On the topic of watching more movies, I'd say that one of the bigger plusses I've tried to get out of this challenge, since 50 movies is becoming trivial in my movie watching routine, is to try to figure out what I enjoy about movies and try to watch the ones I haven't watched that I'd enjoy most. This year I think I've scored higher on average than previous years with no more than three movies reaching the highest score (Wild Things, Persona and Fantasia) and another two being just shy of the mark (Russian Ark and It's a Wonderful Life). And this is just at the end of the first month!
 
B

Broken Joystick

At least you can talk. Who are you?
January Update.
Broken Joystick 1/50 books | 28/50 movies 1/? Television Shows

Movies
I still have a few more movies to watch this month, but one of them I've already seen, the other is American Sniper. It's about two hours long, was going to watch it last night but I know I wouldn't have given it my full attention, instead I'd be falling asleep.

But first, a confession.

I've already seen some of the movies I've listed. But not for a long time!

Have you ever watched a film when you were young, enjoyed it, but then watched it again when you were much older and it's almost like a completely different experience? That's my excuse for watching some films again.

Star Wars Saga - I enjoyed watching all these again, because truthfully I think I'd fully sat down and watched the prequels only once before, then never again. And I don't think I've watched the originals or sequels in about a decade, since I was 10. The original holds up very well, then it's a short decline until the prequels, where it's a sharp decline. That said, I found myself enjoying several moments of the prequels, it just takes so long to get there in the form of boring baggage and exposition.

Then I watched Street Kings and Constantine, I'd decided to see some of Keanu's earlier work, it's rough, but somewhat enjoyable I suppose, but I won't be watching them again,

I ordered Lucy and The Grand Budapest Hotel on Blu-ray as they were on sale at Amazon. The way everyone talked about Lucy I thought it'd be a train wreck, and it certainly does go off the rails in the last twenty minutes of the film, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Johansson was great and Besson is a great director. The Grand Budapest Hotel was funny and gorgeous at the same time, I didn't think I was going to enjoy it that much, but every actor nailed their role. I'l probably give it a watch again sometime soon.

The Hangover Trilogy started great and also took a decline, but I'd say that they are all worth watching. The first is amazing, proper laugh-out loud moments and the same applies to the second, even if it does feel a lot like a copy and paste of the first. The third's focus on Chang fell flat, and misses why the first two were so funny, but you can see that they didn't want to do the exact same thing for a third time.

Then from there it was really just watching whatever is on Netflix. Lost in Translation was really good, Bad Neighbours was funny (but I feel like I've seen the exact plot of this movie before), and I'm excited for the sequel out soon. I didn't realise Wet Hot American Summer is like 15-years-old until the credits, I thought it was just amazing make-up and costume design. I'll have to check out the Netflix series.

Books
I managed one whole book this month! Which is more than I did in an entire year last year! The Martian kept me gripped throughout the entire story, brilliant pacing and I was up until the early hours of the morning reading it because I wanted to see what happened. Would definitely recommend.

I'm currently reading Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which also has some quick pacing, and I've got a few other sci-fi themed books to read yet.

Television Shows
I know we don't really count these but I didn't want to list shows in the film list. Anyway, as everyone else thinks, Making a Murderer will make you feel angry and upset. Regardless of Avery's guilt or innocence, there's no doubt of the absolute shambles that they called a trial was corrupt.
 
H

HeavyMetalLover91

Member
HeavyMetalLover91 - 1/50 Books | 18/50 Movies

Movies
  1. Steve Jobs (2015) &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  2. Straight Outta Compton &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  3. Room &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½
  4. Legend &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½
  5. The Hateful Eight &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½
  6. The Revenant &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½
  7. The Martian &#9733;&#9733;½
  8. Deadpool &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  9. Mad Max: Fury Road &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  10. Still Alice &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  11. Batman V Superman &#9733;&#9733;½
  12. Ex Machina &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  13. The Good Dinosaur &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  14. Zootopia &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  15. Dumb and Dumber To &#9733;½
  16. Captain America: Civil War &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½
  17. Comet &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  18. The Jungle Book (2016) &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  19. X-Men (2000) &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;

Books

  1. The Wolf Of Wall Street
 
W

Wensih

Member
kinoki said:
Don't worry about it. You left us a critical piece of history in that post. :)



I see this openness as a way of shaming away the worst parts of my guilty pleasures. I kid. I do however include everything I see and read, that meets the criteria.



On the topic of watching more movies, I'd say that one of the bigger plusses I've tried to get out of this challenge, since 50 movies is becoming trivial in my movie watching routine, is to try to figure out what I enjoy about movies and try to watch the ones I haven't watched that I'd enjoy most. This year I think I've scored higher on average than previous years with no more than three movies reaching the highest score (Wild Things, Persona and Fantasia) and another two being just shy of the mark (Russian Ark and It's a Wonderful Life). And this is just at the end of the first month!
Click to expand...

If you're interested in seeing another film shot all in one take, try out Victoria. You can rent it from iTunes.
 
K

kinoki

Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
Minishdriveby said:
If you're interested in seeing another film shot all in one take, try out Victoria. You can rent it from iTunes.
Click to expand...

It wasn't actually the long take in Russian Ark that I fell in love with. It's the quiet meditation on our place in culture. What it is like to be a European, what traditions we follow and what we are raised to deem important. That it was a single take was more akin to a stream of conscience novel. I'll keep my eyes on it, though. If I get the chance I'll see it.
 
S

SquirrelWide

Member
Squirrelwide - 50/50 Books | 33/50 Movies/TV

Books
1. Flash Boys by Michael Lewis &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
2. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
3. All The Light We Cannot See By Anthony Doerr &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
4. Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
5. Masters of Doom by David Kushner &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
6. Nginx HTTP Server - Third Edition by Clément Nedelcu &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
7. The Crown Tower by Michael J Sullivan &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
8. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
9. The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by David King &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
10. Fluent in 3 Months by Benny Lewis &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
11. How To Learn a Foreign Language by Paul Pimsler &#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;
12. The Rose and the Thorn by Michael J Sullivan &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
13. Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
14. Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
15. The Death of Dulgath by Michael J Sullivan &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
16. Cracking the Coding Interview 6th Edition by Gayle Laakmann McDowell &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
17. Elements of Programming Interviews by Adnan Aziz &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
18. An Introduction to Ray Tracing by Andrew Glassner &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
19. The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
20. Effective JavaScript by David Herman &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
21. Learning JavaScript Design Patterns by Addy Osmani &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
22. The Crown Conspiracy by Michael J Sullivan &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
23. Avempartha by Michael J Sullivan &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
24. Nyphron Rising by Michael J Sullivan &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
25. The Emerald Storm by Michael J Sullivan &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
26. Wintertide by Michael J Sullivan &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
27. Percepliquis by Michael J Sullivan &#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;
28. WintertideThe Emperor's Blades by Brian Stavely &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
29. The Providence of Fire by Brian Stavely &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
30. The Warded Man by Peter V Brett &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
31. Indentured: The Inside Story of the Rebellion Against the NCAA by Joe Nocera &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
32. Leviathan by James S.A. Corey &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
33. The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart by Bill Bishop &#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;
34. I'll Be Right There by Kyung-Sook Shin &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
35. Ultimate German Beginner-Intermediate by Living Language &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
36. Begegnungen: Lehrerhandbuch A1+ by Anne Buscha, Szilvia Szita &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
37. Too Like The Lightning by Ada Palmer &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
38. Terminal Lance by Maximilian Uriarte &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
39. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Martin Luther King Jr., Clayborne Carson (Editor) &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
40. A People's History of Sports in the United States: 250 Years of Politics, Protest, People, and Play &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
41. The Girl Who Wrote Loneliness by Kyung-Sook Shin &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
42. Between Two Fires by Mark Noce &#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;
43. Lonely Planet Iceland by Lonely Planet &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
44. Doomstalker by Glen Cook &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
45. Warlock by Glen Cook &#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;
46. Ceremony By Glen Cook &#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;
47. The One Man by Andrew Gross &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
48. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuinn &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
49. Necropolis by Santiago Gamboa &#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;
50. The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;

Movies / TV
1. Stargate: Atlantis Season 2 &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
2. Persona 3 the Movie 1: Spring of Birth &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
3. Boruto: Naruto the Movie &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
4. A Teacher &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
5. The Witch &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
6. Stargate: Atlantis Season 3 &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
7. Spectre &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
8. Deadpool &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
9. Redline &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
10. Stargate: Atlantis Season 4 &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
11. Ninja Assassin &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
12. Zombie Apocalypse &#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;
13. Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice &#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;
14. The Americans: Season 1 &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
15. The Americans: Season 2 &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
16. The Americans: Season 3 &#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;
17. Branching Paths &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
18. GameLoading &#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;
19. Tokyo Girls &#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;
20. Wolf Children &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
21. Killjoys Season 2 &#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;
22. Shenzhen: The Silicon Valley of Hardware &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
23. X-Men: Apocalypse &#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;
24. X-Men: Days of Future Past &#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;
25. Fast and Furious 6 &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
26. Dark Matter Season 2 &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
27. The Eyes of My Mother &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
28. DOOM Resurrected &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
29. The Story of Rocket League &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
30. Surviving Indie &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
31. Tailenders &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
32. Yuri on Ice &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;
33. Rogue One &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;

I'm also currently rereading a bunch of stuff as part of an effort to clean out my house and donate. I won't count it towards my totals, but I will post here all the same.
Rewatch / Reread:
1. Dragons of Winter Night by Margaret Weis &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
2. Dragons of Spring Dawning by Margaret Weis &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;
 
M

Max Armstrong

Member
GK86 said:
To help things a bit, you guys can start posting your January updates.

I will update the lists/OP over the weekend, and post the January stats Monday night.
Click to expand...
Do we need to make a separate post for each month or you just want us to update our original post?
 
N

NightmareTrigger

Banned
kinoki said:
It wasn't actually the long take in Russian Ark that I fell in love with. It's the quiet meditation on our place in culture. What it is like to be a European, what traditions we follow and what we are raised to deem important. That it was a single take was more akin to a stream of conscience novel. I'll keep my eyes on it, though. If I get the chance I'll see it.
Click to expand...
I'm assuming you're a Bergman fan from your avatar, but he tends deals a lot in those sorts of themes. Winter Light comes to mind immediately. Also if you haven't seen it, Kieslowsky's Three Colors Trilogy is wonderful.
 
K

kinoki

Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
NightmareTrigger said:
I'm assuming you're a Bergman fan from your avatar, but he tends deals a lot in those sorts of themes. Winter Light comes to mind immediately. Also if you haven't seen it, Kieslowsky's Three Colors Trilogy is wonderful.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say that I'm a Bergman-fan even though I love some of his movies (Trollföljten, Fanny och Alexander and Persona are all more or less perfect movies) I found out, when watching Smultronstället, that I was more interested in the cinematic presentation that I loved. It's Sven Nykvist's cinematography that I love. He presents how I think visually so well in images. Hence the avatar. Gunnar Fischer's camera work is so boring and almost ruins an otherwise interesting movie.

I'll keep my eyes on Nattvardsgästerna [Winter Light] and add it to the list of Bergman I really need to see (together with: Jungfrukällan, Såsom i en spegel, Tystnaden and Höstsonaten).

Kieslowski is someone I've been meaning to get into but have never really found the time or place to do it.
 
F

FUBAR McDangles

Member
January update:

FUBAR McDangles - 4/50 Books | 9/50 Movies

Books
  1. Alien: Sea of Sorrows - James A. Moore | &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  2. Star Wars: Lost Stars - Claudia Gray | &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  3. Doctor Sleep - Stephen King | &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  4. Alien: River of Pain - Christopher Golden | &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;

I read four books, which is about where I expected/wanted to finish. Best of the group was Star Wars: Lost Stars. It got a ton of hype on here as being the best novel of the new EU and I have to agree. While most others have been disappointments, I really liked this one. However, I was a bit annoyed by just how convenient the plot was. The main characters just happened to be at every single major event of the OT. Every time. It was just too convenient. The characters were good and the reappearance of minor characters from movies was handled well.

The worst book of January was still pretty decent. River of Pain is set right before the events of Aliens (1986) and follows the colonists on LV-426. The story was okay and fleshed out some events, and had some direct callbacks and the novelization of some scenes in Aliens (Ripley being found in space, what she does on Gateway Station above Earth, her arrival on LV-426 with the Colonial Marines) that I found interesting, although they definitely qualify as padding of page count a bit. The new characters were interesting and I wonder what, if anything, will happen to them going forward. All three of these Alien novels ended with a survivor or two that vow to take on Weyland-Yutani in one way or another, and I wonder if any of them are going to end up coming back.

Movies
  1. Minions | &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  2. Rock Star | &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  3. Training Day | &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  4. Ride Along 2 | &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  5. Constantine | &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  6. Saving Mr. Banks | &#9733;&#9733;
  7. Taps | &#9733;&#9733;
  8. Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension | &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
  9. Hotel Transylvania 2 | &#9733;&#9733;
[/QUOTE]

Movie wise, I got quite a few in. I might be able to squeeze in another from Redbox tonight or tomorrow, but I'm not sure so I'll just do this now.

Best movie of the month was quite clearly Training Day. That movie was legit good. I feel like everybody has seen it by now and I was one of the last ones, so there really isn't much I can say. Just that it was good.

Worst was probably Taps. The premise was dumb. The story was dumb. It was predictable. The characters were dumb. The saving points were isolated to one character played by the GOAT: Tom Cruise. I understand this was arguably his big break before he went on to be in Risky Business. He was really, really good in Taps. The only good part, to be honest.
 
K

kinoki

Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.

Books
  1. Ilustrado (2010), Miguel Syjuco - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - It's not every day you stumble on a Filipino writer. It's has some fun writing in it and it captures the essense of the story without ever becoming interesting.
  2. Wide Sargasso Sea (1966), Jean Rhys - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½ - The little sister of Jane Eyre is just that, a companion. Some clever writing that could have been even more clever. I see where this is coming from but if you're up againt one of the best books I've ever read you need to bring something extra to the table. It's still a fun read, though.
  3. Herztier [The Land of Green Plums] (1994), Herta Müller - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - I understand why it's important and I get what it's supposed to mean but it never resonated with me. It's written well enough and it's worthy of the praise it gets but the subject matter and how it's dealt with isn't really what I enjoy reading.
  4. Half a Yellow Sun (2006), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - Reading this book made me realise that I really like Chiamanda as an author and come to appreciate Purple Hibiscus a lot more. Not as good but good enough.
  5. Lilla stjärna [Little Star] (2010), John Ajvide Lindqvists - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½ - Out of left field, I didn't think I'd enjoy this as much as I did. A critique of the Swedish society and its musical culture as much as it is a horror-coming-of-age story. Love it.

Movies
  1. Jupiter Ascending (2015), dir. The Wachowskis - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - I was expecting it to be really bad but to my surprise it's good but it's bogged down with The Wachowskis' ego. Great visual design, Tatum is miscast and the story is stupidly executed.
  2. A Most Violent Year (2014), dir. J.C. Chandor - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - Clever little thriller with a great performance by Oscar Isaac. This dude is so great in everything he does he's bound to be showered with Oscars any day now.
  3. It Follows (2014), dir. David Robert Mitchell - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½ - Not as good as some people had hyped it to be but no slouch either. Some really great scenes and one of the few horror movies I enjoyed enough to see through.
  4. M (1931), dir. Fritz Lang - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - Society and how we organise. Very critical of society as civilized or what it is percieved as civilized. Resonated with me.
  5. Inherent Vice (2014), dir. Paul Thomas Anderson - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - Paul Thomas Anderson makes his most uninteresting movie yet. He's made some really great movies so it was just a matter of time before a dud was inevitable.
  6. Relatos salvajes [Wild Tales] (2014), dir. Damián Szifrón - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - A really great movie. Doesn't miss a beat. Great direction, great acting and great visuals. So many great things in one film. Can't recommend this movie enough.
  7. Fear and Desire (1953), dir. Stanley Kubrick - &#9733;½ - Haha. Stanley, how the greats were small once. There is no reason at all to see this piece of movie history. It's a failed attempt that bogs down in pretention and bad acting. Nothing interesting. Humble beginnings.
  8. Tomorrowland (2015), dir. Brad Bird - &#9733;&#9733;½ - Like the Wachowskis Brad Bird is only interested in telling one story. The genius who has to make it in a world of mediocre people. He also has this really wierd thing about needing to have a chase scene every 10 or 15 minutes. He is a good director that needs to do movies like Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. That's his really great movie.
  9. &#1054;&#1082;&#1090;&#1103;&#1073;&#1088;&#1100; [October] (1928), dir. Sergei Eisenstein - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - Once this was a great movie. You can feel it watching it. The horse at the bridge for example. You can tell how great it was. But time moves on and this hasn't aged well. Better as a piece of history than as a masterpiece.
  10. &#1056;&#1091;&#1089;&#1089;&#1082;&#1080;&#1081; &#1082;&#1086;&#1074;&#1095;&#1077;&#1075; [Russian Ark] (2002), dir. Aleksandr Sokurov - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½ - The one-take itself isn't that interesting. What's interesting is the setting, the dialogue, the acting, the scenarios that unfold, the Hermitage Museum and how wonderfully it all melds together. Great feat in so many ways.
  11. Persona (1966), dir. Ingmar Bergman - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - One of the best movies ever made. Perfect in just about every way.
  12. À bout de souffle [Breathless] (1960), dir. Jean-Luc Godard - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - Godard bores me. I recognise what this is. Doesn't mean I'm impressed. Jean Seberg steals the show.
  13. Smultronstället [Wild Strawberries] (1957), dir. Ingmar Bergman - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½ - I realise that I don't enjoy Bergman as a director when he isn't collaborating with Sven Nygren. Both this and The Seventh Seal are unremarkable compared to the later works.
  14. Metro Manila (2013), dir. Sean Ellis - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½ - An interesting view into the Philippines and a tale of desperation. Nothing really remarkable but it has some solid direction and interesting setting.
  15. De rouille et d'os [Rust and Bone] (2012), dir. Jacques Audiard - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - Great acting in a boring movie. I've come to the understanding that I can't for the life of me figure out why people want to watch these kinds of movies. It bores me. It's a good movie but nothing special.
  16. The Zero Theorem (2013), dir. Terry Gilliam - &#9733;&#9733; - Don't know what to make of this. It's such a mess. Gilliam has directed many of the movies that I grew up loving and helped shape what movies I enjoy but this is such a fall from grace. So much production wasted on this mess.
  17. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen (1960), dir. Donald Brittain, Don Owen - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½ - A window into Leonard Cohen's career before he became a singer. It's odd that they celebrate the poet and comedian while it's just a few years before he's one of the best lyricists.
  18. Secret of the Kells (2009), dir. Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - Cute but unremarkable. I really dig the visual style.
  19. Ghost in the Shell (1995), dir. Mamoru Oshii - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½ - The audio design is so great. The music really brings the world alive. Sound design The story is so stupid and gets stupider by the minute.
  20. Pinocchio (1940), dir. Ben Sharpsteen, Hamilton Luske - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½ - People who call A.I. disjointed clearly haven't seen this incoherent fairy tale. Having never seen this in its entirety I was baffled. Such great scenarios but so little coherent story telling. It wouldn't be so good if it hadn't been for its flawless design.
  21. Ladri di biciclette (1948), dir. Vittorio De Sica - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½ - Social commentary that I find uninteresting even though I get the great parts of it.
  22. Annie Hall (1977), dir. Woody Allen - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½ - I don't like this Woody Allen shtick but there's some clever movie making going on, even though it's very rough.
  23. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), dir. Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise - &#9733;&#9733;½ - Who would have though that a mash-up of several Lucasarts games would make for such a dull movie.
  24. It's a Wonderful Life (1946), dir. Frank Capra - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½ - Call me sentimental but James Stewart must be the most sympathetic person who has ever lived. This is a movie made for and by James Stewart. Like Harvery it wouldn't work with any other actor.
  25. Fruitvale Station (2013), dir. Ryan Coogler - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - Great direction, great acting but an unremarkable movie.
  26. What We Do in the Shadows (2014), dir. Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - Basicly Flight of the Conchords but with vampires... but also not as fun.
  27. 22 Jump Street (2014), dir. Phil Lord, Christopher Miller - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - One of the funnier movies I've seen in a long time. Such stupidity and marvelous direction. Tatum is great, which needs to be stated.
  28. Bande à part (1964), dir. Jean-Luc Goddard - &#9733;&#9733;½ - Godard bores me. Clever little dance scene. You really can tell where Tarantino got his style but he perfected it.
  29. Banksy Does New York (2014), dir. Chris Moukarbel - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½ - Not as good as the masterpiece Exit Through the Giftshop but an interesting view into one of the greatest artists of our time.
  30. Fantasia (1940), dir. Norman Ferguson - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - This is the greatest Disney-movie I've ever seen. A true masterpiece of cinema.
  31. Inside Out (2015), dir. Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733; - It's almost clever. It's almost really good. In the end I find it odd.

  • World of Tomorrow [short] (2015), dir. Don Hertzfeldt - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½ - Fun little sci-fi short with some fun ideas. The visual style is distinct but it's not very deep.
  • Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy [rewatch] (2011), dir. Tomas Alfredson - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½ - Rewatched this movie because I just wanted to see beautiful cinematography and excellent direction parred with great acting.
 
M

Mumei

Member
Whenever people do their monthly updates two or three days early, I have this minor moment of panic: Wait, what day is it?
 
F

FlowersisBritish

fleurs n'est pas britannique
5. Antman 4/5 stars- It was fun and good and there were quite a few funny laugh out loud moments. But marvel movies are starting to feel a little samey. They're still good, but tonally they're not really differing much. This one tried to subvert some, but not enough to make it different. Still, good movie, though the train gag from the trailer was still the best gag.

6. King Fu Panda 3/5 stars- Better than i thought. Some fun bits and montages and fight scenes. Though lacks a certain complexity. I know, kids movie, but do movies have to limit themselves from complex character motivations that much?
 
M

Milksheikhs

Member
1/50 Books | 10/50 Movies


Movies:
1. Kill Bill Vol. 1
2. Meet the Fockers
3. Snowpiercer
4. Kill Bill Vol. 2
5. Star Trek IV: A Voyage Home
7. The Martian
8. 5th wave
9. Catwoman
10. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Books:
1. Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America

I actually watched more movies than that, but forgot to put down some of them.
Gotta step it up as far as books. My next book that I plan on reading is probably gonna be Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.
 
W

Wensih

Member
January Update:

Minishdriveby - 1/50 Books | 29/50 Films

Books
1. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

Films
1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) directed by J.J. Abrams
2. Goodnight Mommy (2014) directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala
3. Victoria (2015) directed by Sebastian Schipper
4. Kagemusha (1980) directed by Akira Kurosawa
5. Thirst (2009) directed by Park Chan-Wook
6. The Thing (2011) directed by Matthijs van Heijningen, Jr.
7. Rocky (1977) directed by John G. Avildsen
8. Rocky II (1979) directed by Sylvester Stallone
9. Rocky III (1982) directed by Sylvester Stallone
10. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2008) directed by Michael Andrews
11. The Wicker Man (2006) directed by Neil LaBute
12. Tropic Thunder (2008) direct by Ben Stiller
13. What We Do In The Shadows (2014) directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi
14. Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (2014) directed by David Zellner
15. Cabaret (1972) directed by Bob Fosse
16. Memories (1995) directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, Koji Morimoto, and Tensai Okamura
17. Ghost in the Shell (1995) directed by Mamoru Oshii
18. Ghost World (2001) directed by Terry Zwigoff
19. The Revenant (2015) directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
20. The Martian (2015) directed by Ridley Scott
21. Rocky IV (1985) directed by Sylvester Stallone
22. Slow West (2015) directed by John Maclean
23. Rocky V (1990) directed by Sylvester Stallone
24. Rocky Balboa (2006) directed by Sylvester Stallone
25. Frozen (2013) directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
26. Jodorowsky's Dune (2013) directed by Frank Pavich
27. The Lobster (2015) directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
28. Inside Out (2015) directed by Pete Docter and Ronnie del Carmen
29. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) directed by David Lynch

I'm about halfway through another book, and I might watch some more movies, but I'll post this now just in case I get lazy over the weekend.
 
S

survivor

Banned
January update

survivor - 12/50 books | 1/50 movies​

Books
  1. Zinky Boys: Soviet Voices from the Afghanistan War - Svetlana Alexievich
  2. Grief Is the Thing with Feathers - Max Porter
  3. The Edge of the Horizon - Antonio Tabucchi
  4. Sphinx - Anne Garréta
  5. Vertigo - Joanna Walsh
  6. Baboon - Naja Marie Aidt
  7. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - Michael Chabon
  8. My Documents - Alejandro Zambra
  9. Sidewalks - Valeria Luiselli
  10. Senselessness - Horacio Castellanos Moya
  11. Upright Beasts - Lincoln Michel
  12. The Hotel Years - Joseph Roth

Movies
  1. Young Frankenstein - Mel Brooks

Trying to read from as many different countries as possible. My Documents along with The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay were probably best things I read this month.
 
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