My 'A Movie a Day' project has ended

On Sunday, the day after I watched The Sixth Sense, I decided not to watch a movie, ending my Movie-a-Day project. At the time I couldn't be bothered to watch anything, and I've felt that way a few times during the project but every time I just watched something for the sake of keeping the streak alive. Recently, however, in the few days before Sunday, I've been really indifferent about watching a movie every single day and about keeping my little project alive, which was becoming more something I had to do rather than wanted to do. Besides, I'm pretty satisfied with the milestone of one month so it was better to end it before the streak got ridiculously long and more important than it should be. Besides, I can still watch movies when I want.

As I documented my experiences in this blog I had an unpublished post; a list of movies I'd watch so far, to help keep track. I've tidied it up and added links to each movie's post:

LIST OF MOVIES
01. Dec 25 Tropic Thunder 5/10
02. Dec 26 Sherlock Holmes 8/10
03. Dec 27 Little Miss Sunshine 6.5/10
04. Dec 28 Transformers 7/10
05. Dec 29 United 93 8/10
06. Dec 30 Avatar 8/10
07. Dec 31 Das Wunder von Bern 6/10
08. Jan 01 This is England 7/10
09. Jan 02 Déjà Vu 6.5/10
10. Jan 03 Donnie Darko 5/10
11. Jan 04 WALL-E 6.5/10

12. Jan 05 The Bank Job 6.5/10

13. Jan 06 The Bucket List 3/10
14. Jan 07 The Godfather 8/10
15. Jan 08 Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 6/10
16. Jan 09 Room Service 6/10
17. Jan 10 Star Wars Episode II: The Clone Wars 7/10
18. Jan 11 Equilibrium 8/10
19. Jan 12 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 8.5/10
20. Jan 13 Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope 7/10
21. Jan 14 Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back 7/10
22. Jan 15 Semi Pro 4/10
23. Jan 16 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 6.5/10
24. Jan 17 Shoot 'Em Up 6.5/10
25. Jan 18 BoyTown 5/10
26. Jan 19 The Hangover 6/10
27. Jan 20 Shaolin Soccer 7.5/10
28. Jan 21 Zombieland 7.5/10
29. Jan 22 Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi 8/10
30. Jan 23 The Boat That Rocked 6/10
31. Jan 24 Reservoir Dogs 7/10
32. Jan 25 12 Angry Men 8/10
33. Jan 26 Chop Shop 7.5/10
34. Jan 27 The Invention of Lying 5/10
35. Jan 28 Law Abiding Citizen 8/10
36. Jan 29 The Hurt Locker 8/10
37. Jan 30 The Sixth Sense 8.5/10

I never planned to blog this project to begin with--in fact the only reason I have a blogger account is because it was a minor requirement in year twelve IT. I suppose now that the Movie-a-Day project is done I'll keep this blog, but probably won't post much...

A Movie a Day: The Sixth Sense

Saturday 30 January - THE SIXTH SENSE (1999)
Another one of the 'you've just gotta watch this' films, I had a fair knowledge of The Sixth Sense from various "I see dead people" references in pop culture, not to mention a bit from studying M. Night Shyamalan's next film, Unbreakable, extensively in year 12 media last year. While I'd heard The Sixth Sense was widely praised, luckily I wasn't too familiar with the plot itself (particularly important considering it's a thriller).

It was a brilliantly engrossing, deliciously slow-burning, precariously creepy thriller with a good story and great acting, particularly then-11 Haley Joel Osment, also starring Bruce Willis *with hair*, who I liked. 8.5/10

A Movie a Day: The Hurt Locker

Friday 29 January - THE HURT LOCKER (2009)
Before watching it, I had no idea what The Hurt Locker was about, except for a brief mention early in this Empire article which suggested it was widely acclaimed. Even then, though, I didn't know it would be a war thriller--to be honest I think the less prior knowledge you have the more you will enjoy it; less room for deflated expectations. Anyway, The Hurt Locker follows a team of three US soldiers who disarm bombs (an 'Explosive Ordnance Disposal team') in present-day Baghdad (though it was largely filmed in nearby Jordan). It was almost without music and filmed with hand-held cameras, giving it a distinctly documentary feel--except for the occasional impressive slow-mo shot.

The story starts fairly slowly, as do thrillers, but soon the drama thickens as personalities clash in life-and-death situations. I don't think that trailer reflects the movie very well but then I couldn't do better... The tension between characters was communicated really effectively; it was really good. 8/10

A Movie a Day: Law Abiding Citizen

Thursday 28 January - LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (2009)
I wasn't too keen to see this, having noticed some bad reviews, but I went into the cinema and let myself get lost in the movie, and really enjoyed it. I think 'Law Abiding Citizen' is a funny name, making it sound hilariously mundane for an action movie, but it does have some relevance--the movie's about a guy called Clyde (pretty much a criminal mastermind; played by Gerard Butler) who vows to bring down the legal system after one of his family's killers walks free. Opposite Butler is Jamie Foxx, playing Clyde's former lawyer now trying to stop him.

It was a well-written film with a smart plot, not too confusing, plus Clyde pulled off some really smart crimes. It's the kind of film that impresses you by how devilishly clever they can kill people. It got terribly gruesome at times but you've gotta take that bad stuff with the good--in fact the gore probably made me care more, making the film more powerful and more memorable. Anyway, at the end of the day, my lasting impression of the film is of its great plot, not its occasionally confronting violence. 8/10

A Movie a Day: The Invention of Lying

Wednesday 27 January - THE INVENTION OF LYING (2009)
Ricky Gervais plus the title concept equals so much potential, but I was seriously let down. Such a concept could have and should have been so funny but instead this is a sadly mundane film with an awfully bland feel about about it--something to do with the look of it and particularly its musical score, which made me think I was designing a house in The Sims. As a huge Gervais fan, I tried and tried to like The Invention of Lying, but it was poisoned by that blandness and also clichéd heartfelt speeches.

I skimmed through the movie again today (having watched it last night) and gave it more respect after watching some of the funnier dialogue again, which Gervais delivered with his gift for comic tone and timing. He really did shine in this film (not only comically but emotionally: see scene where his character's Mum dies), so it's a shame everything around him was so far behind. The first time I watched this it barely made me laugh--although I was amused by this alternate world, one without lying, or even tact or euphemism. I'm not advocating anti-Americanism but I imagine The Invention of Lying would be sharper as a British film. 5/10

A Movie a Day: Chop Shop

Tuesday 26 January - CHOP SHOP (2007)
What drew me to this independent film was its not only its critical praise (especially for its 12-year-old star, Alejandro Polanco) but also its setting; a slum in Queens, NYC, because the poorer side of the celebrated city is rarely shown in the media. Anyway, it was a really grim film, about an orphan boy working in an auto-body repair shop (a 'chop shop'), almost living in poverty, saving money for his own food van so he and his sister can run their own business.

This trailer explains a bit more, but it makes the movie look more action-packed than I remember--it was fairly slow-moving. I thought it was a really good movie, though surely my impression was raised by the knowledge it was a small, independent film.. I gotta stop over-thinking my enjoyment of films. Honestly, I was impressed by Chop Shop, the only problem for me being its ending, though I still recommend it. 7.5/10

A Movie a Day: 12 Angry Men

Monday 25 January - 12 ANGRY MEN (1957)
Watched this from the direction recommendation of Sacha, who said I'll like it, and that made me expect to be let down, but he was right, I did like it. 12 Angry Men is about a jury (consisting of the 12 'angry' men) debating the guilt of an 18-year-old boy charged with murdering his father. Save for the characters entering and exiting the jury room at the beginning and end, the entire film takes place within a jury room.

The film's appeal lies in its thought-provoking and outstandingly intelligent dialogue. Only briefly in the film's last moments are any characters' names used, but even more impressive is that the entire film is a discussion about hypothetical events, with the jurors offering theories and persuading one another as personalities collide and egos clash. While the film had a common running length of 96 minutes, I found myself feeling like I'd been watching for hours. This could be good or bad but I see it as good; feeling like I was in that jury room with them, not that it was dragging on but that I was absorbed in it. 8/10