Happy (Belated) Birthday! (and a new top ten list)

It seems hard to believe, but today last Monday The Soul of the Plot turned one year old. Now, I would be lying if I said I never thought I’d make it this far, because I did want to be blogging all throughout college at the very least, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t envision a possibility where I would wimp out and quit (August for example; I had zero motivation during that month). I did have to stop with the “Quote of the Day” posts unfortunately, and I’m posting a lot less now that I’m working and school has started up again, but I am still here and that’s the main thing.

I’m not sure if I’ve gotten better at writing at all, still some posts come easier than others, but for the most part I’m happy with where I’m at. I definitely have learned more about the technical side of things both from other blogs and classes, so that’s definitely a plus. I still don’t know a whole lot, but I know a whole lot more than when I started. I would like to be posting a bit more frequently as I was doing in the beginning of this year, but with school and work that’s just not going to happen any time soon. I’m going to try to get to three posts a week, but no promises because I am very busy these days.

Because things have been so busy lately, I haven’t really had a chance to make any big plans for the blog. I’ve fallen behind on a lot of stuff, including many directors’ filmographies. That sounds really negative, but I don’t actually mind having more time to explore directors’ work. I did get through Tarantino and Fincher in my first year and that’s not too shabby. Hopefully by next year I will have Kubrick and Scorsese to add to that list. In terms of marathons, I did do a Hitchcock, Best Picture, and Sci-fi this year, and sometime in the future I would like to do superhero and animation marathons as well. And the Best Picture marathon will be back in February while I’m gearing up for the Oscars.

One thing that I’ve been working on a lot over the past year is a top 100 list. A lot of lists of definitive films are out there and I really want one! It’s not for the lack of trying, I’ve started about a million of them with mixed results. I’ve never actually made one containing a hundred movies though. When I started the blog, I put my top ten list of movies over on the side so people would know what kind of movies I liked and where I was coming from when I referenced a favorite film. Times change though, so I thought I’d start a tradition of revisiting the top ten list every year. Maybe someday I’ll be able to increase it, but for now the top ten will just have to suffice.

Coming in at number 10 is….
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Released 14 October 1994
First seen by me 17 March 2013
Reviewed 19 March 2013

Pulp Fiction! I just recently watched this with a couple of people who had not seen it before, and it reminded me of how much I love this film. The ending especially is just about the greatest thing. So funny! But it’s not all fun and games, the reason why I picked this as my favorite Tarantino film is the roller coaster ride of emotions as things go from sort of depressing, to totally depressing, to really awesome. Classic Tarantino, I really couldn’t leave it off the list. “The truth is you’re the weak. And I’m the tyranny of evil men. But I’m tryin’, Ringo. I’m tryin’ real hard to be the shepherd.”

Coming in at number 9 is…..

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Released 24 March 1972
First seen by me Spring 2011
Reviewed 14 February 2013

Classic mafia movie, and in my opinion, the best ever. I love this movie because it’s so darn classy. You get a great cast of actors, being super classy mafia style in 1940s New York. There are lots of quotable lines and classic scenes. Look how many times I’m using the word “classic” or some variation thereof! It’s just the best word for this movie. The gangster/mafia genre is one of the best, and this is the best of that bunch. Great film all around, and I’m happy to put it on my list. ““I never wanted this for you…  But I always thought that when it was your time, that you would be the one to hold the strings.”

Coming in at number 8 is….

Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Released 29 January 1964
First seen by me around 2008 or so
Not yet reviewed

This is such a hilarious movie. I love it so much! It narrowly missed out when I was making the list last time. For some reason, I usually watch this movie when I am really tired so I end up falling asleep, but I always wake up for the end. Great ending, by the way. I have seen the whole movie though, don’t worry! I do plan on reviewing it soon; I’ve had a real strong desire to watch it lately…

“Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room.”

Coming in at number 7 is….

Directed by Arthur Penn
Released 13 August 1967
First seen by me Fall 2010
Not yet reviewed

Let me just quote what I said about this film last year, because it’s basically still true: “Bonnie and Clyde were total rebels and whenever I wish I was one, I watch this film. I’m not saying I get urges to rob banks and shoot innocent bystanders, but sometimes I just don’t like society. It happens to everybody at some point, right? So at least I can watch this movie and not go on a criminal rampage, which is always good.”

“This here’s Miss Bonnie Parker. I’m Clyde Barrow. We rob banks.”

Coming in at number 6 is….

Directed by Robert Stevenson
Released 27 August 1964
First seen by me as a small child
Not yet reviewed

I haven’t seen this film in a while, but it’s one of my favorites from my childhood, so I kept it on. I love the songs in this movie, and it’s just a great one. I love how they mix animation into it, and Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke are pretty great.

“Supercallifragilisticexpialidocious!”

Coming in at number 5 is……

Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Released 29 March 1943
First seen by me Summer 2013
Not yet reviewed

This is still a relatively new (to me) film, but I really love it. The Criterion is fantastic, I have to go out and recommend it. The commentary is great too, and I’ll admit that’s a big part of the reason of why I like this film. Anyway, the story is great, the characters are great, and the color is especially great. Part satire, part drama, and basically everything in between, it rose up on my list of favorites with unprecedented speed.  

“Clive! If you let yourself be defeated by them, just because you are too fair to hit back the same way they hit at you, there won’t be any methods but Nazi methods!”

Coming in at number 4 is…..

Directed by Elia Kazan
Released 29 July 1954
First seen by me Spring 2012
Not yet reviewed

I plan on reviewing this film next February, as it won the Oscar in ’54 and I can’t wait to see it again. It’s a great morality tale, with the main character triumphing over his own sense of self preservation to truly do the right thing. While there’s the political background to deal with, the film itself is about doing what you think is right despite what anybody else thinks, and that’s a universal theme despite the politics. It’s pretty inspiring, and I will always defend the film on this basis. The acting and writing is fantastic, and the ending is unbelievable.

“You don’t understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let’s face it. It was you, Charley.”

Coming in at number 3 is….

Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Released 7 August 1953
First seen by me as a small child
Reviewed 22 March 2013

Absolute favorite musical. Ever. I love every song in this movie, and I have since before I can remember. There are very few movies that I love this much. There are also great dance numbers, and a great script by Betty Comden and Adolf Green. Really funny but with a touch of sadness and self doubt that eventually gets overcome.

“I should have listened to my mother. She told me only to be in hit shows.”

Coming in at number 2 is….

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Released 28 May 1958
First seen by me Spring 2011
Reviewed 28 October 2012

It would be crazy to think I could get through this list without mentioning The Master of Suspense: Alfred Hitchcock. While it is considered by Sight and Sound to be the greatest film of all time, there is still one that beats it for me. No, it’s not Citizen Kane. But anyway, I still vividly remember the first time I watched Vertigo. At that point, it was one of the strangest films I had ever seen. I didn’t know what hit me. I also didn’t yet know the magnitude of genius that I had witnessed. Luckily I was motivated to rewatch it, and was completely gripped the whole time. Admittedly, it has lost some of its bite from rewatching it too many times, but I still enjoy it immensely.

“All right. All right then, I’ll do it. I don’t care anymore about me.”

Coming in at number 1 is….

Directed by David Lean
Released 16 December 1962
First seen by me Summer 2012
Reviewed 10 February 2013

That’s right, Lawrence of Arabia has dethroned The Right Stuff as my favorite film. Whether this is the right call or not, when I saw this movie on the big screen over the summer, I knew it was my favorite. Maybe that’s why it’s my favorite, because I could even better sense the scope of the film surrounded by about 400 other enthusiastic people. Regardless, I love the cinematography, story, performances of this film, and basically just about everything. Lawrence is a fascinating character and Peter O’Toole’s performance is one of the best of all time. The film is very quotable, which is definitely something I look for in a favorite. What else can I say? I just love this film. A lot.

“Truly, for some men nothing is written unless they write it.”

So there you have it, my new top ten. Hopefully I’ll improve next year and expand it to 20 or even 25 titles (and actually finish it for the blog’s birthday, that you would be nice). But regardless of any of my shortcomings, thank you to everyone who has read, subscribed, or commented on the blog over the past year. It means a lot. Here’s to another good year of blogging!