I Love Film, How Can I Count The Ways?

It seems my good friend The Silver Screener has tagged me in a rather interesting (as he called it) meme. I am to state ten facts about myself and film... a love affair if you will. Though I feel I have previously gone into rants that resulted in my expression of such basic me-isms, I think it would be rude of me not to participate. And hell, I wanna play the game.

1. I have always wanted to be an Actor. Ever since I saw Hook (Yes, Hook) when I was little and recognized Robin Williams as a truly awesome person, I've wanted to have that job. I even auditioned for Julliard because I figured Robin went there... that must be the place.

2. I watch The Big Lebowski multiple times a year. While I usually like to see films I haven't seen before, that one always makes the rounds. Something about the flick just calls out to me and makes me feel good when I'm down. It's like an old friend.

3. While I like to see every genre (and I am a big genre guy), my favorite is Sci-fi. When I was in middle school, I had to do an assignment on cloning. I looked through a few books and watched a few movies related to the subject. Somehow, the gene-splicing aspects got mixed in and I was introduced to GATTACA. That film and I have had a regular love affair ever since. Other flicks I love in sci-fi include: 12 Monkeys, Children Of Men, The Day The Earth Stood Still (Original), Sunshine, Robocop, Moon, and the list seems to go on and on and on. Ask me if you ever want a good sci-fi recommendation. I'll find you a good one.

4. Back in high school my friends and I used to sit around for hours playing the movie game. we'd name an actor then a movie they were in, then another actor in that movie, than another movie that actor was in, etc. I think it has helped a great deal as I have slowly tried to work my way into the industry.

5. It wasn't until College that I realized I had the freedom to write whenever I wanted. I began coming up with script ideas and by the end of my second year I had written at least five original works. Since then my process has slowed down, but I also think it has gained a hardened quality and voice I never could have found without that first initial surge. In fact, just two years ago Silver Screener and I wrote out a pretty fun script I hope to one day shape into something we can make. Oh that will be quite a day.

6. I have seen 95 of AFI's top 100 movies (10th anniversary) and oddly enough 95 of the original list as well. Key flicks I still need to see include: The Best Years Of Our Lives, American Graffiti, and The French Connection.

7. The last Stanley Kubrick film I have to see is Killer's Kiss. When I watch that next week, I will have finally seen all of the master's work. The first time I watched The Shining, I was balled up like a little girl. The first time I watched A Clockwork Orange, I was so giddy I had to take a night on the town doing whatever it is promiscuous teenagers do. The first time I watched 2001, I knew I was home. See Paths Of Glory. See Barry Lyndon. See Lolita. You'll be glad you did. I even like Eyes Wide Shut. The only one I could do without(???), Full Metal Jacket. Too bad. But still a watchable film. Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove, The Killing. And... maybe A.I. It's not so bad.

8. I grew up on Disney. When I was little I used to run around in red underwear pretending I was Mowgli from The Jungle Book.

9. In college, I took a Film Genres class in which I knew more than the teacher. I wish I could go back and have actually learned something in that class. But c'est la vie. I had to spend hours upon hours in independent study watching the classics. The classic first film I ever fell in love with? Lost Horizon.

10. I recently compiled a list of my all time favorite films in order by year. Every once and a while you can catch me posting a little love letter to one of those in my Favorite Films entries. So far I've done Metropolis; Steamboat Willie; M; and Tarzan, The Ape Man... but those don't even touch the tip of the iceberg.

I don't know that many other bloggers, but I'll tag a few that I do (I doubt most of them will respond): Whedonesque, John August, Oh Cinema, and Kissing Tigers. Thanks again Silver Screener for the post. I thoroughly enjoyed it.