With the start of the new year, and having seen a fair few already, I thought I’d keep a record of all the films I watch, as much out of curiosity to see how long it is by December as anything else to be honest

January

• Mary Poppins - supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, a true classic (TV)
• Sister Act - not quite such a classic but feel good nevertheless (TV)
• Chicago - All that Jazz! (TV)
• Hercules - Disney, nuff said (DVD)
• Grease - that is all. (TV)
• Catch Me If You Can - not seen before and really enjoyed it, recommended++ (TV)
• Die Another Day - Bond, need I say more? (TV)
• The King and I - the animated version, which I didn’t know existed - not bad for a version lacking Yul Brinner (TV)
• The Phantom of the Opera - musical perfection (DVD)
• Naked Gun - saw this for the first time in years this evening and had forgotten how hilarious it is (DVD)
• Naked Gun 2 1/2 - see above :p (DVD)
• Sister Act 2 - seeing the original made me want to own the set, so I do; not quite the same charm as the first but some kicking gospel tunes nevertheless and a better story I think (DVD)

February

• Tarzan - one of the more recent additions to my Disney musicals collection and it’s made it to second favourite after Lion King for Minnie Driver’s Jane alone (DVD)
• Pocahontas - another of the more recent additions to the above collection - some gorgeous songs but sad ending!!! (DVD)
• Intolerable Cruelty - not seen this before and it’s amusing once it’s got into its stride Not your typical romcom but that’s not a bad thing in this case and Catherine Z-J and George Clooney are both enjoyable to watch (TV)

March

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - if you’re only going to watch one film in a month, you can make worse choices than seeing this for the first time IMO A lot darker than the others have been in keeping with the tone of the book, and can’t really blame it for not covering everything in the latter and sticking to the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Alan Rickman at his best as per usual (DVD)

April

• Speed 2: Cruise Control - Nothing like as good as the original but amusing enough, if a tad daft, in its own right. Best watched for Sandra Bullock IMO (TV)
• Scary Movie 2 (most of) - Not the best film ever made by any stretch of the imagination, and the acting was nothing special either, but worth watching once just to spot all the spoofs, my favourite being the ones of A-Team and Charlie’s Angels (TV)
• Men of Honour - Inspired by the life of Carl Brashear, retired Navy Diver, and starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert DeNiro, this film has action and suspense in bucketloads and the all important “YES!” moment when the hero overcomes adversity to reach his goal - brilliant and inspiring (TV)
• Hunchback of Notre Dame - another Disney classic - need I say more? (DVD)
• Mulan - yet more Disney fun (DVD)
• King Arthur - Director’s Cut - good story, tad too violent for my tastes though. Enjoyed Kiera Knightley as a bow weilding lass clad in leather and body paint whilst still managing to look well brought up. (DVD)
• Keeping Mum - bought this one on a whim based on it having Rowan Atkinson and Maggie Smith in it, and what a good buy it was! Most amusing :)(DVD)
• Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - delivers on the action, if not the acting, and the stunts are superb. Nice to see Chris Barrie doing something that doesn’t require a funny voice or having an H stuck on his head (TV)

May

• Rocky Horror Picture Show - Odd, odd film with cracking tunes(TV)
• Thelma and Louise - Always fancied seeing this to see what all the fuss is about - best I’ve seen Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon was brilliant aswell, even if I did keep expecting her to burst into song (see above!)(TV)
• X-Men 3: The Last Stand - FAB!! (Cinema)

June

• Conspiracy Theory - Had Patrick Stewart in it, had to be worth a watch :)(TV)

July

• Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest - arrrrrrrrr!(Cinema)
• You Got Mail - sweet, sentimental and cosy (TV)
• About a Boy - a staple favourite, and a kid who isn’t annoying!! (DVD)
• Heartbreakers - a pre-moustache Earl Hickey, and I liked the film before I realised :)(DVD)
• Over the Top - Sly Stallone overcoming the odds to win, this time as an arm wrestler (TV)
• Lost in Translation - the Film 4 network premiere - freeview FTW!! Good film but bit of an unsatisfying ending for me (TV)

August

• Superman Returns - I really enjoyed this. Brandon Routh is scarily Reeve-like as Superman/Clarke Kent, Kevin Spacey is excellent as Lex Luthor, and the effects are worth seeing this in the cinema alone (Cinema)
• Life of Brian - hoorah for old favourites, and Monty Python is certainly one of those for me! (DVD)
• Shanghai Kid II - I’ve always found Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan funny in films, but having done TKD for about a year now I can really appreciate the martial arts scenes a lot more (TV)
• Monty Python’s Search for the Holy Grail - yay for more Monty! Not as good as Life of Brian but still pretty darn good! (DVD)
• A Bug’s Life - Disney Pixar, nuff said (TV)

September

• 84 Charing Cross Road - based on a book, which is itself based on a true story, this made for TV film was a very nice sentimental way to pass a Sunday afternoon with a cuppa - think I might try and aquire the book. (TV)
• Brave New Girl - also based on a book, namely ‘A Mother’s Gift’ by Britney and Lynne Spears, I went into this with an open mind, and it wasn’t half bad! I always did like a nice ‘overcoming the odds’ flick though, and the singing was a bonus (TV)

October

• Blues Brothers - I had no idea that the Blues Brothers were ever anything more than a film so I’m glad to have finally seen this and gotten to know a bit more about the Blues Brothers band as a result. Dan Akroyd goes up more in my estimation with each film I see him in (DVD)

November

• Little Mermaid - At last this masterpiece is mine!!!!(DVD)
• Love Actually - Can’t beat this for good old fashioned feel good romance and comedy (DVD)
• Cars - Another Disney Pixar to add to my collection thanks to my lovely bf I think this one rates second to The Incredibles in my favourite Pixar list - and such a great soundtrack! (DVD)

December

• Love Actually - Yes, I like it that much (DVD)(
• J.F.K. - I love a good conspiracy, and this one has it all!(DVD)
• Bruce Almighty - yay for Morgan Freeman and a non-MASK mode Jim Carrey :D(DVD)
• Duets - kind of like Love Actually but with karaoke instead of love being all around and what brings everyone together at the end. (TV)
• The Thomas Crown Affair - saw this once and never quite got into it - liked it much better second time around (TV)
• Intolerable Cruelty - again, something I’ve seen before, but you can never have too much George Clooney or Catherine Zeta Jones I think (TV)
• Jackie Chan’s First Strike - more action than you can shake a stick at, this is good old fashioned light hearted slapstick. My favourite Jackie Chan film is Shanghai Kid for Owen Wilson alone, but this is perfectly watchable - all of Chan’s films manage to do what none of Bruce Lee’s did for me: make me laugh and leave me caring that it all works out in the end (TV)
• Casino Royale - finally got to see this at the cinema: Bond is back! (Cinema)

And the result….53! One a week on average, which I’d never have believed before I counted them all up Already seen Night at the Museum and High School Musical this year, and hope to see Happy Feet, The Holiday and the new Hugh Grant film, Music and Lyrics, soon. Also got Monsters Inc. to watch - hoorah for filmage!