Done & Incomplete: 101 Films to See

Last bow to tie for 2011 is checking in on my 101 Films to See (Part 2!) list. I actually didn't complete this one, which makes me pretty sad. I did my first 101 Films I Can't Believe I Haven't See in tandem with my 101 Things in 1001 Days, and oddly at that point I was very adamant about not committing to another 101 in 1001 until I had tried it, and then ... I did another film 101 in 1001!

I think my initial instinct was spot on as the second time round I didn't have as much excitement over the challenge, plus the films tended to be less known and/or less available which I thought would be a fun challenge but made for a lesser chance of success.

I did manage to get through 70 of the 101 titles, and I did some shifting after trying a few films that were 'must-see's' on so many lists, but I had no actual interest in due to context or content. That was some really good learning, that I really do know my own tastes and interests for film and as wide as they may be, I'm not willing to watch films I don't actually want to see. The other thing that changed during the time of the challenge was I started reviewing DVDs, which literally took the timeslot of when I would watch the films on my 101.

I did make it through a fair number of the films, and the ones that are left mostly remain as ones I want to see and I did see many great films. So to end on a high(er) note, I'd like to say I'm really happy to have seen the following:

Films that I really do think that film fans just have to see: Day for Night, Eraserhead, Belle et la Bete, The Passion of Joan of Arc, Persona, Yi Yi, Eraserhead and Farewell My Concubine.

Great horror films that I'm thrilled I saw: Dracula (1931), The Ghost and Mrs Muir, (technically supernatural/fantasy...but good enough!), Godzilla / Gojira, House of Wax (1953), Onibaba and The Thing from Another World.

And a film with a cult following that I didn't really expect to enjoy but ended up loving was The Boondock Saints.

The best experience seeing a film was watching a 35MM print of The Brood at The Bloor as a part of a curated series by Edgar Wright, who was in attendance at the screening along with actor Art Hindle. That was pretty freaking amazing.

I'm really not a fan of not completing things and would have strongly preferred to have watched all the films but I am happy to have made it though the 71 and continued to expand my film horizons.