I will watch these films in 2018. I will watch these films in 2018. I will watch these films in 2018…
You know that feeling. When someone doesn’t even ask if you have seen a film they just assume you have and start talking about it. You may smile nervously and try to change the subject. You might feign a phone call from an imaginary police officer and run howling into the night. You might sigh quietly to yourself before committing the sacred and ancient act of Hari Kiri. Whichever socially unacceptable method you use to escape such a conversation, it is never pleasant. With that in mind I have decided to set myself a cinematic new years resolution, so never again will I feel inadequate from my lack of film knowledge. Starting with…
10. Hook
Sure it’s hardly Steven Spielberg’s most accomplished work but it is still a film that everyone of my generation has seen. Apart from me. I’m literally the only one. I want this list to span genre’s, decades and level of critical acclaim so Hook feels like a good starting point. Also Robin Williams. Yes please.
9. 8½
Some people would be utterly disgusted that I have the gall to run a film blog having never seen a Fellini film. Others might innocently ask when Manchester United’s wonderfully coiffed centre midfielder started directing movies. From my almost comically limited knowledge of Fellini, 8½ is probably going to be closer to the arty end of the cinematic scale that most films on this list but sometimes it is nice to be challenged. Mostly it isn’t though. Will I enjoy this more than your average film starring Paul Rudd? Probably not.
8. Annie Hall
I’m going to separate art from man here. Let’s forget about Woody Allen and his erm… tumultuous personal life and instead focus on his art. I have only ever seen two Woody Allen films. While I enjoyed both Blue Jasmine and Midnight in Paris, it feels like I am missing a trick by having never experienced Allen’s most acclaimed work. I couldn’t choose between this one and Manhattan so I literally flipped a coin. It’s almost Woody Allen-esque. It might be anyway. I wouldn’t know. Yet.
7. The Thing
Because horror is my favourite genre and John Carpenter is one my favourite directors and yet somehow… somehow I have never seen The Thing. Widely regarded as one of the best horror films ever, The Thing also boasts the masculine presence of Kurt Russell, a sure plus point in any cinematic experience. In fact I’ve annoyed myself that I have never watched this. I’m going to sit in a darkened room and think about what I’ve done for a while…
6. On The Waterfront
Sure I’ve seen The Godfather and Apocalypse Now but those early, explosive performances from Marlon Brando have so far passed me by. I have never seen The Wild One, I have never seen A Streetcar Named Desire and perhaps worst of all, I have never seen On The Waterfront. All I know about this movie is the ubiquitous phrase I couldda been a contender. I look forward to finding out more.
5. Easy Rider
I recently listened to an incendiary and compelling podcast about Charlie Manson and since then I have become a little obsessed with the 60s counter culture. There are actually loads of films from that era that could have taken this slot but Easy Rider perhaps feels like the most important. Dennis Hopper. Jack Nicholson. Peter Fonda. Need I say more?
4. The Great Escape
It almost feels like an achievement of sorts that I have managed to make it to 30 without ever having seen The Great Escape. This madness has gone on long enough though, what on earth have I been doing on Christmas Day all these years? I look forward to finally being able to laugh at Eddie Izzard’s long routine based on The Great Escapewithout feeling like a fraud.
3. Rear Window
I have never liked Hitchcock. I have sat through North by Northwest, Vertigo and even Psycho and felt pretty much nothing. Rear Window is my very last roll of the Hitchcock dice. It’s now or never. I’m hoping I will love Rear Window so much that it will inspire me to reappraise my opinion on the rest of Cocky’s work.
2. Spaceballs
This may not be the most prestigious film on the list but as someone that has devoured all things Star Wars since I was a boy, it seems odd that I have never caught Spaceballs. 2018 is the year of the spaceball. I will definitely watch it this time. Although I also said that in 2015, 2016 and last year. Also, John Candy.
1. Citizen Kane
100% on Rotten Tomatoes. #72 on the IMDB top 250. TimeOut magazine’s best film ever. Roger Ebert’s favourite ever film. And I have the nerve to have never seen it. Here is a short list of some films that I have watched instead of Citizen Kane: Legally Blonde 2, Judge Dredd, The Monuments Men, Sharknado, Showgirls. This list is kind of making me reappraise everything I have done in my life so far…