Friday, May 14, 2010

The next thing to do...

OK, I know that I said I would be taking some time off from any sorts of projects, but lately I've been prolific (by my standards) in working on things for the blog, so I figure that I might as well ride the productivity while it lasts. The latest idea I have is another countdown, but not one nearly as labor intensive in terms of writing - believe me when I say that the two countdowns that I have run thus far have been grueling, as I've been writing the entries as I go. My latest idea is inspired by the "Favorites of My Favorites" series that director and blogging pal Jeffrey Goodman ran at the last lullaby (and) peril blog. The idea was that Jeffrey made a case for why he loved a particular director, then ranked his favorites for each of them. I like this idea, as it will allow me to touch on a number of favorites and great films, while also spurring discussion about directors that I love. Even more interesting, it will force me to fill in gaps in director's filmograhies that I am missing, thus getting me to see more films rather than simply re-watching as I tend to do.

The basic premise for me will be the same as how Jeffrey did it - a short intro explaining what appeals to me about a director or something that I find interesting about them. Then, I will try and rank the films that I have seen from each of them. The only twist for me will be in trying to construct a loose Top 25-type list where I am basically counting down my favorite directors. I say loose, because ranking entire bodies of work is probably even harder than ranking individual films. Still, I think it will be fun to try and do. I have been watching movies like crazy lately in order to get started. I'm thinking an every other day format would work well for this one too, but I'm open to thoughts on that one. The reason two days for each entry sounds good is that I hope that each post will spur discussion about the individual directors, what people like or dislike about them, and hopefully other folks contributing lists of their own.

The same disclaimer will apply here as in my other countdowns: I haven't seen everything. In fact, compared to a lot of the knowledgeable folks that visit Goodfella's, I've seen very little. So, for the majority of the directors I get to (particularly ones with huge bodies of work), I will not have seen all of their films. This in no way precludes someone from making a list, in my opinion, as the rankings are going to be purely personal taste. They will be the films that I like best. Which ones am I most likely to return to or look forward to re-watching. The reality is, there will probably only be a few directors where I have seen EVERYTHING they have made. I intend to only include films that I have seen, which means some important ones could be missing, but at least it will be an honest assessment by me.

Thoughts? Additional suggestions or ideas? Let me know what you're thinking. I'm looking toward starting this in June at some point, but would love to hear if this sounds interesting to those that would be following along.

9 comments:

  1. Great idea!!! Time to hit full throttle, once again :)

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  2. Hey Dave, I'm looking forward to the series. And when you get around to bottling up some of your energy, please send some this way. It's really impressive!

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  3. Another excellent idea that I will be following with great enthusiasm!

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  4. I'm really digging this idea, I'll be looking forward for this!

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  5. This sounds incredible. Can't wait.

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  6. Great to hear guys, I'm excited about it... as I said, the entries aren't going to be as extensive as past countdowns in terms of writing, but I'm much more interested in discussing the directors that are brought up and seeing other's lists.

    Basically, this project is going to be enjoyable from my stand point because it involves more actual movie watching than writing! LOL!

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  7. Looking forward to this Dave!!!

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  8. Sounds great - I look forward to seeing which directors you go for!

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  9. I don't think you should do it unless you have seen ALL of the director's movies. I mean, how can you talk meaningfully about Woody Allen without knowing why his 37th best movie is better than his 38th?

    I'm kidding of course. Good idea, look forward to participating in the discussion.

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