When I selected this year's theme--Movies reflect human needs--I kicked it into high gear and started binging on films... watching more than 50 in the six weeks prior to April. Some were new to me and some I re-watched to see if they fit certain topics. (Not all made the cut.)
I also went overboard with referencing films in my posts. I initially planned to include up to five movie suggestions each day, but most posts exceeded that, in fact, for the letter L (Love) I suggested 23 films! It's like I turned on a movie reference fire-hose and blasted away.
Some statistics for this year's April posts:
- Number of movies I referenced in total during the challenge: 185
- Of those 185, the number of movies I referenced for the first time on this blog: 96
- Of the 50+ movies I watched in preparation for the challenge, 43 were from the public library (free!).
- I forgot to keep track of how many I watched on streaming channels.
- Number of movies I gleaned from reader comments: 79
- (Readers mentioned more than 79 movies, but I made note of 44 I haven't seen, and 35 I want to see again.)
This was my 7th year participating in the A to Z Challenge and yet I still fell short of my goals. I did better at some things, and not so much in others.
My biggest disappointment was having very little time to visit blogs.
Here are the ones I visited consistently (although, sometimes I didn't leave a comment):
I didn't catch all the A to Z posts on the following blogs, but hope to return to read the ones I missed:
A big shout-out goes to Sue! We met through the A to Z Challenge several years ago and even though she hasn't participated the past couple years, she's continued to follow and comment on my posts. (She's also a screenwriter and loves movies. Her blog: Suzanne Blazier: A Movie for Every Mood.)
If you click on the Movies Referenced tab at the top of the page (or click here), you will find a tidy table I created listing all the movies I've referenced on this blog over the years including links to the posts where it's mentioned.
There's also a page with the links to all my A to Z posts (the titles, linked to the post) found through a tab above, or click here.
I set a goal to be more consistent with writing My "Take" reviews (also found through a tab at the top of the page)... I already have one scheduled to post on Tuesday (May 11). I hope you'll check it out!
185 movies referenced, that's a lot! Thank you for the great selections, now I have a list to watch 😉. Well done on your challenge!
ReplyDeleteI was stunned when I counted up how many movies I'd referenced in that one month. Hopefully with that many listed, everyone can find at least one they like, right?
DeleteI appreciated all your comments, Frédérique. Did you happen to catch my W post? I mentioned one of your comments in that post. :-)
Wow Trudy! That's a lot of movies. I know I made a list of a couple I'd like to find but now I need to go back and check for more. Nice to know they were at the library, a place I forget to check most of the time. Good think ours recently reopened. Thanks so much for the mention!
ReplyDeleteJanet’s Smiles
I was amazed at the selection of DVDs/Blu-ray and even some streaming movies that our library offers. Sometimes I checked the library for certain films "just in case" but truly not expecting them to have it, but they did! Libraries are a treasure.
DeleteThanks, Trudy! I didn't expect to be mentioned in your Reflections post! Film lovers unite! I confess I haven't been posting any movie reviews on my blog since after returning from walking the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. I guess my focus just shifted for awhile. I have gotten a few comments from people I know who say they miss my reviews. Maybe it is time to start up again. I did enjoy writing them. Thanks again for your insights into film, Trudy!
ReplyDeleteUnderstandable that you've been working on a memoir about your journey on the trail in Spain. (I'm assuming that's been your focus since the trip.) We've joked about "so many movies, so little time" but for many of us writers, it can be "so many writing projects, so little time" ... and also, "so many ideas, so little time." 😀
DeleteI loved coming over to your blog to read about movies. Since I come from India, there are very few people I get to discuss hollywood movies about, especially the way I percieve them. This felt great since we thought in the same way... also your choice of movies were amazing though the list has not been touched yet. Workload is more when we are working from home. It never seems to end. I will be checking out your previous posts as well since I am damn sure I will love all of them. Thanks for the mention of my blog.. You are in my small list as well.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.chaptersfrommylife.com/2021/05/reflections-z-challenge-2021.html
I'm glad you enjoyed my posts and the lists of films. Hopefully you will find some that you love. I realize everyone has their own taste in movies so I won't be offended if you come across some that make you wonder, "Why on earth did she recommend this?" hahaha
DeleteSo true... work "never seems to end." I'm still trying to catch up with everything I fell behind on in April.
Thanks for the shout out! Your posts were really interesting and made me want to watch a lot of films I either hadn't seen before or not for a long time. Like you, I didn't get to visit as many other blogs as I'd hoped. I've signed up for the road trip and will definitely be back here to check out some of the posts I missed.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. I'm glad you found the posts interesting and found some movies you'd like to see for the first time... or even the second or third time!
DeleteCongratulations on your 2021 Challenge! You've watched a lot of movies. I try to see one a day usually and most of those are on TCM or Public TV. I used to get some more obscure films at the library, but I haven't gone there in many years.
ReplyDeleteThanks for playing A to Z blogging with us again this year. Never enough time sums it up for me too.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Thanks for staring this blog challenge, Arlee! I love how it sparks creativity. I plan to participate again next year... maybe I'll find that elusive "time" next time around.
DeleteTrudy,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your A2Z series this year. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get caught up but determined to make right what I failed to do in April has been my quest this summer. I appreciate your frequent stops at my place in April and for the mention here. Congratulations for finishing up another year of fun! Have a wonderful day and hopefully we'll cross paths other times throughout the year instead of just April. :)
I admire your determination to catch up. Thank you for all your comments!
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