Thank you! Reflection for the 2019 A to Z Challenge.

To borrow from an old commercial, "Thanks, I needed that!"

I just finished my fifth consecutive April A to Z Challenge. I almost didn't participate this year, and registered just a few days prior to April even though I was still unsure about committing.

The problem was... I felt disheartened about film industry standards (a problem I face in my quest for quality films) and wondered why do I watch movies? 

Those thoughts led to my theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...  a theme I needed.

Writing posts that focused on why helped me tremendously, plus reader comments and movie suggestions rekindled my enthusiasm for watching films and for blogging.

"Thanks! I needed that!"


Now for the nuts and bolts of the Reflection Post:

This is the first year I used the master list. I mean actually used, not just for signing up. The Google sheet was such a valuable tool, I'm kicking myself for not taking advantage of it in the past.

I copied the list and then tweaked it to my liking. Having my own copy allowed me to:

• Delete duplicate blog registrations
• Delete blogs that weren't actually doing the challenge, or I couldn't find their A to Z posts
• Hide blogs that I visited and didn't plan to return to (topic didn't interest me, blog page difficult to read...)
• Color code blogs
• One color for blogs I want to return to when I have more time.
• Another color for blogs I followed daily during the challenge (on days I only had time to visit a few blogs, I made sure to visit these):
• Curious as a Cathy by Cathy
• Janet's Smiles by Janet 
• Keith's Ramblings by Keith Hillman
• Pulp Paper & Pigment by Linda Gardiner
• Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting about Austin Kleon. I had not heard of him, and after reading your post, I immediately checked out (and read) Keep Going, and am currently reading Show Your Work. My head is swimming with creative plans!
• The Sound of One Hand Typing by John Holton
• Tossing It Out by Arlee Bird, founder of the April A to Z Challenge

Next year I want to:

• Have my posts ready before April
• Link up on other social media (I might even reactivate the FB account I closed four years ago!)
• Visit more blogs (I visited a lot this year, but if my posts are ready I can visit more next year!)
• Leave comments on more blogs

I've already selected a theme (out of my list of 19 ideas) for next year's challenge and I need to watch a whole lot of movies between now and then.

Thanks to this challenge, I'm up for that!

Zillion reasons.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Zillion reasons.

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I have a zillion reasons for watching movies. That's an exaggeration, of course... but I was surprised at how many reasons I came up with for the challenge... far more than the 26 posted.

And it's a good thing I can come up with a zillion reasons to watch movies because it seems there are a zillion movies to watch!

Wait, if I count the list of films I want to watch based on your recommendations during this A to Z Challenge... make that a zillion and thirty-five.

I better get busy.

Y Ending Day

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Y Ending Day

If it's a day of the week that ends with Y, that's a good reason to watch a movie, right? But especially Tuesday! Many theaters offer big discounts on Tuesdays. Some offer $5.00 admission all day Tuesday, any show, any time slot.

I have friends who go to the cinema every Tuesday because of the discount. A sister-in-law goes to the movie theater every Friday.

We usually watch movies (whether at home, or the cinema) during the weekend, Friday or Saturday. Because of our schedules, my husband and I haven't taken advantage of Tuesday deals... yet (maybe when he retires).

If we watch a movie on a Sunday, we watch it in our home and select an uplifting one.

Which day(s) of the week do you watch movies?

X off a list.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

X off a list.

Sometimes I watch a movie to cross it off a list. Not in a negative way, like X-ing out a chore, but in a positive way, like an accomplishment, or to keep track of what I've already watched on the list.

I've been a list-maker since childhood. Lists, charts, and tables. When it comes to movies, I have multiple lists. For example:

• Movies for my next Binge Time
• Films to research for future A to Z themes 
• (Numerous lists within that list!)
• Wanna Watch
• Recommended by friends/family/readers
• Might be good 
• (I saw the trailer or Academy Awards clips...)

Some I gathered from other sources:

• 10 Movies Screenwriters Should See by David Trottier 
• (I've seen 7 out of the 10 so far.)
• 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen by Leonard Maltin 
• (I don't plan to see all 151, but it still generated a long list of movies for me.)
• 33 Movies to Restore Your Faith in Humanity by Roger Ebert 
• (I've checked off 12 of the 33.)

Many titles from the above lists go on one or more of these:

• Movies to borrow from the library
• Found on Hulu
• Found on Netflix
• Found on Amazon Prime

And for those I haven't found:

• Keep an eye open for these movies

So, yeah, sometimes I watch movies to X it off a list!

Are you a list-maker, too?

Weather

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Weather

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Yes, weather is another reason I watch movies, but more-so since moving to Arizona. The scorching heat drives us indoors, and into the arms of movies. (Yet another way I use movies to Escape!)

I especially like going to the theater in the summer because they crank the air conditioning real cool and we don't have to pay the electric bill! (Well, maybe in the ticket price.) We are on a program with the electric company to minimize use of power between 3 to 6 pm, so our A/C doesn't run much--if at all--during those hours. That's a great time to head for a matinee rather than sit in our stuffy house.

Of course, we can't afford to go to the cinema every day, and even once a week would bite our pocketbook, but I can fantasize, right?

Last summer I spent two separate weeks tending grandkids. We watched a lot of movies, I tell ya. It was too hot to play outside. (Don't worry, we also read books and played games.)

I'm grateful for your movie suggestions during this challenge because I'll watch a bunch for my scheduled movie binge day in May (my reward for getting through April), and then... comes... summer. ☀️☀️☀️

What movies would you watch if cooped-up indoors?

Visual Storytelling

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Visual Storytelling

I love visual storytelling, especially motion pictures. Don't get me wrong, I love paintings, photos, and other forms of visual storytelling, but there is something about pictures in motion that grabs me. So... another reason I watch movies: because I want to see the story. It might be a story I heard, or a book I read, but I like to see it, too!

I can hear the groans.... The movie is never as good as the book! ... They butchered my favorite story! ... So I saved today's image for this moment...

In a post titled Hints for watching movie remakes, I share several how-to's for enjoying movies made from familiar stories (books, previously-made movies). Due to length, I won't re-post it here. You can follow the link if interested.

Films have a combination of images, music, sound effects, dialogue, and motion. Mighty fine visual storytelling! And that's a big reason why I watch movies.

Understanding

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Understanding

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Technically, this isn't a reason I watch movies--I don't purposely seek movies with the intent to comprehend something--but it's a welcome bonus. I appreciate when movies help me understand cultures, situations, events, outlooks.

In Leonard Matlin's book 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen, he writes, "I don't think any medium is more powerful than film in fostering our understanding of different cultures and creating empathy for people we might never meet." (p. 133)

I love that about movies!

Do you?

Trailers

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Trailers

Movieclips Classic Trailers: The Bishop's Wife (1947)

My favorite Christmas movie and favorite trailer.

Is there an Oscar for Best Original Trailer? I nominate the one for The Bishop's Wife. I didn't see it in the theater, of course, since I wasn't born yet, but it's my favorite trailer... unusual and clever.

As described in the video, a trailer is "one of those little films you see at your theater which shows you scenes from some big picture that's coming soon" ... well, those little films often give me a reason to watch movies.

Selecting a movie based on its preview is not a perfect system, of course. Sometimes the trailer is better than the movie, or misleads, or reveals too much.

Which brings me to Studio C's spoof on trailers. I've shared this before, but it's worth sharing again... Movie Trailer That Spoils Everything. 

Still, I find movie previews helpful, and usually watch the trailer before watching the film. If the trailer looks good, I want to watch the movie.

How about you?

Screenwriting

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Screenwriting

A few screenplays from my bookshelf.

Another reason I watch movies? Screenwriting research. I analyze films... What works? What doesn't? How did it flow? What structure did they follow? Did that element enhance the story? 

I also study screenplays. If a movie, for instance, contains flashbacks and flash-forwards yet didn't lose me, I want to see how it was written! When a film tickles my funny bone, I read that screenwriter's work. If I feel drawn to multiple movies written by the same person, I study her writing style (I'm looking at you, Nora Ephron).

Watching and reading movies helps improve my screenwriting skills.

Who wrote the screenplay for your favorite film?

Reviews

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Reviews

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I watch some films to write reviews for ClearPlay, a company that provides legal filtering for movies. I've used their filters for most of the twenty years they've been in business, so when they asked me (three years ago) to write reviews for them, I was thrilled!

Having an assignment for reviews is wonderful because it stretches me to see films I normally wouldn't watch and yet turn out to be really good. For example, when asked to review I Kill Giants (2017), I cringed a little. Aimed at a young audience and categorized as fantasy and thriller, I was certain I wouldn't enjoy it. But I was oh so wrong... what an engaging, complex story!

(For the ClearPlay reviews I've written, click here or on the correlating tab at the top of the page.)

I also write movie reviews for this blog, usually spotlighting quality films I come across. Click on the My "Take" tab above (or click here) for links to those. I'm painfully aware of my neglect in posting reviews on here... maybe I should give myself an assignment and deadline!


(Note: ClearPlay does not ask me to or pay me to promote their product on this blog.)

Quest for Quality Films

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Quest for Quality Films

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I'm on a quest to promote quality films. The Reel Focus blog description reads, "An advocate for raising the bar rather than pushing the envelope."

I applaud filmmakers who raise the bar on quality. Their films entertain, inform, enlighten. They are hard-hitting, cutting-edge, powerful... without assaulting our senses. In contrast, filmmakers who push the envelope strive to go beyond standards of decency.

Within the "About Me" section on the sidebar, you'll find that I "decided to quit complaining about film content, get off my duff and find ways to promote decency in films." 

This blog is one way I promote such films. I watch movies, searching for quality, with the intention of spotlighting them here.

Have you found a quality film lately? Please share!

Popcorn

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Popcorn

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Pavlov's dog theory (stimulus triggers behavior) works two directions for me when it comes to motion pictures. Sometimes (not always, thankfully) watching a movie makes me crave popcorn, other times I'm hungry for popcorn, so I watch a movie.

As I mentioned in the post "A stand for concessions" I usually avoid the popcorn at theaters because it's too dry, salty, and the oil makes me nauseous. So, if I'm hungry for popcorn, that means I want to watch a flick at home and nibble (okay, scarf) on my delicious homemade pan-popped kernels of yumminess.

Now I'm hungry for popcorn... so it must be time to watch a movie!

What's your favorite movie snack?

Oscars

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Oscars

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences [Public domain]

The Academy Awards mesmerized me as a child. The glitz! The glamour! If the award show was a platform for political agendas, I was blissfully unaware.

Later, I went through a long period of disgruntlement and ignored the show for years... until technology allowed me to record it. I can fast forward through the chunks that don't interest me and get to the best parts... who gets the Oscars, of course, but my favorite sections are the presentation of nominees accompanied by film clips.

Unlike trailers with their broad overview of the films, the Oscar clips for best and supporting actors/actresses focus on specific scenes, usually with dialogue between two people. That intimate focus helps me connect to the characters. By the end of the show, I usually have a reason to watch some of the Oscar nominated films that previously hadn't been on my must-see radar.

Next...!

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Next...!

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When the next installment of a likeable movie comes out, I want to watch it. I'm aware that the sequel(s) might disappoint, but I still want to see. And once in a while I like the sequel as well as, if not better than, the original! For instance, I like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) better than Vol.1 (2014); my favorite Indiana Jones movie is the third installment, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989); and Back to the Future Part III (1990) ranks right up there with the first.

Sometimes I fall behind on watching sequels (so many movies, so little time!). My husband and son recently sat me down to watch Thor: Ragnarok (2017), then a couple days later showed me the Complete MCU Recap; Everything You Need to Know Before Avengers: Infinity War (on YouTube), followed by (you guessed it) Avengers: Infinity War (2018)... because they want me to go with them when the next installment, Avengers: Endgame, releases soon (April 26).

By the way, the abundant humor in Thor: Ragnarok makes it my favorite Marvel movie (yep, more than any of the prior).

Which sequel do you favor more than the original?

Mood

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Mood

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Sometimes I watch a movie simply because I'm in the mood to watch a movie, and moods definitely influence my selections. I might feel like streaming a movie at home, other times I'm in the mood to see one at the cinema. And if you read the previous post--Laughter--you won't be surprised that I often watch movies to elevate my mood.

Certain movie moods hit me during holidays:

• Valentine's Day in February calls for romantic movies. (Sing it... 🎵 "I'm in the mood for love simply because you're near me..." ♪)

• In July I'm in the mood for patriotic movies. 

• Halloween movies in October (not horror, but fun ones geared for kids... that's the level of fright I can handle). 

• The day after Thanksgiving through the end of December I'm always in the mood for Christmas movies.

Are you in the mood for a movie? Based on your current mood, what movie would you select?

Laughter

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Laughter

Wikimedia Commons

Comedy is my favorite genre. I promised in the "E" post (Escape) I would reveal my genre preference when I got to the letter "L" ... so there you have it. I love laughing! Negative thoughts plague me more than I want to admit, and laughter is a natural anti-depressant. "Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)..." well, because I need laughter.

Ironically, searching for a decent comedy nowadays can put me in a deep blue funk. The quality of comedy films has diminished over recent decades. Too many rely on moronic raunchy humor, as though written by middle-schoolers yucking it up in the locker room. I like most comedy styles--satire, irony, wit, pratfalls, sight gags, slapstick, farce, highbrow, deadpan--but not raunch.

If you have any recommendations for fun humorous films, please share!

And feel free to laugh at these photos of me (circa 1979).

Killing Time

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Killing Time

Miguel A. Tovar [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

In-flight movies help me kill time... and also distract my attention away from the uncomfortable crowded seating. (Hey, that's another way I use movies to escape!)

I watched The Notebook (2004) during a flight and felt silly bawling my eyes out, surrounded by strangers. Sheepishly looking around, I saw numerous sobbing passengers and exchanged compassionate, understanding, glances as we wiped our tears. So, leaning across the aisle, I commiserated, "You too?" The guy nodded affirmation.

I've watched many a movie while in the air, but none as memorable.

Time flies with films in-flight.

On a side note... The above image contains a shot from Flawless (2007), and it so happens I wrote a review of that film during my very first A to Z Challenge! (Click here for the review.)

What do you do when you want (or need) to kill some time?

Junket - Film Promotions

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Junket - Film Promotions

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Kid Theater with Tom Hanks

When an actor does guest appearances on talk shows to promote a new movie, that's part of the film junket. I don't watch talk shows often, but when I do, I enjoy the celebrity interviews... sometimes they give me another reason to watch the upcoming movie!

The above video is my favorite junket interview of all time... Tom Hanks promoting Bridge of Spies (2015) on the Tonight Show. Granted, Tom Hanks is one of my favorite stars so there's a good chance I would have watched the movie anyway, but this hilarious promotion definitely sealed the deal.

Do you follow any talks shows regularly? Which one(s)? Do celebrity interviews help you decide whether or not you will watch the movie?

Invitations

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Invitations

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"Wanna watch a movie with me?" Invitations from friends or family (especially grandchildren) give me another reason to watch movies. 

A granddaughter contacts me through Hangouts, "Grandma, have you seen [her latest most favorite movie] yet?" Even if we don't have a chance to view it together, I still watch it so we can discuss our favorite scenes.

And remember how much I enjoy movie Date Night? It's twice the fun when another couple invite us on a "double date" to the cinema, or when we gather at someone's home to watch a movie with a bunch of friends. In fact, some movies hit me as funnier while watching with the "gang".

I invite you to share your latest most favorite movie. What was your favorite scene?

Hullabaloo or Hoopla

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Theme: Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason)...

Hullabaloo or Hoopla

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Everyone's talking about it. Friends rave about it. Sometimes I watch a movie just to see what all the fuss is about!

Some films deserve the hullabaloo and others, well... not so much.

Usually films surrounded by a lot of hoopla let me down when I finally see them. That might be because the buzz built my expectations too high. On the flip side, sometimes negative chatter about a movie gives me such low expectations that I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I like it!

How about you? Do water-cooler discussions of a movie persuade you to see it?