Marshall and the Movies

Movies are like an expensive form of therapy to me.

– Tim Burton

Hello, readers!

As I write this post, I am riding shotgun on my way to Florida, a ten-hour car ride from my beloved Houston. And for me, car trips mean one thing: an excuse to sit on my butt and watch movie after movie after movie. I regret to inform you that one member of my team did not make it for the trip; my MacBook is in the shop until August 18 where a trained team of professionals will hopefully repair my DVD player which will not eject a disc. Ironic, isn’t it? So, in the meantime, I will be updating my blog through my mom’s terrific Dell laptop, formerly my dad’s work computer, which moves about as painfully slow as the movie “Atonement.” I would use my iPhone to update it through the WordPress app, but the phone has other plans for me because it will not connect to the App Store, thus not allowing me to download the app. Technology is man’s best friend, but it can also be our worst enemy.

The “Marshall and the Movies” blog celebrates its one-week anniversary today. I have written 5 in-depth reviews, 1 mini-review, and 6 “factoids.” I could go on forever writing review after review, but I don’t necessarily want to become “Marshall the Movie Critic for the Average Joe.” I enjoy giving my advice, and I love when people go see “(500) Days of Summer” instead of “The Ugly Truth” (the first person to go see a movie through the blog, according to my knowledge, made this choice). But I have bigger aspirations for the blog, and I want to lay them out in this post.

In my first post, I gave a sort of mission statement, if you will: “I want to inspire a deeper appreciation of film, foster a desire to discuss movies, and connect to people through the glorious medium of film.” My initial concerns starting this project were its lack of focus and the need for a definite assignment like Julie Powell had in “Julie & Julia.” Over the course of this week, I have come up with 4 potential “projects” that I could embark on soon.

1. The Top 10 Project: The movies that you see at the top of the blog are what I think are my top 10 movies ever in alphabetical order. My idea is to re-watch each of them with someone and really analyze and discuss what makes them so great, but also address its critics.
2. The Hitchcock Project: I admitted in my first post that I had never seen any of the films of Alfred Hitchcock. My idea is to watch some of his movies and watch some modern suspense/thriller movies and look for his influence. For example, I could watch “Rear Window” and the contemporary “Disturbia.”
3. The Woody Allen Project: For anyone that has been reading the factoids, you will have undoubtedly discovered that I am more like Woody Allen than I would care to admit. My idea is to work my way through Allen’s giant canon of films. I have seen several already. I watched “Small Time Crooks” when it was on HBO in 2001 because it was PG, and I was always looking for movies that my parents deemed appropriate. I TiVoed “Annie Hall” back in 2007 and I was absolutely blown away. I rented “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” the day before the Oscars this year in an effort to see all the nominated performances (which was in vain because I still hadn’t seen “The Wrestler” or “Revolutionary Road).  I went to an art house theater to see his latest, “Whatever Works,” and I recently watched “Deconstructing Harry” on IFC. This project seems to lack a true purpose, but I fear it could lead to a sort of self-discovery of my neuroses.
4. The John Hughes Project: Millions of teens still enjoy John Hughes’ classic comedies “The Breakfast Club” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Why? In my mind, he made movies about teens with honesty. And while the times may have changed, the nature of teenagers hasn’t. So who better to watch Hughes’ movies and see why they still hold up than a teen himself?

So, any thoughts? I’ll put a poll down at the bottom of the post to get your thoughts, but, please, COMMENT! I can’t make this blog soar on its own; I need your comments and input to start conversations. I will tell you that I’m leaning on embarking on the Top 10 Project first. But I’d love to hear your thoughts or any other project suggestions you have.

Until the next reel,
Marshall