This might be a good time to mention that the rapid rate at which I see movies is no anomaly. In fact, about six months ago I adopted the goal of seeing every (American) movie released in theaters during calendar 2008. Sometime after that, I adopted the further goal of seeing as many of them as possible in the theater, rather than on DVD, especially all the ones released after I made that goal.
That I would have adopted such a goal would have seemed highly improbable to me at the start of the year, and the path that led me to it is worth explaining sometime, although not right now.
Suffice it to say that over the last decade for this year, all-in-all, I had seen less than two dozen movies in the theater, and some years I got down to only a single movie. In 2005, for example, the only movie I saw in theaters was Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. In 2007, the only new release I saw in theaters was Juno (That both are about young women is no accident, since I saw both while accompanying a female friend I have known since high school).
By my last tally I've now seen over ninety movies in the theater this year, and scores more on DVD, mostly ones that left the theaters before last May. I keep a record of my watchings on what is now a battered list of movies, with a check mark beside the ones I've seen. Whenever I see another movie, I remove the list from its plastic sleeve like the Shroud of Turin to make another ceremonial checkpoint. Whenever I find out about another movie, I add it to the list. I've learned that between major studio releases and indy movies, there are well over two hundred movies released in any given year.
Seeing them all is almost like a full-time job, one compounded by the fact that I now blog about my experiences. But it's a labor of love.
I'm not sure whether I will rollover my obsession into 2009. Since I started this in the middle of 2008, I am tempted to, but I won't decide until New Years.
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