Coming attractions / sharing the love

I recently changed my photograph on the blog profile from that horribly generic tourist snap of me standing in front of the Coliseum to one of me grinning like a loon and raising my pint to the camera. While doing so, I glanced over my profile for the first time since I set up the blog. There were fifteen titles in the “my favourite movies” section …

The Wild Bunch

Unforgiven

The Godfather Parts I & II

The Straight Story

Amelie

A Matter of Life and Death

Sideways

Fitzcarraldo

Goodfellas

Profondo Rosso (a.k.a. Deep Red)

The Wages of Fear

Death in Venice

L.A. Confidential

Where Eagles Dare

… all of which feature in the Personal Faves list. I took a quick attendance register: I’ve written about seven of them. ‘The Wild Bunch’ I’m saving for a Peckinpah retrospective I’ve got planned for later in the year; ‘Amelie’ is earmarked for next year’s Valentine’s Day Special.

This month, then, I’m going to concentrate on the remaining titles, saving one of them – it’s about wine and relationships, so I think we can rule out ‘The Wages of Fear’ – for the last day of April. Why? Because it’s my birthday on the 30th; two years ago we hired out the Screen Room in Nottingham for my birthday and ‘Sideways’ was the film I chose. Financial constraints dictate a quieter celebration this year, so I’m having a blast on The Agitation of the Mind instead.

I’ll be posting each day during April – something I’ve not done before on the blog – and I’ve asked some friends to share the love and contribute articles on films, or aspects of film, that have delighted or influenced them.

A couple of weeks ago, I participated in the favourite movie characters meme. I realised soon after I posted my choices that I could easily have compiled a list of favourite types of character – from private eyes to barflys by way of femmes fatale and hard-ass military types – and illustrated each with numerous examples. So look out for the top ten top tens scattered throughout the next thirty days … including a seriously NSFW post when I get to characters with a predilection for salty language. ‘In Bruges’, anyone?