50 Books. 50 Movies. 1 Year (2014).

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Tragicomedy said:
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Guess I'm watching Die Hard before I watch my copies of American History X, and Kingdom of Heaven director's cut.
 
Tragicomedy said:
I just want to say that I love that film so, sooo much. I've never seen the theatrical release, but that director's cut is a thing of beauty. Spectacular.
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I just need to motivate myself to watch a 3+ hour film now. I know how much Gaf loved the Director's Cut version of it, so I had to watch it for this challenge.
 
^Thank you, thank you. :b

Tragicomedy said:
I'm not sure what's more impressive: you finishing the challenge, or you watching Die Hard for the first time. Best action movie ever! Yippee ki-yay, motherfucker!
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What's crazy is Die Hard 3 is right up there as one of the movies I've probably seen most in my life. And yet before recently I just never gave much thought to watching the first two Die Hards.

FYI - Die Hard 1 was awesome and I loved it. Die Hard 2 I found to be ridiculous and boring.
 
Necrovex said:
I just need to motivate myself to watch a 3+ hour film now. I know how much Gaf loved the Director's Cut version of it, so I had to watch it for this challenge.
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It certainly doesn't feel that long. It hooks you almost immediately and doesn't let up. Having said that, there's an ideal breaking point near the middle where you can split your viewing session.

With my family and work situation, I end up splitting most movies into two separate viewing sessions. It works out that way if I'm watching something with my wife after my son is asleep. Some people would probably hate that, but that's life.

besada said:
I'm at 51 books and something like 58 movies. I need to remember to post my list.
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Congratulations. I'm expected 3/3 challenge completion from the mods in this thread. Lead by example!
 
On the one hand, just finished movie part of the challenge (Why didn't I watch Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6 earlier? Really fun action flicks!).

On the other, I failed the book part, and read just 8 of them so far. But then again, that's much better than last year, so I'll try to finish at least another one before the New Year's Eve, and then try to read more next year.

So, in case I forget to do one final update before the year's over (I hopefully won't) - Tragicomedy, thanks for organizing this thread/challenge and for inspiring me to read more :)
 
Maklershed said:
FYI - Die Hard 1 was awesome and I loved it. Die Hard 2 I found to be ridiculous and boring.
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Haha, Die Hard 2 is just so random and silly. The ending is pure WTF level stupidity.

But the first is the best. It has inspired practically every action movie that's come after it in one way or another. It's the perfect one man against the world story, has great action, and I love the humor.

Beeblebrox said:
So, in case I forget to do one final update before the year's over (I hopefully won't) - Tragicomedy, thanks for organizing this thread/challenge and for inspiring me to read more :)
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So happy you stuck with it, and congrats on the accomplishment. Hope to see you next year!
 
I'm saving Die Hard for Christmas

I can't really count it because I've seen it like 5 times or more, but fuck it, it's Christmas
 
I can't fathom reading 50 books in a year. I take so damn long to read anything. I picture you lot like Johnny 5 reading. Brrrrrrrp.

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Since my last update I have watched:

The Two Faces of January. It was ok.
Shame. Interesting.
Lincoln. This was excellent. All I knew about Lincoln was what he looked like, that he was a US president, and he was shot at the opera (and that he had a mad wife rang a bell). I have no idea how accurate the film was, but it now is my entire knowledge of him, which is concerning because many films I see with British history are often frequently wrong or misleading.
Lucy. Batshit insane.
Born to Fight. Batshit insane. (or would have been if the nuked city really happened, which I wished it had, would have really made that film).
The Maze Runner. Ok.
Guardians of the Galaxy. God I loved this film.
Snowpiercer. Really good.

I now have to watch 11 films in 10 days. Totally doable if I apply myself because I'm on holiday now.

I have read:
Revival by Stephen King. It was good but was like every other Stephen King book ever and I was a bit bored.
More Than This by Patrick Ness. Great start and great idea, but went on 200 pages too long.
The Odd Women by George Gissing. Really good. An interesting look at liberal ideas and the lives of women in the 1890's, it got a bit romancy towards the end which seemed to defeat the point a little.

So I now have six books to read in 10 days. Or four, if I count A Wizard of Earthsea and The Tombs of Atuan which I read back in January as part of an (unfinished) omnibus edition. I'll see how desperate I get.
 
A Human Becoming said:
Yeah. ADHD makes sitting down to read a book very challenging.
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I have ADHD; I most of my reading while walking around, which helps with distractions for me.

mu cephei said:
So I now have six books to read in 10 days. Or four, if I count A Wizard of Earthsea and The Tombs of Atuan which I read back in January as part of an (unfinished) omnibus edition. I'll see how desperate I get.
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I say you should count them separately.
 
yay I made it! I didn't believe in it anymore - new job and all really diminished my reading time. This challenge was as fun as last year, but I think I'll skip the next one - I want to read books without any goals or challenges for a change.
 
I failed miserably as school and work kept me from even coming close in the book department, although I guess I should give my list an update. Next year I'll be more into it.
 
Going to aim to reach the halfway point of two books, so I can start off the year strong when 2015 rolls around. Tragic, are you going to handle the thread for next year?
 
Necrovex said:
Going to aim to reach the halfway point of two books, so I can start off the year strong when 2015 rolls around. Tragic, are you going to handle the thread for next year?
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I will if nobody else wants to take over the OP duties.

Also, great minds think alike. I'm stopping at the halfway point in two different books with the goal of logging a bunch of stuff in January. I could probably finish them both this year, but we're visiting family and I'm not really in the zone, so to speak.
 
Tragicomedy said:
I will if nobody else wants to take over the OP duties.

Also, great minds think alike. I'm stopping at the halfway point in two different books with the goal of logging a bunch of stuff in January. I could probably finish them both this year, but we're visiting family and I'm not really in the zone, so to speak.
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I'm not intentionally stalling books but it certainly looks that way. Red Dragon and Finnegans Wake are both currently being read. Neither will be finished this year due to family and friends. I'll probably read 200 pages combined for the rest of the year. Leaves some big titles for early January since I have the first half off from work.
 
Books:
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On a Steel Breeze by Alastair Reynolds
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds
Embassytown by ChinaMieville
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
The Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairy Land by Catherynne M. Valente
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
Stranger Than Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk
Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson
Ark by Stephen Baxter
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
Cyberabad Days by Ian McDonald
Authority by Jeff VanderMeer
The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi
The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
Dervish House by Ian McDonald
Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett/Stephen Baxter
The Long War by Terry Pratchett/Stephen Baxter
The Long Mars by Terry Pratchett/Stephen Baxter
Blackout by Connie Willis
All Clear by Connie Willis
Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold
Collected Stories of Amy Hemphill by Amy Hemphill
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
Lock-In by John Scalzi
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer
Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle
Probability Moon by Nancy Kress
Probability Sun by Nancy Kress
Probability Space by Nancy Kress
Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley
Neptune's Brood by Charles Stross
Skink -- No Surrender by Carl Hiaasen
Proxima by Stephen Baxter
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls by David Sedaris
Revival by Stephen King
Mercury by Ben Bova
The Call of the Weird by Louis Theroux
War Dogs by Greg Bear

Movies:
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Jobs
Blackfish
A Serbian Film
After Earth
Lucky
Captain Phillips
Page One: Inside the New York Times
Don Jon
Bronies
Ender's Game
Bad Grandpa
Justice League: War
Knights of Badassdom
Oldboy(New Version)
Last Vegas
Gravity
Frozen
Inside Llewyn Davis
Only God Forgives
Dallas Buyer's Club
American Hustle
Anchorman 2
Now You See Me
Captain America 2
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
12 Years a Slave
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Filth
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
The Monuments Men
I'm Still Alive
The Master
The Wolverine
Fat Man Little Boy
The Raid 2
Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons
The Town
Snowpiercer
Oculus
Batman: Assault on Arkham
Collateral
10 Million Ways to Die in the West
Edge of Tomorrow
Godzilla
The Purge
The Purge: Anarchy
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Horns
300:Rise of an Empire

There's the list. Bolded items are those I particularly enjoyed. I feel cheesy including comics on the list for books, but I should note that I also read about 1500 issues this year, including a re-read of the entire Hellblazer run and additional mini-series. Particular favorites this year were: The Manhattan Projects, Lazarus, Ms. Marvel, and Saga.
 
Books

Stanley Kubrick: A Biography - John Baxter
Class: A Guide Through the American Status System - Peter Fussell
The Scatter Here is Too Great - Bilal Tanweer
Tropic of Cancer - Henry Miller
Getting Married - Bernard Shaw
The Caretaker - Harold Pinter
Death of a Salesman - Arthur Miller
Silas Marner - George Elliott
The Nightmare of Reason - Biography or Franz Kafka by Ernst Pavel
Shakespeare - Bill Bryson
The Early Years - Charlie Chaplin
Stoner - John E Williams
If On a Winter's Night a Traveler - Italo Calvino
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenace - Robert Pirsig
The death of ivan illych - leo tolstoy
The metamorphosis - franz kafka
To the lighthouse - virginia woolf
Sons and lovers - D H Lawrence
A Passage to India - E M Forster


Movies

Wuthering Heights 2013
The Master
Le Passe 2013
There Will Be Blood
Blue Jasmine
Her
Charulata
The Wolf Of Wall Street
12 Years a Slave
Inside Llewyn Davis
Intouchables
Interiors
The Chess Players
O Brother Where Art Thou?
Devil Wears Prada
The Big City or Mahasagar
In The Mood For Love
Le Mépris
Rushmore
American Hustle
Blue Velvet
Broken Flowers
Band of Outsiders
The Sacrifice
The Trial
Perriot Le Fou
Veridiana
The Great Beauty
King of Comedy
Paris, Texas
Breathless
Ashes and Diamonds
Once Upon a Time in America
The Winter Soldier
AMS2
Days of Future Past
Juliette Of the Spirits
2001: A Space Odyssey
Paths Of Glory
Godzilla (2014)
Blue Velvet
Eraserhead
Snowpiercer
Glen Garry Glen Ross
The Conformist
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Darjeeling Limited
Under the skin
Finding vivian maier
Gone girl
Listen up Phillip
The lego movie
A woman under the influence
Faces
Opening Night
Interstellar
Mr Fantastic Fox
Sunshine
Close encounters of the third kind
Edge of Tomorrow
John Wick
Mulholand Drive
Wild at Heart
 
Suggestion for 2015: Counting books and movies last read/watched more than 10 years ago.

I read The Hobbit back in 2001. It's been so long it would be a refreshing experience.
 
Is there any way to do an analysis of the most mentioned books/movies?

Would be really cool to see what people have been into.

Or if everyone picked their favorite book/movie and a list was made. Could be a great start for next year so people can look at what others enjoyed.
 
Finally saw Die Hard for the first time last night. I felt like a bigger bad ass after watching it. And now I can understand why Bruce Willis is so beloved.
 
Enco said:
Is there any way to do an analysis of the most mentioned books/movies?

Would be really cool to see what people have been into.

Or if everyone picked their favorite book/movie and a list was made. Could be a great start for next year so people can look at what others enjoyed.
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That's a really great idea. But instead of one, I'd say top three books/movies - because at least in my case it's way too difficult to choose only one.
 
Reached the first halfway point of one of my novels. Going to hold off from completing it until 2015. Time to move to a new book, one that focuses on the Congo wars!
 
A Human Becoming said:
Suggestion for 2015: Counting books and movies last read/watched more than 10 years ago.

I read The Hobbit back in 2001. It's been so long it would be a refreshing experience.
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Some people do that in cases where they legitimately cannot recall details from a book or movie, and that seems reasonable.

Personally, I think 10 years is too recent as I would've been 24 then and clearly remember that content. If you don't remember the content, just roll with it and count it. Nobody is going to call you on it either way.

Pau said:
How long would doing the updates take? If no one else wants to take it on and it's not a super huge time commitment, I'd be down.
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It...depends. If you're counting everything like I did and trying to sort it by total numbers, it takes quite a lot of time. Even if I do next year's thread, I won't be doing that again. I think maintaining a simple alphabetical list, tracking top 20 in each category, tracking completion, and maybe monthly totals is more doable (even that last category is cumbersome).

I'd say early on, it took me two hours per monthly update. By halfway through the year, I had it down to an hour. I won't lie, it's not fun. But we could go very minimal and do whatever so long as we track people when they finish.

If you want to take over, you just put your own spin on things. I can turn over the spreadsheet and master post I maintain, but you can dump the whole thing if you want.

If you don't want to fully commit, no worries.

Enco said:
Is there any way to do an analysis of the most mentioned books/movies?

Would be really cool to see what people have been into.

Or if everyone picked their favorite book/movie and a list was made. Could be a great start for next year so people can look at what others enjoyed.
Click to expand...

The second option with people listing their three favorite books and movies would be a lot easier. I really dig the idea. We implemented something similar where people listed their favorite every month, but few of us stuck with it. An annual "best of" sounds great.
 
Tragicomedy said:
It...depends. If you're counting everything like I did and trying to sort it by total numbers, it takes quite a lot of time. Even if I do next year's thread, I won't be doing that again. I think maintaining a simple alphabetical list, tracking top 20 in each category, tracking completion, and maybe monthly totals is more doable (even that last category is cumbersome).

I'd say early on, it took me two hours per monthly update. By halfway through the year, I had it down to an hour. I won't lie, it's not fun. But we could go very minimal and do whatever so long as we track people when they finish.

If you want to take over, you just put your own spin on things. I can turn over the spreadsheet and master post I maintain, but you can dump the whole thing if you want.

If you don't want to fully commit, no worries.
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Two hours doesn't sound so bad. I'm down.

Everyone better just be ready for a lot of purple on the graphs.
 
Pau said:
Two hours doesn't sound so bad. I'm down.

Everyone better just be ready for a lot of purple on the graphs.
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Heck yeah! We'll be 4/4 on new thread ownership. I'm looking forward to seeing how you class up the joint. Purple sounds good.

When I get home from this holiday trip, I'll send you my primitive Google docs spreadsheet and master post. Use them, don't, whatever. The ball is in your court! :)
 
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