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[thestopsign]

Movie #1: Drive by Nicholas Winding Refn (4/5) Really stylish and cool, but it left me feeling empty inside by the end of it.
Movie #2 Bridesmaids by Paul Feig (2.5/5) Better than Hangover movies, still not my type of humor.

Game #1: Bastion by Supergiant Games (4.5/5) Nice fusion of narrative and gameplay, the sexy narrator voice made the game.

Working my way through Cryptonomicon (already started, ways to go though), and for some light reading I read the first 200 pages of Angels and Demons today. Will keep this updated as I go.

 

[survivor]

1st Book: East of Eden
1st Movie: Millennium Actress

It's gonna be real hard finding a new movie to watch every week.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Aw, I thought this was going to be a set list everyone could read/watch together and discuss.

Fifty books is easy, I do more than that yearly. Fifty movies though? I don't know that I could... I don't really enjoy movies.

Well at least now I know I could never love you.

 

[Kabouter]

Yeah, I'll update the OP tonight with a list, so everyone officially chime in, preferably with your first book/movie.

Book #1 - Tony Judt - Postwar (~900 pages, so probably going to have to follow this with something a bit shorter to keep the average up)
Movie #1 - Moneyball (Just watched this yesterday, excellent film.)
Game #1 - Puzzle Agent (Excellent game, took me about three hours. Love the whole setting and humour of the game. Telltale usually doesn't do much for me, but this is great.)
Game #2 - Puzzle Agent 2 (A few puzzles in, shouldn't take much more than another two hours to finish)

Just to note, all you need to do is tell me a book you STARTED. (Although of course, thanks for providing more than one if that's how far you got.

Someone else posted a game. Anyone else feel like tossing in 25 Games?

Sure, edited in above. Though this might get me into trouble more than the other two given how many games I play that can't really be finished. What's the rule on finishing something like Supreme Ruler: Cold War?

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Just to note, all you need to do is tell me a book you STARTED. (Although of course, thanks for providing more than one if that's how far you got.

Someone else posted a game. Anyone else feel like tossing in 25 Games?

 

[Meadows]

My aim is to read 5 books this year, and probably watch 10-15 new movies.

Book 1: Grapes of Wrath
Movie 1: ???

 

[Hilbert]

What is this, 4 books a month about? I can probably do that. I was thinking of starting a spreadsheet containing all the books I read. Let's see if I can do this.

 

[thestopsign]

Just to note, all you need to do is tell me a book you STARTED. (Although of course, thanks for providing more than one if that's how far you got.

Someone else posted a game. Anyone else feel like tossing in 25 Games?

I just tossed in games because that's something else I'm keeping track of. If I finish a season of television or something I might also post it. Since this is a gaming oriented forum/board, I think the # of games should be personally selected.

I just checked my Steam Backlogue list and it's at 28 games. My main goal this year is to clear that out for next years Holiday Sale.

 

[Cerebral Assassin]

I'm in, I haven't been reading enough recently so this will help force me to do so.

1st Book: Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut

 

[ShinAmano]

I guess I will join...

Books:
1. Hunger Games (Finished)
2. Catching Fire (Finished)
3. Mockingjay (Started)

Movies:
1.

I should finish Mockingjay tonight...I just need to figure out what to read next. I was planning on catching up on the newest Walking Dead GNs but I would hardly count those as books

Movies will be no problem...I will have that done before April probably though I have not seen one this year at this point.

 

[ThanksVision]

I'm going to try this. Just finished 1984 and I'm about to start Ender's Game. Very cool.

 

[Lissar]

Well at least now I know I could never love you.

I don't hate movies but I don't know... I get bored when I watch them. I can only watch them in 20 minute chunks.

Though I did go to the theater to watch the latest Muppet movie and I enjoyed the hell out of that.

 

[Zutroy]

I don't think I read a single book in 2011. I usually only have time to read when I'm on holiday, and I didn't go anywhere last year =(

 

[echoshifting]

This sounds like fun. I'm in.
Book #1: The Case for God, Karen Armstrong (just started it)
Movie #1: Contagion
and I'll follow the example of a few others here and slap in a game as well:
Game #1: Afrika (starting it tonight)

Sure, edited in above. Though this might get me into trouble more than the other two given how many games I play that can't really be finished. What's the rule on finishing something like Supreme Ruler: Cold War?

I've been thinking about this too. Not sure how to be "finished" with Civ V or Atom Zombie Smasher. If I add those on the list I'll probably set my own goal of some sort.

 

[RedShift]

What is this, 4 books a month about? I can probably do that. I was thinking of starting a spreadsheet containing all the books I read. Let's see if I can do this.

I'm doing a Google Calendar this year to see how long each takes me to read.

 

[EliCash]

Books
1. Game of Thrones by George RR Martin (starting, might be a poor choice given the size)

Movies
1. A Short Film About Killing (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1988)

 

[Façade]

I'm in.

First Book: The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
First Film: The Lives of Others (2006)

 

[Lissar]

Okay, I decided to do this but I'm going only read/watch books and movies that are related in some way. So either a movie that was based on a book or maybe was inspired by one (specifically the one I'm reading at the time.) It should be interesting.

 

[TheKaeptain]

I don't hate movies but I don't know... I get bored when I watch them. I can only watch them in 20 minute chunks.

Though I did go to the theater to watch the latest Muppet movie and I enjoyed the hell out of that.

That's even worse. You need to watch better/interesting movies.

Also


Movies:
1. Hunger

 

[Cindres]

Added my name to the list, starting on both tonight. Part of my new years is to read more so now I have an actual goal.

EDIT: Using my tumblr as the blog to keep track, I'm #131 on the list.

 

[Gilgamesh]

50 movies in a year? I've watched that many in a month before... lol.

 

[MorisUkunRasik]

Made a google doc and split the choices between myself, my gf and two of our friends to make sure the selection is varied.

Going to be fun to have people to discuss movies/books with every week.

 

[Cindres]

Just watched Senna tonight, 1 movie down, 49 to go.

Impressions and that are all gonna be at my Tumblr (Again not gonna say it directly but i'm #131 on the 50/50 list)

 

[runlikehell]

Books:
1) James Joyce - Dubliners

Movies:
1) The Book of Eli

 

[BobFromPikeCreek]

I'll try for this. I'll do 50 movies with ease, so this will really be about the books.

Books:
1) Snow Crash
2) Dune

Movies:
1) Aztec Rex
2) Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom

 

[Dresden]

I read about two or three books a week, but I do devote like two hours a day for that.

On the other hand I only watch like ten, fifteen movies a year. I might give this a shot.

 

[SillyEskimo]

Stephen King is going to write 50 books which will be turned into 50 movies this year!

 

[The Culture Vulture]

Can we do maybe 75 movies 25 books?

 

[MilkLizard]

I'm in.

First Movie: The curious case of Benjamin Button.

Not very optimistic on the books though...

 

[Max Armstrong]

Can we do maybe 75 movies 25 books?

I'll personally try 300 movies this year, but there's always a period where I watch like only 10 movies in 4 months and after that I watch one or two every day for 3 months... so inconsistent :lol

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

OP UPDATED!

As you can see, the less you tell me about the books, the sadder you might be (but the funnier I might end up).

 

[brianjones]

thats like a book a week

kind of a lot unless you have no other hobbies

when did reading become about checking shit off a list anyway

edit: sorry im faded a bunch of people already said the same thing

 

[BobFromPikeCreek]

Woops

Books
1) Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
2) Dune by Frank Herbert

Sorry homie.

 

[Stumpokapow]

I'll personally try 300 movies this year, but there's always a period where I watch like only 10 movies in 4 months and after that I watch one or two every day for 3 months... so inconsistent :lol

I went for 365 movies in a year with my girlfriend one year, maybe 2005 or 2006. I think we stopped around 9 months in with about 100 films watched. I think, despite whiffing the goal majorly, it was a pretty powerful motivator to keep us watching stuff. Of the ones we watched, I think my best discovery was Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang with Robert Downey Jr and Val Kilmer. It was a very funny but very dark crime dramedy with a few great twists. Very clever. It was to be the start of Downey's comeback, but it didn't really do all that well at the box office. Pity.

 

[echoshifting]

I adore Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. If you're doing the 50 movie thing and you haven't seen that, it's one to put on your list, folks.

 

[vareon]

This is an admirable target. Wish I could join, but I read books at a leisurely pace and I don't think 1 book a week is my thing. Good luck for all who participated!

 

[besada]

1. Something shitty like Cowboys And Aliens (god's honest, that's what he said)

And holy shit was I right. Truly staggering levels of stupid. I'll need a good movie, next, to wash the stupid out of my brain.

 

[-Babyteks-]

This sounds like fun.
I'll do books, i doubt i'll do movie (at least, intentionally)

1. I just finished the bedwetter - Sarah Silverman
2. I've started Le comte de monte-cristo - Alexandre Dumas

 

[TheKaeptain]

I went for 365 movies in a year with my girlfriend one year, maybe 2005 or 2006. I think we stopped around 9 months in with about 100 films watched. I think, despite whiffing the goal majorly, it was a pretty powerful motivator to keep us watching stuff. Of the ones we watched, I think my best discovery was Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang with Robert Downey Jr and Val Kilmer. It was a very funny but very dark crime dramedy with a few great twists. Very clever. It was to be the start of Downey's comeback, but it didn't really do all that well at the box office. Pity.

Since June I have watched 160 movies.

 

[Truth101]

I could easily do this if I was in College, but I find I don't have too much spare time in college.

But, what the heck put me down.

Books

1. The Magicians - Lev Grossman

Movies

1. The Castle of Cagliostro

 

[thestopsign]

Movie #3: Elephant by Gus Van Sant (3.5/5) A movie trying to explain the unexplainable, interesting and boring at the same time.

Movie #4: Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore (5/5) Witty, insightful, and raises many questions about core social problems in America.

I saw someone mention Elephant in the Movies I Have Seen Recently thread, and I decided to watch it sort of blindly because I recognized the director's name, Gus Van Sant. The movie really didn't make much sense to me for the first 50min or so, I had no idea it was about a school shooting. The film even seems to go out of its way to not let you know. The acting was really bad, but the artistry placed behind the film gives it a lot of merit in the end.

This led me towards Bowling for Columbine, which takes up on the same subject matter, albeit from a more political point of view, not the human angle of it. No matter how much Michael Moore fudges with the facts he still manages to ask some very poignant questions that no one seems to be able to answer correctly or even ably. As a kid who grew up in school in a mostly post-911 world, I think a lot of what he has to say makes sense.

Edit: I figure I'll finish the movies relatively fast, and I can justify focusing on books more after.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

My goal is to read a book a month :/

Mine too! We have to start somewhere though!

 

[BobFromPikeCreek]

Movie
3) Tucker & Dale Vs Evil

 

[Lion Heart]

Interesting, I think I'll try for one book this year. I'll be amazed if I do it.

Movies watched so far:

1. Thor
2. Adjustment Bureau
3. Good Will Hunting

Next up: Love actually

 

[disappeared]

Instead, I'm going to write 50 short stories/poems this year.

 

[Esiquio]

You guys ever feel like you absorb too much media?

This is a real concern. There's a balance to be had that many can't get.

 

[-Babyteks-]

Instead, I'm going to write 50 short stories/poems this year.

That's not a bad idea. I'll aim for...25.

 

[NZer]

I am a reasonably avid reader, but I read 20-30 books a year. 50 is quite a lot.

That said, I started keeping tabs on the movies I watch a couple of years back, and I watched ~100 movies a year without breaking a sweat. Maybe time to rebalance?

 

[besada]

Finished When the Sacred Ginmill Closes. It was good, as all of Block's Scudder novels are.

So onto round two:
Book 2: The Algebraist by Iain M. Banks
Movie 2: The Debt, starring Helen Mirren

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

Not a chance I could ever do 50 books. A book has to be absolutely amazing from beginning to end for me to even have a hope of finishing it. 90% of all books I read I get about 3/4 of the way through and just toss it.

I've really started to get annoyed reading lately. I mean really when a writer is going to novel writing school I swear they teach them to just be as mind numbingly descriptive about everything. There is probably a rule to use 100 adjectives per paragraph.

"The room smelled of asparagus and sunflowers which caught my scenes in a profound yet somewhat abstruse way. The sun seemed to glisten off the dishware in the kitchen cabinets that appeared to have been taken from a 19th century hobbiton village in the Sammoan Mtn range. Oh, how he longed for those times. 'Whats for dinner?' he heard the voice behind him. Standing there was a tall beautiful woman in her 30s. Her eyes were the shade of grey with olive skin. Her hair was a capacious black velvet that hung just past her shoulders."

GET TO THE GOD DAMN POINT.
Books such ass. You can keep your 50.

You're reading the wrong books.

An excerpt from Blood Meridian, which is required reading for anyone serious about reading:

They had but two animals and one of these had been snakebit in the desert and this thing now stood in the compound with its head enormously swollen and grotesque like some fabled equine ideation out of an Attic tragedy. It had been bitten on the nose and its eyes bulged out of the shapeless head in a horror of agony and it tottered moaning toward the clustered horses of the company with its long misshapen muzzle swinging and drooling and its breath wheezing in the throttled pipes of its throat. The skin had split open along the bridge of its nose and the bone shone through pinkish white and its small ears looked like paper spills twisted into either side of a hairy loaf of dough. The American horses began to mill and separate along the wall at its approach and it swung after them blindly. There was a flurry of thumps and kicks and the horses began to circle the compound. A small mottled stallion belonging to one of the Delawares came out of the remuda and struck at the thing twice and then turned and buried its teeth in its neck. Out of the mad horse's throat came a sound that brought the men to the door.