Troutco
Goes to the MoviesTroutco
Goes to the MoviesI enjoy going to the movies. With today's large screens, comfortable seating and sophisticated sound systems, you can be totally engulfed in the film experience and it remains one of the purest forms of escapism I know.
I don't see every film that is released, but I DO see an awful lot of movies each year. For years now, friends have asked me for my recommendations of new releases. And so, starting a few years ago I began keeping track of how I felt about the movies I'd seen, and on December 31 each year I'd "publish" a list of my rankings of the films I'd seen that year.
The films are listed by the year I saw the film in the theatre. Studios often release a lot of films in limited release at the end of December for Oscar consideration, and in many cases I was unable to see them until the next calendar year. In that sense my lists may differ from critics' "best of the year" lists. Some films are "held over" until the next year's list because that's when I saw 'em. To avoid confusion, I list films released in an earlier year as an appendix at the end of my lists for each year.
How do I rate 'em? I try to rate each film relative to its owns genre and intent. That means my lists do not give extra-credit for being an art-film or being a "noble" film. If a film's goal is to be a comedy -- then it's how original, fresh, and funny I found that comedy. If it's a horror film - then, how unique and startling does it turn out to be. Inevitably, I value original, challenging, interesting films that entertain me and stick in my mind long after the light's come up. These are the films I send my friends to. Sometime's it's outstanding Hollywood film-making, other times it's low-budget, independant filmmaking.
Take a look at these lists, and feel free to drop me a line if you agree or disagree with my picks. Click here to send an email.
Happy film-going!
Films seen in 2008 and beyond are all now housed on TroutBlog. Most films now include reviews. Oh joy!
The films I saw in 2007 Rated.
The films I saw in 2006 Rated.
The films I saw in 2004 Rated.
The films I saw in 2003 Rated.
The films I saw in 2002 Rated.
The films I saw in 2001 Rated.