Been doing this 100 Movies a Year project for 2 years now and this is my third year. I just borrowed the idea from my sister Alex who had been doing this for some 4 years and running.

When asked why one should do this, the rewards behind the project are pretty simple: the goal is to watch 100 Movies, within a span of one year, in order to try to enrich one’s self in terms of experience and understanding what makes good or bad movies. The premise behind this is that, it is assumed that one person can make better comparison within a wider range of choices.  It also adds to one’s appreciation of other genres. It follows, then, that the more choices and experiences one has (in terms of the movies they see) it helps one clearly understand what type of movies they really like. In this case, it helps me understand what type of movies do I really like.

• I know for a fact I am not a big fan of horror– I can sit through my share of horror movies–but I do not think I will go out of my way just to be scared shitless. I am too much of a scaredy-cat for it. (eg., many movies which has the word “of the Dead” in it)
• I am also not a big fan of political thrillers, especially those involving soldiers and wars. I understand this might make me sound too simple and intellectually unsophisticated but I can not seem to be enamored by the idea of having people discuss why a war is important and that casualties are important to achieve peace. (eg., Body of Lies)

• Western period films do not appeal to me as well. Historical dramas have a way of repelling my attention span towards any object that moves faster than 10 meters per hour. (eg., Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments)

Many people gravitate towards ideas, movies and, even political beliefs, based on their temperament and not because of some logical calculation of what is really good or not. It makes me wonder, then, why I really like certain types of movies such as prison movies, crime movies and legal dramas. (Which, if you think about it, belong in the same vein as they are all discussions of a criminal justice system.)

Owing to this temperament, even if I say I will want to watch more critically-acclaimed movies, inspirational movies and even movies that make you want to donate to charity, my personality will still dictate me to watch movies which are easier for my attention span.

So far, the movie that I really like are:

• Prison movies, crime movies and legal dramas. Apart from the fact that these movies are easier to understand in terms of ideology (as opposed to the aforementioned political thrillers) many of these movies focus mainly on a personality instead of an abstract idea. It is easier to place one’s self in the shoes of any convict, lawyer or victim because many of these situations are situations many of us CAN encounter in our daily lives. (Again, in comparison to political thrillers where the only way to truly immerse yourself in many of the characters is to be able to assume a position which many of us may not even know to have existed prior to the film. AGAIN, Body of Lies, Manchurian Candidate, etc.) Prison movies are my particular favorite especially because, while their premise is simple and sometimes quite formulaic, the entire progression of these movies rely entirely on how the characters develop. (More on these later on.)
• Well-written (white) girl comedies. (I feel like such a racist!) Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion, Mean Girls, Easy A. Brides Maids. Easy to understand, well-written, funny. My attention span is pleased. Added plus is the fact that I, sometimes and most likely wrongly, assume that I can copy their banter and use it for my daily life.
• Any movie with any of the following: Julianne Moore, Steve Carrel, Maggie Gylenhaal, Ryan Gosling (because, yes, I watched The Notebook twice and cried unabashedly), Emma Stone (which was why I was crazy for Crazy, Stupid Love), Donnie Yen (with the exception of Dragon Tiger Gate), Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, and Batman.
• Mike de Leon films. (Or any film which features Baguio City!)

At the time I am writing this, I am at my 18th movie.