Hello, intrepid cineastes, and welcome back to The 300, a recurring feature on my clownish attempt to watch 300 movies in theaters in the year 2018. This is a bleak meditation on the absurd ecstasy of art amid the vulgar and inescapable brutalism of life in our modern cities. (You just read that in Werner Herzog’s voice.) I’ll be seeing new releases, repertory screenings, hidden gems, and festival films to experience the wide world of cinema in all its glory. I hope you see something here you’ll want to check out, or I’ll eat my own shoe.
As always, there are three rules for The 300:
- The movie must be at least 40 minutes long, meeting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ definition of a feature film.
- I must watch the movie at a movie theater, screening room, or outdoor screening venue.
- While I can watch movies I’ve seen before 2018, I cannot count repeated viewings of the same film in 2018 multiple times.
It was a week of movies made outside the United States, which is a tad more difficult than it sounds now that MoviePass is basically a Redbox from hell. I’ve used MoviePass three times in one month, so I’m about to find out what their newly implemented discount system on subsequent tickets is like. I’m assuming they’re going to give me a dollar off a restricted ticket. MoviePass parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics is currently trading at 2¢ a share. You can buy about 750 to 800 shares for the cost of a New York City movie ticket. At least AMC A-List has worked well for me. While it won’t cover any Fathom events (such as the special theatrical run of Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue later this week), it’s already more than paid for itself.
By the way, it’s Werner Herzog’s birthday today. Didn’t plan my moviegoing this way, but happy birthday, Mr. Herzog. Might flip through Conquest of the Useless: Reflections on the Making Fitzcarraldo tonight. There are a lot of good passages on the absurdity of being an artist, and why making art is, though difficult, in its way worthwhile.
And so, onward.
Source: Destructoid The 300 Week 35: Jean Vigo in 4K, Werner Herzog in 35mm, and Donnie Yen Tries to Reach These Kids