Tag Archives: 300 Films in a Year

300 Films in a Year (sort of) (again)

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“I don’t really expect to ever again be in the position where I could whip out a natty ‘300 Films’ logo”

That’s me, writing in December 2018. I really ought to stop saying stuff like that because, well, here I am again!

To clarify, it’s the same as last time: I haven’t reached 300 films according to the rules of my main count (i.e. films I’ve never seen before), but when you bundle together my ‘main list’ of new films and my Rewatchathon, I’ve reached 300.

I actually got there on December 8th, but I didn’t twig at the time because I’ve been engulfed in FilmBath still (it had finished this time last year, but this year we’ve been delayed by lockdowns and what have you). The date matters because that’s actually one day earlier than I got there last time. It would’ve been more remarkable if it was the exact same date, but still, what’re the odds it would be so close?

At one point this year it looked conceivable that I’d reach a ‘true’ 300 Films in a Year. That’s not going to happen (I’d have to watch 44 new films in the next 18 days — an average of 2.4 per day, every single day, for the rest of the month. Some people watch that kind of volume, but for me it’s just not feasible; doubly so when some of those days include the enforced family time of Christmas). But if the history of this blog has taught me anything, it’s to never say never — perhaps someday I’ll be telling you that I’ve reached that elusive true #300…

A Special Announcement

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If you’re reading this on the web, the banner at the top of the page will have already given the game away. If you’re on a device/app/whatever that doesn’t display that banner image, here it is again:

300 Films in a Year

Imagine that materialising to the cool synthy music from the Thor: Ragnarok trailer. (Creating this is what inspired me to rewatch Thor: Ragnarok last month, as opposed to the other way round.)

Regular readers may be thinking, “but he’d only reached #247 nine days ago! No one can watch 53 films in nine days… can they?” No, you’re right, they can’t. Well, it is physically possible, but surely you’d have to be mad to attempt it (it’s almost six films a day, every day, for over a week). Possible or not, I didn’t do it. So how am I at 300? Well, allow me to explain…

Firstly: saying I’ve reached 300 is, technically, a cheat.

Secondly: it’s only a cheat according to my own rules, i.e. that only films I’ve never seen before count. If you objectively totalled up how many feature films I’ve watched in 2018, you would indeed get 300… because you’d be including my Rewatchathon. (My Letterboxd stats say the count is 336, but that’s because they include short films and some selected TV episodes too.) To be precise, my 2018 main list is currently at #254, topped up by a Rewatchathon that’s reached #46.

Still, it’s not really 300, is it? Not by the rules I’ve been using to dictate how many films I’ve seen for the past twelve years of this blog. But the thing is, I don’t really expect to ever again be in the position where I could whip out a natty “300 Films” logo, so I thought I’d take this opportunity while I had it.

Anyway, it’s not forever. The new logo will stay until my 2018 coverage is finished (i.e. sometime in early January, after all the stats and lists), and then I’ll revert to plain ol’ 100 Films, ready to attempt this all over again in 2019.