Blogging the Criterion Collection
My swaths of free time have been so vast since I graduated into unemployment that they tend to overwhelm those times in which I actually try to accomplish something—like deserts creeping in around the edges of industrial zones, all the useless things I do to fill my spare time have invaded my productive space, leaving me feeling listless. With no productivity against which to measure it, my “leisure time” has become increasingly restless and boring.
To combat this, I have decided to take on a few totally arbitrary projects. One of which I will be blogging about here—watching through the Criterion Collection, or, my attempt to educate myself in a field that has so far eluded me. I hope that by watching what seems to be a closely and strictly curated library of films, I can inform my love of other art forms and keep my brain from atrophying.
When I am finished, I will keep the blog—maybe moving onto Kino Eye while keeping up with the new adds in the Criterion.
A few facts about the Criterion Collection
- There are currently 543 films in the collection, with the latest (as of the 23rd of August, 2010) being Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times.
- I am hoping this means it will take me an eternity to watch all of them.
Some notes on the blogging itself:
- I will keep track of my thoughts on these films to revisit at a later date. If the films I have seen so far are any indication, having a record of thoughtful and considered reactions to these films (in excess of the record I’m keeping on I Check Movies) will be helpful to revisit as well as to gauge my own progress.
- I will not watch all the films in the order by which they were added to the collection. I may watch the films based on the themes listed on the Criterion website, or work through some of the Top 10 lists.
- Some posts will be longer than others, and some may even take the form of full-blown essays.
- I will watch and write about some films twice.
- I may combine films in a post, though I will try to keep this to films that naturally fit together as examples of convergence or contrast.
- I may write about other films I see as well, that is, films that do not fall in the collection.
Happy watching!
