I have been trying to write this post for over a week! And it’s such a simple one to do, just ramble a little about what I got up to in the past month, put some links to the posts I’ve written, bemoan my lack of productivity and how much I’ve still got to do, and move on! And given how unproductive I was in November, this should have taken no time at all. I think I’ve been putting it off because this is the month where I finally admit defeat. Even if I’d got this post out as planned on the 1st of December, I still wouldn’t have had a chance, as I’m over 40 films away from my target, and that’s more days then there are in December. Now, one week later, I’ve written little new and watched even less, so consider my towel well and truly thrown in. “Wait!” I hear you cry, “what about the week after Christmas, when you’re job is closed down until after New Year? Surely you could watch and review lots of films then?” My response would be a firm and resolute “Maybe” were it not for the numerous family-based activities occurring during that week, which will severely hinder my film-watching and film-reviewing abilities. So don’t expect a repeat performance of last December, wherein the final week was spent valiantly catching up on the goals I’d fallen behind on. This year I’m taking the much easier, more sensible and less stressful option of just plain giving up. Not entirely, I might add. I’ve got no hope of achieving my 100 films from the 1001 List goal, but there are others. I only need to watch-and-review one Blind Spot pick and I hit that target, so A Matter of Life and Death is in my imminent future, which is more than OK with me. Similarly, I’m three “Bad” movies away from that goal, and I’ve already watched one and started the review, so that should be relatively straight forward. The Film-Makers challenge is trickier, given I’m 9 away from completing that. Granted I’ve already watched at least two eligible films, but it’d be difficult to see that one through. If I achieve it though, and somehow make all the Film-Makers movies to also be from the 1001 List, then along with the Blind Spot and “Bad” movies, and maybe even a few pending review, I could perhaps get my 1001 goal up to 70. That’s my target, let’s see how I do.

Aim: Review 8 or 9 1001 List movies each month
Reviewed: 4
Forbidden Planet
Night of the Living Dead
Dawn of the Dead
The Maltese Falcon
Successful?: No!

Aim: Review 1 “Bad” movie each month
Reviewed: 0
Successful?: No!

Aim: Review 1 “Blind Spot” movie each month
Reviewed: 1
The Maltese Falcon
Successful?: Yes!

Aim: Review 2 “Film-Makers” movies each month
Reviewed: 1
Little Children (Kate Winslet)
Successful?: No!

Aim: Read A New-To-Me Book
Read: 0
I’m still struggling through Richard Ayoade’s Ayoade on Ayoade. At this point I probably should have given up and moved on to something else, but I’m not far from finishing, so I’ll see it through. Expect (and hope for) more of a review next month.
Successful?: No!

Aim: Visit Somewhere New
Visited: Wareham Foresy
We went to see a couple of out friends in Essex last weekend, to celebrate a university pal’s 30th birthday, and his daughter’s 1st, but I’ve been to Chelmsford before and we didn’t take the dog (our first time obtaining a dog-sitter, I feel so grown up) so it doesn’t count, regardless of how good a time we had. I also drove on the M25 for the first time, something I never plan to do ever again.
Successful?: No!

Check back in less than a month to see how I got on in 2016 in general, and find out what my plans are for 2017! Hopefully by then I’ll actually know what they are myself!