Operation: 101010.... Lite

I always loved the idea of my old 999 Challenge (well, I would say that wouldn't I?): Watch 9 films from 9 different genres in 2009 and blog about them. Of course, I fell flat on my face with that one. Watching those movies was not so much the issue - I think I may have come at least close to that last year -, but writing up about them was what ultimately killed the puppy.

And just when I thought this challenge was dead and gone, Final Girl resurrected it with an evil laugh as Operation: 101010. She is, you guessed it, going to blog about 10 movies from 10 different genres in 2010.

And just like one of those pulp heroes who thinks he has hung up his boots and gone into retirement I hear the siren's song and feel myself dragged back into the murky waters of year long challenges and broken promises.

Of course, they say that the first sign of madness is doing everything exactly the same as before and expecting different results. If I didn't manage to write 81 blog posts last year, what makes me think I can handle 100?

Well, the truth is: I am already admitting defeat before I have begun. There is indeed no way on Earth that I will end up writing all that much this year.

But there is always Twitter. And I'll be damned if I don't manage to watch those flicks and then come up with a 140 characters about them. In factual fact, hmmm, let me see: If I was going to watch Dr Strangelove... or how I stopped worrying and love the bomb the title alone would already account for 61 characters. OK, so maybe I may end up writing the occasional second tweet about the films.

What is important, however, is that I am not going to post those on Hammer and Beyond, so if you want to see what I have to say follow me on Twitter. Maybe I will occasionally give a status report to make sure everyone knows how I am doing, but for the most part this is going to be a Twitter acticity for me. I think it may also be a good idea to use the hash tag #101010 (another 7 characters less to worry about).

I quite liked most of last year's categories and will therefore keep most of them. So without further ado, this is what I am going to focus on this year:

1. 10 Hammer movies – Well, this category as well as the next couple really go without saying given the nature of this blog
2. 10 Movies directed by Hammer directors (non-Hammer)
3. 10 Movies starring Hammer actors or actresses (non-Hammer)
4. 10 Movies that I haven't seen before starring non-Hammer Horror icons (such as Vincent Price, Bela Lugosi or Boris Karloff)
5. 10 Mario Bava movies – One of my other goals this year is to finally finish reading Tim Lucas' mammoth Mario Bava book, so accompanying that read I also want to watch the flicks he discusses. I will also include films that don't have Bava as a director. Rule of thumb: If Lucas discusses it, it is fair game
6. 10 Giallos – Love the genre, but haven't seen a hell of a lot of gialli lately, so time to re-acquaint myself
7. 10 Movies to be watched in the cinema – Whatever happened to the times that I went at least once a week? Oh yes, that was when I actually gave a shit about stuff that was released.
8. 10 Kaiju Eiga – I have recently started learning Japanese and intend to surround myself with all things Japanese, hence two Japanese categories
9. 10 Japanese movies (apart from Kaiju Eiga)
10. 10 Sherlock Holmes movies – I have always been a bit of a Holmesian though somewhat lapsed over the last couple of years. Thanks to the new movie the sleuth is everywhere, so no excuse for me not to indulge

Wish me luck. And pray that I survive this new challenge. If I don't make it, Final Girl is to blame.