A whole year of Films and Coke!!

And we’re celebrating with. . .

1. Quality TV series

A year ago I was obsessed with Supernatural, and my second favourite series was The Vampire Diaries. I knew and watched CBS and CW like they were my gods and HBO only reminded me of Sex and the City many years ago. I have other film bloggers only to thank for the much more sophisticated¹ favourites list I have now: Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Sherlock and Modern Family. I still watch and love How I Met Your Mother and see some of the CW shows, but the difference is astonishing. Simply watching TV has become something great.

2. Interest in film history

When I compiled my Blind Spot film list, I said “I really don’t have blind spots as much as I am blind with glimmers of light peeking through when it comes to film”, and that’s as true as it gets. Starting this blog, I’d vaguely know the words Tarantino, Hepburn or 12 Angry Men. For a long time, I didn’t even care. But if you write about films or television, it’s doomed to become interesting – contrasts, parallels, recognising a director’s handwriting, seeing how an actor portrays different characters. 1001 Movies You Muse See Before You Die has become something I study and film history has suddenly become as interesting as WWII.²

3. A new perspective

During Oscar buzz last year, I stumbled upon the Academy’s website and I was so surprised to learn how there are so many different awards – I’d only thought about the first two, and knew they also had categories for tailors and musicians.³ I was also impressed reading reviews – how did film fans just know all this stuff? Everything was so effortless, the discussions in blog comments, all of this. After a while, I started to pick up on these things when watching films, too, and understood the concept of rewatches. There are so many things behind the characters and the set, and I see them now, too.

4. Confidence to talk about things without Google

It took a year, but now I can say stuff like “Tarantino–inspired”, “if you liked Ruby Sparks, definitely check out Stranger than Fiction” and “Cooper has come a long way from Hangover – stellar in Silver Linings, he also more than delivers in Hustle.” This was very difficult for me at first, since even the bits and pieces I knew, I always had to double–check. I once called Ryan Gosling Ryan Reynolds. I’m so so sorry.

5. David Fincher…

…and Eva Green and Fassy and Scorsese and McAvoy and Nolan and Cassel and Blanchett. Thanks to film blogging, I now know what to expect simply by seeing names on a poster. But especially Fincher, whose films Fight Club, The Social Network and GWTDT have been my favourites from the second I’ve seen them, but used to have no connection in my little head.

6. To stop obsessing

I’ve always been a quantity over quality type of person – rather eat a big carton of meh ice cream than eat an amazing but small one on a stick. I would watch my favourite shows while doing my homework and then reblog everything from that crap, occupying my time with ship wars. Over the past year, though, I’ve learned to stop obsessing over things. I love, love, love watching Game of Thrones and anything with Leonardo DiCaprio, but instead of obsessing over it, I appreciate it, I dig in deeper and get so much more out of the experience than I would by simply looking at pretty people doing things in pretty houses, and rewatching each scene hundreds of times.

7. indie and Foreign films

I don’t think I ever went to the cinema to see a foreign film before Films and Coke. I only saw the blockbusters and was a fan of the very, very famous mainstream actors. Contrasting: in my top 1o of last year are both The Hunt and Blue is the Warmest Colour. And it’s damn refreshing to see how other countries do it.

8. Film reviews

My preference has always been to go in blind. Look at the poster if I have to, but just choose a random film that has an interesting title and go watch it. Well, I still love doing this, but there’s something I love more now: reading bloggers’ reviews. Sometimes they prepare me for the film, sometimes I find out about something damn interesting has just come out, sometimes I’m warned about a film that would’ve simply wasted two hours of my time. Time I could’ve spent watching Charade. Whether I read a review before or after seeing the film, it always enhances the experience.

9. Skills

I started this blog because I loved writing and I loved going to the cinema, not because I was a film buff. I don’t think I am to this day, since I often prefer TV, but I have aquired a certain taste, and reading some of my first reviews – I’ve also (eh, hopefully) become a better writer, more knowledgeable, more confident, and instead of  just loving going to the movies, I now love the world of film.

10. Film bloggers

Yep, yep, the sweetest and most important part comes last. YOU GUYS!!!

• My number one inspiration and my favourite blogger has, for a long time now, been  Sati with her epic blog! She’s introduced me some of my most loved shows and films and her graphics continue to just wow me. And more than that, she’s one of the funniest and most interesting people I’ve met, and the person who should get all the community builder awards, because whenever I go to comment, she’s already been there. And more often than I deserve, she’s here too.
• I LOVE YOU, Mettel Ray, for showing me this world of film blogging!! The first film blog I ever found was her cool blog and I wanted a part of it, too. Mettel’s one of these people whose posts are genuinely interesting to read, and she’ll forever remain an inspiration to me.
• If I had my own holy trinity, Brittani would complete it. Thanks for being such a cool warm person⁴ with impeccable taste (really, her reviews!) and I’ll even look past the fact that you hated Somewhere. 😉
• A year has passed but Ryan’s reviews haven’t gotten any less – yep, I’ll use this word – beautiful. Thanks, you Canadian headphone–sportin’ dude, for ever educating and entertaining!
• Every time m.brown posts something, I squeal. If I’ll ever be half as funny as that guy, I can get my own talkshow.
• I fell in love with the gorgeous Film Flare the second I saw it and to top that off, Sofia is a seriously nice human being, too. And she watches the CW shows sometimes – maybe there’s still hope for me!
• The folks over at French Toast Sunday have my eternal love, too. I’ve spent hours and hours reading your stuff, and it’s all awesome!
• And damn, I’m jealous of Anna, who writes reviews like she was born to do it and whose design is beautiful and who makes me want to see every film she writes about.
• Special shout–outs also go to Mette, Ruth, Joseph, Katy, Mark, Dan, Tim and karamelkinema! You make me proud to be a film blogger. 😉
• And of course, a big thank you to everyone else who has stopped by the blog steeped in Coke and full of amateur TV talk. I am eternally thankful and really, really happy to be a part of this community. This year has been life–changing, and I hope the next will have less long breaks and even more fun.

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¹ Or at least I’d like to say so. These shows so, so, so much better.
² Yep, I’m that kind of a nerd.
³ . . .and now I proceed to bang my head against the wall until I forget past me.
⁴ I just heard it too. Still, fits perfectly!!