Reflecting on 1000 Posts and How Much Things Have Changed

I have written 1000 posts since I sat down on October 21st, 2009 to write a 'review' on Let the Right One In. I could sit here and label this post 'Blogging: You're Doing it Right', but it is plain to see that I wasn't. In fact, it took me around 500 posts to start getting it right, and then the following 500 posts were a kaleidoscopic patchwork of loving Christopher Nolan, obsessing with at least one different actor each month, making questionable syntax choices, watching a wider range of movies and trying hard to find a voice in which I wanted to listen to.

Things have changed since that time in which I really poured my heart out over Let the Right One In. I guess I should remind you that this is one of my most favourite films, and yet I could only write like, 188 words about it. Last night I wrote a review on Skyfall, a film which I felt good enough about it wasn't really anything special, and it was 1325 words long. My friends would contest that they'd rather read my cool review on Let the Right One In, but lines like "I'd heard many good things about this film, by reading reviews on imdb.com and in Empire magazine." just ain't where things are at any more. In fact, I've pretty much stopped living my movie life on IMDb and I barely listen to Empire magazine's opinions any more (even though I still love reading the magazine). While I'll watch just about anything for the sake of working at Blockbuster for three hours a week, the blogging world gives me the tools in which I need to seek out movies which we probably don't have at Blockbuster or won't get. Without the blogging world I wouldn't have felt compelled to do an entire month of introducing myself to French New Wave films, or to fall in love with Krzysztof Kieslowski, or to go and see The Tree of Life in cinemas. While the blog's first building block was a foreign film, don't let that fool you - I was very much a rookie back then, and I'm sure 1000 posts have finally gotten me out of that stage.

One thing that I didn't realise back when Let the Right One In conned this blog out of me was how far it would take me. It may have taken a lot longer than most people, but good things take time. I may not be able to go to screenings, or be a critic on Rotten Tomatoes, or even make the trip to the cinemas all that often - but if anything, this past week has been an indicator of how far I've come in these past 1000 opportunities to talk about film. It's insane. I don't care if I didn't get to go to some early press screening of Les Miserables or Zero Dark Thirty this week, or if I didn't win NZ's Got Talent (lol), this has been enough for me right at this very moment. And it's all because I tap away at a keyboard and love something so passionately. I've said it so many times before - like, basically every opportunity I can get to marvel over this - but hey, I've built a blog on my rather boring personality that is covered in my 'sterling' wit. Really, this is all very strange.

As I just said to Mum, 1000 posts means that I've "spent an awful long time not helping you around the house." There have been times in which I look really lazy chilling on my bed staring at my keyboard going "MUST WRITE SOMETHING MORE THAN ILY CHRISTOPHER NOLAN, JESSICA CHASTAIN, EZRA MILLER ETC ETC ETC". There have been admittedly times where I've skipped making dinner for myself because I really wanted to write a cool post on something cool. There have been times when I've been totally anti-social and sat down while my friends are at my house to hash out a review. I actually did that last night with Skyfall, because I was feeling awfully lazy during the day and suddenly, while I was rewatching Downton Abbey, I had inspiration of what I could write. Hey, everyone needs a hobby. Luckily I found this one early while I still live with my parents and don't have to do too much real life stuff yet. And I have friends who come and watch Magic Mike with me and tell me when Matthew McConaughey stops gyrating so I can look at the screen again (thanks, Killer Joe). Which reminds me - I'm really looking forward to writing a review on that movie tomorrow night. I promise I will make myself some dinner, though.

So these past 1000 posts have been a whirlwind of trying to get things right and laughing at myself at the same time. It is so weird to see how much things have changed through the posts - it is like the strangest way to record my development as a person. Really, I just want to celebrate this rather momentous occasion by thanking all of you who have chosen to follow this journey through my life and growing up through the eyes of film, and probably even contributing by recommending some film that has had an impact on my life. With any luck, in the future I'll be arrested for stalking Christopher Nolan or married to Ezra Miller and living in a forest. Either way, you can say that you read one of the thousand posts I wrote and thought that maybe I had potential. I've come to realise that through this blogging project all I've wanted to do is inspire people and hopefully make them LOL. If I've succeeded in that at all in these past 1000 posts, I'll be happy when I'm in that jail cell with a restraining order against Christopher Nolan. (Disclaimer: I'm never actually going to let things get that far. I think.)

I would say 'here's to the next 1000', but I doubt I'll stay in the blogging business for that long (unless I post like five times a day for the next 200 days). So for now, thanks for being a part of it - and here's to the hopefully jail/restraining order free future! Now let's all get a drink.

Non-alcoholic of course, since I'm under-age. PARTY WITH THE ORANGE JUICE!
Actually no, Coke. I'm actually addicted to Coke. Coke it is. And by Coke I mean Coca-Cola. I should really shut up now before you all leave.