Too much of a good thing?

My life's mission apparantly boils down to seeing all well-reviewed movies playing in any nearby cinema. The ones garnering highest praise are mandatory, with the rest falling in line on a flexible scale depending on how much free time I have. Oh, and I must see them within the first week of release... because there always new ones opening every Friday, you see.

Today marks the beginning of a rare week during which I am ordering myself to go see nine movies over the next seven days. To begin with a bang, I'm catching the 4:20 showing of 3:10 to Yuma, a new Western starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale which is my most anticipated new movie of the week. Then late tonight, I'll probably go see Lady Chatterley, a raunchy hit from France based upon the classic novel. Roger Ebert panned it, but most everybody else says it's great... Hey, I'm hard up for nudity these days, so even at three hours it surely will be worth the trouble.

Tomorrow, I must journey to Columbus, IN, to see La Vie en Rose at Yes Cinemas, an arthouse theater I discovered upon considering a move to this uniquely special town two years ago. This well-reviewed French hit played at Indy and Lexington earlier in the summer and seems unlikely to make it to Louisville. After, I'll pay my first visit to a normal Columbus multiplex to see Shoot 'Em Up, an action thriller starring Clive Owen.

On Sunday I'll see The Way Home, the first in a new Asian Film Series playing at Village 8, and on Monday I'll go see No End in Sight, a highly praised documentary about Iraq playing at Baxter Filmworks. When I had less time to attend movies (i.e. before my family broke up), I dropped documentaries from mandatory viewing since they play okay on TV, but this one I want to see now.

As I did last night for Black Orpheus, next Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday nights will have me trekking back to Lexington for three classic movies at the wonderful Kentucky Theatre as part of their annual Rosa Goddard International Film Festival: Army of Shadows, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. A perfect way to cap off my week, seeing famous films for the first time ever in an historic old cinema... For me, it's like movie heaven!

[Update: Loved Yuma; stood up Lady Chatterley and have decided not to drive all the way to Columbus to see that fancy French movie.... This post made me realize how ridiculous I can be sometimes. I'm giving myself a break and only seeing seven (or fewer) movies this week, not nine!]