Year #9 and Year #10: 1930 & 1937

(Let me preface this entry by stating that I do not have anything against movies from the 1930's. Of the few I have seen, I have enjoyed most of them. I even loved a few of them. But what you are about to read is going to suggest otherwise....)

Why the hell do we keep picking years from the 30's? I mean, come on! In our 10 years we have selected thus far, 5 years have been from this wretched decade. And, frankly, it's making me look bad. These 10 passes we've received for this challenge were supposed to be spread out over the course of months and nobody was supposed to realize that I just about passed my way through this entire decade. (note: my passes were pre-selected if you were at all lost during my tirade). Well, not now. This cruel twist of fate (or random selection, whatever you want to call it) has put my 1930's bias right in the forefront. We first picked 1930. the earliest year we have to watch movies from. Well, guess what, we ain't watchin none. Don't give me that look, it's just the way it is, so suck it up. If you want further explanation, here you go....

Adam: PASS (3 used, 7 left)
Kim: PASS (1 used, 9 left)

Boo ya! Read it and weep. If you don't like it, take it up with consumer affairs. But it gets even better. More on that later. First I would like to briefly talk about the wonderful Best Picture from 1930 - All Quiet on the Western Front. No movie we could have picked from this year could have beaten this anyway. Whether you are pro-war, anti-war, or indifferent-to-war, this is a movie everyone should be watching, in their homes, in schools, wherever. It's basically a WWI that focuses on a group of school age boys who enthusiastically join the war feeling like they're invincible and are going to be heroes, then quickly learn the true horrific nature of war. I called it poignant, even though I am not quite sure what that word means. But there are certain scenes that will leave you with chilled fascination. I gave it a 4.5 score, while Kim gave it a 4.475 (Kim and her crazy scores!), totaling 8.975, a very respectable score. See, I'm not a 30's hater. Oh wait, yes I am.....

For the love of God, after we picked (and passed on) 1930, our VERY NEXT pick was 1937. Come on, man! (Think Keyshawn Johnson) This is where things started to get ugly, especially on my end. Let me show you how.

Adam: PASS (4 down, 6 to go)
Kim: Snow White

I swear I picked some movies from the 30's, so please don't be harsh. At least Kim picked a movie this year. But enough on this subject - we must move forward! The Best Picture this year was The Life of Emile Zola (yeah, we hadn't heard of it, or him, either). It was one of the earlier films we watched, so we don't remember much, but it was a decent film. Basically, this guy Emile Zola (real guy, for real) was this writer who was French and such, and he did some important things like 150 years ago. Don't ask me what. I gave it a score of 3, while Kim gave it a 3.6 and was interested enough in the movie that it didn't make her fall asleep. So, it finished with a 6.6, which was on the lower end of the scale, but certainly not the worst.

As for our picks, I seriously couldn't find any movie I wanted to watch in these years. I'm sure that somewhere, out there, there are some I would find enjoyable, but I'm just not a risk taker, I guess. Speaking of risk taking, Kim's one selection of Snow White was another safe selection of a movie she's already seen (but really who hasn't?) She swears she has selections of movies she hasn't seen, so I guess she's dealing with her own controversy...

We'll write back soon after we've watched the Disney classic, but for all you reading at home, now is your chance for audience participation. Who is more lame? Adam - who is too scared to watch old movies so he just skips them all, or Kim - who is too scared to watch films she hasn't seen so she just picks ones she has. And, of course, please tell us which movie was your favorite! All Quiet on the Western Front, The Life of Emile Zola, or Snow White, plus what other movies from 1930 or 1937 do you like? (if you know or have seen any) Lots of loaded questions on this post, so have fun!