About

Author: James Derbyshire
Age: 27
Occupation: Teaching Assistant in a SEN High School. Journalism graduate (2011). Studying to be a teacher.
FAQ (well I’ve not actually been asked any questions…yet, but here are some I imagine might be asked)
Another 1001 blog, really, that's original?!
Hey, don't be so sarcastic! I am a budding cinephile and this list to me looks like the gold standard for discovering new films - young and old, western and foreign, classical and abstract, and there is some cache to finding an audience in completing this mammoth task, serving my own quest for film education and hopefully dragging a few people along with me on the way. If you run a film blog and want to reach out to co-promote, please do, I love reading intelligent conversation and discussion on films.
You didn’t like a film I did, why are you such an idiot?
I endevour to see positives in every film. If I cannot connect to a film, I will try to articulate why in the best way possible, I love feedback and would be delighted to hear your views, whether you agree or disagree.
What is your ratings system?
I’ve posted a handy guide in the right hand side bar to help gauge how I rated a film >>>
I know that there are many schools of thought when it comes to ratings, I work on a 5 star rating, I feel it gives a little more delineation and wiggle room than a 4 star rating does. Letter grades are fine but between pluses and minuses can almost give too much delineation. I’ve gotten comfortable using 5 stars and my own personal parameters within that.
Some people are very strongly in the no rating camp but I have always found it a useful guide and within the length of the film, usually form a graded opinion that seems right by the time the credits roll. Sometimes these can change over the next few weeks – as an example, watching L’Aventurra, I initially hated it and found it incredibly frustrating, but two weeks later I was still thinking about it and realised it had definitely had an effect on me and gotten under my skin. So ratings are always subject to change.
Why haven’t you reviewed [insert film] yet?
Like this site, my consumption of all these films is a work in progress. As of June 2015, I have only seen around 300 of the 1001 Movies – it may be that I haven’t watched it yet, or simply that I haven’t got around to posting a review, some films I may need to re-watch also before putting my thoughts down on paper...well, internet.
Wait, there are more than 1001 Movies!
True, and I have decided that for my original 1001 countdown I will simply follow the first 1001 films that I come to off a mix of the lists. However I will continue to review the other 166 (and counting, I'm sure by the time I get to 1001, that number will be over 200 extra films to watch).