ROLL FILM ...

Well, having been tagged two or three times with this one already (most recently by shaunathan, and watching it make the rounds, I figure I might as well respond. Film is a funny subject with me: I love film, but I don't watch a lot -- a movie is a significant investment of time in one's day, after all. I know, I know: A book is a good ten to 30 times the time investment, but you can spread it out. :-) At any rate, it's a running joke at the office, seminal, or at least famous, movies Dave hasn't seen. ("Dr. Strangelove," "Network," "Jaws," "Psycho," "Caddyshack" -- I know, I know, every male of my generation has seen "Caddyshack.")

Anyway, here we go ...

Total number of films I own on DVD/Video: On DVD, 16. (More if you count collected TV episodes, etc.) On VHS, I couldn't begin to count, as I have tapes hither and yon ... some purchased, some taped off television when the VCR was still a novelty and I told myself I was going to watch every single one of them some time or another. On VHS, safely more than 100.

The last film I bought: Not sure; it may have been X2, the second X-Men film. That's purchased; the last films brought into the home were DVDs of "12 Angry Men" (the original, with Henry Fonda) and "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" that someone gave away.

The last film I watched: Revenge of the Sith

Five films that I watch a lot: I'm the sort who doesn't re-watch movies often, for the same reason I don't re-read books often: There are so many new ones I haven't seen/read. But still, there are some favorites I return to from time to time: Casablanca, Chinatown, Lord of the Rings (all three), O Brother Where Art Thou, The Princess Bride. Five Honorable Mentions: 12 Angry Men, The Manchurian Candidate, Star Trek VI, Raiders of the Lost Ark, North By Northwest

Tag 5 people and have them put this in their journal: I don't like tagging people -- for some people, it puts unwanted pressure on them and creates a sense of obligation or whatnot. So the invitation is an open one.

HACKS AMERICANA

Another decent gathering last night, of the No-Talent Hacks, the writers' networking/support/workshop group consisting mostly of off-the-clock colleagues. We discussed one member's unfolding impressionistic short story and another's prospectus for a screenplay. I hoped to have another chapter of my unwieldy novel ready for yesterday, but it didn't happen -- though I'll have two or three ready for next time. It's a highly diverse group, and each member is working on a number of varying projects, from weird fantasy novels to non-fiction magazine pieces they hope to freelance. We've been sharing resouces; I turned them on to ohiblather's site Inkygirl.

In the near future, we're going to launch a Web presence and post some of our in-group writing exercises -- most of which are brief, spur-of-the-moment bursts designed to lubricate the creative gears and such -- along with resume material and such like.

At any rate, I've found the feedback useful and have enjoyed the deepening understandings and friendships. A lot of them have a lot more faith in my novel than I do; they want me to hurry up and finish it so they can read it all at once. (And since at the rate I'm going it's looking like a 19th-century Russian novel, that's one hefty time investment.) That's some heady affirmation, and I hope I don't disappoint.