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Writing:

My first challenge for 2013 is a writing one and split into three parts:

1. Finish my debut novel, Wanted
2. Write the follow-up, Hunted and the third in the trilogy, Needed
3. Finish the novel I started for NaNoWriMo, Starburst

A tall order I think. I'm working on the second draft of Hunted, and also planning for Hunting. If I can get those two and Starburst finished I'll be happy. Finishing off the trilogy will be a bonus.

Reading:

My second challenge for 2013 is a reading one. In 2012 I managed to read 78 books (that might hit 80 by the end of the year, since I have two still on the go). But the counter for that only started in April, when I joined goodreads. So for 2013, I'm going to up that to an even 100.

Movies:

I'm going to add a third challenge for the pure hell of it: 50 movies at the cinema. that's a film a week, roughly on average. Duplicates won't count (ie, seeing the same film multiple times). Not sure how many films I saw this year, I'll work it out sometime and maybe post it in a different thread...

1. Quartet (7/10)
2. Les Miserables (9/10)
3. Gangster Squad (7/10)
4. Django Unchained (9/10)
5. Zero Dark Thirty (10/10)
6. Lincoln (8/10)
7. Flight (6/10)
8. I Give it a Year (4/10)
9. Wreck It Ralph (9/10)
10. Beautiful Creatures (7/10)
11. A good Day to Die Hard (5/10)
12. Song for Marion (8/10)
13. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (5/10)
14. Safe Haven (7/10)
15. Broken City (6/10)
16. Oz the Great and Powerful (7/10)
17. Side Effects (8/10)
18. The Croods (9/10)
19. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (3/10)
20. Welcome to the Punch (7/10)
21. Identity Thief (4/10)
22. Jack the Giant Slayer (7/10)
23. G.I. Joe: Retaliation (3/10)
24. The Host (6/10)
25. Trance (8/10)
26. Oblivion (8/10)
27. Olympus Has Fallen (7/10)
28. Iron Man 3 (9/10)
29. 21 and Over (2/10)
30. The Place beyond the Pines (4/10)
31. Dead Man Down (7/10)
32. Star Trek Into Darkness (9/10)
33. Fast and Furious 6 (8/10)
34. The Great Gatsby (9/10)
35. Epic (7/10)
36. The Hangover Part III (5/10)
37. After Earth (6/10)
38. Man of Steel (8/10)
39. Behind the Candelabra (7/10)
40. Now you See Me (6/10)
41. The Internship (4/10)
42. This is the End (7/10)
43. Despicable Me 2 (8/10)
44. Pacific Rim (8/10)
45. Monsters University (6/10)
46. The World's End (5/10)
47. The Wolverine (8/10)
48. The Smurfs 2 (2/10)
49: The Lone Ranger (7/10)
50: Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (8/10)
51: Kick Ass 2 (5/10)
52. Planes (7/10)
53. 2 Guns (8/10)
54. Elysium (7/10)
55. We're the Millers (8/10)
56. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (7/10)
57. Pain & Gain (6/10)
58. About Time (9/10)
59. Riddick (7/10)
60. Justin & the Knights of Valour (6/10)
61. White House Down (7/10)
62. Prisoners (8/10)
63. Runner Runner (5/10)
64. How I Live Now (9/10)
65. The Fifth Estate (8/10)
66. Captain Phillips (9/10)
67. Escape Plan (7/10)
68. Turbo (4/10)
69. Cloudy With A Chance of meatballs 2 (7/10)
70. Ender's Game (9/10)
71. Thor: The Dark World (8/10)
72. Philomena (9/10)
73. Gravity (9/10)
74. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (9/10)
75. Saving Mr Banks (9/10)
76. Frozen (8/10)
77. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (8/10)
78. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (6/10)
79. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (8/10)

Wow Tim!

You're really going for it!!!

Yay Tim good luck !

You're going to be busy!!

:0)

If I don't push myself hard, I'll just doss about on here and not get anything done... ;)

I've just done a count of the films I saw this year... 65!! (Bloody nora! That's what an Unlimited card does for you!) Some of them I saw more than once; one of them I saw six times (but I'm not going to admit which one!)

Here's the list. The dates are off the Interweb, since I didn't make a note of when I saw them, so they might not be entirely accurate.

January
The Artist
The Iron Lady
Haywire
The Descendants

February
Chronicle
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Man on a Ledge
The Muppets
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (3D)
This Means War
The best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Safe House

March
John Carter (3D)
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
21 Jump street
Contraband
Mirror Mirror
The Hunger Games
The Pirates! In an adventure with Scientists (3D)

April
Wrath of the Titans (3D)
American Pie: Reunion
Lockout
Battleship

May
Avengers Assemble
The Five Year engagement
The Lucky One
Safe
The Dictator

June
Men in Black 3
Prometheus (3D)
Snow White and the Huntsman
Rock of Ages

July
The Amazing Spider Man (3D)
Ice Age: Continental Drift (3D)
The Dark Knight Rises

August
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
Ted
The Bourne Legacy
Brave (3D)
Neighbourhood Watch
Total Recall

September
Lawless
Dredd 3D
Anna Karenina
The Sweeney
Hope Springs
ParaNorman
Untouchable
The House at the End of the Street
Killing Them Softly
The Campaign

October
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Taken 2
Ruby Sparks
Hotel Transylvania
Frankenweenie
Madagascar 3: Europe's most Wanted

November
Skyfall
Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2
Silver Linings Playbook

December
Rise of the Guardians
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (3D)
Life of Pi
Jack Reacher

Woah Tim!


Ye, I got into film a lot more in 2012. I still didn't manage to see loads but I always enjoy them when I do, hence my own list ;)


Good luck!!

I can count the number of films watched at the cinema over the last ten years or so on two hands - I'm obviously not a big film fan. There are two that I am thinking about watching this year - but I may just wait for the DVDs.

I missed out a couple rom the list: Tower Heist and Mission Impossible, so I guess that's 67! It sounds like a lot, but really it's just Sunday afternoons and the occasional midweek evening. There was still a bunch of films I wanted to see but didn't manage, either because I was away or they didn't show them at my local flea pit (I missed out on Argo and 7 Psychopaths because all the screens were blocked by Twiglet and Skyfall for example)

I have to say, there's quite a few films on that list I wouldn't have seen if I'd had to pay at the box office. And several more that i wouldn't bother to see again. Only one though was so bad that I walked out before the end (Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter)

If I didn't have the unlimited card, I probably wouldn't go to to more than a handful of screenings. But I'd buy loads of BDs/DVDs, and probably regret a fair few of them

The unlimited card easily pays for itself in blu rays & DVDs that I don't buy! :)

I wish we could get unlimited cards over here :(

Is there no Cineworld in Belfast? There's certainly unlimited cards to cover the Republic, so I'd have expected Norn Iron to be covered???

Looper is another one I missed out, so that takes it to 68!

That's more often than I've been to the cinema in my life :(

Our two main cinemas over here are Movie House & Odeon. :(

You are a formidable challenger Mr Arnot!
You can count the number of films I've seen on a blind butcher's hand! I fall asleep!
Books, however, - well, I can't really count because I read so many twice and some I read pre-publication (usually they are read twice too) so who knows?

As to your first self challenge - Hunted is inspired - go for it!

Good luck with all your challenges Tim!
I look forward to reading your books this year.

Good luck - I would love to watch more films, but need to find someone with my taste in films first, they're not ad much fun on your own

Desley (Cat fosterer) wrote: "Good luck - I would love to watch more films, but need to find someone with my taste in films first, they're not ad much fun on your own"

That used to bother me, until I figured out I'd just end up never doing anything! Now... I'm incorrigible. And yes I probably am the scary beardy guy in the third row! ;)

I always go to the cinema on my own, although I agree about watching films at home on your own. That is not too fun.

First movie of the year: Quartet.

Dustin Hoffman directs Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins, Billy Connolly, Michael Gambon and the delectable Sheridan Smith.

Plenty of banter, repartee and live music in a sumptuously filmed wrinkly romcom. The saucy exchanges between Billy Connolly and Sheridan Smith got plenty of laughs from the audience. Rated 12A for language. 7/10

Louise-Lesley (Elle) wrote: "I always go to the cinema on my own, although I agree about watching films at home on your own. That is not too fun."

I prefer watching at home, then I can switch off or pause the film when I want and I'm not being disturbed by the kids in the row in front parading in and out of their seats or being frightened by "the scary beardy guy in the third row! "

Lol Janet! I have an awful habit of skipping boring bits in tv shows and films so I need someone to watch with me or I'll get bored and won't get the film a chance!!

I have to go out in order to scare anyone in the third row...

I'm amazed at how organised you lot are.

Tim, your challenge looks fantastic.

First book down: Billy Christmas. by Mark A. Pritchard

YA. Paperback, 300 pages.
This is a story about a boy called, strangely enough, Billy Christmas. Nearly a year ago, Billy's father mysteriously disappeared and nobody has seen him since. His mother withdrew into herself, and twelve year old Billy is forced to cope on his own. Then, shortly before Christmas he gets what turns out to be a magical christmas tree along with twelve mysterious ornaments. Each ornament leads to a task which Billy must perform in order to complete a quest which will hopefully find and return his father. (4/5)

State of play: I'm ploughing through at a rate of knots on Kindle.
On Audible this month, whenever I'm out and about I'm listening to
And still slowly trudging through

Movie this weekend should be Les Mis.

Tim wrote: "Movie this weekend should be Les Mis"


Now that one I do want to see. But I'll wait for the DVD probably.

I'm going to see Les Mis on Friday

I AM SO EXCITED!!!

I'm listening to the 10th anniversary DVD (which is not to be beaten in my opinion) in preparation, even more excitingly is the fact that Colm Wilkinson (thats THEE Jean Valjean of all Jean Valjean's) is appearing in the movie as the Bishop of Digne!

So excited!

Is it sad that I just bought a 2nd copy of the 10th anniversary just in case (god forbid!) anything should happen to my current copy? Plus it was only £9, and it's a special edition.

p.s. sorry for hijacking your thread.

*whispers* excited!!!

God, just imagine if it was a Disney movie... ;)

I don't even think new Disney movies can excite me as much! I don't know what to expect with them and sometimes they are rubbish (that one that is pretty much Madagscar only it's crap). You just said the code word and I pretty much exploded

Old Man's War by John Scalzi
Military SF. 320 pages, Kindle.
It's John Perry's 75th birthday and he has just two things to do: Visit his wife's grave, and join the army. The Colonial Defence Force is recruiting. They only recruit from the elderly, and in exchange for ten years of your life (assuming you survive - there is a war on, after all) they will make you young again. But there is a catch: You will be declared legally dead, and must leave the Earth, never to return.

I picked this up in the Humble Bundle deal last year. It's January's book pick over at Sword and Laser, so this was a good excuse to read it. (5/5)

Book 3 is a quickie.
Maureen goes to Venice by our own Jonathan Hill
Short Story. Humour. 57 pages. Kindle.

Mrs Bean. Nutso. If you ever see Maureen coming towards you, go the other way. Quickly. (4/5)

I want to know how much weeding you've done, is your garden looking any tidier yet???

I have cultivated a bumper crop of weeds - some of them are over 4ft tall (thats 1 point something metres to you youngsters...)

Think he'll notice what you're doing and start doing it himself, Peanut? ;)

LOL.

I literally said this to Emma last night, but heh I don't mind if they don't know HOW... Maybe we should teach him with my stick?

At east this way we know somebody has read it... ;)

No one should ever feel like nobody reads their read.

I read practically every thread in the forum as I get emails to every single one.

The challenges are like my love-child (w/ Patti) so I pay especially close attention to them :)

I'm your love child???

your the other parents to our love child! DON'T YOU REMEMBER?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!

The full review of Miserable Les is now up on my blog ( ) just in time to prevent me from slipping behind, since I just got back from seeing the next movie, Gangster Squad!

Know what?

I have NO IDEA what Les Mis is about.

Have never read a synopsis nor a review. Not even seen a trailer for the film.

Nuttin.

I understand its meant to be quite good.

Briefly, it's a historical melodrama about the wretched poor (the miserable ones) in France. It starts in 1815 Toulon and culminates in the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris. Law, justice, politics, love, redemption are the major themes. Lots of people die or get killed.