Buyer's Archive: A Year Of All The Spending

More like the year of very little spending which is actually a good thing since I wanted to get my spending down.

Life goal achieved.

It also explains why there have been so few of these Buyer's Archive posts in the past few months.  No spending equals no posting.  Or something like that.

So how much did I spend and on what...

Well the total for the year (May 2018 to April 2019) was exactly $100.  I know right?  I'm kind of amazed myself.

Even more amazing is that I was able to buy all of this...

1 pair of slippers             
1 pair of hat and mittens 
1 dress                           
1 bottle of shower gel     
2 skirts
2 pairs of shoelaces
3 pairs of socks
4 books
5 bottles of nail polish 

So much better than last year and the year before.  I also brought more second hand items than new which was another goal I had set myself so I'm pleased on that front too.

Somehow I'm thinking that next year's spending might be just a little bit higher, hopefully though I can stick to buying mostly second hand again.

How I Watched 365 Movies in 365 Days And Didn't Go Insane

Or maybe I did and just didn't realise.

Certainly by the end I was starting to wonder which day of the week it was and even accidentally posted blog posts that were only half finished which is so not a good thing to do when blogging so I apologise now for some of the weird posts you may have seen over the last few weeks.

So what did get I get out of it other than a little madness?

Well I learned that setting a goal can be good and bad.  I fell in love and discovered lots of movies, which is kind of what I set out to achieve, but with such a hard target it did by the end feel a little bit more like a job than a fun thing to do.

Would I do it again?

Probably not.  Life is too short.  Instead I'd probably set myself an easier target such as 100 movies in 1 Year which seems a lot more manageable.

Do I regret doing it?

Nope, not ever - even if I did complain about it a lot and most likely drove everyone around me crazy. 

Do you have a list of every movie you watched? 

Yes I do.  And if you're interested click here to check it out 

What else did I discover?

Quite a  lot actually...

• Movies I liked as a teenager were still just as enjoyable today which probably shows that my tastes haven't changed a great deal over the years. 
• Many of the big 'great' movies tended to be not so great for me
• I have a thing about hair.  Robert Redford's 70s hair was seriously the best thing ever and deserves an Oscar all on it's own
• And also eyebrows.  Bette Davis and Margaret Lockwood gave amazing good brow
• And fashion.  Particularly 50s fashion. Grace Kelly's and Ava G's wardrobes were to die for or at least worth crying over and wishing for.
  

Stats

1 movie where Sam Neill totally worked the scruffy leather jacket wearing look

2 movies where the dog died and I cried buckets

7 movies where Robert Redford's hair belonged in a shampoo ad

13 movies where I drooled over the clothes

16 movies that had Christmas in the title

18 movies where they sang at every opportunity

35 Hallmark movies, most of which had a deceased family member

283 movies where they got a  happy ending

and 39 where they didn't

365+ drinks of Hot Chocolate as my movie beverage of choice

The Viewing Files: 365 Movies in 365 Days - Week Fifty Two

And finally we are there.  Rounding out the last 15 movies with a random selection of some of my favourite movies ever.

They are not perfect or the greatest but it doesn't matter because they are mine.

Watched countless times and probably a whole lot more.

The end.

Rear Window
Starring: James Stewart and Grace Kelly
Original release: 1954
Synopsis: A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder. 

So much to love about this movie - it's exciting, shot entirely from the viewpoint of one room which adds to the thrill, has a mild sense of humour, and a touch of sexual flirtyness.

For me this is Hitchcock at his best.

To Catch a Thief
Starring: Cary Grant and Grace Kelly
Original release: 1955
Synopsis: A retired jewel thief sets out to prove his innocence after being suspected of returning to his former occupation. 

Cary has never been more charming or Grace more flirty. 

Planet of the Apes
Starring: Charlton Heston
Original release: 1968
Synopsis: Talking Apes

Totally unrealistic and a little bit campy and yet it works and draws you in right from the beginning.

Watched about 20 times by me and counting.

LA Confidential
Starring: Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce
Original release: 1997
Synopsis: Detectives investigate a shooting at a diner in 1950's LA.

Can I say how good everyone in this movie is?  Cause they are and it's awesome.

Style, story, sizzle.

My perfect thriller.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Starring: East End Brits
Original release: 1998
Synopsis: A group of friends help a friend in trouble with a gangster.

Guy Richie was never so good until he wasn't.

Likely lads getting in way over their heads.  It's funny and smooth and the dialogue is spot on.  The movie that started a ton of careers.  The soundtrack is also pretty spot on too.

Beauty and the Beast
Starring: Voice actors
Original release: 1991
Synopsis: A prince is cursed to spend his days as a hideous monster.

Probably the only version of Beauty and the Beast that you will ever need to see.

That song, you know the one, got on my nerves but the rest is glorious in every way.

The Little Mermaid
Starring: Voice actors
Original release: 1989
Synopsis: A mermaid makes a bargain to be human so she can win a prince's love.

Sigh... no words are needed, it's my favourite Disney movie.

Clueless
Starring: Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd
Original release: 1995
Synopsis:  A rich high school student tries to boost a new pupil's popularity.

The 90's never looked so good and Jane Austen would have had all the feels.

Persuasion
Starring: Amanda Root and Ciarin Hinds
Original release: 1995
Synopsis: A tale of lost love

Speaking of Jane Austen this is it, this is the one and only one that people should watch.  The others are good, really really good but this is pretty much perfection. 

Tremors
Starring: Kevin Bacon
Original release: 1990
Synopsis: Mysterious goings on in a isolated town in the desert.

Kevin Bacon has a sexy hick, I am so there.

B Grade cult classic tackiness at it's best.  Just a ton of fun.

Footloose
Starring: Kevin Bacon
Original release: 1984
Synopsis: A city boy moves to a small rural town where rock music is banned.

Some people have Dirty Dancing, others Flashdance; this is my 80s musical.

There's also pink glitter so you kinda knew it was going to be my kind of movie.

Sleepless in Seattle
Starring: Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan
Original release: 1993
Synopsis: The son of a widower calls a late night talk show

Sure the movie has it flaws but truthfully I really don't care.  I'm here for the love in all its forms.

While You Were Sleeping
Starring: Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman
Original release: 1995
Synopsis: A lonely rail worker gets mistaken as a man's fiancee.

Only in the movies can these kind of formula's work.  Also makes me wonder why I've got a thing for romance movies with the words sleep in the title.

Love, Simon
Starring: Nick Robinson
Original release: 2018
Synopsis: Simon is hiding a secret 

The kind of movie where you just want the happy ending.  The rom com of today and kind of perfect.

The Princess Bride
Starring: Cary Elwes and Robyn Wright
Original release: 1987
Synopsis: A fairy tale about pirates, princess's and revenge.

Love times 1000.

The Viewing Files: 365 Movies in 365 Days - Week Fifty One

I did it again.  Thankfully I fixed it in about two seconds.  So this post should be all good now.

Thrillers and detectives this time round and only one more post to go...

Vertigo
Starring: James Stewart and Kim Novak
Original release: 1958
Synopsis: A former detective becomes obsessed with a beautiful woman.

OMG I wanted so much to like this movie.  It sounds amazing and it's always on the best movie lists and yet that's a pass by me.

I didn't even bother finishing it, it was so boring.  Cold and clinical, which was often Hitch's style, and yet that was half of it's problem.

In the end I didn't care about any of the characters at all.

A Time to Kill

Starring: Matthew McConaughey and Samuel L Jackson
Original release: 1996
Synopsis: A black man stands on trial for killing his daughter's rapists.

Not only a great courtroom thriller but a powerful drama about racism.  Matt's closing argument near the end of the film will not only make you cry but also make you think.  Great acting from pretty much everyone involved.

 

Drive
Starring: Ryan Gosling
Original release: 2011
Synopsis: A getaway driver gets in trouble.

I just don't get the fuss.  Electronic music and moody lighting and drawn out conversations made it an arty movie pretending to be a thriller.

I ended up skipping to the end.

The Lincoln Lawyer
Starring: Matthew McConaughey
Original release: 2011
Synopsis:  A lawyer defending a wealthy man begins to believe his client is guilty of more than just one crime. 

I'm a sucker for lawyer slash detective thrillers so you just knew that I was going to like this.  Matt once again shows how good he can be with the right material.

Absolute Power
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman and Ed Harris
Original release: 1997
Synopsis: A thief witnesses a murder.

An on-the-edge of your seat thriller.  It's twisty and turning and so good.

I love Ed Harris in this role.

No Way Out
Starring: Kevin Costner
Original release: 1987
Synopsis: A woman is murdered.

Even more complicated twists and turns.  The ending will make you go "Oh My God I so did not see that coming".

Psycho
Starring: Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins
Original release: 1960
Synopsis: A woman on the run checks into a rundown hotel.

Lesson learned:  Have a shower door, not a shower curtain and never ever stay in creepy looking hotels in the middle of nowhere.

Famously creepy and deservedly so.