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by Julian Spivey Last year I embarked on a movie challenge in hopes of seeing some films I’ve never seen and more importantly opening myself up to some kinds of films I likely would never see. The premise is that you have 12 months to watch 12 movies recommended by 12 friends. I don’t often participate in such social media challenges but being a movie buff, I felt this might be an interesting way to get out of my comfort zone a bit when it comes to watching movies. Like in 2023, I have some movies on the list that I’ve always meant to get around to watching but haven’t – most notably the 1962 classic “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which I think I saw the first half of in school but was absent on the day it finished. And there’s some stuff I probably never would’ve gotten around to like Andrzej Wajda’s 1958 Polish film “Ashes and Diamonds.” As I did last year I will write about my thoughts and feelings on each of these films after I have viewed them. Here are the 12 movies recommended to me and the months I’ve assigned myself to watch them: January: “The Wonder” (2022) February: “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962) March: “Dreamgirls” (2006) April: “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (2004) May: “21 Jump Street” (2012) June: “Mamma Mia” (2008) July: “City of Angels” (1998) August: “Fried Green Tomatoes” (1991) September: “Ashes and Diamonds” (1958) October: “Clue” (1985) November: “The Intouchables” (2011) December: “The Agony and the Ecstasy” (1965)  Photo: 20th Century Studios Here we come to the end of my second year of the 12 Movies Challenge, in which I let 12 friends select a movie for me to watch each month of the year and then write a short review of my thoughts on said movie. My old film appreciation professor, Carl Olds, selected director Carol Reed’s 1965 historical drama “The Agony and the Ecstasy. " The film is based on one chapter of author Irving Stone's 1961 biographical novel about Michelangelo being commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. I must admit I had no interest in watching this film. I’m not much for historical dramas set centuries ago. That’s why I saved it for the final month of the year. It’s the second time Carl has done this to me (the silent classic “The Last Laugh” last year) – but his film knowledge is more than most of those recommending films for me. By the film’s end, I enjoyed it thanks to the warring personalities of Michelangelo (played by Charlton Heston) and Pope Julius II (played by Rex Harrison). I also enjoy the film as a tribute to the importance of art and a man who must create because it’s the gift from God he’s been given. I will say it took until the film's second half for me to really gain interest in it. “The Agony and the Ecstasy” does itself a great disservice, beginning with an unnecessary 12-and-a-half-minute documentary on some of Michelangelo’s greatest sculptures. It does nothing to help explain the story that’s about to unfold and left me checking my watch and grumbling throughout. Heston was serviceable as Michelangelo. It’s a bit of a head-scratching casting, but I think nearly any casting of a Hollywood superstar of that time would’ve been weird for the role. It was Harrison’s performance as Pope Julius II, a man known for being a better warrior than Pope, trying his best to defend the Catholic Church’s place in a Europe battling for change. I appreciated the Pope’s appreciation for great art while also being off-put by Michelangelo’s eccentricities and inner-warring with himself as an artist aiming for perfection. The film's best scene is likely near the end when Pope Julius II is alone in the Sistine Chapel admiring the fresco when Michelangelo enters, and the two discuss how each views God and man. “The Agony and the Ecstasy” is a good watch. Still, Reed needed a better editor, especially when deciding to begin the film with such a long documentary that wasn’t necessary. 12 Movies Challenge Going Forward
Once again, I appreciate everybody who recommended films over the last two years. I think I will change how I do the 12 Movie Challenge for 2025. I will challenge myself to watch some Hollywood classics that I embarrassingly admit I’ve never seen before by selecting the 12 highest-ranking films on the American Film Institute’s most recent 100 Greatest American Movies Ever Made list that I haven’t seen. Those films are: Raging Bull (1980) Schindler’s List (1993) City Lights (1931) The General (1926) Some Like It Hot (1959) All About Eve (1950) The Godfather Part II (1974) The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) King Kong (1933) Midnight Cowboy (1969) Shane (1953) It Happened One Night (1934)
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