I could write shorter sermons but when I get started I'm too lazy to stop.

Date: Monday 28th January
Film: Lincoln (2013)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and David Strathairn
Running Time: 02 hours, 30 minutes
Rating: 5/10

Monday night, and we are back in the Barbican (those cheap Monday nights are a thing of wonder), this time for a little Lincoln.

I'm no expert in American History. I know that Lincoln ended slavery, I know that he was President during the Civil War, and I know he had some pretty impressive facial hair. Did I learn anything more from Lincoln? Not really.

The acting was exceptional, the direction and visuals were equally brilliant, but I just could not connect to the film. Lincoln is stunning, but somehow incredibly dull.It is, essentially, over two hours of people sat around talking.

I'm glad I watched it, it helps my Oscar predictions if I watch as many of the nominated films as possible, but I don't think I came away from the film with all that much.

Long and boring yet, somehow, pretty special.

Challenge day: 125
Challenge time: 07 days, 19 hours, 55 minutes
Challenge film total: 95

I might hate you more, but I'll never love you less.

Date: Sunday 2nd December
Film: War Horse (2011)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson and David Thewlis
Running time: 02 hours, 26 minutes
Rating: 5/10

Bore Horse.

I wanted to like this. It was visually stunning, it's directed by Steven Spielberg and it has a brilliant cast. It had to be good, right?

I just couldn't seem to engage with it. There is no particular reason (although, as with most films, there was nowhere near enough Tom Hiddleston for my liking!). Some films just don't catch your attention.

I also struggle to forgive anyone who thought this was an acceptable moustache..

Oh well, it set me back a whopping £2 in a charity shop, I can't complain. Christmas is coming. Keep an eye on your stocking, I might regift it to you. That way charity benefits, as does my DVD collection. I hate seeing disappointment in my racks.

Challenge day: 70
Challenge time: 03 days, 15 hours, 28 minutes
Challenge film total: 47

We could grow up together, E.T.

Date: Monday 22nd October
Film: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Henry Thomas, Robert MacNaughton, Dee Wallace and Drew Barrymore
Running Time : 1 hour 55 minutes
Rating: 10/10

Thanks to the lovely team over at Den of Geek and Universal, last night CW and I found ourselves in a cory screening room at Universal's London offices for a screening of what I believe to be one of the greatest films of all time.

I love E.T., have done since I was a child. It is one of those films that I cannot flick past on the TV without stopping to watch. Even though I know the story inside and out and I know what is coming I still find myself reacting as if it is the very first time I am seeing things.

Kudos to Henry Thomas, Robert MacNaughton and Drew Barrymore for being so convincing with their love for E.T., it makes me believe that one day I could find a friendly alien in the tool shed (note to self: get a tool shed. And a garden to put it in).

That immediately recognisable John Williams score makes the (many) dialogue free moments something pretty special. Walking into the screening room and hearing that score playing over the PA bought back some pretty powerful emotions.

E.T. is what I consider to be an almost perfect film, yes the CGI is a little dated (as with all films from that period) but the acting and direction make you believe, at any age, that this is really happening. E.T. is not a sci-fi film, it is not a children's film, it is a love story. Pure and simple.

Thank you, Den of Geek, for this screening. By the end I was channelling Spielberg's biggest fan, and crying like a baby...

Challenge day: 29
Challenge time : 01 days, 06 hours, 51 minutes.
Challenge film total: 16