This past December I began something new; I decided each month from now on, I would watch films of a particular genre, actor, theme, country, director, and so on. The idea is that I’ll get to revisit some old favourites but perhaps also discover some new faves… or not. Either way, I’d have maybe found some new films and checked some off my list.

Each week of the month, I’ll watch a film and either share my thoughts here, on my Hye’s Musings Facebook Page or Twitter @HeidyMo. Nothing formal; this is just for fun.

December was Alain Delon month. I watched four of his films: See the list of films on my Facebook Page.

This month, I’m continuing with another favourite actor, Viggo Mortensen. I will be attending his ‘In Conversation With…‘ David Cronenberg at TIFF Bell Lightbox next week. Thus, it made sense I focus on his more recent work this month.

But I won’t lie that I’m quite a fangirl when it comes to Mortensen, whom I consider a well-rounded artist. I’ve seen him speak on issues of social justice during TIFF one year, when Howard Zinn and others attended to discuss the documentary The People Speak. I also like Mortensen because of his artistic endeavours such as photography, writing, and singing. For more on his artistic work, visit Perceval Press, his publishing company.

Having stated that, it’s time to name my picks. The four films I’ve chosen for the month, in order are:

A History Of Violence — I’ve seen this a few times but I think it a good starting point.

Capitán Alatriste // Captain Alatriste: The Spanish Muskeeter — Based on the novel by Spaniard author Arturo Pérez-Reverte. I’m reading the first novel at the moment and I’m curious to see how Mortensen plays the title character.

The Road — I have not seen this post-apocalyptic, dark film yet. Let’s hope I survive unscathed.

Everybody Has A Plan — I saw this at TIFF two years ago. The idea of Mortensen playing a dual role didn’t disappoint the first time. Let’s see how it fares after a second viewing.

I recently attended a screening of Eastern Promises, in which Guillermo Del Toro and Cronenberg discussed the film in depth. Otherwise, that would have made my list as well. I also really like Mortensen as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The month, however, has four weeks, so I’ll have to postpone my LOTR marathon for another time.

If you’d like to join in, please leave a comment, post on Facebook, G+ or Twitter. I’d like to know what you think of these films. For now, I leave you with this short video of Mortensen, which I filmed at the 2012 Genies…