Greetings, readers! If you missed out on yesterday's post, I (the Cap'n) am answering ten of the most frequently asked questions about the Blogorium. Questions 1-5 were answered yesterday, and Questions 6-10 are today. Enjoy!
6. Okay, so I saw these tags that say "Horror Fest", and you seem to mention that all the time. What is it, and do how can I get in?
Horror Fest began in 2005 when I lived in The Apartment of Solitude, although it had unofficial versions going all the way back to 1999. It's typically a three to four day event - usually taking place the weekend immediately before, during or after Halloween - where we watch horror films from around 7 pm until we can no longer stay awake. The record for a Horror Fest was during Horror Fest 2, where we went from 6 pm until 7:30 am of non-stop film action.
I tend to break my "once a day" rule for Horror Fests and will post after every single movie (if I can), although lately because the events tend to draw more people every year and for longer periods of time, I may condense several movies into recaps.
While Horror Fest is heading into its fifth year, there are also two other "event" or "marathon" nights:
Bad Movie Night, which I try to celebrate around my birthday. It's exactly what it sounds like, a night (or two) of some of the most awful - yet watchable - films I can find (last year's installment included Troll 2, Mac & Me, The Giant Claw, and Crank: High Voltage). There will, alas, not be a Bad Movie Night this year (I just don't have time), but hopefully in 2011 it'll come back, as I have some really special titles saved up...
Summer Fest, which is the July equivalent of Horror Fest. Typically devoted to "horror comedies," Summer Fest is considered to be a lighter atmosphere than Horror Fest and is a break from typical 4th of July festivities. If I can have one this year, Summer Fest III will probably be the last in current Blogorium Headquarters. (sorry I don't have a specific tag for Summer Fest, but you can find almost all of them under "Horror Fest").
While I can't say for certain how to "get in" other than paying attention to see if they're happening, readers of the blog who are willing to travel and don't mind sleeping on couches can come as long as they respect others, if not always the films.
7. Can I be a guest blogger?
As I said yesterday, I typically like to generate most of the writing here on the Blogorium, but I'm certainly happy to take a look if you've got something you'd really like to share here. Every now and then I'll put up a contest that is asking for someone to write their own review, so keep an eye out for that.
If you'd like to pick up the So You Won't Have To portion of the Blogorium and make it a more frequent part of the site (perhaps because you have a penchant for watching more awful movies than the Cap'n does), I'd certainly welcome that. Just leave a comment or drop me a line.
8. Come on, seriously; you're Grampa J, aren't you?
I get it, really I do. It does seem like some kind of Andy Kaufman-esque gag where I'm posting to both blogs in order to mess with your heads or to make some comment on identity, but I assure you that I am NOT Grampa J.
9. If I recommended something to you, would you watch it?
Sure. I will tell you right now that I'm not going to watch Avatar or any of the Twilight movies, but I'll consider pretty much anything else you think I'd enjoy or would like to see the Cap'n review.
10. How much does this pay?
Nothing. I write these every day for free, both meaning free to you and free to me, which means nobody is paying me to do this. It would be nice if somebody would pay me to do this, since I hope I'm demonstrating that I can consistently write quality reviews, essays, and content, but right now that's not happening. The good news means that no one is asking me not to write something.
The bad news is that once school is over with and I have to work two (or more) jobs to make end's meat, it's going to be much harder to keep writing every day. Believe me, I treat this like it is a job, but I don't make any money from it. Studios don't even send me movies, which I guess most DVD sites do have as some kind of arrangement. Of course, I can't prove that thousands of people come to the Blogorium, so why would they pay me?
However, what matters to me is that you're reading it, and that you're enjoying it. If it ever turned into a paying gig, that'd be awesome, but in the meantime I'll keep going as long as I can.
and finally, a special "bonus" question:
11. I finally realized that when you say "Dinosaur Island", you mean Lost, so why do you keep calling it that? There are no, and never will be, dinosaurs on the island. What's wrong with you?
It's called Dinosaur Island because there are dinosaurs on the island. I don't really understand what it is I have to explain here. There's nothing wrong with me because I happen to know that there are dinosaurs on Dinosaur Island which is precisely why the show is called Dinosaur Island. Yeesh.
Showing posts with label Grampa J. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grampa J. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
(in)Frequently Asked Questions (part 1)
A good Monday to all Blogorium readers. I thought I'd take some time out today to address ten of the most frequent questions that come up. The Cap'n isn't above doing more Q&A's, so if I leave something out, feel free to ask for future posts of this kind.
In the interest of keeping this from going on forever, I'm going to break up the questions over two days. For today, enjoy questions 1-5.
1. I have to ask, what the hell is that picture on the top of the Blogorium?
Two hours from now, that chorus will still be in your head. I promise.
2. Do you really post every day?
Whenever possible. There have been a few circumstances, usually tied to moving or unforeseeable circumstances, where I've missed the "chronological" or calendar version of "day" and had to post a little late, but I do try to have something new up every single day. Periodically you'll see a "From the Vaults" or I'll hand things over to a Guest Blogger if I know I won't be able to make good on this self-imposed productivity.
3. Are you Grampa J?
No, I am not Grampa J. For those of you new to the site, Grampa J is a blogger who runs @Josh@Themovies, a site that really seems hell bent on parodying the Cap'n by using my real name and pilfered photo. I don't know exactly where he came from, but I do have some idea who "he" is. Since Grampa won't go away, I will periodically point you in his direction for a particularly insipid review, and I've decided to hound him until he gives up this embarrassing ruse of identity theft.
4. Why do you do "theme" posts, and why are some of them so infrequent?
I do the theme posts to keep things interesting, both for me and for you. It's true that I watch enough that I could easily do reviews every day, and there's enough news going on that I could also constantly link and react to the goings on in Hollywood, but after the first year or two, that got a little dull. So I decided to spice it up.
For new readers, I'll break them down for you:
There are two "theme" posts that will appear every week - Video Daily Doubles on Wednesday and Trailer Sundays on, well, Sunday. Video Daily Doubles are devoted to short films, random clips, or movie related ephemera I find during the week, and Trailer Sundays are devoted to introducing you to movies you may have never heard of and might not otherwise. The VDD's are a little newer, but I find it breaks the week up in an entertaining way.
As for the rest, they're broken down thusly:
Five Movies - It's exactly what it sounds like. Five movies that fit into some theme, designed to give you new titles to look into or to remind you of films that you saw and maybe forgot about.
Four Reasons - Here I'll try to take one movie or series and reconsider or revisit aspects that may not have occurred to me (or you) before. It's a much more specific post than Five Movies, and I use it to distinguish from longer Reviews.
So You Won't Have To - When the Cap'n is feeling particularly masochistic, I'll sometimes sit down and watch a movie that no one in their right mind would endure otherwise. I do so typically because I have some lingering interest in one aspect of the film or another, and the subsequent review (almost always a pan) is done so that you won't have to watch what I just finished. I'll always try to address the morbid fascination I had coming to the movie, in the hopes that it will satisfy any questions you had. Consider it an occupational hazard and a courtesy rolled into one.
From the Vault - I haven't always been here at Blogspot. For years I wrote on Livejournal and Myspace, and while both of those accounts have been abandoned, I did like some of the writing I did there, and will periodically re-post it for people who haven't been aware of the Cap'n. There's around 10 years worth of writing out there, and some of it is even good, so you can expect more every now and then.
Guest Blogger - There actually aren't that many of these. Typically I like to generate all of the content here at the Blogorium (it is, after all, my moniker attached to the top of the page), but every now and then I'll have a contest or ask somebody to be my DH for a day. It could even be you (more details tomorrow).
As to why some appear more frequently than others, I can say that Five Movies and Four Reasons take more time to put together than a review, so I do them less often. I enjoy them, but the preparation time is a little more involved. The So You Won't Have To's have been a little lax lately because, well, I haven't seen too many bad movies. If there's something particularly heinous you're interested in that's not Twilight, let me know.
5. How do you pick the movies you watch?
I have a pretty extensive collection of films here at Blogorium Central, many of which I haven't seen or have not seen in years. I also have a Netflix account and shop frequently at Edward McKay's Used Books and More, where I can find all kinds of movies I've never heard of. It's generally a combination of those three elements, interspersed with recommendations from you (the readers), films I watch in class, or screenings around town.
Questions 6-10 will appear tomorrow afternoon. Stay frosty, everybody!
In the interest of keeping this from going on forever, I'm going to break up the questions over two days. For today, enjoy questions 1-5.
1. I have to ask, what the hell is that picture on the top of the Blogorium?
The picture that greets you every time you come to Cap'n Howdy's Blogorium is Doctor Re-Animator. It's a screen grab from "Move Your Dead Bones," which is this strange techno-dance video that's an extra on Beyond Re-Animator, which is the second sequel to Re-Animator and was (as best I can tell) never released theatrically in the U.S. It is not directly tied to the film, but I find it to be both hilarious and dangerously catchy.
See for yourself:
See for yourself:
Two hours from now, that chorus will still be in your head. I promise.
2. Do you really post every day?
Whenever possible. There have been a few circumstances, usually tied to moving or unforeseeable circumstances, where I've missed the "chronological" or calendar version of "day" and had to post a little late, but I do try to have something new up every single day. Periodically you'll see a "From the Vaults" or I'll hand things over to a Guest Blogger if I know I won't be able to make good on this self-imposed productivity.
3. Are you Grampa J?
No, I am not Grampa J. For those of you new to the site, Grampa J is a blogger who runs @Josh@Themovies, a site that really seems hell bent on parodying the Cap'n by using my real name and pilfered photo. I don't know exactly where he came from, but I do have some idea who "he" is. Since Grampa won't go away, I will periodically point you in his direction for a particularly insipid review, and I've decided to hound him until he gives up this embarrassing ruse of identity theft.
4. Why do you do "theme" posts, and why are some of them so infrequent?
I do the theme posts to keep things interesting, both for me and for you. It's true that I watch enough that I could easily do reviews every day, and there's enough news going on that I could also constantly link and react to the goings on in Hollywood, but after the first year or two, that got a little dull. So I decided to spice it up.
For new readers, I'll break them down for you:
There are two "theme" posts that will appear every week - Video Daily Doubles on Wednesday and Trailer Sundays on, well, Sunday. Video Daily Doubles are devoted to short films, random clips, or movie related ephemera I find during the week, and Trailer Sundays are devoted to introducing you to movies you may have never heard of and might not otherwise. The VDD's are a little newer, but I find it breaks the week up in an entertaining way.
As for the rest, they're broken down thusly:
Five Movies - It's exactly what it sounds like. Five movies that fit into some theme, designed to give you new titles to look into or to remind you of films that you saw and maybe forgot about.
Four Reasons - Here I'll try to take one movie or series and reconsider or revisit aspects that may not have occurred to me (or you) before. It's a much more specific post than Five Movies, and I use it to distinguish from longer Reviews.
So You Won't Have To - When the Cap'n is feeling particularly masochistic, I'll sometimes sit down and watch a movie that no one in their right mind would endure otherwise. I do so typically because I have some lingering interest in one aspect of the film or another, and the subsequent review (almost always a pan) is done so that you won't have to watch what I just finished. I'll always try to address the morbid fascination I had coming to the movie, in the hopes that it will satisfy any questions you had. Consider it an occupational hazard and a courtesy rolled into one.
From the Vault - I haven't always been here at Blogspot. For years I wrote on Livejournal and Myspace, and while both of those accounts have been abandoned, I did like some of the writing I did there, and will periodically re-post it for people who haven't been aware of the Cap'n. There's around 10 years worth of writing out there, and some of it is even good, so you can expect more every now and then.
Guest Blogger - There actually aren't that many of these. Typically I like to generate all of the content here at the Blogorium (it is, after all, my moniker attached to the top of the page), but every now and then I'll have a contest or ask somebody to be my DH for a day. It could even be you (more details tomorrow).
As to why some appear more frequently than others, I can say that Five Movies and Four Reasons take more time to put together than a review, so I do them less often. I enjoy them, but the preparation time is a little more involved. The So You Won't Have To's have been a little lax lately because, well, I haven't seen too many bad movies. If there's something particularly heinous you're interested in that's not Twilight, let me know.
5. How do you pick the movies you watch?
I have a pretty extensive collection of films here at Blogorium Central, many of which I haven't seen or have not seen in years. I also have a Netflix account and shop frequently at Edward McKay's Used Books and More, where I can find all kinds of movies I've never heard of. It's generally a combination of those three elements, interspersed with recommendations from you (the readers), films I watch in class, or screenings around town.
Questions 6-10 will appear tomorrow afternoon. Stay frosty, everybody!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Review Break (and some house-cleaning stuff)
Greetings readers. As you've no doubt noticed, there have been a steady stream of Blogorium Reviews over the last few days. There will be more to come, for two reasons:
1) I had the chance to watch several movies in a relatively short period of time and I'm trying to review all of them for you.
2) Because the electricity at Blogorium HQ remains shaky at best, I wrote many of them last week, including a handful of others you've yet to see. In the coming days, you can expect proper reviews for The Man Who Wasn't There, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Shutter Island, and possibly The Road.
I did also see Sherlock Holmes for the second time on Thursday, but as I've written about it twice previously (see here and here - no wait, here), and intend to give the Blu-Ray a proper write up when it arrives via Netflix, I will say that the film certainly holds up. I could pretend that I paid more careful attention to the clues (and I kinda did), but the character work from Downey and Law really do carry the film.
For those wondering if the Cap'n has yet or not: I have not seen Hot Tub Time Machine, nor do I know when I will. Issues at HQ are at times all-encompassing, and I frequently find myself staying home in order to explain something again to the newest repairman. If nothing else, the recent investment in an Uninterrupted Power Supply should prevent the computer from being fried permanently, which is of some relief to the Cap'n.
Onward and upwards, or what you can expect for the rest of the week: As I've settled on Wednesday for Video Daily Doubles, I think you shall be entertained with tomorrow's selections. Thursday brings a review that I daresay will surprise many of you, considering a position I have long upheld but may have recently caved to. Friday will either bring you Fantastic Mr. Fox or Shutter Island, with The Road or The Man Who Wasn't There on Saturday, followed by our usual Trailer Sunday hijinks.
In the meantime, as I have power and desperately need to catch up on some German homework, I must take leave of you good readers. Enjoy your evenings and the reviews to come, as I feel they should reflect what the Blogorium is about, rather than the ramblings of late.
1) I had the chance to watch several movies in a relatively short period of time and I'm trying to review all of them for you.
2) Because the electricity at Blogorium HQ remains shaky at best, I wrote many of them last week, including a handful of others you've yet to see. In the coming days, you can expect proper reviews for The Man Who Wasn't There, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Shutter Island, and possibly The Road.
I did also see Sherlock Holmes for the second time on Thursday, but as I've written about it twice previously (see here and here - no wait, here), and intend to give the Blu-Ray a proper write up when it arrives via Netflix, I will say that the film certainly holds up. I could pretend that I paid more careful attention to the clues (and I kinda did), but the character work from Downey and Law really do carry the film.
For those wondering if the Cap'n has yet or not: I have not seen Hot Tub Time Machine, nor do I know when I will. Issues at HQ are at times all-encompassing, and I frequently find myself staying home in order to explain something again to the newest repairman. If nothing else, the recent investment in an Uninterrupted Power Supply should prevent the computer from being fried permanently, which is of some relief to the Cap'n.
Onward and upwards, or what you can expect for the rest of the week: As I've settled on Wednesday for Video Daily Doubles, I think you shall be entertained with tomorrow's selections. Thursday brings a review that I daresay will surprise many of you, considering a position I have long upheld but may have recently caved to. Friday will either bring you Fantastic Mr. Fox or Shutter Island, with The Road or The Man Who Wasn't There on Saturday, followed by our usual Trailer Sunday hijinks.
In the meantime, as I have power and desperately need to catch up on some German homework, I must take leave of you good readers. Enjoy your evenings and the reviews to come, as I feel they should reflect what the Blogorium is about, rather than the ramblings of late.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Oh, for crying out loud!
Augh! I thought I'd do a little post-Oscar commentary, or maybe give you a quick review of It's Complicated (very quick review: it reminded me a little bit of Up in the Air, but with an audience friendly ending. There are some clever bits, some well thought out plot turns, and a lot of "rom-com" contrivances that keep it from being better than the average bear), I was even thinking of taking a couple of hours away from the PC in order to watch one of the many movies I haven't gotten around to.
But I can't. Oh no, because my mortal enemy - Grampa J - that impostor with the leastest, has waddled his way out of limbo in order to smear digital crap all over his face and dance like a monkey. I really thought that after his totally inane "@ 2009" recap, the Cap'n really hoped that this absurd charade was over and done with. But no, after the first trimester of 2010, the bane of my existence, the name-stealing, review demeaning, joke of "film scholarship" is back with reviews of Gooby and JCVD.
Some pearls of wisdom for those of you smart enough not to give this schmendrick more "hits":
---
Hey, Grampa Genius, how about you do me a real favor and find out what that science fiction movie I was talking about last night was? It has a scary robot that will give you something to fill your adult Depends with, and weird bat-looking things and space zombies. I double dog dare you to find out what it is and review it. I know that Sherlock Holmes was "too scary" for you, but try to grow a pair if you're going to keep antagonizing the Cap'n, huh?
And now I'm in a mood again. Thanks, Grampa J. Thanks a truckload...
But I can't. Oh no, because my mortal enemy - Grampa J - that impostor with the leastest, has waddled his way out of limbo in order to smear digital crap all over his face and dance like a monkey. I really thought that after his totally inane "@ 2009" recap, the Cap'n really hoped that this absurd charade was over and done with. But no, after the first trimester of 2010, the bane of my existence, the name-stealing, review demeaning, joke of "film scholarship" is back with reviews of Gooby and JCVD.
Some pearls of wisdom for those of you smart enough not to give this schmendrick more "hits":
"There are many great lines and screwball scenes in this movie. Gooby takes Willie to a costume party at a movie theatre and when a bully dressed like a hotdog tries to beat willie up, gooby scares him so bad that he pees himself and says "Willie, the hotdog just peed!". One of the more touching lines is when gooby tells Willie:"I liked being your dad!"'
"In the past few years, however, I haven't been paying much attention to Van Damme because I tend not to pay much attention to movies that are released directly to video. For those of you who don't know, the reason movies get released only on video is because they are either A) not very good to begin with B) have too much sex for main stream movies or C) are really artsy-fartsy and don't have a chance to make any money."
---
Hey, Grampa Genius, how about you do me a real favor and find out what that science fiction movie I was talking about last night was? It has a scary robot that will give you something to fill your adult Depends with, and weird bat-looking things and space zombies. I double dog dare you to find out what it is and review it. I know that Sherlock Holmes was "too scary" for you, but try to grow a pair if you're going to keep antagonizing the Cap'n, huh?
And now I'm in a mood again. Thanks, Grampa J. Thanks a truckload...
Monday, January 11, 2010
I Was Not Paid to Endorse Any of This Crap
Greetings and salutations! I'd like to kick off tonight's extravaganza of randomness with a response to our commenter and long time reader, El Cranpiro. He has generously offered to review Halloween 2 So I Won't Have To, even though I must admit that for all my misgivings about Rob Zombie's first go at Halloween, I do kinda want to see the sequel.
Alas, Mr. Cranpire, I have no other copies of Blood Car to give, and I'm not sure what kind of compensation I could provide for your review. However, if you want to give all the other decent readers a head's up on H2, I will happily post it under "Guest Blogger".
---
Tomorrow is a pretty spectacular day for DVD and Blu-Ray releases, even if you aren't a Halloween fan. For example, my oft-mentioned favorite Moon is coming out, along with Big Fan, The Hurt Locker, House on Sorority Row, The Brothers Bloom, and Criterion's Blu-Ray version of 8 1/2. Also, if it's your thing, The Simpsons are making a big jump forward and releasing season 20 on Blu Ray and digital versatility disc. Season 20 was the first broadcast in High Definition and in widescreen, and I've seen a handful of episodes from 20 and 21. They're better than the show's been in a while, but I'm still going to lean in the "rent" category.
In the coming weeks, you can also look forward to Steven Soderbergh's Che, Kingdom of the Spiders (with William Shatner), season five of Weeds, Magnolia on Blu-Ray, Paris Texas, The Toolbox Murders, The Complete Doctor Who 2009 Specials, and Zombieland.
---
Also, I have to bring this up, because the Cap'n has been bemoaning the absence of this film in any digital medium: on March 23rd, 2010, The African Queen is finally coming to Blu-Ray!
If you've never seen The African Queen, you're in for a treat, gang. Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn in a John Huston film from 1951. Since Paramount is so big on "anniversary" editions, I'm a little surprised they didn't wait for a proper 60th anniversary edition, but then again, having something other than my beaten up vhs copy is good enough!
---
Um, speaking of "So You Won't Have To"'s, the Cap'n wasn't paying careful attention to his Netflix queue, and *ahem* Terminator: Salvation arrived on Saturday. I'm sorely tempted to send it back sight unseen, but I have this hangup about watching what they send me, so I might swallow this crap sandwich as penance for not being more aware. Don't worry, I won't make you sit through another review if I watch T:S. Yuck.
On the upside, Monsters vs Aliens also arrived, and The Hurt Locker is arriving tomorrow. I'm not going to lie: many of the other new releases are worthy of purchase in my eyes, with full acknowledgment that I just said I prefer not to buy sight unseen. Patton Oswalt is one general exception, and I have vague memories of House on Sorority Row from Carbonated video. Halloween 2... haven't made up my mind there. It's probably a renter, but I'll let you know. Either way, look for a bunch of reviews before I head into the spring semester.
As always, Guest Blogging is welcome here at the Blogorium. If you've got something you want to review not represented by the Cap'n, write it up. Unless you're Grampa J. You can't prove that was even me in those pictures...
Alas, Mr. Cranpire, I have no other copies of Blood Car to give, and I'm not sure what kind of compensation I could provide for your review. However, if you want to give all the other decent readers a head's up on H2, I will happily post it under "Guest Blogger".
---
Tomorrow is a pretty spectacular day for DVD and Blu-Ray releases, even if you aren't a Halloween fan. For example, my oft-mentioned favorite Moon is coming out, along with Big Fan, The Hurt Locker, House on Sorority Row, The Brothers Bloom, and Criterion's Blu-Ray version of 8 1/2. Also, if it's your thing, The Simpsons are making a big jump forward and releasing season 20 on Blu Ray and digital versatility disc. Season 20 was the first broadcast in High Definition and in widescreen, and I've seen a handful of episodes from 20 and 21. They're better than the show's been in a while, but I'm still going to lean in the "rent" category.
In the coming weeks, you can also look forward to Steven Soderbergh's Che, Kingdom of the Spiders (with William Shatner), season five of Weeds, Magnolia on Blu-Ray, Paris Texas, The Toolbox Murders, The Complete Doctor Who 2009 Specials, and Zombieland.
---
Also, I have to bring this up, because the Cap'n has been bemoaning the absence of this film in any digital medium: on March 23rd, 2010, The African Queen is finally coming to Blu-Ray!
If you've never seen The African Queen, you're in for a treat, gang. Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn in a John Huston film from 1951. Since Paramount is so big on "anniversary" editions, I'm a little surprised they didn't wait for a proper 60th anniversary edition, but then again, having something other than my beaten up vhs copy is good enough!
---
Um, speaking of "So You Won't Have To"'s, the Cap'n wasn't paying careful attention to his Netflix queue, and *ahem* Terminator: Salvation arrived on Saturday. I'm sorely tempted to send it back sight unseen, but I have this hangup about watching what they send me, so I might swallow this crap sandwich as penance for not being more aware. Don't worry, I won't make you sit through another review if I watch T:S. Yuck.
On the upside, Monsters vs Aliens also arrived, and The Hurt Locker is arriving tomorrow. I'm not going to lie: many of the other new releases are worthy of purchase in my eyes, with full acknowledgment that I just said I prefer not to buy sight unseen. Patton Oswalt is one general exception, and I have vague memories of House on Sorority Row from Carbonated video. Halloween 2... haven't made up my mind there. It's probably a renter, but I'll let you know. Either way, look for a bunch of reviews before I head into the spring semester.
As always, Guest Blogging is welcome here at the Blogorium. If you've got something you want to review not represented by the Cap'n, write it up. Unless you're Grampa J. You can't prove that was even me in those pictures...
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
I Always Forget One...
Without fail, every time the Cap'n does a Year End Recap, I forget one movie that subsequently sticks out like a sore thumb. It was nearly Whatever Works, but I managed to sneak it in at the last second while working on the "Favorites". Astute readers have pointed out to me that I did completely forget about Taken, which was something we watched in lieu of a Doctor Who party earlier this year. I could use my "get out of jail free" card and point out that the rest of the world had Taken in 2008 (which prevented JCVD from making it onto the list), but since it was technically released here in January, I forgot it. Whoops.
For those curious, Taken would have fallen into the "Honorable Mentions" category. It's a breezy movie, one punctuated with some jarring violence, but not the sort of film that transcends "good action movie". It's more Lethal Weapon 2 than Leon. No offense intended.
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I'm not going to make a big deal of this, because the guy is a) an idiot, or b) some kind of comedy mastermind looking to take me down a peg, but "Grampa J" is at it again with his 2009 Best Of. I haven't laughed that hard in a while, so I recommend you scuttle on over to his blog, whoever he is, and take a gander for yourself. Any list that includes District 9, The Ugly Truth, Avatar, and Paul Blart: Mall Cop is one worth a chuckle.
Don't tell him I sent you. I don't want this dude getting any ideas.
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Coming tomorrow is a review for It Might Get Loud, the rock guitarist documentary from Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth). If you haven't heard of the film, the basic idea is to get Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page together in a room and let them play. I suppose they also talk about their influences, etc, but the word on It Might Get Loud is very good.
So I can include the "Damn You Hippies" tag on this post, I watched Gimme Shelter last night, and those hippies got what was coming to them. I can just imagine Eric Cartman watching the Altamont footage and seething with anger.
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Finally, I'll briefly touch upon the Blu Ray release of Chasing Amy. I'm not really a fan of the film, so this is mostly about the supplements, which included two things I really wanted to check out: 1) a "12 years later" discussion between Kevin Smith and Joey Lauren Adams, who were an item prior to, during, and shortly after the film came to be. The conversation is interesting, but the first half is mostly dominated by Smith recounting how the couple came to be. Adams has some interesting comments towards the end about the problems she's had in Hollywood getting past the "girlfriend" role with casting directors.
2) was the SModcast commentary that replaces the Criterion laserdisc track (which famously began with Smith pronouncing "Fuck DVD!"). The new commentary track is, in fact, just another SModcast (part of Smith and Scott Mosier's long running podcasts), except that you'd have to pay roughly $30-40 to get it (the rest are free). They claim it to be a "technical" track, which is partially true, but more often than not it's like most SModcasts: they digress, laugh wildly at silly moments, and come up with crazy ideas.
The two that stand out the most involve an earlier version of the film that theoretically could have been called "Ass is Pussy", and Smith's idea to make a Chasing Amy Take Two with the entire cast twenty years later. Rather than a follow-up, he expresses an interest in simply shooting the same script with the same cast, but in the hopes his skills as a director have improved enough to do it justice.
For the record, I didn't watch the actual movie with its actual soundtrack, so I can't really give you a revisited opinion, but it did look much better than the Criterion dvd, and considerably better than the Clerks Blu-Ray. There's also a nice 80 minute documentary about the film with all the principle cast and crew, producers, Miramax execs, and critics involved, and a 10th Anniversary Q&A where Ben Affleck cuts loose again. I can't imagine Smith fans not picking this up, so it scarcely requires the Cap'n to recommend it.
For those curious, Taken would have fallen into the "Honorable Mentions" category. It's a breezy movie, one punctuated with some jarring violence, but not the sort of film that transcends "good action movie". It's more Lethal Weapon 2 than Leon. No offense intended.
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I'm not going to make a big deal of this, because the guy is a) an idiot, or b) some kind of comedy mastermind looking to take me down a peg, but "Grampa J" is at it again with his 2009 Best Of. I haven't laughed that hard in a while, so I recommend you scuttle on over to his blog, whoever he is, and take a gander for yourself. Any list that includes District 9, The Ugly Truth, Avatar, and Paul Blart: Mall Cop is one worth a chuckle.
Don't tell him I sent you. I don't want this dude getting any ideas.
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Coming tomorrow is a review for It Might Get Loud, the rock guitarist documentary from Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth). If you haven't heard of the film, the basic idea is to get Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page together in a room and let them play. I suppose they also talk about their influences, etc, but the word on It Might Get Loud is very good.
So I can include the "Damn You Hippies" tag on this post, I watched Gimme Shelter last night, and those hippies got what was coming to them. I can just imagine Eric Cartman watching the Altamont footage and seething with anger.
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Finally, I'll briefly touch upon the Blu Ray release of Chasing Amy. I'm not really a fan of the film, so this is mostly about the supplements, which included two things I really wanted to check out: 1) a "12 years later" discussion between Kevin Smith and Joey Lauren Adams, who were an item prior to, during, and shortly after the film came to be. The conversation is interesting, but the first half is mostly dominated by Smith recounting how the couple came to be. Adams has some interesting comments towards the end about the problems she's had in Hollywood getting past the "girlfriend" role with casting directors.
2) was the SModcast commentary that replaces the Criterion laserdisc track (which famously began with Smith pronouncing "Fuck DVD!"). The new commentary track is, in fact, just another SModcast (part of Smith and Scott Mosier's long running podcasts), except that you'd have to pay roughly $30-40 to get it (the rest are free). They claim it to be a "technical" track, which is partially true, but more often than not it's like most SModcasts: they digress, laugh wildly at silly moments, and come up with crazy ideas.
The two that stand out the most involve an earlier version of the film that theoretically could have been called "Ass is Pussy", and Smith's idea to make a Chasing Amy Take Two with the entire cast twenty years later. Rather than a follow-up, he expresses an interest in simply shooting the same script with the same cast, but in the hopes his skills as a director have improved enough to do it justice.
For the record, I didn't watch the actual movie with its actual soundtrack, so I can't really give you a revisited opinion, but it did look much better than the Criterion dvd, and considerably better than the Clerks Blu-Ray. There's also a nice 80 minute documentary about the film with all the principle cast and crew, producers, Miramax execs, and critics involved, and a 10th Anniversary Q&A where Ben Affleck cuts loose again. I can't imagine Smith fans not picking this up, so it scarcely requires the Cap'n to recommend it.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Several Notes, some even worthy.
Programming Note: As I intend to actually have a "Best Of" before 2010 begins (uncommon for the Cap'n, I admit), I'm going to avoid writing full reviews of Inglourious Basterds, Up, Extract, Public Enemies, World's Greatest Dad, and anything else I might see before Friday (all hope is not lost for Up in the Air and The Road) and simply let you guess where they'll land.
I sincerely doubt they'll be numbered, because it's going to be tricky choosing which is "better" when the field includes films as diverse as Drag Me to Hell, Moon, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Thirst, Anvil: The Story of Anvil, The Hangover, Trick R Treat, Coraline, Tyson, District 9, Zombieland, and *blog spoiler* Inglourious Basterds.
(Yes, it's true: I don't understand how you could not enjoy the latter film, even if you were expecting all Basterds all the time, but we'll get to that later this week.)
And what am I to do with Crank: High Voltage? What indeed, dead readers?
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Housecleaning Note:
Okay, I'm really at a loss to who this "Grampa J" is, or what @Josh@TheMovies is all about. Clearly I've noticed the resemblance between the blogorium, and poor writing and lackluster criticism aside, this yokel is treading in my territory.
It's one thing to parody the Cap'n, but to sell yourself with a pilfered photo and no indication of who you actually are is bordering on slanderous. I wouldn't mind if he weren't such an awful writer, but take a gander as this passage from his review called @ Sherlock Holmes:
I mean, you're kidding me, right? I wrote that? Seriously? Without getting into the nitty gritty details, like the fact that "Grampa J" claims to be fairly new to movie going in general - so how could he possibly know what horror movies do and don't have explosions - or the lazy punctuation, capitalization, and spelling, didn't I already review Sherlock Holmes? Oh right, I did. On Friday. It's funny how he started by reviewing a movie I famously stated I would never see, then posts a contrary and poorly thought out counter-review to my existing Holmes write-up...
Folks, I've played my share of gags on you before, but this is not one of them. This cat is horning in on the one thing I take pride on, and while I'm quite fond of my moniker (Cap'n Howdy), surely you can tell what's my writing and what isn't. If this is one of you, please step forward and we can proceed peacefully. Otherwise, look forward to savage commenting on every single ensuing post, "Grampa J".
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On a final note, this video of Star Trek: The Next Generation is quite amusing to me. The re-dubbed soundtrack takes pains to match the lip movements of cast members, so the end result is a nearly incomprehensible conversation of non sequiturs.
I sincerely doubt they'll be numbered, because it's going to be tricky choosing which is "better" when the field includes films as diverse as Drag Me to Hell, Moon, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Thirst, Anvil: The Story of Anvil, The Hangover, Trick R Treat, Coraline, Tyson, District 9, Zombieland, and *blog spoiler* Inglourious Basterds.
(Yes, it's true: I don't understand how you could not enjoy the latter film, even if you were expecting all Basterds all the time, but we'll get to that later this week.)
And what am I to do with Crank: High Voltage? What indeed, dead readers?
---
Housecleaning Note:
Okay, I'm really at a loss to who this "Grampa J" is, or what @Josh@TheMovies is all about. Clearly I've noticed the resemblance between the blogorium, and poor writing and lackluster criticism aside, this yokel is treading in my territory.
It's one thing to parody the Cap'n, but to sell yourself with a pilfered photo and no indication of who you actually are is bordering on slanderous. I wouldn't mind if he weren't such an awful writer, but take a gander as this passage from his review called @ Sherlock Holmes:
"Anyway, after they go and save the girl at the beginning the evil guy gets hung and comes back to life! I won't spoil anything for you but I have to hand it to the director that this was a really clever Idea. Just too bad there had to be so much bad stuff along the way. There were explosions too, which was weird becuase horror movies usually don't have stuff blowing up in them."
I mean, you're kidding me, right? I wrote that? Seriously? Without getting into the nitty gritty details, like the fact that "Grampa J" claims to be fairly new to movie going in general - so how could he possibly know what horror movies do and don't have explosions - or the lazy punctuation, capitalization, and spelling, didn't I already review Sherlock Holmes? Oh right, I did. On Friday. It's funny how he started by reviewing a movie I famously stated I would never see, then posts a contrary and poorly thought out counter-review to my existing Holmes write-up...
Folks, I've played my share of gags on you before, but this is not one of them. This cat is horning in on the one thing I take pride on, and while I'm quite fond of my moniker (Cap'n Howdy), surely you can tell what's my writing and what isn't. If this is one of you, please step forward and we can proceed peacefully. Otherwise, look forward to savage commenting on every single ensuing post, "Grampa J".
---
On a final note, this video of Star Trek: The Next Generation is quite amusing to me. The re-dubbed soundtrack takes pains to match the lip movements of cast members, so the end result is a nearly incomprehensible conversation of non sequiturs.
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