Spread the Love like Mustard

To paraphrase one of the lines Joaquin Phoenix tires to deliver in Quills, the writer who writes more than he reads...um...tisk tisk. Anyway, here are some blogs that have really inspired me to keep writing and more importantly to watch more movies. They're in no particular order and they're all worth reading on a constant basis. I read them all the time and I know you all value my reading choices. Most importantly, remember, reading is hard so be careful what you read for.

1. Dear Jesus

Dear Jesus started early last year as a forum for discussion revolving around religion, Christianity, and even superorganisms. As time has passed, the focus of the blog is mostly film. Whitney and Brian, the two writers, post frequently and they're really funny. I heard through the grapevine that the next post will be a countdown of the Top 5 Birthing Scenes in film. Gross! Remember that SNL sketch where the woman births a full-grown Will Ferrell, I wonder if that'll make the list? Remember...he was all slimy and gross. I miss the days where Ferrell didn't hop from sports movie to sports movie. OFF TOPIC! Read
Dear Jesus and then pray for forgiveness.

2. Natsukashi

Nostalgia through film. What's cooler than that? I knew I was going to love this blog even before I read a single post. Here's the premise. The writers reflect on their past memories of a film from various yesterdays. They record what they remember about the film, what they think they liked and disliked about it. Then comes a second viewing. It's really cool to see how memory changes our perceptions of the movies we watch. So, if the premise didn't convince you, check out the movies they've rewatched: X-tro, Streets of Fire (one of my favorites!), Legend, Excalibur, Jaws, Monster in the Closet, and the animated fantasy film Fire and Ice! I didn't mention that they also have recorded Podcasts in addition to some excellent write-ups of their findings. Nostalgia through film. 'Nuff said. Rob has been a great supporter of He Shot Cyrus and I think most people who like this blog will like his as well.

3. What I Watched Last Night

The title says it all. This blog is the new source for finding great movies that you've never heard of and figuring out if the ones you have heard of are worth their slots in your Netflix queue. The top of my queue now reads The Murder Party due to a recommendation from Ross, the blog's author. Maybe I'll write up a post after I get done watching it. The cool think about WIWLN is that Ross watches all sort of movies. It's not just new movies, it's not just Cold War propaganda shorts, he's written about everything from Dumbo to The Parallax View. Go find out what he watched last night.

4. Final Girl

Whitney at Dear Jesus turned me on to Final Girl a few weeks ago. I've been reading ever since. Covering mostly horror movies, Stacie, the "Final Girl," is one of the funniest writers I've come across so far. One of the best features of Final Girl is the gigantic archive she's got dating back to 2005. She's one of the most frequent posters as well. I'm still working on going back and reading her older stuff but every time I finish one post, another one gets written.

5. Strange Culture

A wealth of information. RC over at SC always has something that I want to read. Whether it's coverage of the new Oliver Stone G.W.B. movie or Jamie Foxx's new Oscar-hopeful performance as a homeless cellist, I learn more about upcoming releases from Strange Culture than I do from any other site. A must have for every cinephile's bookmark list.

Bonus: Filmspotting

These guys are the cream of the cinematic crop. I've been listening to Filmspotting fo years now. Back when they were known as "Cinecast." Adam and Sam (Sam recently left the program and was replaced by Matty Ballgame) created a Podcast back in 2005 and have expanded their tiny show into a global phenomenon. They're famous for their Top 5 Lists (This week: "Top 5 Characters Who Need a Comeback") and their Massacre Theater in which they reenact a scene and have listeners guess what movie it was from. They've read a few of my Top 5 Lists in the past and they really put a lot of attention on what their listeners have to say. In short, Filmspotting are a couple of intelligent guys speaking intelligently about film. Go download a few episodes, you won't regret it.