31 Horror Movies in 31 Days

Keith from The Kinetoscope Parlor put out a challenge. Watch one horror movie a day each day in October. Well, I did it! Here's a rundown and some quick reviews of the movies I watched this month. Then I'll rank them at the end. If you participated in a Month of Terror challenge, leave your lists here. And if you just watched some really great horror movies lately, tell us what they were.

Night One: The Virgin Spring

This might seem like an odd film to start things off but Ingmar Bergman's 14th century Swedish fable tale (that sounds awful) inspired a slew of rape revenge movies like Last House on the Left and I Spit on Your Grave. The film is beautifully shot and the performances are outstanding. The closing scene is more than memorable.

Night Two: Poltergeist

Night Three: A Nightmare on Elm Street III: Dream Warriors

Dream Warriors is my favorite Elm Street movie. Admit it, the puppeteer scene made you well "Ohhh shit..." when you first saw it. Patricia Arquette may not be great but for what she lacks the Dokken soundtrack more than makes up for. "We're the dream warriors, don't want to dream no more! We're the dream warriors, and maybe tonight...maybe tonight you'll be gone!" Oh yeah, that's nice.

Night Four: The Innocents

Night Five: Poltergeist II
Night Six: Poltergeist III
Night Seven: Pulse
Night Eight: John Carpenter's Vampires

Night Nine: Cube

A group of strangers wake up in a giant Rubik's Cube of death. The death scenes are entertaining, the acting is surprisingly impressive for such a low budget film, and the cinematography creates a sense of claustrophobia that connects the viewer with the characters. Don't miss Cube. Don't even wait until next October to rent it. You are going to like Cube.

Night Ten: Dead Zone

Night Eleven: Frankenhooker

You can read my Frankenhooker review here. Go read it or at least check out the screencaps. Want the plot? Here's the plot. A science nerd accidently chops up his girlfriend and the proceeds to invent Super Crack in order blow up a bunch of hookers which he'll stitch together to reanimate his lost love. A Fugees reunion wouldn't make me as happy as Frankenhooker did.

Night Twelve: The Lost Boys
Night Thirteen: Silent Night, Deadly Night
Night Fourteen: The Exorcist
Night Fifteen: The Howling

Night Sixteen: Someone's Watching Me

You can read my Someone's Watching Me review here. It was a part of my Never Heard of It series. Directed by John Carpenter, this made-for-TV psychological thriller was made right after Halloween was released. Some might call it an homage of Rear Window, others might not have such kind words.

Night Seventeen: Sleepy Hollow
Night Eighteen: In the Mouth of Madness
Night Nineteen: The Amityville Horror

Night Twenty: Deliver Us from Evil

A documentary on Catholic priests and the children they loved. This one might have been the scariest movie I watched. Maybe the scariest movie I've ever watched. Ever. Organized religion is much scarier than Jason, Michael, and Freddy combined.

Night Twenty One: Twilight Zone: The Movie
Night Twenty Two: Carrie

Night Twenty Three: Dead and Buried

Whooo-eeee this was a great movie. Whitney rented this one and I wasn't excited by the title or the Netflix sleeve description. Then the movie started and whooo-eeee. This one's got everything: zombies, nudity, and Evil Grandpa Joe!

Night Twenty Four: Nightmare on Elm Street

Night Twenty Five: Gut Pile

You can read my review of Gut Pile here. Don't bother reading it, I'll fill you in. Gut Pile blows. It's shot on a camcorder, features a POV Monster, and seems hella long even though it's less than an hour long.

Night Twenty Six: Shaun of the Dead
Night Twenty Seven: The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Night Twenty Eight: Creepshow
Night Twenty Nine: Martin
Night Thirty: The Twilight Zone

Night Thirty One: Halloween

Had to end the month with Halloween. It's got the best villian, the best music, and the best use of Donald Pleasence. Anytime someone asks me what my favorite horror movie is, Halloween is always my answer.

Here's how'd I rank how much I enjoyed these movies:
Halloween
Frankenhooker
Shaun of the Dead
Cube
The Lost Boys
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Deliver Us from Evil
Nightmare on Elm Street III: Dream Warriors
Nightmare on Elm Street
Twilight Zone: The Movie
The Virgin Spring
Dead and Buried
The Exorcist
John Carpenter's Vampires
Poltergeist III
Dead Zone
Poltergeist
Silent Night, Deadly Night
Someone's Watching Me
Creepshow
Sleepy Hollow
The Twilight Zone (A Few Episodes)
Carrie
The Amityville Horror
Martin
In the Mouth of Madness
Poltergeist II
The Innocents
The Howling
Pulse
Gut Pile

It was a hell of a month. Some nights felt like a chore, especially when the movies were bad, but now that it's done, I'm glad I did it. I keep trying to convince Whitney to watch 28 romantic comedies in February but somehow, I don't think she's going to go for it.

Halloween

What's everyone dressing up as for Halloween?

You Knows the Rules...and So Does He

Found this at Slash Film. Those guys are amazing.

Never Heard of It: Gut Pile

Gut Pile.
Gut "Fuck Your Horror Movie's Title" Pile.

Unfortunately, Netflix won't let me take screen caps off their Watch Instantly player. That's why you get too look at my kick ass drawings. The resemblance is scary. In case you aren't paying attention, this week's Never Heard of It movie is Gut Pile! I'm very excited. Here we go:


iMovie title sequences just don't look professional. If you can tell a lot about a person by his shoes, shouldn't you be able to tell a lot about a movie by its titles? Gut Pile's opening is an old pair of white homeless guy New Balances.

LIVE FEED COMMENT: (0:02:04) This thing was shot on a camcorder! A fucking camcorder!

I'm half expecting some old geezer to yell "It's alright. It's okay! There's something to live for. Jesus told me so..." I'm going to find both copies of this movie and snap them in half.

Want the plot? Here's the plot: Hunter shoots a deer. Turns out not to be a deer. Turns out to be a guy. He buries the guy. Dead guy comes back from the dead and comes for revenge. Guess what? I'm just guessing about the zombie part but I'd bet my life that this guy's coming back to life.

Here's a screenshot from Gut Pile:

LIVE FEED COMMENT: (0:05:17) Oh, what a lovely 360 shot. Wal-Mart sells some really nice tripods these days.

The sound levels are absolutely terrible. I'm talking close-ups are louder terrible. There's just something about bad sound work that drives me crazy. If I could hear the dialogue, I'm sure it would be just as bad as the acting, which is just as good as the plot, the lighting, and the shooting "Poe-ver-eddie" records with shotguns scene. Guess he doesn't like opera.

LIVE FEED COMMENT: (0:15:04) Nothing like black-and-white flashbacks that replay the entire opening scene. Nope. Nothin' like it.

Hours into a night full of poker and talk of titties, a POV Monster shows up.
For those of you unfamiliar with POV Monsters, a POV Monster is a monster that you don't get to see. You see through its eyes (a.k.a. through the camcorder lens) as it runs around actin' all suspicious.

While one of the hunter's buddies takes a dump, the POV Monster lights the outhouse on fire. Flaming shit. That's how I'd sum up Gut Pile. Shit that's on fire.

Here's a screencap:

The third act sucks less than the first two. The movie's less than an hour long but the last ten are almost worth watching. The POV Monster finally shows his face. He's a scarecrow. Sorry I ruined it. One of the buddies gets his stomach ripped open (off screen) but the on screen results are the film's best moment.

(0:43:02) Ah, there's the gut pile. He just stepped in a pile of guts.

Danny DeVito Ranking:

Preparation for Best of 2008

Question: How do you all prepare for making your Best of the Year lists?

I'm currently playing a bit of catch-up.

Here's what's coming in the next couple weeks from Netflix:
The Counterfitters
Taxi to the Dark Side
Standard Operating Procedure
YPF (Young People Fucking)
Paranoid Park
Boy A
The Fist Foot Way
Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Funny Games
Rambo
Cassandra's Dream
How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer
Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?
Snow Angels

Did I miss any? I know some of them were officially made in 2007 but I'm counting them if they didn't recieve U.S. theatrical releases until 2008. Control didn't make the deadline, sadly. It's still on my queue but now I probably won't get to it or quite a while.

Happy Halloween

Michael Myers Is Way Cooler in 'Halloween's' Deleted Scenes -- powered by Cracked.com

Mistaken Movie Poster Actors

Ever see a movie poster and think you're looking at one actor but it turns out to be someone else. Happens to me every once in a while too. Here's a few of my best movie poster mix-ups.

A Quick Question...

Halloween is in ONE WEEK.

Where the hell are all the horror movies?

How are our only horror movie options Saw V, Quarantine, and some piece of trash called The Haunting of Molly Hartley? What's that about? This is some lame sauce.

Seriously F***ed Up Video

Really people, this video is crazy.
It's 100% real.
If you want some more details, just ask.
I don't want to compare people with disabilities with monsters
but in this case...



Happy Halloween

Never Heard of It: Someone's Watching Me

I consider myself to be a huge John Carpenter fan. Assault on Precinct 13 was the first film I reviewed on He Shot Cyrus. I own a number of his films including Pro-Life, his installment in the Masters of Horror series. And while I claim to be a so-called "fan," there was not only a Carpenter film I had never seen before, but had never heard of either. The film is called Someone's Watching Me. It was brought to my attention by Whitney at Dear Jesus. How did I miss this one? It must be terrible. All I know about Someone's Watching Me is the title and the director. Here we go with week two of Never Heard of It.

The film opens with shots of various pieces of surveillance equipment. Tape recorders, telescopes, and a mystery man talking on the phone. He makes a creep call to a woman named Elizabeth. There's just something about the words "Sweet Dreams" that creeps me out. Always has.

Live Feed Comment: (0:1:26) "I hope this is a rip-off of The Conversation. Also, do I own Enemy of the State?"

Interesting title sequences have a way of sticking with me. Someone's Watching Me's opening is incredible. A bright red screen gets covered in thin white lines creating a grid-like look. The music plays as three bold white letter sweep toward the camera: SOMEONE'S WATCHING ME. The red eventually fades away into a tall building, the red is replaced by concrete walls and the white squares are replaced by windows. If someone knows how rip videos, this one should end up on YouTube for me.


LIVE FEED COMMENT: (0:02:12) "Who's Lauren Hutton? Sounds familiar..."

Fresh in from New York City, Leigh, needs an apartment in the new city. Apparently she needs a job too. Her first interview at a local TV station goes well and the interesting blonde who talks to herself too much gets hired. She meets Sophie, a crackshot lesbian television director, who will probably be my favorite character in this movie. After Sophie warns Leigh about the skeezy guys who work at the station, it's back to the apartment where we can all assumme the real trouble will start.

LIVE FEED COMMENT: (0:14:29) "Who played the mom on E.T.? I don't think it was this woman. 'Dee' something. Damn. That gonna bug me."

LIVE FEED COMMENT: (0:14:44) "Dee Williams! She was in Poltergeist too. So who the hell is Lauren Hutton? Looks familiar."

LIVE FEED COMMENT: (0:15:45) "Woah! Something creepy just happened. I don't want to spoil it for you. If Danny DeVito's smiling by the end of this movie, check it out and keep your eyes open around the fifteen minute mark!"

So like the title implies, Someone's Watching Me is a stalker movie. The "Me" is "Leigh," the "Someone" is undetermined, and the "Watching" is done through telescopes. Leigh's stalker has planted hi-tech bugging devices around her apartment and when the creepy phones calls start, the audience is left guessing a little less than the protagonist. Some people hate when the viewer knows more than the main character. I usually don't mind if it's handled correctly. Someone's Watching Me does a so-so job. Thanks to these bugs that we're aware of, there are a lot of how could he know that scenes were Leigh and her friends try to figure out just what's happening to them.

One pitfall that Someone's Watching Me manages to avoid is the I Met a New Man, I Think I Like Him but in Twenty Minutes I'll Suspect HIM of Being the Stalker cliche. Leigh meets Paul and they hit it off. I was hoping Leigh and Sophie would hit it off but maybe that's too much to ask for. Come on, Mr. Carpenter, you shot a little girl through her vanilla cone, you can have two women fall in love.

LIVE FEED COMMENT: (0:27:50) "I bet John Carpenter's against Prop 8. Good for him."

The second act moves a bit slowly. That being said, the film is a pretty decent thriller. It avoids the temptation of melodrama and shows the stalker's ability to slowly wear this strong woman's will down. When a telescope shows up at Laurie's apartment, along with written instructions from the Peeping Tom, it's clear the stakes have risen. When an orange polka dot bikini shows up, Tom's intentions seem pretty clear.

The second act ends on a suprisingly high note. When the police pull their He Hasn't Done Anything Wrong routine, Leigh takes matters into her own hands. She's got a suspect and she's gonna track him down. Down in the laundry room, Leigh does some stalkling of her own. In a pulse-raising scene, Leigh hides underneath a metal grate as her stalker stand on top, smoking. He drops his cigarette down and leaves before giving Leigh a good look at his face. Apparently, these were the days before DNA testing. I would have taken that cigarette straight to the closest DNA lab and ran some tests. Then I would have listened to The Who.

LIVE FEED COMMENT: (0:55:45) "If someone is watching you through your windows, describing the clothes you're wearing, asking you to take them off, etc. then what possesses you to have sex with all the blinds open?"

LIVE FEED COMMENT: (1:05:31) "Hey, they're arresting Uncle Leo from "Seinfeld." The one with the pen that writes upside down. The astronaut pen. It's only an hour into the movie. I bet he's not the guy."

The third act is REAR WINDOW. Woman runs across to the next building over. Friend watches her progress from her apartment through a telescope. Tension builds. Someone gets attacked. The only things missing are flash bulbs and the oddly humorous sound of Jimmy Stuart yelling.

The film has quite a few strengths. Leigh is a very interesting character (who likes to talk to herself all the time). Sophie and David are well-rounded supporting characters who don't ever lose faith in their friend's story. If there's something more annoying than knowing more than the main character, it's watching all the supporting characters treat the protagonist like they're crazy. That never happens in this movie. Leigh is strong on her own but accepts the offered help from her buddies and lovers.

A final showdown between Leigh and her heavy-breathing Crank Yanker was a must. This is one creepy scene. She enters her apartment to find that the guy's already been there. The numbers in her phone have been removed. The electricity box has been messed with. The locks are broken. She moves through the darkness and just when you think the guy's not in there, he jumps on her. Not going to give away the ending, but it did put a smile on my face. It might be someone you expected. It might come out of left field. You'll have to rent it (or e-mail me) to find out.

I don't know how I could have missed this movie. The film has a very different feel compared to the other Carpenter films I've watched. It's possible that someone else wrote the screenplay (I meant to watch for the writer's name during the opening titles) and Carpenter filmed it. Either way, it's a pretty decent thriller with a few standout scenes and moments. I know it wasn't released before Precinct because the only feature he made before that was the offbeat sci-fi comedy Dark Star. Now, if you've never seen Dark Star, check it out. It got a DVD release and it's definitely worth ninety minutes. Can I say that about Someone's Watching Me? I'll let Danny DeVito decide. If you've forgotten what the Glad I Watched It rating system looks like, click this link.

Glad I Watched It Rating:

The Exorcist...only with bunnies.

If you've never seen it then it's new to you!

Top Five Favorite Horror Films

5. Dead Alive

4. The Descent

3. Night of the Living Dead
2. People Under the Stairs

1. Halloween

Easy question:
what's your Top 5 favorite horror movies?

In Bruges

Yesterday, on the recommendation of my friend Jonny, I watched In Bruges. It had made my first Top 7 I Want to See list but for one reason or another, I hadn't seen it. So much has been written about Martin McDonagh's first feature-length film and potential comeback film for Colin Ferrell that I'm inclined to just step back and agree with everyone. The movie's great. It's funny, moving, beautifully shot, filled with twists and turns, and just might find a slot on my Top 10 of the Year list. It's that great.

I remember watching a documentary that explored how Steve McQueen became the superstar that he was. Performing amongst some of the best ensamble casts ever grouped together (The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape), McQueen was constantly active, even in the shots where he was in the background. He'd be playing with his hat or moving his arms in a certain way that would subtlely distract the audience from the other actors in the shot and bring the attention to himself. While Ferrell doesn't have an ensamble to compete against, it would seem that he has some work to do to convince people he's still an actor worth paying for.

One of the things I noticed most about In Bruges (which is in Belgium, by the way) was Colin Ferrell's face. Whether it's shot from far away or in a close-up, Ferrell's face is so expressive. It's noticeable but not distracting. I would argue that his role as Ray is the most emotionally developed character of Farrell's career. Don't get it twisted, I sorta understood the motivation behind Bullseye. He liked darts, right? His expressions in In Bruges really help flesh out his character. They may seem silly in stills but in the right context, they work.

Alright, even in the right context, some of them are still pretty silly. All in all, In Bruges is worth watching. You're doing yourself a diservice by skipping on it because you didn't love S.W.A.T. or because you thought Alexander sucked. Thanks to everyone who recommended it to me.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I Give You...

My favorite post ever written, by anyone, ever.
Jason Bellamy's Diane Lane Naked at The Cooler.
It's more tasteful than it sound.




Also, Jason is hosting the Politics & Movies Blog-a-thon.
It goes from November 4th to November 9th.
Everyone should participate.
Until, go read Diane Lane Naked.

Frankenhooker

This wasn't the Al Franken sex tape I was promised.
That being said, Mary Shelly must be proud.

The year was 1990. Brain Damage and The Basket Case series were gaining notoriety on the home video market. Cult film director Frank Henenlotter teamed up with the original editor of Fangoria and penned a script involving a psychotic pre-med student with a love for puzzles.

When the robotic lawnmower Jeffery designed for his father's birthday accidentally slices and dices his fiance Elizabeth (played by Penthouse Pet Patty Mullen), the mission is clear. Keep her head on ice until the next lightning storm. Then, take all the various body parts you've hacked off of the hookers you've hired and stitch them together (remember that love for puzzles we just talked about?) and !KABLAMO! your loving wife-to-be is back and life can continue like normal.

A born romantic, Jeffrey still takes the time to make Elizabeth feel special. It's really nice that he could love her even with those Christmas ham-sized feet. Those really shouldn't be on the dinner table. When he's not pouring wine down the throatless head's mouth, he's in the garage trying to figure out how to play God. If you're wondering how someone whose never attended any courses on Hooker Reanimation could possibly comprehend all those complex equations and variables, don't worry, our mad scientist solves all these problems by shoving a power drill into his brain and mixing stuff up a bit until the world makes sense.

Now to find the hookers!

[From Left to Right: Ol' Crick Neck, Erika Eleniak, Ponder-osa, NeonThong, Motorboat, Red, Scratchy, and Big Ominous Hand.]

Now that Jeffery's found the right hookers, he needs to decide which parts to take from which streetwalker. He measures their arms, legs, and brains (just kidding, why would he need one of those?) and writes up his grocery list. After all the busts and butts are accounted for, it's time to murder some ladies of the night. With his robotic lawnmower in the pawn shop, Jeff's gotta come up with another ingenious plan. Back to the power drill. Ah, of course!

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Super Crack. What hooker can resist Super Crack? It's just like crack except bigger, stronger, and more...

...explosive.
Here's a video clip of hookers exploding. You know you're clicking this damn link.

Back in the lab, Jeffery throws together the pieces just in time for the lighting storm. The thunder rolls, the lighting strikes, the hooker is...ALIVE. Oh shit, I can't believe everything didn't go as planned. Elizabeth thinks she's a hooker. Didn't see that coming.

Frankenhooker Warning of the Day: If you have sex with a prostitute, make sure her "down there area" won't make you explode during your no-pants party.

Happy Halloween.

Never Heard of It: The Rider Named Death

Here's the first entry in what I hope will be the long-running and fame-grabbing weekly series destined to finally make me cool with the popular kids. If you missed my intro post for Never Heard of It, here's a quick rundown. I'm reviewing movies that, before grabbing it randomly off the DVD racks, I'd never heard of before. Completely new-to-me movies.

This week, I'll be reviewing a film called The Rider Named Death. I don't know what year it was made or who directed, starred, or released it. I did notice that it was in the "Russian" section, so I'm assuming it's a foreign film. Other than that, no idea...here we go.

Live Feed Comment: (0:00:03) "Oh shit, it's a period piece. Horses and hoop shirts...damnit.
Live Feed Comment: (0:01:42) "She's hot. What's her name? Princess Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya? Thanks, subtitles."

After the assassination of a politician by the beautiful woman, the film cuts to an awesome black-and-white flashback looked to be shot with an old stationary camera. You know Lumiere-style. The voice over sets the film up. Pre-Soviet Union Russia: mean to its people. The country has a history of revolutionaries killing its leaders trying to inject change. The government responds by cutting off the heads of assassins and displaying them in the courtyard for identification!

As the film progressed, I realized that The Rider Named Death wasn't going to be the Pride & Prejudice ripoff that the opening shot made me fear it would be. The film revolves around a group of revolutionaries who plot to change their world, or at least their country, one bomb at a time. The group recieves their orders from higher-ups who, as a committee, decide who the next target will be.

Live Feed Comment: (0:06:26) "Masquerade parties are scarier when the masks speak Russian."

One scene, reminiscent of Hitchcock's Blackmail, follows a woman as she constructs and delivers two explosives intended for the assassination of a Duke. With sweat drenching her brow, she carefully places the dynamite packages into a cookie tin. The detonators are inserted next, all movement made with the utmost precaution. The actress' performance in this scene is one of the best of the film. She moves slowly through out her room, as the camera slides around her. The woman delivers her package, holding an explosive picnic basket just ever so slightly away from herself as if to protect her from it's contents.

The cinematography and set design deserves their own special attention. The coloring of the walls is so eye-catching that sometimes they were more interesting that the actors standing in front of them. Rich greens and blues paint the apartment room walls. When shooting exteriors, the director keeps his frames full. Dirty tan buildings are crammed next to off-white ones. Even with all of the well-dressed ladies and gentlemen walking the streets, there always seems to be the possibility of chaos, maybe a bombing or a street chase. A sense of unrest decorates the film's locations.

About fifty minutes in, the ground attempts to blow up a Duke as he rides through the town. The revolutionaries are put to the test when the happy, smiling faces of the Duke's wife and children are shown through the carriage windows. Are they killers of women and children? As the transport passes them by, one of the film's most captivating characters, Fryodor, decides to act. The glass shatters as the bomb breaks through the window. Immediately, the police swarm on Froydor who takes off running. The chase makes your heart pound, loud. Ducking between groups of children, the wannabe assassin avoids police bullets before taking his own life behind a woodpile. It's only then that it's revealed that the bomb failed to detonate.

Live Feed Comment: (1:02:57) "Nudity! Wasn't expecting that. Also, there's a lot less fur hats and vodka than I thought there would be."
Live Feed Comment: (1:03:02) "I'm a racist."

As loyalties are questioned and numbers begin to dwindle, the stakes are raised higher and higher. George, the group's leader, is forced to take drastic measures. I've already given way too much away, so I won't spoil the ending. I will end on some final wrap-up thoughts about The Rider Named Death. If all of the Never Heard of It selections are as good as this, I'll be happier than the ending of a Garry Marshall Movie.

This is no Russian Ark. Not knowing too much about Russia's history, it's Civil War, and transformation into the Soviet Union, I was still able to keep up with the plot very easily. The film takes the viewer deep inside a secretive group of people and attempts to show why they resorted to the actions they did. Why did they believe that violence was the way to inspire change? If the plot wasn't so deeply rooted in Russia and it's tumultuous past, this could easy be remade into an American political thriller. The director works within a familiar narrative form but gives it enough of a reworking that the viewer never quite seems to know what's coming next. Very impressive film.

Glad I Watched It rating:

New Weekly Series: Never Heard of It

You might be asking yourself why I've just posted five pictures of Hollywood's most handsome actor. The answer is simple. These five faces are the rating scale for my new weekly series:

Never Heard of It

In an attempt to broaden my movie watching habits, I'll be watching one film a week that I've never heard of before. No films on my "To Watch" lists. No "I've been meaning to watch that" movies. Not even any "My Grandma begged me to watch this right before she died" movies. Those will have have wait. This series is only about films that I'm completely ignorant of.

Also, to up the ante, I'm not going to read the plot description, check out Rotten Tomatoes or IMDB, read other reviews, or even turn the DVD box over for hints as to what the movie's about. Then I'll watch it, scribble down some live feed notes, write a review, throw up some screencaps, and slap a Danny DeVito face on show if the film's worth watching. Seems simple enough.

I'll have my first review up tomorrow!

Someone at Fox loves Dr. T

If you've been sleeping under a rock or a really fat guy then you may missed my earlier posts concerning one of the best blogs on the internet: Natsukashi. It's all about nostalgia through film. A few weeks ago, I recorded an episode with Rob about a movie from my childhood called The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T which is the only live-action film ever written by Dr. Seuss.

While recording the episode, Rob made a major connection Dr. T and The Simpsons. It took me a while to track down video clips of both. Apart from Bart's first name and Sideshow Bob's last name, one of the best Dr. T references comes in the form of "See My Vest," a song where Mr. Burns shows off his elaborate wardrobe. Want to see what they're refering to? Watch the following videos. Thanks for educating me on one of my favorite movies, Rob.

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T - Do-Mi-Do Duds



The Simpsons - See My Vest

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

Reading is FUN

This following feature is incredible. Check it out. I woke up this morning and started down the list of new posts. Decided to share with you some of my favorite posts as of late. Check them out too.

What I Watch Last Night's Speed Racer

[Actually, this was a post for the My Best Post Blog-a-Thon that I forgot to post. Oops. Sorry about that Ross. Thanks for participating. Awesome contribution.]

Film Experience's Nick and Nora's National Coming Out Day

Cinema Styles' Evil, Pure and Simple

DVD Panache's The Kid's Got Potential

Pluck You Too's Schlocktoberfest #9: Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors



The Film Fiend's News: I Done Been Quoted

Stale Popcorn's Black & White Friday: Open Range

1,416 and Counting's Reader's Choice: Worst Movies Ever

Natsukashi's Episode XXIII - Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors


Cinexcellence's Gates of Heaven

Lazy Eye Theatre's Current State of Horror Roundtable 2

Top 7 I Want to See

Looking back at my last Top 7 I want to See post, I realized that I still have work to do. The only two I've watched in the last three months are Teeth and My Blueberry Nights which I didn't love or hate. Both fell somewhere in the middle. The rest of my list, Paranoid Park, In Bruges, The Visitor, Funny Games, and The Wackness, have been moved up my Netflix queue. Will they ever get watched? I'm sure some of them eventually will. But in this age of newer is better, I've already found seven more movies that I need to watch. Have you guys seen any of these? What did you think?

Three Scenes I Love: Tearjerkers

When Crash was released, bloggers treated the film like cinematic cancer; an impressive disease, but a disease nonetheless. They especially didn't enjoy when Crash won Best Picture, beating out Munich, Good Night and Good Luck, Capote, and Brokeback Mountain. I'm not here to defend the film as a whole. Actually, I'm not here to defend it at all. That's not part of the "Three Scenes" series.

When a certain scene, specific moment, musical note, color, or verbal phrasing hits you in just the right way, it sticks in your brain. This scene from stuck in my mind. Sure, the film hits you over the head (with a ton of bricks, over and over again) but on the day I watched Crash, I didn't mind. My sockets actually leaked a little due to theatre dust levels, of course. That's what this week's post is all about: scenes that make your sockets leak.

Crash

Here's the YouTube link.

In America

Here's the YouTube link.

Okay, you heartless bastards. If you're still bitching about Crash or couldn't care less about a little girls dreams of owning an alien lifeform, then pay close attention. The film is The Neverending Story. If this one doesn't expell liquids from your ducts, screw you thrice.

The Swamp of Sadness senses your negative thoughts. The more depressed you get -- the deeper you sink. This is a kids movie, mind you. On this specific day, Atreyu crosses the swamp with his faithful steed, Atrax.

Apparently, the gallant stallion was experiencing an off day. Despite the frantic and heartbreaking screams of the warrior child, in the fictional words of Dwight D. Eisenhower: That muthafuckin' horse is goin' down.

The screen fades to black. Surely, Atreyu figured out how to cheer up his mammoth mammal. Nope. Just like his thoughts on the Korean War cease-fire, Eisenhower was right. And just like the last preteen boy to figure out deodarant...

...the kid sits alone.

You're the Best Around!

Hey everyone. I wanted to thank all the writers who participated in the My Best Post blog-a-thon. The turnout was twice the size that I hoped for and the articles you sent in were really great. A day off is in order, but I'll be back tomorrow with the next Three Scenes I Love installment. Again, thanks for heading over He Shot Cyrus. What I want from you today is some feedback.

How can I improve the site? What would you like to see when the page loads? More movies reviews? Regular features? Celebrity gossip? Anything? Please let me know.

Gringo

My Best Post Blog-a-Thon: Day Three

DAY THREE:

Dylan at Blog Cabins is one of the most innovative bloggers around. His site features lots of great series, TGITDNMAR, Stained Glass Cinema, Fletch's Favored Five, Familiar Face - Unknown Name, and Imagining Sequels that will Never Happen (a personal favorite of mine) just to name five. He's won a handful of LAMMYs too. And who can forget CageFest, the Fest completely dedicated to BEST ACTOR (?) Nicolas Cage. If none of this intrigues you, go read Perez Hilton's shit because quality blogs are not for you.
Here's Dylan's best post: Scouring Depths of Suburban Cinema

Daniel G. at Getafilm is the man to know. Not only is he one of He Shot Cyrus' most frequent commenters, he's also one of our most articulate. His own site is one of my daily visit locations. I'm still waiting for a second installment of his Reel Life series in which Daniel pulls real-life news stories and rates them as potential movie adaptations. Another great thing about Getafilm is the amount of comments left by his readers. They all respond to each other and it's clear that that discussion isn't over the second Daniel presses "Publish Post." I've been looking forward to see which post he would choose as his "best" and today I got the link. As it turns out, he and I have a lot in common when it comes to music. Those who haven't checked out Ozomatli yet, do. I'd recommend their first album (back when Chali 2na and Cut Chemist (of Jurassic 5) were still in the group).
Here's Daniel's best post: 2007 in Music: The Soundtrack That Wasn't.

RJ at The Rural Juror just made me laugh. This is the first post I've read of RJ's and it didn't disappoint. Are The Oscars a lot like high school? Yep, I'm convinced. A quick look at the rest of his site left me feeling pretty good. Lots of great movie quotes and a fantastic bunch of movies for Piper's meme. I would pay 10 bucks to watch The China Syndrome and The Conversation. That reminds me of the excellent double feature I saw once at the Castro Theatre: Network and The Taking of Pelham 123, that was a good day.
Here's RJ's best post: Ladies and Gentlemen: The Class of 2008

Jim at The Moviezzz Blog run in the same circles, read all the same blogs, but found each other's blog very recently. He also got my hopes up about finding my new favorite movie. I'm going to warn you ahead of time so you don't share the same deep pain that I experienced by reading the end of his best post. This fantastic-looking movie is HARD TO FIND. The movie he writes about looked so good that I clicked over to Netflix even before finishing the entire post. They didn't have it. Then I finished reading and found out that, even on DVD, it's near-impossible to find. But eveyrone should read about T.A.G.: The Assassination Game and track me down a copy!
Here's Jim's best post: Forgotten Film: T.A.G.: The Assassination Game

J.J. at As Little as Possible is a rule breaker who's forcing me to see the big picture. Back in July of '07, J.J. began a series called "The Triple Crowners." For those that don't know, a Triple Crowner is an entertainer who has won an Emmy, an Oscar, and a Tony. While my instructions were to send a link to your best post, he send me a link to the series. After looking it over, I decided that it's such a good series that all the posts are worth reading. In a sense, the series is about the "best of the best."

Here's J.J.'s best post(s): The Triple Crowners

Nathaniel at Film Experience is famous. I guess that's what happens when you have talent and you write thousands of posts. He actually has written thousands of posts. He narrowed it down to fewer than I would have been able to. Then...THEN he took my blog-a-thon banner and turned it into one of Nathaniel's Ltd. Ed. Edited Pics! Want to see it?

Sure, I caused the owner of my Firefox default homepage pain, agony, and grief but in small time blog writer terms, I MADE IT! Don't believe me? Maybe you didn't notice the picture.
Here's Nathaniel's best post(s): My Best Post: A Sisyphian Riddle

Nayana at The Center Seat is passionate about movies. You can tell she is just by reading her posts. She's also protective of those she cares about. Her "Friends Won't Let Friends See..." series has saved my my $7.50 on multiple occasions. She send me a link to her best post and I'll agree that it's one of the best she's written. AND...it happens to be her first post. Go read her declaration of movie love.
Here's Nayana's best post: So Here's the Plan

Erich at Acidemic appreciates the classics. As you dive into his archives, you realize that Erich knows more about classic film than a lot of bloggers (and maybe some of your professors). His best post was a very interesting read. Click the link to watch Erich pull something from yesteryear and something out of today's headlines together.
Here's Erich's best post: Lindsay Lohan, The Rev. Laurence T. Shannon of Our Time

Joseph at Cinema Fist barely made the cut. Haha, just kidding. He's one of the reason's I extended the deadline for the blog-a-thon. I've been reading the Fist since it's opening and although I always seemed to miss his deadlines, I loved his idea of a weekly Film-a-Thon. Sadly, we're all waiting for the resurrection of that one. Joseph is also always willing to participate in other people's events and experiments. His best post is actually part of Lazy Eye Theatre's 12 Movie Meme.
Here's Joseph's best post: The Lazy Eye Theatre New Beverly Cinema 12 Movies Meme

Joseph at Cinexcellence hosted one of my favorite blog-a-thons, the Sight Unseen blog-a-thon which prompted us writers to go buy a DVD (you're welcome economy) that we had never seen before and type up our results, opinions, and experiences. I chose Fatal Attraction. I didn't love Fatal Attraction but I am glad I finally watched it. Joseph's movie reviews are also some of my favorite to read. This morning, I read his Umberto D. review and it captures what makes Umberto important in film history.
Here's Joseph's best post: Marley & Me: Effective Previews 101

J.D. at Valley Dreamin' turned his post in on time. I know because I read it a few days ago! My bad. Another thing J.D. is is fifteen years old. Another thing about J.D., he's a lot smarter than I was at his age. When I was 15, my world revolved around 10 Things I Hate About You. He's watching Annie Hall and I was wondering if Julia Styles was ever going to put aside her tough exterior and finally except her love for the sexy Austrailian also known as The Joker. J.D.'s years ahead of his peers when it comes to love of movies, both old and new, commercial and art house, good and bad. Bookmark his site and begin to worry about this Baby Genius taking your job from you someday.
Here's J.D.'s best post: Taylor Momsen Makes Me Feel Old

Keith at The Kinetoscope Parlor is a funny motherfucker. Not one post goes by without making me crack up. Have I ever heard of the movies he's writing about? About 25% of the time. Not bad for as much time as I've spent not in Asia. You should also read his posts on Salo, or 120 Days of Sodom. Gross. And if you haven't answered Keith's 31 Horror Movies in 31 Days challenge: fuck you.
Here's Keith best post: The Other Kurosawa

Whitney at Dear Jesus is funnier than you. It's okay, she's funnier than me too. When she's not watching any horror movie she can get her hands on, she's educating me on films made pre-Technicolor. In fact, we're watching Monsieur Verdoux right now. The moment she heard about The Kinetoscope Parlor's 31 Horror Movies in 31 Days challenge was the moment she decided life was worth living. As for her best post, it's really good. How do I know? Because I helped her write part of it. She was nice enough to give me credit too. Ask her sometime for her Top 10 list, she'll drop an education bomb on your face!

Here's Whitney's best post: Batman Their Way

Scott at He Shot Cyrus is me. A couple months ago, Scott thought it might be fun to start a blog. School was ending and he wanted to keep writintg about film. Since then, he's found a great selection of writers who keep him entertained, 24 hours a day. Wanting to gain mainstream notoriety, fame, and popularity, he entertained the idea of hosting a blog-a-thon. One night, the perfect topic struck him: an event where Scott's favorite bloggers could show off their best work. The goal was for everyone to find at least one great blog they'd never read before. Blogs would be bookmarked. Comments would be left. The community would get that much bigger. Scott hopes everyone had fun and urges you to read each other's best posts. Thanks.
Here's Scott's best post: Top 5 Movies I Don't Ever Want to Watch: Pride & Prejudice

Thank you to everyone's who's participated in my blog-a-thon.
We broke my 20 entries goal and then some.

I just wanted to let everyone know that while the blog-a-thon ends today,
I will still be accepting entries for the NEXT TWO DAYS!

The poll question results came back 12-1 so my inbox is still waiting for your entries.

Keep reading each other's posts and leave each other lots of comments!
Thank you.

My Best Post Blog-a-Thon: Day Two

DAY TWO:

James at Rants of a Diva loves a lot of things. Classic film, pop music (including ABBA), celebrity gossip, and everything in between. If you like club bangers and Criterion Collections, go read the Rants of a Diva. James had some trouble narrowing down all his posts down to a single "best" so I'll let J.D.'s vote make the final decision. Plus, I'll be honest, I thought it was a funny post and any time Alley Cats Strike gets a reference, consider me on board.

Here's James' best post: Rants on Camp Rock

RC at Strange Culture is deep. He's also the writers of one of my favorite blogs. Strange Culture has it all: reviews, discussions on politics, controversy surrounding film releases (the blind protesting Blindness), and films in development. There's Top 5 lists and an awesome 10 Songs I'm Digging Right Now series which always pushes me to seek out new music. RC's best post will make you think. It's called "Inspiration over Information." I don't want to give anything away. Go read it for yourself.

Here's RC's best post: Inspiration over Information

James at Out 1 stands up for what he believes in, even when he's standing up for The Happening. He told me that he chose this post because it was one of his most controversial. Not everything he writes will push those buttons, James has quite a lot going on over at Out 1. His "Forgotten VHS" series is impressive and the number of films he reviews that get added to me "Watch These" list keeps getting bigger and bigger. So, check out the rest of Out 1, but first, go read the defense's case for M. Night's latest.

Here's James' best post: Invisibile Monsters

Paul at Careful With That Blog, Eugene has an awesome blog title. Sure, he's got an awesome blog to match, but that name! It makes "He Shot Cyrus" sound like "Movie Review Blog." His best post starts out with some fighting words. I'll let you read them for yourself but I wouldn't doubt that more than half of you readers would agree. But it's not until the third paragraph where the post really takes off. If you love Star Wars...read. this. post.
Here's Paul's best post: Greedo Lives

Evil Clown (a.k.a. Piper) at Evil Eye Theatre (a.k.a. Lazy Eye Theatre) is the proprietor of one of the best blogs in town. Seriously, bookmark this site. Between the October name change, the Top 5 Tuesdays, the constant support of his fellow bloggers, and the hella funny writing, there's no way you'll not love the Lazy Eye. There's too much to write about LET so I'll stop here.
Here's Piper's best post: Grandpa Joe: The Imposter

Bob at Eternal Sunshine of the Logical Mind loves screencaps and clips even more than I do. He also loves to participate in blog-a-thons (which is the coolest thing for a blogger to do, in my opinion). His best post was actually an entry in Film of the Year's Slapstick Blog-a-Thon. That's the best thing about these events, they inspire creativity and community. Bob explores the work of Buster Keaton and brings his family along for the ride. Really interesting post.
Here's Bob's best post: Slapstick - A Family Affair

The Lightning Bug at The Lightning Bug's Lair is the reason I put on this event. Before an e-mail showed up in my Inbox, I hadn't visited the Lair before. Helping others find new blogs was the main purpose of having you send in your best posts. From what it seems, The Lightning Bug is a bit of a horror junkie. His site reminds me of those great Geocities sites people used to make before blogs took over. You know, those fan sites with the animated GIFs and JPEGs and the love declared for cult classics.
Here's The Lightning Bug's best post: Sisters of No Mercy

mB at A Blog Next Door just sent me a link you're gonna like. It's the "20 Things I Learnt from Pixar Productions" list. Number 10 is my favorite. I'm a recent reader of ABND and mB's love for "Pushing Daisies" and Tina Fey and distaste for "Gary Unmarried" and Sarah Palin has made me a fan for life.
Here's mB's best post: Everything I Know, I Learnt from Animation: The Pixar Edition

Glenn at Stale Popcorn puts me to shame. A couple months ago, I started a "Films I Don't Ever Want to See Series." I watched three of the five films and then completely forgot about the list. Why does Glenn put me to shame? He started a seried called "The 100 Greatest Movie Posters" and finished. One-hundred posts. Are you kidding me? Glenn also started a series that has everyone talking lately. It's Black + White Friday and it pretty much blows my mind.
Here's Glenn's best post: 100 Greatest Movie Posters: #1 Here's Glenn's post about his post: My Best Post Ever

Brian from Dear Jesus hates Christmas (and Sufjan Stevens). This guy is hilarious. I'm not just saying that because he shares a blog with my fiancée. And even though I've yet to make it to one of his movie nights I hear they're damn good. Brian's blog started out talking about religion and slowly morphed into a movie blog. Go read his thoughts on the best Christmas movie.
Here's Brian's best post: Giving Them Cars Like That is like Putting Guns in Their Hands

Derek from Son of Double Feature is a friend of mine! We met during our MA program (in Cinema Studies, of course) and both started blogs around the same time. When he's not helping us struggling screenwriters with our movies-to-be, he's hyping us on all things Batman. I actually told Derek to send me the link for this specific post. It's great. Think you've read everything there is to read that's anti-Juno, go read this post.
Here's Derek's best post: Irony is No Longer Ironic

Adam from DVD Panache is an important part of the movie blogging world. A supporter of He Shot Cyrus from the beginning, Adam featured my blog on his Friday Screentest, among tons of other great writers. Even the post link he sent me featured a bunch of different blogs, including Cinema Styles, Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule, Lazy Eye Theatre, and more. Support Adam and DVD Panache; he's supported you, even if you don't know it yet.
Here's Adam's best post: The Blog Sleep


Thanks to everyone who's participated so far. I'd love to hear which posts are your favorites, whose blogs you've found, and anything else you want to tell me about. Tomorrow marks the end of the blog-a-thon. TELL YOUR FRIENDS! They've already written their post, easy stuff, so spread the word. Until tomorrow.

My Best Post Blog-a-Thon: Day One

Day One:

Fox at Tractor Facts writes some of the most varied posts in the blog-o-sphere. Hell, he wrote almost 800 posts last year, they can't all be about No Country for Old Men! Whether he's reminding me how much I love Critters or fighting against the imminent death of the mixtape, Fox always writes something insightful that seems to sticks with me. I'll be referencing something to my friends only to go back and find out that Fox had written it.

For his best post, Fox dug through the archives and found a damn funny post. Through "live blogging," readers get to experience the first season of Silver Spoons. There's some good ol' fashioned racism, a Mr. T cameo, and the most adorable picture of the Bateman siblings. What stuck with me was the constant struggle to reminisce about childhood crushes that just seem innappropriate today. Amanda Peterson was gorgeous when she was a teen (but I was a kid too!)
Here's Fox's best post: Silver Spoons - Season 1

Jason at Invasion of the B Movies is BACK! The famed host of the Guitly Pleasures Blog-a-Thon has defeated the AT&T devils and has jumped right back in the mix with some killer clown action. But the post we're talking about today is about a different kind of clown. This clown doesn't make us laugh. This clown produces Hollywood horror films. Go read Jason's transcription of a conversation between a Random Teenager and his movie-making financeer. My favorite line: That's better. Asian's don't get to be sidekicks in movies. It'll do the Asian people proud to help a hot white kid.
Here's Jason's best post: Day 14 - Disturbia

Caitlin at 1,416 and Counting is one of my favorite bloggers. There, I said it. Something about a talented writer taking on the task of watching ALL the Nightmare on Elm Street Movies in less than two weeks is just impressive. She's inspired one of my most popular posts (Guys I'd Go Gay For) and she's always asking her readers for recommendations. That always means a lot to me. Her best post is actually part of her Reader's Choice series. The post is chock full of nostalgia, humor, and killer rabbits. You read it right.
Here's Caitlin's best post: Flashback: Night of the Lepus (Mom's Choice)

Jeff at Culture Snob is one classy fellow. Don't be intimidated by his stylish layout or the lack of .blogspots or .wordpresses on his web address. He's a dot-com gentleman and his writing ability backs up his title: culture snob. I feel really special because Jeff hasn't participated in too many blog-a-thons but has made a special appearance today. This post is the best of the best. His site features a Best Of section so his archive digging had already been partially done. Jeff's best post has to do with an interesting film by an even more interesting director. Those who've seen Peter Wier's The Plumber might not be sure what to think about it. Needless to say, the Snob cleared up a lot of my questions. This one's definitely worth a read.

Here's Jeff's post: The Uncertainty of the Everyday
Here's Jeff's post about Jeff's post: My Best Post

The Film Fiend tells me about more movies I've never heard of than any other blog. My Netflix queue is now filled with horror movies from countries all over the world. Old films and new films. Good films and bad films. He's one of the few people I know who has given the 1990 version of Captain America the attention it deserves. The Fiend's best post is no different. The movie: Soul Vengeance, a blaxploitation film made by a UCLA student in the mid-70s. The reivew starts out with a question that will make you question everything you thought you know about yourself.
Here's The Film Fiend's best post: Soul Vengeance

J.D. at Radiator Heaven keeps with the Halloween spirit with his best post. To be honest, I've never seen the film he writes about. I dismissed it as having nothing to offer me. The director had burned me with other projects and I assummed skipping this particular film was a wise choice. After reading J.D.'s post, not only do I think I made the wrong choice about this film, I may need to revisit the filmmaker's other work with a more open mind. In 1,600 words, my opinions have been altered. That's pretty cool and a sign of his influencial writing style.
Here's J.D.'s best post: Devil's Rejects

StinkyLulu has been open for four years. This month celebrates Lulu's online writing anniversary. Lulu's one of the "celebrity bloggers" participating in this crazy blog-a-thon. It was pretty darn cool to see a comment from one of the most impressive bloggers this side of Film Threat. This post is really interesting because it's a He Shot Cyrus twist on a Stinky Lulu series. The Things to Do series was specially rescheduled for today. Want to know more about Stinky Lulu? Read this post. There's no doubt that you'll find a ton of interesting and exciting stuff to participate in.
Here's Stinky Lulu's best post: To Dos Day - Best of Stinky Lulu Edition

Scott of Mendelson's Memos is one smart guy. He has a way of saying exactly what I wanted to say but couldn't figure out how. Whitney and I both noticed that rampant sexism that flowed forth from critical fingers following the release of Sex and the City: The Movie. My conclusion: Men are assholes. Needless to say, Mr. Mendelson breaks it down quite a bit further. Great, great post. Go check it out.
Here's Scott's best post: Sex and the City (The Movie) and the Difference Between Male and Female Escapism

These were the links for DAY ONE. If you've sent me a link, don't worry, I've got it. Your post will be part of DAY TWO (which happens to be tomorrow!) Thank you all for your great participation, it means so much to me! Go read each other's blogs. I've read so many posts now and I've got to say, you summambitches can write! LEAVE COMMENTS FOR EACH OTHER. THEY'RE WHAT LOVE IS BUILT ON!

Until tomorrow.

Slight Delay

So, I'm headed to a wedding. The MY BEST POST BLOG-A-THON is officially underway. Leave all your links here and I'll post them in a few hours. Sorry about the delay! To keep you entertained in my absence, here's a picture of Diane Lane.

You're welcome.

Raped by the Special Edition Gremlins

10th Anniversary Special Features:

*The Show: An in-depth look back at Sports Night with creator/writer Aaron Sorkin, directors Thomas Schlamme and Robert Berlinger, cast members Felicity Huffman, Peter Krause, Josh Charles, Joshua Malina, and Robert Guillaume, Emmy(r) award-winning editor Janet Ashikaga, Emmy(r) award-winning director of photography Peter Smokler, producer John Amodeo, and set designer Thomas Azzari. Includes never-before-seen behind-the-scenes home movies shot by John Amodeo.

*Face Off: ESPN's SportsCenter vs. CSC's Sports Night - Sports Night's real-life ESPN counterparts discuss what the series got right and wrong.

*A Conversation with Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme

*Inside The Locker Room - A look at the innovations of Sports Night with Aaron Sorkin, Thomas Schlamme, Robert Berlinger, Janet Ashikaga, Peter Smokler, John Amodeo, and Thomas Azzari.

*Season Gag Reels

*8 Episode Commentaries including creator/writer Aaron Sorkin, director/executive producer Thomas Schlamme, director Robert Berlinger, editor Janet Ashikaga, and cast members Peter Krause, Josh Charles, Joshua Malina, Sabrina Lloyd, Greg Baker, Kayla Blake, Timothy Davis-Reed, and Ron Ostrow.

*Original Promos

*36-Page Booklet including an introduction by creator Aaron Sorkin

Damn.

oh HELL no

I understand wanting to pay tribute to a legend...but damn.
This is just rough.

He Shot Cyrus

Three Scenes I Love: Hip-Hop Docs

As a lifetime fan of hip-hop, the music and the culture, I'm constantly seeking out films that handle its numerous elements in a skillful and respectful manner. I'm talking about emceeing, turntablism, graffitti, breakdancing, beatboxing, etc. What I'm not talking about is 50 Cent. What I'm not talking about is commercial radio rap. I'm talking about hip-hop. The stuff KRS-One raps about and Michael Eric Dyson writes about. Here's three scenes that mean a lot to me and capture my love for this culture.

Scratch - Mixmaster Mike Scratching and Cutting Robert Johnson

This scene is special because it introduced me to Robert Johnson and the Delta Blues. In forty-five seconds, I loved a new genre of music. The next day, I was the owner of every Johnson track in existence (which isn't that many, as it turned out). Hip-Hop draws influence from every genre of music, film, and literature. Studying hip-hop brought me to R&B, funk, blues, doo wop, and jazz...hundred of artists, albums, record labels, all from finding out my favorite artists' favorite songs.

YouTube Link
MP3 Download

Style Wars - Opening Sequence

The film opens in a dark subway tunnel. A train turns through the dark. One curve lines the train up next to a bright lamp. That's when the magic happens. Graffiti. Names written in spray paint by young artists attempting to go "All City." Chalfant and Silver 's opening is one of the most effective I've ever seen.

YouTube Link

Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme - Mos Def in the Park

YouTube Link
MP3 Download Link

Mos Def, one of the best, raps straight off the top. I've freestyled in battles, cypher circles, and even with a couple accomplished rappers, but I've never been anywhere close to Mos' lyrical skills. I've got a lot of "Yo...yo...'s" and filler lines, but Dante Smith drops an amazing sixteen filled with references to older hip-hop groups, his hometown, an ex-President, and even raps one line in Spanish.

Slim brown skin I be/standin' 5'10'' I be/rockin' it/when I be/in your vicinity/

Raw style energy/recognize symmetry/constant to the edge of me/broken down chemically/
Ain't another ten emcee/talkin' 'bout how been I be/styled like Kennedy/
Late like a ten to three/when I say when I be/girls say venga aqui/
'Cause they tend to be...way out like Tennessee/
Take me to a place called the BK/without pause or delay/ yet run like Penn relay/
don't deal with he say she say/ain't workin' for no cheap pay/the Mos Def beat play/
this is what the streets say/Hey Mr. DJ: Play that devil MO'gain/that jam got me open/
Beside to break it broken/from front front side to side middle to back/
Never the wack/I come from Bedstuy, black/From Louis A-V-E to be exact/
Brooklyn, where you at?/