My Best Post Blog-a-Thon: DAY ONE

Thanks for checking out DAY ONE of HE SHOT CYRUS' "MY BEST POST BLOG-A-THON" where film bloggers from around the world have sent in the one post that best represents who they are, what they're trying to say, and what they can bring to the table.

I've left comments on each of these posts and I'm asking you to do the same, especially if you've sent in a link. Comment until it hurts. Eyes straining. Fingers bleeding. Head exploding (a la Scanners). That's what this event is all about. And please leave a comment here telling me which post is your DAY ONE FAVORITE.

Derek from Son of Double Feature is well-known for his eleven word movie reviews but today his brings us a special conversation with his 5-year-old self. Young Derek goes down his Top 5 Movies of All-Time list. His number #1 pick was the first movie I saw in theaters!

Simon from Four of Them is a frequent commenter on He Shot Cyrus along with quite a few other sites. She's a force to be reckoned with and if you don't believe me, ask Teddy Roosevelt. In her Best Post, she breaks down the ending of Donnie Darko with a level of expertise that even Richard Kelly doesn't have. She answered a lot of my questions.

Hal from Forget the Popcorn met Wes Anderson once. But don't think that that swayed his choices for Top 10 of 2009. Fantastic Mr. Fox is nowhere to be found. Neither was my number one pick (Precious). Great list with interesting write-ups.

Caleb from Who is the March King? has the guts to say it. War films are boring. Take that, Patton! Take that, Tora! Tora! Tora! Glove slapping doesn't quite have the impact it once did. And honestly, after Star Wars, why would you even bother to make a battle scene without Blasters?

Marty from Johnny LaRue's Crane Shot runs one of the best B-movie, horror, sci-fi blogs out there. From filmmaker interviews to detailed Star Trek episode analyses, you're always in for something entertaining here. His Best Post dives into the episode "Spock's Brain" where a hot space babe literally takes Spock's brain. I learned a lot here, both about the history of Star Trek and about how to protect my brain from hot space babes.

Kai B. Parker from The List wants to live through the zombie apocalypse. I have no idea why. When that day inevitably comes, I want to be the first die. But only because I can't handle the stress. Click the link to read Kai's guide to making it through the world's most horrific catastrophe since Battlefield Earth.

Mrsemmapeel from House of Mirth and Movies has done us all a service. Read this post! Enough time has past without a Female Film Canon. From A Room with a View to Window Water Baby Moving (which is one of the most amazing experimental movies I've ever seen), the list is comprehensive, thorough, and (according to Mrsemmapeel) still in progress. Go check it out, leave some suggestions, and become a better cinephile.

Ed Howard from Only the Cinema is on a whole other level. He's the most intelligent film blogger writing today. And his 2,700 word review for Paul Verhoeven's Black Book belongs in a book. I can't say enough about my respect for Mr. Howard. Thankfully, the 202 comments he's received so far convinced me that his work is appreciated by people other than me. But you should still write comment number 203.

Tommy Salami's Pluck You, Too! combines my two life loves: movies and food. For those who don't know, May is Hamburger Month! Tommy's Best Post has less to do with meat and more to do with beef (food pun!) between Michael Mann and William Friedkin in the 80s. Any fans of To Live and Die in L.A. need to read this post.

Sasha from Final Girl Project has one of the coolest looking layouts on the internet. I'm even more jealous of her layout than Hal's Wes Anderson experience. Escaping the One-Viewpoint-Only trap that a lot of bloggers run into, Sasha has introduced a Roundtable feature where she and a friend discuss a film together. This Roundtable discussion of Donnie Darko is smart, entertaining, and definitely worth reading.

Stephen from Checking on My Sausages has some thought-provoking things to say about Inglorious Basterds. Aside from having an amazing blog name, he's has some important points to make about the film's characters, violence, and conflicting moralities.

C. Jerry Kutner from Bright Lights Film is a teacher. Maybe he's not paid for it (maybe he is, I don't know the guy) but he taught me a history lesson on Touch of Evil. Throughout film school, I had heard rumors of Universal taking Orson Welles' masterpiece and f--king it up. But even though they f--ked it up, it still turned out to be a masterpiece. But what I didn't know was just how badly they f--ked it up. This is one of my favorite reads so far.

J.D. from Radiator Heaven has written an exhilarating article on Robert Harmon's 1986 thriller The Hitcher. It's convinced me wholly to track down a copy and soak it in. Rutger Hauer terrorizes C. Thomas Howell during this violent on-the-road experience. It was originally going to be a part of Whitney and I'd Month of Horror, but I accidently got the Sean Bean remake.

Aiden from Cut the Crap Movie Reviews likes Pi like I like pie. A lot. The LAMMY-nominated reviewer covers Darren Aronofsky's directorial debut about a math savant who figures out how to predict rises and drops in the stock market. I didn't care for the film but after reading his review, I'm ready to give it another chance.

Castor from Anomalous Material is most likely going to win the "Best Blog Post" LAMMY award this year. And probably for this post (he was nominated twice). If you're a blogger, you can't miss this post. There's too much great advice in there on how to get more readers and keep them interested. A+ post.

1MinuteFilmReview's Best Post is aimed at anime lovers. 20th Century Boys is a popular manga (Japanese comic series) that was turned into three animated films beginning in 2008. 1MFR's review recommends that you read the manga and I recommend that you read his review.

24HoursToMidnight has constructed one of the funniest Best Posts. It's made up of one picture, one funny caption, one haiku, and one hilarious video with a great attention to detail. I'm ending Day One with this post because you've made it through the rest and you deserve something fun.