Saturday, May 22, 2010

My Best Post Blog-a-Thon: DAY TWO


Thanks for checking out DAY TWO 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'm going to leave 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 TWO FAVORITE.

Ms. Go at D.C. Girl at the Movies is known for discussing the issues that revolve around race, ethnicity, and film. She's always quick to point out something offensive and I secretly wish she'd read my thesis on inner-city high school movies just to experience her intellectual critique. Her Best Post takes on James Cameron's titanic film, Avatar. You see what I did there?

Matt Overstreet at The 8th Circuit speaks my language. His rant on the live-action Marmaduke movie makes me wish for the days before computer graphics. He and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye on Family Circus (just kidding, we totally do) but we completely agree on how bad of an idea this talking dog movie (adapted form a NON-talking dog comic strip) is going to be.

Marshall at Marshall and the Movies is quickly becoming one of my favorite bloggers. I like the movies he chooses to talk about, his site's layout is appealing, and he and I run similar comments contests. His Best Post drops some retrospective knowledge about Avatar. It's a pretty comprehensive post so get ready to think.

Amy Wong's post caught me off guard. When I read "Top East Asian Suggestions" I thought I was going to be reading about movies, not looking at pictures of beautiful women. But look at them I did. For a while. Then I added some movies to my Netflix queue, which is probably the desired result from a post like this. Upset at the lack of Asian actresses on TopEllen's Hot 100 list, Amy took matters into her own hands and made the prettiest post yet.

Daniel at Getafilm is a self-proclaimed selfless hero. Just kidding, but he is a hero. He single-handedly took on Hollywood's fat cats with a sternly-worded letter. This letter sent shockwaves through the industry, causing studio executives to spit out their coffee and take a stand against garbage. The next decade was filled with poignant stories about well-developed characters living real-life experiences. Okay, well, that's what's going to happen. This Best Post made me laugh, cry, and give up any dreams of screenwriting I was still clinging onto.

RTM at FilxChatter has some very, very sound advice for actors and filmmakers who want to make movies with accents. Everyone can name a movie they've seen featuring a terrible accent. K-19: The Widowmaker always pops into my mind first. Go read this post. It's got a lot of common sense.

Meaghan at Wild Celtic gets a little personal with us in her Best Post. Her write-up on movies, memories, and film-going experiences is exactly the type of post I love to read. My favorite posts are the ones that tell me something I didn't already know. For example: You know that the movie Sweet Home Alabama isn't very good. So a review of Sweet Home Alabama wouldn't do you much good. But what you didn't know is that during a screening of Sweet Home Alabama, a strange man sat next to me in the theater and waited until the climactic romantic kiss before he put his hand on my thigh. Needless to say, I stood up, became extremely confrontational, and watched him look around the theater frantically, find his afro-headed girlfriend two rows in front of us, and flee to the woman he thought he was feeling up. Bet you didn't know that! And while Meaghan's post doesn't have focus on mistaken identity and sexual molestation, it's still a great post that I enjoyed a lot.

Luke at Journalistic Skepticism's Best Post is a "Best Of" post where he works through his thoughts on each Best Leading Actress nominee's performance. The post covers ten years of Oscar history and has some easy-to-read grades for each lady. The "B" he gave Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side made me wince but the "A" he gave Gabourey Sidibe makes up for it.

DJ from Matte Havoc has met Freddy Kruger. Don't believe me? Go to his site and see the picture. But meeting infamous movie killers isn't what he chose to write about in his Best Post. Instead, DJ studies the early innovations of silent film director F.W. Murnau. From camera movements to the use of color prints, Murnau's finalized projects were not only innovative but inspiring to generations of filmmakers to come. Great write-up here. Go learn yourself something.

Robert from His Eyes Were Watching Movies lists his Top 15 Animated Films of the Decade. Spoiler Alert: Planet 51, Over the Hedge, and Home on the Range did not make the cut. This is the type of post that can bring a hearty carnivore like me and a healthy vegetarian like Robert together in film blogger unity.

Frederick from My Monster Memories needs to win some LAMMYs for his great posts and extensive coverage of the horror and science fiction movements of yesteryear. The imagery he chooses is ssssoooooo rad. I don't know where he gets his hands on that stuff. The Best Post he chose tells the disturbing tale of a childhood dream. Read it, you'll love it. I did, and I did.

M. Carter at the Movies is high-quality. Her blog layout is high-quality. Her analytical skills are high-quality. The same goes for her writing style, participation in the blogging community, and her site overall. Choosing a Best Post must have been hard but she did it: a review of Jindabyne (2006) that reminded me that I still haven't seen this like I thought I had. Whoops.

Andrew from Encore's World of Filmmaking and TV does a lot with his Best Post. He give a quick Jane Campion shout-out while snoring through Meryl Streep's Julia and Julia performance and weighing the strengths and weaknesses between Avatar and The Hurt Locker. Oscar season 2010 is in full effect over at Encore's World of Filmmaking and TV.

Matt from Chuck Norris Ate My Baby is a "lifelong horror fan" that holds awesome contests and writed in-depth reviews of pretty looking Asian moves. Kim Ki-duk's 3-Iron is the subject of Matt's Best Post. And while I'm pretty sure he's my main compitition for the "Best Blog Name" LAMMY, I still have to recommend that you check out his site.

Mark from Black Hole Reviews introduced me to a movie named Michael Gough and a movie called Black Zoo. Unfortunately, this awesome sounding movie isn't on DVD but I WILL track a copy of it down. Listen to this tagline: Fang and Claw Killers Stalk the City Streets! Black Hole Reviews is a new site in my blog-o-world but Mark lured me in with his talk of dangerous apes and tigers so I'll definitely be back for more.

This Guy Over Here asked me a question that I sadly had to answer with "No, no, and no." The shame is overwhelming. Go read his post and see if you're a stronger cinephile than I. He watched over 1,000 movies between 2000 and 2009 and his great looking site gives its lucky readers a look at the best of them.

The Mad Hatter from The Dark of the Matinee has been blogging since 2007. He's a giant celeb in the movie blogging community and I feel proud to have him participate in the event. This is an important article about the relationship between writing, movie-watching, and the toll that blogging can take on movie fans.

Stacia from She Blogged By Night is who I voted for for the "Best Blog Layout" LAMMY. She understands the importance of aesthetics along with the importance of high-quality writing. Escape my ugly blog by visiting hers. Her write-up on The House of Mirth was not only informative (did you know that Scully made non-X-Files movies?) but interesting to read.

15 comments:

Andrew K. said...

Your dedication is quite awe-inspiring. Great idea for a blog-a-thon...

Lunatone said...

Oh, man, I had totally forgot about the man that molested you during Sweet Home Alabama! I laughed so hard I cried when I heard that. That and the oxygen tank during Lord of the Rings are stories I never get tired of hearing.

Simon said...

Theatre molestation. Always funny.

This is, without a doubt, the best blogathon idea eva. You should do it every year.

Wild Celtic said...

Totally amazing, I'm so glad I saw your invite to this. I promise to painstakingly visit each and everyone's post and comment until my fingers bleed.

Bryce Wilson said...

Hey El Gringo just making sure you've gotten my entry.

http://thingthatdontsuck.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-best-post.html

Jude said...

Hey I sent one in through e-mail but I guess since I didn't put a subject it never got read! Oh well.

My Day Two Favorite is Luke of Journalistic Skepticism!

Jude said...

I just realized there may be more than two days to this ...

Daniel said...

Ha, if only my letter would actually make any mark in Hollywood...well, for the good of all of us I at least had to try.

Enjoying the best posts of others very much!

Erich Kuersten said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Erich Kuersten said...

pardon me, El Gringo! I'm so confused right now! I had too much acid in my cornflakes, I mean soy milk. Anyway, I'm on track. Thanks for all these great links, my head has just expanded to accommodate them.

Anonymous said...

Ok, once finals are over, I swear I'm reading ALL OF THESE. But for now, I need to study...I feel like the whole blogosphere must know that by now.

elgringo said...

Andrew - Thanks! I didn't think I was ever going to get through Day Three.

Kaleen - When you go to the movies as much as I do, something weird is bound to happen eventually. Like the inappropriate touching of my body.

Simon -It's almost always funny. :/ There will definitely be a 2011 My Best Post Blog-a-Thon.

Wild Celtic - Buy some Band-Aids first. Or some gloves.

Bryce - Got it and posted it! Thanks!

elgringo said...

Jude - I don't think I ever got your link...

Daniel - I loved that letter so hard. Glad you're enjoying everyone else's posts.

Erich - Thanks a million billion for participating.

Marshall - School's definitely more important than this. But just by a little.

Anonymous said...

I've said this to you before but it's worth repeating. Great blog event idea Gringo, I agree with Simon about making this an annual thing. I've left a handful comments on others I've managed to read (some of them I already have before this event). Thanks again for letting me take part.

siutou_amy said...

This is a great idea!

I particularly enjoyed the 15 Animated Films of the Decade, as well as all the Oscar posts - since you know, I'm an award season buff.