The latest

Once upon a time I wrote here about every movie that I saw. The idea was that I could record them. I added a quip just for the fun of it, and then spent a year writing more in-depth pieces. But, sad to say, I found myself avoiding seeing movies because it meant I would have to write about them, which is hell when you’re Netflix list is hovering about 500.

So, I just stopped. My last post here was a wrap up of movies I’d seen, around last April sometime. Since then I have been keeping track of movies I’ve watched via del.icio.us (under the tags seenIn2006, and seenIn2007). So why write now? A few reasons.

1. KZA left the Hellbox fold, for reasons it seems he doesn’t know himself, and began writing more of his great posts about movies elsewhhere. When he goes long form and gets in depth, he’s at his best, in my view. So, I got inspired.

2. I took part in a neat and nascent awards thing, and was forced to rate the movies I’ve seen in the past year. During the voting, I was writing short blurbs about the movies. I’ve decided that I’ll expand those and write about my top ten here, just for the fun of it.

Look for those coming up over the next week or so, and more info on the awards thing when there is more to share.

Spitball!

I've announced it here, but for those of you who read this movies blog, and not my other occasionally populated blog, I would like to announce the debut of Spitball! the first screenplay being written by blog. S! for Screenplays, S! for Scripts. S! for Spitball!

I've been catching up

After being called out, I have been catching up on all the reviews I haven't quite written yet. Most will be short. Many of the new posts are movies I watched when they first came out, and therefore didn't review for months.

Damn, I'm behind!

The problem with expanding my movies blog to write reviews and reflections is that when I get busy, I don't post the movies when I see them. Maybe in 2005 I'll publish the titles, and then come back and rate them later. Maybe I'll make a new category called "to rate."

In the meantime, you can see what else I'm not writing at my other blog, or my blog for work, and soon to be released, yet another one with a big theme, purpose and everything.

Hmmm, maybe I'm just writing too much...

My list

Due to other pressing matters, I have a list of films to write up that I have yet to get to. I'm writing this post as a way of making sure I don't forget to get to them. It's my to-do list. Of course, I may add to it from time to time, as right now when I'm watching another movie to add. Not while typing, mind you, it's only the previews on the DVD. Would that disappoint you if I wrote reviews while watching the movies that I am reviewing?

Oh, Internet, don't you know me better than that? I'm all about passionate attention.

Anyway:

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Death Pearl (2003)
2. The Company (2003)
3. Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980)
4. Big Night (1996)
5. Sin City (2005)
6. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
7. Batman Begins
8. Baran
9. Willy Wanka and the Chocolate Factory
10. All the Real Girls

Thank you for your patience.

Year end roundup

1. Movies seen (including movies watched more than once): 150
2. Top ten eleven new release movies I saw this year (based on numerical score):

1. The Triplets of Belleville (97)
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (95)
3. Sideways (95)
4. LOTR: Return of the King (90)
5. Fahrenheit 9/11 (90)
6. Seattle International Film Festival, Secret Fest, Film 4 (89)
7. The Barbarian Invasions (88)
8. The Incredibles (88)
9. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (87)
10. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (87)
11. Spartan (87)

3. Top Ten Movies I saw this year, made any year (based on numerical score):

1. Night and Fog(100)
2. The Sting (98)
3. The Triplets of Belleville (97)
4. Fargo (97)
5. Sideways (95)
6. Eternal Sunshine ofthe Spotless Mind (95)
7. Playtime (95)
8. Network (94)
9. Midnight Cowboy (93)
10. Seven Days in May (92)

4. FAQ #1:
Q: Did you really stop reading books this year after you reported Down and Dirty Pictures in April?
A: No! I just stopped writing about them, and have many half finished books on my list to write about. Maybe I'll do it at Hellbox.org from now on. Maybe not, though...

5. FAQ #2:
Q: What the heck is up with your indefensible numerical rating system, why have one at all?
A: It's true I've deflected criticism about my ratings habits by claiming that they're completely arbitrary and meaningless. That's not quite true. They have meaning to me, but they aren't an empirical score of what I witnessed. I'm not trying to be a rational critic here. So, when other more-rational critics call me on my numbers (how can you like THIS movie more than THAT movie based on your numbers?), I have no good answer. What I've discovered is that I'm a very emotional movie watcher, so my scores are partly measures of my suspension of disbelief, and partly my mood for the day. That means that any score is more a score of my relationship with that movie on that day instead of a rational approach to craft or merit in other fields. Of course, those issues play into my score, but I'm not a critic recommending movies to people, but a journaler remembering the movies that I have seen -- this list becoming my electronic memory to aid my poor synapse driven system. Thus, there are many holes in my system, and I don't recommend seriously comparing movies on my list based on their scores alone, but if somebody would like to challenge me on my scores in the future I promise not to play it off on my arbitrary system, but instead attempt to explain why I liked/didn't like the movie in question.

6. FAQ #3:
Q: Quips? I mean, really!
A: Well, I never claimed that I was good at quipping, only that I needed the practice. Still, I'm getting a little sick of them myself. Some were fine, but all-in-all it's a limited form, unless you're more brilliant than I, more sharp than I, and a fair amount quicker than I (like that turtle, over there -- that one that's winning the race because I'm kicking it under this tree writing this entry). Anyway -- I stuck with the quips for an entire year, which I'm pretty proud of, but enough is enough. So, for 2005 I'm now going to write a paragraph about every movie I see instead of quipping. I'll keep the scores and everything else the same, but maybe there will be a little more bloody meat on the bones this year. If not, I may resort to haiku, so watch out.

7. FAQ #4:
Q: Do you wish us well?
A: Why, yes I do! To the few of you who read this thing with regularity, Happy New Year -- I hope this year is a tremendous one for you. Feel free to drop comments in anytime -- and I always take movie recommendations to add to our 450+ long Netflix queue.

Everybody's scared of two trees touching

If a tree (gay couple) fell (got married) in the woods (political vacuum) and nobody (religiously motivated politicians) was around to hear it, would it make a sound?

Herbie, oh Herbie, where for art thou Herbie?

When the new VW Beetles were re-released in 1998 I asked the question on everybody's lips: "How long until a new Herbie the Love Bug movie?" My questions have been answered: 7 years. Longer than I would have predicted. I wonder how many pitches and scripts they had to go through before they finall greelighted this one.

Ernie Kovacs

When doing some online reading about IAMMMMW I came across the factoid that Ernie Kovacs was contracted to play the Sid Caesar character opposite his wife Edie Adams. Before shooting, though, Kovacs died in a car accident. Two factoids about Kovacs that made me laugh: 1. (taken verbatim from his IMDB listing): "Ernie Kovacs, California-bound on jet 707, was told he could smoke one of those formidable cigars of his - if he didn't annoy the lady passengers. 'So I decided not to smoke,' concludes Ernie. 'It was more fun to annoy the lady passengers.' " - Bennet Cerf 2. His epitaph.

Carl Anderson (a.k.a. The Black Judas) Dead at 58

If you were growing up in a liberal church in the '70's, the opening guitar riff to Jesus Christ Superstar is embedded in your DNA. The church I went to (which easily could have won the title "Church of the Performing Arts" and spun off a Fame-style movie) put on its own version of the show one year. I think I've heard the complete score hundreds of times from live exposure, the movies, the soundtrack, and the touring Broadway version (note that I'll never, ever say "touring Broadway version" again in this blog.) which I saw twice (nor will I admit to seeing a Broadway show once, let alone twice). One of those times was in Santa Barbara during the '70's with my family. We had a friend performing in the show, and he took us backstage where we met most of the cast, but most notably the ebullient Carl Anderson. He energetically shook my hand, and gave both of my older sisters kisses. His charisma could only be topped by his amazing voice. The man simply had pipes. He had one album that made the Billboard top 50 (no. 21) in Jazz Vocalists, but other than that this man made a career out of being Judas (although he did, amazingly, have a role in the incredibly so-bad-it-ruled Cop Rock TV show), hanging himself hundreds of times at the end of each performance. In the beginning of the movie, a black Judas on the rock, screaming his doubts at Jesus was a powerful political statement. When I think about it in the context of 1973 I have to rate it as a fine cinematic moment, far removed from the obvious (and deserved) cynacism, irony, parody and religiosity brought to it over the years. His delivery in that song gives my secular ass goose-bumps every time. Carl Anderson Obit [blogofdeath.com]

Academy Awards comments

Just a brief few: 1. About frickin' time for Errol Morris. 2. Digidesign won a technical Oscar for Pro Tools. Damn straight, analogists. When's the last Oscar for magnetic media? Hmmm? 3. Triplets should have won best Animation. 4. Sean Penn deserved to be recognized. He makes poor movie choices sometimes, but he's a damn fine actor. 5. Did anybody really think that Charlize wouldn't win? And does anybody think she's more deserving than the magnificent Samantha Morton? 6. I didn't like Lost in Translation as much as most critics, but a lot more than most of my critical friends. I'm perfectly pleased with Sofia Coppolla winning. 7. The thought in most winner's head "My next paycheck just increased 100%"

Not about a movie

Not to stretch my experiment too far past my safety zone of movies, books and quipping, but last September I wrote to Virginia Postrel and regailed some stories from my days as a guitar shucker. She was nice enough to post my ramblings then, and is even nicer to repost them today. Thanks Virginia, it's nice to be double publ'd.

Recommend a movie for us to see

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