Punchin’ Meat (SEND A LETTER)
Phillipe:
Cuff and Link "domesticated turtles" reference in a Rocky article? Nice. Hey, "they make good soup."
Re: Balbo VI, you’re right. Definitely a great degree of patriotic, die-hard, up by the bootstraps, underdog tenacity that I’m rooting for all the way. Way to go Jack Gilardi, Ed Limato & Sly.
Nick: It’s a rare example of a gratuitous cash-in that works. I can’t wait.
Her Head is Filled With Maple Syrup (SEND A LETTER)
Jeremy:
I just quickly went over Devin’s interview of De Palma because I wanted to
go into The Black Daliah spoiler-free. But what I wanted to ask is if (and
who) Devin got the chance to interview any of the cast from the film?
Unlike many people going into the film, I’m not going to see it for
Scarlett, Mia, and certainly not Hillary. Aside from seeing it because its
a De Palma film – and I did like Mission to Mars to boot – I’m seeing it due
to the casting of Jemima Rooper in the film.
While she’s hardly known in the States, she tends to steal the show in
whatever she appears in. While she’s best known for her role on the British
genre series Hex as the saucy lesbian ghost Thelma, she was also recently in
Kinky Boots, and she also made A Sound of Thunder bearable for me. I’m not
a giant fan of family entertainment, but I was impressed by her performance
in The Railway Children (yes, I did rent an ExxonMobil Masterpiece Theatre
production through NetFlix…there’s no shame, I swear!).
Anyways, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that Devin got a crack at interviewing
her. If she has more screentime than the bisexual romp with Mia or the
chase scene with Hartnett in the film (both of which are briefly shown in
the trailer), she may have a chance at getting some decent exposure
Stateside. Then again, perhaps being thought of as a British Gina Gershon
might not be such a bad thing for her career either.
Nick: Devin did not interview her. He did like the film, which surprised me since I didn’t like it at all, though the trailer is quite good. I’ll root for anyone named Jemima, though.
Day and Date (SEND A LETTER)
Kevin:
So, I’m sitting in the cinema watching Crank. It was…entertaining.
The whole time I’m thinking I should be watching this flick on my big
ass tv at home whilst imbibing, and eating salty snacks. However, to do
that I would have to wait three months for the DVD release, but I want
to see it now. Bootlegs are not an option. So, why the fuck can’t the
Hollywood studios get their collective shit together and offer real "day
and date" (simultaneous cable, theatrical, and DVD) releases? Not just
for some obscure film like Soderbergh’s Bubble, but good genre fare.
There is a market for it. Hell, I’d probably double-dip most films.
I’d watch them at home, then within a couple weeks, see them at the
theater – just for the sake of aesthetic comparison. See, I’m willing
to throw money at the studios. They act like they don’t want it.
Nick: I personally hope they don’t change a thing. Day and Date, you can’t go back from. People (not you, just people in general) just need to be more proactive in their theater visits. That said, last Sunday night I went to see Crank for the 2nd time and had to endure a bunch of horrible youths desperately vying for attention.
Bomb Poland (SEND A LETTER)
John:
Love the site…am an avid reader. I just wanted to comment on the Polish posters. Sure, they’re weird and in some cases just plain bizarre, but the one thing that they all share is that they’re hand drawn or painted. Sure, the critters poster seemed to share little with the actual film, but from a graphic design perspective, it’s actually quite cool. In fact, I’d go so far to say that some of them are better then most of the posters made today. The look of an authentic painting or ink drawing is always pleasing to me, and I’m a professional digital graphic designer. Though the photos you chose for your own versions are funny, they are photos and not painted/drawn. Obviously you aren’t going to draw or paint each of your own versions, but I think the strangeness of the posters is one of their bright points.
I’m not saying to change how you do your thing, but I’d encourage you to look again from a more artistic and interpretive/surreal perspective. I’ve actually enjoyed each Polish poster for their artistic diversity as well as they’re weirdness. I’d put one of those on my wall over any modern posters.They actually feel to me like a throwback to the older posters of the 40’s – 80’s.
Anyway, great site. I read every day, and am excited to see where 11 Colonels Attack! Is going. More podcasts!
Nick: I agree somewhat. Honestly, this thing is to serve two purposes. First of all, I love Polish movie posters and this is a venue for them. Secondly, there’s a lot of odd and crazy images out there above and beyond the gross shit people tend to showcase and this ties them together. The main event of Goin’ Polish is the real posters. Our stuff is just a sort of visual commentary, a chance to have some fun. It’s not really worth a lot more time and effort, I think it dilutes the basic silliness of the article. That said, I think it’s a fun complement to the other stuff on the site.
Mr. T Begs You to Turn! (SEND A LETTER)
Karel:
While driving towards the Broken Lizard guys, at one point, the discussion was changing towards some kind of personalized GPS system. Well, apparently there are people with too much time and money at their hand since they developed a GPS system with the voice of Mister T. form the A-team. It would sound something like this: "Turn left in 200 meters, YOU FOOL!" It sounds strangely masochistic but I’m not kidding. Too bad I’m too lazy to search the site I red about it.
Ah yeah, if you don’t know what I mean with ‘meters’, fuck you, I’m not going to bother finding out what the American equivalent is. Is it feet?? Feet are at the end of my legs man…
Anyway, enjoying the site, thanks for the great time!
Nick: That’s pretty brilliant. If that becomes like ringtones where you can mix and match I’m getting the Teddy Kennedy edition, ’cause who knows driving better than he?
Pod (SEND A LETTER)
David:
I’ve always wanted to listen to the podcasts, but I don’t own an Ipod and can care less about Itunes. Is there just a regular .mp3 for the rare person that doesn’t have this program installed?
Nick: Try this link out, sucka! Hey, give us some votes and comments.
Devin. Not Gifted. (SEND A LETTER)
Carl:
I have trusted you for years. And I have tried to trust your choice of making Devin so prominate on your top-notch website. There are some people that can "talk shit" and get away with it. Then there are those that can not. I have seen words from you that should offend every person not a satan worshiper on the planet and laughed. Devin does not have that gift. Not to say what he writes offends me, it just discurages me from your website.
For instance. I go to few movies in the theatre, I see most if not all on DVD. What I do pay for and see are usually recommended from CHUD. I saw and enjoyed immensely MI3 for those reasons. If I remember correctly CHUD gave it the fun action-movie-to-watch of the season. I loved it. Then I just read this from Mr. Negative:
"I have to admit that I thought that Abrams’ take would disappear after Mission: Impossible III sucked, blew and then didn’t make enough money."
At least back your writers up, or edit them. I have tried. You have not lost a reader, but you have lost trust in your reviewers. I hate saying it, but come on. He is almost always wrong, and 100% negative. The piss and vinegar should be left to you my friend.
Nick: If this site was driven mostly by my content it’d be hurting. I’m doing a lot of side stuff, so Devin’s been the chief quill for us and he’s been great. As for M:I 3, we ran two reviews. My correct tag team one HERE and Devin’s wrong one HERE. He stood by his incorrect decision! That said, Devin’s personality has become a decisive part of the site. We rarely agree, but that makes it much more fun I think.
Long and Great (SEND A LETTER)
Jeff:
(Note, this email was written at work over a long period – the chronology is all screwed up.)
I saw some more unrest in the boards recently and can’t really understand all the bickering that goes on around what is clearly a fantastic (and free)
website.
I’ve been reading the site for something like 4 years. I remember an article you posted some time ago where you talked about being a bit disillusioned with some responses to the site, and that you were going to concentrate on other things for a while. It seemed like a shame: a few complainers making your (and others’) efforts feel in vain. I would have written a "keep up the good work" email then, but I assumed that you’d get a flood of those, and it
wouldn’t be significant.
Anyway, many months later, you’re back, you have the movie production going on, but then some more stuff on the boards started up. Again, you sounded disillusioned, so this time I decided to write in (yeah a bit late) to tell you what you probably already know, and it’s this:
For every lame young (or childish) whiner mouthing off on the boards or in emails, there’s probably 50 guys like me who check in every day, love the site, and, not wanting to change anything, don’t write in. Would you rather have more feedback from us? Is it time that the silent majority got off their asses?
In that vein, here’s some feedback on areas of the site:
1) General Tone
The tone of the site is great – even the most pedestrian news is often
funny. I don’t care if political opinions show through – I think anyone with
half a brain should be able to read a differing opinion and still laugh at
the language. In fact, the more "human" the reviews, the better the readers
should be able to work out why you liked or disliked a movies, so they can
make their own minds up.
2) Reviews
I like the reviews, but they tend to give too much away (plotwise) for my
tastes, so I generally don’t read them until after I’ve seen the movie. It
would be great if there was a small review summary at the top or bottom
which just indicated the vibe and quality of the film. (My ideal movie
experience is going into a theatre with absolutely *no* idea of what I’m
seeing and lucking out with a great movie. I saw Fight Club that way – blew
me away!) This is probably the only thing that is a bummer for me.
There’s been some noise recently about the loud championing of some films.
I’m for it. I admit I’m lazy in that sometimes I don’t go and see "quality"
films at the cinema because I’m not in the mood for thinking too much.
(These are often films that I really like on DVD). When I’m undecided, your
plugs do become a factor. After years of reading your reviews, if you all
enjoy a movie and recommend it, I trust that it will worth a watch, even if
just once.
I know you guys see a truck load of films and have to share them out, and
that writing a review isn’t trivial, but I quite like it when several of you
post reviews the same film. And hey, get Eileen to join in with those as
well – would be good to get a different perspective on things!
3) Message boards
I’ve been reading on and off. Every time I decide I want to start a thread
on a topic I’d like a good discussion on I get put off by other threads
degenerating into madness. I don’t want to be a part of the problem. But
there is so much potential here: there are some entertaining and savvy
people, some with great inside experience in the movies, that I never give
up. I think I’ll stick with it regardless.
Elite boards? I heard something about this in the old "please be nice to
each other" thread (which provoked some of the most irrational responses
I’ve read anywhere – kind of ironic). People were slamming the idea, but I
don’t mind it. Invitation only, read-only to non members, moderated. I can’t
see why not.
4) Daily grabs / puzzles
The grabs are great – I get maybe one in 10, but I love it. The other
puzzles I never got into…probably because I’m bad at them.
5) Devin
Wow, this really needs a heading on it’s own? What have people come to! I’m
fine with Devin. He’s a great writer, funny and knowledgeable. The people on
the end of some impatient posts on the boards maybe deserve it.
6) Meg / 11 Colonels Attack
Meg: Haven’t read the book or seen anything other than one concept pic of
the big-ass shark. With nothing to go on I’m not for or against it, but I
sure as hell wish you all the best getting it done! You’re living the dream
of every chud reader out there.
11CA: Sounds interesting, the recent promo got me keen. The chances of me
ever seeing it in Tasmania, Australia are pretty slim though.
7) Ron / The Dark Him
I never got into Ron, mainly because I find it hard to read one strip every
now and then and keep any continuity. Maybe my memory just sucks. I was
enjoying The Dark Him recently when you posted the first 20 at once. This
format works better for me. Maybe I’d get Ron that way too.
8) Podcasts
I’ve downloaded a bunch of these, but since I don’t have sound working on my
work machine I haven’t listened to them yet. I’m looking forward to it
though – I don’t see how they can fail.
9) The CHUD stories
When I first started checking them out there was a good read maybe one in
ten (which is a damn good ratio considering) but I simply don’t have enough
time these days to read through them all. A great idea though, wish I had
time to contribute.
—
Anyway, that’s it for now. Keep up the good work. I remember a long time ago
some people were complaining that you didn’t get their free movie tickets to
them fast enough. Unbelievable. Well if any of the CHUD guys ever show up in
Tasmania, I’ll shout you all movie tickets (to movies you probably saw 6
months ago in the US) and several beers as well.
Nick: I wish you had seventy million clones, man.
Wow (SEND A LETTER)
B:
do have jennifer love hewitt e-mail
Nick: Sure! Try bigbncybrsts434@aol.com.