LIEBSTER AWARD

I've been nominated for a Liebster Award by Heather at That Film Girl. Thank you very much to Heather and go check out That Film Girl if you are not already familiar with the site.

For the uninitiated, the Liebster award is bestowed upon bloggers by their fellow bloggers. When you are nominated, there are a few simple rules to follow in order to accept your award:

1. Thank the blog who nominated you and link back to them.

2. Nominate up to 11 other bloggers to receive the coveted award.

3. Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.

4. Tell your readers 11 random facts about yourself.

5. Give the nominees 11 questions to answer on their blog when they post their nomination.

It's a great way to meet new bloggers and expand horizons within the blogosphere.

I've heard a rumour that I am literally the last blogger on the planet to receive this award, but I'm still going to nominate the following to have a go at it, in case they wish to. The catch is, I'm not going to tell them, so hopefully one day one of them may stumble across this post and if they haven't already had this award 17 times already, they might keep passing it along!

My nominees are:

1. And So It Begins
2. Cinematic Corner
3. Movies and songs 365
4. Time Well Spent

Here are the questions I have to answer from Heather:

1. What movie is responsible for making you a film buff?
Fight Club. I loved films before, but this fused my love of movies with my emerging interests in politics and sociology.
 
2. What's your favourite current TV show? 
Probably The Walking Dead. I feel like it's been getting better and better recently.
 
3. What's your favourite TV show that has ended? 
Breaking Bad. 
 
4. The last (new) good movie you saw? 
Pixar's Inside Out (for a second time). Absolutely love it. 
 
5. If you could live in any fictional land/country/universe, where would you pick? 
Hobbiton. Seems like they have everything sorted there.
 
6. Is there any actor/actress/directors that you'll see their movies, no matter what? 
David Fincher. He used to be my favourite director, but he's gotten far less interesting in recent years. I hope he gets back to making films like Seven, Fight Club and Panic Room.
 
7. What's your favourite animated film? 
Probably Toy Story or Inside Out. I was never a big Disney fan, but Pixar's films are brilliant.
 
8. Where's your favourite place to watch movies/TV? 
The Cannes Film Festival. Big screens, great audio and with a lot of people who all love film!
 
9. What's your favourite thing to snack on during a movie? 
Nothing. I wish no one ate at the movies. I do love Haribo cola bottles though.
 
10. How many movies do you own? 
Shitloads but I try not to buy them anymore, as I very rarely get a chance to re-watch anything anymore.
 
11. How and why did you become a blogger? 
I started this blog because I just realised that no one wants to talk about movies enough with me. Having a blog meant I could write about movies as much as I wanted and get it all off my chest. I also want to turn writing about movies into a career and am still desperately clinging to that dream!

Now for 11 random facts about me:

1. I was in a plane crash on the Thai island of Ko Samui in 2009.
2. I was featured on an episode of BBC3 TV show Freaky Eaters for being 'addicted to meat'.
3. I have written a book on The Blair Witch Project which you can buy here.
4. I'm about 6 months away from finishing my PhD in Film Studies.
5. I teach Film and Media for a living.
6. I have a dog called Buddy, who is my best buddy in the world.
7. I am in love with Costa Rica, after spending my honeymoon there, and would love to live there one day.
8. I've been lucky enough to go to the Cannes Film Festival twice for Tastic Film. 
9. I lived in Australia for 7 years in the 90s.
10. I used to play ice hockey when I was a kid.
11. I'm trying to run 40 half marathons before I'm 40. I'll have done 14 by the end of this year, so I'll have 26 more to do in 6 years.

Right enough about me. If the blogs nominated above manage to see their nomination, then here are the 11 questions I'd really like to see them answer:

1. If you could work on a film set, what would be your ideal role?
2. What is the best ending to a film ever?
3. If you could have one actor or actresses' career, whose would it be?
4. If you could be any film character, who would it be?
5. What is the ideal length for a film to be?
6. Are there particular things in films that make you cry?
7. Who is your favourite director?
8. What is your favourite film not in the English language?
9. What is your favourite film blog?
10. If there was one film you could destroy forevermore, what would it be?
11. Can a film change your life?

Writing for The Daily Heckle... and Getting Paid!

Do any of my talented blogging buddies want to get paid for writing? I know we all do it for the love deep down in our hearts, but sometimes it's bloody nice to get a bit of cash for pouring out all these words into the blogosphere!

I've been writing for The Daily Heckle for a while now and I'm racking up a nice bit of cash towards a summer holiday by publishing articles over there. I've mostly been talking film, as quite frankly I'm not qualified to talk about much else in life! But The Daily Heckle is a place where bloggers unite and heckle the world about anything they wish.

Once you sign up to become a heckler, you will find that there are loads of topics constantly being added in The Heckle Workshop and you can pitch your own ideas for how to write an article. Or if you don't suffer from writer's block, then just pitch some ideas of your own! Lots of lists, lots of opinions, lots of fun, and lots of money! They are really quick and efficient at paying over there too, so as soon as you're article is ready to go, you will be notified that you have been paid.

I assume most people that read this will be into movies and there are always loads of movie lists that need writing, but if you are into other stuff, then there is always that too. Want to slag off the royal family for instance? Well there's a job going that pays £10 to do just that... actually hold on I think I want that one! (Just kidding... sign up and take it now before I say something that will get me into trouble!)

These are all the articles that I have written for The Daily Heckle so far. Please give them a read, then head on over and get signed up to become a heckler yourself!

Furious 7 and the Movies That Make a Billion

 

What's new in the latest Terminator Genisys trailer?

 

Furious 7, M:I 5 and the Movie Franchises That Refuse to Die 

 

Mad Max, Mission Impossible and the Return of Real Movie Stunts

 

7 Music Videos That Changed the World

 

Top 10 Must See Movie Sequels in 2016

 

Top 10 Must See Superhero Films and Videogame Adaptations in 2016

 

Top 10 Must See Films of 2016: No Sequels, No Superheroes

 

Top 10 Most Shocking Moments from Game of Thrones

 

5 Scary Movies That Kids Will Enjoy

300,000 plus 800,000 page views

In March 2014, I will have been blogging at I Love That Film for 5 years. 5 YEARS!!! I can't actually believe that but it's true. It changed my life starting this blog, no exaggeration. It set me on the course that I have been determined to follow ever since. I want to write about film and TV for a living and I'm now well on my way to doing just that. It has given me way more confidence in going after a career in film journalism and helped to open doors for me around the web on bigger and better websites like Filmoria, Static Mass Emporium, Tastic Film and Starburst Magazine.

I can't let this blog go as I love keeping it going even though it has only just hit 300,000 views after nearly 5 years. I could probably contribute much more to various other websites and have lots more people read my writing but I built this blog and I love watching it grow. I also love being part of the incredibly talented, dedicated and knowledgeable blogging community that is out there. I used to think I was kind of alone in my film obsession but now I realise this is far from the case. I'm constantly astounded by other bloggers' commitment and passion for film.

More and more, this blog is becoming a place for me to link to my other writing around the web and I'm sure there may come a day when I will have to stop but for now I want to celebrate this little milestone. I hope that my frequent readers will continue to stick with me for some years to come. Thank you for dropping by and leaving comments... you know who you are!

Over night, this blog I have worked so hard on reached 300,000 views after nearly 5 years of writing. Depressingly or brilliantly (depending on how you look at it), my writing at Yahoo also hit a landmark yesterday when my articles totaled to over 800,000 views. Considering I became a contributor a year ago, this is slightly sad when you compare it to my blog but on the other hand, it is great to be reaching such a huge audience. That means all in all over a million people have looked at my articles and I like to think that with all my other writing around the web, perhaps the total is closer to 2 million!

Anyway, enough navel gazing and back to some real work! Thank you so much to anyone who reads this or who has ever commented or dropped by or read any of my stuff. To infinity and beyond!

The Walking Dead and Homeland Return

The fourth season of The Walking Dead has reanimated and stumbled towards screens across the world, attracting record numbers of gore hounds. Homeland season 3 also made a return recently to slightly less fanfare with a Damian Lewis-less first two episodes before Brody came back in time for the third episode.

I've been writing all about both shows over at Yahoo. My writing over there has been keeping me pretty busy lately and this blog is suffering as a result. However my page views over at Yahoo have already over taken the page views at this blog and I haven't even been writing there for a year yet whereas this blog has been plodding along for over 2 and half years now.

This probably isn't the post for this but I can feel this blog slipping away from me at the moment. Writing at I Love That Film has genuinely changed my life. What started small became an obsession and then I used this blog to get writing opportunities at other websites. Now I'm not sure if I can keep it all up anymore. I barely write anything here at the blog or for Filmoria (who first took me on and gave me massive opportunities) and I'm getting behind on my PhD thesis. Anyway this is not the end yet but I just felt like writing that before offering a glimpse of my recent Walking Dead and Homeland writing at Yahoo:

• 'The Walking Dead' comic creator Robert Kirkman on season 4 and latest casting announcements
  

  With season four of 'The Walking Dead' kicking off on AMC on Sunday and later this week for UK fans, the creator of the graphic novels the show is adapted from has been speaking about the latest season and some new casting news.
  
• The Walking Dead Season 3 recap
  

  'The Walking Dead' has survived three seasons and ahead of its fourth, we take a look back at season three, the best season yet.

  
  

  
• Homeland Season 3 Episode 3 Review: Tower of David
  After a Carrie and Saul centred first couple of episodes, fans finally got to see exactly where Brody has been hiding out in the third episode of season 3 of 'Homeland'.
• Homeland Season 3 opening episodes recap
  Carrie Mathison and Nicholas Brody are back and 'Homeland' season three promises plenty more bombs and bullets and a fair bit of teen brooding are in store. We catch up on the season so far.
• What to expect from The Walking Dead Season 4
  

  With just days left until 'The Walking Dead' season 4 premieres on AMC, many of the show's biggest stars and the creative minds behind it have been talking about what fans can expect from the new season.
  
  What do you think of the new seasons of these shows so far?

200,000 page views

Another landmark, 200,000 page views! Thanks to everyone who stops by, re-tweets, contributes and helps spread the word about I Love That Film.

It was only three months ago I was announcing the second year birthday of this blog and the massive amount of 150,000 page views. So it took me 2 years to get to 150,000 and only three months to get another 50,000 more. That's got to be a good sign that things are going well despite the increasingly rare comments I get on the blog.

To be fair, I'm sure the decline in comments is down to my own lack of commenting around the blogosphere. I used to be here, there and everywhere but I've made a very conscious decision to cut down on reading in order to spend more time writing. It's sad and I know I'm losing out on the community aspect of blogging but I still have regular readers and many blogs I love to visit but I'm also writing more than ever which is really why I'm here.

I'm so incredibly desperate to turn this into a career but as I have no experience in journalism, am not very good at the finding work and finding out who editors are and finding out who pays and all that sort of stuff.... but I'm working on it and things are happening... slowly.

At least the blog looks a little better than it did in the early days. I'm still no technical or design genius but at least I'm getting the hang of a few things and the blog looks ok and it's now a bit easier to search for and find things (I hope).

Anyway thanks so much to anyone who reads this! I assume you are a regular or semi-regular and thanks so much for helping me out by reading, sharing, contributing, commenting or even just communicating with me through Twitter. Your support is essential so thank you!

Fandom: The Relationship between Audiences and Films Part 6

Films do not just have the potential to have an effect on audiences but also audiences can have an affect on films. With fandom it can go both ways. Fans are people who love a particular film, genre, character or star and they share camaraderie with other fans. Sometimes being a fan can involve a huge range of activities such as attending conventions, dressing up, writing fan fiction, blogging, starting a website, attending premieres, collecting merchandise, writing fan mail or even getting into film production and referencing the films you are a fan of.

Though the films have clearly had an effect on the fans by making them get obsessed and turning the film into a hobby for the person, the fans also have an impact on the film. They turn it into more than a film, making it a cultural phenomenon such as Star Wars. Fans are now becoming filmmakers so Kevin Smith references Star Wars in most of his movies and J.J. Abrams is now making a Star Wars movie after being a huge fan of the original. Fans have expanded the Star Wars universe by writing their own fan fiction and their continuing love for the franchise has led to more and more sequels. Some fans have even gone as far as to call ‘Jedi’ their religion and some Trekkies have learned the (fictional) language Klingon from Star Trek. Some Avatar fans were even reported to be feeling depressed or suicidal as they could not visit the fictional planet Pandora. How much of this is really believable is debatable but there can be no doubt that fans take films very seriously and films can have a big impact on peoples lives.Check out this story on the tension between fans.

Did you miss...?

Part 1 on active vs passive spectatorship.

Part 2 on the pleasures of film watching. 

Part 3 on frameworks of interpretation.

Part 4 on media literacy and intertextuality.

Part 5 on the effects of film.

Read more:

Part 7 on pre and post-viewing experiences and conditions of reception.

Are you a fan? What do your fan activities consist of?

2 Year Birthday and 150,000 Views

Happy belated birthday to the blog, sorry I missed it! It seems I started I Love That Film on March 5th 2011 so I've well and truly missed the official second birthday! Never mind at least this has allowed the total page views to reach 150,000 so there is a cause for double celebrations! It seems like only yesterday (actually three months ago) that I was celebrating 100,000 page views!

I'm useless at all the technical stuff so I'm afraid not much has changed since the birth of this blog. I probably write a lot more regularly and hopefully a little better. Instead of putting the love, care and attention into I Love That Film, I have been focusing more of my efforts on writing for other websites such as Filmoria and Static Mass Emporium.

I wish I had the skills and know how to turn I Love That Film into one of the most popular and pretty websites in the world but unfortunately I am lacking in the technical department so my design is the same old boring, unorganized mess it always has been.

Speaking of which, one thing I am looking to do is have header things at the top of the page so that you can get here and find reviews, stuff on horror, trailers, news, academic stuff and pieces for my media students really easily as at the moment I have no idea how people find stuff on this page if they are looking for anything specific. If anyone can help with this, I'll be forever grateful!

One thing that has changed over the 2 years of blogging is that I have moved my comments to this Disqus thing as recommended by a fellow blogger, Bonjour Tristesse. I'm not sure if it was a coincidence but I'm sure my page views started rising around this time but I also started getting a hell of a lot less comments.

When I first started blogging, I was very active in the community, visiting and commenting on a huge range of blogs regularly. Now I have less time I've become way more picky on the blogs I read and particularly the posts I comment on. This I think has also left me with far less comments on my own posts but I don't mind too much as long as the page views keep going up!

To be honest, I'd say 95% of the comments I receive these days are spam which I am also going to try and stop as they are getting on my nerves! Again, any advice gratefully appreciated!

I assume as I don't get so many comments these days that it is because I don't have many regular readers from the blogging community anymore which is really sad as there are a whole load of blogs out there that I completely love and respect. On the other hand I guess the page views must come from search engine results so I hope that means I am doing something right.

I'm not sure how to take this blog to the next level. I'm desperate to start finding some paid work as a film writer but not really sure where to go from here. I get so many opportunities from Filmoria that my work for them is just utterly awesome but it also costs me a lot in train fares to London.

This has turned into a rather depressing confessional diary thing. What is more the guy who helped me incredibly at the start of this journey, Scott from Front Room Cinema seems to have very sadly disappeared from the blogosphere.

Well I still love blogging so I'm going to keep going with I Love That Film but I'm also going to keep trying to take my film writing to another level somehow. As much as I'm in this for the love, I'd also love to do it even more for a living!

Thanks so much to everyone who keeps visiting, commenting, helping and supporting. It really does mean a hell of a lot to me!

100,000 PAGE VIEWS!!!

I Love That Film has finally made it to 100,000 page views! Since starting to write regularly on this blog back in March 2010, it has been a long and eventful journey to get here! It took nine months just to start getting over 1000 page views a month. Now for the last few months I've been getting over 10,000 views a month.

Search keywords that are bringing people here are an interesting bunch showing that either lots of people study or love films about racism with American History X and This is England being the most common keywords. Most interestingly Top Gun has also brought many people here despite the fact that I've only done one post that shared the news that there would be a sequel.

Since getting back from honeymoon, the blog has grown exponentially due to my renewed determination to write more and linking to my frequent posts at Filmoria and Static Mass Emprorium. I'm hoping that this exponential growth will continue and hope that I might be able to get I Love That Film to 20,000 views a month soon.

Thanks to all the kind people checking out the adverts around the page, I'm also getting paid for the first time; £68 this month! It's taken 20 months to get there but it feels like a huge reward to me and helps me to justify all the cash I spend getting up to London screenings these days!

I bet most bloggers start out similar to me. You decide that you just have to start writing about film and you hope someone somewhere might come across it and read something you wrote. You amble along for awhile getting a couple of hundred views a month. You start reading others blogs and becoming more inspired. You start commenting and contributing to the blogging community. Then you realise you are a part of an amazing community of people who love films as much, if not sometimes MORE than you do. You suddenly spend as much time reading other blogs as you do writing your own. I used to get my movie news from the Empire magazine website now I get it from loads of sources round the blogosphere. You start getting more and more hits on your blog, regular readers, lovely comments, twitter buddies and Facebook friends. You start doing a couple of guest posts at other blogs. If you've got no technical skills you can't make your blog look better so you start looking for other places to publish. Some of you expand your own empires but unfortunately setting up this most basic of blogs is the extent of my technical ability!

Anyway that's where I'm at! And thanks to Filmoria and Static Mass Emporium for giving me a chance to grow beyond this blog! It is such a great honour to write for both of these sites! I love the stuff I get to do for them and I hope to continue for a long, long time!

But most of all this post is about thanking all of you who read this! I felt so supported once I became a part of this community with many regular readers who would drop by and leave comments after reading. There is no way I would have kept going if I hadn't had the support of so many fellow bloggers who have given me so much more confidence in writing and shared so many tips and hints so graciously. It took me the best part of 30 years to realise that I didn't want to make films or write films and that I actually love writing ABOUT films more than anything else and now I'm settled with that thought, I'm going to do everything I can to turn this into a career.

THANK YOU SO MUCH to all who drop by the blog, read my stuff, leave comments, RT my posts on Twitter, share them on Facebook and check out those wonderful ads. Thanks to everyone who has helped me out with this blog or helped me to get more free screenings (especially you Scott Lawlor of Front Room Cinema). And thanks to anyone who has let me write for their site. I hope I will be writing about hitting 200,000 in less than 20 months time!

Thanks again everybody reading this!

I Love That Blog Post #15 HALLOWEEN SPECIAL!

Check out how film bloggers have been celebrating Halloween with these awesome posts!

 

The 10 Most F**ked Up Movies courtesy of On Page and Screen http://eclecticbooksandmovies.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/the-10-most-fked-up-movies-weve-seen.html 

 

Ok this isn’t horror related but Chris at Movies and Songs 365 has posted his top 100 movies of all time http://moviesandsongs365.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/my-100-favorite-films-list-is-finally.html

 

A great list of horror recommendations from On Page and Screen http://eclecticbooksandmovies.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/our-halloween-cinematic-line-up.html

 

Cinematic Corner has visual parallels between Alien and Prometheus http://cinematiccorner.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/visual-parallels-alien-prometheus.html

 

Cinematic Paradox has been dipping toes in horror all month, culminating in an awesome top 10 and a look at one of my faves Texas Chain Saw http://www.cinematicparadox.com/2012/10/dipping-my-toes-in-horror-texas.html

 

The Droid You’re Looking For ranks the classic slasher icons http://tdylf.com/2012/10/25/ranking-the-classic-slasher-icons/

 

Keith has 5 Phenomenal horror movies http://keithandthemovies.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/5-phenomenal-horror-movies/

 

Front Room Cinema has a poll on what movie monster you would most want to be turned into.  GO VOTE! http://www.frontroomcinema.com/frc-halloween-poll-which-movie-monster-would-you-prefer-to-be-turned-into/

 

And So It Begins has a fantastic top 10 horror films with a great choice at number one http://www.andsoitbeginsfilms.com/2012/10/halloween-horror-marathon-top-10-horror.html

 

And I Love That Film has just broken the 12,000 hits in one month mark so thanks to everyone for dropping by!  And thanks to Halloween for making more people watch horror movies!

I Love That Blog Post #14

Cherish these blog posts:

I Luv Cinema takes a deserved look at overlooked early Tom Hanks film The Burbs http://iluvcinema.com/2012/10/tuesdays-overlooked-film-the-burbs-1989/

Loads of movie bloggers helped out by giving their favourite office scenes in movies here http://blog.flexioffices.co.uk/the-greatest-office-movies-of-all-time/

Flixchatter has five intriguing sounding documentaries playing at the Twin Cities Film Fest http://flixchatter.net/2012/10/12/spotlight-on-five-great-documentaries-and-theyre-all-playing-at-tcff/

Cinematic Paradox turns three!  If you don’t already know this blog, get over there and change that right now!  http://www.cinematicparadox.com/2012/10/cinematic-paradox-turns-three.html

Cinematic Paradox AGAIN with some hilarious edited posters of films with their titles changed http://www.cinematicparadox.com/2012/10/if-movie-titles-laid-everything-out-for.html

Very interesting piece on what Bond learned from Batman at The Movie Blog http://them0vieblog.com/2012/10/26/what-bond-learned-from-batman-the-dark-knight-skyfall/

Horror special of I Love That Blog Post coming soon!

I Love That Blog Post #13

Here is a selection of some of the great stuff I have been reading around the blogosphere recently.  I hope you will drop by and give them a look sometime!

The Droid You’re Looking For has the goods on the real life scumbag that Scorsese’s next film is all about http://tdylf.com/2012/09/12/who-is-jordan-belfort-and-why-is-martin-scorsese-making-a-movie-about-him/

Check out Impassioned Cinema’s must-see Video of the Week: Alma.  Stick with it for a brilliant ending!  http://www.impassionedcinema.com/votw-alma/

Fogs takes a detailed look back at one of my all-time favourites and a film everyone should see: Titanic http://fogsmoviereviews.com/2012/09/17/movies-that-everyone-should-see-titanic/

The Droid You’re Looking for has the twenty signs that you’re a movie geek http://tdylf.com/2012/09/26/twenty-signs-that-youre-a-movie-geek/

On Page and Screen has an excellent review of the American Psycho book http://eclecticbooksandmovies.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/book-review-american-psycho-by-patrick.html

Behind the Couch has a great piece on surely the gayest horror film ever: A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge http://watchinghorrorfilmsfrombehindthecouch.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/a-nightmare-on-elm-street-part-2.html

Fogs takes a look at another movie that everyone should see: Seven http://fogsmoviereviews.com/2012/10/01/movies-that-everyone-should-see-se7en/

Useful tips from My Filmviews on how to increase traffic and comments on your blog http://myfilmviews.com/2012/10/05/blogging-tips-to-increase-traffic-and-comments/

I Love That Blog Post #12

Check out some of the stuff I've been reading and enjoying recently!

The Droid You’re Looking For asks are horror films actually scary and does it even matter?  http://tdylf.com/2012/08/27/are-horror-films-actually-scary-does-it-even-matter/

Ever wondered why superhero movies can be so unsatisfying.  The Movie Blog has some answers http://them0vieblog.com/2012/08/27/man-vs-superman-chronicles-climax-the-scale-of-superhuman-violence/

Cinematic Corner highly rates one of my favourites, Monster, starring Charlize Theron http://cinematiccorner.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/monster.html

The Kid in the Front Row talks about the lack of diversity of Hollywood’s output http://www.kidinthefrontrow.com/2012/09/cinema-is-about-hearing-from-all-voices.html

Front Room Cinema launches an attack on trailers for trailers http://www.frontroomcinema.com/midweek-mumble-does-our-marketing-need-more-marketing/

Be sure to check them out!  Happy reading!

I Love That Blog Post #11: The Dark Knight Rises Special

Well look what I forgot to post before I went on honeymoon!  My humble apologies as this is a little bit late now but still, these are some great posts for you to check out!  Happy reading!

If you’re having trouble coping with a negative review of The Dark Knight Rises, The Droid You’re Looking For can help you http://tdylf.com/2012/07/16/the-five-stages-of-coping-with-a-negative-dark-knight-rises-review/

If that doesn’t work, Man, I Love Films brings the news there are counsellors on standby to manage your depression at the end of the trilogy http://manilovefilms.com/everything-else/2012/07/crisis-counselors-standing-by-to-combat-dark-knight-depression/

The Focused Filmographer takes a look at some fan-made videos and posters for The Dark Knight Rises http://thefocusedfilmographer.com/2012/07/16/take-a-glance-fan-appreciation-for-the-dark-knight-rises/

This one is not bat-related but thinking about it, a certain Christian Bale might want to look over Rodney’s guide to surviving being a celebrity before he throws another hissy fit on a set!  http://www.frontroomcinema.com/midweek-mumble-how-to-survive-a-celebrity-scandal/

3 Guys 1 Movie want to know who should direct and star in the next Batman movie http://3guys1movie.com/?p=5442

The Movie Blog calls for some sanity from the rabid fanboys that have lost their minds over negative reviews of TDKR on Rotten Tomatoes http://them0vieblog.com/2012/07/19/the-knight-is-darkest-appeals-to-fanboy-sanity/

Ruth takes a look at two of the best scenes from The Dark Knight http://flixchatter.net/2012/07/19/scene-spotlight-the-dark-knights-interrogation-and-harvey-dent-dinner-scene/

The Liebster Award

Thanks so much to Shala at Life Between Films, Chris at Movies and Songs 365, Iba at I Luv Cinema and Robert at To The Escape Hatch for nominating me for the Liebster Award.


The rules are:
1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Answer the 11 questions the person giving the award has set for you.
3. Create 11 questions for the people you will be giving the award to.
4. Choose 11 people to award and send them a link to your post.
5. Go to their page and tell them.
6. NO TAG BACKS

11 THINGS ABOUT ME

1. Ever heard of the reality TV show Freaky Eaters?  I was on it.  I am Pete: Addicted to Meat from series 2, episode 3.  This also led to me being on Harry Hill very briefly.

2. I was in a plane crash on the island of Ko Samui in 2009.  Sadly the pilot died but me and my girlfriend were in the front row right behind the cockpit.  We were interviewed for another reality TV show called Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8182962.stm 
3. I teach film and media for a living but I want to be a film journalist.
4. I’m doing a PhD thesis on found footage horror films.
5. I love making music videos for my friend’s band Feud.
6. I’m running my first half marathon in October.
7. This year will be my twelfth consecutive Reading Festival.
8. My best man’s speech was littered with Mallrats references as when my best man and I first met, we bonded over our love for Brodie.  Why buy the cow when you can get the sex for free?
9. I love travelling, especially Greek Island Hopping and exploring Thailand.
10. I lived in Australia for 7 from the age of 10 to 17.
11. I just got married to the love of my life that I have been with for 11 years already!

Questions from I Luv Cinema

1. LOTR or Harry Potter?

LOTR no contest.  Never much liked Harry Potter but I haven’t read the books.

2. What’s the longest you have waited in line for a movie?

Probably about half an hour.

3. Have you ever fallen asleep in a film? If so, which one?

Plenty.  At the cinema, I definitely fell asleep in Conspiracy Theory, Con Air and Mercury Rising.  At home, many more!

4. What was your first concert experience?

Bush at an arena in Perth, Western Australia.

5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Still want to see parts of China, Alaska, loads of islands, parts of Africa.

6. Any hidden talent(s)?

I’m pretty good at digital editing.

7. Subtitles: Yea or Nay?

Yea.  It’s not ideal but it’s better than dubbing.

8. What book would you like to be seen made into a movie?

I’d like to see The Beach remade but better this time.  Also I’m waiting for the sequels to Tomorrow When The War Began.  I LOVE that series with a passion!

9. What is the first thing you would do if you won the lottery?

Depends how much.  But probably buy a house on a Greek Island.

10. Have you ever snuck into a film without paying for it?

Yes.  After watching another one.

11. What is your favorite silent film?

Modern Times

Questions from Movies and Songs 365

1.      When and how did you become interested in movies?

When I went on the set of a film at age 6.  I was fascinated that there was a ‘behind the scenes’.

2. Who is your favorite director, and why?

David Fincher because he made Fight Club, the perfect blend of style and substance.

3.) What is your favorite movie discovered in 2012 (old or new), and why?

Too early to tell but probably The Dark Knight Rises.  Despite massive expectations, it still exceeded them.  Easily my favourite comic book based film ever. 

4.) If you had to recommend any movie you think everyone should watch, what would it be, and why?

This is tricky.  I’d like to say Fight Club but I know a lot of people would hate it or be offended by it.  Maybe I’ll go with Back to the Future.  It’s just a family friendly and absolutely perfect piece of storytelling.

5.) Have you been to a film festival, and how was the experience?

I’ve been to the London film Festival to see a Gaspar Noe Q&A, a Nick Park Q&A and a talk from documentary makers on the difference between fact and fiction.  I love the atmosphere of being surrounded by real film buffs.

6.) Which soundtrack or score do you keep going back to?

Requiem for a Dream.

7.) What films do you find yourself daydreaming about every so often?

The Goonies when I was a kid.  Terminator 2 when I grew up a bit.  Now not much really.

8.) Who do you talk movies with in real life, outside of blogosphere ?

My wife!  My students, my colleagues, my friends.  Anyone really.

9.) Favorite film poster?

The Rules of Attraction humping bunnies.

10.) What movie is the record holder that you have seen the most times, and why?

Tricky.  Maybe Fight Club.  I just love it.  And I teach it so I watch it a lot in class.

11.) Which movie websites (not blogs) do you visit?

Empire Magazine.  Filmoria.  Lovefilm.  Den of Geek. 

Questions from Life Between Films

1. If you could change the ending to any movie, what movie and what would you make different?

Can I go with a TV show and say Lost?  That ending was terrible.  Wish they had not bothered trying to answer any questions and just made it go even weirder and then just ended it abruptly.

2. Have you ever thought about writing a screenplay?

Wrote one at university called The Only Answer.  It’s a dystopian future thing about a corporation that is running the world from headquarters on the moon.  Terrorists from Earth plan a suicide mission to destroy the moon base.

3. What is one artistic choice in a film that still stands out for you?

The use of red in American Beauty.  The use of black and white in La Haine and Schindler’s List.

4. Who is your favorite actor that is also a musician?

Probably Jack Black off the top of my head.

5. What is your favorite independent film?

The Blair Witch Project.

6. What actor do you think is the most underrated?

Sacha Baron Cohen.  I think he’s going to get an Oscar one day.

7. Have you ever bought something or done something because you saw it in a movie? If so, what was it?

Yes but I can’t answer it in public as I’m a teacher and it may have been illegal.

8. Has blogging ever got you in trouble?

Not yet.

9. Has a movie ever scared you so much that you were frightened for days? If so, which movie?

Loads.  A Nightmare on Elm Street.  The Exorcist.  Wolf Creek.  The Ring.

10. Do you prefer to watch foreign films with subtitles or dubbed?

Subtitles

11. What is your favorite book to film adaptation?

Fight Club.  A rare example of film improving on the book.

Questions from To The Escape Hatch

Favorite actor/director performance?

 Charlize Theron in Monster

 

Favorite comedy?

 Team America

 

Any place you’d like to visit because of a particular film?

 Hill Valley from Back to the Future

 

Biggest character crush?

Probably Isla Fisher's character in Wedding Crashers

 

Least favorite movie?
 

 Sex Lives of the Potato Men

 

If you could get a sequel to any movie, what would it be?

 Probably Mallrats or La Haine

 

If you could keep any movie off limits in terms of a reboot or remake, what would it be?
 

 Fight Club

 

Last movie you saw in the theater?

 Ted

 

Movie you can’t bring yourself to watch?
 

 Gone with the Wind took me a loooooong time to sit through.

 

Someone who should stop acting?
 

 Nicholas Cage

 

An actor whom you’d like to see directing?

 

 Edward Norton

 

Now here are my questions for anyone who hasn't received the award yet:

1. What is the most important thing you learned from a movie?
2. What is your favourite TV show?
3. If you could be a film character, who would it be?
4. What is your favourite British film?
5. What is the ideal way to watch a film? Place, time, technology, company?
6. What is your favourite shot from a film?
7. Ever visited a film location just because it’s in a film and if so which one?
8. Can documentaries be better than fiction films?
9. Favourite found footage film and why?
10. Ever met a movie star?
11. Who makes better blockbusters… James Cameron or Steven Spielberg?

It looks to me like every blogger and her/his dog has had this award now so I’m going to leave this open.  If there is anyone who reads this who would like to take part, please leave a comment below and I will gladly edit this and pass it on.  Or if you feel like answering any of these questions for the hell of it, then please feel free!