The Film Habit #33 - January 5, 2004

2004 is gone… and in retrospect it was a pretty big year for us. We changed our name to something less inconceivable, and people responded. While we’re not breaking any records, but Cinema Blend’s traffic is in a steady climb. Rafe Telsch came onboard as our DVD Editor, and now the DVD section is finally a viable, respected destination instead of just a dusty place where I might occasionally review a 2-year old DVD. He’s done amazing things with not much to build on. The look of CB changed just enough to make sense, we installed a new database, and the news section has taken off like I never would have imagined. We even had a few scoops, unfortunately, most of them involved Seed of Chucky.

This was also the year of Pizza the Movie, a film whose cast is far cooler than the flick they made. Even though I didn’t like it, I’m proud we were one of the first sites to review it, proud to have given them a place to talk about their flick, and I’m looking forward to their next project, if only because they’re a rarity… good people.

In the end, this place is absolutely nothing without all of you. By you I mean the Cinema Blend writing staff, who cranks out incredible news stories and great movie reviews for absolutely nothing but the satisfaction of doing kick ass work. By you I mean the Cinema Blend forum staff of moderators and admins, running themselves ragged to keep the forum fun and topical, and whose only reward is the opportunity to mock spammers and humiliate them. By you I mean you, the Cinema Blend readers and Cinema Blend forum members, who support us, encourage us, and inspire me to write sappy paragraphs like this one where I thank people for making this the best place to be on the internet. Thanks.

This Film Habit is going to be something of a “catch up” column, a chance to recuperate from Holiday eating, drinking, and figure out exactly what we’ve all been missing over the past few weeks. Next week it’ll be back to normal, with some miscellaneous film topic which I have not yet thought of and will probably not think of until the very last minute when I’m struggling to find something salient to say to all of you.

me with your thought’s on 2004.

You Missed a Spot

If you’re just visiting Cinema Blend for the first time since the holidays (since a lot of you only surf here when you’re supposed to be working... you’re stealing from the company you know), welcome back. Free yourself from the faux family friendliness the greeting card companies have deluged you with and return to the dark, cold, sarcastic world of reality… a place where bearded fat men who like to put little children on their knee usually end up in prison.

You may not have been here, but a lot of people were. The Cinema Blend Forum has been hopping with braggarts telling everyone how many expensive swords they got for Christmas. It’ll probably irk you, especially if all you got was a fresh package of socks. Cruise by there and brag about your gifts, or check out all the end of the year discussion we’ve got roaring. Wildly important subjects like which movie was most likely to have given you the creeping craps in 2004 are happening.

You didn’t miss a decent edition of The Film Habit… because this bit of fluff is garbage and you know it. But check out our database to get a look at the tons of new movie reviews, DVD reviews, and previews that happened while you were off on your ski vacation. You might even want to take a look at our first half of 2005 preview or my obligatory top ten.

But, should you ignore all of that, then at least pay attention to this…. OSCAR CHAT 4 IS COMING. It’s hard to believe we’ve been doing this for four years. In case you don’t know what it is because you’re some nubile young newb, each year we do a huge chat session during the Oscars. Cinema Blend readers, staff, and enemies sit around and watch the Oscars and make fun of, discuss, and generally talk about them (or some just skip the watching and just engage in the talking anyway). You’ve got two months notice, so make sure you’re there. Click here’s for details.

me with questions about Oscar Chat 4 – The Quickening.

Sin City Teaches

Going to Las Vegas for New Years seems like such a cliché thing to do, so of course I was careful to book my plane tickets and hotel reservations in advance. It was my first encounter with the city of sin, except for secretive late night viewing of “Taxi Cab Confessions”. Imagine my surprise when I realized I’d done the one thing I hate doing most on vacation: I learned something.

Things Learned Spending New Years Eve in Vegas:
1. Penn Gillette thinks my wife is a potential ass grabber. He may be right.
2. Teller talks, just really really softly.
3. “190 Octane” is an appropriate name for the world’s most perfect drink. It’s at Fat Tuesdays, find it.
4. Boobs really can be art.
5. Boobs really can be nasty.
6. People are cool when watching fireworks.
7. People are not cool when the fireworks stop.
8. 400,000 people with a hangover is a bad idea.
9. The bigger the drink the better. Bonus points if you can fit your big drink in a uniquely shaped souvenir cup.
10. Waitresses dancing on slot machines is better than a ¼ scale replica of the Eiffel Tower.
11. Michael Jackson is palatable in miniature form.
12. Don’t listen to them. Body piercings hurt every bit as much as you’d think.
13. The Segeway is not a bad idea.
14. Public transportation is useless if you have to walk a mile to get to it.
15. Hotels are better with lions in them.
16. Asians love Las Vegas.

me with your tales of Vegas woe.

Letters From Close Enough to the Edge to See the View But Not So Close That There is Danger of Falling Off

Guided by the spirit of the small Asian woman to your left (who I really need to replace with something more snazzy), I answer reader mail. It’s new, it’s innovative, and no doubt this idea will be ripped off by thousands of copycats, like that hack David Letterman. your comments to have them read on the… er answered here. Let’s see what you folks have to say this week:

Jeff: It is clear to me you have no business as a movie critic.
First of all, the "whole world" doesn't think Daredevil sucked. I personally know of quite a few people who enjoyed it a great deal, including myself. While it may not have been hugely popular with dimestore critics, many did see entertainment value in the movie...including critics people have actually heard of and respect, like Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper.
And like it or not, box office numbers DO speak. Daredevil, with a $78 million budget did make close to $200 million worldwide ($100+ in US), with an additional $60+ million in DVD sales/rentals. Had the "whole world" thought Daredevil sucked, as you claim, it would not have made near that amount of money. Daredevil may not have been the biggest blockbuster in history, was anything but a "failed superhero movie." If you want an example of a failure, look no further than Catwoman, with it's grossly overblown $100 million budget which only made $40 million in US box office sales. The hugely popular Halle Berry portraying a much more iconic character in Catwoman couldn't save that film from a catastrophic collapse, if you will forgive the pun.
Your claim that the "geek love" for Jennifer Garner is "overrated" is certainly your opinion, and as my father used to say opinions are like armpits...everyone's got 'em, some smell worse than others. You're certainly entitled to yours. But keep in mind that no one can become as popular in the world of entertainment as she has without hordes of fans to support her. You, sir, are in the grave minority. And Maxim sure didn't have a problem with her eyes and shoulders when they named her the hottest woman of the year in 2002.
As to her acting abilities, she is consistently nominated for awards recognizing her talents, even winning the 2001 Best Actress in a Television Drama Golden Globe award. She's definitely a helluva better actress than Halle Berry is (who got lucky with a single Oscar-caliber performance), and if you question that then it is blatantly clear you do not watch Alias.
Oh and the fact that you say Ms. Garner cannot sing, proves how little you really do know, and the depth of your research abilities (or lack thereof). Obviously you do not know of her extensive background in Musical Theater. And check out Episode 21 of ALIAS Season One where she plays a cabaret singer for further proof.
I would suggest you watch the season 4 premiere of ALIAS which coincidentally airs this Wednesday on ABC directly after LOST at 8PM CST. My hope is that after viewing, you will be unable to deny Ms. Garner's talents, as well as appeal. If you are still unconvinced, then you sir are a lost cause..

Josh: She’s not going to marry you, no matter how much you stalk her. But, if you think it’ll help you impress her, then I’ll concede your point. Daredevil sucked and everyone in the world knows it except you.

Wayne: Heh-heh - saw your November 18 Film Habit where you mentioned the lack of Erin Gray photos on the Internet. I can't seem to get Google to recognize a Yahoo group, but one of the largest Erin Gray fan groups in the world is located at: http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/erin_gray/ We have so many pictures we had to expand to 3 groups. Sample picture attached! :-)

Josh: Can’t talk, drooling.

“Bunny”: Bill, the reason horror movies can open on Christmas goes beyond profits of production companies. It was an old English tradition to tell scary stories on Christmas, as it was supposed to be such a holy night that evil spirits could not harm you. ...and Jesus' REAL birthday has been pegged more around September, anyway.

Josh: Bill isn’t English and thus doesn’t observe English traditions. Though I hear he looks a lot like a Scottish soccer hooligan since he “had a minor slip with the buzzer” while trimming his sideburns and ended up bald, so maybe your argument is something close to valid.

Clifford: Paper Clips - Any chance of CinemaBlend previewing this?

Josh: Hey Cliff, always good to hear from you. That’s one I’m kind of interested in seeing, though perhaps its just because the name reminds me of Office Space. But, this is as close as it’ll get to a preview on Cinema Blend… simply because I barely had time to get a preview up for a big movie like Madagascar. Finding time to do a decent preview of a movie like Paper Clips is impossible, no matter how much I’d like to do it. Send me a large donation, I’ll quit my day job and devote myself to previews.

Chris: Did you know your website contains a GOGLEWHACK (this is an unusual combination of 2 words that are unique to your website only, no other website contains this combination) It is 'Galactical Swordfish'

Josh: You’re not only a spammer, you’re a liar. At least porn spammers promise titties and deliver titties. You promised me a Galactical Swordfish on my site, and there is not Swordfish of the Galactical variety to be had. I did however find an Interstellar Carp. Rome is burning sir. Rome is burning.

Hey! Do you like writing for mildly successful movie websites with no guarantee that you’ll ever be paid? Are you over 18? You’re in luck. CinemaBlend.com is looking for writers just like you. If you think you can capture the signature Cinema Blend style as a DVD critic and/or BNN reporter send me an with a few samples and we’ll talk.

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