A Brief Intermission

The picture above is my fiance and me last year at the coast. If you're wondering why we're at the beach and all bundled up it's because it's Oregon, and the beach doesn't get warmer than 70 degrees here. Oh, and I'm the one with the pseudo-beard. So, why the picture? I'm getting married this Friday so there will be a short sabbatical from the blog starting today and lasting until I return August 24 where I will be posting the first entry for my top 10 films of 1999 for my Revisiting 1999 project. I didn't just put a picture of myself up here for fun...I don't like myself that much, hehe. But as you can tell, despite the wind almost blowing us off the patio where we took that picture, I am quite happy about this new journey in my life (ugh...journey, sounds so lame, plus it makes me think of Steven Perry), but I suppose that's what it is, and I am really excited for this. And since I consider all of you who read this blog friends (despite being faceless, still...friends I hope), I didn't mind exposing my identity and posting the reason behind why I'm going to be gone for a few weeks. Oh, and I wanted to prove that my fiance was real and not created by a computer.

Here's some links to keep ya busy while I'm gone:

Judd Apatow's Funny People is now out...and to lukewarm reactions, too. I will still see the film of course, but for now here are two great reviews of the film. The first review is courtesy of Ed Howard of the brilliant Only the Cinema. He talks about the film getting derailed in its final, long (which is typical Apatow...despite my love for the man he doesn't know how to edit his movies) act. The second review comes from one of my favorite blogs that I don't pimp enough: Ryan Kelly's Medfly Quarantine. His reaction was little more negative than Ed's. Great reads. Check 'em out.

Bill at the infectious (well...infectious in a good way) The Kind of Face You Hate has a great post up about background movies. Check it out and see if you agree with Bill on what constitutes a background. I usually go with any action channel that can offer me up an array qualities that range from being so-bad-it's-good (but not too bad, as Bill explains in his post) like Tango and Cash or Road House, or great action movies that I've seen a million times that are really violent like Robocop or The Rock or Aliens. If this hasn't been enough to entice you...then let me just say...he does mention Krull. And away you go...seriously it's one of the best blogs out there. Check it out.

Sadly, due to wedding plans, I haven't had the opportunity to comment the way I would like on one of the best pieces written over at The House Next Door. Jason Bellamy and Ed Howard have this great series called The Conversations, and this month they really hit out of the park with their discussion on Mann's oeuvre. Frequenters of this blog know my love for Mann's films and where I place him on the list of best American directors, so it saddens me that I haven't the time to properly respond to all of the great work Jason and Ed put into that piece. It's long, and like a fine dessert, better digested and appreciated in sections. It's really worth the time to read it. Sorry guys...someday I may get to commenting on it.

TOERIFC is in a few days, and entry this month looks to be a good one: Fassbinder's The Merchant of the Four Seasons. I have only seen a few Fassbinder films (the most recognizable title probably being Ali: Fear Eats the Soul), and I was really looking forward to this one, but I'll be out of town for the discussion. Google Fassbinder if you're unfamiliar with his work...he was an interesting figure in Germany's version of the French New Wave...I think it was called The New German Cinema...but I could be wrong about that. Anyway...watch the movie, or if you've seen it recently and think you can contribute something to the discussion, then by all means this film club is open to anyone and everyone. Just head over to Tractor Facts where our gracious host Fox will be getting things started August 17. It usually gets going early for us West Coast people, so get yourself amply prepared and enjoy what is sure to be a great film discussion.

Jason Bellamy of The Cooler has written a wonderfully entertaining piece called Falling Out of Love at the Movies. It's about the things we talk about when we talk about movies with those that we love...or are trying to like at least (and yes I blatantly ripped of Raymond Carver, there). It's a fun read. Check it out, I'm sure we've all had instances where we were shocked by what a female or male date said about a movie we absolutely loved.

Finally I would like to point everyone to Wonders in the Dark. I did so in the post below me, but I wanted to do it again. The fine film blog ran by Sam Juliano and Allan Fish ask all bloggers to submit their top 25 films for each decade, and this month we're onto the 80's. My list is here. Check out the other lists here. As I said in my post below, I always walk away from these things with 30 or more ideas for DVD rentals. Just a lot of fun, too. Participate if you haven't before...the threads are incredibly addicting and will wipe away about half of your work day, hehe.

I hope everyone has a great couple of weeks. See ya then.

Labels: Links, Random Blogging