What we've done: November 27th & 28th, 2010

- Simon Abrams pooh-poohed Prince of Persia: The Oh Who Gives a Damn. Schwarzenegger's Raw Deal turned out to be more his speed.

- Chuck Bowen checked out I'm Still Here.

- Lucas McNelly filled us in with the latest on his previous project Blanc de Blanc.

- Craig Kennedy had a review of Tiny Furniture and an obituary for Leslie Nielsen. Also: Watercooler.

Today's video: I think we're officially in the Christmas season now, so here's a little bit of Santa to ring it in right:

What we've done: November 26th, 2010

- Post-Thanksgiving, Dennis Cozzalio dug into the year's most notorious turkey and found it juicier than expected.

- Simon Abrams got up in the face of Tiny Furniture.

- Lucas McNelly showed us more from the set of Up Country.

- Craig Kennedy spoke nicely of The King's Speech.

Today's video: The 26th having been Black Friday and all, this was the first thing that came to mind:

What we've done: November 17th, 2010

- Simon Abrams broke down the Lincoln Center's Golan-Globus retrospective and collected a batch of nerd-friendly trailers. (Can't say I see what the big deal about Your Highness is, but there looks to be little chance of Cowboys & Aliens not being a hoot and a half.)

- Craig Kennedy, too, passed around the Cowboys & Aliens trailer, plus penned a review of Made in Dagenham.

Today's video: In honor of the Golan-Globus retro, it seemed only fair to post an infamous clip from Tough Guys Don't Dance:

What we've done: November 16th, 2010

- Craig Kennedy posted Episode 8 of the Three-Way Moviegasm podcast, a poster for Made in Dagenham and the trailer for Red Riding Hood, which will likely be dopey but I'll probably see it anyway because I find the Red Riding Hood tale innately fascinating.

- Sean Burns reviewed 127 Hours.

- Simon Abrams caught up with A Film Unfinished.

- Bryan Whitefield put up a picture taken in the Lourve.

- Lucas McNelly ran a test.

What we've done: November 15th, 2010

- Simon Abrams thought The Secret of Kells and Death of a Snowman mildly interesting despite dopiness.

- Craig Kennedy tolerated both Unstoppable and Morning Glory.

- Bryan Whitefield recommended a restaurant I may have to check out.

What we've done: November 14th, 2010

- Craig Kennedy dedicated his regular discussion feature The Watercooler to the late Muriel.

- Lucas McNelly found something to help him with his next project.

- Daniel Getahun was incredibly moved by Lost Sparrow.

- Craig D. Lindsey penned an appreciation of The Golden Girls.

Today's video comes courtesy of Craig Kennedy's ever-active Twitter feed. I guarantee that there's more entertainment value in this than in all of Tron: Legacy (of Crap).

What we've done: November 13th, 2010

- Paul Clark has awful news: Muriel, his beloved guinea pig and the inspiration behind the naming of the Muriel Awards, has passed on.

- Jim Emerson uses Leo Braudy as a jumping-off point for a piece on the ever-changing world of watching, and talking about, movies.

- Craig Kennedy has a poster and trailer for White Material, Claire Denis's latest.

- Howard the Duck AND Grown Ups show up in Adam Lemke's latest screening-log update. Dude's got a masochistic streak to rival mine.

Today's video: This teaser for the upcoming indie flick Blinky doesn't reveal much. But goddamn if I ain't interested anyway. Check it out:

What we've done: November 12th, 2010

- Dennis Cozzalio used several recent theatrical screenings to mull over the cinematic audience experience circa now. Any article that ping-pong from Obayashi's House to Werner Herzog to Film Socialisme has my undivided attention.

- Craig Lindsey joined the host of critics surprised by the non-crappiness of Unstoppable.

- Add Animal Kingdom to the list of films Simon Abrams thinks y'all are nuts for liking.

- Daniel Getahun dug Waste Land.

- Craig Kennedy's Weekend Forecast seemed... unexcited. (Can you blame him?)

Today's video: So Skyline, unsurprisingly, is getting embarrassing reviews. What to do if you're jonesing for an alien-invasion flick? Guess you'll have to wait until March for the release of Battle: Los Angeles, which looks promising. (Though the director also has Darkness Falls and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning to his name, so maybe you'll want to temper that enthusiasm a bit.)

What we've done: November 11th, 2010

- Craig Kennedy offered a eulogy to Dino De Laurentiis and a rundown of this week's DVD releases.

- Jim Emerson bore witness to yet another critic calling it a day.

- Scott Von Doviak ambivalently welcomed back Burn Notice.

- If you take Simon Abrams's advice for the moviegoing weekend, you could see a Claire-Denis-directed documentary about Jacques Rivette, Roman Polanski's latest (awesome) film and Dr. Butcher M.D.. FUCK YEAH ECLECTICISM

Today's video: A triple-header in memory of the late Mr. De Laurentiis, to remind us of the breadth lost. First, a clip of Dino accepting the Best Foreign Film Oscar on behalf of La Strada. (Embedding is disabled for this one; check it out here.)

Then, an indelible scene from a seminal De Laurentiis production:



Lastly, a promo for one of his single goofiest projects:

What we've done: November 10th, 2010

- Simon Abrams harbored a severe dislike for Winter's Bone.

- Craig Kennedy thought The Fighter a meager effort.

- David Thomson spun an epic 50-question movie quiz, and Dennis Cozzalio was there to look at it and go, "Damn."

- I sifted through a pile of owl crap.

- Scott Von Doviak plowed into the infamous Mexican Santa Claus and came out the other side smelling like roses.

Wait, which Santa Claus? This creepy-ass Santa Claus:

What we've done: November 9th, 2010

- Lucas McNelly floated a pretty cool idea for a new project.

- Sean Burns recommended both Unstoppable and Morning Glory.

- Paul Clark made a vow for quality. I'm with you, bud.

- Jason Alley got giddy over Jackass 3D.

- James Frazier found Robin Hood unmemorable.

- So, the other day when Simon Abrams was going after some Scott Pilgrim naysayers? That's 'cause he really likes it.

- Craig Kennedy posted the trailer for the latest version of Jane Eyre and the press release regarding last night's Secret Screening of David O. Russell's The Fighter at AFI Fest.

- That's a lot of two-star handouts in Adam Lemke's latest screening log update.

Today's video: Maybe my favorite teaser trailer ever. Edgar Wright has a clear affection for it as well.

What we've done: November 8th, 2010

- Craig Kennedy participated in Episode 7 of the Three-Way Moviegasm Podcast and gave stellar marks to Rabbit Hole.

- Chuck Bowen wanted you to see The Practice of the Wild.

- Simon Abrams came out swinging against Scott Pilgrim detractors.

Today: The trailer for The Loved Ones, an Australian horror film that our own Adam Lemke picked as his favorite film watched for the Halloween Horror Challenge. Which, in my eyes, is one hell of a recommendation.

What we've done: October 18th, 2010

- Craig Kennedy podcasted for the fourth time! Also: Gotham Nominations, some AFI Fest selections, a poster for The Fighter and a trailer for Biutiful.

- Phil Nugent wrote on literature and polished mediocrity.

- Simon Abrams said to hang in there with Bitter Feast and found worth in Hereafter.

- Scott Black thought The Killer Inside Me could have been better.

- Jim Emerson on "Mad Men" and perfection.

- Chuck Bowen kinda liked Punching the Clown.

- James Frazier offered somevacation tips.

- I plowed through a bunch of horror flicks: After.Life, Marebito, Laid to Rest, The Haunted Strangler and Doctor Gore.

Today's video: A terrific little short film by anime great Osamu Tekuza:

THE KILLER ANIMAL BLOGATHON

So it's October 17th, which means that, as promised, I'm hosting the Killer Animal Blogathon today. Check back through the day for (hopefully) a slew of angry animals getting medieval on humans.

What we've got for ya ass:

- Paul Clark gets classy with White Dog.

- Andrew Bemis goes rabid for Cujo.

- Chuck Bowen goes off on The Food of the Gods.

- Adam Lemke thrashes Orca. (Scroll down to the bottom.)

- I go running with The Pack.

Also: As pointed out by Jose Hernandez in the comments, Vern coincidentally wrote a review for Slugs. It's not part of the blogathon, but it fits the theme and it's fucking hilarious. Absolutely worth your time. Check that shit out here.

What we've done: October 9th & 10th, 2010

- Scott W. Black went one for three - pro on The Social Network, less than pro on Please Give and Rock & Rule

- Craig Kennedy debuted Episode Three of his roundelay podcast, cheered the instantly-infamous "Simpsons"/Banksy couch gag and found a way to celebrate a synchronic date. (And of course, Watercooler.)

- Phil Nugent unveiled the second part of his October Horror Movie Diary, calls Rich Iott a turnip head and finds the horizon where reality passes satire.

Today's video: Posting the Haunted Mouth video yesterday got me thinking about the disc from whence I first saw it, and how I really only saw it because of my interest in another film that I knew was also on said disc. That other film, incidentally, turned out to be a stone-cold masterpiece, and if you've never seen it before, you're in for something special. Ladies and gentlemen... Peter Tscherkassky's Outer Space:

What we've done: October 8th, 2010

- Craig D. Lindsey on It's Kind of a Funny Story: No, it isn't. On Secretariat: Glue factory material.

- Simon Abrams said a quick word about the IFC Center's Latin-American retrospective and had nothing but bile for Secretariat yet was surprisingly generous towards My Soul to Take.

- Craig Kennedy promoted the ID Film Festival. Also, it musta been Trailer Day at LiC: The Way Back, Four Lions and Blue Valentine. (And, as always, Weekend Forecast.)

- James Frazier really liked The Social Network.

- Jim Emerson snarled at stupidity and algorithms.

- Scott W. Black wasn't down with Original Gangstas.

Today's video: There was a bit of back-and-forth on Twitter today about an old, weird short film called The Haunted Mouth, an admonishment of tooth care framed as a horror movie. I've seen it before (it's on Other Cinema's Experiments in Terror disc), and it's as amazing as it sounds. Do you doubt me? You shouldn't:

What we've done: October 7th, 2010

- Simon Abrams interviewed budding filmmaker Zac Amico. Mr. Amico has made two short films under the title of "Schizoid Sluts from Planet Fucktard" and has gotten Troma to distribute them online. Most people would consider that a red flag. I consider that an enticement. Simon doesn't list those shorts among his What to Watch rundown, but I think he should have just because.

- Chuck Bowen considered The Social Network.

- Adam Lemke got the 2010 Halloween Horror Challenge under way.

- Craig Kennedy was iffy on Tamara Drewe. Plus, a trailer for the third film about that Swedish lesbian computer hacker who's always in trouble or some shit.

- Scott W. Black didn't think The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 was so sharp.

- Scott Von Doviak picks that John Lennon movie as the week's most promising release more or less by default.

- Bryan Whitefield unleashed music for fall.

Today's video: Couldn't wait for some "Schizoid Sluts" action? Well, here ya go:

What we've done: October 5th & 6th, 2010

- Sean Burns to potential viewers of Let Me In: What the fuck's wrong with reading subtitles? Sean Burns to Woody Allen and his new film: Dude, why?

- Two on The Social Network from Jim Emerson: one on the cinematography and technical aspects of the film, and one on the myriad of reactions to it.

- Paul Clark thought Life During Wartime sucked, maybe because it does. He also let us in on an archive project.

- Chuck Bowen on Budrus: "passionately, more-than-competently made, but it's a civics lesson that doesn't quite shake you to your core."

- Scott W. Black wasn't crazy about Salt but thought it a damn sight better than MacGruber.

- Simon Abrams poked Going Blind in the eyes. He was more generous towards Meek's Cutoff and Film Forum's ongoing heist film retrospective.

- Craig Kennedy revisits Raising Arizona and finds that it's still terrific. Also: trailers for Inhale and The Tempest.

- Phil Nugent goes full-on for horror flicks and takes another shot at Rick Sanchez (and throws in Christopher Hitchens this time too).

- Lucas McNelly has a message for UPS.

- Daniel Getahun wrote about the documentary Do It Again.

- Scott Von Doviak is happy to see Caprica back on.

- I thought The Other Guys was pretty funny.

Lastly: Simon Abrams also pointed out that there's a new John Landis film coming out and it's based on the exploits of grave robbers Burke & Hare, with Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis in the title roles. How much more excited could I get for this? And it gets better... there's a trailer!

What we've done: October 3rd & 4th, 2010

- Dennis Cozzalio posted an awesome appreciation of Albert Brooks as tied into a re-viewing of Broadcast News and runs down some October links and notes of interest, culminating in a pretty cool announcement. Wish I could be there, Dennis!

- Chuck Bowen found Frozen better than expected. Not so much, though, for Donkey Punch.

- Simon Abrams took on minor cult classic Dark Night of the Scarecrow and concedes that it might have something after all. His NYFF dispatches, meanwhile, said yay to Inside Job and nay to Julie Taymor's The Tempest.

- Craig Kennedy went podcasting again. Also, a list from the OFCS (of which Craig is a member), a piece where Elvis Mitchell talks to Sean Baker about the latter's film Prince of Broadway and The Watercooler.

- Lucas McNelly pondered his residence as it relates to his filmmaking aspirations and recommended the indie film Person of Interest sight unseen.

- Scott W. Black saw The Jerk, Monsters, Friday the 13th Part III, Without Warning and some stupid DTV sequel to 30 Days of Night... and liked none of them. He's consistent!

- Daniel Getahun highlighted Wheedle's Groove.

- Jim Emerson readied a forthcoming discussion of Claude Chabrol's opening shots with an appropriate video. [UPDATE, 10/9/2010: And now the full post is up. Awesome.]

Today's video: New True Grit trailer, via Craig Kenendy. What else would it be?

What we've done: October 1st & 2nd, 2010

- In his latest NYFF piece, Simon Abrams made me feel a lot better about not bothering with that Mexican cannibal movie. His hate also extended to The Hungry Ghosts, but only befuddlement could accurately capture the reaction to Emma Thompson being cast in Men in Black III. Meanwhile, he also wrote about Over the Top and Jane Austen's Mafia! simply because he felt like it. Dude writes a fuck of a lot.

- Craig D. Lindsey gets some verbiage out of Aaron Sorkin regarding The Social Network (a film he liked very much) and interviewed a Hammer Films archivist.

- Matt Lotti has a lot of catching up to do, apparently. The first salvo was launched.

- Scott W. Black hated the Nightmare on Elm Street remake, but thought Louis C.K.: Hilarious had its moments.

- Jim Emerson dug into The Social Network and the speed/sound of words while also breaking down the editing of Inglourious Basterds in honor of the late Sally Menke.

- Craig Kennedy featured a trailer in which a blurb of his was quoted. (You're comin' up in the world, dude!) Also: The True Grit teaser poster and Weekend Forecast.

- Scott Von Doviak wrapped up Fantastic Fest with a Takeshi Kitano flick and some random trivia.

- Phil Nugent remembered Stephen J. Cannell and elaborated on Rick Sanchez's poor interview skills.

- Chuck Bowen ran down a couple of It! flicks.

Hey, you know what movie's really, really fucking stupid? This one:

What we've done: September 29th & 30th, 2010

- Simon Abrams interviewed Gaspar Noe... and booped his nose. (He also discussed a live Mad Max re-enactment, reviewed Certified Copy as part of his NYFF coverage and told us what the weekend had in store, including Ip Man. But really... does any of that top Noe's nose? NO.)

- Paul Clark sorted out what is to see and what will be, and what can be left alone.

- James Frazier dug Magnum Force and wrote about Burn After Reading for Andrew Bemis's Battle of the Aughts (which concluded with Children of Men declared the winner).

- Chuck Bowen felt mixed on S&Man, which at this point I think has been kicking around forever. He felt more generous towards The Exploding Girl, less so towards Wall Street: Money Needs an Ambien, Dammit.

- Craig Kennedy remembered Arthur Penn and Tony Curtis, liked The Social Network and reminded us all of how much ass Blood Simple kicks.

- Phil Nugent also said a few words about Tony Curtis, then proceeded to unload an enormous consideration of cinematic revenge.

- Scott W. Black soldiered on: Police Beat, Frozen and Twilight: Eclipse.

- Danny Baldwin saw The Social Network trouncing all challengers.

- Scott Von Doviak's pick of the week is... well, it's exactly what you think it is. (Competition wasn't exactly stiff.) Meanwhile, Fantastic Fest hit him with a couple of stinkers in the form of A Horrible Way to Die, Kidnapped and the remake of Korean classic The Housemaid. (He did think the new Pablo Trapero film, Carancho, was worthwhile, so not a total wash.)

- Lucas McNelly had more behind-the-scenes footage from Up Country.

Lastly: Today's video needs no description. It simply... IS.

What we've done: September 27th & 28th, 2010

- Dennis Cozzalio reacted to the sad death of Sally Menke...

- ...as did Jim Emerson and Craig Kennedy. (Kennedy also had the trailer for True Grit, while Emerson tackled the hype on The Social Network.)

- Simon Abrams' newest NYFF dispatch found him recommending two films: Aurora and The Strange Case of Angelica. He did not, however, recommend "Bored to Death".

- Scott Von Doviak ran down the weekend at Fantastic Fest and then gave a warm recommendation to Golden Slumber. (Primal, not so much.)

- Lucas McNelly talked about the pitfalls of crowd-funding and presented... more Up Country hijinx!

- James Frazier was positive on Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, while...

- ...Daniel Getahun was less-than-positive. (He was more excited by When Worlds Collide.

- Phil Nugent chuckled at both Steven Colbert in front of The House and the reaction to said appearance, fleshes out the story about Kevin Morrissey's suicide and wondered why anyone should give a fuck about the Hawaii Five-O redux and, especially, The Maddeningly Vague Event.

- More disgorgement from Scott W. Black: Twilight: New Moon, Piranha 3D and The Vicious Kind.

- I saw a film about getting nailed.

What we've done: September 25th & 26th, 2010

- A whole host of grafs from Scott W. Black: Population 436, Four Lions, The Other Guys, The Relic, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Splice, Quick Change, Legion, Twilight and Wall Street. Damn.

- Craig Kennedy joined in on a lively podcast, leaving The Watercooler to us readers.

- Jim Emerson examines why mediocrity is more palatable in older films.

- Matt Noller proclaims that the new Blu-Ray of Godard's Breathless leaves him... nah, too easy.

- Chuck Bowen gave high praise to Nine Nation Animation and The Killer Inside Me.

- Lucas McNelly let us peek at some of the music that inspired him while shooting Up Country.

- Phil Nugent held forth on television both good and otherwise.

Today's video is something I'd never seen and likely never would have if not for the most recent AV Club Inventory - a very clever French trailer for Brian De Palma's Femme Fatale. Color me impressed.

What we've done: September 23rd & 24th, 2010

- Holy shit check that first image from Lucas McNelly's Up Country. I'm probably not the most partial of judges, but damn if this doesn't look like it has awesome potential.

- Craig Kennedy was busy (as usual): a press release from the AFI Fest about their opening & closing films, a consideration of the latest Phoenix/Letterman interview and the box-office collapse of I'm Still Here, a short film that's doing an Oscar-qualification theatrical run, the trailer and poster for Olivier Assayas's Carlos, the trailer for The King's Speech, the trailer for The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and the Weekend Forecast. Whew. You make us all look like slackers, dude.

- Simon Abrams, in his latest NYFF dispatch, conflates Of Gods and Men and The Social Network. He then wondered what the best option of the weekend was. (Hint: The Bridge on the River Kwai wins. Every time.)

- Craig D. Lindsey wrote about the Escapism Film Festival (which sounds like a blast) and a a Charlie Chaplin retrospective (which also sounds like a blast). Catfish doesn't sound like so much of a blast, the way he describes it.

- Scott Von Doviak threw up his hands and said, "Yeah, fuck it, Wall Street. Whatever." He seemed far more inspired by the selections at Fantastic Fest, which includes an apparently-quite-good film called Transfer that, from Scott's description, sounds like a must-see.

- Scott W. Black was not wowed by either The Expendables or Joe Dante's Piranha.

- Danny Baldwin figured that greed would whip some owl ass.

Lastly, Jim Emerson got inspired enough by a recent episode of "Mad Men" to create, and then break down in prose, a video in tribute. Here it is:

Beautiful Girls (and Mad Men): Ghosts of the 37th Floor from Jim Emerson on Vimeo.

What we've done: September 21st & 22nd, 2010

- Andrew Bemis watched as the Battle of the Aughts approached its finale.

- Simon Abrams continued his NYFF coverage with Robinson in Ruins and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. He also broke down a program of short films screening at ReRun and interviewed D.A. Pennebaker & Chris Hegedus.

- Scott Von Doviak spoke of Fantastic Fest and remakes.

- Jim Emerson talked about the pleasures of modern television.

- Craig Kennedy reviewed You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and pointed out an unusual pre-screening tactic tied into Freakonomics.

- Sean Burns was nonplussed by Catfish.

- Daniel Getahun weighed in on I'm Still Here.

- Dennis Cozzalio said happy birthday to Showgirls.

- Phil Nugent aired some thought brought on by True Blood and the anti-Park51 rally.

Lastly: Lucas McNelly provided a glimpse of Up Country. Kind of. See for yourself:

UP COUNTRY: First shot (sort of) from Lucas McNelly on Vimeo.

What we've done: September 20th, 2010

- You know the award that Paul Clark won the other day? Lucas McNelly won one too! We are awesome.

- In his latest New York Film Fest dispatch, Simon Abrams unpacked The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceaucescu. He also said that Buried was worth a look.

- Craig Kennedy highlighted a very odd short film, The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers.

- Paul Clark found The Town a bit bland.

- Jim Emerson tackled the flaw of "balance" in political reportage.

- Phil Nugent took aim at Christine O'Donnell's witchery and Meredith Maron's false memories. Also: his dog had a health scare.

Today's video is the opening for William Castle's Strait-Jacket. Mainly I'm putting it up because holy shit the first fifteen seconds are the best cold opening EVAR.

Announcing... a Halloween blogathon!

While I've participated in many a blogathon in the past, I've yet to host one myself. So hell - let's change that. I'm calling for a blogathon to be pulled together for Sunday, October 17th. The theme? I figured, given the proximity to Halloween, that it should be something horror-realted. But zombies, vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein monsters... all fairly obvious, and all a bit old hat.

But you know what nobody writes about these days? Killer animals. So that's what we're doing.

The rules are simple: You watch a film about some manner of deadly creature, write something - anything! - about that film and post that piece of writing on the 17th. Then, you tell me about it, and I post a link to it here. There's one guideline: If it's from Earth and it's a non-human animal, and it's killing people... it's cool! That leaves a lot of wiggle room. Land, sea or air, from big bad beasts to killer critters, you've got options. Get out there and make me proud!

(Incidentally, someone better write about Night of the Lepus. I'm just sayin'.)

What we've done: September 17th-19th, 2010

- Andrew Bemis presented Round 5 of the Battle of the Aughts, in which Punch-Drunk Love is still standing. And Mulholland Drive isn't. DOUBT NOT MY POWERS, PUNY MORTALS.

- Daniel Getahun highlighted a series of film events in his area: An Olivier Assayas retrospective, a newly-christened film fest, a celebration of films about music and a couple of specialized programs. He also noticed something very familiar about the structure of The Town.

- Up Country ephemera from Lucas McNelly: a video introducing the cast & crew, some fun with prop maintenance and the lessons of the shoot.

- Dennis Cozzalio charted the heartening evolution of the marquee of the New Beverly.

- Simon Abrams gave some reserved praise to Raging Phoenix and insisted that Alpha and Omega isn't entirely awful. (He did not extend such a claim to Devil.)

- Craig Kennedy further ruminated on fact, fiction and the sleight-of-hand documentary mini-boom while looking forward to Air Doll. Also: Watercooler, Weekend Forecast and the trailer for Jim.

- Craig Lindsey said that if you haven't seen King of New York... well, where have you been?

- James Frazier announced his separation from the Resident Evil series.

- Phil Nugent wondered what James Gray must think of the truth vis-a-vis I'm Still Here.

- Jason Alley liked Machete and The Losers.

- Scott Von Doviak survived the early-career Adam Sandler vehicle Going Overboard.

- Adam Lemke liked The Exploding Girl, loved Exit Through the Gift Shop.

Today's video... isn't much of a video at all, actually. And it doesn't have a thing to do with movies. But I insist that, if George Lucas had found a way to work this song somewhere into the Star Wars prequels, the entire enterprise would have been instantly redeemed. This song is just that damn good. (Why am I posting it now? Just happened to be listening to the album the other night on the way to see The Town, is all.)

What we've done: September 16th, 2010

- Paul Clark got an award! Congrats, dude!

- Craig Lindsey recommended Easy A over I'm Still Here.

- Simon Abrams filleted himself some Catfish and worked out what to see this weekend.

- Jim Emerson, via David Bordwell, explained what's wrong with modern action sequences and reminisced about starring with Kris Kristofferson.

- Phil Nugent got gangster-happy with Turner Classic Movies and examined wankery and its discontents.

- Dennis Cozzalio delighted in the images of Chris Menges from both now and then.

- I sussed out the possibilities of an unfortunate genre.

Lastly: By now, it's common knowledge that I'm Still Here is some manner of hoax/prank/art object/whatever. Craig Kennedy has a nice piece on the film, its tenuous relationship with reality and the reaction to the revelation of its nature. In honor of the film and the brouhaha it's touched off, today's video is the first part of another film that may not be on the up and up:

What we've done: September 15th, 2010

- Simon Abrams sez that if you're gonna be at the New York Film Festival this year, you might want to check out Silence. He was significantly less pleased with 3 Billion and Counting.

- Craig Kennedy was willing to let go of Never Let Me Go. Also, trailers for two upcoming films with very exciting titles: The Tourist and The Fighter.

- Jim Emerson did not care much for A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop.

- Up Country hit its last day of shooting. So says Lucas McNelly.

- Scott Von Doviak hopes The Town will be wicked awesome.

Lastly: Word out of Toronto has it that the new Takashi Miike film, Thirteen Assassins, is one of his best. This pleases me greatly. Here's the trailer.

What we've done: September 14th, 2010

- Simon Abrams continued his coverage of the New York Film Festival with two retrospective screenings by Fernando de Fuentes.

- Sean Burns was unimpressed by The Town.

- Bryan Whitefield spoke to producer/DJ XXXChange about some songs that the latter listens to a lot and highly recommended the new album by The Walkmen.

- The Oath is going to be on PBS, and Craig Kennedy thought you should watch it.

- Lucas McNelly neared the end of the Up Country shoot.

Lastly: This hasn't a damn thing to do with cinema, but... well, have you seen this? You've probably seen this. If you haven't, though... yeah. Take a minute. It's maybe the most bloodthirsty film I've ever seen, and I don't think it was quite intended that way.

What we've done: September 13th, 2010

So. Yeah. I took the rest of last week off to observe Labor Day. That's my story, and I'm gonna stick to it. Anyway, let's get back to it.

- Andrew Bemis winnowed down the field in Round 4 of the Battle of the Aughts.

- Jim Emerson honors the late Claude Chabrol with a repost of his Opening Shot piece on La Femme Infidel.

- Craig Kennedy has the poster and the trailer for Inspector Bellamy, the aforementioned Mr. Chabrol's final completed film.

- Simon Abrams started in on the New York Film Festival with Tuesday After Christmas.

- Chuck Bowen thinks the chances of El Superstar being remembered are... unlikely.

- Lucas McNelly is up country... filming Up Country.

Lastly: You know what's out on DVD today? Afterschool. If you have yet to see this terrific and disturbing film, it goes on top of your Netflix queue. Like, right this minute.

What we've done: September 6th, 2010

- Phil Nugent erupted: he used late political cartoonist Paul Conrad's work as a way to eulogize the man, discussed the death of the managing editor of the Virgina Quarterly Review and, subsequently, the publication itself, let Tony Blair have it with both barrels and reflected on some films that made the summer season worth it.

- Simon Abrams had unkind things to say about Prince of Broadway.

- Chuck Bowen approved of Sequestro.

- Danny Baldwin chides Going the Distance for not... well, going the distance.

- Daniel Getahun updated us on the family featured in Up the Yangtze.

- Craig Kennedy had your Labor Day Watercooler.

Lastly: Now out on DVD and Netflix Instant today is the well-received indie flick The Exploding Girl. If you haven't seen the film... well, neither have I. But I'll be watching it tonight. If Rex Reed hates it, it's got to be good, right? So here's the trailer:

What we've done: September 5th, 2010

- Round two in The Battle of the Aughts starts today at Andrew Bemis's site. Get yet votes in!

- Chuck Bowen praised The American.

- Simon Abrams charted the history of supposed Sandman adaptations.

And finally... today's Labor Day. So I give you the first few minutes of John Gianvito's excellent avant-garde political piece Profit motive and the whispering wind. If you haven't seen it, it's available via Netflix, so you can remedy that post haste.

What we've done: September 4th, 2010

- Craig Kennedy gauged early reaction to Never Let Me Go.

- Danny Baldwin wrestled with Machete.

- Simon Abrams says he's heard Somewhere could be good for Stephen Dorff's career.

What with all the low-down genre mania that's gripped your local cinema this last month (Machete, The Expendables, Piranha), I thought it might be apropos to end today's roundup with one of my favorite '70s trailers of all time. Check it out, it's a hoot. (Moment where I realized I'm wasting my life #75: Watching Spencer Compton's terrible Angels and realizing, within ten seconds of his introduction, that one of the co-leads is the same guy in this clip ranting on about his wife's bladder.)

What we've done: September 1st-3rd, 2010

- NEW QUIZ! NEW QUIZ! Dennis Cozzalio has a NEW QUIZ! (He also offered a reason to see The American and chuckled at an unfortunate marquee.)

- Andrew Bemis kicked off The Battle of the Aughts! One of the films in the running is Star Trek, which is facing LOTR: The Two Towers. (I voted for the latter.)

- Craig Kennedy looked forward to the best of the rest of the year, reviewed Prince of Broadway and posted the press release regarding the pickup of Ondi Timoner's Cool It and a clip from Let Me In. (Also: Weekend Forecast.)

- Paul Clark offered TIFF tips.

- Craig D. Lindsay says, "UGH!"

- Jason Alley thought highly of The Last Exorcism.

- Chuck Bowen expounded on The Other Guys, The Eclipse and The Expendables and let Piranha get its due.

- Jim Emerson dug deeper into Dwight Macdonald and asked for critical thinking in lieu of sensitivity.

- Daniel Getahun reviewed The American and Prince of Broadway.

- Simon Abrams panned Our Beloved Month of August and My Dog Tulip, mulled the unfortunate possibility of a Kick-Ass sequel and broke down the new shit on Netflix and on screen.

- James Frazier delivered some screenwriting advice.

- Matt Noller dug Scott Pilgrim.

- Scott Von Doviak likes himself some Clooney.

And finally, seeing as how Machete will be cutting a swath through theaters this week, it seems wrong not to spotlight the next child of Grindhouse to be unleashed: HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN! It's got Rutger Hauer as a hobo! And he's got a shotgun! What more do you need?

What we've done: August 31st, 2010

- Dennis Cozzalio wants to ask you one quick question.

- Sean Burns had a good day: He was positive on The Tillman Story and confirmed my suspicion that Going the Distance will be better than average.

- Jason Alley naysayed Todd Solondz's latest provocation.

- Paul Clark had some love for a cantankerous old coot.

- Phil Nugent unpacked Rubicon.

- Daniel Getahun was all about the Orgasm of Insanity. (It's much more mundane than it sounds.)

What we've done: August 29th & 30th, 2010

- Andy Horbal is moving.

- Lucas McNelly needs some help with wardrobe concerns.

- Simon Abrams said about Make-Out with Violence, "It's not so much." Mesrine: Public Enemy #1, in his opinion, is even less. Mad Max: Fury Road will clearly be more awesome than the both of them combined, if it ever truly exists.

- Dennis Cozzalio wags his finger at a needless finger-wagger. I don't even like Piranha 3D, yet I can't understand what's got Cameron's knickers all in a twist. Maybe he should go back to rolling in his huge piles of money for a while, get some perspective and settle the fuck down.

- Phil Nugent promoted the new issue of 'zine extraordinaire "Burning Ambulance" and sneered at Glenn Beck's math skills.

- Jim Emerson used a tie to break down "facts" vs. "opinions" and quizzed us on a unique wedding photo.

- Adam Lemke lost faith, only to have it quickly restored.

- Craig Kennedy had a poster for Jim and a trailer for Beautiful Boy, plus The Watercooler.

- Phil Nugent promoted the new issue of 'zine extraordinaire "Burning Ambulance" and sneered at Glenn Beck's math skills.

What we've done: August 26th-28th, 2010

- Dennis Cozzalio posted the second half of the conversation between himself and The Self-Styled Siren, along with gratitude for everyone who read, enjoyed and passed along the first installment. THE MODERN-DAY FILM CRITIC REFUSES TO DIE!

- Scott Von Doviak looked at the weekend releases, grumbled and started looking ahead in response.

- Simon Abrams pointed out a running theme in William Castle's movies and said happy birthday to Paul Reubens.

- Craig Kennedy posted the trailer for Tamara Drewe and a clip from that new Sofia Coppola film. Also, Weekend Forecast and Weekend Roundup.

- Danny Baldwin was genuinely surprised by The Last Exorcism.

- Daniel Getahun wondered wherefore The Social Network and wrestled with the number of different films hopping around inside The Other Guys.

- Phil Nugent got busy: a quick shot at Glenn Beck, a piece on Jordan Rides the Bus, dug into the legacy of Nixon and eulogized Satoshi Kon.

- Jason Alley will take Death at a Funeral USA over Piranha 3D any day of the week.

- James Frazier saw Charlie St. Cloud.

- Lucas McNelly bemoaned the difficulty of the PMD question. (Producer of Marketing & Distribution, if you're dumb like me.)

- Two Fs in a row for Adam Lemke? Damn, dude. My condolences.

Finally, our own Ari Dassa has been working on a documentary about his grandfather, and he's posted the first trailer for it. Check it out!

What we've done: August 25th, 2010

- Contest! Contest! Craig Kennedy is having a contest! The prize is a DVD of the supposedly-pretty-good Australian thriller The Square, which means I'll be entering. (Would that be a conflict of interest, Craig?) Also: A Martin-Scorsese-directed commercial/short film, the press release about the unrated rollout of the no-doubt-retarded Hatchet II, the specs on the disc that just may get me to jump to Blu-ray and the trailer for TIFF-bound creepshow Julia's Eyes. Busy day, dude.

- Jim Emerson examined a vibrant sequence from Mad Men and let Jon Stewart take the floor for a bit.

- Chuck Bowen wrote about Scott Pilgrim and The Thorn in the Heart. He verily loved the both, but which did he love more? SUSPENSE!!!

- Sean Burns reviewed Mesrine: Killer Instinct, or as it should be known, Vincent Cassel Fuck Yeah Hey Hey: Part One.

- I made sure that, once again, my blog lived up to its title.

And one more hat tip to Mr. Kennedy before I go, as he brought this faux-trailer to my attention last night. This film should really exist. If Hollywood's going to fuck over Dr. Seuss's legacy with every attempt at adaptation, why not just go full tilt nutters? Behold... THE LORAX: HE SPEAKS FOR THE TREES!!!!!

What we've (also) done: August 24, 2010

First off, I'd like to say thanks to the ever-awesome Paul Clark for keeping this place open while I went and got drunk in at least four states last week. His idea of ending each link rundown with a video is a really sharp one. This, folks, is why it helps to have the input of others!

So, here we go:

- I shouldn't want to see Make-Out with Violence after Chuck Bowen's vicious review, but I do. I am stupid.

- Simon Abrams broke down the upcoming NYC Alejandro Jodorowsky retro and reviewed Mesrine: Killer Instinct. Also: BOOOOO FUCK YOU CANCER.

- Adam Lemke ended up mixed on Aja's Piranha 3D. From his thoughts on Aja's work thus far, sounds like I'll concur. (Also, it's just damned weird to me to think of a Richard Dutcher film having gore and nudity. I mean, I know he's not a Mormon anymore, but I'm just sayin'.)

- Bryan Whitefield got graffiti-happy.

- Lastly, Craig Kennedy posted the press release announcing David Lynch as this year's artistic director for the AFI Fest. He then posted the trailer for Danny Boyle's latest film. I never find myself excited by the prospect of a new Boyle, since from where I stand, he does all he can to piss away all the promise inherent in each project he oversees. But 127 Days might well be his Gerry. So I'll keep an open mind.

What we've done: August 24, 2010

- Sean Burns reviewed Animal Kingdom and interviewed Stringer Fucking Bell.

- Jason Alley loved Scott Pilgrim, Brother’s Keeper, and demonlover. What Happens in Vegas, not so much.

- Craig Kennedy posted the teaser for Danny Boyle’s latest, 127 Hours. Slumdog grumble grumble.

Finally, in memory of the Japanese animator and director Satoshi Kon, who passed away earlier today, here’s the trailer for his latest completed work, 2007’s Paprika. R.I.P.

What we've done: August 23, 2010

- In his review of Last Play at Shea, Simon Abrams called Billy Joel out at the plate.

- Dennis Cozzalio celebrated the cheeseball carnage of Piranha 3D.

- Daniel Getahun spotlights the documentary La Sierra.

- Scott Von Doviak bemoaned the decline of Austin’s Dobie Theatre.

Finally, earlier today Mike D’Angelo posted a Scenic Routes column on Sita Sings the Blues, in which he submitted that movie clips are far more effective at selling a movie than an old-school trailer. Case in point: this spot for Jim, which Craig Kennedy posted on his blog. Instead of reverting to the usual montage and voiceover routine, this teaser takes the form of a commercial for a company that presumably factors in the film’s story. Whether or not this spot ends up in the final movie, I think it does a fine job of laying down the groundwork for the film- which, admittedly, I haven’t seen- without spoiling any of the actual plot. I have no idea whether Jim will be any good, but now it’s on my radar. Anyway, here’s the spot: