May 09, 2006

I'm Told We Don't Look a Day Over 8

Almost forgot that FFC just celebrated its ninth birthday. Historically, 9 isn't much of a milestone--at least our eighth anniversary lent itself to a nifty visual (the giant 8 that starts the countdown on film leader, if you'll recall). That being said, this occasion marks the end of an eventful, if not tumultuous, year that included one death, one birth, the addition of Alex Jackson, the launching of this blog, and the publication of our first book. I don't think I could've predicted any of that from this vantage point last May.

Still, the more things change, the more they stay the same: today the PR person for a studio that shall remain nameless informed me of cutbacks in the number of screeners they're setting aside for press--a change in policy that will apparently only affect online critics. (I replied with a link to this article, recently published in THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.) But while I'm frustrated that the stigma against non-analog media has proven itself so intractable, at least they're not letting us grow complacent, y'know?

Nothing to commemorate Revolution No. 9 except Alex's excellent piece on Love Me Tender, Travis' mercy-killing of Rumor has it..., and my own review of Terry Zwigoff's disappointing Art School Confidential. But who knows what the future has in store?

Hot Off the Presses (5/10)
Walter mans the torpedoes against Poseidon. And speaking of bombshells, did anyone else want to climb the nearest water tower and start a-snipin' after watching last night's season finale of "Gilmore girls"?

15 comments:

Erin said...

Congrats on #9, Bill!

And yes, I was thinking I might need some mild trauma counseling after that season finale. You heard that Amy Sherman-Palladino & Daniel P. are leaving the show next season, right? I am pained.

Anonymous said...

Congrats!

Re: Gilmore Girls. Oh Jesus. What a fucking balls up. Screw ASP and DP leaving, what the hell did they do to one of my favourite shows? Reverting the main character to a selfish unthinking desperate brat? Making the other main character a complete idiot running back to the arms of her slut lover just because he got into a major accident being a dipshit? Leaving my favourite character a piece of shit after injecting some nonsense into the show about him having a daughter? Why?! WHYYY?!?!!??!!

Bill C said...

While I'm in full agreement, I certainly expected a more sentimental swan song from the Palladinos and can't help but admire them for basically trashing their hotel suite before checking out. I wonder if they knew for certain they were not coming back when they wrote the episode, because it's the first time I ever felt the show actually sanctioning my hostility towards it.

(Thanks for the Anniversary wishes, by the by.)

James Allen said...

Funny, you don't look a day over 8 1/2.

Good job, Bill et al. Been reading for just about a year (what took me so long, I know), and hope you keep up the great work. Also, thanks for the blog forum, it's easily the most interesting (and stimulating) forum of talk-back film discussion I've read. I'm glad I'm able to be a part of it.

Once again, congrats.

Anonymous said...

Congrats.

Anonymous said...

Disappointing that Art School Confidential isn't good but i'm probably going to ignore your warning and go anyway.

Bill C said...

By all means. At least you get to see Sophia Myles in the buff.

Anonymous said...

Unsurprising that Poseidon sucks, and I applaud the use of "wanker" during the review.

Anonymous said...

Hey, I was wondering if people could help me. My roomate's suckered me into watching "Lost" with her and I wanted to go back to Walter's awesomely grouchy review- a review, weirdly, I can no longer find. Where'd it go?

Anonymous said...

Oh my god! Online film community! Have you people seen Brick? I feel like I'm sixteen again!

Bill C said...

Walter's "Lost" review never actually went live, Rachel. If you troll the blog archives (September/October-ish), though, you'll find a few "awesomely grouchy" posts in which he gathers his thoughts on the show.

Chris: Is feeling sixteen again a good thing or a bad thing?

Anonymous said...

It is a good thing, except for the shattering heartbreak. That Brick so effectively brought back that shattering heartbreak is a *great* thing.

Anonymous said...

You know I hate to sound like a virgin but British chicks look weird naked. The hotness that is Sophia Myles, looks oddly unseductive. I hated Art School Confidential, it doesn't feel clever by half and plus I think it was making fun of me.

Anonymous said...

You know I hate to sound like a virgin

Nah, you don't sound like a virgin. More like a talking dinosaur.

jer fairall said...

Er, Brick is that high school movie where everyone talks like they're in a 40's film noir, right? At least, I know there is a movie like that called Brick, but it just sounded like some weird novelty film and not particulary must-see. Not playing here, of course, but I'll look into it as soon as I can. Besides, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in it.

Art School Confidential *is* here, and though I am gonna see it, I'm not optimistic.