Monday, December 10, 2007

This Christmas, give the gift of blogging!

Today, on her blog Union, Trueheart, and Courtesy, my blog pal Donna Bowman put forth a simple proposition. Taking a page from a certain 2000 Kevin Spacey movie that wasn't called The Big Kahuna, Donna stated that she would knit something special for the first three people to comment on her post, on the condition that we similarly create something for the first three people to comment on our corresponding posts. I was hesitant at first, but looking at the knit goodies that she's made in the past made her offer too tempting to refuse. However, this left me in a bit of a predicament. Not possessing much in the way of artistic or craft-oriented skills, I didn't really have much that I could bring to the table. I could always cook something for the lucky commenters, but given how few of you are in my general vicinity, it would be a risky proposition to try to ship some of my black bean soup or my famous cinnamon applesauce.

That's when it hit me- I could review a movie. That's something I know I'm at least pretty decent at, or else you wouldn't be hanging around, would you? And by taking requests, I could show my appreciation not only to those who wished me to review a certain movie, but also the rest of my small but devoted readership, those people who drop by my little corner of cyberspace once a day or once a year (hi mom!) in the hope of gaining a little entertainment or insight from my thoughts on cinema.

So, dear readers, I'll put it to you. The first three people who comment on this post will be able to request a review (500+ words) of a movie of his or her choice. The only restriction is availability- if I can't obtain a copy of the film through reasonable channels (Netflix, video store, library) then I'll give the requester the chance to request an alternate title. But barring an impossible-to-find movie, anything goes. Pick your favorite movie, or your least favorite. Pick a movie I've seen, or something I haven't. Heck, if there's something you're curious about but you're unsure whether it's worth your time, have me take it for a spin before you decide. Be creative. Be sadistic, if that's your pleasure. But rest assured that if I can find it, I'll watch it and review it for you. I can't promise that I'll be able to watch and review your requests in time for Christmas, but I'll do so at my earliest possible convenience.

So what'll it be, folks? Citizen Kane? Spider-Man? Glen or Glenda? I'm at your mercy...

Updated!: We've got our winners, folks. I've listed them below, along with the movies they've chosen, although some of them are still deciding...

Steven Carlson: TBD
Jason Alley: Les Revenants / They Came Back (2004)
Victor Morton: Baxter (1989)

Stay tuned for any updates, and thanks again for participating, guys.

9 comments:

Steve C. said...

I'll make it a gift swap: I'll request a review of one of the films I'm sending you. But I won't tell you which one it is yet... :-)

(No, not THAT one!)

Jason_alley2 said...

Ooh! Ooh! Me! Me!

No idea what I want you to check out yet, but I'll be putting lots of thought into it!

Paul C. said...

Steve~

I doubt I could get 500 words out of the movie you think I think you'll choose. After all, how many ways can I say "The Best of Dilara is awesome because Sibel Kekilli is so hot"?

Looking forward to hearing what you guys pick. So who's #3?

Victor said...

Me ...

I'm trying to think of a movie that I think is great but generally is not thought of thus.

Victor said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Victor said...

I've got my choice. A movie that topped my 1991 Ten Best list. I saw it three times that year and never since -- never even seen it crop up on TV and it was only released on DVD this past summer (with a very misleading box). Its average IMDb rating is only 6.8 on fewer than 500 votes. It only has six Rotten Tomatoes reviews and I don't know whether anyone else in our mutual circles has even seen it.

C'est BAXTER ... beware of the dog who thinks.

Steve C. said...

Ooh, Baxter. Haven't seen it since I was about 17, myself. I'll be interested to read Paul's take on it. I remember being a slight bit underwhelmed... but then, I was 17.

Victor said...

"Underwhelmed"?

I suppose that's theoretically possible, but BAXTER is such a *singular* and perverse movie (whether or not it's any good) that that's one reaction that doesn't quite *feel* right.

Another reason why I think the movie is just this side of forgotten: go to the IMDb page. Do any of the principal name-credits mean anything to you? Not to me. Director Boivin has worked near-exclusively on French TV since. And since the lead "actor" is a dog ... he's had a hard time getting roles.

Scott W. Black said...

I'm glad Victor recommended Baxter, because it's been a sort-of favorite of mine since I saw it back in the nineties during my Tower Video clerking days. Happy to see it's now out on Region 1 DVD.