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| I prefer this version of My Fair Lady above all others. |
Actually, I can be annoying or testy at times, and now that this page has headers and pictures, I want to make it into a powerpoint presentation that I would of course also read out loud. Don't you love people who do that?
Token "About Me" Stuff:
Male New Yorker, a professional lawyer and writer and photographer from a pan-ethnic background and upbringing; straight, or as I prefer to claim: I'm the only man I'm attracted to. I love my family, travel, animals, photography, comedy, books, music, and life in general. I'm passionate and very active - but I also like thinking about stuff. And I make a lot of jokes. If you like, you can email me at thaddeuszwolfe at outlook .com (spaces added to avoid spam)...
In the Beginning, There Was Boredom
I love movies and writing. I love doing many things and many kinds of art, but to write on anything regularly, pictures are probably best. I wanted a place to produce short work (<10 pages), and this topic sounded fun for everyone. I figured I could highlight unknown pictures while also crafting thoughtful articles on cinema, and that new movies and film news updates would help keep things fresh.
This site, however, also serves as my writer's resume - and, yes, I can be hired to write articles on film, fashion, NYC life, cultural issues, the law, or even simple website copy. I love getting paid to write.
I used to aim for once per week, but found I was unreliable about it. The sheer length of my entries was partly to blame. Why sweat it if I took 2 weeks to write an excellent, thorough review?
Current Schedule/Status
Yet I can be ambitious, bordering on foolhardy. In December 2010, I chose to post 12 times per month. I favored the Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule that's natural to me, and I'm proud of what I did until September 2011. After a vacation, I reduced the pace - then, in April 2012, I bumped that up to 4 per week. Now, as of May 2014, I'm still publishing at last 16 times each month - Reviews are back in the weekly rotation, to which I add 1 Fan-made Gem, 1 Question, and 1 Imposters entry. The only time this changes is when I have 2 reviews in the same week...
[September 9, 2014 Update: As I mentioned in last week's fan-made gem, and announced more explicitly in last week's review of Snowpiercer (the last review I wrote, and one of my best works, IMHO), this website is going on indefinite break soon. Basically, I often write a month or more ahead of what gets published here. And I've been way ahead since June. Yet I've had less and less time for online shenanigans since May, and they are now truly eating into my real-life, grown-up time too much. I will post 4 times per week until mid-October; after that, all I have are a handful of pre-prepared entries. I'll still reply to comments and emails, but I'm done here. The weekly entries are more likely to include a Happy Endings post than a review, as I am not writing any new ones after my coverage of Ai Weiwei and You're Next goes up...
1/25/15 UPDATE: Forget that last paragraph. For one thing, I've reviewed a bunch of movies since then. For another, the rules of this site have been completely upended.
7/22/15 UPDATE: I published three times on June 30th, and posted more entries than there were days in that month, but I neglected to mention that the site is now shuttered. I did everything I set out to do here and more, and I have other writing work to get to, I've been going through a lot lately, so replying to comments on this site is about all I can handle, even though I have dozens of finished or nearly-finished posts. If you saw the September 2014 Update above, you'll know that I was already supposed to have left. So... so, thanks for reading, everyone; I'll take what I've learned here into my writing elsewhere.]
See, I made an official statement about winding down the site in September. Then I updated those thoughts in October, and then two separate times in November. Hell, I even provided a schedule just for the last month of 2014.
And then I decided to drop the bulls--t and be up-front: one of my closest relatives is terribly, horribly ill. I can't keep doing this and work and help my family and also live a non-internet life. And I can't drop any of those other things because they're all more important than d--king around online or even (gasp!) writing a film blog.
The downside is that I've had lots of posts go up half-prepared over the last two months, because I don't have time to complete them or to move them to another day. The upside is that I saw a whole bunch of 2014's top movies, and that hasn't happened in the 5 & 1/2 years that I've run this blog. So, I decided to blow this mother--ker out in style: by reviewing all the big films that I saw. As of now, I have no concerns about posting fan-made gems or other stuff - it's gonna be all reviews, all the time, until I feel like I've done right by 2014. And I'll also add some new TV recommendations, along with my wrap-up for 2014, which will go up before the Oscar winners are announced. DJ has and will be helping me just a bit in that regard...
At this point, I just want this site to go out on a high note. [END UPDATE]
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| Thanks to Matty Ryan and Cracked for making me laugh really hard. |
The Home Page
My home page shows the seven most recent entries. "Read more »" links appear when a post isn't short. I hate seeing a blog that publishes every full post onto the homepage, as it makes it harder to skim the site, and gives less reason to follow any one entry.
The quickest way to scan Net-flixation is clicking the monthly tabs on the right side. Left-click to "open" or "close" any month, to see the titles posted in that time. There are tags, words that let you select certain types of entries. Originally, I thought of this site as focusing on Articles, News, Reviews, and Site Updates. It had a nice balance...
I didn't alphabetize a list of reviews (the MRQs make that a pain), so go category-by-category or month-by-month to find what you want. There's a search box so you can look up specific words and phrases, too. Just find anything you can think of. Or click "Review" and "MRQ" to see the ~200 movie reviews that I've posted here.
Other types of entries are done in simple styles that appealed to me: Fan Made Gems, Recommended, and Great Moments in. They're great, check them all out.
It's more cute than funny, but why not?...
The Tags, and Some Rules/Guidelines
I try to keep nudity out of pictures posted here (I blur them if they're... too much), but not for pix of naked statues or such - I'm not a lame prude. And my embedded videos avoid being pointlessly graphic, but may have nudity, foul language, violence... I'm not cheap, but I'm definitely not a saint; I'm just likely to give an NSFW warning.
Sometimes, vulgarity has a point - with David Cronenberg on the artistic side and Paul Verhoeven on the cheap end, you can see something that is disgusting, but used for a decent purpose. In vids or in my own words, tho, I could be profane for a spell - I do it seldom, and usually use symbols (mo@$#$^@#cker") or dashes (holy f--king s--t, my ch---t) to replace bad language.
This schedule that I've kept since April 2012 guarantees one weekly Question. I won't bother explaining, but it's very fun for me, as the entries can be long or short, deep or shallow. Some are reader-submitted, others just my own ideas. As of August 2013. there's been a slight change in the format, at least part of the time.
My review count increases a lot when I do MRQs (Movie Review Quickies), entries where I cover 7+ films in one go. I also have a Double Dip tag for movies about which I want to post twice - like spoiler reviews, or articles on some specific aspect of a pic.
Other entries have evolved a bit: after a May 2012 marathon of Fan-made Gems, I chose to include one a week. I believed that, in combo with one review and that weekly Question, I could add one post on any topic I please and my audience should be entertained...
I also contribute on other sites now, so the Reviewing With Others entries will tell you to go elsewhere for my sweet, sweet writing. In fact, I don't review movies here as often as I used to because I post about one indie movie each week at Man, I Love Films. Honestly, I've been flooded with dvd screeners and movie passes since April.
The tags are... accurate, but their use isn't super-precise. I add Streaming to every film review where the movie's currently available off Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, etc. Yet I also put that on posts about the Streaming Rental Wars (e.g., Amazon v Netflix). Double Dip is used for the original and followup entry.
And my categories cover most, but not all, film genres: Horror, Comedy, Action, Drama... The Foreign Film tag seems flawed because I don't want to add them to foreign tv shows (I frequently choose to Recommend them, so...).
Be warned, though, my entries can run on at times. If discussing a well-respected picture, or making a big claim (e.g., disliking a well-loved film), I usually give it proper time and attention. Part of having a valid opinion is knowing how to express it... But I'll warn you when I'm freakishly long; hence, the Long-Ass Posts tag. I tried to be flexible with the tags I use, but I know it's all an imperfect system; I'm open to suggestions, if you have any.
Speak Up
Actually, please keep in mind that I welcome comments and critique, be they promises of fame or criticism and disagreement. This site's purpose was to burn off some steam, as a writer, and to put my stamp on film discussion. I love a good debate, and try to be respectful about it.
Above all, I believe in things passionately, but I'll admit when I'm wrong. Don't be afraid to chime in!
You won't convince me that most recent Nic Cage movies are good, nor Transformers nor Your Friends & Neighbors. I know garbage, and many movie-goers (even adults) are happy to simply sit along for the ride. "Good for them" if some people are easily pleased, but it doesn't encourage the film industry to improve itself, or to correct its flaws.
If, outside of a personal relationship, someone realizes that they can get more from you while giving less on their own part, they'll probably just stoop as low as you will tolerate. You should demand better.
Peeves & (some) Stuff I Focus On
Pet topics on this site include Remake-itis, my pet term for the bounty of movie remakes that flood theaters more and more lately. Sequel-itis is the same, but for unnecessary sequels. Site Oddities means an entry was supposed to go up ages ago - or it won't fit any other category. Movie Aspects is for articles on parts of the film-watching experience: the (un)importance of seeing trailers, chomping on some good popcorn, and other "deep" thoughts.Some directors I (a) love and (b) expect to cover a lot. They have their own tags, and include John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, Werner Herzog, Alfred Hitchcock, Peter Jackson, Hayao Miyazaki, Christopher Nolan, and Wes Craven. It's an eclectic bunch, I know, but they come up often enough in my film conversations.
If they haven't yet - I'm not a machine, after all, unless it's for pay - then be sure that I will review much of their work. When I get to them, anyway. I might find other people to add this category, but I'll hit a groove where I can cover their prized works more often...
In Closing
I (try to) provide thoughtful reviews and opinions. I want to stimulate conversation, awareness, and debate about film. I highlight fun videos to watch, movies to stream, legally free videos, news that catches my eye, ridiculous/impressive/funny movie-related things to look at...
I hope you find something new here, something to make you laugh really hard or think about how cinema influences you or discover a new picture to see. Read, enjoy, tell other people, and comment to let me know what you think.
I hope you get a kick out of what I write; I do.
