Keeping Up With The Blogses

Like Anna Karina's Sweater is three months old on Tuesday. In that relatively short period of time, Filmbrain has made a few friends (and more than a few enemies), attracted a handful of dedicated readers, and received two death threats. (Sorry Mr. Gibson, Filmbrain still thinks it's a snuff-porno film.) To celebrate, Filmbrain thought he would make mention of some other film blogs he can't live without, many of which were sources of inspiration for this blog. He also wants to correct a few wrongs by adding some sites to the Blogs of Distinction list that are long overdue. Deepest apologies to all of them -- if only there were more hours in a day. . .

The state of film blogs at the moment is excellent, in Filmbrain's opinion. Not only are people posting links and writing reviews, but there seems to be an equally strong critical eye turned on the critics themselves. Filmbrain says bravo to this. Many critics have become incredibly lazy, and more than a few write as if there were being paid handsomely to say wonderful things about utter dreck. Film bloggers answer to nobody, and as a result are honest (often brutally so) in their reactions to a film. Sacred cows, political correctness, going with the flow -- none of these matter. Film bloggers do one thing that critics rarely do -- let us know in no mixed terms how a film made them feel. Sure, we all like to get up our own asses from time to time and revel in how brilliant we are, but then we wouldn't have started blogging if that weren't the case.

Here then, in no particular order, are a handful of sites that should be checked hourly daily. The east coast (particularly NYC) is heavily represented, but that's in no way meant to discredit the rest of the world. It's just that Filmbrain has been actively seeking out other NYC bloggers for the purpose of global domination trying to create a Nouveau Nouvelle Vague of film criticism (read: people to get drunk with).

Green Cine Daily. How do they do it? How do they find virtually every interesting film-related link on the world-wide-web? One day's worth of links can cost you about six hours of reading. Your one-stop-shopping for everything filmic.

The Cinetrix needs no introduction. She's the Kevin Bacon of not only every film blog, but also less than six degrees from every A-list blog out there. Witty, clever, biting, acerbic (in a good way), and never afraid to put the smackdown on anybody -- she keeps Filmbrain on his toes. She says more in twenty-five words than many writers do in a thousand. Filmbrain is hoping to turn her on to some Korean films, and he can only wonder what she will think of them.

Aaron over at Out of Focus is the only blogger Filmbrain has met in person (albeit for about a minute). Another NYC-based blogger, Aaron & Filmbrain have a Siskel/Ebert, Yin/Yang, Olsen/Johnson kind of thing going on. He certainly wasn't afraid to call Filmbrain out over Vincent Gallo, but then again he treats A.O. Scott (and others at the NY Times) the same way. This alone is reason to read him. Aaron's gaze extends beyond the silver screen, and without him Filmbrain would know nothing about this thing called television and expensive Broadway musicals that Filmbrain can hardly afford. His recent post on the proposed Dukes of Hazard film was truly inspired.

Karen Cinecultist is the resident hipster and voice of the south-of-14th-Street film going public. She's a big fan of Godard, which, like Anna Karina's sweater, makes Filmbrain extremely happy. She's not afraid to see things like this and (yikes!) this, and her takes on them (as well as her other pop-culture musings) are incredibly beneficial to those of us who aren't as brave. Karen stays on top of all the interesting local film retrospectives (even venturing to Brooklyn), and Filmbrain is green with envy about her night with Zhang Yimou.

The team over at Milk Plus are writing some of the best long-form reviews of recent films. Their reviews are posted ever-so-promptly, and they beat Filmbrain to the punch with their reviews of Zatoichi and Last Life in the Universe. So good were they, in fact, that Filmbrain considered not filing reviews on those films. They also turn in some excellent pieces on older films. Check out this recent entry on the dreaded gerund-name title device -- too funny!

Speaking of the long-form review, George at A Girl and a Gun (Anna Karina graces his homepage as well) specializes in lengthy essays, mostly on classic cinema, that deserve the full print-out treatment for there's a lot to digest in them. His latest, entitled Some Films on the Holocaust is not without controversy, but Filmbrain was thrilled to find someone else who strongly disliked Schindler's List, and saw it for the sham that it was. He also manages to maintain a film journal, submit DVD reviews, as well as offering us a monthly film book review. (Where does he find the time?)

Marleigh, over at Hyperkinetic, is a bloggers dream. Not only does she offer comments on many (almost all) posts, but they are absolutely spot on, hysterical, brilliant etc. etc. Even when Filmbrain is in maximum-loathing mode, her comments never fail to put a smile on his face. In addition, she's living proof that there is intelligent life in Los Angeles. (Filmbrain's jaw dropped when he found out she lives there.) Her blog is more music than film, but it's unlike anything else you've read before. (How can you but not admire someone who has an equal passion for Iron & Wine AND Justin Timberlake?) (Check out her mixes.)She's also quite political, but she dishes out equal portions of scorn to both the right and the left.

Cynthia, and her ever-changing blog title, is representin' from the ivory tower. Deeply enmeshed in the Harvard scene, she's a fellow screenwriter who has written for Cineaste and is obsessed by the hinder of a certain up-and-coming actress. Along with her coverage of the Boston film scene and comments on films and filmmakers, Filmbrain loves her posts about her students, her roommates, or simply describing how she eats a chicken wrap. Filmbrain really wants to read her screenplay.

Sean at Bitter Cinema takes an almost scholarly approach to the world of foreign horror, schlock, and exploitation cinema. Though there are quite a few sites on the web covering this topic, many are a bit too geeky to be taken seriously, or they cover too broad a range. Filmbrain has learned a lot from him in the past few months, and is now on a quest to find these Korean films. Looking for online copies of the 60's Italian magazine 'Cinesex' or the Nazi reaction to Superman? Let Bitter Cinema be your guide.

Recent additions to the list on the right -- The Movie Blog, Drew's Blog-o-Rama, Long Pauses, Pop Life, and Cinema Addict are all offering excellent coverage of film news from around the world, as well as some wonderful takes on past and present films. Drew even manages to include a link to an appropriately themed MP3 for each post -- a nice touch.

There you have it -- a sampling of Filmbrain's daily intake -- and that's just the film blogs! Apologies once again to anybody overlooked, but Filmbrain will undoubtedly be adding to this list in the future.

Comments

[Paul D]

Filmbrain: "Many critics have become incredibly lazy, and more than a few write as if there were being paid handsomely to say wonderful things about utter dreck". My opinion of this is that critics see every mainstream movie and are forced to waste hours of their life away. Even if a film is mediocre it rises above the shit. Ebert, a critic with integrity wrote a book on Herzog "Images At The Horizon". He also gave "Anaconda" four stars??? What gives??

[Matt]

The major problem, I feel, is that the majority of film critics can no longer seperate films from the hype that surrounds them. That's why we wind up getting "reviews" of Dogville that attack its politics, or of The Passion of the Christ that attack its religious position, without even mentioning a film's qualities [or lack thereof] as, of all things, film itself.

When critics start looking at each film as a self-contained artwork again [be that artwork good or bad], then we'll be, I think, back on the right track.

Until then? Blog up.

[FIlmbrain]

A well-known NYC critic told me not long ago that papers/magazines don't want critics that hate everything. Something about negative critics causing a loss of readership or some such horseshit. There is pressure to find at least some redeeming qualities in an otherwise abysmal film.

Aaggh! Matt from Esoteric Rabbit Films -- how could I leave him off the list?! Sigh. . .

[Rashomon]

Nice group of blogs.
Rashomon asks where are we?

[FIlmbrain]

You're absolutely right. One of the first blogs that ever contacted me. Drats.

Rashomon - the site that had the George the Cyclist posts from Cannes -- much more interesting than what A.O. Scott had to say

Rashomon - sharing a common passion for Korean cinema.

Sorry man. Will add you to the list.

[Sarmoung]

I stumbled across yours here a few weeks ago. Given my fascination with Anna Karina since childhood, sneaking down the stairs to watch Alphaville in the small hours, and a growing interest in Korean cinema, I feel very much at home. Keep it up, this is great, intelligent writing on cinema.

[Katherine]

Did Mel Gibson really sent you grief for not adoring his Catholic self-flagellation show? Good gobs, that man is an ass. He's sort of looking like the pic of Dorian Gray lately too.

[Aaron]

For the record--because I hope this doesn't turn into a web critics vs. print critics tirade--I write reviews for a national movie magazine and have never betrayed my honest opinions. Paraphrasing myself (how pompous of me): when a movie's great, I get to write flowery; when it's a piece of bleeding mule dung, I get to write funny. Ain't nobody gonna buy my stars, grades or thumbs!

[FIlmbrain]

Certainly not all print critics are guilty of my charges, but too many are. Critics such as Jonathan Rosenbaum & J. Hoberman tell it like it is (though I find myself disagreeing with the former more often than ever before).

Still, it's great that you're able to write what you want.

[FIlmbrain]

Yet another film blog inadvertently left off the list Tagline: A Movie Weblog (Where was Filmbrain's head at this past weekend?)

[Chuck]

Yargh, I need to clone a blog-doppleganger to read all these tasty film blogs.

Science, where are you!?!?!

[Darren]

First, thanks for the link. I gave a paper on an academic panel a few weeks ago in which I argued, essentially, that blogs and Internet discussion forums have reinvigorated criticism to that point that it almost feels relevant again. ;)

Second, if you haven't visited it yet, also check out Film Journey, which is run by Doug Cummings, who is one of the guys behind Masters of Cinema and Robert-Bresson.com. All are great sites, and Doug is a fantastic writer.

http://filmjourney.weblogger.com/
http://www.mastersofcinema.org/

[Aaron]

First, while our "posted by" tags appear the same, I sadly do not write for a national movie magazine (but will gladly consider all offers).

With that said, in reference to Darren's post, I've definitely started seeing some blogs as a bunch of mini-Algonquin Round Tables for the 21st Century sprouting up all over the damn place.

[James R.]

Congratulations on the anniversary -- and looking forward to much more to come.

Yours,

J.

[jen]

Why do you call your website anna karina's sweater?

[Filmbrain]

I was inspired by Anna Karina, her dancing, and her sweater in Band of Outsiders.