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June 30, 2007
Tagged!
I've been tagged. I frankly have mixed feelings about it. One one hand, when you look at someone's blog listing five other blogs, and you aren't on the list, it makes you wonder why you weren't considered worthy enough. When you are tagged, as I was twice, by Matt Riviera and Campaspe, you have to think about tagging someone who hasn't been tagged, and not causing any hurt feelings because someone had hoped to be tagged. I almost was going to have this tagging stop, but then I figured I might be able to encourage a couple people who may not have been tagged yet, and acknowledge a couple of others bloggers as well. Had they not been already tagged, I would have to first acknowledge Girish, Flickhead, Filmbrain and Campaspe as the first film bloggers I had started to read before I launched "Coffee, etc". They were also the first to write comments on my site as well.
Above is the logo, and here is the link that started it all. A couple of the people I list have been around awhile, and may have already been tagged by others. There are also a couple of bloggers who seem to have been inactive for a significant amount of time, which is too bad as I enjoyed reading them. I want to tag a couple of writers who are based outside of the U.S. and often do not write in English, with the goal of creating cinematic international goodwill.
1. On the top of my list is Emma at All About my Movies. Still in what we in the U.S. call High School, Emma is at least twice as smart as I was at her age. I first knew about Emma through the Shakespeare blog-a-thon. Emma is hosting her own blog-a-thon next week. Not only do I enjoy reading Emma, but I am hoping someone is smart enough to give Emma a professional platform. We have more than enough teen girl movie stars. What the world needs is that teen girl movie critic.
2. I don't know how CelineJulie does it, as Thailand is not the most ideal place for film scholarship. Limitless Cinema features essays about films that in some cases I haven't seen from Europe as well as Asia. Even if you can't read Thai, there are some great images.
3. I don't know what Garrick is writing at Safari Undergroung as I don't read Japanese either. But I can appreciate great screengrabs, graphics, and an eclectic choice of films.
4. One blog that should encourage everyone to think is Zach Campbell's Elusive Lucidity. Mostly about film, but with other cultural connections. Not merely a blogger, but one of the better writers. I also have to admit that in comparison I feel like an intellectual pinhead.
5. Last but not least, is Michael Guillen at The Evening Class, If people aren't banging on Michael's door to be interviewed, they probably will soon. Michael has the gift of gab talking with a variety of filmmakers and other critics. Also, I loved his piece on Speedy Gonzales, making me rethink my attitude towards the animated Mexican mouse.
Honorable mention: Jeuce has not been writing about films at Red Balloon2006 since April. But she has a great selection of screengrabs. I would encourage everyone to click on her other links to see her photography.
Some of my favorites have been tagged by others, You know who you are. One other iindispensable blogger I would like to cite is Tim Lucas at Video Watchblog. As most should know by now, Tim's book on Mario Bava is about to be made available. Tim writes for his own magazine, as well as contributing to such august publications as "Sight and Sound", and does audio commentaries for DVDs, all from Cincinnatti, Ohio. Tim's even found the time to email me a couple of times! As much as I've been complimented on my embrace of a wide range of films, I am dwarfed by Tim's knowledge of film and film history. Probably the only person who could write about an even larger variety of films would be Martin Scorsese, but he seems too busy making his own film history these days.
Posted by Peter Nellhaus at June 30, 2007 09:22 PM
Comments
Thanks for mentioning Flickhead, Peter. I agree with you on this tagging business -- it can lead to hurt feelings and misgivings. By the same token, a couple of your blog choices were news to me, so they just gained another reader. Double thanks!
Posted by: Flickhead at July 1, 2007 10:51 AM
Aww, that truly is one of the nicest things ever said about me. :) I'm really not smart that all, though, just... passionate about movies. I do love them to pieces!
Posted by: Emma at July 1, 2007 05:10 PM
Oh dear, tagged just as I'm heading out of town for a couple of weeks. Thanks for the tip of the hat, Peter, and I'll try to follow through when I get home.
Posted by: Maya at July 2, 2007 02:46 AM
Peter: I would agree with you and Flickhead about tagging... but it has led to some great discoveries, and the latest is Emma's blog, which I am now rushing to put on my sidebar. Have a great 4th, everyone!
Posted by: Dennis Cozzalio at July 2, 2007 12:32 PM
Thank you very much, Peter, I feel very honored. I can’t stop smiling today.
I think I should also take this chance to thank someone who inspired me to keep watching films and writing about films. He is Sonthaya Subyen, the leader of the Filmvirus group. If there had been no Filmvirus group, I might not have loved cinema as much as this, I might not have created a blog, and we wouldn’t have known each other.
Filmvirus is a non-profit group which likes to show some unusual films in university auditoriums or bookshops in Bangkok. They show films for free, just because they love films. Some of the films shown are from laser discs. Some are 16mm film prints borrowed from Alliance Francaise or Goethe Institute.
During the past 10 years, Filmvirus has shown films such as LUMIERE D’ETE (1943, Jean Gremillon); RHEINGOLD (1978, Niklaus Schilling, Germany); THE CRYING WOMAN (1979, Jacques Doillon); THE HUNGER YEARS: IN A LAND OF PLENTY (1980, Jutta Brueckner, Germany); THE SWIMMER (1981, Irakli Kvirikadze, Georgia); TYPHOON CLUB (1985, Shinji Somai); ALPINE FIRE (1985, Fredi M. Murer, Switzerland); EGG (1987, Danniel Danniel, Netherlands); THE OAK (1992, Lucien Pintilie, Romania); LITTLE NOISES (1992, Jane Spencer).
I think I can say that many true cinephiles in Bangkok owe a lot to the Filmvirus group. I can even say that I owe my (cinematic) life to them.
Posted by: Celinejulie at July 3, 2007 09:39 AM
Peter, thanks for the tag! About the "pinhead" comment, that's hardly accurate--I wish I were able to juggle the diverse sorts of films, in a genuinely "fair and balanced" way, you come up with each week here.
Jit, that's fascinating about Filmvirus!
Posted by: Zach at July 4, 2007 07:22 AM