SHERDOG MOVIE CLUB: Let's pick the Week 176 movie!

[Tufts]

Why is everyone so negative and even hostile about the club

Why is everyone so negative and even hostile about the club lately?

Why is it negative and hostile to recognize that the club was more fun, collegial and participatory in the past, and to want to bring that back? I, personally, am not happy with the lack of participation, the forming of groups that don’t want to watch or respond to movies that are outside of what they consider watching, and the lack of friendliness or camaraderie that used to make me feel like I was part of a community.

 

[Tufts]

Nah.

 

[MusterX]

First off, two thumbs down on honorary membership. Having a film degree shouldn't convey special privilege.

Does honorary membership even mean anything except... "hey we kinda like you! Your wrongful opinions on the Excorcist doesn't make you totally loathsome!"

Like... it doesn't involve voting, or nominations, or anything like that?

I'm the one that clashed with Bullitt when he first joined the most. How is it I'm the only one that wants an honorary membership for him? You two are savages. <45> Its just an opportunity for Bullitt to come in and participate when he can. We already pretty much have this agreement with @jei . I think everyone just needs to take a breath.

 

[HenryFlower]

Just posting to say that I haven't even had time to PM @europe1 about dropping out of the club, let alone to catch-up on Barton Fink and The Shining. During my last year of unemployment, weekly discussions weren't a problem. Now, trying to run two film classes (as well as doing freelance monograph editing and copyediting Sherdog articles) AND keep up with the SMC, it's just not going to happen. I'll still pop in when I can, but I knew as soon as the fall term started that there was no way that I could remain an SMC member in good standing.

That said, if free time is people's issue (as it is mine), there's always the option of bumping the SMD. As has been mentioned, the reason that that thread faded away was because the regulars just didn't have the time to post in there. Now, however, if the weekly crunch is too demanding for the SMC to function, the SMD might be the answer, as it'd allow people to watch whatever they want at their own paces and talk about it to their heart's content, and if other people have anything to say about whatever someone/people are talking about, a conversation can kickoff organically.

Wherever there are people talking about movies, I'll find them and pop in when I can, but the above constitutes the two cents that I've got on the issues at hand.

one: congrats on your teaching position dude. the hard work & passion you put into film eduction has always been evident, from the SMD golden age to the SMC. i’m glad to see that passion be rewarded finally.
two: you better post those syllabi soon, whether here or in the SMD.
three: while we will all mourn your SMC absence, i’ll find solace in adding Last Year at Marienbad to your brain box.
four:

 

[europe1]

Why is it negative and hostile to recognize that the club was more fun, collegial and participatory in the past, and to want to bring that back?

Nah.

Listen... if you want the club to be more "fun, collegial and participatory" then responses like these are counterproductive to that spirit, no?

Also, is this system-change a discussion about participation levels or isn't? We seem to be getting mixed messages here.

I didn't say it would increase participation

More fundementally... this argument seems to be between what kind of club this is. Is it a leisure club where individual members mostly do what they want and post how they wish? Or is it a club where the club-structure more proactively tries to coax and stir people towards an higher level of activity. That seems to be the jist of it for me. I think most people seem to prefeer the leisure structure.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

I'm the one that clashed with Bullitt when he first joined the most. How is it I'm the only one that wants an honorary membership for him? You two are savages. <45> Its just an opportunity for Bullitt to come in and participate when he can. We already pretty much have this agreement with @jei . I think everyone just needs to take a breath.

Anyone with an account can pop in from time to time. If you aren't gonna show up and support the other club members on a regular basis then you shouldn't get to vote for and nominate films. Not sure how that's debatable.

 

[europe1]

I'm the one that clashed with Bullitt when he first joined the most. How is it I'm the only one that wants an honorary membership for him? You two are savages. <45> Its just an opportunity for Bullitt to come in and participate when he can. We already pretty much have this agreement with @jei . I think everyone just needs to take a breath.

Ahh, I was just wondering what honorary membership even entails?

And jei isn't an honorary member. Jei is a fully fledged member. Only he's a benevolent mod so I wouldn't even dream of calling him out on his late notices. I mean, ever remember that guy who used to run these threads? Even wonder what happened to him? Go back to older threads and see what happened to his account-page. Hey, that's all I'm saying. You think a non-mod could annihilate someone so thoroughly? Now I'm not afraid or anything but... would you really want to risk it? Yeah jei is definitively a full-fledged member! Hear that, jei!? I'm not rising up against the mods, see?

 

[Tufts]

Listen... if you want the club to be more "fun, collegial and participatory" then responses like these are counterproductive to that spirit, no?

To me it was a case of monkey see, monkey do.

You don't see the humour in throwing someone's words back at them? To me @Cubo de Sangre's response amounts to witty repartee that was also a call out to something said before that honestly came across as snide and unhelpful.

 

[europe1]

This means people could actually decline their week if they so choose and don't think they can participate.

Well, to be fair, pretty much everyone is going to say that they will participate wherever they'll do so or don't.

 

[JayPettryMMA]

Ahh, I was just wondering what honorary membership even entails?

And jei isn't an honorary member. Jei is a fully fledged member. Only he's a benevolent mod so I wouldn't even dream of calling him out on his late notices. I mean, ever remember that guy who used to run these threads? Even wonder what happened to him? Go back to older threads and see what happened to his account-page. Hey, that's all I'm saying. You think a non-mod could annihilate someone so thoroughly? Now I'm not afraid or anything but... would you really want to risk it? Yeah jei is definitively a full-fledged member! Hear that, jei!? I'm not rising up against the mods, see?

I've been around since Week 1. Written about every single movie from Week 1 (a year later, but I was moving that inaugural week so whatever) to Week 92, then had to take off 20 weeks for personal reasons, and then came back and I've written about every film from Weeks 113 to 173. Every film, without exception, even if I'm late by a while. I'm on The Shining this weekend, been a rough time in my family recently so I've been around even less often than usual.

I know I can be a running joke by adding my thoughts well after the discussion is over, but I will always get them in eventually, phrasing. (I'm not aiming at you with this, it's just the reply caught your post)

 

[Bullitt68]

You're doing this to me when a Lang film has just finally won!?

Believe me, I'd love to talk about Man Hunt. And I'll definitely post in that thread when I can.

Is this some sort of longstanding revenge for me saying that King Kong had some of the best fight scenes of all time?

I'd actually erased that bizarre opinion from my memory bank. But now that you've reminded me...

...take that you crazy ape-lover

I wasn't prepared for @Bullitt68 to depart. One thing that I learned about Bullitt is that even with all the crap we disagree on, we both have a love for Stanley Kubrick.

Dude, your posts about The Shining blew my brain apart. I'm going to sub for an Intro to Film class in a couple of weeks during the "Visual Design" lectures and I'm most likely going to make it a mini Kubrick case study. I can't screen The Shining because it's too long, but I'm definitely going to use stuff from The Shining as examples and I'll probably end up stealing liberally from your posts

I would be fine with Bullitt participating whenever he can and if that's only once in a blue moon, I'm alright with that. We could just present Bullitt with the first honorary membership, especially since he's the only one of us that actually went to film school. Its an open invitation to participate with the club at any time regardless of previous participation.

First off, two thumbs down on honorary membership.

Does honorary membership even mean anything except... "hey we kinda like you! Your wrongful opinions on the Excorcist doesn't make you totally loathsome!"

Like... it doesn't involve voting, or nominations, or anything like that?

I appreciate the gesture, but I'm not Nate Diaz or Jorge Masvidal: I don't need a meaningless "special title." Besides, like europe mentioned, I wouldn't be in the nominating/voting pool. I'd just basically go back to what I used to do back in the shadowpriest days, occasionally coming in and joining the discussion but not regularly or officially participating as a member of the group.

Having a film degree shouldn't convey special privilege.

one: congrats on your teaching position dude.
the hard work & passion you put into film eduction has always been evident, from the SMD golden age to the SMC. i’m glad to see that passion be rewarded finally.

two: you better post those syllabi soon, whether here or in the SMD.

Totally forgot about that. I think I'm going to bump the SMD right now...

three: while we will all mourn your SMC absence, i’ll find solace in adding Last Year at Marienbad to your brain box.

You can take extra solace in knowing that I'm planning on adding Last Year at Marienbad to the brain boxes of my students in one of my classes

four:

It's just the allergies, man.

 

[Tufts]

And jei isn't an honorary member. Jei is a fully fledged member. Only he's a benevolent mod so I wouldn't even dream of calling him out on his late notices. I mean, ever remember that guy who used to run these threads? Even wonder what happened to him? Go back to older threads and see what happened to his account-page. Hey, that's all I'm saying. You think a non-mod could annihilate someone so thoroughly? Now I'm not afraid or anything but... would you really want to risk it? Yeah jei is definitively a full-fledged member! Hear that, jei!? I'm not rising up against the mods, see?

How @europe1 envisions @jei reacting to cheeky movie club presidents

But freedom from the tyranny of those in power is possible.

 

[europe1]

I know I can be a running joke by adding my thoughts well after the discussion is over, but I will always get them in eventually, phrasing. (I'm not aiming at you with this, it's just the reply caught your post

This is what I mean with being a "leisure club", btw. You shouldn't have strict guidelines to how to participate. As long as you participate in some manner, then all is good in the hood.

 

[Tufts]

I mean, ever remember that guy who used to run these threads? Even wonder what happened to him? Go back to older threads and see what happened to his account-page.

No. I think you were newly minted when I joined so he may have posted a couple of times. I've only been a citizen in your reign. Not until just now. I don't know how and I still need to catch up on the shinning. What happened?

I figure if I don't post nudity or racist stuff, I should be safe...

 

[JayPettryMMA]

This is what I mean with being a "leisure club", btw. You shouldn't have strict guidelines to how to participate. As long as you participate in some manner, then all is good in the hood.

That's always been my approach. This is a place for fun, not for "well we need to throw people out of the club."

 

[Tufts]

This is what I mean with being a "leisure club", btw. You shouldn't have strict guidelines to how to participate. As long as you participate in some manner, then all is good in the hood.

I think it is ok to post late every once in a while. I'd rather that than have the person never post. The downsides though, include:
- that the movie is no longer fresh on your mind
- that the comments read are no longer fresh either
- do everyone get notified that a post was made?
- what are the odds many folks are going to go back and look at the thread

Like I said, I think if you get it in a few days late, that is better than nothing, but posting months after the fact doesn't make much sense to me.

To me the club is about a community sharing a passion for an art form and sharing commentary. For that to work, everyone should be looking and reacting to the same piece of art.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

Listen... if you want the club to be more "fun, collegial and participatory" then responses like these are counterproductive to that spirit, no?

Also, is this system-change a discussion about participation levels or isn't? We seem to be getting mixed messages here.

I'm throwing back at him what he threw at me. If my response is shitty then so was the one I mirrored. Let's not pretend that one post of mine is responsible for creating whatever situation exists.

It's a discussion about low participation rates and my issues with rewarding the lack thereof. I'm looking for ways to reward those who contribute. I'm calling out those who don't. Is it a "club" or just another thread?

More fundementally... this argument seems to be between what kind of club this is. Is it a leisure club where individual members mostly do what they want and post how they wish? Or is it a club where the club-structure more proactively tries to coax and stir people towards an higher level of activity. That seems to be the jist of it for me. I think most people seem to prefeer the leisure structure.

You told me before this was not a movie viewing club, it was a discussion club. Well, when most members don't show up to discuss shit at the pertinent time then it's a lousy club. Don't you think? Why bother organizing weekly films if you're not trying to get people to view and discuss a film in unison? Seems like the SMD is around for that leisure structure. Are we offering something different? If not, what's the point? If so, let's embrace it. And people who can't handle a schedule can go there.

You put in work every week. You like seeing threads with 12-18 posts? Surely that can't feel like success to you, can it?

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

Like I said, I think if you get it in a few days late, that is better than nothing, but posting months after the fact doesn't make much sense to me.

To me the club is about a community sharing a passion for an art form and sharing commentary. For that to work, everyone should be looking and reacting to the same piece of art.

Pretty much. Fragmented discussion undermines the whole concept.

 

[MusterX]

Dude, your posts about The Shining blew my brain apart. I'm going to sub for an Intro to Film class in a couple of weeks during the "Visual Design" lectures and I'm most likely going to make it a mini Kubrick case study. I can't screen The Shining because it's too long, but I'm definitely going to use stuff from The Shining as examples and I'll probably end up stealing liberally from your posts

Yea I definitely stole that stuff form the internet but its because if you try to dissect The Shining in just a few days its about impossible to do. That's how much Kubrick put into it. I would say the thing that got me this time around was that blue/red color scheme that permeates the entire film. I've seen the film multiple times and never really caught on to that. The walls are blue, the walls are red, the twins dresses are blue, the blood is red, all the major characters are seen wearing blue and red during the film. Then you have that pesky series of shots where Shelley Duvall has the knife in one hand and the background is blue then she has the knife in the other hand and the background is red. Why is she even changing hands, that seems an odd thing to do.

Anyway, good luck in your endeavors bro.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

Anyone wanna take a crack at why this club displaced the SMD in the sticky section?