Monday Movie Meme – Zero Explanation… #wtf

At the typing of today’s post, its Monday, 9:45pm and I am super pissed.

For some reason that I cannot determine at this time (nor have I heard any word back from the service, yet), my profile count of followers and people who I’m following on Twitter is at zero. Since I’m not tweeting on a daily basis, I didn’t know this occurred until this evening while updating my blog. After doing some investigation, it looks like the most recent updates that I received from the people I’m following were from last week – on Thursday! WTF happened over the weekend?!!! Anyway, I would like to issue a public apology to everyone who started following me on Twitter, as well as to those who I’ve followed on that social media platform.

I’m hoping that the Twitter Support team can get to the bottom of this and send me some answers as to why this occurred and the next steps going forward. Now that I’m aggravated, the theme for this week’s Monday Movie Meme will be pushed back to next week, to make room for a more pressing one: Unexplained Events.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring strange occurrences that affect people in an either inconvenient or problematic way. Here are my selections for this week’s Unexplained Events theme.

The Forgotten

 Two strangers race to find answers about a crash involving their children, in this psychological thriller starring Julianne Moore and Dominic West. The main characters are met with resistance by people and forces that claim these kids never existed.

The Adjustment Bureau

A politician fights for his freedom in shaping his life after learning that certain aspects of his existence and future is being controlled by a group of strange men in suits. If that wasn’t already an issue in and of itself, these men also claim to answer to some elusive head honcho they refer to as “the Chairman” in this romantic Sci-Fi thriller starring Matt Damon and Anthony Mackie.

The Sixth Sense

Nothing says strange like a little boy who communicates with the spirits of dead people – but that’s what goes down in this mystery thriller starring Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment.

What movies featuring unexplained events have YOU watched?

Sunday Synopsis: Notes on an Atlanta Film Festival Buzzkill, IMAX/3D and Stuff… #lammys2013 #thelamb

In today’s Sunday Synopsis, I’m mashing up three prompts from the Blog Everyday in May Challenge, hosted by Jenni – who wants participants to spill the goods on their most embarrassing moment(s). She also proposed the task of selling yourself in 10 words or less.

Lastly, Jenni asks “What do you miss?” – Here are my responses to her suggested topics, (each) in a nutshell.

• A few years ago, I was at a party in Atlanta, following one of the premiere film festival screenings for a VH1 special. No matter how much I tried to get rid of a huge red and swollen pimple on my face prior to this day, my attempts were not only unsuccessful, they also made it worse....

There I was, chatting it up in a room full of movers and shakers in the music and film industries including MTV program hosts and artists such as Big Boi, etc. looking like a mosquito bit me on the face. Needless to say, that was not one of my best moments – especially when everyone else at this party is trying to bring their A-game – what with the glitz, glamour and networking and all. This isolated event hardly makes the list of my most embarrassing moments but the experience was uncomfortable enough to qualify for a mention here. You didn’t think I was really going to spill the beans on this kind of stuff, did you?! 

• I’m an idea engine with ever-flowing notes. (7 words. Woot!)

• I miss the thrill of being content with watching a 2D movie – nowadays, it seems like everyone and their mama is all about IMAX and 3D showings – as if they’re really all that better. The 2D movies appear to have lost their luster among general movie going audiences – becoming an afterthought or backup plan for sold-out shows. 3D and IMAX have their place but should not be a total replacement for how we view films in a theater – especially for the types of movies that would play just fine without multiple viewing options....

The need for additional effects should enhance the movie going experience – not compensate for all that’s lacking at the theater such as so-so customer service, excessively high concession prices for junk (I’d gladly pay $5-$8 for a roasted turkey sandwich or an organic fruit salad, but $6.50 for a box of sugary candies like Skittles? C’mon!) and *gasp* a bad movie. If “Iron Man 3” is not as good as its predecessors (I’m not saying it sucks; just using it as an example), then it sure as hell doesn’t need to be in 3D/IMAX.

• Also, I’m seeking nominations for the next King Dong – it’s time to re-launch this series that has been dormant for a while now. Daniel Craig was the last one on the throne in December 2012. So, I’m looking for his successor. What actor would YOU like to see highlighted over the course of a month?

• In addition, three more categories featuring movie blogs competing for this year's LAMMYS were released today -- one of them being the Best Running Feature category. Since I was one of the presenters this year, I checked out the nominees and favor two of them:

1. DVD Court at The Cinematic Katzenjammer - It's like "Law & Order" meets Blockbuster Video Stores, FYE Target, Wal-Mart or wherever you buy your movies. Each week, a jury of film fanatics make their case on one of the newly released movies and then deliberate for a final verdict that can go one of three ways -- Burn it, Skip it, Rent it or Buy it. I'm not a fan of the first verdict because piracy is not cool but aside from that, DVD Court is worth checking out if you're indecisive about purchasing some of the films mentioned in the Cinematic Katzenjammer's case files.

2. Visual Parallels at The Cinematic Corner - Scene by scene, frame by frame, two movies are paired up beside each other at a time, via photos that depict what they share in style, props, action and related elements. What I find most interesting is how some of the films featured in the Visual Parallels series are titles that we might not think have anything in common. The most recent pairings include "Breaking Bad" and "Pulp Fiction" while another mash-up compares the similarities that "The Dark Knight" has with "Skyfall." I'd say it's worth checking out if you're curious to see how much -- or how little -- you've really been paying attention to in the movies that you watch.

You'd be surprised at how many things that make a movie memorable or special are just a reincarnation (although sometimes possibly unintended, but still...) of another film.

• Lastly, The next Monday Movie Meme will be posted tomorrow evening.

That’s all folks!

Do YOU have anything to add to these prompts? Can YOU sell yourself in 10 words or less? What or who do you miss?

The Great Film Festival ‘Audience Award’ Hoax – A Piece of Advice for Moviegoers #indiefilm

A moment in my day (2012): At a screening of "The Last Fall" starring Lance Gross.You’ve seen the movie posters, read the newspaper reviews and website listings, looked at the DVD covers that are all toting badges of honor for a film that won the Audience Award at your local festival.

Guess what – those laurels don’t mean the title you're looking at was the most popular film playing there (although this could still be a possibility, so don’t count it out).

The award indicates that there were people in attendance who actually took the time to vote for this movie.

So, here is some sound advice for men and women who attend film festivals: Participate in the voting process during screenings where you are asked to vote on films!

Your vote counts – and I know you’ve heard these lines time and time again from political campaigners that spew them out on television, on the sidewalk, on Obama/Romney (whoever’s camp you’re with) T-shirts, buttons and baseball caps, etc. – but voting at film festivals makes a HUGE difference where Audience Awards are concerned. Most, if not all, other main awards (Best Film, Best Director, Best Documentary, etc.) given out are selected by a jury of people with a myriad of expertise and interests including (but not limited to) festival staff members, seasoned directors, television & film producers, university professors, screenwriters and even corporate executives that have nothing to do with making movies (but are probably sponsoring the event).

The Audience Award is a whole different ballgame because festivals use the votes tallied from people who sat in the theater (or lawn, rooftop, bar, etc.) watching all of the movies that are competing for this particular honor. This includes people who are not affiliated with the festival or the films playing on screen, in any way shape or form. If you ever bought a ticket or pass to attend a film festival and if you ever plan on visiting one in the future – YOU are among these people – the audience members who festivals (and filmmakers selected to screen at the event) rely on for votes.

A moment in my day (2011): The Q&A for "The Casserole Club" directed by Steve Balderson; At Tribeca.Audience Awards provide the kind of bragging rights that indicate moviegoers at the festival enjoyed a particular film the most, compared to other films in a given category.

Since filmmakers, cast, crew, newspaper journalists and related workers are the ones mainly filling up the seats at some of the festival screenings that take place each year, it can be difficult to gauge who likes what and more importantly – where the Audience Award is going to go.

All voting methods and tallying of those votes are not created equal. I’ve worked at festivals where paper ballots are given to attendees and I’ve also attended a film screening where the voting was done electronically. Some festivals are better at organizing the voting process than others, regardless of what form the ballots are dispersed in and collected. That said, it’s easy for almost any film to win no matter how well or how poor the audience received it when, under the right circumstances, the director’s parents put in that winning ballot that put their kid’s movie over the top.

Since indie pictures need all the support they can get, my call for more active audiences is not meant to discount the votes of family and friends who have showed up to back their favorite movie in every way that they can. That is awesome! There is an equally, if not more, important side to that, however, when a lot of independent films are at slight disadvantages because audience members who just came to check out new movies that they are curious about stop at the roll of end-credits. You can’t stop there. You must get involved in the voting for movies that you watch at film festivals.

If you don’t vote, then you make it easier for your favorite films to fall by the wayside while other movies get to win laurels in their place – including flicks that may not even be that good. It is a reality that occurs far more often than you may think at festivals. You can watch two films that are like night and day when it comes to entertainment value but it won’t matter if Film A plays better than Film B – festivals are counting the votes.

Film A is considered to be Great but received 12 votes from the audience

Film B is considered to be Ok but received 17 votes from the audience

Film C is considered to be Poor but received 9 votes from the audience

Which film do you think won the Audience Award? -- It surely isn’t Film A!

As you can see, voting matters when it comes to independent films. It doesn’t matter if you attend a festival with the intention of watching one movie, or several that are playing there – Make sure your participation at these screenings include a vote for the films that YOU enjoyed watching!

Today’s post is a mash-up of two prompts from Jenni who is hosting the Blog Everyday in May Challenge. She encourages participants to share a piece of advice for others, as well as a moment in your day via photography.