About Me
I grew up in a small town in Connecticut; I now live in Brooklyn. I spent ten years as a theatrical stage manager and literary manager – two roles that most people have never heard of – but now prefer this side of the biz. When I’m not blogging here, I’m over on my other blog, Wadswords.
Some Definitions:
I’ve coined a phrase or two while writing this blog, and it probably would be nice if I defined them for you, no?
- Buster Sign: If I’m having some kind of technical or personal problem that’s preventing me from posting in a timely manner, I post this promotional still of Buster Keaton from Sherlock Jr. as a heads-up that things are a bit haywire. The name “Buster Sign” was inspired by the famous clarion call from the Mystery Science 3000 television show: “We have movie sign!”
- Ikea OSKAR Flatpack Movie: This is the specific term I use instead of the more general “Oscar Bait” to criticize certain films. I’ve found I actually enjoy some such “Oscar bait” films – what leaves me cold is if a film has a very formulaic approach to its subject, with the same kinds of scenes happening in the same places (“yep, it’s a half hour left, this is where the main character’s spouse gives them the pep talk” or “yep, the ingenue’s husband was missing in action, her telegram that he’s alive came right on time”). Named thus because to me it feels like the directors didn’t make the film so much as they bought a kit and assembled it in their garage one weekend.
Credits and Thanks
Some reviews mention someone named Alex; this was a roommate, an aspiring screenwriter and another film buff who was not only tolerant of the Crash Course but all-out dug it, to the point that he once paused a Hitchcock film to give me a three-minute dissertation on “How Do You Know Whether Cinematography Is Good”. He now lives in Los Angeles.
The current roommate, “Roommate Russ,” is similarly cinematically inclined and about 75% of my screenings of anything now come with our post-show discussions.
I owe a word of thanks to my local Buy Nothing Group; many people in my neighborhood have graciously given me DVDs for various films from the List.
Thanks also to Mr. Carl Caputo for helping me track down some of the harder-to-find films. Members of the 1001 Movies group on Reddit have also helped.
Photo above by John Huntington, who by day is Professor of Entertainment Technology at New York City College of Technology (CUNY) and who chases storms for fun.
The Movie Crash Course 
