Director's Chair #6: Day Three

LAMBs in the Director's Chair
Event #6 co-starring
Jane Campion and
Kathryn Bigelow
March 16th to 18th of 2010

Well, I hope everyone is recovering from either his or her hardcore holiday celebrations yesterday or at least a mid-week grind in the work week. The third day of our event has been posted intentionally late as a general courtesy for those who probably been tied up at work today or slept in late from an all night party. Anyway, yesterday it was been promised to everyone that I would have nineteen film reviews to be shared today. Honestly, would it be worth the time to spend describing each individual review? The nineteen reviews are distributed between three separate films and I would not even know if you could guess which film has won the majority of the reviews. I am sure that you would be able to guess which film it is based upon the list of credited films from Kathryn Bigelow and Jane Campion. No, it is not The Piano since I have previously included the reviews for that film.

Let me begin with a film from Kathryn Bigelow, who appears to be the most popular director for the current series. Previously, this film was listed with an editorial from a LAMB blogger who wanted to express a personal connection he had with the film, but I thought now would be a good time to list a few cinematic reviews for Point Break (1991). The film stars Patrick Swayze, may he rest in peace, and Keanu Reeves, who will forever battle Joey Russo in a contest for the best Whoa utterance. In no particular order here are the reviews for the film.

• Invasion of the B Movies
• Cut the Crap Movie Reviews
• Radiator Heaven
• Foolish Blatherings

It would be rude of me to forget about the co-star of the event, Jane Campion. Sure, she has placed a strong impression upon the movie making industry with her early nineties film The Piano, but she is still directing high quality films with a strong female lead. Why should her most recent film, Bright Star, be any different from the other films that she has directed? With a bit of honest admission I have not yet seen Bright Star. It is my Netflix queue, but I ran out of time to produce a decent review for the series. The following film reviews have been submitted by a few of our more active Director’s Chair participants, which I am highly thankful for their hard work and dedication in their contributions to the series.

• Insight Into Entertainment
• Not Just Movies
• Cut the Crap Movie Reviews
• Foolish Blatherings

Okay, so here we are waiting for the grand announcement of the film that has received the highest number of submitted reviews. At this point as we are facing the end of our three-day series I would like to know if you have correctly guessed which film has received the most attention in comparison to all of the other stories that could have been given an equal amount of attention. The grand prize winner for the most submitted reviews is also the winner of the best picture category for the 82nd annual Academy Awards. I am talking about The Hurt Locker (2009). Here are the eleven articles about the film that have been sent in for your reading pleasure.

• Not Just Movies
• Life of a Cinephile and Bibliophile
• Fandango Groovers Movie Reviews
• Insight into Entertainment
• Film Forager
• Stop the Planet of the Apes
• Le Mot du Cinehiliaque
• Cut the Crap Movie Reviews
• Big Thoughts from a Small Mind
• The Incredible Suit
• Entertain Me!

Oh boy, what a large amount of reading material for all of us to sift through over the last three days, I am hopeful that you were not overwhelmed with the reading material that I have offered to you. For those of you who were unable to participate in the latest installment of the LAMBs in the Director’s Chair series I am hoping that you will be able to participate in the next round of fun, which has been slated for the end of April. I will be announcing the candidate for event number seven as soon as I can garner a promotional banner or two for it. Also, I am planning on releasing the official rules of the event as a separate post pretty soon as a list of guidelines for anyone who would like to know what the series is all about and how they could participate in the event. If you have any questions or concerns about the latest installment of the series it would be highly suggested to send an e-mail to DJ Heinlein at mattehavoc@gmail.com with any thoughts that you may have to share.

Director's Chair #6: Day Two

LAMBs in the Director's Chair
Event #6 co-starring
Jane Campion and
Kathryn Bigelow
March 16th to 18th of 2010

It is the season to get drunk on green beer. Chug a lug, chug a lug, and one more chug a lug! Happy leprechaun day, everyone, and be merry with four leaf clovers and buckets overflowing with gold coins! Oh, and do not forget that it is also day two of the current installment of our LAMBs in the Director’s Chair series. Now that the latest purchase of a Flogging Molly album is blaring on the speakers while you are relaxing with a stein overflowing with green beer or a cup of green tea (gotcha there) there is nothing more enjoyable than reading a few articles and film reviews written by your peers. Hurray! Before delving into the entries for today, I would like to take a moment to point out that Alex from Film Forager was the person who had created the impressionable promotional banner that I had mentioned in the report yesterday. I just had to take a brief moment for the name drop, so thank you for sticking with me for an extra second.

Now where should I begin for today? So many choices for me to select from and there is so little desire for a commitment. Well, if you must insist on beginning with an intriguing editorial from Andy of Fandango Groovers then I believe it will be an excellent place to start. Within the article, he offers a brief amount of trivia and information for several films from Kathryn Bigelow. The timeline of her career is laid out so conveniently for us to read how she has progressed and improved with every film that she has directed. To read the entire editorial article just click on this link here.

One of my all time favorite films that Miss Bigelow has directed would be the 1995 science fiction film Strange Days. The film stars Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, and everyone’s favorite screw up actor Tom Sizemore. Two reviews for the film have been written by the same two people that I have already mentioned earlier. The first review has been written by Alex of Film Forager as she opens up with an admission of confusing Strange Days with a movie about The Doors. I could not blame her for the mix up, really. The other review was written by Andy of Fandango Groovers who considers the film to have aged pretty well. It is an entertaining movie, which I personally would like to recommend to you.

She has been credited with a science fiction film in addition to a horror film with a romantic subplot. Seriously? Yes, it is true that I must segue from Strange Days to Bigelow’s 1987 horror film Near Dark. Is that too far of stretch for genre hopping? I would think it would be strange until you realize that she also is credited with directing a war film that contributed to her winning an Oscar award. Anyway, I am getting distracted from the main point here. There are two reviews for Near Dark that I would like to bring to your attention now. The first review has been written with such colorful descriptions as The Dude, The Douche, and Nathan from Heroes. Trust me when I suggest that you are in for an entertaining ride when you read this roller coaster review from Jason of Invasion of the B Movies. Let us not forget our other contributor for the film who has chosen to use less interesting descriptive language, but that does not imply that his review is of any less importance. Jake of Not Just Movies has offered a unique trip down memory lane as he explains a renewed interest in Bigelow’s films after she recently won an Oscar award for best achievement in directing. Does a film from the early part of her career really stand the test of time? Well, you might want to head on over to Jake’s review of Near Dark to find out.

Okay, it has been promised to everyone that I will be presenting a review for Jane Campion’s film An Angel at My Table before the end of the second day. I should not even dare break a promise to everyone. Making an attempt to receive the Alex P. Keaton Award for Over Achievement we have another submitted review from Jake of Not Just Movies. I applaud the effort of every LAMB member who participates in the LAMBs in the Director’s Chair event, but is also extremely impressed by every single one who has submitted multiple articles. I truly appreciate your effort. Jake has offered us a very detailed and intriguing essay for the 1990 film An Angel at My Table. I applaud his effort at sitting down to watch a two-hour and thirty-eight minute biographical drama. You should really take a moment to read his review by following this link here to see what he has to say about the movie.

All right, tomorrow is going to be a big day for us. There are three films scheduled to present. However, there are nineteen reviews for us to read. Can anyone guess the name of the three films that will appear tomorrow? If not all three titles can be named would you be able to at least name the one film that has garnered the largest number of reviews?

Director's Chair #6: Day One

LAMBs in the Director's Chair
Event #6 co-starring
Jane Campion and
Kathryn Bigelow
March 16th to 18th of 2010

Hello to everyone, it is I, DJ Heinlein from Matte Havoc. For the next three days, I will be your friendly tour guide as we scan through the careers of two film directors who should be given their fair share of attention. These two women, Jane Campion and Kathryn Bigelow, have produced quality material during their careers, but their meager list of titles may be pale in comparison to the mass quantity of films that have been manufactured by the megastars of film directing. No, I will not name drop any of those big name directors, since I am confident you are thinking of a couple of the same people as I am thinking. So, who of you bothered to sit down to watch the eighty-second annual Academy Awards ceremony earlier this month? Raise your hands. Do not be afraid to admit it. Good to see quite a few people have watched the awards ceremony this year. Even if you have not watched the ceremony, there is still a chance that you may have heard that Kathryn Bigelow’s film The Hurt Locker (2009) has been given six Oscar awards. It was quite a feat when placed in competition with a leviathan of a movie budget known to the rest of the world as Avatar (2009). Since her film has been proven the underdog in the latest string of awards ceremonies, I will be saving the reviews for this film until later. Make sure to stay tuned, because you will not want to miss the numerous amounts of reviews that have been submitted for The Hurt Locker.

Let me begin the first day of the series by directing your attention to an editorial that has been written for the site Big Thoughts from a Small Mind. The author of the site, CS, has been blogging since 2006 and I am glad to see that the energy and enthusiasm for writing has not worn off. CS had written and published the editorial piece on March 7, which was the day of the Oscars ceremony. Click here to read the entire article.

On a more personal level, Andy from Fandango Groovers Movie Blog has published a brief story about how he is connected with Kathryn Bigelow’s film Point Break (1991). Within the article, he refers to the following quote from the film: “Surfing’s the source; it will change your life. Swear to God.” Click here to read what he has to say about his personal connection to the film.

Our good friend Branden from Foolish Blatherings has written a two-part review of The Hurt Locker that I would like to share with you. This could be a sneak peek at what you can expect later on when we cover all of the reviews for the film. By the way, I would like to say "thank you" to all of the LAMB bloggers who have sent in a review for this film making it the biggest turnout for a single film for Chair #6. So, let us get started with Branden’s first installment of his review, which was published back in June of last year. Click here to read it. Fast-forward to January of this year he submitted an article to Atlanta Free Press which covers the film in broad detail. Click here to read the second installment of his review.

It would be unfavorable if I were to cut the first day off short without offering a bit more attention to our co-star director: Jane Campion. She is equally artistic and creative in filmmaking. There are several submitted reviews for her films, which I would like to direct your attention to right now.

The first review comes from Jake over at Not Just Movies. On a side note, it has been observed that the promotional banner that has been posted on Not Just Movies is a bazillion times better looking than the one I have created for event number six. Shame on me for a lackluster banner and a tremendous amount of props goes to the person who created a top-notch banner! Anyway, Jake has chosen to jump back to the early portion of Jane Campion’s career to review her 1989 film Sweetie. This film is a perfect selection to place as the front runner of the event, because it marks her official debut with a feature length film with a theatrical release. On a side note, it is her second feature length film, but the first one was broadcast on Australian television in 1986 and not released in the movie theaters. With all that said and done, here is Jake’s review of Sweetie.

One of her most famous films that she has ever directed has won three Oscar awards, including one for her work on writing the original screenplay for the film. The film is none other than The Piano (1993), which co-stars Anna Paquin and Holly Hunter who have garnered the other two Oscar awards for the film. It would be a misgiving if I were to pass by the film for the first day of the event. Two people have submitted a review for the film, which I am thrilled to post here. The first review comes from Simon who writes for Entertain Me. He has written a complete essay on the film by breaking it down into artistic influences and sociological perspectives. An intriguing read to say the least. Check out his review of The Piano by following this link.

Okay, the second review has been written by Alex from Film Forager. Her site is prominently displaying the same kick ass promotional banner that has been posted on Not Just Movies. Whoever has designed that awesome banner could you please send me an e-mail? I would love to have you create a new banner for the seventh installment of the Director’s Chair for me. Anyway, back to Alex’s review of The Piano. She offers a few reasons why you must see this film if you have not watched it already. Her review can be found by clicking this link to the article.

At this point, I will have to cut the first day off a bit short. Tomorrow there will be a few more film reviews for the films from Kathryn Bigelow including an overview editorial of her career. In addition, there will be a review for Jane Campion’s lengthy film An Angel at My Table (1990). The total running time for the film is clocked at two hours and thirty-eight minutes! So make sure to stay tuned for more fun tomorrow.

Last Call for Chair #6

LAMBs in the Director's Chair
Event #6 co-starring
Jane Campion and
Kathryn Bigelow
March 16th to 18th of 2010

Last call! This is the last announcement call for submissions for installment number six of the LAMBs in the Director's Chair event. Please send all the direct links to your published articles to DJ Heinlein at mattehavoc@gmail.com before 10 PM tonight.

Director's Chair #6 is Three Days Away

LAMBs in the Director's Chair
Event #6 co-starring
Jane Campion and
Kathryn Bigelow
March 16th to 18th of 2010

Hey everyone. It's me, DJ Heinlein from Matte Havoc. I would like to take this moment to remind you that the sixth installment of The LAMBs in the Director’s Chair series is set to begin this coming Tuesday. Yes, that would be the eve of Saint Patrick's Day. Are you excited about participating? Hurray! Three more days before it begins. I sure hope you are up for the challenge. As I have mentioned last week, and will cover it again today, this will be the first time that we will be covering the career of two directors during a single event. Just remember that the decision to have to directors listed for the same event does not imply that they are any less significant than any other film directors that we have covered before or will cover in the future. It is the fact that these two have made such a profound mark on the industry of filmmaking with so few film credits to their name. For those who are new to the LAMBs site I would like to offer a reminder about the rules of the event. For more specific information please visit the original announcement post for event number six by visiting this link here. The promotional banner can be retrieved from the original post if you would like to offer a listing on your website to promote the event. Remember that there are two important rules for participation: (a) every participating blog must be an active member already listed in the LAMB directory, and (b) the deadline for all articles to be submitted is March 15, 2010 at 10 PM (local time). That is tomorrow night! Is your review or editorial already live on your website? Then feel free to e-mail the direct link to DJ Heinlein at mattehavoc@gmail.com as soon as possible. Multiple submissions are allowed and strongly encouraged! Be creative by not limiting yourself to writing film reviews, because a career editorial may also add a bit of variety to the event.

Director's Chair #6 is One Week Away!

LAMBs in the Director's Chair
Event #6 co-starring
Jane Campion and
Kathryn Bigelow
March 16th to 18th of 2010

Hey everyone. It's me, DJ Heinlein from Matte Havoc. I would like to take this moment to remind you that the sixth installment of The LAMBs in the Director’s Chair series is set to begin next Tuesday. Are you excited about participating? We are only a week away! I sure hope you are up for the challenge. As I have mentioned last week, this will be the first time that we will be covering the career of two directors during a single event. Just remember that the decision to have to directors listed for the same event does not imply that they are any less significant than any other film directors that we have covered before or will cover in the future. It is the fact that these two have made such a profound mark on the industry of filmmaking with so few film credits to their name. After all we all have witnessed Kathryn Bigelow win several Oscar awards on Sunday night for her recent film The Hurt Locker (2009). For those who are new to the LAMBs site I would like to offer a reminder about the rules of the event. For more specific information please visit the original announcement post for event number six by visiting this link here. The promotional banner can be retrieved from the original post if you would like to offer a listing on your website to promote the event. Remember that there are two important rules for participation: (a) every participating blog must be an active member already listed in the LAMB directory, and (b) the deadline for all articles to be submitted is March 15, 2010 at 10 PM (local time). Is your review or editorial already live on your website? Then feel free to e-mail the direct link to DJ Heinlein at mattehavoc@gmail.com as soon as possible. Multiple submissions are allowed and strongly encouraged! Be creative by not limiting yourself to writing film reviews, because a career editorial may also add a bit of variety to the event.

Director's Chair #6 is Two Weeks Away!

LAMBs in the Director's Chair
Event #6 co-starring
Jane Campion and
Kathryn Bigelow
March 16th to 18th of 2010

It is true that we are merely two weeks away from the sixth installment of The LAMBs in the Director’s Chair. Are you excited about participating? I sure hope you are up for the challenge. This will be the first time we will be covering the career of two directors during a single event. It does not imply that they are any less significant than any other film director that we have covered before or will cover in the future. It is the fact that these two have made such a profound mark on the industry of filmmaking with so few film credits to their name that it is in the best interest to bunch together their film credits into a combinatorial review. For those who are new to the LAMBs site I would like to offer a reminder about the rules of the event. For more specific information please visit the original announcement post for event number six by visiting this link here. The promotional banner can be retrieved from the original post if you would like to offer a listing on your website to promote the event. Remember that there are two important rules for participation: (a) every participating blog must be an active member already listed in the LAMB directory, and (b) the deadline for all articles to be submitted is March 15, 2010 at 10 PM (local time). Is your review or editorial already live on your website? Then feel free to e-mail the direct link to me at mattehavoc@gmail.com as soon as possible. Multiple submissions are allowed and strongly encouraged! Be creative by not limiting yourself to just film reviews.

Director's Chair #6: Bigelow and Campion

LAMBs in the Director's Chair
Event #6 co-starring
Jane Campion and
Kathryn Bigelow
March 16th to 18th of 2010

We are moving onward and upward to the sixth installment of the Director’s Chair series, which marks a special occasion for us. It is the first installment to feature two directors instead of one, in addition to starring the first appearance of a woman director. The decision to have two director’s co-star in a single Director’s Chair event is based upon the short list of directorial credits for each one. Both of them have made a very strong impression on the art of movie making with such a small amount of published work. I applaud them for talent for making such a strong impact.

Kathryn Bigelow is a woman who has been splashed all over the news for the last couple of months because of her directorial work on the war film The Hurt Locker (2008). She also made history for being the first woman to receive the DGA award for her work on the film. It has been seventeen years since the release of Jane Campion’s award winning work on The Piano (1993), and she is still working on releasing new films including the recently released period film Bright Star (2009).

I wish everyone the best in their writing endeavors for this event. Remember that you should not be limited to writing only film reviews for the event. Be creative by including an editorial about the professional career of the directors or some other creative approach that could offer a different perspective of their work. With all that being said, here are a few general rules that will apply to the Director's Chair event:

• You must be currently listed as an active member of the LAMBs site to participate.
• The submitted articles for the event can be either a film review or an editorial about his career as a director.
• Every participant is allowed to submit multiple reviews and/or articles for the event.
• All submissions are to be sent by e-mail to mattehavoc@gmail.com with a direct link to each published article.
  
• DEADLINE to participate in the event is March 15th at 10 PM (local time).

These guidelines have been enacted as a way to avoid the possibility that your article or articles will be accidentally over looked. If I do not receive an e-mail with a direct link to the published articles by the deadline then there is a chance that your submission will not be included in the event. I will noticed the date stamp in the e-mail, so try not to pull the wool over my eyes. That was a lame sheep reference, I know. Hopefully, you were paying attention.

Do not risk the chance of being left behind. I will admit that I do not have the available time to peruse through all 445+ members of the LAMBs site to find any articles that are related to the event. So, it would very helpful for me if you would be able to e-mail me any and all articles that you may have for the event with a direct link. Feel free to ask any questions if you have one. In the mean time here are a few banners to post on your blog site to help promote the event.

Code for the Promotional Banner

<a href="http://largeassmovieblogs.blogspot.com/search/label/LAMBs%20in%20the%20Director%27s%20Chair" target="blank"><img border="0" alt="Large Association of Movie Blogs" src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/dyjafi/chair06banner.jpg"/></a>