Off-Topic

Hey Screened-friends. The year is rapidly winding to a close and with it the articles I've been doing for a year. This is my first year of very seriously writing about movies, and I've been keeping to a pretty regular schedule for nearly six months now. This week is a rare week off mostly because A) I'm lazy, especially this time of year and B) I wanted to spend the time to build back up the backlog of articles and put some serious thought into my end of year stuff.

But while I do that, I also was considering what I wanted to do with this movie-writing hobby of mine in 2012. I've received a pretty overwhelming show of support by you guys, even when admittedly some of the content I've been putting out is pretty narrow in who it would appeal to. As a fairly amateur writer, that feedback has been instrumental in getting me through the rough days when this hobby seems like too much work. So I wanted to say thank you to anyone who reads this and has ever commented on one of my pieces. You guys keep me going, no joke.

In 2012 I plan to keep doing what I'm doing. Criterion Cuts isn't going anywhere. I'll probably do a few more Directed Viewings (though maybe not right away and hopefully with more popular directors than Jarmusch). But I wanted to solicit ideas on what people wanted to see from me. I feel like the things I've been focusing on have been stuff that I just don't see a lot of, so I do those, but I'm open to suggestions as I try to branch out and tackle new things. So what I'm looking for you guys for is the following:

• Any feature ideas you'd like to see. I don't care how crazy or lengthy they might be. Hell, I've been considering doing biweekly write ups of every Bond film chronologically as I revisit them for the first time in a decade. Scope isn't a problem.
• Any directors you'd like to see me take a stab at in future Directed Viewings. For the record, I've already done Wes Anderson, Christopher Nolan, Kevin Smith, the Coen Brothers, Spielberg, Scorsese, and Jarmusch. But anyone else is fair game. It's likely left to my own devices I'm going to do a Kubrick one before too long, but other suggestions are welcome, as I could do a few of these a year without too much trouble.
• Any series you'd like to see tackled in Serious About Series. Anything. I like doing these a lot, and they were probably always my most popular feature, but I don't really find myself with a brilliant idea for one very often.
• Any feedback on what you don't like me doing, or feel I could improve on, or anything else. Please try to keep it constructive, because my ego is super fragile, but I know that I'm a bit raw and I'd love to hear from anyone who wants to step up how they think I can improve.

Anyway, that's all I've got. End of year stuff drops next week, and then Criterion Cuts resumes the week after that. Probably won't be adopting any of your suggestions until mid-January with that schedule, but this gives me some time to work Netflix queues and whatnot if someone comes up with something particularly complex. Thanks again, you guys. You're all the best, and hopefully 2012 will be a year of great movies and good writing about them.

I definitely think that you should view Roman Polanski's oeuvre if you haven't already done so already. I mean, he's obviously a divisive character, but nobody can rightly deny that the man can direct a damn fine film. And, for a large part, the majority of people who excoriate Polanki's films are merely individuals who can't ignore Polanski's questionable personal life and choose to judge his films with that ever-present, acerbic bias. Also, just remember that for every one person that puts in the effort to comment on your work, there's probably ten or more who still enjoy reading your material but just can't be bothered to comment. Like myself, for instance. I appreciate your effort, but I'm one fervently torpid lay-about.

@mylifeforAiur: I hadn't even considered Polanski, though I don't know why. Consider it done. It might not be for a while, but that's officially on the agenda.

I have to say even though I've only commented a few times, I always try and read your stuff. Most of the time I don't know the films but nonetheless your stuff is always worth a read. For directors how about Hitchcock? He certainly does have one hell of a filmography and I'm sure if you want comments, you'd get plenty (at least one from me on pretty much all of his films). James Bond is something I'd like to see you do. I've attempted to write up something about each Bond film but the task of rewatching them all just proved too daunting for me.

@CrimsonAvenger: Hitchcock has been on my 'to do' list for a long time, the problem is that it's quite literally (outside of maybe Woody Allen) one of the longest projects I could possibly undertake. I'm not against doing it, but I can't see myself diving into it anytime soon. It's just a whole lot of work, even doing one a week it would be well over a year's worth of articles. I ... just don't know. That's a lot of commitment. But I've considered it and will continue to do so.

Something a little more broad in appeal would definitely garner more attention from other users. I feel like when I post on Pups about one of your blogs half the time someone may have no clue what I'm talking about.

Other than that you're doing great work :)

With both The Master and Django Unchained coming out, I think write-ups of Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson could be interesting. They both have a relatively small filmography, if that helps.

For Directed Viewings, I think a write-up of Micheal Cimino would be fascinating, if only to look at what is possibly the sharpest rise and fall of a director in history.

I don't want to be a douche and pile up more suggestions for Directed Viewing, but....Soderbergh and Lars von Trier. I've mentioned von Trier too many times! :P Actually, if you don't mind, can I do a Directed Viewing for von Trier? I've collected all his movies, and even though I'd have nowhere the quality of your writing, it might save you time for other directors.

I just wanted to say that I love reading your blogs, and it makes me sad that I don't always have time to read them or leave any form of intelligent comments on the ones I did read!

I really enjoy discovering movies I never would have heard of in your blogs but I would like to see you talk about some more mainstream movies. I think Christopher Nolan would be a great idea.

@AssInAss: I would love to see either of you guys talk about Lars, I have his back catalogue in my rental queue and will be watching all of those.

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far! It's easy to forget that people read this stuff and don't comment when you invest so many hours into making it, even when I do that all the time (sometimes on your guys' material, too!) But your support means a ton, seriously. And you all had a bunch of good ideas. I'll get to each of you individually.

@FinalDasa: Thanks man, especially for all the twitter plugs. They're a huge help!

@BjornTheUnicorn: The problem with Tarantino (if you can call it that) is that I've seen all of his movies a dozen times. I'll admit a big part of these projects is to fill in and refine my own knowledge on movies. That said, I'll consider it, especially since I have unpopular opinions about some of them. As for PTA, that's a great choice. It's going in the to-do hopper, for sure. You'll probably see it this year.

@Fishow17: I don't think I've seen a single Cimino film. So this is maybe the most interesting suggestion I've seen. Consider this also on the short list.

@AssInAss: Soderbergh's been on the list for a while but with @Rorie talking in the latest Ramblin' Rorie about how he's thinking of doing something similar with Soderbergh I don't want to step on any toes. I think a Soderbergh feature would be a lot of fun, but ... yeah. I don't know. As for LvT, I've been considering it for a long time, though IIRC last time I checked his early early filmography is particularly hard to get a hold of, and I'm really loathe to do incomplete projects. It'll probably happen at some point, I just don't know when or in what shape of completeness it'll take.

@Christina: Nolan is a possibility, though with Batman Tres coming out this year I might hold off until 2013 and beat the rush of haters/acolytes/etc. I could give you a really short version right now, as I've always been intensely interested in Nolan's career: He's never topped Memento (I did write about Memento, but could easily do so again for days), he has serious problems (more so seemingly as he goes on) with how he portrays women in his movies, Insomnia is super underrated, the Batman stuff is kind of misguided and I'm glad he's done with it soon (and Dark Knight much more deeply flawed than Batman Begins), and Inception is more of an intricate clock than a movie. Efficient, elegant, expensive and complicated, made by someone with a lot of skill, but I have absolutely no emotional attachment to it.