links: INSIDIOUS review, top 10 BENING films

The timing is yet again purely coincidental, but I have two new guest posts on my compadres' blogs.  Over at Top 10 Films is my Top 10 Annette Bening films, and at Anomalous Material is my review of new release horror film Insidious.  Do check them out!

guest posts elsewhere...

Well it turns out, my contributions to blogging aren't restricted to this here site!  Yep, I can't seem to get enough of this whole movie writing gig, so I've become a regular contributor at not one, but two other sites.  Check out the latest two columns that practically got posted simultaneously, no less:  my review of this weekend's #1, Rango at Anomalous Material ... and my Top 10 Favorite Meryl Streep Films over at Top 10 Films.

link rundown (3/3/11)

Well it's only fitting that, following the biggest week in Hollywood, the film blogosphere would be trotting out their best material for your perusal.  So let's take a gander at some of the wares being sold by our favorite bloggers.  Jose at Movies Kick Ass has written a phenomenal piece on "the other Best Actress curse," and the facts are frankly a little disheartening - Gloria Steinem would not be proud.  Also concerning Oscar, Tom at Reinvention offers up his final assessment of the night that was, while others cite the fashions of the evening - Nathaniel comments on the gals and guys, while Jose gives his complete rundown of the best-dressed women (thanks for the shout-out!) ... And a few more gems regarding the big night - Guy Lodge at In Contention cites a new example of women breaking Oscar's barriers (they've also provided a helpful laundry list of interviews with the night's winners), and Kate Winslet weighs in on her unexpected Melissa Leo shout-out over at Awards Daily.

Lastly, it's that time of year when we move on from Oscar mania and start discussing other topics.  Robert begins his movie-watching freedom by visiting Black Narcissus.  Anomalous Material provides an exhaustive list of the 52 most iconic uses of pop music in movies - a fun read.  Andrew takes us all down a notch with a list of notable movie deaths.  And Dan at Top10Films provides a very unique list of the best films set in one day and set in one night.

link rundown

It's about that time again for me to heap some praises on my peers for their stellar work out in the blogosphere, so feel free to direct your attention beyond Journalistic Skepticism to the following treats. There are of course reviews galore as Oscar season hits full swing. If it's thoughts on new release True Grit you're interested in, Rob at Anomalous Material gives it a less-than-perfect (but not without its charms) assessment. Simon at Four of Them, who typically pulls no punches, has rather positive things to say about the movie. Speaking of, she's put out her thoughts on Black Swan to boot.

Other reviews of note include Anomalous Material's standings on Blue Valentine and Love and Other Drugs, Jose's able reviewing skills at work on Black Swan and Rabbit Hole over at Movies Kick Ass, Andrew at Encore Entertainment's less-than-positive musings on Tangled, and Robert at His Eyes Were Watching Movies' surprisingly harsh words for The Other Guys.

Now if you'll take a look at some of the other posts floating around out there, you should probably take a peek at Joe Burns' beginnings of discussion of the 1977 Best Actress race, the Anomalous Material Top 10 Movies of the Year, Andrew's wrap-up of his best animated voices in moviedom, and Top 10 Films' take on the 10 best of Alfred Hitchcock.

Finally, but definitely not least of all, Nathaniel at The Film Experience had the enviable position of interviewing three stellar talents in the film biz, Kirsten Dunst, Patricia Clarkson, and Alexandre Desplat - please do check out the transcripts - great stuff.

link rundown

REVIEWS
**Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I
(Encore Entertainment, Movies Kick Ass)
**Black Swan
(His Eyes Were Watching Movies)
**The Fighter
(The Film Experience)
**127 Hours
(Anomalous Material)
**Morning Glory
(Anomalous Material)
**The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
(Marshall and the Movies)
**Tangled
(His Eyes Were Watching Movies)
**Love and Other Drugs
(Marshall and the Movies)

LISTS

**Six Terrifying Movie Villains to Run Away From

(Top 10 Films)

**Nov. 28 - Dec. 2 TV in Review

(Encore Entertainment)

**Top 10 CGI Animated Films

(Top 10 Films)

**Four Movies About Movies

(Four of Them)

**Eight Actors Who Deserve Better Roles

(Anomalous Material)

**Ten Personal Film Firsts

(Top 10 Films)

link rundown: AUGUST 5, 2010

**Andrew at Encore Entertainment brings us ever closer to the conclusion of his fascinating list of the best voice performances in movies
**Simon at Four of Them prefers her memes quick and painless - check out her list of answers to the latest movie meme on the block
**Nathaniel at The Film Experience has watched the spanking new trailer for Burlesque and has some choice words in his latest Yes, No, Maybe So
**Red at Anomalous Material takes on the latest Oscar buzzy movie The Kids Are All Right, and doesn't quite fall for its charms
**Jude at And All That Film has a creepy time taking on Ingmar Bergman's classic Cries & Whispers
**Jose at Movies Kick Ass doesn't buy into the universal love for Despicable Me, though those minions do try their damnedest
**Robert at His Eyes Were Watching Movies is chomping at the bit for the latest music-performance-based movie The Concert and its Melanie-Laurent-ridden trailer
**Marshall at Marshall and the Movies is pleading with you to read his charming Marshall & Julie series - and we should be awfully inclined to give it a shot

link rundown: JULY 4, 2010

**Jose at Movies Kick Ass has some divergent things to say about the critically-maligned Sex and the City 2, and he makes an awful lot of sense...

**Jude at And All That Film takes a hit a show that he hates, and I have to somewhat agree...

**Bob at Listogriphicationality gives his shorthand version of the epic TV meme - just beware spoilers in that final topic...

**M. Carter of M. Carter at the Movies celebrates a 29th birthday by choosing the best movie from each year of being alive...

**Andrew from Encore Entertainment continues his trek toward his #1 movie of all time with #9, The Graduate, and a little assistance from his blogger friends...

**Robert at His Eyes Were Watching Movies revisits The Incredibles to great revelations...

**Mike from You Talking to Me? gives rather high marks to the action romp Knight and Day...

**Nathaniel at The Film Experience supplies us with an enlightening list of the oldest living Oscar nominees in honor of Gloria Stuart's big 1-0-0...

**Castor at Anomalous Material commences round 2 of the epic comedy tournament and debuts a fantastic new site design...

**Simon at Four of Them has music on her mind and encourages you to take a peek as well...

**Sonia at Little Red Writing Blog muses over her Twilight-bashing specialty cover letter...

link rundown: JUNE 9, 2010

It's about time to heap some more praise on my fellows out there who are churning out some great work of late. Click on these for some good reading material...

**Castor at Anomalous Material has an epic movie comedy tournament that just started. Catch up on the seedings for the brackets and start voting!

**Andrew at Encore Entertainment as usual has a rather insightful take for his Scene on a Sunday series - this time it's about 2008's Changeling.

**Sonia at Little Red Writing Blog offers up her humble opinion on The New Yorker's recent list of 20 writers under 40 years old.

**Jose at Movies Kick Ass writes a stellar review for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Honestly, it's good to see him happy with a movie at long last!

**Robert at His Eyes Were Watching Movies joins in the massive TV meme fun, this his entry on his favorite episodes of Spongebob.

**Robert at Listogriphicationality gives a hodgepodge list of his 50 all-time favorite TV shows.

**And Simon at Four of Them presents a handful of new column banners she's planning on trying out - thoughts?

link rundown: MAY 18, 2010

**Robert at His Eyes Were Watching Movies has an early review of Mother and Child. Let the jealousy begin...

**Sonia at Little Red Writing Blog muses about The Giving Tree's place in the graduation gift haul...

**Jose at Movies Kick Ass shows no love for Ridley Scott's latest effort, Robin Hood. For his relentless review read on...

**Castor at Anomalous Material has lots to say, mostly positive, about the 2004 hit Mean Girls - read if you dare!

**Simon at Four of Them talks up the flicks she's most excited to see this year. It's a pretty solid list, so start watching those trailers...

**Elizabeth guest posts at You Talking to Me? about It Happened One Night's role in ruining all future romantic comedies with the mold it set up...

**Finally, Andrew at Encore Entertainment posted a must-read about the merits of adapted screenplays versus original ones. It's definitely worth a look...

link rundown: APRIL 19, 2010

**Simon at Four of Them did a fantastic write-up on the state of female roles in cinema pre-1970 - Adam's Rib, Bonnie and Clyde, Citizen Kane... oh my!

**Castor at Anomalous Material reviews the slick period crime thriller L.A. Confidential, and gives it the justice it deserves...

**Mike at You Talking to Me? has a few things to say about the merits of the premier piece of cinema known as Sleepaway Camp...

**Sara at Eco-Vintage Weddings is upping the ante yet again with her newest photography idea...

**Jose at Movies Kick Ass laments the passing of yet another casting gone awry - what ever will Gwyneth do now?

**Andrew at Encore Entertainment gives a rundown of one of the great musical scenes in filmdom - work Catherine!

**And RC at Strange Culture gabs about that great Disney Afternoon / comic book offering, DuckTales!

link rundown: march 30, 2010

All right, it's time for some rockin' links in the blog world. Take a look at these posts from out in cyberspace and enjoy!

**Simon at Four of Them takes an in-depth look at the oft-plagued sub-genre of biopics...

**Castor at Anomalous Material has a uniquely positive take on Brothers - he's pretty killer at reviews, so it may be good to take his advice...

**Robert at His Eyes Were Watching Movies names the 15 best animated movies of the decade - it's a rather good and diverse list - and makes a plea (that I can concur with) to Emmy voters for next year...

**Sara at Eco-Vintage Weddings uses her resident wedding guru skills to scout out a unique new way to present a pretty cool guestbook

**Andrew at Encore Entertainment makes the case for the ever-lovely Joan Allen in The Upside of Anger...

**And Fitz at The LAMB has yet another near-impossible quiz for you to tackle...

link rundown: march 2, 2010

**Daniel over at The LAMB sizes up the Academy Awards' choices for the Best Documentary Feature category...

**RC at Strange Culture analyzes the cache of star power in today's box office rat race...

**Sara at Eco-Vintage Weddings goes gaga for wedding shoes...

**Stephanie at Ag Buzz proclaims the unthinkable in new entries to your grocer's dairy section...

**Jose at Movies Kick Ass takes a stab at his own personal top five supporting female performances of the year...

**Travis at The Movie Encyclopedia gives a review of one of the best documentaries of the decade...

**Castor at Anomalous Material reviews the newest of horror remakes, The Crazies...

**And Andrew at Encore Entertainment talks up my girl Meryl's performance in 2002's lady-driven drama, The Hours...

link rundown: january 21, 2010

**Stephanie over at Ag Buzz embraced the horrible South Dakota weather for a wee bit o' sleddin' fun...

**Bailey at Space to Be Human gives her take on the lack of grace in certain responses to the crisis in Haiti...

**RC at Strange Culture gives his take on the 2009 documentary Burma VJ...

**Travis at The Movie Encyclopedia joins the masses with a critical take on It's Complicated...

**Sara at Eco-Vintage Weddings sets out to reach 101 goals in 1001 days - wish her luck!

**Jose at Movies Kick Ass links up to his number one girl (Ms. Penelope Cruz) on 60 Minutes...

**Andrew at Encore Entertainment teases some possible best performances for the upcoming 2010 year in movies...

link rundown: january 11, 2010

The new year has dawned and it's the first Link Rundown of the month. Here for your perusal are several great blog posts of the past few weeks. Come take a gander at some great film reviews, play analysis, a fun movie image game, international travel advice, and some love for being your own DJ. So thank you writers for your expert advice, and keep up the good work!

**Andrew over at Encore takes a look at some classic film cinematography - see how many you can guess...

**Stephanie, our resident farming expert at Ag Buzz, sets out to get our culture understanding wheels turning...

**RC at Strange Culture muses about District 9's longshot Oscar possibilities...

**Bailey at Space to Be Human laments the bitter cold...

**Sara at Eco-Vintage Weddings promotes avoiding over-priced wedding DJs...

**Bob at A Play a Day shows the love for August: Osage County...

**Jose at Movies Kick Ass defends the honor of Nancy Meyers' It's Complicated.

link rundown: december 25, 2009

It's Christmastime folks, and in honor of the big guy coming to town and whatnot, I present to you some more of the best of the best in the blogosphere. Prepare yourselves for Christmas wishes from some of my favorite writers out there -- we've got neckwear, we've got Tony-winning plays, we've got sugar cookie frenzy, and we've even got a little critical analysis of some recent cinema releases. Take a gander stat!

**A Play a Day breaks down recent Tony Award winner for Best Play, God of Carnage, and shows much love for scribe Yasmina Reza...

**At Ag Buzz, Steph describes the best of the best for holiday homespun goodness...

**Sara at Eco-Vintage Weddings tells of the benefits of a bow-tie affair...

**Jose continues his review of Avatar (with a wee bit o' spoilers) at Movies Kick Ass...

**Costume drama The Young Victoria gets the critical treatment over at A Life in Equinox...

**And Bailey once again provides her musical expertise at Space to Be Human...

link rundown: december 15, 2009

Thanks to the wonderful and never-ending diversity of my fellow bloggers out there, this delightful list will hopefully whet your appetites for further reading of these web-rags. Learn some cooking skills from Megan, keep on planning your wedding on the cheap thanks to Sara's expertise, and get an in-depth look of an otherwise forgotten awards bash. Well done writers.

**A Word or Two takes a stab at reviewing what thrift-shopping has to offer and giving bacon a chance in desserts...

**Movies Kick Ass gives a rundown of the happenings at the European Film Awards (complete with screencaps, reaction shots, and clippage analysis!)...

**Ag Buzz laments the passing of Top Chef: Las Vegas...

**Eco-Vintage Weddings unveils its newest hairbrained (and brilliant!) scheme: invitations that bloom. You know you want to know more...

**And Space to Be Human pishaws the surge of technology in dating. And why not throw in a Gabriel Garcia Marquez pun in the title, eh?

link rundown: december 2, 2009

Thanks to the immensely talented and interesting writers out there in the blogosphere, it's high time you take a gander at these top-notch posts pertaining to everything from "green" bargains to gigantic food precipitation to motherly journeys. Make sure to bookmark or follow these people for further intrigue and possibly equally brilliant future posts....

**Eco-Vintage Weddings gives a shout-out to the bargain-hunting ladies on the Great American Apparel Diet...

**Strange Culture follows the church Rev. Billy and his anti-consumerism ways...

**Movies Kick Ass makes a case for the delectable Disney competition, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs...

**Ag Buzz advocates rancher training as a possible solution for one of the poorest regions in the nation...

**Space to Be Human has a proud (of) mama moment...

**A Word or Two gives the thrifties a leg-up on economic downturn...

**And Encore's World of Film & TV stands up for the legacy of Titanic...