Hey guys, John here. This one is kind of a long personal post regarding questions I’ve got from a lot of you guys. It’s one I’ve meant to do for a while, and since today appears to be a rather slow news day (not a lot worth talking about really) I thought I do this one now. Actually, this is sort of 3 posts I’ve been meaning to do based on your questions and emails, but I thought I’d combine them into one since they all sort of interconnect.
WHAT THE MOVIE BLOG IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT
There is often a lot of confusion regarding what The Movie Blog really is. When I started the site over 4 years ago (man time flies), the purpose of it was to be my blog. You see, I was blogging before most people ever even heard the term… but I realized most of my posts were about movies, the movie world and my experiences with it. I decided to create a totally different blog just to put all my thoughts, opinions and experiences with movies and the movie world. I did a search and was lucky enough to get “The Movie Blog.Com” as my domain name and proceeded blogging all my personal movie related stuff there, and then everything else with my life on my other blog.
The Movie Blog is just that… it’s my blog. From time to time I’ve had other people join in on the fun, but its still always been my blog. Sharing my thoughts, experiences and opinions on movies and movie news.
The Movie Blog is not, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be a news site. Yes, a by-product of reading The Movie Blog is that you end up getting the news (since I reference it before giving my opinion on it), but I’m not a reporter, I’ve never pretended to be a journalist, I don’t “break scoops”, I don’t go to press conferences and hell… even at Comic Con I skipped most of the sessions and ALL the roundtable interviews I was offered because that stuff just doesn’t interest me at all. It’s not who I am… it’s not what I do. I was far more interested in the personal EXPERIENCES at Comic Con. Meeting people, hanging out with folks.
Hell, I met Jessica Alba quickly at a damn press event, but I had FAR more fun hanging out with Peter (Slashfilm), Alex and his crew from FirstShowing, Vic (Screenrant), Kevin (Cinematical) and Jen (Rotten Tomatoes) at that little party I put together (and yeah it was cool that half the Heroes cast showed up too). I much prefer standing around talking with Milo Ventimigilia for a half hour than spending 3 hours at press event. And that sums up what I am. I’m a film fan who loves personal experiences far more than “reporting the news”. And The Movie Blog is my outlet for talking about those experiences, my thoughts, my opinons, my point of view when it comes to this whole big movie world.
Sometimes even I lose focus on what the site is, and then I try to quickly get back on track. Remember that new design I had up a few weeks ago for a while? I LOVED that design. A lot of you seemed to love it too… but the longer I had it up there… the more I realized it made the site feel like a news site instead of a blog. It had beautiful functionality, it ran super slick and made my life easier… but in the end, it just wasn’t a BLOG… so I changed it back to this design you see now.
I’ve taken a lot of shit from some people over the years because I don’t run my blog “professional” enough. Or according to what they think a “movie news site” should be. I’ve always tried to tell them that I have no intention of being “professional”, and that I’m not a “news site”… but some people just don’t get it. This is MY BLOG. About me and my thoughts, opinions and experiences… just like anyone else’s blog, except I just do it in regards to movies. Which leads us to…
THE HARD PARTS OF DOING THE MOVIE BLOG
Over the last few years I’ve literally received hundreds of emails from people who ask me the question “What are the biggest challenges of running The Movie Blog” (or some close derivative to that)? There are a few.
1) Being a target
When you are willing to get a discussion started by putting your own neck on the line by putting your opinion out there for the public to see, some people see that as an opportunity to act like 6 year olds and make personal attacks on you. In the internet world we call that “flaming”. It’s really frustrating when mental invalids take a topic that I raise, and then try to make the discussion about ME. For example, recently we had a topic about the girl who was caught red handed taking out her camera and recording parts of The Transformers in a movie theater. The question was “should this girl be punished”? There were some solid points raised by both sides, until someone decided to make the discussion about me personally (because I once admitted to watching a pirated DVD that a friend brought over). That’s frustrating. Or just the more dull flamers who decide to take a top 10 list or some other opinion I posted and take the opportunity to launch off on some diatribe about how I don’t know anything… yadda yadda yadda. It’s frustrating.
2) Online In-Fighting
This one really depresses me. When movie websites decide it’s ok to publicly attack other movie websites. Just this last week, two well known sites, run by guys I have a good relationship with, both started taking swings at each other publicly from their respective websites. That’s disheartening. Or worse… personally… when another website decides to launch an attack on me.
Here’s an example. Last year, this guy, who I had always said nice things about… promoted his website from The Movie Blog and interacted with… out of nowhere wrote an article about how big of an asshole John Campea is… how I’m basically hitler incarnate… yadda yadda yadda. It was a long scathing article… from a guy I had always endorsed, spoke positively of and promoted. It was VERY hurtful, humiliating and disappointing. I know we’re supposed to put on a mask and make it look like that shit doesn’t bother us… but it did bother me. It hurt me, and it disappointed me. When I started to dig a little I found out why he did it. Why he launched sucha personal, hateful, hurtful and outright pussy attack on me. Are you ready for this? Because when I referenced a story on his site once, I said the name of his site, instead of his name personally. Yup… it was that shallow. Because I said “This story comes to us from (name of website)”, instead of “This story comes to us from (names of the guy) from (name of the website)” he decided to get on his site, rip me a new one, call me names, insult my site, me and anyone who reads my site.
Yet, not once did I say a bad word about him. Even after he attacked me. My only response was “he’s a good writer, I’m disappointed in his actions, he’s entitled to his opinion”. That was it. I had some harsher words for him privately… but publicly I refused to lower myself to his level and get involved in public shit slinging. Because when you sling shit, everyone ends up smelling like shit. This scenario has happened a couple of times, but I guess I should count myself lucky that it hasn’t happened more. Today, that site in question is just a shell of what is used to be (which is a shame, cause the other guy who wrote for it was just awesome) and the guy in question has faded into relative total obscurity… and the world is better for it.
I don’t mind actors or studios taking shots at movie blogs… but in the same community you shouldn’t be attacking each other. That’s just the way I see things. Friendly jabbing is fine, constructive criticism is fine… but the venom soaked attacks we’ve seen just aren’t cool… and they make doing what I do harder, and makes it less fun for the people who read our sites to come to our community.
3) Studios
It makes it hard to love the movies when you basically lose all respect for those that make them. Studios make it very hard to love the movies sometimes. Now, I should mention that there are some wonderful studios out there that I really enjoy communicating with. Studios like Lionsgate, The Weinstiens, Lakeshore Entertainment, MGM and a few others. And even the worst studios (like Warner Bros.) have some good people there, so I don’t want to paint with too broad a brush. But honestly, the games a lot of them play is frustrating beyond all words.
To some of these studios its all a big game, and they see themselves as holding all the cards. One studio in particualr, who knew I was at Comic Con, didn’t invite me to a single one of their press events (not that I would have gone anyway, but still). When I ran into one of the people I knew from that studio, they asked if I was going to go to one of the roundtable interviews, I said no because i wasn’t invited… they proceeded to tell me that the reason for that is because the more upper ranked people at the studio didn’t like what I said on The Movie Blog about (NAME OF MOVIE HERE). So that’s how some of these studios like to play the game. Either play ball their way, or they don’t want anything to do with you. Suits me fine, but it’s still frustrating that there are stupid people out there who think that way.
On the other hand you get studios like Lakeshore who once sat down with me with 2 of their directors and told me straight up to my face: “If we make a bad movie, you fucking call it like you see it and say so or I’ll punch you”. A guy from Lionsgate and I were talking about one of their movies… and he flat out said: “Holy shit did we fuck that movie up”. Do Lakeshore or Lionsgate always make the best movie? No chance… but they have great attitudes.. they love the movies… and they love people talking about the movies, good or bad. And that attitude and outlook will make those types of studios grow and develop a hell of a lot better than a “We can do no wrong, and you shall speak no evil of us, no matter how evil we are” attitude some of these studios have.
There was even this one time that a MAJOR studio invited me to a party for one of their movies. Apparently I was the only web media guy allowed in. So I went to the party… hung out with the stars… enjoyed the evening and I liked the movie. The next day I wrote a big post about the night, how good the movie was and how people should see it when it comes out. All good right? Well… a few days later that studio calls me and asks me why I haven’t written MORE about it. They reminded me they had to pull a lot of strings to get me into that party, and that I should give the movie more coverage. WTF!?!?! So basically they thought I OWED them because they got me into a stupid party?!?! Fuck that. I immediately cut off communications with that studio for over a year and stayed cut off from them until recently.
They do lots of other stuff that makes it hard to be a fan. But still, no matter how evil and awful a studio is (ie Warner Bros.), if they make a good movie, I’ll still call it a good movie. I try not to confuse the two or cross the lines of my appreciation for the work vs. my appreciation (or lack thereof) of the people behind it.
4) Failure
I’ve had a bunch of questions about the biggest failures around here at The Movie Blog too. When you try lots of things, that means odds are a bunch of those things will fail. Failure is hard. Failure hurts. Failure is embarrassing, humiliating and makes you feel like 2 inches tall. Failure is easier to deal with when its private and you’re the only one who knows about your failure…. but it’s 10x harder when a LOT of people know about it. That happens to me on The Movie Blog sometimes. The thing is, THIS IS A BLOG, and so here on my blog I share stuff… I tell you guys about things that are happening that are exciting… because I like making the site more personal. But sometimes that means I embarrass myself. Here are a couple of the bigger humiliations I’ve had around here at The Movie Blog:
A – Podcast of the Year Failure
As some of you know, we won Podcast of the year in 2006. This year we were nominated again… only this time I really thought we would win (I never expected it last time at all). We told you guys about the nominations… asked you to get out to vote… we were so pumped about it…. and then yesterday we found out we lost. The stench of failure covers me like oily underwear on a hobo. We lost out to a Firefly/Serenity fan podcast… ironic since just the other day I posted about how good Serenity was. I should edit that post to read “Serenity sucks, and so does anyone who likes it!!” (kidding). It’s just sort of embarrassing when people know you’re going for something and you lose. That stung. It was still an honor to be nominated… but man it sucks to lose… and lose publicly.
B – The VH1 TV Show Failure
Remember last year VH1 contacted Doug and I about a TV show? Yeah, we flew down to NY City, met the people, filmed some audition spots… hell, I even made it to the final round. It looked like I was all set to have my first show on VH1. You guys were all so supportive of us, it was so great and I was so excited. Well, we waited… and waited… and waited… then finally found out Doug didn’t make it to the next round of consideration, which sucked and made me want to back out of the show cause it wouldn’t be as fun without him doing it with me. Doug made me stay in it… so I waited more…. and more… and more… and to this day they still say things are “still in development”, which really means the whole idea for the show got scrapped. It wasn’t really my fault, but it’s still really embarrassing when you tell everyone about an opportunity you’re all excited about and absolutely nothing comes of it.
C – Movie Studio Job Failure
As some of you know, one of the studios contacted me last week because they were interested in talking to me about a possible position they wanted to create for me. I was really excited about the prospects of it. Yeah well… lots of talk at first about how great the job would be… about how I would have tons of input on how the films would be presented to the online community and how much access I’d be allowed to give the online movie site guys…. but in the end it was really just talk. I was actually supposed to fly down to L.A. next week to meet with them in person… but the more we spoke this week the more it became clear that the job would be something very different than I first envisioned. It was also clear that the job they had in mind just wasn’t right for me, and so we ended talks and canceled the trip. How…. fucking… humiliating. No hard feelings towards those guys at all, it just wasn’t a good fit. Still, I’m left here with my face red yet again telling you guys about another thing I was all pumped about that ended up being just another notch in the bedpost of mistress failure… and we didn’t even cuddle after.
You guys know of other smaller failures we’ve had around here over the years… and we’ll have more. But man they just never get easier or less humiliating.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Wow, if you’ve made it down this far, I commend you. So here’s a final thought: Doing what we (online movie guys) do isn’t as easy as it looks. Yes, we love it, but it comes at a price, it comes with some frustration, it comes with some failure and it comes with some embarrassment. So I encourage you all… honestly… if you read Peter over at SlashFilm, or Alex at FirstShowing, Vic at Screenrant, Josh at Cinemablend, Neil at Film School Rejects, Robert at IESB, Andrew at Movie Patron, Marina at Mad About Movies… yadda yadda yadda…. seriously stop for a second, drop them a note and just give them kudos for what they do. They bring a voice to the online community, they facilitate discussion, they entertain, inform and spark great debate…. often at the cost of hard work, pain in the ass studios, asshole readers or even other websites who attack them publicly, and expose themselves to public failure all the time.
Go drop them a note and just say “hey man… thanks for what you do”, cause trust me… they deserve it, and nothing keeps them going like little acknowledgments like that from the people they do it for.
Anyway, I hope that answers a lot of the questions you guys have been asking about what The Movie Blog is, the hard things about doing it, and the failure that often comes along with it… and how they all tie together. Tomorrow we’re back to talking about movie news.
Cheers, and thanks for reading.
Hey John and the TMB crew… thank you for your hard work and dedication!
Also would like to thank you for going back to the old format.
Keep up the great work.
Hi John,
After reading that post I feel like giving you a great big electronic hug! It was such a pleasure meeting and hanging with you at Comic-Con — you’re truly one of the most genuine and warm dudes in this onliner game — and I’m grateful to you for reaching out and really making the effort to build community among those of us lucky enough to do this crazy movie website thing. The reader love showed in this thread is also tremendous. I hope to someday have that sort of support in the blogosphere (fingers crossed)!
Take care,
Jen Y. from Rotten Tomatoes
The Movie Blog is a great site. I don’t always agree with the comments or posts here but I come here regularly anyway. Don’t worry about haters John.
When people do well and get ahead haters come out of the woodwork! I’ve had people attack me and my blogs as well and it’s humiliating and frustrating sometimes but people like that are usually either insecure or sociopaths. They act out and attack others on the web because they know they can’t get away with it in person. It happens to most successful bloggers. It’s called cowardice and insecurity. Keep your head up.
Just my $0.02.
sorry, I keep going…
I just… can’t. stand. hypocrisy. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves. I’m sure I’ve been guilty of it myself several times, but I won’t just sit idly by and let people get away with it because a couple people think its “weak” to bring the person making the argument into the equation. If everyone was consistent in their beliefs there’d be no reason to do this sort of thing, but people just aren’t.
I mean look, KriNtina, John’s documentary is clearly about hypocrisy – why do people who follow a book that says “dont kill”, go out and fight wars? The whole question of the film puts the people who say the Bible justifies war on the defensive, and at the same time it opens the door for the person being questioned to clarify how they can let one thing slide but another pass. It is confrontational and brings the person into the argument, but if the people are respectful about it, it leads to good discussion.
Likewise, with the Boyle argument we had, claiming John was inconsistent about Parker/Smith opens the door for him to think about why those examples didnt bother him and explain why. If I didnt confront him about that sort of thing, what happens? I sit around thinking he’s an asshole or something? No, I’d rather confront the person and resolve the argument through discussion, thanks.
to sum up – it really all comes down to basic axioms – glass houses, judging not lest ye be judged, etc – i come here to get news and be entertained. if any site wants to call any director an asshole or any movie crap – please do, and please be entertaining… but if you’re going to go beyond a persons art and comment on a directors/actors’ personal ethics, well I see absolutely no defense for why someone shouldnt be allowed to call someone a hypocrite or inconsistent if they have evidence. It doesnt even matter whether or not I disagree!
If Fred “God Hates Fags” Phelps came up to me on the street and told me why its wrong to be a racist (and he’s done this, he was a major proponent for civil rights) on that issue I’d be completely on his side, but I would stop him in his tracks and say “How dare YOU tell anyone that racism is bad when you actively tout a campaign of bigotry towards homosexuals and harass troops at their funerals?”. It is absolutely 100% fair to fight back in this way and I defy you to tell me why it isn’t.
“If you don’t like what John said about Danny B, then an intelligent person states why they disagree and how they feel his actions or words or whatever were fine. That’s the topic. That’s the issue.”
Well, I disagree, and here’s why – if Mel Gibson calls someone an anti Semite, you hold back and you say “…wait a second there pal, didnt you…” – and thats an extreme example, but if John says someone is a jerk for calling someone else a slut or ugly or an asshole, well I’ve listened to a lot of these podcasts and i’ve heard Doug and John say a lot of things. In the Boyle case for example, he said a director should never comment on another directors work – well I was easily able to cite Trey Parker and Kevin Smith – who John and/or Doug likes – who have done just that to other directors, and asking why he didnt call them out when they did it too. I think that’s entirely fair. I think attacking the argument itself is the most important, but when someone gets on a moral high horse about something and their opinion is not consistent, I absolutely 100 percent think it is fair to call the person making the statement into question for their inconsistency. If someone says thats a personal attack, then all I can say is ‘horseshit’ – When I did just that in that thread, I was trying to appeal to a sense of reason, prod why one person avoids getting hassled on TMB but another is called out as a classless jerk.
and if you’re looking for an example of another website that felt that John had attacked it, I cited example in that old Boyle thread, which you’re going to have to dig up yourself. That discussion is long dead and not worth spending too much time over anymore.
Hi Goon. No, I understood your message, but I think my previous message still applies. If you don’t like what John said about Danny B, then an intelligent person states why they disagree and how they feel his actions or words or whatever were fine. That’s the topic. That’s the issue. Only the weak, who can’t formulate a thought of their own to debate the issue degrade to making the topic about someone else.
Also, I’ve been reading this site as long as anyone around, and not once have I ever seen or read John, Rodney, Doug, Richard, Wormwood or anyone else who writes for this site outright attack another movie website. Even when John has been attacked by other sites, he has never once spoken a bad word. I have twice seen John be critical of isolated issues involving other sites, but those posts were always structured in the form of the utmost respect, and in both instances heaped praise on those 2 sites before getting into the issue. If I recall correctly (just looked it up) in the case of chud, he even first said the issue with chud was one that he himself and other movie sites have been guilty of as well, that the person involved was a great and talented guy, and that their site was a better site than The Movie Blog.
With the Danny B situation, Danny basically said Eli was a bad director. Had Danny come out, said Eli was very talented, as good as or better of a director than he himself was, but that he wasn’t a fan of Hostel, I don’t think anyone would have complained.
But all that is beside the point. An issue is raised on the site. Only the weak and those who aren’t intelligent enough to articulate their own arguments regarding the issue resort to changing the topic, and making the issue about the person who brought the issue to the table. It is and remains pitiful.
KriNtina, I dont think you read my post. You act like my scenario is justifying a response to “I think Spiderman 3 sucked” with “you’re gay”, when I’m certainly not.
My example would be, say, the controversial post made recently on the Movie Blog calling Danny Boyle a classless human being for criticising Eli Roth’s films. In this case, I think it was more than fair to point out cases where John (in the opinion of many) criticized other movie sites in a way much like Boyle was accused. I too believed he was coming down too hard on Boyle – this is a site where Lohan has been called slut, Dunst has been called ugly, Peter Jackson has been called an asshole, etc – and I think it was completely fair to call on John to justify the difference between what he was saying about Boyle and why he felt it was different than some of his own words about people/other sites.
(and for the record, on that issue I was a ‘anything goes’ position to people stating their opinion on their peers, so long as they accept that there could be consequences. i just thought John was setting ethics rules there that would bite him in the ass later, if they hadnt already)
Goon, first of all, I’m not KriStina, although that’s an easy mistake to make.
Secondly, what you just said isn’t true at all in the least. In a neutral forum, person A raises a topic and says “This director sucks, he’s a big moron who can’t direct to save his life, just look at movies 1, 2, 3 and 4”
Person B likes the director and wants to respond. But he lacks the basic intelligence to actually refute anything person A said. So instead of saying “I disagree, I think the director is good, especially if you looks at movies 5, 6 and 7 and such and such elements in movies 2 and 3”, he just says “Oh yeah, well you suck”.
So yes, all changing the topic does is show a basic lack of intelligence, an inability to defend your own position. Being unable to intelligently respond, person B changes topics and tries to distract from the topic at hand by going after the person who gave the opinion. It is pitiful. Doesn’t add to the discussion for anyone else who wants to debate the issue raised and is just a waste of time.
Thankfully, the majority of people around here are intelligent enough to debate the topics. Just get rid of the rest.
Kristina, I think that theres an argument that ‘making the conversation about you’ in SOME cases, isnt ‘changing the topic’ at all. If a post goes up attacking someone as a human being, the door is open to critique the posters’ own ethics (relevant to the situation)
Kman, yes, if you put out harsh opinions about a subject, you should expect harsh opinions about that subject back. You shouldn’t have to expect adolescents to change topics, suddenly make the conversation about you, and then give harsh crap about you. That’s nonsense, it shouldn’t be “expected” and it shouldn’t be tolerated. All it shows is weak minded people who don’t know how else to debate other than turning the attack on the person. Pituful. Equally pitiful that you somehow think it should be tolerated. I think the way the vast majority of the conversations around here are conducted prove that the “standard” john has set around here is the best one.
@goon
I agree with your statement ‘when you put out harsh opinions, you get harsh ones back’ and thats just something the authors of this blog have to deal with, if they dont want to then you have to disable comments.
John,
You and your crew do an excellent job!
You stand up for what is right and tell it like it is man!
I admire your gutsy, yet humble nature.
You’re the best…screw the rest!
Cheers!
o.k. so I am not banned…well of that I am glad.
I definitely think you may have taken me the wrong way john.it was not an attack on you in anyway..i think if you read all of my posts I was praising the shit out of you for the most part as I think what you have done with this site is a good achievement.I really was just trying to make a point about why things might get a little heated round here…..
anyway
can we kiss, with tongue, and make up?
one last try
I can’t believe that you would bring the fight up from last year. It was last year when it happened. I really thought all parties had moved on and gotten on with their life. A lot of your readers knew who and what you are talking about when you bring up that “fight”. Let sleeping dogs lie that is all really. It was so last year aren’t you over it yet? I know I am! ( I am not saying this to disrespect anyone)
I mean, the idea that Alfie would out and out attack you rather than earnestly and respectfully critique isnt something that would cross my mind – that fight with He Who Shall Not Be Named from last year? I remember Alfie was over on that dudes site attacking back fighting for your honor… did he really say something that I glossed over? I’m shocked…
why did Alfie’s post that I responded to about the tone of the site get deleted? I didnt see it as a personal attack – I saw it as trying to explain why attacks happen in the first place.
did i miss something in his post that was offensive?
I’ve often wondered how you take the attacks and the criticism of people who waste yours and our time with their inane remarks. I know others have said this, but with your site people really get to know you if they have read you at all faithfully. I read your site at least once a day, but check it at least twice. I can hear your voice in your blogs and know your body language just as much as a friend here. You are appreciated and people are glad for what you do.
Brad here from Cape town, your blog is my first read every morning and I know of stacks of other South African movie buffs (if you can call any of us that) that read your site daily. By far my fav blog site and something that I feel you and the whole movie blog crowd should be proud of. Keep up the good work.
Strange, sorry about above post…i typed out more, and it only typed out my first sentence..OO
Anyhoo, John we appreciate and thank you for making this site and i agree. This is your blog. No one elses’
WHAT?! This isnt a news site on movies?OO’ WHAT?! This isnt a news site on movies?OO’ <--jk, John we appreciate what you've done, and usually i just come here to see whats up. Its fun to be on this site. Thanks for making this site happen.
ENTER YOUR COMMENTS HERE. Make sure you fill out the box below this one before submitting your comment
John,
I love to read your blog obviously because I’m a crazy movie fan, but also you present everything in a laid-back, natural way- YOUR WAY. And it works. I’m sorry to hear that suits are trying to eat your soul, but good for you for sticking to who and what you are about. Don’t ever forget that that is why you are so popular.
Thank you for bringing us your opinions, and your experiences. You really are awesome!
Goon and Alfie, you guys have said the things I’ve been thinking about the movie blog. I’m not as eloquent nor as good as forming thoughtful criticisms, so I’ll just leave it as that.
And to John, many many thanks for the movie blog. I’m from the Philippines and I love listening to the podcast. I’ve been tuning in for almost 2 years now. Your blog has really reached the far corners of the world! Hope you know how much we appreciate the effort you put into this.
PS I too prefer this layout. I actually found myself reading less movie news on the new site design. This one feels homey.
John, Doug and the rest of the guys that have ever been a part of The Movie Blog in one way or another, never give up! The passion and dedication you put into the movie blog – not as a movie writer or critic but as a movie FAN is simply spectacular and you guys deserve all the love in the world! All this extra stuff, the premieres, the interviews with famous people are all just cherries on the cake.
In fact it’s a testament to your pure passion and talent as writers that you’ve been able to achieve so much over the past couple of years to the point where you’ve literally been there and back! Whatever the future holds for you guys I wish the best and just hope you keep doing the things that you love most.
And as long as you guys keep the movie blog going, I’ll support you guys no matter what.
P.S. I also regret voting only once for the podcast of the year, I think more than anything it was due to the fact we all thought you’d win either way! And anyways, who cares! You’re still the bast damn movie blog and podcast out there no matter wether you get an podcast of the year award or a certificate from Disneyland!
P.P.S. John, let me be the first to start the list of the all the Succeses you’ve had in such a short span of time:
1. You were in TIME MAGAZINE!!!! I actually picked up a magazine all the way in Singapore with you in it! How frigin cool is that?
2. You hang out with the directors from Crank and the cast of Heroes! I know people who’d die for that chance! (see scary facebook group: “Zachary Quinto Can Slice Open My Head Any Day!” and the sheer number of members of “Addicted to Heroes”)
3. Your’e going to be in a friggin movie! (Yea, it’s a small, tiny little cameo, but boo-hoo! your’e still in a friggin movie with Edward Norton)!
So yea, i kinda screwed up the format of this comment but who cares.
People from all over the world come to hear what you have to say and actually bother writing comments like these saying how friggin cool you and the team are and that’s probably your most important achievement!
Keep at it!
with regards to what people are saying about embarrassment over doing everything possible to win that award. A couple of those other nominees have their show on the actual radio, and they pimped their shows to about the same degree, and didnt win either. A couple nominees didn’t try at all, and I respected that. I have no problem that you wanted to win, but maybe next year play it more humble and see what happens? I’m not saying that begging for votes turned anyone off, but I’m wondering if anyone else here thinks it could have, whether to a regular or a casual listener.
“I think that half the problem is guys like Alfie and goon can’t read. Jesus Christ, I’ve only been coming here a few months and I’ve heard campea say a thousand times that you can express any opinion you want about any topic you want, just show respect to the people you’re having the conversation with. It’s not a hard concept.”
You’re completely missing the point (and being condescendingly ironic with those sentences put together like that). The point is a lot of readers, including me, are surprised that the site doesnt have a thicker skin – and i DONT mean about the rules of what is tolerated on the boards, I mean about what they can take personally without it ruining their day. Some dork who disagrees about the Batman suit and calls John a retard shouldn’t keep him up at night.
If and when the site readers cause John so much grief that he can’t take it anymore, his only recourses would be to either disable comments, soften the site’s tone to say, a Filmspotting level of inoffensiveness, or just quit – and I dont think any of you would like either of those options, so improving the skill to cope with the fact that when you put out harsh opinions, you get harsh ones back – seems like a better idea to me, one I should be able to put out without being told I “can’t read”.
Again an article has caused me to drop a few words.
No one told me about themovieblog. I “accidentally” came across it myself looking for more details about some movie 2 years ago.
Since then I got on themovieblog wagon and will plan on it until you throw me off. :o)
John, it seems that you are waiting for opportunities to come to you, which they do, but if you tried pursuing/finding them, I’m sure you will have even more success.
I respect and trust you guys for doing what you do, which is why this is my only movie source website. Hey if it makes a difference, I wish you, Doug, Darren, and Bruxy happiness and success. :o)
Take care!
Failure? WTF, dude? I visit this site, 3 times at day. I listen to the podcast at work (sometimes that what gets me through work).
John-
Have to give you big kudos. I used to work in movie distribution and know how hard it is to like the ‘movie scene’ even if you love movie’s. The fact that this is your personal blog is even a bigger deal to me.
I used to frequent a different movie site for a couple years and then discovered yours. First off, the other site had become exactly what you were fearful about with the the new layout, a corporate, sterile site. That site went from being a a friendly site to learn and even share to a site, clearly driven by the Hollywood propaganda machine and that is sad.
You on the other hand have not catered to anyone but yourself (and that is a good thing!) The job you do here is why I come each day. I tip my hat to you and Doug. Please keep up the good work and most of all…
Thanks
I think that half the problem is guys like Alfie and goon can’t read. Jesus Christ, I’ve only been coming here a few months and I’ve heard campea say a thousand times that you can express any opinion you want about any topic you want, just show respect to the people you’re having the conversation with. It’s not a hard concept.
There is also a huge statement bolded in red repeating that. This is a fucking opinion site, that means if its honest it’s going to give some glowing opinions and it’s going to give harsh ones. I don’t know, maybe it’s a concept that’s too advanced for some people to wrap their heads around.
John, the reason I gravitated to tmb and left aicn was because of the way the discussions are conducted around here. You hold shit up to a much higher standard than the flame central that aicn has become, and that standard you’ve set is reflected in the chat boards here. If you don’t think I’m correct, just go to almost any other site and read thought their forums. All filled with mindless adolescent flames. Here, 99.99% of the time there is nothing but just good discussion. And I think the main reason for that is the standard you’ve set.
Ignore the few that don’t get it, and ignore the simple who try to say it’s your own fault. Focus on the vast majority of people here who keep coming back specifically because of the great and unmatched environment you’ve created here.
A glass raised to you sir!
This is the only site I contribute to.
Nuff said.
John
also if this post is about the fact that you did ask people to vote yet you believe these same people let you down (podcast awards. An award isnt everything, you have a very good blog here that has acted as a catlyst to you meeting all these stars and making you a big player within the internet community, you cant buy power like that you earned it, so chill fella we all lov ya
John,
I respect what you are telling us, but i do feel sometimes you should hold of the excitment, until you have solid info saves you the humliation sometimes, also dude remember you are in the public eye now and you are letting people comment on your posts, and sometimes people feel so heated about what you have to say they will attach you rather then you opinion as it is easier. thats just my 2 cents worth but i gotta say i love the site and visit it all through out the day looking for updates.
Recently, my beloved iMac of 10 yers began to show it’s age, crashing and freezing up on me (acting like a windows computer). In the last few weeks I’ve been experiementing with various versions of Linux to keep the machine going.
The very first thing I do when I put a new system on, is fire up firefox, come over to the movie blog and bookmark the page. The next thing I do is subscribe to the movie blog podcast.
This is my favorite site on the internet, I appreciate all the incredible work you do. I missed comic-con this year (even though I live in the downtown SD area), next year, I hope to be there, I’d like to buy you a beer.
Great read, Gio. Love the site and what you have done with it.
I think Alfie does make a point… forget all thats been said before about ‘but that person isnt in the same field as I’ – I can totally agree that considering the tone the show often takes, that many would assume you can take the same abuse without it ever bothering you.
I was gonna make a smart ass comment but figure it’s probably just easier to go into it.
John, you guys here put a tremendous amount of effort and work into something you are truly passionate about, but like everything in life, there’s ups and downs. However, never underestimate the appreciation your fans/readers have for what you guys do, from the threads, to the commentaries, to the audio and video editions. You truly are a great bunch of guys that have great comradarie and rapport. Even though you have to have a thick skin to be able to handle the criticisms, it’s easier said than done. Just remember, we do appreciate you all and the work you put into a personal site, that just happens to be a little more than something a few people read every now and again.
I do know you’ll get to a successful point in your life within this industry, and wish you well. Don’t sweat the stuff you can’t control. We’ll be here supporting you guys no matter the BS that comes from having a personal opinion.
Cheers
First and last site I check every day. Keep up the good work. It is greatly appreciated.
John! THANKS FOR THE MOVIE BLOG!!! I Love You Guys!!
This was a good post. I have to say even though I don’t have much respect for your movie opinions, let alone your opinion on matters non-movie-related, I read most of the stuff you write. It’s very easy, like porn, you always watch the stuff even though you know it’s not going to mean anything.
I think this post shows pretty much who you are, a friendly, well-meaning person who just happened to be succesful. I agree that the attack on you was more about how succesful you were than what you were like as a person, and that the response was very well justified giving the ridiculous reasoning that you depicted very precisely in this post.
As for the failure thing, I think you’re seeing the glass half empty. Many of us have to experience failure by ourselves and feel like shit all on our own, but even the smallest failure you have is always commented by at least 15 people saying how it was unfair, how they rooted for you, and how they love you and your site. So I think you have it easier than most other people. You should write another post about the easy parts of doing the movie blog.
Afterall, when push comes to shove, you don’t have any education in writing, you don’t have anything to offer but one mans opinion, and yet you can live off of just posting stuff mainly commenting news in the movie world to an audience. You get to live from it man! If that’s not succes I don’t know what the fuck is!
I have been on and off this site because of various bans and whatnot, but I have to give you credit for igniting my interest in movies. I had been pretty dead for awhile untill I saw a link on an imdb.com forum for Spider-Man 3 to the youtube video of the podcast where you discussed the Venom picture (the one where it’s raining and he’s sitting ‘in a very Batman-like post’) That opened my eyes to paople sitting around talking about movies being an actual option to experience, and your show (albeit, when you were away)also showed to what has probably become my favorite site on the web, filmjunk.com.
All in all, I have to say themovieblog.com is not really my cup of tea, and I do think sometimes you’re on a bit of a high horse when dealing with various issues, be they studiowise or readerwise, but I still come back here, and the site did mean something to me. I’m glad you’re back to daily blogging about stuff, and I’ll read your posts, especially the longer ones because they spark a reaction in me, be it positive or negative.
(I got to say tough, I think the efforts to put yourself at the center of the site, like the name change, totally didn’t ring right for me. It felt like a pathetic way to draw attention to you rather than your content.)
Keep up the work, be it good or bad, Giohn.
Sometimes it’s up and sometimes it’s down – hells two weeks ago you were having a blast hosting the Pathology panel at Comic Con which must have been quite a dream – but your conviction that you’re making a difference in so many people’s life is what needs to keep you going.
You guys have a huge fanbase who religiously listen every week.
Asshole internet users pollute the web everywhere (just read the IMDb boards). Regarde-le comme un mal necessaire, mon ami.
Hello! I can imagine how hard it must be to run a blog like this. As someone who is no stranger to dissenting opinion that degrades to personal attacks, I completely understand.
However, you guys do set yourselves up for a bit of heat for that “The Official Home of CORRECT Movie Opinions” tag, as if any person who has a dissenting opinion is incorrect. You do not endear yourself to level headed response right off the bat.
Yup, well said John.
I would say two things…
1) Not winning the podcast of the year is not a failure. I think even being nominated makes it a success. You didn’t fail, you just didn’t beat out another podcast for “best.” Big difference.
2) As someone who abhors of change for no other reason than simply to change, I’m glad you went back to the old style movie blog. It fits better with everything you’re trying to do. Giving it a go with something different is fine, but realizing that the old way is better and reverting back to it was the right decision (IMO), so again, not a failure. Just an experiment that didn’t work out.
-keep writin’ and we’ll keep readin’
out.
PS – ATTACK: Zodiac is a great movie. So is Death Proof.
:)
No need for me the echo what everyone else says. This is a daily stop for me, John. Keep up the good work.
I’ve been a daily reader of TMB since 2004 and my favorite part about it is that you guys are not afraid to share your opinions.
Try not to think of them as failures but as opportunities to try something different. It’s been great watching TMB grow and I hope to be visiting here daily for a long, long time!
Thanks for being honest— your candid thoughts are refreshing. Keep up the good work.
First: This site is brilliant.
Second: I’m sorry i only voted once for the podcast awards
Third: Don’t ever stop what you’re doing…. well i guess you could… but it would toy with the hearts and minds of many.
John/Gio Metro :)
Here’s the thing LIGHTIN UP MAN! Your blog/site is fantastic! You do a GREAT job. Yeah things will happen, thats apart of the game. As a follow podcaster, I admire your show greatly! I come to your site atleast 3 times a day. I listen to every podcast, hell I even attend the live uncut shows from time to time. You and Dug are doing the damn thing.
I’ve said this before on comments and I’ll say it again… I WOULD GLADLY PAY TO HEAR YOUR PODCASTS! I’m sure others would also. Why you don’t at least offer this option I don’t know. I’m sure you have a very large audience.
PS:
Put a damn link to the Community site already. :)
Hey, man. I find myself dropping in at least twice a day, and I’m not even all that into movies. I appreciate you, sir.
Sorry about the various evanescent opportunities, but you better get used to some gonad-kicks of that sort. Believe me; I’ve sat out in the hallway at a hundred auditions over the last five years or so, listening to inferior drummers get the gigs I should have had. Take a deep breath and count yer blessings.
Hey john
Just wanted to say thanks for sharing your blog with us and for providing me with a chance to learn about movie news in an informative and fun manner. Cheers big ears!
Your Kingston doppelganger,
Frank S
Hey John, another great article. You shouldn’t be so dissappointed in what youve done. So far you’ve created quite a community of readers and listeners. The podcasts are better than ever, and I love the fact that this is indeed a BLOG, with a real human being who writes it. It’s what makes your site more credible than sites full of plant reviews by studios. Keep up the great work guys! We really do appreciate it.
John,
I think I accidentally just posted nothing! i suck with computers sometimes! large fingers and all! Anyways, I LOVE YOUR SITE! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU brother! I check your site 3 times a day. I love your site for the same reasons you love movies, Its an escape from reality! When you stated the tv blog i was super excited, but disappointed because you dont do much with it. not the same! Again, THANK YOU for all your hard work, Keep your head up man. We all go through failures in our lives, what makes you a man is how you respond to those failures. And I can say with confidence that you are a class act sir!
Congrats on all you have accomplished! You definetly deserve it!
Jeff
John,
This was a site I would come to once a week to check things out, and comment every once and a while on something that I felt compelled to comment on. But now, it’s made it to my “Daily” bookmarks folder. You know that folder – the one you have that holds every site you hit when you first sign on before you get your lazy ass to work? That one.
And I must say, The Movie Blog is more than a blog, or a podcast – it’s where I go for my movie news, rumors, and opinions. Your reviews are first rate, and I almost always end up agreeing with you when I finally see a film.
Screw the podcast awards and all that other crap. You’re not the only podcast that deserved to win and didn’t – just goes to show what a sham that is. Awards come from someplace else – in the fact that you’re making thousands of people happy with what you do, every day. I hope you keep it up.
Cheers,
Clarke
JOHN HERE
WOW! Seriously folks… blog readers are notorious for skipping long posts, so I didn’t even know if 10 of you would read this article. Thank you so much for your comments. Really… you honestly have no idea how that makes me feel. Thank you.
This is the best site on the web. These failures you talk about aren’t failures dude, a lot of us working bums would love to be doing what you’re doing. Keep up the great work, I’ve been reading posts here since the first audio edition and its still a great place to visit.
You are pretty hard on yourself. Just being involved with half the stuff you’ve gotten to do and meeting the people you have met means you are a success. Sure you could achieve more but I’m pretty sure that half of us small movie bloggers would kill to be in your shoes.
I actually think part of the reason Uncut wasn’t the top podcast this year is because of the uncut live. Is it even released through Itunes? I know I no longer get it each week.
I agree with you totally on the community thing for us movie bloggers. Part of the reason I’m going out to Toronto After Dark is so that I can meet and hang out with with others. I’m hoping that you, Doug, Darren and Bruxy might be out for some of it and I’m forward to meeting up with Andrew from Movie Patron and Kurt from Twitch. I was one of the first ones that Andrew bugged about the OFC Top 100 list (because I write on his site) and I thought it was a great idea right off the bat. No matter what anyone including ourselves think about the list it was great chatting with others about it while we were creating it.
I wish I had your dealings with the studios. Sure its probably annoying but man just to be invited. I was bouncing off the walls when I got a chance to email interview Nathan Baesel from Behind the Mask. I’d probably Geek myself out if I got to go something with actual movie people.
I think no matter what you just have to remember you are doing something you like and even though there is bad shit that comes up you could always be doing something that you don’t like and having to deal with different bad shit.
I meant “It”, not “I’ll, lol!
To everyone on The Movie Blog: you rule! Goes to show not a lot of things are easy. Good luck guys. I’ll be waiting for Doug Nagy’s sequel to Prince of Peace – God of War. I’ll be called Son of Satan – Lord of Hell!
Cheers, Peace, and Have a nice day!
Hi John!
Thought you might like to know that you have a fan from the Netherlands who enjoys visiting your Movie blog almost everyday. I personally enjoy your 3-minute review of films even if I have to wait sometimes weeks before the films you review ever get to my part of the world..Some don’t even get to the big screen at all so I have to wait until I can rent the dvd on video stores…
You truly deserve a pat in the back for all the hard work you do for this blog and I, just like countless others, appreciate your hard work, your passion for movies, and your intelligence and honesty in writing your thoughts and opinions (no matter what!). A BIG THANK YOU for creating this blog for people like me…Wishing you and this blog every success in the future..
As an actor, you shouldn’t be looking at “possibilities of big changes that didn’t quite happen” as failures. Evidence that something bigger is possible maybe, but not failures. They feel like it for a while but if you keep calling them failures, you’re eventually going to depress yourself into the floor.
As you were.
Everything that has been said in the comments above is more or less ditto for me, Gio.
As for the previous look vs. this one, I will admit that it did share a color scheme with the Community, which was nice. But what I still would like to see is links on the front page to the Community (and when it emerges from Beta) the TV Show Blog.
As for the “failures”? Few and far between. VH1 for example. Heck, they can’t even get you and Doug for a ‘Best Week Ever” segment. That’s really sad. Thier loss. I guess they got wrapped up too much in Charm School or something…
Keep up the good work…and there **has** been some Movie news in the last day or two (but I already mentioned K-Fed getting shitcanned off Night Watchman over at the Community…so..I guess that kind of covers it.) and I am interested to see where TMB goes from here.
Oh, can I have that studio job? I’d take it. Seriously. I mean…you know…if nobody really wants it…
A few points
who gives a shit about your moans.
a: You run a GREAT blog site, yep the design changes suck from time to time but who cares. Yes, your taste in movies is dodgy. But at least you have the balls to put it up there.
b: Podcast of the year!!! If there was a next Pm or President who said Firefly was the greatest show ever they’d lead the western world. Your Pod show is YOUR show keep it like that and don’t chase awards.
c: The Studio stuff and VH1 would require you and Doug sucking dick. I give Doug five mins before he Head butted some VH1 dickwad.
d: And just so you know your top 100 sucked. Sorry need to keep that ‘1) BEING A TARGET’ catergory at the top of the chart
You are doing what you want. Enjoy.
I have TMB as my current homepage on my personal computer. I think this is the best movie site going as you pretty much share in the same opinions as myself..which is what makes it great to go to again and again.
I would never consider you a failure, John. I love this site and I love riding the bus on Tuesday morning while listening to your Monday roundtable with Doug and Darren and occasionally Bruxy on my iPod..even if Doug makes me laugh out loud and look like a pyscho.
I think you’ve got a great thing going here guys. Keep it up. Even if you didn’t win “Podcast of the Year” it really doesn’t matter. At least not to me. Besides, its not like The Monday Roundtable isn’t without its honor. You’re the winner for 2006 so you’re still allowed to announce “The award winning uncut”!
What I’m trying to say..or the point I’m trying to make..which seems to be a problem for me is that I don’t want the site or podcast to go away, at least not for a while..keep up the good work guys!
Dude, this blog rocks. Seriously. And I’m glad you’ve gone back to the old format because you’re right – the other one *did* seem too much like a news/aggregator site.
The reason I come here is because I know you guys love the movies and because you do call ’em as you see ’em. If I want “scoops” or corporate shills I’ve got plenty of choices already. Keep up the good work, because there are plenty of us who depend on you site for the straight dope.
Damn my typos. Sorry, but I mean t to say,
“Wow. I never thought you’d agree with what I said, but you really did switch back to this web design for exactly the reasons I said that the other one wasn’t good for you.”
Spell check only saves me from certain mistakes. I should have reread that before I clicked ‘Post’. My apologies.
-Calviin
Wow. I never thought you’d agree with what I said, but you really did switch back to this web design for exactly the reasons I said it wasn’t good for you. I am shocked John. Kudos to you for remembering that this is a blog. It’s about your thoughts and hearing our feedback. It’s not about the news, but the discussion about the news. I thought you lost the vision, lost the faith. But man, I am glad you’re still with us.
Now if only you could fix that tabstop thing…
-Calviin
One of the reasons I’ve continued to read TheMovieBlog over years is because of the personal feel to the site. Thank you for keeping this blog personal and sharing all the exciting adventures running this site has taken you on.
It’s a bummer you didn’t win best pod cast this year. I was rooting/voting for you. Still it doesn’t make the pod cast any less funny and I will still continue to look forward to each cast. In a way we as your listeners failed you by not voting enough. :( There is always next year!!
Those other things you listed as failures I can’t consider them as such. They were presented opportunties and sometimes they simply don’t work out. Fact is you were sought out and offered said opportunities and that is something to be proud of. With all of your hard work more opportunties will surface and I hope you won’t be afraid to share your excitement with us.
Selfishly, I hope you continue to run this blog for another four years. And though I’ve never commented on the website’s design I have to say while I liked the new design I’m partial to the old one. Keep up the excellent work!
i JUST WANT to say, love your blog John, love your podcast, and interaction between you and doug! And really hope you go on! dont let assholes get you down! Continue tmb and your work with documentaries!
Cant wait to see your move John!
Keep it up, and dont let assholes get you down!
Greetings from norway
Great post John. Your work does sound like its hard, its hard to believe that there are people who flame you guys just because you liked/disliked a movie. When I read or listen to one of your reviews I look at it like I just saw it with a friend, sure we might have different opinion’s about it but I the end we’re still friends. Not sure what that means but I thought it sounded cool.
Anyways, keep up the great work. Wish I could be there for Fridays show but I’ll be a Superbad :)
You know I wish there were more sites like this one I just can’t really put my finger on it but this is certainly one of the best if not the best movie site I have ever been to. Ain’t It Cool News is an alright website but I find it to be very chaotic there at times. If anything I really hope this TheMovieBlog becomes the #1 movie site there is and beats Ain’t It Cool News to a pulp. Not bashing Ain’t it Cool News but I just find TheMovieBlog to be a far superior site.
Plus I think its almost impssible to find a funnier group of guys out there who love movies.
Good Post John.
Great post!
I’ve been coming to TMB for two years now and I love it and I love how you handled it John. I remember I was a HUGE fan of A site and A certain writer that said shit about you. When he said that stuff, he not only blasted you but TMB fans too and that pissed me off. He turned me off him and the site unfortunately and made my love for this place bigger because you handled it like a man. That’s the thing, people will say shit about you and attack this site or ruin a discussion but you’ve always handled it well and it’s nice to know you can go somewhere where you know the blogger or writer of the site isn’t talking bullshit.
I’ve always seen you as the average fan of movies like us getting to go and hang with the stars. When you went to the Transformers set I envied you like a mother fucker. Failures are horrible but if I was you I wouldn’t worry about it. You will always have this site with 100’s of movieblog readers and fans who will support you.
Keep up with want your doing, because you’ll have plenty of opportunities ahead.
PS Sometimes I feel like I only comment when I disagree on something. I hope to change that, but you know how it is, sometimes its only disagreement that causes a person to actually speak up.
so here:
I appreciate the change back to the old design, hope you keep Serena around for the podcast, and am very glad you opted not to take the studio job.
I support you John aswell as this site as I visit it on a daily basis for almost a year now and it’s one of the main sites I go to whenever I come on the internet. Thanks for keeping me entertained with everything that gets posted on here by you and the rest of the bunch that keep this place going. Keep it up John!
John, I think you take the ‘being a target’ thing the wrong way. One persons offhand comment or even joke is another persons major insult. You have offended another movie site before and we discussed whether or not it was an overreaction/misunderstanding… and recently on your podcast you insulted one of the other podcasts in the running for Podcast of the Year (not Serenity, the ‘corporate’ one which I dont remember the name of)
I mean, seriously, you have to be careful from your own end. If you put out such a hardline about what is and isnt unacceptable in the movie community, fingers WILL come back at you when you (at least in the eyes of others) break the rules you seem to set for others. What one person sees as constructive criticism, another could see as a personal attack. Some people cant separate an attack on their opinions from an attack on themselves as a person, and theres a very good argument why, as so many people can define themselves by their views.
Again, I think its UNWISE for other sites to start wars with each other, because thats not what these sites exist for. But I dont think theres a RULE that sites should not have an opinion, or withhold it if they feel so strongly. In my eyes they’re all free to say what they want, but they should accept the consequences of their words and not get upset when people reject what they’ve said or done.
If I actually did have any personal ethics on this matter, it would simply be that if you have something negative to say about another site, you tell them directly, and not in your own contents editorials or podcasts without them knowing. Surfing to another site and being surprised to find them bitching I think you’d agree is probably more hurtful than them telling you straight up. I’ve criticized a number of other podcasts to their face – including this one – almost solely on their opinions and not about them personally, or what I think should change about their show for me as a frequent listener. In almost all cases its respected and leads to good dicussion. In one case however, on a site I wont name, I got a nasty email saying how dare I criticize his show in any way or form since I sometimes appear on another sites podcast (a podcast I even criticize sometimes myself!). I mean, really, that line of reasoning doesnt work for me – and I think my problem with your article here is that your feelings got hurt by someone so bad that in my eyes, your views about what is and isnt acceptable are a little skewed by a bad experience.. not exactly rational to me.
respectfully,
Goon
I am fairly new reader of the movie blog, and came across this website when i was looking for blogs and forums that talk, discuss and debate about movies. Movies are my #1 passion, and i could talk about them for hours … i am glad i have found this blog, and thank you for providing us with your ideas, info. and discussions. let the move blog live on!
– … out
John, SOOO glad you changed back to what I loved so much in the first place, A BLOG… The re-design looked WAY too much like a news sight, I wanted your blog, not the news- good move changing back (I would have stayed either way) You have accomplished so much and created so many friends and fans – never feel bad, just look at where you are and what YOU have accomplished and where you came from. Not too bad is it? Keep up the good work!
Jeff
Oh man. I’m feeling all butterfly in my stomach and stuff. As per usual, you’ve said it all, much better than some would be capable of.
Kudos to you for ALL of your hard work over the years and you know what? The disappointments are part of the ups and downs and I thoroughly believe that the site has improved because of them.
Keep it up. We appreciate the hard work.
John, and the Movie Blog Army
.
It take guts, real guts to be an honest person. You and the crew are dyed in the wool good people. You and your team are always polite and up front with your blogs. You don’t hold yourself up as better than the rest of us.
.
You have had NO FAILURES in our eyes.
.
I will continue to be a reader and a friend of The Movie Blog.
(Even if you are Canadian! ;) )
.
Shane
Been with you guys since show #1 – a lucky fluke or fate perhaps – and cannot express how much enjoyment I get from the site and podcasts.
Remember, everyone’s a critic but few are creative like you folks.
And finally – Fuck’em if they can’t take a joke.
I love the movie blog. I like that it’s more of a personal blog than a movie news site. You give your opinions on things and sometimes we agree and sometimes we don’t. I’d like to say thanks for sticking your neck out and sometimes wearing your heart on your sleeve. To me reading this site is like reading one of my best friend’s personal blog. It can be really funny or it can be really stupid. Nonetheless it’s the personal touch that I like.
Boobs to you all,
Rafa
Hey man, thanks for what you do :)
I’ve only been reading for about a year, and recently I decided I should start posting comments. I love this site because it’s reassuring that there’s other movie dorks out there. I find I agree with a lot of your opinions, which makes me feel like I can trust this site. The podcasts are wonderful, and they help get me through each stressful week.
So thanks John, for making this awesome site!
~Emily
John,
What a very personal and intriguing post. I won’t make this long, but I just wanted to let you know, despite your “failures” (I wouldn’t call them that), you’re still one of the most respectable bloggers on the net. Your posts are funny, honest, and insightful. We don’t just come on here for the news, we come because your opinions on the subject matter is equally awesome.
I’m sorry you didn’t win, I’m sure lots of people voted for you (I voted 3 times).
Either way, win or lose, this is still my favorite movie blog on the net.
John, don’t worry about it man. You seem to worry too much about things that really aren’t all that important.
I think all the events that haven’t happened to you have reinforced the idea that THIS is what you’re supposed to do. Everything else is cool and all, but not essential. Sure, you didn’t get a TV show and Podcast of the Year and the studios have been assholes. Who cares? I know you do, but I don’t think most of us do – it would have been nice to see you get them, but none of us think any differently of you because you were excited about things that you SHOULD have been excited about but didn’t end up getting. Don’t apologize.
You’re luckier than 99% of all of us – you GOT to hang out with the stars, you GOT to go parties, you still HAVE THE OPTION AVAILABLE TO YOU FOR PARTIES AND TO GET INTO SPECIAL EVENTS SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO DO SO. You have RELATIONSHIPS WITH STARS/STUDIOS and I think most of us would KILL for those opportunities.
So my advice to you is to just relax, don’t worry about the big stuff, if more offers come your way investigate them, but don’t get so hyped up about them you set yourself up for disappointment, because it hurts us to see you hurt. We’re here for you and as long as you keep on running the site like you always have, you can rely on us.
Have a good day man. If you ever want to talk or whatnot, you have my Facebook, email, phone, this place, etc.
The Movie Blog is the site in the genre that I always come back to, no matter what. I love it, this design, the personality you put in your comments, and the fact that you discuss with us readers. I always tell my friends stuff you write.
Keep it up, if you can, and get rich as hell!
Best Wishes,
David
Been lurking for a couple years, posting here and there for about a year.
I love what you guys do. Love the podcast. I’m sorry to hear about the string of disappointments you’ve had this year, John, but I for one am hoping that you *don’t* go all Hollywood on us.
The mainstream media is bought and paid for by the studios and advertisers. Sites like TMB can still tell it like it is. It would be a shame to lose that. It’s kinda like taming the Old West.
Hi I am from Ecuador and I have been following The Movie Blog for 3 years, I think I commented like 2 or 3 times, but after reading this I felt like it was one of those times when you have to show your support.
I am a really big fan of TMB, the podcast is great! with or without awards, you a are surounded by a great bunch of guys, and all of you give interesting opinions and hilarious comments, especially from Doug Nagy.
I write a movie blog (in spanish) it´s small, but in some of the things that you wrote I felt identified. And I have to be sincere that when I started my blog this site was my like my role model.
You really have achieved something big here so keep the great work!!!
Xavier
John,
I’ve been a movie fan for my whole life. About 3 years ago I was looking for a movie site I could plug in to. I googled “Movie Blog” and guess what was the first thing to pop up (good choice for a domain name)? I checked your blog, listened to your podcasts and commented here ever since. I have a list of sites I check multiple times a day and yours is one of them. I like the “blog” format. I get a lot of movie news and I get to hear an opinion I really respect and generally agree with.
On the selfish side, even though I’m really bummed some of the things haven’t panned out for you, I am also secretly happy because it means I still get my daily Movie Blog fix. Really though, I think you have too much talent to stay where you are.
I would really encourage you to look at all the AWESOME things that have happened to you in the last 4 years. 7 out of 10 people are jerks and morons (I think I may be one of them). It doesn’t surprise me that you’ve had so many negative emails. But you get the last laugh. You are the one in time magazine. You are the one with a hugely successful podcast and website. You are the one that gets to audition for VH1. You are the one that rubs shoulders with stars. Ignore all the jerks… they’re just pissed they’re not you.
Very interesting post, John. I’ve only been blogging for about seven months, and I can relate to a lot of what you say here. Of course, I haven’t had the success you guys have seen, so that end of it is not something I’ve dealt with (yet?).
One of the most interesting points you made regards your peers here in the blogosphere. I firmly believe that there should be no competition between bloggers. The most urgent issues facing any blog are those of net-neutrality and public slander from the likes of Bill O’Reilly. Just because a blog comes from an independent source doesn’t make it any less legitimate. In fact, if the intent is to have it come from the voice of that source (as you discuss here – this IS your blog with your thoughts), that makes it compelling in a way that the mainstream media has a very difficult time replicating. Furthermore, because this is your voice, and not “the authority on film”, it leaves room for all voices that choose to share their thoughts. Hence, we are all brothers and sisters and there’s no positive outcome to infighting. Kudos to you for taking the high road and keeping your chin up in the face of such nonsense.
I’ve only been coming here for about three months, but I love what you guys do. Keep it rollin’!
Hear for number 2.
*sniff*
This is why I *heart* TMB. You know how to show appreciation, you know just how much personal stuff you should feed us to keep things more personal, something not many get from other sites. You are the site. Which is why I’m not very disappointed about the studio job failure.
And hey. Thanks for what you do :)
You don’t know how much I enjoy being here. Many can say it is superficial, but I really do feel for this site.
Stay cool.
Hey Man,
I’ve been a lurker on your blog for years (time flies indeed) and have never felt the urge to comment until today. Everything in this post is extremely well said! The nature of citizen journalism (which, like it or not, is what you are doing) is that it puts many individual ideas and opinions out there. In my opinion, it is the most valuable thing that the “blogosphere” has given us over the years. Anyone has the ability to voice their opinions and conversely, anyone has the ability to not listen.
I come to this blog for a two reasons. The first is to find out about what is going on in the movie world. But if that were the only reason, I could go to any number of sites and get the same info. The second and most important reason that I come to this blog is because I love to read your writing and hear your opinions. I may not agree with a lot of what you say (Death Proof was awesome!!!), but I enjoy the hell out of reading your opinions.
As a blogger that caters to an extremely limited demographic (NY Mets fans that I know somehow who can quote Seinfeld, Simpsons, and The Godfather in their sleep while making up nicknames for their favorite players). I know the work that goes in to your site. I feel pressure to keep the content fresh for our daily readers, and that is an audience that totals all of 30 people. I guess I just want to say keep up the good work, and if you are ever in NY and have any interest in catching a baseball game with some pop-culture freaks, I’ll buy the drinks.
-tom
your.out.tom at gmail.com
I know where you’re coming from when you talk about being excited for something, telling everyone about it and then it falls through. It’s hard to take and more so because everyone knows.
I’m also glad the old layout is back.
John, I’ve been reading you daily for years. And I for one and guilty of never saying this – Thank you. Thank you for informing me, and entertaining me, and introducing me to the greatest comic mind of our era, Mr. Doug Nagy.
And also thank you for this –
“I’m left here with my face red yet again telling you guys about another thing I was all pumped about that ended up being just another notch in the bedpost of mistress failure… and we didn’t even cuddle after.”
That was the funniest thing I’ve read all week!
I apreiciate and admire what you Doug, Bruxuy, Darren and Serennea do. You guys have the best movie news and you’re podcasts anre the things that keep me going through the week.
Vh1 show failure. No I refuse to believe that the people at VH1 decided to put Flavor flav, Bret Michaels (no offense to these guys) over you. If I could live in a world where I could turn on the TV and watch Giavonni Campea and Doug Nagy on television then i’d say life is pretty damm sweet.
Flavor Flav dosen’t deserve a roast on comedy central you guys do. (Though even though a good section of the world dosen’t know about you.) I think so.
Very good post. Y’know for awhile I honestly thought you were becoming to “big” with your movie premiers, parties, etc. and with the advent of the new design, I thought you had completely changed. So I kinda stopped reading. I was actually really happy you brought back the old design. This post made me realize what I loved about the Movie Blog in the first placed- you! (take that as non-gay as possible lol) So it’s nice to see you write things like this. And it seems like it does suck- a lot. But I know I (and many others) are happy that you are still doing this. So keep writing. I’ll keep reading. (except when you are wrong…just kidding.)
Devon
Hi! My name is Olivier i live in Longueuil on the south shore of Montreal. I’ve been following you for 3 years now.
First I would like to apologize for my english..
– I want to thank you for bringing back the old layout, seriously the new one was just Odd and un-natural.
– I’m a movie fan since birth and I like to have news as soon as possible. I read two websites.. The Movie Blog for your opinions (wich i find verry funny from time to time) and ComingSoon.. for their fast news. But since a couple of months TheMovieBlog seems to have taken a drop of quality… And i often wonder if you still like to BLOG. John i think you need a vacation. Too much pressure on your shoulder makes your blog less fun to read.
Please do something!
Maybe you could just do critics for movies.. you’re pretty good at it.
Maybe i don’t know what I’m saying.. its just the way I feel about your blog… something has to change in here. I think a blog should only be a PASTIME. if not your site should be called JohnsMovieNewsandOpinions.com
-A serious fan
What we have is “online friendship”. It’s different ferom the regular kind because we get a glimpse of your life and sometimes get the feeling that we know you. This is of course a false presumption, but nevertheless. You on the other hand know very little about us. So it’s a one sided friendship where we get to be your frinds but you can’t be ours.
You might feel that you’ve embarrased yourself in front of total strangers, but the fact is that we love you guys and all the stuff you are doing for us international friends. I’ve visited the Movie Blog on a daily basis ever since you started it and I come for the news and the insightful opinions and to, in a way, hang out with you guys.
What I’m trying to say is that we, the international friends, really are your friends in a new millennia kind of way, and we are here for you.
/Joel
John, why do you consider the podcast a failure? Not winning Podcast of the Year? Not winning some made up award is not a failure. It would be like not winning an MTV movie award.
I came to listen to the podcast at Audio Edition #3. At the time, I only listened to a half a dozen podcasts. Now I have over 50 podcasts that I subscribe to in iTunes. I skip many of them, but never TheMovieBlog.
The podcast is far from a failure…in my opinion.
I check this site out a couple of times a day and I love the work that you do. Personally, I’m glad you changed the format to the “classic” format because I personally thing it looks better. Professional looking isn’t always better. Thanks for doing this for us.
John,
Great post, bud. This IS harder than it looks. :-)
Screen Rant certainly isn’t nearly as popular as The Movie Blog, but I’ve had my share of people flaming me for my reviews and asking me why I haven’t covered movie such and such. I’ll echo what you said about the Comic-Con, I enjoyed the parties and hanging with you guys FAR more than the Con itself, which covering it for the first time representing not one but TWO sites, was very stressful.
Funny that you mention your “slick” redesign. I’m actually in the process of having mine redone to make it look more professional, but now you’ve got me wondering. :-)
It was great meeting you and the other bloggers and I really hope we get the chance to get together again… Maybe at Sundance next year? I only live an hour away from Park City.
Best regards,
Vic
ScreenRant.com
Awww, I appreciate the hell out of you guys, and I LOVE coming here and talking to everyone. You make it look awfully easy, but after reading that, I appreciate you a lot more.
Even if you are nuts for thinking Routh was a better Superman than Christopher Reeve. NUTS, I tell you:)