Top Ten Controversial Films

         It's time for Captain Alex's Movie Blogfest!   For the participant list you can go here.    I did this one the first time Alex hosted it and actually did two lists which you can find here and here.   So as not to be repetitious I've decided to keep in line with my theme of controversy on Mondays and post some of my favorite films that might or might not involve some controversy, with a few thrown in that will provide a clue about my Tossing It Out A to Z Theme.  


Top Ten Controversial Films:

Birth of a Nation (1915) -- At over 3 hours in length, this silent film might prove tedious for those who don't appreciate old movies.  I've watched it in it's entirety three times.   Charged with racism and historical twisting, this film has been debated for nearly one hundred years.  Sophisticated for its time, I find the film to be a fascinating document of film making history as well as a perspective on the way a controversial time of U.S. was dealt with on film.  Many of the roles of blacks were played by white actors in make-up.   Is that controversial?

poster for Citizen Kane (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Citizen Kane (1941) -- Greatest film ever made?  Precursor to modern film making?  Dated, over-hyped bore?    If one knows film history it's easy to see the signifcance of this film.



Pulp Fiction (1994) --  The "Citizen Kane" of this generation?  Another wacky mess from Quentin Tarantino?   The first time I saw this in the theater I hated it.  The second time I saw it in a theater it made more sense and I loved it.   I've watched it several times since and it's one of my favorite movies.

The Passion of the Christ (2004) -- One of the top grossing films in history, this one created quite a stir when it came out.   No other Jesus film matches the graphic reality of "The Passion".   Some people hate this film.  Of course there are some people who are not too fond of Jesus or His story.

Cover of Easy Rider [Region 2]

Easy Rider (1969) --  This counterculture film changed the film industry and brought credibility to its stars Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson.   Movies changed in a big way after this one.  Was it for the good or the worse?

Memento (2000) --  What?   This is one of those movies I had to watch more than once.   Is it genius or just a gimmick?

Midnight in Paris (2011)  -- Is it time travel or literary fantasy?   Oscar worthy?   Woody's best?

Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001) -- Where's the controversy in this one?  Well, I saw it and you probably didn't.  This is a film that I watched three times in succession.  There aren't many films where I've done that.  I just liked the philosophical study of the questions and the situations.  I think it's a nice film that's interesting to ponder.

The Human Centipede (2009) --  With a concept that is pretty disgusting, I won't even bother describing what this movie is about.   If you're really curious click the link to read more.  I was actually surprised how well they pulled this one off.  They not only made a sequel, which I have not seen, but number 3 is coming soon.   Watch this if you absolutely have to see how they do this, but keep it away from the kids.  Definitely not for the squeamish.

Gone with the Wind (1939) -- Is it terrific epic film making or dumb romantic schlock?   Big controversy because Clark Gable as Rhett Butler said "damn".    Damn?   Ah, the good old days.

         What do you think?   Which ones have you seen?   Do you think any of these are controversial for any reason and why?

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Meet Arlee's A to Z Ambassadors (Part 1)

  

      This year I am grateful to have some outstanding assistance to help me monitor my portions of the A to Z sign-up list.   These "Ambassadors" will be patrolling the list to make sure links are good and signed blogs are actually participating in the Challenge.  They will also be visiting participants to give encouragement with their comments.   This week we will get to know two of these Ambassadors.

Tim Brannan

timothy.brannan@gmail.com

I got into blogging around 2008 as a way to bring my old website "The Other Side" back to life and to work as a design diary for two books I was working on, "The Witch" and "Eldritch Witchery".  While as chance would have it I really got into blogging.  My blog, also named "The Other Side" was a general purpose gaming blog that focused on horror games and games from the "Old School Renaissance".  

I got involved in the A to Z challenge on a whim in 2011. I had no plan, no idea and no theme.  I loved every second of it.  Even the the days I struggled to find something.  Last year I turned it up a notch and submitted TWO blogs.  One the Other Side I did game reviews for each letter of the alphabet.  That worked great and kept me really busy. I also entered my then brand new blog The Freedom of Nonbelief where I did the A to Z of Atheism. That also went really well and I focused on some of the noted Atheist thinkers, bloggers and writers active today.  

I also used the A to Z to promote my book The Witch, which was going to be on sale that fall.  I started it and my blog together, I was going to have them help each other.

This year I am an Ambassador. Which I am reading as "cheerleader".  I make it a habit to go to every blog in a blog hop anyway and try to reply to some post.  The A to Z is no different, it just sometimes takes me a lot longer.  So being an Ambassador is a good for me really. Plus I love visiting all the blogs in the list.

Also this year I have two blogs participating.  I am doing this on The Other Side again, where I have a 2 themes. I need to decide which one to do. I also have a team blog I am part of participating, Red Sonja She Devil With a Sword which is dedicated to the comic character Red Sonja.  Every day will feature art from a different Sonja artist.  

I am hoping that two blogs in and being an ambassador will allow me to connect to a lot of new and exciting bloggers and maybe expose a little bit of my chosen hobby to the rest of the world.

Tim

The Other Side, http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/

The Freedom of Nonbelief, http://freedomofnonbelief.blogspot.com/

Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword, http://redsonjashedevilwithasword.blogspot.com/

Judy at raisingthecurtain.net 

Judy started her blog, Raising The Curtain after stumbling on the A to Z Challenge blogsite in early March last yeat. She credits the Challenge with giving the impetus she needed to dip her toe into the blogging waters. Her blog is now reaching its 100th post and its first anniversary. Judy says she learned a lot during last year's Challenge having been one of the first to start and finish thanks to her Australian timezone.

Judy's characterizes her blog style as humorous wisdom. her philosophy is that laughter is important but is doubly effective if accompanied by a lesson or a message. The theme of her blog is looking at life at the cross roads of middle age. Judy provides a self-deprecating plank so that others can feel that they are not alone in navigating the swirling waters of what can only be described as a confusing time. Whilst you won't find all the answers to life's middle age puzzle through the blog, you may find just enough humour to get you through your next encounter with your teenage children or having to deal with the endless responsibilities that seem to converge at this time of life.

When not blogging, Judy lives with her husband and two teenage sons. She moonlights as a lawyer, media and journalism university student and Challenge Ambassador. A full plate on anyone's reckoning, but as the world turns... so do the transitional days of our lives.

         Next Friday we'll meet the rest of my team.

          Do you find your comment section to be kind of empty at times?   Would you like to get more comments?   How about getting 100 comments at least once in your blogging career?   


          If these are thoughts that have crossed your mind check out D.L. Hammons' post at Damyani's Daily (W)rite blog.  D.L. and Damyanti are two of the  A to Z Challenge co-hosts and they're interested in helping bloggers improve their blogs.  Be sure to visit D.L. Hammons at his blog Cruising Altitude 2.0 and while you're there sign up for his Blog Blitz and see your comments soar.  

     

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Ask Arlee: What Do You Think of Group blogs or Team Blogs?

    
     Recently I have been involved in setting up a prototype group blog that has been suggested to a local writers group that I've been a member of for the past year.   A couple of the members have blogs that are not very active yet, but I'm the only member who has an active ongoing blog.  Since I have the more extensive blogging experience they've been asking me for some advice concerning the potential of having a group blog.  You can see my test blog as it currently stands at Writers Workshop West.

         Likewise, not too long ago, author Sharon Hamilton asked what I and my readers thought about shared or group blogs.  In the present post I will express my thoughts about this type of blogging and invite you to leave your thoughts and experiences in the comment section.

What Is a Group Blog?

          The first group blog I encountered  my early blogging days was Writers on the Move, a collective effort by several writers who present a wide range of topics.  In fact in my third month of blogging I was featured on this blog in my first guest spot.  The blog is still active with 23 contributors showing on its roster.

         Since this first encounter I've discovered many group blogging efforts and I'm sure many of you are either familiar with some or may even collaborate on a a group blog.  This type of blogging allows for diversity and greater flexibility in keeping the blog more active than just one person can do.  The pressure to produce can definitely be alleviated when a team is working cooperatively.

          A group blog starts with one primary administrator opening the blog (this is true for Blogger--perhaps others can tell how this works on other formats).   When a team has been assembled, each member is added  to that blog as an author.  All approved authors can enter into that blog account and sent up their own posts.

Disadvantages

         If the right team has been assembled I see very few disadvantages.   I set up the Blogging from A to Z Blog in October of 2011 and since then I've had the finest team of collaborators a blogger could ask for.  Several of the members are now in their second year of blog collaboration and A to Z works like a finely tuned machine as most of you who visit can attest.

         D.G. Hudson said:

Re - group blogs; I don't like them as much; too many voices in the mix. It will be interesting to see what you say about them, Lee.
Visiting a group blog can make a reader feel like they are interrupting a private party. The A to  Z blog is one exception to this. I'm not saying all group blogs tend to be that way, but many are.
For professionals (journalists, etc) I see the need, but I'm still not a fan of group blogs. Give me an individual's blog, because in a group, no one stands out...

         I can see D.G.'s concern.   I can't recall a specific blog like this that I've encountered, but I know it can happen.    This is why the blog must have a purposeful theme that is directed toward a reading audience and gets them involved.  

         Having the right team members is so important.  If some members aren't pulling their part of the weight, the blog can easily fall apart or drag down in quality content and hurt the reputation of the others.  When a blog fizzles it can be demoralizing to those who had previously been enthused about it.

Advantages

         So far I'm sold on the group blog idea.  As stated above the right team makes a world of difference.  When you've got good players the whole team wins from the standpoint of getting more exposure for themselves and their blogging efforts.  The extra posting opportunities add to ones internet presence and allow more links to the individual member sites.  

        Collaboration also builds good internet bonds.  I love the A to Z Team and we work well together.  We each have our specialties to help spread out the work.   If one of us is sick or in a inopportune fix of some type, another member will jump in and pick up the slack.   It's a good feeling to know you have online friends you can count on.

        As a writing collective we are also an idea factory.  Between our own material and the connections that allow us to gather up posts from many sources, we can keep this blog running seven days a week with minimal effort from most of us.  With so many hands available the blog almost runs itself at times.

Other Group Blogging Ideas

         One method of communication we have begun using this year for the A to Z Team is a private group blog.   Allowing us to separate our team communiques from our regular email, we can exchange thoughts and make team announcements on the private blog.

           A private group blog would be great for critique groups or others wishing to have non-public exchanges without resorting to email.   A group can do essentially the same type of communicating or work on collaborative efforts through methods like Google Docs and other similar platforms.  The private group blog allows for good ongoing communication threads.

Tell Us What You Think

          Have you tried team blogging?  What are the advantages and disadvantages that you see it group blogs?   Have you ever tried a private blog?    Can you recommend some good group blogs?

         

           

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