Google+ Cinema Viewfinder: Cronenberg Blogathon

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Cronenberg Blogathon

by Tony Dayoub


I would like to invite anyone and everyone to participate in my second annual Labor Day blogathon running September 6 - 12. Last year's De Palma Blogathon was such a resounding success, I hope to make this an annual tradition, a transition from the commercial summer movie season into the start of the (hopefully) art-centered fall season. This year's featured director is David Cronenberg. The Canadian auteur has evolved quite a bit from his early days pioneering the "body horror" subgenre to become a recognized auteur focused more on the turmoil within.


Like last year, I would like to make the blog a destination in order to give every submission a democratic opportunity to be read. I'd be happy to publish links to any previously published Cronenberg posts. But if you write a new piece, I hope you'll allow me to publish it here first before you cross post it on your own site. Send your contributions here, please.

I am happy to accept entries from anyone. Unfortunately, I don't have e-mails for everyone whose blog I read. So in the interest of getting the word out, if you choose not to submit a piece, I request that you please help me promote this event at your own respective sites.

At top and below are JPEGs to help you in marketing this. Please link any JPEG you display to this post.

I hope to have all of you participate in some way.


36 comments:

Ratnakar Sadasyula said...

Great Tony, was planning something of this kind myself. I already have one on The Brood, you want me to submit that.

-- Ratnakar

Ratnakar Sadasyula said...

Also, can i give the post, with a Disclaimer stating that it has already been published at X site.

-- Ratnakar

Jake said...

Fantastic. I'm in. Videodrome hooked me on Cronenberg and I've been meaning to watch Dead Ringers and to revisit Eastern Promises. I reviewed Crash too recently to add much to it, dearly as I love it, but those two were already high on my list.

Kevin J. Olson said...

Excuse my exuberance for a moment...

Hell Yes!


...okay. Sorry about that. This is a great idea. I recently just watched RABID, THE BROOD, and VIDEODROME...I will gladly write about any one of those...or perhaps I'll work on something about my favorite Cronenberg from the 80's: THE FLY.

I'm assuming a lot of people will cover the recent stuff, so I'll stick with his horror/sci-fi era since that's what I've been immersed in lately.

This is a great idea, Tony!

Adam Zanzie said...

This is great. I'll be promoting this on my blog immediately.

I have no idea what to write about, though. You know me--I love writing about the little-seen, little talked about films; and yet most of Cronenberg's output is pretty popular. It'll be tough to find a title that hasn't already been extensively reviewed.

How about M. Butterfly? I've never seen it, but if nobody's going to claim a piece on that one I might think about seeing it and then writing up on it. I know it was one of Cronenberg's worst-received films but I suspect I could find some merit in it.

Tony Dayoub said...

Ratnakar,

Glad to have you on board again for this year's Blogathon.

Jake,

I'd welcome any new piece, but do send me the link for any previously published reviews as we get closer to the blogathon. I'm going to compile those links and devote a whole post to them.

Kevin,

I look forward to any posts you may come up with.

Adam,

Here's an odd one from Cronenberg: 1979's FAST COMPANY. Betcha no one's going to write about this drag racing flick.

Ratnakar Sadasyula said...

Tony, i have seen Fast Company. Pretty much a B flick, can write about it. I guess being in India, has it's merits, you end up watching all these kinda B flicks, LOL.

Bob Clark said...

I wrote up "Stereo" and "Crimes of the Future" a while back. Any chance I can submit, or at least provide a link to that article?

Nostalgia Kinky said...

Excellent...banner has been added to Moon in the Gutter's page and I will try and get a new article for you. Or, at the very least, I will beef up one of my older pieces. Great idea!

Sam Juliano said...

Terrific news!

Now this is a director who will give cause for some cerebral discourse.

Chris said...

Tony - great pick for this year, and I can't wait to participate again. I don't recall that we laid claims to films beforehand last year - do we need to this time around?

Tony Dayoub said...

Bob,

Feel free to send some links as we get closer to the blogathon date. Submissions are open to anybody and everybody.

Jeremy and Sam,

Thanks for your support.

Chris,

Feel free to write anything you'd like, positive or negative, about any Cronenbergian thing you'd like. That even includes his acting in films like NIGHTBREED, etc., or his TV credits like FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE SERIES.

Unknown said...

Count me in! I love Cronenberg and as a fellow Canadian I am totally down with paying tribute to his impressive body of work. I plan to tackle NAKED LUNCH.

jamie said...

what about non-Cronenberg Cronenberg films? I mean he's only made so many films, and it seems if FAST COMPANY (a really poor film) is being written about they're all pretty much gone...

by 'non-Cronenberg Cronenberg films' I mean the great body horror genre that he basically birthed... I'm looking at you TETSOU: IRON MAN, IN MY SKIN, RUBBER'S LOVER ect. I mean like let's blow up the whole sub-genre! (though I plan on tackling quite a few of these for the horror countdown over at wonders in the dark, starting on Sept 6-7)

OR

those it's less ambitious, I'd write about his recent TERRIFIC short, that most haven't seen: 'At the Suicide of the Last Jew

Jamie said...

oh an M. BUTTERFLY is a real good movie, to whomever plans on covering it.

Tony Dayoub said...

Thanks for joining in, J.D.

Jamie, although those are some good ideas, I'd like to stick strictly to Cronenberg. He's prolific enough that adding any other "body horror" films would make this blogathon a bit unwieldy.

Now if you want to compare one of those films to C's oeuvre, or if you want to cover the short film you proposed, that would be fine.

edgarchaput said...

I just discovered the advertisement for the Cronenberg blogathon while visiting The Lamb this morning. I did a pretty extensive Cronenberg marathon at about the same time last year. I took note of your email address and I'll send in some of the reviews I published at my own blog, http://betweentheseats.blogspot.com

Simon said...

I'll try, but honestly, I'm not familiar with many Cronenberg movies.

Tony Dayoub said...

I loook forward to your contributions, Edgar.

And Simon, this isn't an exam. Enjoy the contributions by others if you don't feel up to speed on Cronenberg's films.

SFF said...

I'm in.

Stacia said...

I'm in! It sounds great. I'll post about the 'thon this week and have an entry ready for the main event.

Joel Bocko said...

Still kicking around some ideas. I'm leaning towards another video piece though it would be a bit more casual/lighter than last year (maybe even a straight-up music video with images from one or more of his films...). Looking forward to it all - will you be closing off the blogathon again this year with your own post? I loved your Scarface/Carlito one in '09.

Tony Dayoub said...

I'd love to see another video piece, MovieMan. As for my piece, I will have at least one new piece (in addition to a link back to one I did last year on THE BROOD). I'm not sure I'll close with that one. That was more out of procrastination.

Haven't figured out what film, yet.

Dusty said...

Hi Tony,

I'm just stumbling onto your blog...following links around the net like I always do.

What a great idea! I would be really happy to write a piece if there are still openings.

And I would really like to cover Crash. I haven't seen it since it was first released. I'd be curious to see how it looks to an older set of eyes.

I'll try e-mailing you too.

Nice to virtually meet you!

Dusty

Tony Dayoub said...

Hey Dusty, I got your email. Sorry it's taken so long to respond. Feel free to write about any movie you wish, CRASH included. Your post can be of any length, and you can send it to me whenever you wish.

Thanks for checking out my blog, and I promise to do the same with yours.

Dusty said...

Very cool, man! Crash seems like a good contender. It was insanely powerful (before I was old and jaded). That piece will coming your way, my friend!

And here's a link to playground of doom. I'm a new born baby into blogging, so there's not too many posts.
http://playgroundofdoom.blogspot.com/

Don't Get Nasty Brother said...

The contribution has to be in english regardless? Or is ok if i add a little español a la fiesta Cronenberiana...

Tony Dayoub said...

Buenas Juan,

Aunque me gustaría leer un artículo en español, ya que es mi primer idioma, mi público está compuesto principalmente de americanos y ingleses. Así, mientras salpicando un poco de español o "spanglish" está bien, debe ser escrito en inglés.

Don't Get Nasty Brother said...

Si va...nos fajaremos con el inglés. Es la primera vez que participo en esto, cómo es la cuestión? Una película por día? Son todas las películas?

Tony Dayoub said...

Escriba tantos artículos como desee. Muchos escriben sólo uno. Ud. puede escribir sobre su obra completa o sólo una película, o hasta sólo una escena.

Turner Stewart said...

This is a great idea and I'm really happy I discovered your blog! I'll be sure to submit some of my own work, as I did a huge Cronenberg marathon back in May! I'm looking forward to this!

Shubhajit said...

I guess I've come in a bit late. Anyway, wanted to let you know, I think this is a great idea, and I too am greatly interested in sending in my reviews of the Cronenberg films that I've reviewed at my blog, and will mail you the links soon.

Troy Olson said...

Tony -- I've been super busy lately, so I'm just now getting around to noticing that this is going on THIS week. I always have thoughts to contribute to these kinds of things, and as it turns out I have a Cronenberg I'll be writing about for the Wonders In The Dark horror countdown that should be up on my site by weeks end. I'll be sure to link to your series of posts here when it goes up.

Jordan Ruimy said...

Hey Tony, I'll have mine up and sent to you by tonight.

Evan Waters said...

Huge Cronenberg fan here, and I'll work up a piece on eXistenZ to send your way in the next couple of days. Just a fairly basic review, but I'll see how it turns out.

Cassie said...

wow, I have been going through my own mini Cronenberg festival for the last few weeks. I will DEFINITELY be contributing!