Lost in the Movies: The Fall of The Dancing Image

The Fall of The Dancing Image


That's "Fall" as in "Autumn," not as in "Downfall." But hopefully I've got your attention.

With the change of season, I'm again shifting - and vastly expanding - my approach here. This will entail daily posting (at least during the week) and adherence to a schedule in which each day serves a different purpose. Here's what's to come, certainly through October, and probably through December:

MONDAY is reserved for a random posting, usually a movie review of at least five paragraphs. It makes sense to start the week with this reliable standby, since it's how I began the blog and is often what attracts the most attention. As always you're invited to share your thoughts and responses to the film in question.

TUESDAY is "series" day. It will be devoted to the latest entry in an ongoing series, each of which will probably have 5-10 chapters. First up is the long-awaited Wind in the Willows series, which will mostly be an examination of the themes in the book, but using references and multiple images from the various cinematic or televisual adaptations. After that, I have a number of ideas I'd like to explore: an episode guide (probably combining multiple episodes into each entry) of the enthralling German miniseries Heimat and its sequels, another adaptation series on Dickens' Great Expectations (this one would be focused more on the adaptations than the source), and an extended analysis of post-9/11 cinema, including fiction and documentary films dealing with that day, the ensuing War on Terror, and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. For the next six weeks, however, it will be Wind in the Willows to start things off.

WEDNESDAY is going to offer an intro paragraph and link to my latest "Best of the 21st Century?" review, which will be posted in its entirety, as always, at Wonders in the Dark (the weekly - no longer biweekly - review will go up at 12 pm 5 pm on Tuesdays, with my cross-posting following the next morning). This series sees me moving through a list of the most acclaimed 00s movies, watching and reviewing all the ones I have not yet seen. At the rate of one-a-week, there's still a couple years left in the series (though I'll probably step up the pace at some point) so midweek will be reserved for some time.

THURSDAY is spotted for the second part of my blog-title. This year especially I've become enamored of the screen-caps, so every week this day will be devoted to sharing about 25-30 images from a given film. A wide variety of movies will be represented (Hollywood/art-house, live-action/animated, famed/obscure, all different genres and eras), and occasionally I'll take the opportunity to indulge in something a little more ambitious. This week, for example, I'll be offering a follow-up to the popular "Fall and Redemption of Anakin Skywalker" by examining, in pictures, the character arc of another famous character from a different classic. Usually, however, the approach will be shorter and more informal.

FRIDAY actually began serving its new purpose last week. For those of you who missed it, I've kicked off a brand-new, very long-term project called "Remembering the Movies." Every week I'll look at the movies that came out 10 - 100 years ago (in decade increments), and then hopefully you'll offer your own recollections, opinions, or anecdotes of the films in question. It should be a lot of fun (if also a bit of work for me, at least initially) and I hope you enjoy it.

So that's what's in store as the air grows cool and the leaves fall from the trees. Enjoy your own autumn, and I hope you'll make The Dancing Image a frequent pit stop during this time. There will certainly be plenty of action to make it worth your while!

OCTOBER UPDATE Add a sixth day to the retinue: I have just initiated a new series on Sundays, at 12 o'clock noon: The Sunday Matinee. It will explore personal favorites of mine, beginning with European cinema of the 60s.

6 comments:

Stephen said...

Boy, this sounds very interesting. A professional approach. I'm most looking forward to "Remembering the Movies".

I suppose, with a schedule like this, Saturday is reserved for nervous breakdowns and Sunday for recuperation.

Joel Bocko said...

No, I think Saturday will actually be reserved for writing these damn things so that I don't have to do them last-minute during the week, and Sundays will be reserved for soaking my entire head in a bowl of ice.

Stephen said...

Hahaha!

Andreas said...

Ooh, this looks fun & ambitious! Excited to see where it leads - especially the images & "Remembering the Movies"!

Dusty said...

This is really helpful, as someone who started a blog. THIS is how you do it, make a plan. I'm not good at that. I look forward to reading your blog.

Dusty
Playground of Doom

Joel Bocko said...

Hope you enjoy the results, Dusty. As far as blog go, I found it's good to have plans and to leave yourselves open to change them after they've served their purpose. For the first three months of blogging, I forced myself to write every day which helped a lot. Good luck with your own site - I enjoyed your piece on Cronenberg.

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