Introductions

[Thom]

Ok, this is really lame... But I'll humor myself with a formal introduction.

I'm Thom. I'm the site co-owner with Danté and also innovator of the site concept. I live in Mesa, Arizona, I attend Arizona State University and am (currently) majoring in Graphic Info Technology... Though I'm looking at psychology or communications... But we won't get into that story right now. I work at Sears and am envying my little brother's job, a lowly clerk-type position at the multiplex--much more suitable for a guy starting up a movie review site.

Many of you may know me from Comics2Film.com. I am a moderator (and former DCG artist/news team member/Prime Director) there, and owe many thanks to the experience I've gained from Robbo and all of the cast & crew. Some of you (albeit fewer) may know me from Super-Hero Hype! or the View Askew boards.

I started this site as a sort of personal crusade. I have a number of goals, but first and foremost, I wanted to try and remedy what I consider a severe flaw in modern movie critiquing: the lump-sum review. Films don't have to be artistic or intelligent to be entertaining, nor do they have to be entertaining to be artistic. Cases in point: Armageddon and Pi, respectively. Yet there's nothing inherently wrong with either type of film.

I suppose my involvement in this site makes me a "critic". But that doesn't mean I'm no longer a fan, does it? I can appreciate a brilliant film, a visual masterpiece, or increbible writing, but I can also enjoy a bunch of explosions and bikini-clad girls with a minimal plot. (Actually, I'm more prone to enjoy a cliché romantic comedy, but you get the idea.)

The fact of the matter is, everyone has different tastes and expectations of the films they watch. So why doesn't criticism attempt to reflect this diversity? Hopefully, Smart-Popcorn.com will do just that.

- - - - - - - - - -

I'd like to reserve the rest of this topic to allow for everyone to introduce themselves. Tell us your backgrounds, your interests, the online communities you belong to, your favorite films, actors, directors, etc.

[Zac]

Yo, Zac in the hiz-owsssss! I guess my life begins when I woke up in the bottom of the elevator shaft. I had a full beard and a wallet with pictures of 3 children and some woman. Soon thereafter, I became famous in the Japanese touring circus circuit known as the crying wolf-man. It was in Tokyo that I met a young child named Thom Stricklin. He was an orphan whom I took under my wing and taught everything I knew. Thom grew to be successful and forgot about his roots, while I sat and home, lost all my facial hair and had my brain placed in that of an adolesant boy. Then one fateful night, as I sat at home, I got a phone call. Thom had sent me a '99 Compaq Presario with internet connection and invited me here, where I am now shippwrecked as a critic.

Or something like that...

Anyways, I hate sucky movies and love good movies, nuff said.
Look, it turns into Kirby --->

[Dante]

well, it's about time I reply here.
My name is Danté, as you can see. I'm a co-owner who's late on his payment. I am a ban happy mod and I have a chronic obsession with weezer. Enough intro for me...i'm just waitin' for my cut of the profits
Uh...that was mostly honest..except the profit thing..and the ban thing (sorta).
_________________
so, you're saying we don't review the new Jenna Jameson movie here?

I am so out.

[Jeff]

Hi, my name is Jeff for those of you lacking in peripheral vision Some of you may know me as norrinraad over at C2F. I live in Canada, just west of Toronto, Ontario (and yes, our beer is stronger here ) I'm finished with school (for now) and am working at a job that pays the rent I love horror and fantasy films though generally avoid sci fi. Drama, romantic comedies and thrillers also work for me if done well. Least favourite type of film? Probably period pieces (ewwww). Definitely a carnivoire, I hate fish or seafood of any kind. And keep your steak tartar away from me, I don't eat what ain't cooked!

Main interests are flicks, comics, music, books. I tend to be a True Believer all the way, though lately I have dabbled in some DC titles. I prefer Coke over Pepsi and I have a huge love of and interest in Japanese cars, especially Honda. Music tastes range from pop to punk to metal to female singer/songwriters to classic rock to hard core Detroit techno and trance. As for hip hop/rap, I like Missy, Roots, Jay Z and, of course, Eminem (who is sexier than Tobey, sorry to say ). R&B is Aaliah and Alicia Keyes.

For fun, I chill in my crib and unplug the phone I rarely go out anymore, so if you wanna hang you gotta come to my place! You can drink whatever I have handy and we watch what I wanna watch, dig?

Oh, and I tend to be really long winded, so my pet peeve is anyone who can say in a couple of sentences what it takes me several paragraphs to say! Also, I love emoticons!

Now that you know me better than you probably ever wanted to I'll shut up now...

Peace
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Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?

[Billy D.]

Yo, I'm Billy... and for those of you not in the know, I would be the equal of MarvelKid18 over at the C2F message boards. I come from good ol' California, in the Bay Area to be exact. I love my football, love my music, and love lot's of other things as well.

I'm currently a student, hoping to find a job soon enough. I'm about to turn 19, I'm single, and my sign is Sagittarius, for all you ladies out there !

I watch movies all the time. Go to the theater, watch HBO and all those other channels, buy'em, rent'em... next to music, film is my major interest. I tend to give credit where it isn't due when grading a movie... I go as easy as I can on some, just so it doesn't end up buried. But when a movie deserves it, trust me, I can blast with the best of them. I hope you enjoy the reviews here, hope they help you make some good movie decisions, and that's all I got for now.

[Sarah]

Hi, this is Sarah.
Not really the message board fanatic in the past, but I am going to try my hardest for the sake of my sweet love, Dante. Enough of the cheese... I go to Arizona State University amongst the throngs of flakes (in the number one rated party school in the nation by Playboy this year, nonetheless), but seriously, I am a business major there and something like a Junior ... who knows.
I like all kinds of movies and films ... and I do know the difference between them. ...PI for example. (note to Thom)
Off to the joys of the comedic foreign film...
Talk to you later.

[Kwick]

Hi, I'm Kimble. I also post messages and art at comics2film under the name Kwick22a. I like movies, Tv, books, comics, games, food, candy, animals with fur, the smell of rain. I like a lot of stuff.
Not really much else to know about me, except I'm a little, tiny bit insane. But who isn't these days.
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I don't know what he told you, but I guarantee the yak was lying.

[Gabe]

The name's Gabe. I'm a Sagittarius and I like film, reading, and long walks on the beach. I'm looking for a.. Whoa, my bad.. Wrong forum.. Let's start over. Like I said, my names Gabe and I'm from the booming metropolis of Oconee, South Carolina. I graduated recently and I'm working in a body modification shop in my home town until the Fall of 2004. Then I'll be attending Full Sail in Winter Park, Florida. I heard about Smart Popcorn on the WWWBoard at View Askew, thought I'd submit a review and here I am. So a little about myself; I'm in to movies, music, art, computers, the normal geek stuff. My favorite director is Kevin Smith, I love all of his stuff. As far as music goes, I'm a rock/punk fan, From the Beatles to Flogging Molly. If you couldn't tell, I can ramble on and on about myself so I'll cut it short. Hopefully, my experience at Smart Popcorn will be a good one, and I'll try to contribute as much as possible.
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"What do you mean there's no ice, you mean I gotta' drink this coffee hot?" - CLERKS

[Rhonda]

Some of you already know me...for those that don't my name is Rhonda, also known as WonderWomanGoddess from Comics2Film. Hmm, about me....I'm a 23 year old vegetarian, a wife, an aspiring writer, ...not in that order. I live in Texas with my husband and my two chihuahuas and two cats.

I enjoy movies that are just entertaining and don't make me think or cry. Who want's to cry?! I could get that in real life. I watch horror, martial arts, action, sci fi. I do NOT watch romantic comedies, sappy movies, or dramas for the sake of drama. Overall, I'd usually rather be reading a book (the no thinking or crying rule doesn't apply to books) or playing a video game than watching a movie or listening to music. As is evident by the above mentioned Comics2Film, I also love comics and superheroes. Esp. Wonder Woman!

Well I could go on and on about what I like (or hate) but you get the idea! I like the concept of this site a lot so I'll be popping in to read reviews and write a few every so often. See you all around!

[The Xenos]

I kept hearing Thom and others talking about this site at Comics 2 Film. Then I found out it was his. So I figured maybe I should check it out and join. So Here I am. Cool movie site. Just starting up though, but it seems to be getting steam.

Um... yo. Hurm... What up, my homeslices?

Jah... Peace out to yo moms?

-Xenos

[Iron Paws]

I go by Iron Paws online, but my real name is Mark. I am an avid movie watcher who loves everything from Legally Blonde (my wife got me started on it) to the Aliens trilogy. I am also a writer, I've written everything from poetry to short storeis, I'm currently working on my first novel. This site is a great idea and I hope it takes off. I am a member of only one other online community and I will spread the word about Smart-Popcorn.com to see if anyone's interested.

Great site
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"Keep the skoal baby, that's what I'm talkin about"

[Thom]

Welcome aboard, Mark... It's good to hear somebody with enthusiasm about the site.

BTW, check your e-mail and/or forum PMs box... As you can see by your new title, you've been approved for the Review Team. You'll find the details in either location.

[Dante]

oh shit...that was a joe dirt quote. You're my third favorite reviewer instantly.
First three: Sarah, me...you.....
everyone else....


thom.


_________________
so, you're saying we don't review the new Jenna Jameson movie here?

I am so out.

[Iron Paws]

Thanks Dante...one of my favorite movies.
_________________
"Keep the skoal baby, that's what I'm talkin about"

[BeckerManEX]

Well I guess I'm next in line...

Greetings to all, I'm Erich Becker (most people just call me Becker as you will find out) and I'm Editor-in-Chief of Entertainmentopia an online entertainment site, much like this one, although we have a broader scope encompassing Movies, TV, Music, and Video Games as well as the standard editorials and specials.

In my other life I'm a Information Technology (IT) Manager for a small industrial automation company in Chandler, AZ. In other words I get paid to be the computer geek I am. I also take a keen eye to writing including small novellas, and while all my friends are actors I'm one of two directors in the bunch and am currently working on my first movie based on my vacation to California last month.

For interests my favorite author is Chuck Palahniuk and my favorite book is Fight Club which I believe needs to be a manditory read for any student wanting to graduate High School. Fight Club also is my favorite film of all time just beating out The Matrix, but we won't go into the huge disappointment Reloaded was. Just some other facts. I love Pontiac and have only owned their vehicles (doesn't hurt my dad works at the GM Desert Proving Grounds), Pepsi (Blue) and Dr. Pepper are the best sodas in the world and The Offspring are my favorite band.

I freelance for a number of different sites online that provide me with some great opportunities. I can get into QuakeCon, E3, etc. with no problem and I have a mountain of video games that I get to review. How much better could life be? I also own nearly 150 DVDs and well over 225 CDs and almost 150 video games. Isn't life grand?

I officially hate only one person in the world (Bill Muller of the Arizona Republic) and find it very interesting that he is President of the Phoenix Online Critics Society thingy here in the valley and that would piss me off for a while if I ever got in, but who knows if that will ever happen with their stupid, no online only clause. Bite Me.

Okay I'm sure everyone is as sick of hearing about me as I am typing about me. To put things in shorthand: I love entertainment and review it for free, don't charge anything for my site because it costs me nothing, and believe a free web is a healthy web.
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Entertainmentopia
Independent Entertainment Coverage

[Reel Monkey]

You can call me Monkey, I suppose. This is kinda freaky for me, since I'm not real good with forums and the like, but I figured what the heck.

About Me:

I'm 22 years old. I live in Knightdale, North Carolina and I work at a local Blockbuster. I'm originally from Milwaukee, WI, but I moved down here for school and my sweetie. I'm going to NCState for graduate school and am pursuing film and english. I have also been working on my own website, even though its tiny and really super girly, but it's something to be proud of. I've been working with film hardcore for about 3 years now. I'm going on my forth in a bit. I've seen almost 700 films in that time and am working on finishing the grades for all of them. It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.

Only recently have I gotten really serious about my criticism. For the most part, I didn't think I knew enough, but then I decided to finally get my work out there for people and I started handing out critic fliers at work. I actually have them available on my website. They're a review with some grades.

Man... talk about a serious intro. Other than that... I'm just a weird little girl who finds happiness in some of the weirdest things. I have a puppy, a cat, and a piggy (guinea that is). I love Dr. Strangelove (but I'm not a Kubrick nut). Iron Chef is god! My all-time favorite book is Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. The best book to ever read is A Year at the Movies: One Man's Film-going Odyssey by Kevin Murphy (of MST3K fame). Awesome. A Must read for anyone in love with film.
Wow, am I rambling? I think I am. Well, off to start watching #2 of my 10 a week movies.

Sarah K. (AKA: Reel Monkey)

[Thom]

Monkey,

Really glad to have ya aboard... It's great to find someone with a passion for film and critique. (Even I myself am merely recreational about the latter, despite... uh... putting this site together!)

(Pretending that anyone reads this...) For anyone who hasn't noticed by the six or seven reviews in the system, Reel Monkey here is going to review for us, or at least "simulcast her sites reviews here. It's quite amazing, actually... Each of our sites use a similar two-scale artistic/entertainment rating system.

Reel Monkey has offered to help with updating the site, which is greatly appreciated. I haven't discussed this with her yet, but I have a plan which might help both sites out and ease the amount of work involved for both webmasters.

So I'm told, her boyfriend might be interested in contributing as well... I'm sure he'll introduce himself as soon as he comes around.

Again, glad to have you aboard!

[Thom]

Oh, I do have one question... Your avatar, is that a monkey? Looks like a woodchuck or something.

[Dante]

ah..yeah..updating. We really need a quicker way to go about it. Frankly, it just takes too long when you are trying to work a full-time job and have a billion other things to attend to as well.
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so, you're saying we don't review the new Jenna Jameson movie here?

I am so out.

[Reel Monkey]