Last week, I got together with two good friends for a drink and wondered something aloud. I asked them if most Twitter users ever look at what they’ve tweeted and strung it all together. Back before I joined Twitter, my theory was that the social network was one where everybody spoke and very few listened. Now after using it for a year and a half, I think I want to amend that: My theory is that twitter is where everybody speaks and very few listen to themselves.
This is my theory because several people who I follow – who I should probably just unfollow, but that’s besides the point – sometimes come off very angry or really obsessed as their feed continually updates throughout the day. Others seem overly snide or cynical. Form what I know of these people, these characteristics don’t really represent them…it’s just how they come off when their tweets are all strung together.
Anyone else ever noticed this or is it just me?
I only bring it up because I actually had to steer clear of Twitter altogether yesterday morning in the wake of The Oscar nominations. I dig on Oscar discussion as much as the next dude – probably even more than the next dude – but too many people were getting SO worked up, it just became too much.
With that in mind, I’ll try to point you towards some better discussion this morning.
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For your listening and reading fulfilment, I give you…
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A podcast that never fails to put me in a good mood is TUMP, and this week they finally tie off 2012 by listing off their favorite films. Listen in, I wager that it will be epic.
More podcasting! The Mamo boys are easily the best out of the blocks where podcasting is concerned. Here, mere hours after the Oscar nominees were announced, they weigh in on what was and wasn’t named in contention for Hollywood’s big night.
meanwhile, for those who prefer their Oscar reactions in written form, Ruth covers the good, the bad, and the ugly at Flix Chatter. I don’t agree with her on every point, but she does raise some good points for discussion.
One film that had a monster morning on Thursday was AMOUR – a film I wonder if I’ll ever write a full review for. Rich has us covered in the meantime, after seeing it this week at Film Forum.
Over at The Toasties, Nick has some New Year’s Cinelutions.
Meanwhile at The Pigeon Coop, Terry Malloy caught up with one of my favorite films from the 90′s: UNFORGIVEN.
Wilde at Love and Squalor reached back even further for her classic watch this week. She sat down for one that is in fact on my Blind Spot list for 2013 – THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC.
The Tweet of The Week actually goes back to last week, but I find it to be seriously apropos. Take a look below as SeriousFilm sums it all up:
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Enjoy!
12 comments
ruth says:
Jan 11, 2013
Thanks Ryan. Which points did you disagree about my Oscar musings?
Ryan McNeil says:
Jan 15, 2013
Mostly just the shock over Affleck and Bigelow. It’s not that I wasn’t surprised (I was) or think they’re each worthy of nomination (I do). I just believe that there were so many great pieces of directing this year, that it would have been hard to keep it down to just five anyway!
Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarentino, Rian Johnson, Steven Soderbergh, Richard Linklater…all of them turned in great pieces of directing this year.
If anything, I’m surprised anyone could keep their list to just five.
Colin Biggs says:
Jan 11, 2013
I can’t help but feel most members of the Academy didn’t watch Amour and just voted for it on recommendation.
Ryan McNeil says:
Jan 15, 2013
Having seen it, I disagree. It’s the sort of film that sticks with anyone who’s seen it.
What’s more, a foreign film doesn’t get that sort of groundswell of support (directing, picture, acting, screenplay) very easily.
Rich says:
Jan 11, 2013
When you say that about ‘Amour,’ is that in an oh-my-god-this-film-moved-me-so-emotionally-I-can’t-describe-it way or an oh-my-god-I-just-don’t-have-the-time-to-see-this-film way?
Ryan McNeil says:
Jan 11, 2013
The former.
I *did* see it during TIFF and wrote a short piece about it in that section of my site, but haven’t been able to fully sues out the thoughts the film left me with in any sort of a fuller piece.
Brittani says:
Jan 12, 2013
I think everyone’s tweets get a little negative during awards season because we are so passionate about the performances we love. I guess I see it as amusing more than cynical.
Ryan McNeil says:
Jan 15, 2013
the trends regarding people’s tweets are an awards season thing, but they’re also a general state of being. I notice it a lot every week when I sift back through the feeds I follow looking for a ‘Tweet of The Week’.
Some people come off more obsessive or cynical than I’m sure they are…they just don’t step back and look at everything they’ve said in a day all strung together.
wilde.dash says:
Jan 13, 2013
Thanks for the mention, I always recommend Passion of Joan of Arc to people, so I figured maybe I should actually write something about it. You should definitely wipe that off the Blind Spot list ASAP.
Also, I’m with you. There’s some rampant negativity on Twitter lately, and in the film blogging community in general. I’ve seen some blogs where a reader offering their own thoughts in a comment becomes cause for the blogger to rip them a new one and make really extreme personal judgments, and i’m frankly amazed people will actually return to comment again or offer than writer praise when it’s so clear they don’t place any value on the opinions of anyone else (and are more interested in picking a fight). I’ve sort of withdrawn from commenting, honestly, because lately the comments seem less like participation in a conversation and more like a dead end.
Ryan McNeil says:
Jan 15, 2013
You’re most welcome Wilde – don’t be such a stranger!
I do know what you mean about negativity. While I’ve broken my own rule once or twice, I try to be positive around here. Even if I disagree with the commenter, I try to disagree respectfully. I like discourse, so unless I only want people to comment when they agree with me, what’s the point in being a pissant, right?
Here’s to more positive discussion!
Chris says:
Jan 16, 2013
Thanks for the shout out Ryan, appreciate it!
I also stayed away from Twitter during Oscar nom time; just too many opinions being thrown at my face at once!
Ryan McNeil says:
Jan 19, 2013
I’ll be staying off it on Oscar night too. Everyone just feels like they’re so clever.