do you have a flag?: 2009

23.7.09

The NEW Do You Have a Flag? is up and running!

Do You Have a Flag? is now now officially running on WordPress! I’m still going to be tweaking things a lot over the next month or so, but the basic site is now up and running. The web address is still www.cheerfuld.com, but the RSS feed has changed to the following: feed://www.cheerfuld.com/?feed=rss2

I hope you’ll re-subscribe in your google reader, or whatever it is you use! This site (my original baby) will not be taken down (at least not for awhile) so feel free to visit cheerfuld.blogspot.com for old posts.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter (if you use such things) to get the most up to date news on the site, movies, tv and whatever else I feel is deemed “tweetable.” Once again, thanks for your support readers, and I hope you’ll like the new digs! Welcome to the new Do You Have a Flag?!

21.7.09

ReWind, ReBoot, ReVamp and ReNew

Lately, I have been spending some time re-thinking the blog … I’ve been happy with some of what I’ve done, but it also feels like time for a change (maybe even time for a new look). The world of movie blogging is such a vast and varied field, sometimes it’s hard to stay focused or to have a clear vision. Admittedly I am someone who can be easily overwhelmed by too many choices, and therefore I think it’s in my best interest to keep things simple and more focused. While I always have a lot going on in my head after I see a film, I think that writing full length reviews is just not for me. I like short, quick, easy and fun (and I think others prefer less longwinded as well). I like imagery, especially movie imagery, so the pics are here to stay. And I like comparisons, as proven by the “from another mother” segment. My newest idea is to have a more clear cut theme, not only so I don’t get overwhelmed, but also as a way to try and be more memorable. I still don’t have it all figured out yet, but the basic idea is for the new theme of the blog to take off of one of my more popular segments, “Today I Feel Like This…”. Today I Feel Like This is a very simple, but easily relatable idea.

So the way I am thinking it will work from now on is that everyday (well maybe not everyday, we’ll see how it goes…), I’ll do a quick overview of all the things I felt that day, as related to film. Each post will be made up of movie imagery, DVDs I bought, films I saw, comparisons I came across, and any particularly striking movie news. But it will all be quick blurbs, easy and fun to read. Some of you may ask, how is this really different then what I was doing before? Good question… let’s just say, I think you’ll get it when you see it. In addition to revamping the style and content of the blog, I will also be revamping the look. I will finally be switching over to WordPress. But it will take me a little bit of time to get up and running, so again I ask you to bare with me, and join me once again when the new and improved “Do You Have a Flag?” is up and running.

Thanks to all of you, for being amazing readers

!vy

10.7.09

Super Toys Last All Summer Long

I have been scarce lately, I know! With summer here, my backyard finally inhabitable, and moving plans kicking into gear, it’s been hard to make myself spend any more time on the computer than I absolutely have to… bad blogger! I’m still watching movies (saw The Lost Boys last night, worst movie … You’ve done it again Schumacher!), but now I’m outside as much as I can be and attempting to get some semblance of a tan (I am still very very white). But I promise I will continue to try and post when I can, so don’t abandon me just yet!

I hope you’re all enjoying sunshine wherever you may be, and I hope you’ll all go see Harry Potter 6 when it arrives in theaters next week! I’ll be there, yipping like a little kid.

(gorgeous photo via dendrites)

7.7.09

Today I Feel Like This...

4.7.09

Trailer Twist

Brothers Trailer

Knowing nothing about this film before watching the trailer, I went into it thinking "Natalie, Jake and Tobey... Romantic triangle, maybe a rom-com?" Wrong-o.

A film that looks like it's ultimately more about the pain of returning home from war to find everything changed than it is about a triangle, Brothers promises fierce intensity, even if it's got to force it down your throat. For some reason this reminded me of the Red Eye trailer... Just not what you were expecting.

Emma the Chameleon?

Miss Emma Watson has grown up before our very eyes, and now it looks like she can play with the big girls...

30.6.09

Better Off Dead

No, I am not referring to John Cusack's 1985 film of the same name... I speak of something far more trivial.

I had toyed with the idea of making Max Minghella this week's Break Out, but instead came up with a better plan after coming across some pictures of Minghella and girlfriend Leah Lezark. Maybe it's just America's current trendy sensation with them going to my head, but I'm seeing them everywhere... vampires.

I mean, seriously... Have you ever seen a more "living dead" couple?

I think Twilight missed a clear cut opportunity here. Ok, enough ridiculous fodder.

Brothers from another Mother?

I didn't really have to work at this one...

Max is really Penn mixed with a little of this guy.

Humble Beginnings

From "Geeks" to "Sweets"

Freaks and Geeks Clip

Genius Marketing To The Rescue!

Skins Season 1 Trailer

Skins Season 2 Trailer

Skins Series 3 Trailer

Don't they just make you wanna?

The marketing team for Skins is pretty bangarang as you can see. Each season they try to reinvent the wheel with a new level of party-going obscenity. Skins will return in season 4 with the same cast seen in season 3, but the producers will change it up again with a whole new gang in season 5. Sometimes I think Britain has the right idea. While season 3 paled in comparison to the first two, it was still tons of fun to watch. If you get BBC America consider yourself lucky, and if you don't, there's always online...

(Sorry blogging has been sparse. My wireless internet has decided it doesn't care about my needs...)

27.6.09

Sisters from another Movie?

25.6.09

Today I Feel Like This...

After a day filled with computer problems, preventing me from much blogging, I need a good soak in the tub.

F*** You MacBook update 10.5.7.

22.6.09

Avatar and Troy, more in common than you think?

Avatar the Last Airbender Teaser Trailer

Right now the Avatar teaser pretty much looks like this:

Troy Teaser Trailer

Call me crazy, but it does. I'm semi-excited for Avatar, but right now it's very difficult to say what direction the film will go in... It seems most fans of the show are already dead set on hating it, and Shyamalan hasn't exactly been on a winning streak lately. But perhaps the forces of the earth will come together and create a masterpiece. Or maybe it will plummet like Dragonball Evolution (did that movie even see the light of day?) More than anything the teaser just reminded me how excited I am for the rapidly approaching Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince release date!

This Week's Break Out!

This week's Break Out is, Kaya Scodelario!

I've been meaning to do this Break Out for a long time. Kaya is the second Skins kid I've claimed as a Break Out, but like I said in my post on Nicholas Hoult, the entire cast is incredible. There is something about Kaya though. To start, she was 15 when Skins started in 2007, and while you could believe her age, it was terrifying just how much older and wiser she came off. You had to wonder, is the actress as interesting as the character? How much of Kaya goes into Effy? Ef is your classic rebellious teen engaging in sex, drugs, and rock and roll, all the while rocking an obscene amount of eyeliner. She has had a huge turnaround throughout the 3 seasons of Skins to date. First season she was practically a mute, speaking no more than 3 lines in the whole series. Then second season, they must have picked up on audience interest in Effy and made her into a full blown character, thereby smoothing out the transition into series 3 where she becomes the lead. Her character prides herself on secrecy and mysteriousness, but when it comes down to brass tacks, she's good at neither. She spends most of the third season playing three guy best friends against each other, claiming she can't be with anyone, but in reality she's desperate for attention. She surrounds herself with people deemed inferior, only to discover that she is actually the lowest of the bunch. She's stunningly beautiful, but every chance they get, they show mascara bleeding down her face to serve as a reminder that she's ugly on the inside (at least for now). She bounces between her wants, and what she can't allow herself to have. Had anyone else played this character, you would have hated her from the start and continued hating her right on through, but Kaya is able to bring subtle reliability and even some likability to the role. Somewhere between Effy hitting rock bottom and working her way back to semi-normal, Kaya moved from being a television star to a full fledged film potential. In fact, you can catch her in the recently released Moon alongside Sam Rockwell. But apart from Effy and the aptly named "Eve," Kaya's resume is empty. She's got the looks and the talent, but does she have the drive? Does Hollywood want her? Who cares about Kaya... do you?

If you do, keep an eye out for Ms. Scodelario, this week's Break Out! For all you Skins fans out there, season 4 starts shooting this July...