As an avid patron of the cinema and intransigent critic of filmmaking, I do not attend films and movies for only the sake of entertainment, but feel that it is my duty to immerse myself in the story that is unfolding onscreen. There are many genres and styles of film that I find imaginative, real, creative and intriguing. Granted, there are many films/movies that I enjoy simply because they are entertaining, as we all do. Anchorman may never cease to be my favorite comedy, and I heartily enjoy Die Hard, and I must admit I will always have a guilty pleasure for Milo and Otis (I grew up on it).

Needless to say, I have broad range of taste in film and like to expand my horizons whenever I can. My Netflix queue is constantly growing, and with each film I scratch off the list, 3 more take its place. Some say that its a waste to spend so much time in front of the TV, and I wholeheartedly agree. But… is that time better spent in a book or in front of the computer? Yes and no. Like I said earlier, I don’t watch films for the sake of taking up time. I watch them to learn, to watch how other filmmakers tell a story, to try and understand what is trying to be told. I look at it the same as reading a book. What is the mystery? How is the dialogue enriching it? How is it unfolding? A film is just a visual representation of someone’s story to begin with, so how is this visual representation best telling that story?

Granted, there are scores of god-awful excuses for film that make their way to the screen every year, many of those making gratuitous amounts of money, but there are also unseen and unnoticed gems that get produced, often independently, that are incredible works of art. Ink and Primer for example. Both had a minimal budget and were produced completely independent of any studio interference. While Primer gained respect from various film festivals, such as SXSW, Ink’s only popularity came from fans that found out about it through the filmmakers tweets and what little news they got from a Colorado art theater. Both are incredible stories that most moviegoers, even avid ones, don’t know about.

My point here is this: Story is apart of life. Film is just a visual story being told through someone else’s vision. Some are great story tellers, and some should be sentenced to watch their own films on loop for eternity. Either way, whether you enjoy film like I do, or whether you see it purely as entertainment, take a moment and think about the story that’s being told.

As you may have noticed, nothing has been actually posted to redunk for several months. While each author has his or her own excuses as to why, for the most part this started as one of those spur of the moment, “lets make a website with X as the topic! It’ll be for the awesome!” ideas.

As with 98.3% of said ideas, this one fluttered quite lively for sometime before drowning like a limbless cat in a swelling ocean. It’s not that it was a bad idea, it was a pretty kick-a idea in fact, its just that our attention spans are limited to about 140 characters.

Here’s what I’m trying to say: Redunk is not dead,  however, it is going to start taking a new direction. That is if I can discipline myself enough to consistently update it. There will still be the occasional rant, as well as something ridiculous that fits the redunk standard. What it will start focusing on though is film reviews. Don’t worry, they will keep the same format as the original redunk reviews, making sarcastic remarks and exaggerations of awesome. I’ll be slowly working on a rating system though, so if you’re an opinionated snob like me you’ll have something to measure a movies worth with.

Check back soon as I plan to start adding reviews almost immediately. Oh, and just so you know, these reviews will not all be new movies that are currently in theaters. They will consist of what I watch via Netflix, torrent… er, I mean “borrow from a friend” and what I actually own/purchase on DVD.

*torrent has been used for parody purposes only and is not a valid source for viewing films, so before the MPAA calls the dogs, understand that its a joke. I SAID IT WAS A JOKE! WHAT ARE YOU… HEY TAKE THIS BAG OFF MY HEAD! WHAT’S GOING… *thwack*

…

The Hamdog

A hot dog wrapped in a beef patty that’s deep fried, covered with chili, cheese, onions, served on a hoagie bun topped with two fistfuls of fries and a fried egg.

(via texasburgerguy)

Seriously, a hot dog wrapped in a fried beef patty! The only thing that could make this better is some bacon, I’m sure we all agree on that.

There comes a time in a man’s life when he has to accept the fact that food tastes better than being thin feels. I, my friends have accepted that fact. Anyone care to join me on my quest for heart exploding good food?

@rexbarrett

I went to QuickTrip [gas station] tonight on my way in to the office. I needed a Monster Drink to give me the initial pep/heart palpitations to kick off the night. As was heading to the checkout, I noticed from the corner from my eye a stick of beef jerky…practically calling my name. Being traditionally a lean meat, I thought it’d be a diet-friendly delicious snack to savor as I begin my night. I was right, by the way.

Here is the exchange I had with the clerk assisting me with my provisions:

Clerk: Will that be all?
Me: Yes.
Clerk: That will be $-.–

[at this point, we exchange the legal tender so that I may properly receive the goods I wish to acquire]

Clerk: [holding up my stick of beef jerky] Are these any good?
Me: Yeah…it IS beef jerky after all.
Clerk: Oh. I’ve never had this.
Me: That brand?
Clerk: No. I’ve never had beef jerky before.
Me: Holy Crap. Are you serious? Are you some sort of freak-of-nature?

—

I did NOT ask him that last question, but I did want to reach across and either bull whip him with my beef jerky stick, or give him an open palm slap across the chest. Let the record show that he didn’t seem to be one of them vegetarian types… he’s in the wrong part of the city for that.

-Andy

-= Posted from my iPhone =-