Why is Owen writing for the main page? - Page 2  

I for one like the idea of regular Durning updates, and wouldn't mind a "Frank Vincent Watch" column as well.

God I love watching the grownups argue. I really do.

???

Read Owen's Hothouse Update. It was fine. When did CHUD become the fucking OC?

Grownups. Big boys. Elders. People who started or made major contributions to the site, as opposed to us lowly message board kids.

And although nobody asked me, I say let Owen stay on the main page for now. Give him the opportunity to rise to the occasion, and if he doesn't, can him.

I want rep capabilities.


PLEASE.

You mean like the way a lot of us working screenwriters/filmmakers felt like when we read your "I'm oh-so-hip" self-aggrandizing blog on screenwriting? Gotcha.

Yes you do. If not, then why all the fuss? If you don't like it there's this wonderful thing called freedom of choice. If you don't like the guy, don't read his stuff.

How about letting Nick make that decision?

I haven't seen anything on this site that even remotely suggests that Devin and Russ are upset.. So for you to even suggest that is akin to someone saying, "But if (insert studio here) makes Jeremy Slater's script's, then how will there be enough money/interest to greenlight Steve Zallian, James Cameron, or Mike Nichol's next projects?"

Answer: one has nothing to do with the other. Editorial criticism is one thing but sorry, Slater, this simply smacks of sour grapes and an oversized ego. Just get over it.

Because if this is your reaction towards someone you don't like on a website/blogosphere getting a break, then you've got a long, difficult road ahead of you in the industry.

I wish I knew how to rep you...

Slater, you were my favorite voice on the site after Nick, and likewise on the boards, but even though I just read Owen's blog (dealing with trailers) and I agree that he’s not up to par with the other writers on here, none of you were exactly top journalists when you started out.

You had good opinions, wit and heart to match, but the reviews, write-ups, travelogues, interviews and set visits have matured and become legitimately great in the last couple of years while maintaining a balance of class in their own respective fields (hence why Devin can write an awesome review of a movie while still giving it a 'Fuck you out of 10').

Owen may or may not get better with time, I hope he does, but if you don't like the guy and even have some kind of personal shit with him or his abilities then why the fuck should you even care?

You're saying you're bringing this up for the good of CHUD, but I can't help but feel that bashing someone who's below your writing and observational skills (for now) is just stroking your own ego.

On another note, your crusade against bad writing/expression on the main site and the boards just took a major blow.

Sincerely,

A fan

P.S.: I'm still gonna love your shit after this, because you're a really talented guy, but I thought you'd be a little more patient and humble.

I just hope Owen doesn't think posting a picture of one of his college associates in order for him to mock them is gonna cut the mustard on the front page. Also: he should get a haircut.

You're confusing me with BobClarke.

Holy shit, do you have the wrong Slater!

Sounds like a fair plan to me - let's see if he ripens with age and then decide. I honestly don't see what the huge fuss is about. It's not like Nick hired me to write for the site - which would be fine, actually, if you liked endless blogs about why Eric Stoltz is cute and why I cried at the end of Legally Blonde 2.

I don't think someone's message board persona is a dead giveaway of what a person is like.

But let me rephrase: I expected more from him and thought he would be above something like this.

And Lisa, I'd totally read your blog. Not enough good things are said about Eric Stoltz.

Slater, I know perpetual orneriness is your "thing," but this is kind of dumb. I mean, fresh blood isn't going to kill the site, and if it doesn't work out, then he can just stop writing.

Personally, I think Jeremy's writing used to border on self-parody (and I still find his column unreadable), but it's not like I've started ignoring Devin's and Russ's articles as a result.

That's a good point but I'm pretty sure Salter is an ornerie jackass in real life, as well.

Methinks many of you haven't read any of Kuellar/Owen's finer film discussion moments on these boards to properly understand where Slater is coming from.

Perhaps not, but I've read enough of Slater's to properly understand that he's a pompous jackass.

As long as I can still make fun of him for getting teary-eyed at whichever incarnation of Pirates of the Caribbean made him weep, I'm cool.

That actually happened?

Mae West once observed there was no such thing as bad publicity. We should all take that observation to heart and go read Owen's blog.

Kreeper, next time I see you remind me to buy you a beer. And not just the swill, but top shelf brew like Coors Light.

On a completely unrelated note, good lord Electrichead, your avatar is fantastic.

On a related note, much respect to Owen for not chiming in.

uh...

No.

Yeah, there are moments when he makes me full dumb but he's probably the most readable writer on the site.

Jeremy is a brilliant writer. Owen isn't as of yet. Regardless, Slater, I fail to see how whining and calling Owen a "retard" proves your superior writing prowess, which, let's face it, is the whole point of this thread.

And I can't speak for Devin or Jeremy, but how many of us can honestly look back at our first attempts at something and say, "Yeah, I kicked ass right out of the gate there." I'm sure the brilliant writers of CHUD look back on some of their first articles and cringe, and if Owen completely improves in a few months or a year or whenever, maybe he'll have the same reaction.

Point is, stop being a douchebag.

The point of this thread is "Hey, I'm Slater! Remember me?"

REP REP REP REP REP REP REP REP REP REP REP

Wow, flyarz, that's funny and easy. Thanks!

I have absolutely nothing to add in this thread other than I love that line.

Until this revelation, I was pretty jazzed that Dickson seems to post in a lot of my threads. This comes as a huge blow.

And yet no one gives two fucks for Vinton, one way or another?! No respect.

You're not Bob Clarke?

And we should all still be in a huff — as though Owen had posted unflattering images of our fucking sisters? Getting over this might be an idea, given that sensitivity doesn't seem to fit with the local agenda.

Making you feel dumb because of clever writing is one thing, but making you feel dumb because you need to have a comprehensive knowledge of film to understand half of an article is something else altogether. He has a tendency to describe films or people by referencing other films or people, and often not ones a casual reader would know well, or even at all. He's an excellent writer, and he absolutely knows his stuff, but his style is dense and wordy, sometimes to excess, and, in my opinion, probably largely inappropriate for much of the site's readership. I appreciate the talent involved, but given the option, I much prefer Devin's ability to express ideas with clear and simple language.

Of course, I'm reportedly just some barely-literate imbecile and not exactly a founding member of the CHUD Intellectual Elite, so what do I know?

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in liking how different the voices on the main site are. It speaks to their abilities as writers that their personalities shine through, and there's not a single "voice" of CHUD. I can usually tell who posted the article without reading the byline, and I mean that as a positive, not a negative.

By the same token, I don't see what the problem is with giving Owen a chance. No, he's not as polished as the other guys, but Nick was impressed enough - give him a chance to develop his own voice and see how it goes.

So you look up those names and find out more about them and watch the films he references instead of saying he writes too smart for you.

I can understand your beef if film isn't like your thing, but it is somewhat unfair to criticize him for heavy fim refernces when he writes.... for a movie site. CHUD has always been aimed at well-rounded filmgoers. That's why this site features articles on Infuckingseminoid in juxtaposition to articles about Two Kinds of (fucking) Women.

To echo the overall sentiment of the thread so far, there are bylines, you don't like an author... use 'em.

EDIT: Enough with the snark. Caring about this thread does a disservice to my brain.

If Jeremy's articles make you feel dumb, that's on you. Personally I have a hard time getting through his writing because I never understand his obscure references. But that doesn't make me feel dumb. That just makes me feel like I don't know a fraction of what he does about cinema.

I'm not going to argue with all of your points, as some of them are valid, but spare us your outrage on this one, Slater. I'll be the first to admit that you're one of the funnier, more articulate posters on the boards. But you're also as mean-spirited as anyone here.

That's probably a better way of putting it then saying he makes me feel dumb. I enjoy having to look up the odd reference but other times it makes me feel...uhm...inadequate in my knowledge.

It's great to see that we've kicked off the CHUD redesign with one of the most impressive bait threads of all time.