Things You Want CHUD.com to Do

I kicked this idea around on the board when your feud with Regal Cinemas began and some of the members seemed to dig it: start a regular column where you guys review the service, atmosphere, and programming of local independent cinemas and revival houses with the end of getting your readership to go to them instead of chain theaters, i.e. a moviegoing version of "Move Your Money." In order to spare resources, you could have board members sign up to cover the ones in their areas, like the user DVD reviews.

Also, earlier in the decade, there used to be pretty fun contests, which might be nice to bring back.

The Chud Essential List has to be one of my favorite features in the seven years I've been reading this site. There's been a couple of old gems that I would have never heard of it had not been for Chud.

I generally love most of the lists, and appreciate each staffer's individual take on their picks.

I'm pretty content with the occasional list series and the CHUD show (in both its live and fuckaround presentations), but if there's one thing from yeteryear I wouldn't mind seeing come back with a vengeance, it's The Movie Microscope.

"Best of" Podcasts and quirky lists!

Tag Team Reviews... they need to continue.

I'd like to see the return of a (sporadic) DUMB A DAY feature. I'd been trying to comment on every one in the past, but then I'd fall behind and feel too overwhelmed to catch up. If it were a "dumb a week" maybe it would be more fun?

I loved the CHUD ESSENTIALS. I know that's already been done, but I was reading your REIGN OF FIRE review the other night and it's exciting (for me at least) to read fun reviews of hidden gems like ROF. Maybe the site could do some "Retro CHUD" reviews sometimes? Dark City, ETC? Sometimes you'll see really excellent and thoughtful reviews of older films in the form of DVD Reviews, but I wish that maybe you could just spotlight the films themselves, and give main page attention to the review.

I also enjoy learning more about the craft of film making, and the recent "BAD CGI" list has been fun. However, it might be cool to highlight other kinds of FX too. I mentioned this in another thread (not sure if you saw it, Nick), but I said that a "Most realistic yet spectacular practical effects" list might be fun (for stuff like the Robot T-Rex)

Oh, and as you try to level up new writers to Devin style celebrity status, it might be neat to give each writer his own AVATAR or cartoon representation like at AICN. It would help give the main page people more personality and highlight their different styles

PS I love the cut jade CHUD logo, I was thinking it would be nifty if it could shift and rotate like a faceted steam punk clock mechanism (with other levels of "c" shape jade nestled in). I don't know if that would make the main page too slow to load though. Also, I know there is a redesign coming which might not leave any room for the jade CHUD logo, but all the same I wanted to mention it. Perhaps it could be in the upper left hand corner, shifting away as you read stuff. That way you could quickly click it to get back to the home page

(I'll come up with more ideas and post them as they occur to me)

I really miss The Steady Leak in its longer, rambling form. Sure, some of the individual components still continue, but there was something monumental about housing it all in one spleen-venting column.

The return of a comics column would also be great.

If you do tag team review, I'd like to see Elizabeth Rappe and/or Steve and Matchstick involved.

The lists are always very fun.

Keep doing the 'Movie of the Day'.

I'd like to see Jeb's contribution to the Special Edition spun off into its own column. His musical knowledge rivals DaveB.

Can't be said enough. Creature Corner.

CHUD Stories. Although from what I glean it was more a lack of users submitting work that put a stop to that rather than anything on Chud's end.

But really all I want is a cleaner, easier to navigate home page. Anything else is just icing on the cake. I'm always up for some more fun in whatever form it takes. I know you're working on The Best of Chud Show Vol. 2 which gets me giddy with anticipation.

I'd like to see more screengrab captions!

I know you want to bring things in a sillier direction, but I'd warn against going too far with it. It might alienate some of the newish readers. I saw that Nick Tweeted about looking for artists to help out. I was tempted to respond until I remembered how slow I am to get things done.

Still, Nick, if you wanted help with a few (one off)strips where deadline isn't high priority I'd love to help. Yeah, I know, sounds tempting.

Indeed.

I echo screengrab captions and tag team reviews. Also, since the Devin's Advocate is gone, how about a new regular column or 2, something to give the new guys a chance to impress us and stretch out their vocal cords.

And finally, the reason I stayed with the site in the first place: CHUD Facts.

EDIT: and if you're not gonna bring him on full time, how about giving Dellamorte a second column? Guy embarrasses me with his knowledge.

A way to browse former CHUD lists.

It'd be nice if, after the fact, you could edit those lists so they all link to each other. As is, the list articles only link to the ones that came before it, not after it. But that means you have to find the article in the news feed, click it, then click back, and find the next one. Or read the list backwards, which isn't quite the same. Same for articles like Star Trekkin'.

I always like the super specific kind of columns. Something about Revival theaters, something about screenwriting, about great commentary tracks that are worth checking out, etc.

Maybe television reviewers, who review shows as the episodes come out? A lot of recent shows (Mad Men, Louis) always generate a lot of discussion on the boards, and I'm sure lend themselves to that sort of thing.

I would love it if the staff started a series of movie reassessment columns like the ones that Devin may have considered doing. I love that kind of thing and would love to have your current writers take that on in turn.

Today's secret word is... LOVE.

Ten Grabs.

Keep the lists going, but I'd make sure you've got the entire list before posting any parts. I'd honestly thought the Bad CGI list was finished, and then a bunch of new parts popped up after a while. A sequential feature like that needs continuity, or else people will start thinking any list is just going to peter out and not be worth their time.

Another idea for a column I've had is "This Should Be A Movie" (better title required), where you examine fictional and non-fictional stories that you think should be adapted for the big screen. It can include a rundown of the real life events, why this would make a good movie, and what kind of cast and crew you would pick.

Example, I think a movie about the history of the micronation of Sealand would be a PERFECT Wes Anderson movie.

*This is an excellent idea*. What about a Chernobyl movie, shot Greengrass style in real time? So many fascinating tales left to collect dust, Patrick's idea would be perfect for getting them attention

EDIT: PS I agree with Mr Dickson about the lists, I think they should run every day until they are done. I know this may be difficult to schedule, but all the same, I too thought that the BAD CGI list was over with (not that I wasn't happy to learn it was back, just that I'd have preferred it to run beginning to end all at once)

Yes. A thousand times yes.

And Ripoll's idea on "This Should Be A Movie" is actually what I was coming in here to post. Something spiritually akin to Dev's "Movie's that never were" column.

I agree with most of the above, Tag Team reviews would be at the top of my list. I love reading them and the different viewpoints they bring up. Especially the opinions where there's a "Love it/Hate it" combo. Great discussion...

I'm loving the more quirky features like "Worst CG Ever" stuff, which is great to read. What about doing more list-based stuff like that. Could be best of or worst of... love those.

Finally, not sure if it's Devin's intellectual property or CHUD's ...but one of the BEST 'occasional' columns are his 'Movies That Never Were' ones. I absolutely LOVE those and that's something I would love CHUD to continue running, even in his absence. Something you, yourself Nick could take over as i'm sure you have plenty of information on aborted films...

Following on from the 'This Should Be A Movie' idea above - what about a column where someone (coughmecough) does a fantasy style column adapting novels or games into a movie. There's hundreds of un-mined books out there that are ripe for movie-making (William Dietrich's 'Ethan Gage' series springs to mind, gaming wise you're looking at stuff like Assassins Creed, Bioshock... etc). The column would consist of fantasy casting and basic story outlines... then getting feedback in the talkback section on other options and that sort of thing. Would create some stimulating discussion and something no other site is doing.

Just my thoughts... on my 100th Post on CHUD.com, rather proud of that effort! I lurk a lot... been around for a while... love this place... that is all.

I enjoyed the "You got it Wrong" or All Wrong, i forget exactally what it was, columns.

More Essentials, Creature Corner, and I agree on that Regal Cinema thing. More reviews on if a Cinema is worth it or not would be cool.

I'd say "Please do more lists", but you all have that gross one set up, so I know that more lists will be on the way that we will all enjoy.

yea, same here. lets see some of the writers brave the worst kinds of movies and lambaste them until they burn. I still remember laughing my ass off at the review of The Black Knight.

With Renn and Steve and Nick being local, I vote for Tag Team Video reviews. One of the things that Ebert's TV show had that his column didn't was inflection, and that can go quite a ways.

Also, I want to add in that one thing I loved that Devin did more than anything else was championing the smaller less known films, please keep that tradition alive so that films like Primer, and The Fountain, and The Science of Sleep don't go missed.

I always love this kind of thing. It's been touched on here and there but never been made into a consistent column.

... just don't run them into the ground for months and months before they're even close to a release. I would say that was the only thing that's ever consistently bothered me on this site.

Another for the Tag Teams. Maybe also Tag Team revisits of old movies to see how each participant feels about a once beloved/hated film.

What was the essence of comics idea mentioned above?

That's a great idea.

More Chud video content in general would be great. But yes, video reviews would be the best.

How about some more story contests? Let's crank up chudstories again! And I'm not just saying that because I won an HDTV from CHUD back in 2005. I can't believe people liked that story.

Contests that require on-display creativity form the entrants could be neat, too. See the My Fan Made Posters thread or the MS Paint movie game for examples.

Yeah, I already commented on CHUD stories, but any user-generated creative whatnots are always welcome. But I also realize that it's all dependent on people actually submitting stuff, which doesn't always work out.

Missin' The Beaks Canon.

I know why you gave up on the Movie Microscope but I miss it. Maybe if you just did movies from 3+ years ago it wouldn't burn any bridges?

I'm loving the DVD wars and would love to see Ten Grabs make a return. Also I would like to see all the new theatrical movies released to be reviewed and not just the Chudcentric ones. I think it would be humorous to read a review where Nick was forced to watch Eat Pray Love or some shit like that.

I second this.

The local guys can record and chop it pretty quickly. Plus, the reduction in man hours on getting thoughts on paper could help cover a wider scope on the theatrical front.

The Ebert comparison is really spot-on.

I guess I'm the only one who doesn't want more video? I'd rather read a well-thought-out, tightly written review/commentary.

What was the name of that column where you gave career advice to stars and filmmakers with careers on the wane? I liked that one, and would like to see it make a comeback.

I'd like to see the Holiday Orgy of Despair reviews come back. I read CHUD a every day and have it set to my home page, and I think those reviews were some of the most fun I've ever had on here.

More articles on film history, period. CHUD's main strength is its background in film knowledge. If you guys worked on it, you could have a small encyclopedia of stuff for people to read.

How about a The Best Movies You've Never Seen article or series of them? I think that'd be cool, and would surely be appreciated by many. Best part of coming here is discovering new films.

You are so right Fat Elvis. I like the video idea too, but I'm not sure it would be easier or less time-intensive than the written one. Worth a shot though because it could be a lot of fun.

Yeah, I agree. A fun, funny and knowledgeable point of view on films from any and all eras is what drew me to CHUD in the first place (I think it was the 100 Movies That Deserve More Love that got me hooked).

Having all of the latest movie news isn't so important to me, honestly.

Something big and important deserves the written word, but if, like Anderson said, a round table video could be quicker, it could lend itself to smaller releases. The same way the CHUD Show guys would often talk about smaller movies they saw in theaters, like Into The Blue.

Honestly I'm not too big on the video idea. Some video for big events could be cool, but for most movies I read the reviews while I'm at work. I enjoy *reading* to pass the time. I wouldn't want to see video taking the place of written reviews (even if we're talking about tag team reviews) too often. I even prefer reading interviews over watching them.

EDIT: For the small releases especially I enjoy an incisive and thoughtful text based examination of the material. I usually read the reviews to figure out what I should be excited about, wait a bunch of months for the DVD release (by which time I've forgotten most of the specific details of the review and can go in fresh), and then post on the boards about what I've seen. I wouldn't want to see smaller films reviewed with video at the exclusion of text simply because it's faster to produce content that way. I get more value from text IMHO

EDIT 2: Video content I *do* want to see: pans! I'd have loved to have heard Devin unload on TRANSFORMERS 2 or TWILIGHT or something (the way he did on Leonard Maltin at the end of HECKLERS) in video form sometime. Now that he's gone, you Nick could do the same thing for films in tag team reviews or on your own. I only caught TRANSFORMERS 2 later on video. The movie looked awful and I knew I'd hate it. I was still excited for Devin's review though, because I knew it would be fun to see how it tore it apart. For that kind of content, IMHO video could definitely be spectacular fun (which is what you said you're looking to increase)

PS Onion AV CLUB has stuff like "taste test" which has some TEXT based stuff but also video portions. Could you do something similar? Could be a taste test, could be something else un film related, could be film related too (such as examining swag or "viral marketing" stuff you get in the mail, 'unboxing' it and then passing judgement, rating it against the viral marketing campaigns of other films)

You know, this could be a fun idea. Considering that we have a network of clever and enthusiastic moviegoers across the entire globe here, there could be a master list of theaters across the US and around the world, with the option to leave ratings and comments on each one.

It could even be a bit of a game-- attempting to have a rating or an anecdote for every theater out there. Surely SOMEONE has visited each of them at one time or another. Voting could result in a "Best in the State" list, perhaps.

This could incorporate Devin's idea of highlighting the few rep houses that still exist, and hopefully draw attention to them. It would also help folks avoid the especially crappy chain theaters out there.

I just did a quick Google search, and didn't see anything like a List of Awesome Theaters, but such a thing may exist.

What do you think, sirs?

When I look at the main page every day I either like to see a piece of movie news, or a big definitive feature of some kind. Though smaller stuff can be fun (dumb a day) I don't pay attention it as reliably as I do to big features, if you just had a prolonged continued listing about various cool theaters I can't financially afford to visit right now, I'd tune it out eventually. Best 50 in the nation though? I'd be curious to read about each one

PS Do you like my most recent ideas?

PPS I do think that encouraging participation in the selection of the TOP 50 could be highlighted on the main page with a long running graphic, directing people to participate with either a form or joining the message board or something. I just don't think there should be articles about it all the time till the top fifty are ready to be revealed

The big thing is improving the navigability of the main site. Not a total redesign, but something where older stuff is easier to find and laid out in a more logical way.

As for features, film history for sure. I think a series reviewing every Godzilla movie would be cool, too.

This. Generally speaking, what I think is seriously lacking in the major websites is a more in depth look at older movies or currents.

I loved The Beaks Canon and Chudsploitation (and, to look at other sites, stuff like Quint's A Movie A Day) because they offered a shitload of context, historical perspective and analysis on their subjects. Two popular examples are the magnificent pieces on Water Power and Addio Zio Tom - that's content that nobody else offers.

Given that the authors of those sort of pieces are gone, I guess the Movie of the Day column - which is already greatly appreciated - could be a good starting point to bring back that sort of content.