Thursday, November 15, 2007

SLIFR DON'T LOOK A DAY OVER THREE


Well, here we are, three years to the day since I first pressed "publish post" and began the adventure known as Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule, which, by the way, was not the original name of this here blog. For the first couple of posts, this space was (barely) known as The Good, the Bad and the Dodgers. Thank heavens for minor miracles of wisdom and the willingness to change.

I will have plenty more to say about all the fine people who have come into my life because of this blog next week, when tradition insists that we take special time out to give thanks. For right now, I just have to offer my gratitude again to those of you who have stuck with me during a time when outside forces are making it difficult to post much more than once or twice a week. Those forces should ease up considerably in about eight or nine days, at which time I have lots of stuff planned to unleash on those of you who have come to expect it, as well as those of you who remain unsuspecting. All I can hope is that time will be kinder to the quality and productivity of what you read here on SLIFR than it has to the poor crum-bum pictured above, who looked presentable at age three but has, alas, fallen victim to his own form of Dorian Gray Syndrome. But enough morbidity. May there be at least three more years we can spend together that will be as much fun for me, and hopefully for you, as the last three have been. Skoal!


UPDATE: November 15, 3:59 p.m.: Girish made mention of it in the coments section below, but it's worth repeating that, by purest coincidence, Jim Emerson launched a new series over at Scanners yesterday which will document his readers' various experiences as extras in big Hollywood movies. And the inaugural subject in Jim's "Are You An Extra In Your Own Life?" series is none other than Yours Truly. Hop on over to Scanners for a screen shot of myself alongside Stephen Furst and Tom Hulce as we're initiated into the hallowed ranks of Delta Tau Chi membership. Jim has invited me to send along some further screen shots of other places my pudgy 17-year-old mug is visible in the movie, and if I can get a screen-grab program to work for me, I will do just that. Needless to say, finding Jim's post late last night while I was up burning the pre-dawn oil was the sweet cherry on top of an otherwise Brown 25 kind of day for me. I hope you'll get a kick out of it too!

22 comments:

girish said...

Congratulations, Dennis! Many happy returns for SLIFR.

I had no idea about your Animal House cameo until I read Jim's new post...!

Greg said...

Well, that's two of us now who have put up pictures of ourselves at three on our blogs. And Dorian Gray syndrome? Please. You look great now.

Sorry I didn't come into blogging sooner (haven't even reached six months yet) but I'm glad I did and your's was one of the first blogs I commented on, and first blogger I e-mailed. Your blog is a very inviting and friendly place to stop. I look forward to another three, hell, thirty years of this.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, Dennis! This is easily my favorite film blog, and I look forward to the time, eight or nine days from now, when the pressures of your personal/professional life ease up, and you can focus on what is really important: writing about movies I have seen, so that I can tell you why you're wrong about them.

Anonymous said...

That is to say, yours is easily my favorite film blog, along with Jonathan's.

Greg said...

Bill you're a good egg. And a fine contrarian. No one disagrees with Dennis on movies (or me on "Miller's Crossing") better than you.

And Dennis, I just wanted to add this. I should have said it before. I started on blogger in March writing political stuff before just finally writing about what I love most, the movies, starting around June or July. Anyway, one of the blogs I was reading before doing so was yours and I remember googling your name and came up with something you had written about starting a blog. You talked about how many hits you were getting after three months and how you enjoyed it. Anyway, long story short, reading that piece you wrote about becoming a film blogger is one of the reasons I decided to try it myself.

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary!

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Jonathan. Sorry I haven't been commenting more over at your place. I guess I don't have much to say lately.

Headquarters 10 said...

Happy Anniversary, Dennis!

Larry Aydlette said...

May your next three years be a masculine three years.

Love, Luca Brasi

Anonymous said...

Dorian Gray syndrome? Or did you mean Soddom and Gomorrah syndrome. Just kiddin'.

Happy Anniversary my friend.

Greg said...

May your next three years be a masculine three years.

Love, Luca Brasi


Best. Comment. Ever.

Dennis Cozzalio said...

Okay, Shamus, you forced me to come up out the wood-paneled basement of my self-imposed working Thursday solitude for that one! I have to agree with Jonathan upon the Olympian ranking of that comment. Of course, any menton of Signor Brasi is enough to bring a tear of joy to my eye. Just don't send me a flounderin a box.

Peter, Bill, Jonathan, Sal et al: Thanks for the good wishes. It's an honor being in y'all's good company.

And you too, Girish! Thanks so much for being the kind of inspiration you have been and continue to be with your own blog. I didn't really start dishing about the Animal House thing until fairly recently because just about everybody I've grown up with is sick to death of hearing about it. It only occurred to me a while ago that I've got a whole new audience to bore to tears about it! And thanks for the mention of Jim's piece. I was going to add something to the post regarding it last night, when I first saw it, but by that time the Sandman was calling, and quite loudly. That Scanners post really did wonders to put a cherry on top of what was until then a very "Brown 25" kind of day!

David Lowery said...

Congrats! You hitting three years made me realize that I'm well on my way to seven. Man, that makes me feel old (which is probably part of the reason why I make it almost impossible to access the first three years of blogging, all written before I'd ever heard of the term, much less considered that I should try to impart some iota of quality into what I threw online).

Anonymous said...

Jim, congratulations. I'm not sure, but I think that makes you precisely twice as old as I. (I'll take my youth however I can get it!)

But seriously, great work. It's funny, when I started this it was sort of similar to David -- I knew there had to be other film geek bloggers, but I wasn't sure who the "real" ones were. I count my participation in my first blogathon -- your Robert Aldrich fest -- as the day I started to realize there was actually a community going.

And, re: "Animal House." You stood in the line in the scene of naming of names. That would have made you a God at Venice High, also UCLA and I know certain people who would still gladly lay expensive tribute before you.

Anonymous said...

Happy anniversary Dennis! May you have many happy returns.

Anonymous said...

Happy anniversary!

But three years makes me feel old.
I can't believe it. Time is flying by.
Pretty soon I will be dead. :(

Congratulations!!

- The Mysterious A_dr|i)(an B(_eta((max

Greg said...

Dennis
I just sent Jim a screen shot of you from the first scenes at the house. It's up now in the comments. I hope I got the right shot.

Joe Baker said...

Dennis,

Many thanks for your blog! Cheers to 3 more entertaining years.

Anonymous said...

Happy B-Day, Dennis & SLIFR! What a swell coincidence that I published your picture(s) on the anniversary of your webular birth. (Yes, I know "webular" isn't a word -- but I made it up just for you!) Here's to many more...

Anonymous said...

Wow, three years! Congratulations, and thank you for making my life richer and more fun (and better-informed about movies). Keep up the good work, my friend! (And please let me know if you get that screen-grab thing working, so I can send in my embarrassing entry (or entries) from our ANIMAL HOUSE experience).

Bravo!!

Your faithful reader and lately-infrequent commentor,
Blaaagh

Peet Gelderblom said...

I loved reading you all three years, Dennis. Not only is your blog at the very top of my Daily Reads list, you're the best friend I never met! Don't stop, ever.

Damian Arlyn said...

Congratulations, Dennis on three years running an exceptional blog. You are an inspiration to many, a great writer and, more importantly, a good man. Keep up the excellent work.