Farewell… for now, at least

I’m sorry to have to bring you this news – unfortunately, TweetFilm will be going on hiatus for the foreseeable future. There will be no screenings or TweetFilm-related events until further notice.

Why, you ask? It’s a combination of factors, some of which are personal, but please understand this was not an easy decision to make. Attendance hadn’t been as high as Loop and I had hoped for lately, and as a result they need to make the venue available for other bookings. This is a completely understandable business decision and we have parted on very good terms. Presented with the choice of continuing at another venue or shutting things down, I’ve had to go for the latter, not least of which because I’m currently without a job, and can’t really afford to pay for screening rights at the moment. On top of this, I feel like TweetFilm has run its course for the moment. I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to achieve over the past two and a bit years (including 18 months of free public screenings, some great films, some terrible but all fun). And I have all of you lovely people to thank for that – this was a concept that by definition requires a lot of audience participation, so to everyone who took part in a TweetFilm, my most sincere thanks.

At this stage I do not know when or if TweetFilm will return, but if it does, you can be sure I’ll announce it here, and on Twitter and Facebook, and whatever other social media platform is the big thing by then. In the meantime, thanks to Loop for being willing to give this concept a chance, to Gertrude’s Brown Couch for hosting us that one time, to Classic Comics (@ClassicComics) and Comix Factor (@AuctionFigures) for so many great prizes, and to the Emerging Writers’ Festival for making TweetFilm part of the program in 2011 and 2012. Special thanks also to those who have donated prizes out of the goodness of their hearts – @lilithia and @xander85.

A few bits of trivia, if you’re interested:

Most successful screening by attendance: Jurassic Park, by far.

Screening most invaded by spambots: Planet of the Apes.

Widest trending film: Beetlejuice trended worldwide during its first half hour.

So that’s it, really. I’ll see you around, either in Melbourne or on the internet. Until next time, I believe Bodhi said it best:

TweetFilm No. 24 – Point Break

 

“Utah! Get me two!” – Academy Award nominee Gary Busey.

Before Kathryn Bigelow was making Oscar-winning movies about the military, and back when Keanu was still riding the wave of success (see what I did there) from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, these two cinematic creative giants collaborated on possibly the greatest surfers-who-are-also-bank-robbers movie ever made – Point Break. This has been oft requested for TweetFilm, and who am I to deny folks a dose of 100% pure adrenaline? The hashtag will be, of course:

#tfpointbreak

Melbourne folks can come to the free screening at Loop, located at 23 Meyers Place in the CBD, at the Parliament end of Bourke St.

Not in Melbourne, or can’t get there but still want to take part? No problem! We’ll be synchronising our start time with timeanddate.com’s Melbourne page as usual, so you can take part at home. Read our how-to page for all the details.

So, to sum up…
Where: Loop, 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne / anywhere with a DVD player
When: Tuesday March 5, arrive from 7:00 pm for a 7:30 start.

IMDb

Trailer

TweetFilm No. 23 – Super Mario Bros.

“What if dinosaurs or something?” – The pitch for this movie.

Videogame adaptations have a somewhat sketchy history – Mortal Kombat, Double Dragon, Street Fighter, all have entries in the bad movie hall of fame. But this is quite possibly the worst of them all. The so-bad-it’s-good mish mash of dinosaurs, Dennis Hopper and a spectacular misunderstanding of the theory of evolution, get ready to TweetFilm the cinematic version of everyone’s favourite Italian plumbers, Super Mario Bros.

I’m sorry Mario, but your hashtag is in another castle! Oh wait, here it is:

#tfsupermario

Melbourne folks can come to the free screening at Loop, located at 23 Meyers Place in the CBD, at the Parliament end of Bourke St.

Not in Melbourne, or can’t get there but still want to take part? No problem! We’ll be synchronising our start time with timeanddate.com’s Melbourne page as usual, so you can take part at home. Read our how-to page for all the details.

So, to sum up…
Where: Loop, 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne / anywhere with a DVD player
When: Tuesday February 5, arrive from 7:00 pm for a 7:30 start.

IMDb

Trailer

Music video for Roxette’s tie-in single (yes, that’s a thing)

TweetFilm No. 22 – Teen Wolf

“Oh shit, it’s a werewolf!” – literally no-one at any point in this movie.

Remember how werewolves are known for their skills in basketball? And dancing? And car surfing? Yep, it’s all because of the second-best Michael J. Fox movie to be released in 1985*, Teen Wolf!

You might only know Teen Wolf from the more recent MTV series. If you do, then you’ve got a lot of catching up to do. This is where it all started – Stiles, Coach Finstock… um, wolves who are also teens? They’re all in there. So practise your free throws, blowdry your wolf-mane for the prom, and on January 8, jump on this hashtag:

#tfteenwolf

Melbourne folks can come to the free screening at Loop, located at 23 Meyers Place in the CBD, at the Parliament end of Bourke St.

Not in Melbourne, or can’t get there but still want to take part? No problem! We’ll be synchronising our start time with timeanddate.com’s Melbourne page as usual, so you can take part at home. Read our how-to page for all the details.

So, to sum up…
Where: Loop, 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne / anywhere with a DVD player
When: Tuesday January 8, arrive from 7:00 pm for a 7:30 start.

IMDb

Trailer

*For the best 1985 Michael J Fox movie, see TweetFilm No. 18.

TweetFilm No. 21 – The Nightmare Before Christmas

“WHAT? SNAKE EYES?”

Can you believe it’s already been a year since Die Hard? In fact, we’re fast approaching our two year anniversary. But before that happens, we’re spending this festive season live-tweeting something I’ve had on the list since I first invented TweetFilm – Henry Selick’s Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas!

Equal parts Halloween movie and Christmas movie, and responsible for keeping Hot Topic’s doors open from the mid-90s onwards, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a classic stop-motion extravaganza that I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of.

What’s this? What’s this? Oh, it’s the hashtag.

#tfnightmare

As usual, our good friends at Classic Comics (@ClassicComics) and Comix Factor (@AuctionFigures) have donated a kickass prize to give away at the screening. Check this out:

Melbourne folks can come to the free screening at Loop, located at 23 Meyers Place in the CBD, at the Parliament end of Bourke St.

Not in Melbourne, or can’t get there but still want to take part? No problem! We’ll be synchronising our start time with timeanddate.com’s Melbourne page as usual, so you can take part at home. Read our how-to page for all the details.

So, to sum up…
Where: Loop, 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne / anywhere with a DVD player
When: Tuesday December 11, arrive from 7:00 pm for a 7:30 start.

IMDb

Trailer

TweetFilm No. 20 – Pulp Fiction

“Pretty please, with sugar on top, clean the fuckin car.”

The film that taught everyone at least one bible verse, provided ample opportunities for last minute Halloween costumes and forever associated Christopher Walken with watches in ways he’d probably rather not be – the one and only Pulp Fiction. You know this film lost the Oscars for (amongst others) Best Director, Best Editing and Best freaking Picture to Forrest Gump? How many people want to live-tweet Forrest Gump? Nobody. Except maybe in 2015 when I’ve run out of ideas. Until then, thankfully we can take this far better option.

I thought about making the hashtag #tfwhat, just to see if could raise the ire of Samuel L. Jackson, but in the end I opted for the obvious:

#tfpulpfiction

We will have prizes on the night for the best tweeters at the screening, courtesy of Classic Comics and Comix Factor, including a genuine Bad Mother Fucker wallet. We’ll also have a pretty rad Pulp Fiction shirt to give away, so make sure you come down to experience TweetFilm the best way possible, shoulder to shoulder with your fellow tweeters!

Melbourne folks can come to the free screening at Loop, located at 23 Meyers Place in the CBD, at the Parliament end of Bourke St.

Not in Melbourne, or can’t get there but still want to take part? No problem! We’ll be synchronising our start time with timeanddate.com’s Melbourne page as usual, so you can take part at home. Read our how-to page for all the details.

So, to sum up…
Where: Loop, 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne / anywhere with a DVD player
When: Tuesday November 13, arrive from 7:00 pm for a 7:30 start.

IMDb

Trailer

TweetFilm No. 19 – The Fly

Horror remakes aren’t always bad. Most of them are terrible and unnecessary, but there are a few exceptions – this month, for our Halloween special (it’s a few weeks early, but what the heck), we’re screening one of the finest remakes ever made: The Fly.

Ever sit on public transport and think, ‘Why hasn’t science worked out how to teleport things yet?’ This is why. The creepy and unsettling tale of Seth Brundle and his unfortunate insect-related mishaps, all delivered in Jeff Goldblum’s trademark… uh, style, this movie is Cronenberg’s finest entry into the body horror genre.

This Tuesday, October 9, be a hashtag. Be very a hashtag. Wait, that doesn’t even work – anyway, we’re using this hashtag:

#tfthefly

As usual, our good friends at Classic Comics (@ClassicComics) have donated some comics to give away as prizes. Now, these comics are called The Fly, but they’re not necessarily the same The Fly as the movie. But it’s free stuff, and if running this thing for a while has taught me anything, it’s that TWITTER LOVES FREE STUFF.

Melbourne folks can come to the free screening at Loop, located at 23 Meyers Place in the CBD, at the Parliament end of Bourke St.

Not in Melbourne, or can’t get there but still want to take part? No problem! We’ll be synchronising our start time with timeanddate.com’s Melbourne page as usual, so you can take part at home. Read our how-to page for all the details.

So, to sum up…
Where: Loop, 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne / anywhere with a DVD player
When: Tuesday October 9, arrive from 7:00 pm for a 7:30 start.

IMDb

Trailer

TweetFilm No. 18 – Back To The Future

“Great Scott!”

Fire up your hoverboards and set your time circuits for this Tuesday, cause we’re TweetFilming possibly the greatest time travel movie ever: Back To The Future! Deloreans, flux capacitors, 1.21 jigawatts and the soothing tones of Huey Lewis – a film so firmly cemented as a pop culture classic, how could we not include it in the TweetFilm roster?

Where we’re going, we don’t need roads – but you will need a hashtag:

#tfbttf

We also have a stack of prizes to give away, courtesy of our good friends at Classic Comics and Comix Factor (follow them @ClassicComics and @AuctionFigures), including Marty’s very stylish hat, and a Delorean triple pack!

And, after the generosity of last month, another TweetFilm regular has been kind enough to donate some prizes – we’ll have two Back To The Future themed t-shirts to give away at the screening, thanks to @xander85, who is unquestionably awesome.

Melbourne folks can come to the free screening at Loop, located at 23 Meyers Place in the CBD, at the Parliament end of Bourke St.

Not in Melbourne, or can’t get there but still want to take part? No problem! We’ll be synchronising our start time with timeanddate.com’s Melbourne page as usual, so you can take part at home. Read our how-to page for all the details.

So, to sum up…
Where: Loop, 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne / anywhere with a DVD player
When: Tuesday September 11, arrive from 7:00 pm for a 7:30 start.

IMDb

Trailer

Huey Lewis & The News – The Power of Love (original music video featuring the Doc!)

TweetFilm No. 17 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two

“You and whose army?” – Neville Longbottom, badass in a cardigan.

This month’s TweetFilm is the climactic ending to the highest grossing film series of all time, and a series close to many a film geek’s heart: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two. With almost all of the plot out of the way, this is the entry dedicated to the epic Battle of Hogwarts, and what better way to enjoy reliving it than by sharing it with your fellow Potter fans on Twitter?

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord recommends this hashtag:

#tfpotter

As usual, we will have some prizes to give away at the screening – our usual prize suppliers Classic Comics (@ClassicComics) and Comix Factor (@AuctionFigures) will hopefully be contributing (still sorting out details, more to come), but we also have a very generous donation of a brand new, sealed box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans courtesy of @lilithia! Lili is a TweetFilm veteran, having participated in quite a few screenings, and we are very thankful for her kindness.

Now, usually we just give prizes away for the best tweets, but this month I thought we’d try something extra. If enough/any of you come in costume, we will also give a prize away to the best-dressed Potter fan! Keep in mind that you will have to sit, watch and live-tweet the film in costume as well, so try not to get too impractical.

Melbourne folks can come to the free screening at Loop, located at 23 Meyers Place in the CBD, at the Parliament end of Bourke St.

Not in Melbourne, or can’t get there but still want to take part? No problem! We’ll be synchronising our start time with timeanddate.com’s Melbourne page as usual, so you can take part at home. Read our how-to page for all the details.

So, to sum up…
Where: Loop, 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne / anywhere with a DVD player
When: Tuesday August 14, arrive from 7:00 pm for a 7:30 start.

IMDb

Trailer

“I’m a Hufflepuff!”

TweetFilm No. 16 – Batman (1966)

“Holy heart failure, Batman!”

You kids with your dramatically compelling and gritty Batman movies – it wasn’t always like this, you know. Time that was, Batman took place mostly in daylight and the Joker had a moustache under his makeup for some reason. So before you see the epic conclusion to Nolan’s Bat trilogy, why not take a moment to reflect on the Bats that have come before? That’s right, it’s time to revisit the days of POW! and BIFF! with the 1966 version of Batman!

The ultimate villain team-up combined with obscene levels of campy ridiculousness populate this entry into the Bat-canon (not to be confused with the Bat-cannon, a weapon we’ve yet to see but I wouldn’t rule it out). If you only know of the Adam West version of Batman via the occasional animated gif or amusing YouTube clip, here’s your chance to jump head first into the Dynamic Duo’s greatest* adventure. So get your grappling hooks and utility belts, fire up the Batmobile, and on Tuesday July 10 at 7:30, deploy the Bat-hashtag:

#tfbatman

We also have a stack of comics to give away leading up to the screening, as well as some major prizes to give away on the night, all thanks to Classic Comics! Follow @tweet_film to win, and don’t forget to follow @ClassicComics as well.

As usual, Melbourne folks can come to the free screening at Loop, located at 23 Meyers Place in the CBD, at the Parliament end of Bourke St.

Not in Melbourne, or can’t get there but still want to take part? No problem! We’ll be synchronising our start time with timeanddate.com’s Melbourne page as usual, so you can take part at home. Read our how-to page for all the details.

So, to sum up…
Where: Loop, 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne / anywhere with a DVD player
When: Tuesday July 10, arrive from 7:00 pm for a 7:30 start.

IMDb

Trailer

Batman Running Away From Shit – not the Tumblr we deserve, but the one we need.

*your experience of ‘greatest’ may vary.