Single Sentence Blog

Social Badges Added to Movie Pages

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 06:03:00 GMT

I'll be the first to admit I'm a little late bringing Single Sentence into 2009. Better late than never, though. For your social media convenience, there are now quick links to broadcast your love for single sentence movie reviews on several popular sites. They're located right below the image of the movie poster on every movie page. Happy clicking.

Adoption is Now!

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 03:29:00 GMT

Within the next week or so I will become a first time dad. My understanding is that babies do not sit patiently in their crib waiting for parents to finish anything they are in the middle of before coming to feed, change, burp, soothe, or otherwise interact with the kiddo.

What does this mean for Single Sentence? It means I need to be a lot more intelligent about how I spend my time. Some projects I had in mind like adding an allposters affiliate banner to all the pages is getting pushed on the back burner. I'm really going to just focus my attention on the core things that make this site work: people submitting sentences.

If you are interested in helping out, please drop me a line. The site is already programmed such that I can give someone admin level access to write approve submissions and write blog posts. I've hesitated to go down this road in the past because approving or rejecting a sentence is a very subjective thing. Profanity is always going to be rejected, but after that it gets a little fuzzy. If the idea interests you, though, let me know.

Indianapolis Single Sentencers Get a Special Treat

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:44:00 GMT

The Indianapolis International Film Festival is allowing members access to an early screening of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. If you aren't already a member, you can join right before the show. Click on the invite below for a larger (easier to read) version.

How do I know about this event? Well, I'm on the board of directors for the film festival. There's your full disclosure.

Down Last Week

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 05:30:00 GMT

So, last week no new sentences were put up. There were submissions, but I didn't find the time to approve them.

So what happened? Well, I broke my finger last weekend. It is healing, but typing is an uphill climb right now, and probably will be for another week or two. Also, I had a big work deadline pop-up in front of me. That's taking most of my attention at the moment.

I did make the time for this week, though. I have scheduled sentences, and they will be showing up in your RSS feeds at 10am on the weekdays this week. My apologies to dulit1980 and Shok for not processing your sentences in a timely fashion. I really appreciate your submissions.

Carnival of Brevity // Episode 9 // Going on Hiatus

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT

This is going to be last edition of the Carnival of Brevity for a little while. It's amazing how much time gets eaten up checking posts and managing a carnival. My hat is off to everyone who keeps a carnival up and running for extended period of time. For now, I need to get back to writing single sentence movie reviews. We have a couple of gems, though, as the carnival goes on hiatus:

The BEST Wedding Invitation Ever! at So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager.... - I'm totally stealing this when my kids get married. This blog also gives us the most romantic description of a kiss I've ever heard.
It's Not That I Don't Like Movies, But... at Mad Kane's Humor Blog. - Sometimes I wish I was clever enough to speak only in limericks.
Joke of the Day: Chickmunks at How To Fail on the Internet - Gender labels are always good for a laugh.

That concludes this edition. Past posts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: carnival of brevity, blog carnival.

We Now Have Over 1000 Sentences

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:48:00 GMT

Wow. Just, wow. I'm very delighted and grateful to announce that this site now has over 1000 sentences posted. That is truly amazing to me.

I figured the site would get to this point someday, but I thought it would be when I had posted 950 sentences myself. The truth is that I have only posted 307 sentences. That means you guys have contributed 700 sentences of your own.

Thank you. This site was just created as a hobby, and I had no idea that so many people would get a kick out of it. If there's any tweaks you'd like to see to the site to make it better, please let me know.

I'm bringing a newborn home in December, so I don't know that I'll have a lot of time. I do want to show you guys how much I appreciate just contributing your time to this site to jot down a few snarky sentences, though. Let me know what I can do to make it even better for you.

Carnival of Brevity // Episode 8

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Good run this go round. Thanks everybody for contributing.

Caffeinated Verse at Mad Kane's Humor Blog - It's worth getting up for.
A Few BAD Waiter Jokes at So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager.... - These are hilarious or offputting, depending on whether or not you've ever worked as a waiter.
Recipes from the Future: Wall Street Chowder at The Skwib - They all scoffed when I buried my money in the backyard, but who's laughing now?
Spot the real Maverick! at LOL Celebs Like the cats...but different.- What separates us from all the other mammals on earth? Thumbs!
Cowboy Up | Greener Pastures: Personal Finance at Greener Pastures: Personal Finance - It's nice to have some context because my guess for what the phrase "cowboy up" means would probably not have been G-rated.
Top Ten indications You’re Fed Up With Your Job at Transom Journal - This list is scary familiar.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of brevity using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: carnival of brevity, blog carnival.

Carnival of Brevity // Episode 7

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT

In previous episodes, there have been one or two entries that push the envelope of what I would consider brief. I'm happy to report that this edition is completely populated with legitimately brief entries.

Which Waiter Would You Rather Have? at So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager.... - This is a very abbreviated version of the who-would-you-rather quizzes.
Limited Edition Official Chinese Army Knife at Martial Development - The Chinese army has fighting down to a science.
Actorlicious: Recently in a Mississippi Civil Court Hearing.. at Actorlicious - Little long, but it amuses me so I'm breaking all the rules. Muwahaha.
Friday Fun - A Picture Essay of Colleagues at Work at FIRE Finance - I suggest updating the staff page of your employer's website with these photos.
I use aerosol hairspray outside because I’m cold now. at slyparadox.com Blog - It's not my fault that misery and self-loathing are so delicious.
Britney has cheezeburger! at LOL Celebs Like the cats...but different. - I want this site to do well, but it's hard to hold out too much hope when they don't even misspell cheeseburger correctly.

Technorati tags: carnival of brevity, blog carnival.

Carnival of Brevity // Episode 6

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT

False Apologies at Aphorisms and Paradoxes - You can avoid this common semantic trap by never apologizing for anything.
American Gothic Doberman Style Art at Dobermans Den - As you're paying your taxes this year, consider that they have Photoshop classes at many state-funded universities.
Grandma's Keys at Mad Kane's Humor Blog - Apparently Grandma had many secrets.
CMOE Contest Giveaway at Teamwork - If you're frustrated that Single Sentence doesn't let you post comments, might I direct your attention to a blog that is so excited about you posting a comment that they are willing to give you a reward.
September 5th, 2008 at garfield minus garfield - Even Jon Arbuckle knows the unexamined life is not worth living.
Plus Ca Change at Least I Could Do - Brought to you by the Kindle.

Technorati tags: carnival of brevity, blog carnival.

Carnival of Brevity // Episode 5

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT

This go round I went up a level in my understanding of the timing of a blog carnival. I had included posts in the last episode that should have gone in this one. It isn't a big deal, although it could get a little confusing if another blogger ever hosts the carnival.

Well, I've got it figure out now at any rate. Without further ado, I invite you to enjoy this sampling of posts that are equally brief and random...

Guess Your Age By Eating in a Restaurant… at So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager.... - How many math problems can you think of with solutions that won't be true much longer?
August 12, 2008 at UserFriendly - I don't know if this is funny to someone who isn't a web developer, but it sure is funny to me.
Pike's Peak or Bust at Principled Discovery - Man, I can't wait to have kids. And horses. And jet engines.
B.Y.O.F. at Your Mileage May Vary - Contrary to what you may be thinking based on the title, this post is safe to view at work.
T.G.I.Knifefights at Chainsawsuit - Open your textbooks to Chapter 12: Irony and refer to Figure 12.1 at the bottom of the page.
Robert Heinlein on Progress at The Quotations Page - This is how I rationalize my own self-worth every day.

Technorati tags: carnival of brevity, blog carnival.

Carnival of Brevity // Episode 4

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:45:00 GMT

As I go about my daily surfing, I'm noticing more items that I think are appropriate for this carnival. Did someone submit them? No. Are they even blogs? Not always.

But does it really matter where these items come from. If they are brief and entertaining, I'm sticking them in.

EXTRA! EXTRA! Kleptomaniac Operagoers! Read all about it! at The Intellectual Hooligan - Semantics is everything.
Spaghetti... at So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager... - All hail adult jokes that you wouldn't be ashamed for a kid to see you reading.
VeDosis at One Sentence - That's really cramming a lot into a single sentence.
Genie at DrawerGeeks - This isn't a blog post, but it is a cool collection of how various artists chose to run with the concept of a genie.
My "Dear John" Edwards Letter at Mad Kane's Political Madness - Not that the guy is universally bad, but I think most people will agree he's a fair target for public ridicule at the moment.
The Love Guru Review at I Love Anuschka Handbags - Leave it to Sophie to still find something redeeming about a movie that Mike Meyers obviously (and tragically) phoned in.
U has meny spelin erurs at I Can Has Cheezburger - I know, I know. As if lolcats need my help to get exposure, but this is funny.

Technorati tags: carnival of brevity, blog carnival.

Swing Vote Slipping Through the Cracks

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:45:00 GMT

I was a little sad to learn that Swing Vote was ranked sixth at the box office this past weekend because I quite literally think this is one of the best movies I have seen this year.

If you've seen the trailer you know the premise is that Kevin Costner's character is the subject of a strange glitch that allows him to recast his vote in a timely manner. Because of a mathematical improbability, it turns out that his one vote will be the tie-breaker determining who will be President of the United States.

Yeah, this is a pretty corny idea. If you can convince yourself to roll with it, though, this movie delivers. It really shines a spotlight on the shortcomings and potential (if not always actualized) strengths of our political process. It poses questions about social and familial responsibility.

It's not that there's anything in this movie you haven't seen before. I just feel like it was all so well-executed. If you are interested in a well-crafted piece of cinema, I recommend Swing Vote. I'd love to see Hollywood financially rewarded for making this type of film.

Carnival of Brevity // Episode 3

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

So you may be wondering if there's any rhyme or reason to the order that these posts appear below. Chronological? Alphabetical? Order of importance? Nope. Totally arbitrary.

My Confession at Mad Kane's Humor Blog - M. Night Shyamalan would be proud of this twist.
Upper Bunk Rule at RogerEbert.com - Just because a rule is totally made up, doesn't mean it's not true.
Weird Comics: PONG at Aismist - You can tell you're a giant geek if this comic makes sense to you. (and, yes, I get it)
Wanted at I Love Anuschka - I feel like Single Sentence Movie Review has opened a satellite office.
Question of the Day #7 at Question Of The Day - If there was a ever a blog that lived and died by the people leaving comments, this is it.
Uninformed Reviews - Movies: July 2008 at Julius Bloop - Comedy for Weirdos - I wish I had thought of this.
Parental Discretion Is the Better Part of Valor at Multiplex - I love commentary on movies that is both funny and true.

Technorati tags: carnival of brevity, blog carnival.

Carnival of Brevity // Episode 2

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:46:00 GMT

I'm quickly discovering that there is a bit of a learning curve to running a blog carnival. I hope you can look past my short comings as a novice carnival master because we have some cool submissions this time around.

What The Promised Recession Means To You As An American at The Ominous Comma - To: You. From: Corporate America.
Defective Typewriter Monkeys On The Loose! at Solo Mode - Want to wear your brevity on your shirt?
His Take On Hancock at I Love Anuschka - It's brief, and it's about a movie. This post definitely should be mentioned on this site.
Colbert Sensei Teaches Kids Discipline and Respect at Martial Development - Stephen Colbert turns out some of the best sound bites in the realm of news and politics. Why would the realm of child rearing be any different?
Make Millions Of Dollars With Adsense: Here’s How The Pros Do It at Blog Badly - You can also use this tip to really shake things up over at CNN.com.
Bugged at Mad Kane's Humor Blog - Any post with the Technorati tag Mosquito Humor deserves my attention.

Technorati tags: carnival of brevity, blog carnival.

Carnival of Brevity // Episode 1

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:20:00 GMT

I'm pleasantly surprised that I actually got several submissions for this carnival. I did almost nothing to promote it, so credit these folks for having the wherewithal to hunt down this carnival on their own.

As I was looking at the submissions, I realized that I did a bad job of explaining what type of posts I was looking for. There were a couple of submissions that were pretty funny and entertaining, but they certainly weren't brief.

Actually two of the posts that did make it in weren't brief either, at least not when viewed in their entirety. I decided to include them, though, because they are made up individual images and jokes that exist completely separate for each other. Each item could stand on its own.

That's the measuring stick I think I'm going to use moving forward. The general rule of thumb, though, is always going to be does a post feel like it can capture the interest of someone with a short attention span.

Irreparable Poem at Mad Kane's Humor Blog - Mad Kane is witty and short here: a perfect inaugural entry for this carnival.
Debt Prison funny photos for June 08 at Debt Prison - So you can see the type of dilema I have on this one. The post in its entirety takes longer than 20 seconds to get through, but that's because it's a series of discrete images that could each stand on their own. Each very brief.
Bumper Stickers - Fun on the Road at Let Us Grow - Again we have a collection of incredibly brief and very funny items.

There it was. The first edition of the Carnival of Brevity. I guess it's somewhat amusing that the list of posts is so short. It will be interesting to see how it can grow for episode 2 when I actually put some effort behind promotion.

You can submit your posts for the next episode until July 13th at http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_4482.html

And thanks to everyone who submitted a post!

The Carnival of Brevity is Born… I Hope

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:05:00 GMT

I am starting up a blog carnival. For anyone reading this who is not familiar with the idea of a blog carnival, I can best describe it as a series of episodic posts linking to other blogs that share a common theme. It might be better to explain via an example. Previously, I hosted an edition of Scott Nehring’s Carnival of Cinema, and you can see what that looked like.

That was a cool experience, and I imagine I will participate in the cinema carnival again in the future. (Probably many times.) But most of the people contributing to that carnival wrote very in-depth film reviews and long essays on the industry. In truth it seems like the majority of blogs that I run across are built mostly of long posts.

But the whole premise of this site is celebrating the idea of condensing what you have to say down into just one sentence. That constraint can breed all kinds of creativity. So that’s the common theme that I’m building this carnival on. Brevity.

I don’t really have any idea what I’m getting myself into. This may be a giant flop. It’s entirely possible that there is nobody out there who cares to submit a “brief” post. I aim to find out.

Posting Guidelines

Brief. It should take no more than 20 seconds to read/watch your post.
Clean. If it can’t appear on network television, it can’t show up here.
Compelling. I know this is subjective, but I don’t want to be bored even if it’s only for 20 seconds.
One Post Per Episode. A given blog can only have one post in each episode, but you can have one post in every episode if you keep submitting.

Content Examples

The great thing about a carnival when it works right is you get exposed to all kinds of blogs that you never would have found on your own. Even so, there are a few types of content that come to mind as particularly well-suited for this format.

Web Comics. They are short and funny. Perfect.
Poems. No dirty limericks allowed. Sorry.
Jokes. Note the aforementioned prohibition of dirty limericks.
Lolcats. Or loldogs. Or lolfurniture. Just no loldirtylimericks.
Short Movie Reviews. Believe it or not, I’m not the only person to come up with this idea.
Other. I don’t know. Infographics? Humorous shopping lists? Pick-up lines?

Schedule

How often will new episodes come out? Weekly? Monthly? Every 11 days? I honestly don’t know. It likely depends on how many submissions I’m getting. I’ll probably be feeling things out for the first couple episodes, but my intent is to settle into a regular schedule.

Submitting

Let’s open the floodgates. You can submit your brief posts at http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_4482.html Submissions will be accepted until Friday, June 29th, at noon eastern time (-500).

Sex and the City Ruined My Weekend

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:34:00 GMT

For at least three months out of every year, my happiness on the weekends seems to depend entirely on what movies are released. I have been more or less floating through the month of May on a cloud because I have been able to hit the local cinema for some truly enjoyable, popcorn-munching fare.

My joy came to a screeching halt this weekend. With the major release being Sex and the City, I am at a loss for what to do with myself. I have no interest in watching this film. I enjoyed the Robot Chicken episode that spoofed the television show by juxtaposing it with The Golden Girls. That's all I need. I'm good.

I've read other (more professional) online movie reviewers who share my lack of interest report that they feel obligated to watch this movie in order to review it. I guess that's where integrity gets you. For my own part, I will be posting my usual one-line review of Sex and the City without having watched a single scene that didn't sneak up on me in the form of a movie trailer.

Now I will probably go catch a matinee of The Strangers during the week. That's not my favorite genre, but I've read a little bit of buzz that it's well-executed. I guess that will have to do this week because I have to go see something. If I ever go more than 7 days without eating movie popcorn I'll turn to stone. At least that's what the old gypsy woman told me.

Do I believe her? I'm not sure. She loses a little credibility for setting up her booth right next to the flavored ice vendor, but I'm not much of a gambler.

Contact Form Fixed

Thu, 29 May 2008 09:30:00 GMT

I haven't made any changes to the site in several weeks. A big part of that is because I've been gearing up another project. Hopefully that will be up and running soon, and I'll be sure to make an announcement here when that happens.

In the meantime, though, I just discovered there was a bug with the contact page. Of course no one let me know about this because... how could they? It's up and running again, though. Feel free to send me a message and chastise me for letting other projects drag me away from this celebration of cinema and snarkiness.

Browse Through Movie Titles Faster

Tue, 13 May 2008 10:30:00 GMT

You can tell that the navigation for SSMR was created by someone who has already read every review of every movie that is on the site. It's designed with the assumption that a visitor already knows exactly what movie they want to go to.

I realized that I have been neglecting the new visitor who comes to the site brand new and wants to catch up on some of the archives. So I've added a new navigation feature that makes it much easier to go through the site. When you are looking at a movie detail page, there are new links added below the movie poster (circled in purple in the accompanying image).

The next and prev links allow you to jump immediately to the next and previous movies, respectively. The movies are ordered alphabetically by title.

RSS Feeds Temporarily Down

Tue, 06 May 2008 07:49:00 GMT

I learned a few minutes ago that the RSS feeds have been down for the last few days. As usual this technical problem is caused by me doing something dumb. The following sentence won't mean anything unless you are a bit of a geek: I had made some changes to the .htaccess file to do a little bit of SEO tweaking, and I ended up overwriting the lines of code that made the RSS feeds work.

My apologies to everyone who was affected by this downtime of the feeds.