Toolcritic News

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 15:53:05 GMT - 2008, here we come!

Well the new year is upon us. Always an exciting time in Doyle Bluffs. We celebrate the new year by having a big party at the Maverick theatre that Gomer and I own. We usually have three to four movies starting at 7pm and going into the new year. This year we watched all three of the Lord of the Rings films, and topped it off with Defending Your Life, an Albert Brooks comedy from the early 90's. (One of my favorities.) We have popcorn balls, cream cheese cookies, peanut brittle and egg nog. It's a great time and this year since we had both the Boswell and Waugh family reunions in town for the holidays, we had over 145 folks. It was a great time as always. We want to wish you and your family a very happy and healthy 2008. See you at the movies! Ira

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:59:25 GMT - Mina Yoder

Mina Yoder is a good friend of Gomer and myself. She is the local coffee shop owner here in Doyle Blufss. Mina loves movies. She nearly lives down at the Maverick Theatre. Anyway, she has been doing some new reviews for us, and sent in a wonderful note on her thoughts about reviewing movies. We wanted to share it with you, beacause we agree whole-heartedly. "Reviewing films isn’t easy. To be able to capture the theme of a movie is like trying to capture someone’s soul. Sometimes, when you take a close enough look, you’re not going to like what you see. But every now and then, you come across a truly great film. For people like me, films like these are what help me build my character, my personality, my life. Lessons can be learned, stress can be diminished, and hope can be installed. These are the films that make the bad ones worth the wait. These films are the reason I am addicted to movies. But when reviewing a movie, a documentary, or a play, one has to give their own opinion. Not the opinion of the generalized public, the media, or the paid reviewers. A quote from Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character in “Almost Famous” while instructing the main character on how to be a truly excellent music journalist: “You need to be honest… and unmerciful.” Which is exactly what I try to be." Amen Mina. Keep the reviews coming.

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 03:52:42 GMT - You are a Doyle Bluffs User

If you are getting this e-mail, you had an account on www.toolcritic.com and are a friend or relative of Jeff, Scott, or Brad. This means you now have an account on www.doylebluffs.com. Your login name and password are the same.

You'll get the Newsletter when we send it unless you decide to opt out (see below).

We hope you'll enjoy Gomer and Ira's reviews and that you'll join them and write a few of your own! Best, Gomer, Ira, Scott, Jeff, Brad and All the Resident of Doyle Bluffs

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 23:28:41 GMT - Welcome Back to Doyle Bluffs

Gomer and I want to welcome you back to our little town of Doyle Bluffs. Like Brigadoon, our little web site has appeared and then gone into hiding, but with the help of our friends at Critical Pursuits we are here to stay!

It's holiday time again in Doyle Bluffs, a perfect time for some new movie reviews. Coming off of a huge Thanksgiving with Gomer deep-fat frying a turkey, we are headed into movie madness. Christmas-time is always exiting in the movie industry. Blockbusters, award hopefuls and holiday fare give movie goers quite a selection. This year will really pull in some extra folks since the writer's strike has shut down so many of our favorite TV shows. Gomer and I decorated our little Maverick theatre with the normal decorations. Gomer loves to hang lights from every window and the full size Santa and reindeer set that George Wilkinson built for us 5 years ago is once again gracing the roof. The film Dan in Real Life is playing this week and it is quite wonderful. Don't miss it. We hope you are getting off to a great month and wish you a very safe and merry season. Get out and watch those movies and send in your reviews. We are always happy to hear from you. Ira