First off, I’d just like to say that in general, it’s been a really great week for me. There’s been a lot of good stuff coming my way and I really appreciate all of it. One of the biggest surprises came when I actually managed to reach the biggest name I’ve ever tried for with this site. If you follow me on Twitter, you know who it is, for everyone else I will reveal it farther down this post. On top of that, I got tagged with a couple blog awards that have been making there way around this neck of the blogosphere. Thanks very much Cinematic Katzenjammer and Two Tickets For… for passing on the Liebster Award to me.

I’ve been passed a couple of these types of awards before, and while I know they serve a purpose, they’re just not really my style. I generally think of them as not far removed from a chain letter. Their purpose is twofold when you really look at it closely. One is that it includes some type of blogging exercise, usually some form of questionnaire, such as to give x number of facts about yourself, answer these x number of questions, and pass it on to x number of other blogs. Which is very useful in a more diary style blog when someone may be reaching for something to talk about. The other part is to network with other blogs. And it’s done under the guise of an “award” to make people happy. I think I’ve got the networking part down, I’m quite active in the Lamb and my Follow Friday series is quite popular and fun to do. I do occasionally struggle to come up with a topic for this weekly blog-style post so I will use some of the questions offered. And I have to admit that even though I’m jaded by the whole “award” concept, it does still make me happy to get one. Because what it really means is that another blogger enjoys my work here.

Before I get to the questions, I want to mention the other thing that happened to me that blew me out of the water. I’ve been quite happy with the growth and reception of my Superhero Shorts interviews, and when Thomas Jane came out with his own unlicensed Punisher short film, I figured I’d shoot for the moon and toss an e-mail to his company Raw Studios pitching an interview. Every time I sent one, I got a message back saying that their mailbox was full, so I figured nothing was getting through. It must have either been a mistake, or it was being split to several different mailboxes, one of them being full, because on Friday evening I got an E-Mail from Thomas Jane saying that he would be willing to do the interview, but he didn’t have time for E-Mail so would a phoner that weekend be ok? My jaw hit the floor. I quickly tested my means of recording, replied back, and waited. By Sunday night, I figured that it must have just gotten lost in the shuffle and went on with my life. But then Monday night I got a phone call. It was Thomas Jane. I did my best to contain my excitement as we moved our conversation over to Skype so I could record it, and got to ask my questions and listen to him talk about Punisher, Dirty Laundry, and Bad Planet for about forty minutes. He was such a nice guy, very generous and I was walking a high for the next couple days. As big as he is, I didn’t feel it was right of me to bump the interview I already have lined up for this Saturday, so you can read and hopefully listen to the interview on the 11th.

The convict 3D model

But one project that he was talking about has a more limited timeline, so I wanted to help promote that for him before then. Aside from being an actor, he’s also a comic book writer. He has a comic book called Bad Planet that he has been working on with Tim Bradstreet, and now they are developing it into a video game. You can help by visiting their kickstarter page and donating. It looks and sounds like a great project, and Thomas Jane is worth backing. Be sure to check it out and spread the word, they’ve still got a long ways to go.

Ok, now for some questions. First up from Nick at Cinematic Katzenjammer.

What’s your own favorite recurring feature you have on your blog?

It’s definitely Superhero Shorts, it’s really great to find these fan-films, watch them, and talk to the people behind them who are almost always passionate about their work and it’s great fun for me to read as well as it is to write.

What’s a guilty pleasure movie you can’t help but love but don’t want anyone knowing about?

This is similar to the cinematic confessions blogathon question where I answered Rat Race and realized that a lot more people like that movie than I thought. I’m going to switch it up and mention a TV show I remember watching and enjoying even though it only lasted about 4 episodes or so. It was called Woops, and was about a nuclear bomb destroying the country except for a handful of people who survived and are now the last people on Earth, but it was a comedy.

If you could live in any fictional cinematic world, what would it be and why?

Interestingly enough, a forum I visit just had a forum draft game around essentially this very question, and while it wasn’t ever a movie, the winner was the City of Heroes universe. And I would agree and pick the closest equivalent with Sky High, where the chances are pretty good that I’d be able to get super powers.

Who is your all-time favorite movie character?

It changes so often, I don’t really have one. For now I’ll toss out Hit Girl from Kick-Ass.

What’s one thing you want to change about your blog but have been unable to?

It’s kind of a small thing, but I’d love to be able to put a poll in the sidebar. If I spent the time, I could probably find one that would work, but my options are limited with my free WordPress blog.

What’s your favorite curse word?

The one I say most often is damnit, I honestly don’t swear very often.

Where is one place you’d love to visit and why?

Japan, it just looks so beautiful and different, I’d love to get the chance to visit at least once in my life.

If you could go back in time, strictly in your own life, what’s one thing you’d change?

I think I would have passed on a certain promotion. It moved me near where I am now, still haven’t made any social connections here, and it caused me to make some bad financial decisions and I eventually lost the job, leaving me stuck in bad place with no support around me and I’ve only recently recovered from it.

Who is your favorite superhero?

The Maxx

And next up are some questions from Two Tickets For…

What made you want to start blogging?

I used to have a website when I was in High School and college and wanted to get back to it, I also enjoy writing and this combines the two things.

Which movie are you most looking forward to that comes out from here to the end of 2012?

The Hobbit, I loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy and I also loved the Hobbit cartoon when I was younger, so I’m really excited to see the journey start, even though I’m most looking forward to seeing Peter Jackson’s vision of Smaug.

What hobby do you like to do besides blog?

Does watching movies count? Heh. I used to play City of Heroes, but haven’t in a while, blogging/movie watching currently is pretty much my one and only hobby right at the moment.

What is your favorite cult classic movie?

Rocky Horror Picture Show, I’ve been to two live showings though I didn’t dress up either time, and they were both tons of fun. I also used to watch it every year around Halloween, though I haven’t in a while.

If time travel existed, what would you use it for?

There is no other answer except for “Go back in time and kill Hitler before the Holocaust.” (quick side note, as I searched for XKCD to find this cartoon the first thing that popped up was “XKCD: Kill Hitler” in the suggestions)

If you could make one change to any movie, what would it be and why?

I’d make A.I. Artificial Intelligence end with Hayley Joel Osment at the bottom of the ocean, of course that’s an easy one to make just by stopping the movie right then. That’s a much more fitting end to that movie than the whole aliens giving him a single day with his mother.

Describe your perfect movie-going experience.

An empty theater, a large tub of popcorn, and my wife next to me.

I admit to skipping a few questions just because I didn’t have any interesting answers for them. Thanks for reading, until next time, this has been Bubbawheat for Flights, Tights, and Movie Nights.