MovieChat Forums > Video > Movie discussion group. Let's discuss!

Movie discussion group. Let's discuss!


Hey y'all,

The movie discussion group has finally been floated. The purpose of this group is to share our thoughts on films that we all love. We will take one film at a time and pose discussion questions to each other so we can recalls our views and opinions on these movies.

Before we get started, I have a few questions on form and content of this group that I would like your opinions on.

1. What name would you suggest for this group. We could simply term this "Movie disussion group" or "Movie discussion club" but I am open to having a snazzier title. Please do share whatever ideas you may have to name this group.

2. How would we choose movies? Are you open to watching new movies (in which case we might have to opt for Amazon instant video or DVDs) or do we only want to choose movies that we have all watched, OR a mix of both? If the former, we can all propose names of movies that others may not have watched and we can choose one that we all want to watch and discuss. If the latter, we can give extended lists of movies we have watched and want to discuss, and I couple the movie/s that belongs to all (or almost all lists). I am also open to open ways in which we could choose movies?

3. What exactly will we discuss about these movies? The most practical option I have in mind is that one person will serve as the "curator" for each movie and pose a set of discussion questions on the board of the movie. These could include questions about the movie's theme, technical aspects (music/cinematography, etc.) or any other interesting questions about the movie (for e.g. which performance did you like most in the movie). Obviously we will respond to each other's posts, and could even pose other questions in the thread on an informal basis. Alternately, we could all post discussion questions in that thread and answer questions posed by each other. I am a bit reluctant to have a non-formal structure where in we just open a thread and share whatever opinions we have about the movie, but I am open to discussion about that.

4. About future membership about this club: Obviously, we have been selective in our invitations to begin with. How would we go forward with increasing our membership? Should any member have the freedom to invite whoever they want to this group, or should someone take a decision on this? Obviously, me or MoviemanCin have just started this group and will have no special rights in it. Also, if someone notices this thread, and wants to contribute in that thread or join that group right away would that be ok?

Do share your opinions guys! I hope this will be fun!

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Hey guys!

Nice to see so many responses already.

About the group name, the suggestions so far have been (INCOMING MEMBERS PLEASE KEEP SHARING SUGGESTIONS):

Chatting about films
Dissecting Cinema
Film Buffs Discussion group
Talking about cinema
Silver screen discussions
Discussing the movies
The Film Forum
At the Movies
Film Watch
Bring the Popcorn
Now Showing
Kino Krazies

Among these, I actually think I like "Bring the Popcorn" the most. Something about it sounds cool. "At the Movies" is an excellent title, and I also like "Silver Screen Discussions". Kino Crazies is a unique title, which we could use if we want to stand out. Share your opinions on this guys!

Most people seem to think this group should not be advertised in General Discussion right now, and I am inclined to agree just at this stage. I had actually first thought of opening a thread in General Discussion and MovieManCin talked me out of it and I think he's right. I guess we need to be a little cozy in the beginning just to form the close ties that will bind the group. Once we have that comfort level amongst ourselves that will form the core, I guess we will have to go "public" in order to sustain ourselves in the long run. As for new people joining the group, I think any existing member an invite a poster to join *IF THE EXISTING MEMBER IS ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT THE NEW POSTER WILL BE A GOOD ADDITION TO THIS GROUP*. I really cannot see how anyone can "review" any new members. I think if a new member is invited by an existing member s/he will automatically join, I guess. Also, I guess we cannot say "no" to anyone who discovers us wants to join us. We will have to welcome them. MovieManCin and others, what do you think about this topic?

MissMargoChanning I am not sure what you mean by making this an assignment. I guess you mean that watching and analyzing the movies should not be an obligation. That will of course not be case. This is an informal group and I members will be free to participate as much as they want. It seems that the curator idea seems to be largely working, and also the idea of having mix of movies we have watched and not watched. Let's say the first movie we choose to discuss is one we have all watched. How do we choose that movie? Do we all give lists of 10-20 movies that we have watched and want to discuss and choose the movie that shows up most often on those lists? What do you guys think?

Keep sharing your opinions guys! We really need to hear from you frequently at this point. Let's keep it going!

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I think it would get complicated for everyone to pitch in with lots of movies in one go. I think it would be better if one member picks a movie and the rest watch it or watch it again if they saw it already.

Maybe do it by alphabetical or post count number to decide who goes first or whatever seems fairer.

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Okay. First order of business: we need to vote on the name of the group.

I vote for At The Movies (ATM). It's short, punchy and obscure to the trolls.

What say you, fellow members?

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Film Watch would be my first choice with The Film Forum 2nd, and At the Movies my 3rd choice.

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Okay movie fans, by my count the tally so far is:

At The Movies (ATM) IIII

The Film Forum II

Film Watch II

Bring The Popcorn I

Be sure to vote before the polls close!

No, just kidding. The polls will stay open as long as necessary.

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I don't care what the name is, although I think you might want to include high quality TV or mini-series too somehow.

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I agree, Meat. High quality TV, especially excellent mini series like Legion should definitely be on the table.

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I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone

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Sounds like a plan to me.

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ATM would be fine. I also like Film Watch. And I now realize Kino Krazies is one Klub away from the full KKK, so... maybe not :D

As for TV, mini series (meaning things that told the entire story in one season, or few episodes) would be best in my opinion. Anything more than that would be too much content I feel.

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I'll drink to that!

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Please see my new post.

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Please see my new post.

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The names I like best are The Film Forum, At the Movies, and Film Watch.

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Please see my new post.

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Hey, Moviefan, thanks for creating this idea/group!
Perhaps to help us pick movies, at first anyways, is to pick categories some would fit into to narrow it down. Obviously just saying we'll discuss movies opens it far and wide for the possibilities and can make it hard for us to pinpoint which ones we want to do. So, perhaps, to start we could say like, "make a list of your favorite adventure films, or romance, or horror, etc..." and then see what others say, if there's some overlap, or vote on them.

Just a thought to make choosing a bit easier.

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Please see my new post.

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I say we pick something and just give it a try!

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Please see my latest posts. Allaby is up to bat.

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I wish you all well and I hope to see you all around and discuss on the site but this all seems just a bit too much like a clique to me.
I'm already getting the heebie jeebies reading suggestions like board of directors, moderators, curators....
I'm not really sure of what I was expecting but this just doesn't sound like my cup of tea.

As I said, I wish you well. You all seem like nice people. Someone mentioned only allowing intelligent people into the group. Who decides who has enough intelligence? I like movies and i enjoy discussing them with anyone who likes the movie ..... whatever that movie is.
I appreciate the invite but I'll pass. Good luck!

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Sorry to see you go Margo, but I kind of agree with you.

I'm not really in favor of a "board of directors". No offense to anyone, but I don't really think anyone should be in charge. I'm kind of laid back, and would be in favor of an informal Democracy. Someone would just pick a movie, and then we would vote on it, majority rules. And if someone does not want to participate in that discussion, no big deal. Participation in a discussion should always be voluntary.

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Hi MovieManchin2.
That's pretty much the way I had hoped it would be..... laid back. If you want to participate, fine. If not, that's alright too.
Keeping it small is ok at first, so why all of the organization and restrictions?
Once again, Thanks for the invitation. The site it's self is my movie club when it comes to discussing films. I enjoy meeting everyone so, thinking it over, I guess I really don't need a club within a club.
Good luck.

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Thanks, and the same to you. To me it's an experiment, and when I'm trying to make a decision, I sometimes say to myself, "Run the experiment."

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I respect that.
In any case, I hope to see you all around.

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Ditto.

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:( So sorry to see you go MissMargo. :(

I myself am against things like a board of directors or moderators for this group, but I am just one member of this group, and will ultimately go with whatever the majority of the group members think. So far, only suggestions have been floated and nothing has been finalized as yet.

I respect your decision MissMargo, but should you ever change your mind in the future will always be welcome to join anytime. Thanks MissMargo!

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Thanks, Moviefan.

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I'm also against mods and a board of directors. A little structure is ok, in terms of how we go about starting threads and picking a movie, but I'm fine with things being more loose.

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Please see my vote tally above.

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MovieManCin,

How many more members do we expect to respond to this thread? From the ones that I invited that accepted, all but Kazak have accepted I think. If we have heard from pretty much everyone we want to have heard from, then I guess we can start identifying the consensus choices for everything. For example, "At the movies" seems to be the consensus choice for the name so far, and there are also seems to be a broad consensus for the format among other things.

Alas, I am also busy today and cannot devote a lot of time today (I should be able to do that tomorrow, and even if that is not possible then the day after tomorrow for sure). In the meanwhile, once you can start the consensus determining process if you want (once you are sure that we have pretty much heard from everyone that we expect to hear). I will be on this board tomorrow for at least a small amount of time (hopefully more) for sure, and can chime in. I will also let you take the call on if you want to wait longer. Thanks MovieMan and sorry I am in a busy period right now!

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Moviefan,
By my count there have been nine replies on this thread:

You
Me
Sentient Meat
Allaby
Dreamersxdisease
Godeway
Keybored
Beto
and
MinaVladimir

MissMargoChanning has decided not to participate. We both respect her decisioin, and if she changes her mind she is of course welcome to join.

Also by my count, the votes for the name are as follows:

ATM - 5
Film Watch - 4
The Film Forum - 3
Bring The Popcorn - 2
Now Showing - 1

The last vote was cast two days ago by Allaby. Shall we call the Election, and go with At The Movies (ATM), or should we wait for more votes? I think this is the first decision we must make before proceeding.

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Yup. "At the Movies" it is! What is the next thing we have a consensus on?

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Is there nothing I can say, nothing I can do to change your mind?
I'm so in love with you, you're too deep in, you can't get out

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I have two suggestions. We could either:

1. Call for a volunteer to go first or

2. Pick the movies by user name in alphabetical order. If we decide to do this, allaby would be first up with beto on deck, and dreamersxdisease in the hole. :-)

Then the members could respond if they want to be in on this discussion. We don't all have to participate in every discussion. I think it's best to keep it laid back, and avoid inadvertently putting pressure on anyone.

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You're just a poor girl in a rich man's house

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Actually I don't think we should put any conditions of what movie (or high quality TV show) a person picks. It should be totally up to the person imho.

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Yeah, baby, I'm crying over you

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So do you like the volunteer idea, or going alphabetically by user name? Allaby, Beto, etc...

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Don't you know promises were never meant to keep?
Just like the night, they dissolve off in sleep

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I agree, godeway. It makes it simpler. So shall we say we go in alphabetical order of name fellow ATMers?

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Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

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I agree. As the Nike commercial says, let's do it!

Okay Allaby, you're up. You can either pick a movie or TV show if you're ready,
or pass the baton to Beto. No pressure here.

The batting order is as follows:

Allaby
Beto
Dreamersxdisease
Godeway
Keybored
MinaVladimir
Moviefan225
MovieManCin2
Salzmank
Sentient Meat

Batter up and play ball!

PS Suggestion: once you've picked a film or tv show, post the thread here in the Videos section, and begin the title of the post with ATM or At The Movies.

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I'll be your savior, steadfast and true

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No deadline. We're a very laid back group.

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So, are we discussing it here or on the board for that movie? Just want a bit of clarification!

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We would discuss it on a Thread here in the Video section, far from most trolls. Allaby would pick a movie, and then start a thread here with a title beginning with ATM or At The Movies, and then the name of the movie or TV show.

We can see how that goes, and if necessary, we can change things later.

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Dreamers,
Beto is taking a few days off, so you're next up in the batting order.


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I'm fine with alphabetical order, if everyone else is.

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Excellent! You're up, Allaby, Knock it out of the park! Or at least get a nice clean single.

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So should I post a list of suggestions of films for everyone to vote on or should I just pick one? How do we want to work that?

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Let's make it simple. Just pick one and let us know what it is. Then we can jump into the discussion or politely decline. Once again, no pressure.

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I have selected the 1931 film M as our film to watch and have started a new thread about it.

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An excellent choice, Allaby. I think you just knocked it out of the park.
I'll check out the thread, and I'm in.

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Please see my new post.

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PS I just invited Salzmank to join our little group and he/she accepted. This person has been very helpful to me in trying to locate an old b&w movie or TV show that I've been trying to track down. I think he/she will be a valuable addition.

So our roster is (in alphabetical order) now at 10:

Allaby
Beto
Dreamersxdisease
Godeway
Keybored
MinaVladimir
Moviefan225
MovieManCin2
Salzmank
Sentient Meat

I think this has been an excellent draft for our team.

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I'm a "he," by the way, MovieManCin2. I suppose we should all clarify that just to avoid confusion later on, right? ;)

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Right. Sorry. I thought you were, but I didn't want to assume, cause you know what happens when you assume. I also didn't want to offend anyone in this PC mad culture of ours.

Btw, so I am. A he that is, not PC mad.

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Oh, I understand completely. No need to apologize.

And how I agree with you about our PC-mad culture! I live and work in Massachusetts, which is a wonderful state, but--my God!--the political correctness is wild, stupefying, and, ultimately, just plain silly.

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I live in Ohio. It's might not be as extreme as in Massachusetts, but it can be a pain at times.

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Hello there!

This post is just a notification to let you know that the first movie for our movie discussion group "At the Movies" has been chosen. It is the movie "M" (1931) by Fritz Lang for which Allaby is the curator. To watch the movie search for "M 1931" on youtube or click on this link. The discussion questions for the movie have already been posted, and the discussion has begun. To access the discussion thread for this movie, go the Video forum under "Film Talk" and find the thread "At The Movies (ATM): M (1931)" or click on this link to be directly taken to it.

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Also, what about Queetee who posted on Page 2?

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Was that on this thread? That name sounds familiar, but I can't find his post on this thread.

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I think what keybored suggested is the simplest way to go about things at this stage.

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Please see my new post.

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Hello, everyone!

I'm joining the Groupception...

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I have no real experience in on-line forums but I've participated in some small reading clubs. My first thoughts:

1. At first, keep it small, keep it real.
2. Create some sort of "board of directors"; at least establish some mods and rules that control the flow of the group.
3. Set an official topic per week or so to keep it interesting.
4. Use invitations if the troll is strong.
5. Pick films that stimulate conversations.

Cheers!

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Please see my new post.

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The one below? I just did.

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Hello there!

This post is just a notification to let you know that the first movie for our movie discussion group "At the Movies" has been chosen. It is the movie "M" (1931) by Fritz Lang for which Allaby is the curator. To watch the movie search for "M 1931" on youtube or click on this link. The discussion questions for the movie have already been posted, and the discussion has begun. To access the discussion thread for this movie, go the Video forum under "Film Talk" and find the thread "At The Movies (ATM): M (1931)" or click on this link to be directly taken to it.

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Groupception? Is that a word? I can't find it my dictionary.

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It is. It's in the Nolan Dictionaries & Thesaurus ;)

noun > groupΒ·cepΒ·tion \ˈgrΓΌp-ˈsep-shΙ™n\

" A group within a group."

For more, see below:
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=inception+moment%21


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Aha! You obviously have a better dictionary than I do. Thanks for the heads up. I learned a new word today, and that's a good thing.

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Okay. We had a great discussion of "M", but it's time to move on.

Beto, you're up.

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Sounds fun.

Name really doesn't matter.

In order to make sure everyone stays active, then I would have it where the movies are accessible to all. Example, have all the members state his/her options at the moment:

Netflix
Prime
Cable networks, which ones. Most networks have VOD. And if you have cable, chances are high you have TCM.

As for the discussion, free for all criticism.


As long as you are not a troll.

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Ah Quetee, there you are! Welcome aboard. I shall add you to the roster of our little group.

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Here is our updated roster in alphabetical order:

Allaby
Beto
Dreamersxdisease
Godeway
Keybored
MinaVladimir
Moviefan225
MovieManCin2 (That's me! 😎)
Quetee
Salzmank
Sentient Meat

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Is it possible to edit your first post with any new information that everyone needs to see? Saves having to trawl around all the other posts trying to find what was agreed upon. Thanks

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That's an excellent suggestion. Duly noted.

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Was keybored referring to my post?

MovieManCin, do we have any other issues that need be resolved at this point?

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Moviefan, I think he was referring to me.

I don't know of any issues which need to be resolved at this point. Do you? If an issue arises, we can deal with it.
I think we have a reasonable and intelligent group assembled.

Btw, Godeway and I took the ball, and ran with it just to get things started.

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That is no problem at all MovieManCin! I'm so happy with the way things have materialized!

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Great. Yes, it looks good to me also.

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Also make sure you add Kazak to the batting order. That poster has responded.

Also, we probably need to decide whether future discussions will take place in this forum or forums for the respective movies.

Golly! I was lucky to contact just the right person with the movie group idea. Honestly, if the person I had contacted blew it off, I would have certainly not have pursued the idea further. Thank god it was someone who was just as interested in this idea if not even more! I cannot believe that this group is now actually up and running, and that we are in the discussion for our first movie!!

You're awesome MovieManCin!

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Thank you. You're not so bad yourself. I'm glad too. It's something new and different and my philosophy is to try almost anything reasonable. I think to myself "Run the experiment."

I think we should keep the discussions right here far from most trolls, and I will add Kazak to the batting order.

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Hello there!

This post is just a notification to let you know that the first movie for our movie discussion group "At the Movies" has been chosen. It is the movie "M" (1931) by Fritz Lang for which Allaby is the curator. To watch the movie search for "M 1931" on youtube or click on this link. The discussion questions for the movie have already been posted, and the discussion has begun. To access the discussion thread for this movie, go the Video forum under "Film Talk" and find the thread "At The Movies (ATM): M (1931)" or click on this link to be directly taken to it.

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Please see my vote tally below.

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MovieManCin2 just invited me here, so hi everyone!

The whole thing sounds a bit like some secret society... No initiation rituals or Tontine plots, I hope? ;)

Seriously, I always appreciate talking about movies, particularly the classics.

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"Thank you sir! May I have another?"

Animal House - 1978

No initiation rituals.

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So...

Should we vote or what? What's next?

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We are picking the movies in alphabetical order by username. I'm up first, so I will start a new thread with my pick of the movie for discussion.

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I have selected the 1931 film M as our first film for discussion and started a new thread about it.

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