Focus Features

Tell us about your blog.

Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule is the place I go to express my thoughts on the movies and (occasionally) on baseball, and to interact with a small but very intelligent community of like-minded readers. I do a lot less writing on baseball than I used to, mainly because I realized that I was a better fan and observer of the sport than I was an informed writer about it. There is some overlap between the two audiences, but since my primary passion has always been the movies that’s usually where I feel most comfortable. I have discovered a natural affinity for writing about the films that came out in my youth—I came of movie-going age during the much-lauded early 70s of Easy Riders and Raging Bulls, and as much as I love the classics of that period, I have thoroughly enjoyed rediscovering other less vaunted films from this era that are just as good and worthy of discussion. I’m as comfortable writing about horror films and other grindhouse fare as I am about Hollywood classics and contemporary films from around the world. I’m only limited by my interests and what is available for me to see. In my book, Revenge of the Cheerleaders is twice the movie The Reader is.

How would you describe your readers?  Do you have much contact with the people who read you?

I am particularly gratified whenever I think about the quality of readers and comments my site receives. I have only a small percentage of my time to devote to writing and networking with other bloggers (behind my full-time job and devoting as much time as I can to my wife and two daughters), so I will never sport huge daily numbers or a strapping high profile on the Internet. But I am so fortunate to count among my readership several critics, writers and filmmakers whom I’ve admired for 20-30 years, as well as a wonderful group of very smart people from all over the globe who have somehow found their way to my little corner of the virtual world. I have been even more fortunate to have met or begun very rewarding correspondence with several of them, a couple of them even becoming good friends. I spend all my blogging time trying to live up to the standards of those readers.

Tell us how – and why – you started your blog?

I began my interest in blogging as a reader of Jon Weisman’s Dodger Thoughts. My own blog didn’t begin life with its current name—for two or three posts in November 2004 it was known as The Good, the Bad and the Dodgers. I wanted a title that somehow evoked a favorite genre (westerns, especially those of Sergio Leone) as well as my affinity for baseball. After some juggling, I decided I liked the strange, slightly unclassifiable ambience Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule evoked, and I stuck with it. When I started the blog I had no thoughts other than it being a place where I could stretch and flex my fairly dormant writing muscles—I had been a paid film reviewer for a newspaper in Ashland, Oregon in the mid ‘80s and hadn’t really written much about film since. The blog format appealed to me because it was an editor-free zone, as I wanted to create something engaging and readable without concerns of space or length.

Describe your blog day – do you work at home?  Go to a café?  Sit in an office?

There is literally no structure to my blog day -- I wish I had the luxury of time from which I could construct one. My blogging is literally done either undercover during work hours (when something has to be addressed right now) or, more frequently, starting around 10:00 p.m. and reaching well past the witching hour, after the children have been tucked in and the night finally gets quiet enough for me to think. I’m not good at writing amongst a lot of distractions, so you won’t see me blogging furiously at a coffee house. I like to have my bookshelves handy, so I’m usually at home when I write and post, though I have found that a hotel room during a rainstorm is an excellent place for productivity too.

How do you find things to blog about and how do you decide that a entry is worth being in your blog?

I find that it’s far more fun to write about films that I love rather than getting my snark off about some movie that probably isn’t all that interesting to begin with. Putting into words the way a film moves me, and how it goes about creating its magic, is an often daunting task—I feel the need to live up to the quality of the images and acting and vision that made me love the movie in question. That is not to say that I limit myself to always looking on the bright side of life. Sometimes a piece of crap simply must be addressed. But when I do I try to do so in a way that transcends the easy japes and condescending attitude of a Rex Reed to actually talk about the movie in a recognizable way. Usually the things I decide to blog about come up unexpectedly—the luxury of having no deadlines often means that I write about things pretty soon after I’ve decided that the subject is worth writing about. Ultimately the only real standard is, would I want to read this once it’s written?

What is your favorite blog entry?

The words “popular” and “controversial” both seem to imply greater audiences and influence than I suspect any of my posts have ever had. And I don’t really track my traffic in anything but the most rudimentary, cost-free way, so I can’t gauge reader response other than comments they leave. Given that, some of the posts that have generated the most interest have been; my four-part tribute to Robert Altman posted just prior to his death and the obituary I wrote for him; my appreciations of Speed Racer and Mandingo; my takedown of Juno; my interviews with writer-director Don Mancini; my consideration of Hostel Part II; and my write-ups on Los Angeles movie events like the Grindhouse Film Festival and Joe Dante’s Movie Orgy. But for popularity, nothing on SLIFR can beat my quarterly movie quizzes, which seem to have the ability to simultaneously exasperate and inspire everyone who participates, and they always feature brilliant, funny, thoughtful, sometimes long-winded answers that testify to my earlier claims of a genius-class readership.

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Tell us about your blog.

Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule is the place I go to express my thoughts on the movies and (occasionally) on baseball, and to interact with a small but very intelligent community of like-minded readers. I do a lot less writing on baseball than I used to, mainly because I realized that I was a better fan and observer of the sport than I was an informed writer about it. There is some overlap between the two audiences, but since my primary passion has always been the movies that’s usually where I feel most comfortable. I have discovered a natural affinity for writing about the films that came out in my youth—I came of movie-going age during the much-lauded early 70s of Easy Riders and Raging Bulls, and as much as I love the classics of that period, I have thoroughly enjoyed rediscovering other less vaunted films from this era that are just as good and worthy of discussion. I’m as comfortable writing about horror films and other grindhouse fare as I am about Hollywood classics and contemporary films from around the world. I’m only limited by my interests and what is available for me to see. In my book, Revenge of the Cheerleaders is twice the movie The Reader is.

How would you describe your readers?  Do you have much contact with the people who read you?

I am particularly gratified whenever I think about the quality of readers and comments my site receives. I have only a small percentage of my time to devote to writing and networking with other bloggers (behind my full-time job and devoting as much time as I can to my wife and two daughters), so I will never sport huge daily numbers or a strapping high profile on the Internet. But I am so fortunate to count among my readership several critics, writers and filmmakers whom I’ve admired for 20-30 years, as well as a wonderful group of very smart people from all over the globe who have somehow found their way to my little corner of the virtual world. I have been even more fortunate to have met or begun very rewarding correspondence with several of them, a couple of them even becoming good friends. I spend all my blogging time trying to live up to the standards of those readers.

Tell us how – and why – you started your blog?

I began my interest in blogging as a reader of Jon Weisman’s Dodger Thoughts. My own blog didn’t begin life with its current name—for two or three posts in November 2004 it was known as The Good, the Bad and the Dodgers. I wanted a title that somehow evoked a favorite genre (westerns, especially those of Sergio Leone) as well as my affinity for baseball. After some juggling, I decided I liked the strange, slightly unclassifiable ambience Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule evoked, and I stuck with it. When I started the blog I had no thoughts other than it being a place where I could stretch and flex my fairly dormant writing muscles—I had been a paid film reviewer for a newspaper in Ashland, Oregon in the mid ‘80s and hadn’t really written much about film since. The blog format appealed to me because it was an editor-free zone, as I wanted to create something engaging and readable without concerns of space or length.

Describe your blog day – do you work at home?  Go to a café?  Sit in an office?

There is literally no structure to my blog day -- I wish I had the luxury of time from which I could construct one. My blogging is literally done either undercover during work hours (when something has to be addressed right now) or, more frequently, starting around 10:00 p.m. and reaching well past the witching hour, after the children have been tucked in and the night finally gets quiet enough for me to think. I’m not good at writing amongst a lot of distractions, so you won’t see me blogging furiously at a coffee house. I like to have my bookshelves handy, so I’m usually at home when I write and post, though I have found that a hotel room during a rainstorm is an excellent place for productivity too.

How do you find things to blog about and how do you decide that a entry is worth being in your blog?

I find that it’s far more fun to write about films that I love rather than getting my snark off about some movie that probably isn’t all that interesting to begin with. Putting into words the way a film moves me, and how it goes about creating its magic, is an often daunting task—I feel the need to live up to the quality of the images and acting and vision that made me love the movie in question. That is not to say that I limit myself to always looking on the bright side of life. Sometimes a piece of crap simply must be addressed. But when I do I try to do so in a way that transcends the easy japes and condescending attitude of a Rex Reed to actually talk about the movie in a recognizable way. Usually the things I decide to blog about come up unexpectedly—the luxury of having no deadlines often means that I write about things pretty soon after I’ve decided that the subject is worth writing about. Ultimately the only real standard is, would I want to read this once it’s written?

What is your favorite blog entry?

The words “popular” and “controversial” both seem to imply greater audiences and influence than I suspect any of my posts have ever had. And I don’t really track my traffic in anything but the most rudimentary, cost-free way, so I can’t gauge reader response other than comments they leave. Given that, some of the posts that have generated the most interest have been; my four-part tribute to Robert Altman posted just prior to his death and the obituary I wrote for him; my appreciations of Speed Racer and Mandingo; my takedown of Juno; my interviews with writer-director Don Mancini; my consideration of Hostel Part II; and my write-ups on Los Angeles movie events like the Grindhouse Film Festival and Joe Dante’s Movie Orgy. But for popularity, nothing on SLIFR can beat my quarterly movie quizzes, which seem to have the ability to simultaneously exasperate and inspire everyone who participates, and they always feature brilliant, funny, thoughtful, sometimes long-winded answers that testify to my earlier claims of a genius-class readership.

What was your most popular/controversial blog entry?

I’m very proud of all the posts featured in the previous answer, but my favorite posts are probably the ones I wrote about Showgirls, Emperor of the North and Code Unknown, all of which were tied to some of the first in what would eventually become known as Blog-a-thons. Last year I wrote a short story to ultimately flesh out this idea and provide some context for those who were still scratching their heads about that curious name, and the opportunity to write it is also one I value greatly. I’m also very happy to have finally had the chance to put into words my feelings about the influence and criticism of Pauline Kael.

Is blogging the new path to fame and fortune?

Not for me it isn’t. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t frequently wish that it could be, but the reality is that bloggers who are serious about the format as an avenue for creating good writing have discovered that they are part of the creation of a new mode of communication which has helped to destabilize traditional (print) criticism and establish the fundamental template of free (as in, no compensation) film journalism. As more and more print jobs dry up, readers have replaced the habit of following all but the most high-profile critics with seeking out online alternatives. Readers who care at all (and there are plenty who value criticism simply as consumer reportage) have come to depend more and more on these labors of love as sources of regular film reading. Unfortunately, for the writers, there’s not been much development in regard to making that writing economically advantageous, and there probably won’t be for the foreseeable future.

What separates journalism from blogging?

Besides the paycheck, seriousness of intent, I think. “Blogging,” for many, is shorthand for writing about what you had for breakfast, or irresponsibly blowing off steam about a subject with which the writer has only marginally acquainted himself factually. The blogs I read and value qualify as journalism because each of them is informed by the writer’s experience, credibility and knowledge, and the writer looks upon each post as something more than a chance to vent. One has to spend some time reading and observing to find out if a blogger really has something to say and the talent with which to say it, and sometimes that effort is misspent on unworthy writers. But when that trust and connection between writer and reader has been established, blogging can prove itself to be a valuable addition to and expansion of the traditional institutions of journalism.

Who are the bloggers that you read religiously?

It’s hard to beat Glenn Kenny’s Some Came Running or Jim Emerson’s Scanners for sheer audacity, consistency, intelligence and prodigious output. Jim has been very influential for me, as well as a wonderful supporter of my writing. Peet Gelderblom, who concocts the brilliant Directorama strips, Larry Aydlette, who writes the excellent and eclectic Welcome to L.A., and Paul Matwychuk of The Moviegoer were also very important to my development as a blogger and are good friends as well. I could never get along without Kim Morgan’s Sunset Gun and Hollywood Hit List, or Kimberly Lindbergs’ Cinebeats. And I make room every day for stops into Brian Darr’s Hell on Frisco Bay, Rick Olson’s Coosa Creek Cinema, Bill R.’s The Kind of Face You Hate, Tom Sutpen’s If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger…, Ali Arikan’s Cerebral Mastication, Jon Swift’s self-titled oasis of satire and good sense, Paul Clark’s Silly Hats Only, Jonathan Lapper’s Cinema Styles, Brian Doan’s Bubblegum Aesthetics, Peter Nellhaus’s Coffee, Coffee and More Coffee, and Matthew Kiernan’s Headquarters 10. Finally, I have unreasonable, bottomless, undying happy feet for Campaspe, the Self-Styled Siren, whose personal approach to the vast treasures of classic Hollywood has been a wonderful educational experience for me. She is generous, sharp, critically fair-minded, funny, charming and possessing of an inclusive tone and respectful manner that should be the template for all bloggers as well as those who haunt their comments columns. All this, and she actively dislikes one of my favorite movies! Can you tell I kinda love Campaspe? She and her prose embody, as do all of the above, everything I love about the world of film blogging.

How has your life changed because of your blog? Has it gone in any new directions because of your newfound prominence?

I get a hell of a lot less sleep. But I have also met or become acquainted with a countless number of people who have enriched my life in ways I couldn’t have ever imagined before I started writing this blog. Also, I actually get noticed every so often at L.A. movie-geek palaces like the Egyptian Theater and the New Beverly Cinema, which is quite an unexpected development for someone who began writing a blog four years ago he never expected anyone to read. Recently someone introduced themselves to me over the restroom washbasins at the American Cinematheque—“Don’t you write that Sergio Leone blog?” I was very surprised and said hello, and I can’t say the experience didn’t make a pretty nice evening even better. But I remember the first thing I thought as I was walking away—“God, I’m glad I didn’t just pee and run! I just know I’d see a blog comment tomorrow along the lines of, “Hey, I saw Dennis in the john last night and he didn’t wash his hands!”