The Syndicate

My obsession with cinema began when I was 11. It has since swallowed me whole.

For Your Consideration:

Some of us love cinema in a legit erotic way. For those people, I present the following.

For nearly forty years this story has given faithful service to the Young
in Heart; and Time has been powerless to put its kindly philosophy out of
fashion.

To those of you who have been faithful to it in return

...and to the Young in Heart --- I dedicate this mafia game.

Film Director Mafia

This will be a traditional-format game, but with an inappropriate amount of fun.

Civilians

Robert Rodriguez Grindhouse Director: Has BTSC with Tarantino.


Quentin Tarantino Grindhouse Director: Has BTSC with Rodriguez.


David Lean Director of epics, he knows the value of taking one's time during shoots. Steady wins the race. 2 lynch pardons.


George Cukor American Director of Classic Comedies. Can target a player to reference a romantic comedy in each post they make.


Howard Hawks Classic Hollywood Director. A silent era director that fully embraced and utilized sound, he can be flexible. May adopt a player's power at night.


Jean Luc Godard New Wave Director: Can send one message every day period to protege Truffaut.


François Truffaut New Wave Director: Can send one message every night period to mentor Godard.


Busby Berkeley Glitzy movie director and cinematographer: Can distract another player with glam and gold. Role blocker.


Sergei Eisenstein Soviet Film Director and Godfather of Montage. Can post a recap each day.


Fritz Lang German-Austrian Expressionist: Can creatively post his thoughts every night.


Darren Aronofsky Another auteur who can find BTSC with David Lean using math, a common theme in his films.


Pedro Almodovar With passion and desire being two of the prevalent themes of this acclaimed Spanish director, he may cause 2 players to miss the vote due to the manifestation of their carnal desires.


Stanley Kubrick Realist, perfectionist director and genre hopper. He can once reshoot a day period.


Cecil B Demille Known for his flamboyant showmanship, he also successfully made the transition from silent to sound. Each night he searches for Howard Hawks. If he finds him, they gain BTSC.


Orson Welles Excess and the demise of Don Quixote left the former prodigy weak. However, in his early days, he is stronger. For the first 5 votes, his vote will count as 2. And 0 thereafter.


John Waters Transgressive and ecclectic cult film director who often features Baltimore in his films. He can send The Baltimore FootStomper out after a player each night. That player will be muted during the day period and blocked during the night period.


Ingmar Bergman Evocative Swedish film director who often had religion as a theme in his films. May grant amnesty to a player 3x, which will result in his/her removal from the lynch that day.

Mafia - The Brotherhood (BTSC). Odd Night Kill.


Coen Bros. Jewish brothers who often use the same actors in their films. Can call upon the Golem to protect a player.


Duplass Bros. Mumblecore creators. Inspired by Cassavetes, their super-realism shows the nuances of every day life.


Wachowskis. Siblings known for their multi-part storytelling.

Mafia - The Hacks (BTSC). Even Night Kill.


Michael Bay Known for explosions over plot, this director, can distract civs and turn their minds off (role block).


Uwe Boll Known for video game adaptations, he can twice lock the thread when his work gets criticized.


Roland Emmerich Natural disaster movie guru, his over the top films do not garner much critical acclaim.


Events
* The Katherines (Katherines Bigelow and Hardwicke)
* Billy Wilder's Cameo
* Shyamalan Clusterhump
* Actors Turned Directors Day (Clint Eastwood, George Clooney, Ron Howard, Mel Gibson. etc)
* Bollywood Day
* Nollywood Day
* Oscar Party!
* Everything's animated! (John Lassiter and Miyizaki stop by.)
* James Lipton Interviews the Directors
* Fresh Air Interview w/Terry Gross
* Directors Respond to Bad Reviews
* Roger Ebert
* Raimi Drops Keep Falling on My Head
* Misspelled Director's Chair.
* Interfering Producer(s)
* David Lynch Period
* Georges Melies Short Film
* Found Footage Fest
* Lucas/Spielburg Retaliation
* Copolla Cop Out
* Ozu, Oh Me!
* Christopher Nolan Nation
* That's Not Scorsese!
* Where's Roman Polanski Hiding?
* and more

Items
Film ratings, Academy Awards, and Positive Reviews


PLAYER LIST
Made 2.0 (originally Lizzy)
Long Con
Ricochet
TurnipHead 2.0 (originally Roxy)


Dead:
BirdWithTeeth - Killed Day 1 (Howard Hawks) Day reshot
A Person - Killed Day 1 (Darren Aronofsky)
MovingPictures07 - Killed Day 2 (Stanley Kubrick)
FZ - Murdered Night 2.
Vompatti - Killed Day 3 (Francois Truffaut)
BirdWithTeeth11 - Murdered Night 3, Rezz'd
Ninjablooper - Killed Day 4 (Pedro Almodovar)
Timmer - Murdered Night 4
Made - Lynched Day 5 (David Lean)
thellama73 - Murdered Night 5
Turnip Head - Lynched Day 6 (John Waters)
BirdWithTeeth11 - Murdered Night 6
Metalmarsh - Lynched Day 7 (Uwe Boll)
Black Rock - Murdered Night 7
DFaraday - Lynched Day 8 (Jean-Luc Godard)
S~V~S - Murdered Night 8
Bass - Murdered Night 9
A Person - Lynched Day 10
Vompatti - Murdered Night 11
Canucklehead - Lyched Day 12
Dom - Murdered Night 12

The Story So Far
Day 1 - BWT is lynched
Day 1 is rewound (BWT still lives)
Day 2 - Moving Pictures is lynched.
Night 2 - FZ is murdered
Day 3 - Vompatti is lynched
Night 3 - BirdWithTeeth is murdered. BWT is rezz'd
Day 4 - Ninjablooper is lynched.
Night 4 - Timmer is murdered.
Day 5 - Made is lynched.
Night 5 - thellama73 is murdered.
Day 6 - A Person replaces Sabie. Made replaces Lizzy.
Turnip Head is lynched.
Night 6 - BirdWithTeeth11 has been murdered.
Day 7 - Vompatti replaces SpaceDaisy.
Metalmarsh is lynched.
Night 7 - Black Rock is murdered.
Day 8 - DFaraday is lynched.
Night 8 - S~V~S is murdered.
Day 9 - No one died.
Night 9 - Bass is murdered.
Day 10 - A Person is lynched.
Night 10 - No one died.
Day 10 - No one died.
Night 11 - Vompatti 2.0 is murdered.
Day 12 - Canucklehead is lynched (Cecil B. Demille)
Night 12 - Dom is murdered.

MAFIA: The Hacks won!
Congrats to Metalmarsh, Turniphead & Ricochet!

Honorary Winner: Roxy!

RULES.

1. No unauthorized BTSC (behind the scenes conversation).

2. No role outing or information dumping. If you have a concern about this or whether a prospective post is questionable, please feel free to PM me or the game mod, Epignosis. Remember that it's not actually better to ask forgiveness rather than permission.

3. Epignosis is our game mod. If you feel overheated (in a bad way) by a fellow player or host (that's me), take it to him. That's what he's here for! If you have concerns about my hosting or just generally any issues, he is a great resource. But remember, although I might seem like pushover, Epi the Enforcer will kindly make sure this is a tight ship.

4. Off-topic conversation is not discouraged in my games (imagine that), but please use Off-Topic green. There's an OT button in the toolbar above.

5. Non-players can post off-topic only, but please use Non-Player blue. There's an NP button in the toolbar above.

6. Dead players can post off-topic only, but please use Dead Red. There's a Dead button in the toolbar above.

7. I will be posting in this color. Please refrain from using it.

8. Don't be a jerk.

9. No double targeting. This means you cannot choose the same person to target on subsequent nights.

10. FUN is a requirement.

11. No one is Supatown.

Game on! I am playing, but sorry that I won't appreciate the full artistic breadth that I'm sure this game will entail.

Mongoose wrote:No post yet k

Long Con, you rule breaker! I am voting to lynch you first, k?

Yay game!!!!!!!

Long Con wrote:Game on! I am playing, but sorry that I won't appreciate the full artistic breadth that I'm sure this game will entail.

I echo this sentiment.

That said, it appears I have some research to do. Either that I could just vote David Lynch.

Actually, upon closer examination of the options and considering which ones I actually DO know...

I'd have to say Christopher Nolan is definitely my favorite. So I'm going with that.

I voted for some female representation.

Game on!!

Hmmmmm....I am by no means an expert in or connoisseur of film, so imma just vote for a woman, cuz there are practically none on the list.
Ava Duvernay is absent, and Kathryn Bigelow is spelt wrong which made her hard to google, and Nora Ephron made "Julie and Julia" which I hated, and while I loved "The Virgin Suicides", "Marie Antoinette" was an abomination that should've revoked Sofia Copola's filmmaking liscense, so that leaves me with Susanne Bier, of whom I have never heard, but whose films I may now watch just because I now feel an intimate connection with her because I just typed a long and unnecessary paragraph justifying a vote for her.

Ooh, look. Game.

Hmm. I can spell neither "Coppola" nor "license". Poor form.

Welcome back Knucklegoose.

Also, I went with Robert Zemeckis, because Forrest Gump is a damn good movie, and I honestly don't know directors' names too well.

I went with Martin Scorsese. I have almost all his movies and love almost everyone of them.

If you have not seen Wes Anderson 's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" You really should it is hilarious.

This is really funny everyone should watch it. It fits the game perfect.

Canucklehead wrote:Hmmmmm....I am by no means an expert in or connoisseur of film, so imma just vote for a woman, cuz there are practically none on the list.
Ava Duvernay is absent, and Kathryn Bigelow is spelt wrong which made her hard to google, and Nora Ephron made "Julie and Julia" which I hated, and while I loved "The Virgin Suicides", "Marie Antoinette" was an abomination that should've revoked Sofia Copola's filmmaking liscense, so that leaves me with Susanne Bier, of whom I have never heard, but whose films I may now watch just because I now feel an intimate connection with her because I just typed a long and unnecessary paragraph justifying a vote for her.

I truly believe Susanne Bier is the most gifted filmmaker alive today. I had Penny Marshall and others on the list too (Catherine Hardwicke, foreign directors, Mira Nair etc). but you can only have 50 poll options.

I had to pick PT Anderson because I've seen more from him than most people on the list. Also I kinda like his films.

A Person wrote:I had to pick PT Anderson because I've seen more from him than most people on the list. Also I kinda like his films.

PT Anderson is good but I have to say The Master was horrible in my opinion.

Bass_the_Clever wrote:

A Person wrote:I had to pick PT Anderson because I've seen more from him than most people on the list. Also I kinda like his films.

PT Anderson is good but I have to say The Master was horrible in my opinion.

fight me irl

but really I did find it more conflicting than I usually find PTA. I think I need to rewatch it to get a good grasp on it.

A Person wrote:

Bass_the_Clever wrote:

A Person wrote:I had to pick PT Anderson because I've seen more from him than most people on the list. Also I kinda like his films.

PT Anderson is good but I have to say The Master was horrible in my opinion.

fight me irl

but really I did find it more conflicting than I usually find PTA. I think I need to rewatch it to get a good grasp on it.

I think Joaquin Phoenix messed it up for me.

I haven't seen enough films by any, in order to really name a favourite auteur. It would have been easy if Kubrick or Bergman would have been in the poll, but they're not. My favourite film ever is by Kurosawa, but I should really see his classic ones already. So I'll go with Mike Nichols, because he made my other favourite film ever (which is technically a mini-series) and also the breathtaking Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. I may not end up enjoying every movie by him (I think only one third of the The Graduate is good, Catch-22 is a complete dud), but right now he's a legit choice for me. And he'll be missed.

Bass_the_Clever wrote:

A Person wrote:

Bass_the_Clever wrote:

A Person wrote:I had to pick PT Anderson because I've seen more from him than most people on the list. Also I kinda like his films.

PT Anderson is good but I have to say The Master was horrible in my opinion.

fight me irl

but really I did find it more conflicting than I usually find PTA. I think I need to rewatch it to get a good grasp on it.

I think Joaquin Phoenix messed it up for me.

Oh, I guess that would do it, although I loved him in it personally.

That movie was genuinely bonkers, but in all sorts of good ways, I thought.

I don't know, atm, if I should just dive into Inherent Vice or attempt the book first.

Going by the poll, I voted for Fellini but almost went with my homeboy Cronenberg. But really, there's just no topping Fellini, c'mon. 8 1/2? Roma? Satyricon? La Strada? God, I LOVE Fellini.

Ricochet wrote:That movie was genuinely bonkers, but in all sorts of good ways, I thought.

I don't know, atm, if I should just dive into Inherent Vice or attempt the book first.

It was definitely good but I feel like i didn't "get" it as much as i normally get PTA.

I probably wouldn't read a book and then see a movie adaptation because I'd judge the film too harshly. I want to see Inherent Vice too.

No Hitchcock on the poll

I do not see Bertolucci up there. He directed my favorite, ludicrous, overblown Euro epic class struggle epic that I loved in college, 1900. Looking at it now, it's like that old friend who, in retrospect, makes you tilt your head sometimes and think, "What am/was I thinking??" But you love them anyhow. That film is how I think of Depardieu, not as the horrifying train wreck he became.

But he is not an option, and of the rest, off the top of my head, I went with Scorsese. Scorsese films are pretty much the only ones I buy on DVD as well as go to see at the theater.

tarkovsky k

zeek wrote:No Hitchcock on the poll

I remember Alison not liking him, so it's not surprising.

no Taurog :/ he directed the only movie I have watched 100's of times. went with Mel Brooks bc he brought the funny every time.

I'm going to vote for a man, because it doesn't matter whether directors are talented or make good movies, just which chromosomes they have.

Mongoose wrote:

Canucklehead wrote:Hmmmmm....I am by no means an expert in or connoisseur of film, so imma just vote for a woman, cuz there are practically none on the list.
Ava Duvernay is absent, and Kathryn Bigelow is spelt wrong which made her hard to google, and Nora Ephron made "Julie and Julia" which I hated, and while I loved "The Virgin Suicides", "Marie Antoinette" was an abomination that should've revoked Sofia Copola's filmmaking liscense, so that leaves me with Susanne Bier, of whom I have never heard, but whose films I may now watch just because I now feel an intimate connection with her because I just typed a long and unnecessary paragraph justifying a vote for her.

I truly believe Susanne Bier is the most gifted filmmaker alive today. I had Penny Marshall and others on the list too (Catherine Hardwicke, foreign directors, Mira Nair etc). but you can only have 50 poll options.

In that case, I am legit excited to watch her films! Where should I start? The one she won the Oscar for? (Keep in mind I am a cinema neophyte and may not appreciate some of the subtler/more technical aspects of filmmaking...

That should probably have been in green...

Ricochet wrote:

zeek wrote:No Hitchcock on the poll

I remember Alison not liking him, so it's not surprising.

I suppose he isn't as good as Tyler Perry

Canucklehead wrote:

Mongoose wrote:

Canucklehead wrote:Hmmmmm....I am by no means an expert in or connoisseur of film, so imma just vote for a woman, cuz there are practically none on the list.
Ava Duvernay is absent, and Kathryn Bigelow is spelt wrong which made her hard to google, and Nora Ephron made "Julie and Julia" which I hated, and while I loved "The Virgin Suicides", "Marie Antoinette" was an abomination that should've revoked Sofia Copola's filmmaking liscense, so that leaves me with Susanne Bier, of whom I have never heard, but whose films I may now watch just because I now feel an intimate connection with her because I just typed a long and unnecessary paragraph justifying a vote for her.

I truly believe Susanne Bier is the most gifted filmmaker alive today. I had Penny Marshall and others on the list too (Catherine Hardwicke, foreign directors, Mira Nair etc). but you can only have 50 poll options.

In that case, I am legit excited to watch her films! Where should I start? The one she won the Oscar for? (Keep in mind I am a cinema neophyte and may not appreciate some of the subtler/more technical aspects of filmmaking...

In a Better World won her the Oscar, but I loved After the Wedding in a nearly erotic way. It's being currently remade by Hollywood, who also remade her film Brothers.

Cinema neophytes are welcome!

zeek wrote:No Hitchcock on the poll

Hitchcock was a big omission -- I didn't put any of the characters I had in my game in the poll (which was an easy way to delete the poll options from 210 to 50), but I forgot I deleted him. He might pop up somewhere later k.

Vic/Ric - You are just remembering wrong, sug. My living room is Hitchcock themed. I should take pictures. He's actually my favorite director (I refer to PT Anderson as my favorite living director because I am ridiculous).

Ricochet wrote:That movie was genuinely bonkers, but in all sorts of good ways, I thought.

I don't know, atm, if I should just dive into Inherent Vice or attempt the book first.

I was not impressed by the film. It's deffo my least favorite PTA film.

timmer wrote:Going by the poll, I voted for Fellini but almost went with my homeboy Cronenberg. But really, there's just no topping Fellini, c'mon. 8 1/2? Roma? Satyricon? La Strada? God, I LOVE Fellini.

Mmm my favorite is La Strada. Gotta love a circus theme. By the way, did anyone see The Last Circus? The opening 10 minutes blew my mind into a thousand shards.

Roxy wrote:no Taurog :/ he directed the only movie I have watched 100's of times. went with Mel Brooks bc he brought the funny every time.

There's a great new documentary out about Mel Brooks you might fancy called "Make a Noise" that I really loved. It spans his whole career, and gives tidbits on the making of many gems, including Young Frankenstein and The Producers. Delicious.

Mongoose wrote:

Canucklehead wrote:

Mongoose wrote:

Canucklehead wrote:Hmmmmm....I am by no means an expert in or connoisseur of film, so imma just vote for a woman, cuz there are practically none on the list.
Ava Duvernay is absent, and Kathryn Bigelow is spelt wrong which made her hard to google, and Nora Ephron made "Julie and Julia" which I hated, and while I loved "The Virgin Suicides", "Marie Antoinette" was an abomination that should've revoked Sofia Copola's filmmaking liscense, so that leaves me with Susanne Bier, of whom I have never heard, but whose films I may now watch just because I now feel an intimate connection with her because I just typed a long and unnecessary paragraph justifying a vote for her.

I truly believe Susanne Bier is the most gifted filmmaker alive today. I had Penny Marshall and others on the list too (Catherine Hardwicke, foreign directors, Mira Nair etc). but you can only have 50 poll options.

In that case, I am legit excited to watch her films! Where should I start? The one she won the Oscar for? (Keep in mind I am a cinema neophyte and may not appreciate some of the subtler/more technical aspects of filmmaking...

In a Better World won her the Oscar, but I loved After the Wedding in a nearly erotic way. It's being currently remade by Hollywood, who also remade her film Brothers.

Cinema neophytes are welcome!

I didn't like that much the movie that won the Oscar. I'm pondering if enough time has passed for me to watch the original Brothers, given that the Hollywood version was awful.

Mongoose wrote:

zeek wrote:No Hitchcock on the poll

Hitchcock was a big omission -- I didn't put any of the characters I had in my game in the poll (which was an easy way to delete the poll options from 210 to 50), but I forgot I deleted him. He might pop up somewhere later k.

Vic/Ric - You are just remembering wrong, sug. My living room is Hitchcock themed. I should take pictures. He's actually my favorite director (I refer to PT Anderson as my favorite living director because I am ridiculous).

Then I'm alone again in being mostly underwhelmed by him

he's k but not in my personal top 100

Vompatti wrote:he's k but not in my personal top 100

What IS your personal top 100?

I still have a list of Voopy's favourite movies, I think.

Mongoose wrote:

Vompatti wrote:he's k but not in my personal top 100

What IS your personal top 100?

i might make one k

I voted for James Cameron, because Aliens is one of my top three movies of all time. Terminator 2 and Aliens are some of the only sequels I know that were completely better than the first movie, that's extremely rare from what I've seen. The Abyss was awesome too! I'm not the biggest fan of Avatar, but it had a lot of cool stuff going on. And Titanic, while not my usual genre, was very engaging and awesome too.

I've always thought Mel Brooks movies were full of crappy shallow jokes. I've never understood why he's so popular - I think maybe if I were Jewish I'd like him more? I don't know.

thellama73 wrote:I'm going to vote for a man, because it doesn't matter whether directors are talented or make good movies, just which chromosomes they have.

Out of 89 Academy Awards for Best Director only 1 woman has ever won and only 4 have been nominated. It does matter, especially given Selma's snub this year for best director despite being nominated for best picture. Hint-- it's a woman of color who is nominated. Oscar voters are 94% white, 76% male, and the median age is 63. No black director has even won an Oscar. This has real, economic impacts on these directors and whether their films get made in the future.

So I'm going to go ahead and say that, yeah, it does matter if we recognize women in the industry doing jobs historically done by men. So please don't mock me for that.

Dom wrote:

thellama73 wrote:I'm going to vote for a man, because it doesn't matter whether directors are talented or make good movies, just which chromosomes they have.

Out of 89 Academy Awards for Best Director only 1 woman has ever won and only 4 have been nominated. It does matter, especially given Selma's snub this year for best director despite being nominated for best picture. Hint-- it's a woman of color who is nominated. Oscar voters are 94% white, 76% male, and the median age is 63. No black director has even won an Oscar. This has real, economic impacts on these directors and whether their films get made in the future.

So I'm going to go ahead and say that, yeah, it does matter if we recognize women in the industry doing jobs historically done by men. So please don't mock me for that.

I was agreeing with you. It's impossible that women don't make movies that are as good, so it must be discrimination. Never mind that Katherine Hepburn (a woman) has more Oscars for lead performer than anyone else in history. Biology > ability.

I bow to Vomps for the Tarkovsky shout out.

I bow to Long Con for being right about Cameron (such the haters).

I must say this, though. The current controversy about how the Oscars snubbed Selma and everyone is racist etc. is BULLSHIT. Paramount rolled the dice and lost. DuVernay was scheduled to premiere the film at the AFI fest in November, which is the month when Academy screeners were already beginning to be mailed out to Oscar voters, and the film wasn't even finished. The print that ran at the festival didn't even have credits because no one had had time to make them yet.

And then, as awards body after awards body started handing out their nominations and awards, Selma missed over and over again. Why? Because no one had a screener. Members of influential groups like Screen Actors Guild etc only got their screeners in the mail two days before they had to send in their ballots. It's a miracle that the film got anything there. And all of the critics group like the LAFCA and the NYFCC couldn't award the film because most hadn't seen it as well. And finally, guess which film was the last screener to arrive for Oscar voters?

Selma
The fact is, the film never shouldn't have been released when it was, they should have pushed it to next year and given DuVernay the time to get it right without feeling rushed. they missed their deadlines and THAT is why David Oyelowo isn't nominated for Best Actor. All those other guys nominated? Their screeners were mailed out in November. The people calling this racist are misguided reactionists.

It might have to be Soderbergh for me. He is a cinematic chameleon, he seems to reinvent himself with each project.

Also I think there might be an error on the poll. Steven Spielberg is on there twice, and the second time his name is misspelled as "J.J. Abrams".

Vompatti wrote:

Mongoose wrote:

Vompatti wrote:he's k but not in my personal top 100

What IS your personal top 100?

i might make one k

not in a completely non-random order:

andrei tarkovsky
jean-luc godard
wim wenders
jean eustache
jean vigo
walerian borowczyk
robert bresson
luis bunuel
akira kurosawa
rainer werner fassbinder
john cassavetes
aki kaurismäki
emir kusturica
leos carax
pier paolo pasolini
maya deren
marco ferreri
werner herzog
kenneth anger
gabor body
tommy wiseau
jean cocteau
f. w. murnau
alain resnais
carl theodor dreyer
francois truffaut
alain corneau
frank henenlotter
dusan makavejev
jim jarmusch
krzysztof kieslowski
jean-pierre melville
masaki kobayashi
lucio fulci
rene clair
louis malle
eric rohmer
buster keaton
jan svankmajer
victor sjöström
irving lerner
roman polanski
milos forman
sergio leone
e. elias merhige
michael haneke
david cronenberg
alain robbe-grillet
volker schlöndorff
michelangelo antonioni
lars von trier
hans richter
bela tarr
jean rollin
russ meyer
jean-jacques beineix
robin hardy
david lynch
sergio corbucci
richard brooks
stanley kubrick
otto muehl
sergei eisenstein
ed wood
stuart gordon
alexander dovzhenko
leonard kastle
john ford
matti ijäs
dario argento
francesco rosi
jean renoir
mario bava
teuvo tulio
john hillcoat
luchino visconti
henri-georges clouzot
sam peckinpah
fritz lang
john huston
alexander sokurov
takashi miike
umberto lenzi
orson welles
mikko niskanen
charlie chaplin
federico fellini
martin scorsese
ingmar bergman
fatih akin
michel gondry
robert altman
jacques rivette
ken russell
luc besson
peter greenaway
bernardo bertolucci
ridley scott
tim burton
peter weir