ABOUT
What is “Fade to Blackout Movie Club” you ask? Keep reading.
MOVIE SELECTION
A fine pair of movies is at the core of every good meetup!
Everyone will have the chance to choose a movie pairing
We’ll rotate who picks each month, but if you've got a burning idea for a pairing we can always swap turns! Every individual movie groupie will get a chance to choose the movies.
Pick movies with a connection.
This could mean they have a similar (or contrasting!) theme, style, genre, creators, cast members, plot, ideas, approach etc. Get creative – figuring out what connects the movie someone picked each month is part of the fun!
You don't have to pick Oscar winners.
The best pairings aren't necessarily the best movies or your all-time favs, but the ones that make for good discussion and debate. For example, you might consider the premium pairing of Jaws and Sharknado. If everyone loves and agrees about the movies, we'll probably have less to talk about.
Choose movies you've already seen.
Ideally you've watched them recently, and you should feel free to rewatch if necessary. You may come to realize that movie you kinda enjoyed once on TV about 12 years ago might not actually be worth watching once you’ve seen it again.
Movies should be available to stream online.
If it’s hard to track down or it's still in theaters, we should find another option. But we can make exceptions if we all agree!
WATCHING
Don't just watch — live your dreams. Also, the following guidelines will help maximize your movie club enjoyment.
Watch both movies before the next meeting.
Even if you've seen them in the past, watch them again! Rule of thumb is if you haven't seen it within a month of the next meeting, you should watch it again.
Try not to talk about the movies.
This is a pretty soft rule. But it's nice to save the good stuff for when we meet up! Otherwise every sentence starts with, "I was talking to [someone] about this, but..." – especially if you watched the movie/live with another member of our super secret club.
Consider watching them twice.
This is the ultimate movie group flex. You will inevitably notice different things about a movie on the second viewing. Details you missed, new insights, creative filmic aspects, etc.
MEETING
How to have a “good time” in 5 easy steps.
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1. Informal chit chat
Say hello! Catch up on things. Meet some “new people.” Get your drinks and food all squared away. Hang out until everyone is here and sufficiently settled and sauced.
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2. Movie rating and theme sharing
Once we’re ready to rumble, we’ll go around and everyone will rate the movies on a scale of 1-10. We’ll record the ratings so we can revisit them at the end of the meeting. Also share a brief summary of what you think is the theme between the movies (it's not always as obvious as “sharks”). This should take about a minute per person.
3. Impromptu convo
Strong opinions are required but expertise is not! The Fade to Blackout Movie Club (better known by its colloquial acronym FTBOMC) doesn't demand we discuss how the Godardian use of shadows in the penultimate scene was representative of a post-modern inspired neo-classic take on economic determinism. The best conversations involve a diversity of inane and wildly uninformed opinions.
4. Revisit the ratings
Finish by revisiting everyone's ratings to see if any opinions have changed, and why. Also take a minute to guess and then reveal the critic/audience ratings for the movies on Rotten Tomatoes.
5. Announce the next meeting
We’ll begin our gentle descent into madness by announcing the next pair of movies so we have plenty of advance notice and time to watch them, and at least tentatively setting a date and time for the next meeting.
RATING THE MOVIES
It's totally subjective.
There is no official rubric! Imagine you are a movie critic and/or Benny™ and go with your gut.
Your scores don’t need to make sense to anyone else or be consistent. And no one should be offended by low ratings — in all likelihood, everyone will hate the movies you selected because you are a bonafide fool. Plus, a diversity of opinions are fodder for a better discussion.
Ratings are only meant to offer a starting point for conversation. It’s up to you how seriously you take them, and if you want to use your own rubric.
Some questions you might consider when rating:
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How much did you enjoy it?
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Would you recommend it to a friend?
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Would you watch it again?
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Was it objectively good as a film?
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What did you get out of watching it?
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Was it fun to discuss?
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What would Benny™ think?