Letters: December 2011

Throughout the last six months I've received a few e-mails with questions and comments about the content of Dublin's World. I've tried to reply to each person personally but missed a few here and there and thought it might be interesting to just throw the comments and questions up on the internets and try to reply the best I can. The following is an attempt.


Why are the movies that you discuss so fucking old?
-Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,
This was actually touched on in the Furlough Film posting for Mulholland Drive when Paul asked the same thing. There's not really a reason except that we are not going to theaters to watch these movies. Bob and I are in my apartment or we're at his parent's house because we need to pause sometimes and have some drinks and be comfortable. Plus, to quote Bob, "most new movies suck ass". We have only been doing Furlough Films for a little over a year and there are so many films that we weren't around to discuss. Take Mulholland Drive for example; would you rather we discuss that or discuss "We Bought a Zoo" simply because it's brand new? You're actually lucky, I'm always saying we should discuss some of my favorite movies from the 50's and 60's but Bob feels very strongly that we shouldn't go farther back than the 90's. I think the oldest movie we've done is Reservoir Dogs but I might be wrong.

Are you going to finish Marsha Bates? I like it and I'm waiting for the next chapter. What the hell man?
-Brie, San Francisco CA

Yes, we should have the next installment before the end of the year. I create deadlines for these things but sometimes it just doesn't work out. To be honest I got a little knocked off track due to a short story I got sucked into called Paintings of Empty Rooms. It's not an excuse. I'm still excited and fully involved in Marsha but you got to strike when the iron is hot, feel me?

Do you think Marsha Bates is even relevant now that Michelle Bachman doesn't have a chance in hell of winning the Republican nomination?
Lonnie, San Rafael CA

Lonnie,
Is it still relevant? The Temptation of Marsha Bates is a piece of fiction and Michelle Bachman is a real person. I don't think I really understand the question.

Honestly, I have read less interesting fiction in creative writing work shops in grad school. Is PB peanut butter? This story is a lot of fun to read.
-Mishla

Mishla,
That's very sweet of you to say, thank you. I don't know what PB actually is but the name itself is a tribute to the great English crime novelist PD James. The PD in her name stands for Phyllis Dorothy. She also wrote the book that one of my favorite movies is based on: Children of Men.

I like a lot of you're writing but I think the PB James stories are a little too unbelievable.
Allen, Los Angeles

Allen,
I'm sorry to see that you feel that way. I agree to a certain extent that we kind of stretch the reach of reality with PB James but that's in the tradition of what PB is based on; the thrillers and supernatural adventures of old dime novel pulp. I like to think that while PB gets a little ridiculous at times, we still keep one foot in the real world to keep it interesting. That's really the whole idea behind PB; to do a tribute to old pulp while still keeping it rooted in contemporary times.

A lot of this shit is waaaaaaay too long. You expect me to read that?
-Sheldon, Atlanta GA

Sheldon,
Some pieces are pretty short and some are a little longer. And no, I don't expect you to read it if you think it's too long or you just don't like it. Why would I?

Robert Fong is seriously a misogynist.
Regina, Sebastopol CA

Regina,
One of my friend's mothers actually sent a message saying the same thing. I think it was mostly due to a piece he wrote on the film The Painted Veil (which he liked by the way). Listen, I don't agree with a lot of the things Bob says but he is a friend and he does have an incredibly extensive knowledge of film, International as well as American. Also, when you're reading something on the Internet it's hard to register sarcasm at times.

I truly enjoyed Raised in a Barn. Will Chuck Huffam be writing more content for Dublin' World?
-Dillon Revano, Seattle WA

Dillon,
Yes, we love Chuck too. We are excited to have more of his work featured on this site in the coming year.

Hi, I've been reading Dublin's World since January and really dig it. Way to go! The only problem is that it's not clear who is writing all the stories. Some have people's names and some don't. Do you write most of it, or all of it? Or do other people write a lot of it themselves? Please explain.
-Amy, New York NY

Amy,
Yes.

That will do it this time around. Please note that I had to cut down a lot of people's letters due to space and relevance. I hope no one was offended and I look forward to receiving more of your feedback. Thanks to everyone who wrote and thank you to everyone who has enjoyed Dublin's World in 2011. Happy holidays!