Hollywood Haikus 2011 – Competition Winners
Bestforfilm.com’s HOLLYWOOD HAIKUS 2011 comp is now closed. We’ve been delighted with all the entries, which have ranged from monochrome classics to sci-fi greats and cult movie gems. To those fine folk who enjoyed the game so much they’ve sent us daily entries – we can’t thank you enough! It’s now time to announce the runners-up (in no particular order), the second prize winner and the final winner, who will receive the prize of a Blu-Ray player from the Best For Film Shop…
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1st PLACE – THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FRAUD IN THE WORLD Winning haiku by Jeanette Amy Trout (aka Mystery Wife of Kevyn Knox) Breathless WELL DONE, JEANETTE! This beautiful haiku encapsulates the plot in tiny, telling details, fulfilling its purpose not only as a film review but as a bijou piece of art. Jeanette’s husband and fellow entrant Kevyn Knox was a dab hand at the haikus himself:
About Kevyn Knox’s blog: The Most Beautiful Fraud in the World consists of the cinematic ramblings of film historian & critic Kevyn Knox, ranging from classic cinema to new releases, as well as links to the myriad of film reviews he has published online and elsewhere. |
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2nd PLACE – CAFTAN WOMAN Charlie Chan on Broadway Caftan Woman’s deft haikus pinpointed the timeless charm of her film subjects. This one made us want to watch a Charlie Chan mystery immediately. Hurrah for cheeky Son Number Two! Initially we weren’t going to have a second place, but the general haiku quality was so high we felt we must. Caftan Woman’s prize: She will be made Film Blog of the Week on Bestforfilm.com. About Patricia Nolan-Hall’s CAFTAN WOMAN blog: “As ‘Caftan Woman’ I have been blogging about life and classic movies for 4 years.” |
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RUNNER-UP – TRUE CLASSICS Psycho Ooh, yeah. Chiller haiku! Nice use of first person plural… About TRUE CLASSICS blog: A classic film blog dedicated to reviewing, analyzing, and celebrating the best films in the history of Hollywood. It is run by Brandie, Carrie, and Nikki, a trio of graduates from Mississippi University for Women (class of 2007). |
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RUNNER-UP – ELLIE GARRATT The War of the Worlds Oh, well done, Ellie! A four syllable word parallel-parked neatly into a haiku? Well done! You did a great job on this sci-fi classic and we’re delighted to highlight you as a runner-up in BEST FOR FILM HOLLYWOOD HAIKUS 2011. About the ELLIE GARRATT blog: Ellie specialises in writing spec fic. She takes the art of writing seriously and when she takes three months off to write her next sci-fi novel her 400+ followers can trace the tips, highlights and distractions along the way. Fascinating sci-fi blog from a writer/reader’s perspective! |
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RUNNER-UP – YOU KILLED THE CAR 2001: A Space Odyssey The cosmic nature of this sci-fi great lends itself perfectly to the haiku art form which oftend deals with beginnings, decay and the passing of time. Thomas Dunn’s entry is as satisfying as an obelisk full of meaning. About Thomas Dunn’s YOU KILLED THE CAR blog: “It’s a film blog that can laugh at itself even as it waxes a little pretentious in the name of strong analysis and appreciation of all cinema.” |
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RUNNER-UP – SANDRA BRANUM Shall We Dance? Ballsy Sandra Branum entered a haiku for nearly every day of the competition – and we loved every one of them. The poignancy of this haiku’s last line stuck with us long after the haiku had been filed away. About the SANDRA BRANUM blog: “I spent years being afraid to write – afraid of rejection; afraid I wasn’t good enough. Then in 1995 I fell and broke my ankle and spent 8 weeks recovering from surgery while lying on my sister’s couch. Trying to deal with the pain and fear caused me to start writing to cope. Flash forward to 2010 and I now feel I’m brave enough to say ‘What the hell’ and write. Come along as we ponder life, fear, death, spirituality and whatever else ‘moves me’. ” |
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RUNNER-UP – SHIRLEY ELMOKADEM’S BLOG The Searchers (starring John Wayne) The haiku captures the close, heavy feel of a good strong movie; it’s got true grit. About SHIRLEY ELMOKADEM’S BLOG: Are we all in agreement that John Wayne was one of the most iconic actors of all time? Yes? Good. Shirley’s blog is dedicated to his life. As well as being a huge John Wayne fan, Shirley is an author of books for children and YA. She has just published her book ‘Body Trapped’ for YA on Kindle and Smashwords. |
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RUNNER-UP – VIA 51 From Here to Eternity A lovely, comedic take on the iconic smooch scene! About Clara Fercovic’s VIA 51 blog: Classic movies: reviews, lists, book reviews, old music and more. Clara was another particularly wonderful entrant who sent us haikus nearly every day. They were all so great; it was very hard to choose. |
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RUNNER-UP – MY DAY MONDAY Dragonheart A haiku filled with RADA nobility and mythical derring-do. We particularly liked how Cynthia Baculi-Condez brought an added dimension of rhymes to her entries. Nice job. About Cynthia Baculi-Condez’s MY DAY MONDAY blog: “Old songs, old books, old movies. I like them… they make me feel young.” |
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RUNNER-UP – SUSPEND YOUR DISBELIEF Aliens Again with the subtle rhyming. This punchy haiku has as much chutzpah as the film itself. You can smell the cordite and laser burns in the air. About Emma Hutchings’ SUSPEND YOUR DISBELIEF blog: A movie blog with film reviews, features, articles, and general musings on the world of cinema. Created by Film Studies graduate, freelance writer and movie reviewer Emma Hutchings, it also acts as a central hub for her writing as she contributes to a number of different sites across the web. |
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RUNNER-UP – OVER FORTY SHADES Source Code Hot damn, this is good. One of the best films of the year; one of the best haikus of the bunch. We salute you, lady. About Juliet Wilson’s OVER FORTY SHADES blog: Over Forty Shades is Crafty Green Poet’s other blog, a shapeshifting mix of poetry, photos and reviews. Not strictly a film blog, but from the quality of the haiku, you can see the Crafty Green Poet does dem words as good as dem pictures. |
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RUNNER-UP – FLICK CHICK Some Like It Hot ‘On the lam’ is such a great phrase. In Jazz Age speak, it’s jake! ‘Testosterone in falsies’ was a seven syllable gem, too; well done to Flick Chick – one of our lovely multiple entrants, and a sparkling haiku talent! About Marsha Collock’s FLICK CHICK blog: A film site designed for all of the wonderful people out there in the dark and dedicated to the unabashed passion for silents, early talkies, all stars and all films. |
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RUNNER-UP – THE WORDY WENCH Citizen Kane Our second Citizen Kane entry. You can trust the awesome Wordy Wench to hit the nail on the head – Film Noir is delish, isn’t it? True to her name, the Wench has a pithy style. She cuts words like a surgeon and makes us laugh at the same time. We love her a big, big lot. About Ashleigh Condon’s WORDY WENCH blog: “Where I vent about the trials and tribulations of being a novice writer.” The Wench is a DVD reviewer for Video Vista and Zone-SF. She is a film and literature buff, with a keen interest in horror. Her hobbies include writing, cartooning, books, films, and being a bodacious bitch. Our kind of awesome. |
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RUNNER-UP – SCRIBBLE AND EDIT Chocolat We loved the wordplay on this one: as rich as the themes and cinematography of the film itself. A luscious little treat. About Madeleine Maddocks’s SCRIBBLE AND EDIT blog: An aspiring published writer, Madeleine’s blog features haikus, poems, prose, excerpts and blogfest entries. With many followers to her name, Madeleine is a warm and talented member of a large online writing community. Hurrah! |
So there you have it – that’s Hollywood Haikus done and dusted for another year.
To all the wonderful folk whose entries didn’t get featured this time: We’re sorry. You guys were great! We’re thinking of collating all the entries into a series of posters and framing them on the office walls.
We hope you’ll continue to follow Bestforfilm.com on your blogs so you can keep an eye on our future blogfests and writing comps (don’t forget, we have Daily DVD Competitions too!)
Keep in touch, all – don’t be a stranger. And huge thanks again to all who entered!
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