I should’ve done this years ago, but better late than never. My film reviews (and some tv), for all to read - or few to read, as it may turn out.
I view myself as half a film student… I hung out with them often at NYU - helping with projects, cribbing knowledge from them whenever I could, watching many of the films that they watched. Out of respect for the debt those folks incurred at Tisch School of the Arts (the one Kevin Smith dropped out of), their superior knowledge, and the hard work done by them, I can’t claim to be a real film student. Regardless, I’ve had a life-long love of film, and had many long, analytical, film discussions years before I went to college.
I often sit back and enjoy a movie for what it is, yet at other times am compelled to analyze the camera work, script, or acting. As a writer, the dialogue, character development, and plotting are key to me. Sometimes my critical ear is switched to “On” and simply can’t be shut off - characters doing something only because the plot requires it, bad ad-libs (at times, you can tell), and naked exposition can add a lot of turbulence to an otherwise decent film. For me, at least. On occasion, this makes enjoying a flick very difficult, but I try to judge a movie by fair standards - approaching Bergman and Bay films differently (if at all).
I should also note now that I’m not particularly biased against any genre. I watch documentaries, comedies, drama, “chick flicks,” action, old and new, foreign and domestic. I may see some types less often (e.g., documentaries, for some reason), but I’m not really prejudiced against them. Some genres, like horror and 80’s movies, hold a special place in my heart - this frequently means that I’m more demanding with them, not less. I like quality movies, and a fondness for horror doesn’t mean that I’m happy every time any horror pic gets released. It just means that I’m extra excited when I see an innovative, intelligent, effective, or well-executed horror film.
Most of these will be DVD reviews as I’m painfully behind on trips to the theater in ‘09… All comments, debates, critique and such are welcome. I hope this is fun for you to read - at the very least, it should provide some food for thought and lead you to a film you didn’t know about before. I do have a guest reviewer lined up, who may chime in from time to time - my old NYU pal, Ray Thornton; others may appear.
I view myself as half a film student… I hung out with them often at NYU - helping with projects, cribbing knowledge from them whenever I could, watching many of the films that they watched. Out of respect for the debt those folks incurred at Tisch School of the Arts (the one Kevin Smith dropped out of), their superior knowledge, and the hard work done by them, I can’t claim to be a real film student. Regardless, I’ve had a life-long love of film, and had many long, analytical, film discussions years before I went to college.
I often sit back and enjoy a movie for what it is, yet at other times am compelled to analyze the camera work, script, or acting. As a writer, the dialogue, character development, and plotting are key to me. Sometimes my critical ear is switched to “On” and simply can’t be shut off - characters doing something only because the plot requires it, bad ad-libs (at times, you can tell), and naked exposition can add a lot of turbulence to an otherwise decent film. For me, at least. On occasion, this makes enjoying a flick very difficult, but I try to judge a movie by fair standards - approaching Bergman and Bay films differently (if at all).
I should also note now that I’m not particularly biased against any genre. I watch documentaries, comedies, drama, “chick flicks,” action, old and new, foreign and domestic. I may see some types less often (e.g., documentaries, for some reason), but I’m not really prejudiced against them. Some genres, like horror and 80’s movies, hold a special place in my heart - this frequently means that I’m more demanding with them, not less. I like quality movies, and a fondness for horror doesn’t mean that I’m happy every time any horror pic gets released. It just means that I’m extra excited when I see an innovative, intelligent, effective, or well-executed horror film.
Most of these will be DVD reviews as I’m painfully behind on trips to the theater in ‘09… All comments, debates, critique and such are welcome. I hope this is fun for you to read - at the very least, it should provide some food for thought and lead you to a film you didn’t know about before. I do have a guest reviewer lined up, who may chime in from time to time - my old NYU pal, Ray Thornton; others may appear.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Chime in!