Introduction or Me, the Blog, and the Movies

So, a blog, huh?  Why do that?

As a lifelong movie fan, I’ve always enjoyed picking apart films with smart people.  One of my favorite rituals growing up was going to the movies with my brothers.  This would followed by a meal (preferably Tex-Mex or burgers) and a couple hours of goodhearted discussion.  Everything was on the table, so to speak, from the movie's themes, performances, and politics, to the way in which the movie was marketed and the online response to the film.  As time has gone on, these thoughtful, film-centric meals became more rare, so I had to look to the Internet for movie talk.

To put it lightly, online film discussion has left something to be desired.  I found that a lot of the conversation surrounding movies centers on only a few blockbuster titles and often devolves into venemous fan skirmishing.  This kind of negativity was baffling to me.  Why, when we have over one hundred years of good flicks, would we waste so much time on the films that we simply don't like?  I got tired with a culture that seemed to elevate YouTube countdowns of everything wrong with Film X and didn't lift up thoughtful discussion and analysis.  Where was a film fan, someone who actually likes film as a medium and appreciates movies that are older, and weirder, to go?

I joined Letterboxd in 2015 and, despite its flaws, it's been a great resource to help me track my own viewing habits.  One of the site's features is the ability to list four favorite films on one's profile.  Beginning in February 2016, I decided to update these on a monthly basis, for the best first time watches from the previous month.  I've been tracking these at the list here ever since:

https://letterboxd.com/carcinogent/list/monthly-favorites-running-list/

Beginning this year, with my January 2018 favorites, I'm going to start writing up my favorite monthly discoveries, searching for patterns amongst these titles and hopefully highlighting exactly what I find so special about each and every one of them.  As I do this, I’m going to share my personal journey in film.  Look for that first post in the next week or so.

Feel free to follow and comment!  I'm always happy to engage in (respectful) conversation.