It has been a while since I last posted on Berkreviews. I’ve have been writing at disappointment media for a while and helping to manage that site. Bloody Awesome has been going strong, but we have been posting to Matt’s site instead of here. I was thinking it may be time to retire Berkreviews for a while now. However, I think I’ve decide to keep it alive for at least two more years.
I’m currently in the fifth semester of coursework towards my Doctor of Education. I’ll be writing my dissertation in the coming years, and it’ll definitely be taking the bulk of my attention with my actual job. However, I think film is too important to me to not have an outlet like this. It started as an exploration of the art form I love the most and turned into something else. It became a side job that got me into film festivals, free screenings, and the Critics Association of Central Florida. My love of film has only grown and the need for people to appreciate it has also increased.
Thus, if you’ve been wondering where I’ve been that is your answer. My film viewing has shifted dramatically as some weeks I only watch one or two movies. The last three years I’ve seen more than 300 movies a year and I don’t expect to hit that number this time around. However, I’ve seen enough movies that I believe I can return to rewatching films I love. Also, I can revisit ones that I thought I only kind of liked, but now should reevaluate. One such film that qualifies is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
The first time I saw this film was a few years back and I gave it three stars. It was among several horror films that people rank highly that I just didn’t get. While I still don’t think it is my favorite movie, I recently rewatched it. I was inspired to rewatch it because of Screen Drafts recent ranking of the franchise and the video game that is currently free for PS Plus members. I found a lot more enjoyment in the film and an appreciation for the filmmaking that previously didn’t click for me.
Along with this approach, I’ve been slowly working on seeing all of the best picture winners. I’ve still got about 18 left to watch, but I’ve checked some major ones off my gap list already. I think the one that surprised me the most was Amadeus. I’d expected a stuffy period piece, but got a satirical biopic that was quite funny at times. I had not expected fart jokes or Amadeus’s laugh when I started the movie.
Ultimately, I started doing this because of one student in my film class who accidentally (or maybe intentionally) pointed out how unqualified I was to teach film. I had the subconscious mantra of “I don’t know art, but I know what I like” as I could answer almost any question about 90s comedy and action movies, but that was about it. If I didn’t own it on VHS or later DVD, then it didn’t exist to me. That student pushed me to expand my tastes, and I pushed him to start writing his thoughts about film. I’m proud of how far he has gone with it and grateful to now call that student a friend. I’m also not ashamed to have ridden on his coattails in our film criticism journey.
That journey opened my eyes to how important movies had always been to me, but also how important I think cinema is to the world. The sharing of our stories is a tradition that has existed since the dawn of man. In my academic journey, I’m unsurprisingly drawn to qualitative research and specifically the narrative approach. In my opinion, there is no better medium to share a story than the silver screen. Those stories can be slight and simply there to entertain, and while those are often cast aside as such, they still hold cultural weight. Then there are those films that transcend to something so significant and powerful that they can truly change the world.
All of those things and all of the voices and ideas behind them matter. While there are films that lose something to the commercial prospect of them, it shouldn’t be the reason to forget their potential. If you are reading this and have ambitions of making a movie, do it. Don’t wait. Use the tools available to you to craft your story. Share your voice. Hopefully, the messages you promote are positive and seek to improve the world we live in. However, if you’re reading this and don’t want to share a story, then use films as a window that lets you view other worlds. There is no better art form to put yourself in someone else’s perspective. The power of cinema is its ability to meld all the arts into one experience. I have seen so much through the eyes of others thanks to the films that I love. Thus, I’ll keep writing or discussing film in some way here, on podcasts, and wherever other people let me post.
I love movies. Even when I hate them.
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