An Introduction

Welcome to my blog. Before you read my film musings, you should know something important. I don’t have a terribly strong background in film.This is important for you to know. It establishes the kind of writing that you’ll get out of this blog (though I admit that there does exist the chance that such an introduction will create an unfavorable perception of my relative knowledge of film), and it allows me a springboard from which to leap into an impassioned paragraph about why, despite my lack of polish and training, I am so compelled to write about the movies that I watch.

The answer is simple: Passion. I love movies. I have been not a film buff, but certainly a film enthusiast, since high school, where I discovered that a film could be more than just a cheap way to kill a couple of hours; a film could teach and inspire, it could serve as a record of bygone times. I learned that films had the power to move their audiences, rather than simply get them to plant themselves in an uncomfortable chair in a crowded and dingy theater. And of course, I never forgot that a film can simply exist to thrill and to excite (and I say this to reassure those of you who think this is a blog that will turn its nose up at a truly awesome car chase or explosion; this is hardly the case). My college years at my alma mater, Goucher College, further formed me into a devotee of the cinema, however unrefined and roughshod my skills and knowledge as a “critic” were. To this day, I devour films both classic and contemporary whenever I can, and I strive to consume essays and books and more containing information about the technique behind film, and the history that brought about those techniques. A great critic once intoned that to write about film, to write about anything, you must truly and honestly love it, and while I may lack the formal background a true cineaste can boast about, I make up for it with a raw and unrestrained and unabashed veneration of all things cinematic.

This is a blog about one person’s joy for the cinema, from the movies that we see in theaters to the goings-on that shape those movies and bring them to life. It’s about trying to understand what makes one film work, and one film fail, and why those distinctions are important. It’s about learning the value to all film, from the high concept drama to the low-brow genre movie. And most importantly, this blog is about passing on that knowledge, joy, and ardor to you. Please enjoy.
~Andrew C. (agracru@gmail.com)

PS: Please keep in mind that, unless specifically noted, all content on this site is copyrighted by the author.