This month marks 10 years I have been writing reviews on this blog. It has been an amazing experience. It all started with a simple idea. I wanted to introduce people to classic movies.
It started when I was a college student at Columbia College of Chicago. At Columbia I studied journalism and film and noticed my fellow classmates in my film classes didn't know much about the history of cinema. Now, I know that may make me sound like an arrogant, obnoxious SOB, who am I to make such a statement about my classmates, but I was bothered by it. How could these students claim to love movies, go to college to study it and not know about the classics? It wasn't that they hadn't seen the classics, they hadn't even heard of them!
I grew up watching movies with my grandparents and my grandmother in particular. She grew up in the 1920s and remembered, with great fondness, the movies of the 1930s & 40s. I would sit and watch movies of the era with her. She would tell me all the Hollywood gossip of various stars as we sat and watched movies. That was my introduction to the classics. By the time I was old enough to go to school I knew all the great stars from Hollywood's past.
With that knowledge in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to create a blog and discuss these movies. I believed if my fellow students would watch these movies they would enjoy them. It was my understanding they weren't necessarily against watching these movies (though some were) they just didn't have someone in their life that could introduce them to these movies. I wanted to fill in that gap.
That was the original intention of this blog. I envisioned my typical reader as a young college student that truly wanted to learn about the classics. My goal was to introduce at least one person to a movie they never heard of. If I could do that, this blog would be a success.
Over the ten year period writing this blog I did hear from people who told me I introduced them to movies. I've had people thank me. And, to be fair, I've had my share of hate mail. I'm just a stuck up, old-fashion four letter word that is stuck in the past. Not to mention, I have terrible taste in movies. I've always heard, why would someone want to write about "old movies". What's the point? Movies are a part of our culture. There is value in movies. Movies even have some wisdom and can teach us about our society and other cultures. Cinema has a rich history. Plus, if you truly love movies, you should want to watch everything. Don't categorize movies as "old" or "new" but instead "good" or "bad". Watching the classics will give you a deeper understanding of the movies of today. Just as history repeats itself so do movies. A lot of what you see today in movies has already been done. Knowing that will give you a deeper appreciation of movies. That is why it is important to write about classic movies and to keep them fresh in our minds.
But this blog has also served other purposes. Because of this blog I have been able to find work writing for various publications. A big thrill for me was being published in a Hungarian newspaper (I'm Hungarian if you didn't know). Because of this blog I attended my first press screening, interviewed directors and producers, was quoted in a movie trailer and met some interesting people.
In the course of ten years I have tried my best to write about the diverse history of cinema. I have written about silent movies and international movies across all genres. I have even written about modern movies that I felt deserve more attention. I don't write about every movie I've ever seen. I am selective. What can I say about a movie that hasn't already been said? Why is it important someone know about this movie? If I can't answer those questions, I won't review it. So far I have written nearly 1,000 post as a result.
After ten years I sincerely want to thank those that have read my reviews. Your support has kept me going. Here's to ten more years!
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