No Better Time Than the...Whoops

So, here we are.

Looks different ’round the old place, doesn’t it? Something had to change; three posts in two years isn’t exactly buzzing the ether. Blogging just isn’t my well-used bag, unfortunately. I’ve never kept a diary, and any writing journal I managed to maintain served more as a testing ground for story figments, fragments, and remnants. Although I am a windbag of the Uilleann pipes variety, I need an audience to engage, and a message board is a far better place for that crime than a blog. Combine all that with knack for privacy, and you have a tailor-made digital cubicle for cobwebs. A decision about the Parking Lot needed to be made.

Thus, welcome to my movie blog. Sad, I know.

In light of last year’s post, the switch to film flam commentary and reviews may seem odd. But I realized something about myself: I can talk about anything, but I love talking movies the most. Heck, my last two entries were movie-related. When you love something, the work of writing transforms to joy, and that includes reviewing. Too many critics believe in their title too much; instead of watching a film for pleasure and simply conveying to readers what worked and didn’t work, they enter darkened theaters with dread, their critical mind firing on all cylinders before the first trailer rolls. Which probably is why critics get paid for their work--for them, there’s no fun to be had anymore.

Well, I’m having fun now. Since my “revelation” last year, I cut back the Netflix subscription and watched whatever smacked my fancy. Movies hiding at the bottom of my cedar chest found their way out of the dust to my DVD player. Big Trouble in Little China, Rock and Rule, Mannequin, Still Breathing, The Shawshank Redemption, Equilibrium, Sherlock Jr., The Thin Man, Bubba Ho-Tep, Murder by Decree—all movies that, in their own unique madness, managed to fix a smile on my face. I can recognize their faults, but I also can recognize why, for me, those faults simply make the movie more endearing and immediate. Perfect imperfection, the blessing of the indie and B-movie.

I love movies, especially little ones that ambush you from the commercial fringe. I want you to know about them, and I want you know why those strange flickering images are so important. So, I’m trying again, for the joy of it. Besides, a beautiful woman talked me back into it, and I’m a sucker for beautiful women. Especially ones with cattle prods.

Anyone got any Bactine?