Sunday, 22 July 2012
FilmLand Empire: Refocused
Hello, dear readers! When I started this blog a year and a half ago, I certainly did not expect to last that long, since I am the kind of person who gives up everything I start so I am very pleased with the way it has been going. With the summer being traditionally a slower time for film news (well for independent cinema anyway, not blockbusters!), and having recently done the top 20 film challenge listing my favourite films, I have given my blog some thoughts decided to tighten up its focus.
When I started, I was quite happy to write about just anything. My view of cinema is completely snobbery free, and I can enjoy anything from a blockbuster to an obscure, experimental film, so I wanted to reflect that. Having said that, I have decided to make this blog even more personal, and to concentrate on arthouse, experimental, independent cinema, the weird, the bizarre... as well as horror films. I will also try to cover even more film festivals, whose atmosphere I love.
In a way, it is almost manichean to separate arthouse from blockbusters. I have seen some independent "quirky" films that are as formulaic and annoying as anything churned out by Michael Bay. And some blockbusters can completely transcend their reason of being as a purely money making exercise.
But I simply does not see the point of rehashing film news that are published in any other film sites, I do not have the time to do so and I would be bringing very little to the mix. Other sites with more resources and time can do this very well. I will still publish some film news, but only if it really matters to me and I feel I can bring a different angle to them.
I have to admit, I have been slightly worn out by a certain kind of fanboy hysteria, which this year seems to have reached a whole new level, so quite happy to stay out the maelstrom of speculation and endless arguing. I shall also try to break from the love/hate cycle which is so prevalent nowadays.
Similarly, I will be less concerned about only reviewing new films. I have never had the time to review everything I see at the cinema anyway so I shall only publish reviews from new releases I feel I have something relevant and different to write about. I do get invited to a few press screenings now and then, by small film companies, so I am happy to carry on doing this but I love unearthing lesser known treasures from the past, and having received some great feedback about my top 20, it seems like the right way to do it. I shall be writing about anything that grabs my attention, old or new, within the criteria I have defined above. There will still be plenty of variety, as reflected as my list of favourite films, in which I threw in together Eric Rohmer, David Cronenberg, Bruce LaBruce and Sister Act.
I might as well try to do something that other sites do not do, and bring an even more personal voice to this blog. As such, the world can probably go without my review of The Dark Knight Rises. Instead, I shall publish a review of an old video nasty, The Witch Who Came From The Sea, which I described on Twitter as the Easy-listening of brutal male castration. And I am pretty sure you would rather read the latter. I hope you will appreciate my new direction and feel free to leave some comments below.
Movie nut, born in France, living in London, holding the enviable title of the only person ever to have been suspended from school for skipping class to attend the Cannes Film Festival...
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