Seven Years and 300 Movies Later…
Growing up, I felt hopelessly left out whenever conversations steered towards the cinema. Throughout my childhood I had only seen Disney fantasy movies, smash-hit family films, and whatever my parents had rented at Blockbuster earlier that day. After being consistently told that I “needed to see [x]” or that I “have to watch [y] asap”, I finally decided in the Spring of 2013 to confront this gargantuan task of familiarizing myself with the most notable films released with the goal of squeezing at least two movies per week into my free time. After coming home from crew practice one night, I pulled out a notecard and began what was only meant to be a bucket list. I chose to give each movie a number rating instead of crossing its name out after watching, not just to have the satisfaction of checking off a movie as “watched” but also to remind myself of how I felt about it in comparison to other movies.
Before Spring ended, I managed to complete the original list but had already begun adding more names to it, pulling movies from online “Great” lists and probing friends for more movie recommendations. From there, what started as a simple project became an enjoyable hobby. The objectives and methods to my reviewing changed over time; I settled on a rating scale out of 4 in accordance with the great Roger Ebert’s system, started recording each movie rating online, and then applied commentary both retroactively to movies I’ve seen and progressively as I watched more. Slowly, my career as an amateur film critic developed into a significant part of my identity. I’ve discussed my interest with strangers, provided it as a personal fun fact during professional interviews, and even used it as the subject of my Common Application essay for colleges.
Seven years later and after watching my 300th movie Quantum of Solace, a film that I found a forgettable member of the Bond Catalog, I can’t say that I stuck closely to the regiment of two movies per week nor that I thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. But with every movie I watch, I always remember to record my thoughts and research the film’s background before finally typing out a solid though often far too concise analysis containing my strongest thoughts and critiques. Thanks to COVID-19, quarantine has certainly helped me in my catch-up race. Thanks to streaming, I have a never-ending supply of movies at my disposal. As I reminisce on my amateur side job, I realize now that I had never explicitly answered how long I plan to keep this gig up nor acknowledged its worth. The answer to the first question is easy; I will continue to critique as long as I have eyes and a brain to digest every movie I see. The answer to the second however is not so simple. The role is certainly important to me given that I continue the practice and publicize it to others. At the same time, it isn’t among the first few things that come to mind when I take an existential look at myself. How much does being an amateur film critic matter to me?
Looking at the reviews that I compiled, I’ve come to the understanding that an exact measurement of my side-career’s significance isn’t necessary to calculate. It’s sometimes a hobby and other times a passion, and I’m comfortable letting it vary between the two because no matter what short-term opinion I may have, I recognize that it has been both a positive experience and a fun journey. No matter the size, reviewing films will always be a significant piece of what gives me my identity, what makes me Micky.