Thoughts on Movie Reviews

By Alan Huizenga, September 8, 2019

One phenomenon I find more common these days is that the films I enjoy, the critics do not. When it comes to the Oscars, very few of the commercially successful movies ever receive Best Picture Awards. I cannot count how many times I have watched an Academy Awards winner and been thoroughly disappointed with the experience. One of the primary purposes of this blog is to discuss films from an everyday person’s point of view. If possible, I also hope to generate some dialogue about the impact of storytelling in our culture today.  

The focus at Screen Ravings is to provide readers with simple recommendations on films, new and old, that will make your movie night a success. With so many films to choose from, I find it helpful to find reviews from trusted sources that can save me time and effort. I have referenced Entertainment Weekly, Hollywood Reporter, and Movieguide.org. They are excellent sources for movie information, but each provides a different and useful perspective.

My perspective on reviews will be a mix of many views as well—and possibly ones that conflict with each other. I must confess there are films that I enjoy that contain elements that conflict with my conservative or Christian values. For now, we will consider them guilty pleasures! As a matter of full disclosure, I hope to follow the leads of successful critics in generating my film reviews. The New York Film Academy published several guidelines that I found to be helpful. These include watching the film (multiple times if possible), strongly expressing opinions, supporting your criticism, rewriting and rewriting, and discussing film craft (New York Film Academy, 2017). Most importantly, I promise to avoid spoilers. If a spoiler becomes necessarily in my review, I will give you ample warning!

In my role as a media professional in the publishing industry, I have discovered the power of influencers to get the word out, and to provide additional exposure for our products. A rising phenomenon in social media is the development of the “micro-influencer”—bloggers who speak to niche audiences and are deeply connected to them. Barrett Wissman of Forbes magazine noted that “Micro-influencers often have very high engagement with their fan-bases and are often overlooked by brands in the social media campaigns they are pursuing” (Wissman, B., 2018). So, I am encouraged that you do not have to have a large following to have influence!

I do not anticipate this blog rising to the level of micro-influencer as current size definitions stand. I do hope that some of these musings will help you, and provide some guidance as you seek to find movies that are edifying, life-challenging, and also enjoyable to watch. But, I would also encourage you to offer your comments as well! One of the benefits of social media efforts (such as this blog) is to start conversations.  I hope to hear your comments, soon!