Title Sequence

I hate being a copy cat, but I started reading my brother's blog and couldn't help but start my own. I've been meaning to try this for some time and just haven't quite gotten around to it. So thanks, brother, for the inspiration!

To begin, let me say that I love movies... I love them so much that I thought it would be interesting to study them. I'm currently working toward a master's so I can write about film professionally. Most likely, I plan to get a doctorate in cultural studies or film so that I can teach and research and actually get paid for it. From time to time, I flirt with the idea of becoming a journalist so I can review films for the layperson--after all, I am very opinionated and have no problem butchering the worst of films or singing the praises of the best of them.

Not surprisingly, my peers in my graduate program have the same passion for films that I do. More shocking was the fact that I had a lot of catching up to do--there are hundreds of classic films I've never seen before, leaving me feeling a bit behind my buddies. Luckily, they understand my plight and lend me their DVDs, suggestions, and ears.

Still, I feel that the written word is my best tool for documenting these reactions. Thus, I want to use this blog to track my own filmic journey. While I might blurt out academic jargon from time to time, I plan on using the blog more informally to discuss what I enjoy about films, how movies function for me emotionally and politically, and how others puzzle or infuriate me. Thus, the title of this blog, "Shot/Reverse Shot," refers to the reflective nature of these posts.

To give readers a brief idea of my tastes, here are in broad strokes are of my film interests: queer cinema (Gregg Araki, Todd Haynes, Gus Van Sant, Kimberly Peirce), horror films (slasher films, revenge, sci-fi hybrids, female-dominated horror), independent auteurs (see queer list, plus Paul Thomas-Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Sofia Coppola, etc.), French language cinema (Catherine Breillat, Claude Chabrol, Michael Haneke, Georges Franju), classics, coming-of-age stories, documentaries, action films (James Cameron style).

Of course, I may use this space to discuss other related media--music, visual art, television, performance--and general grievances with the world as it is. Should you stumble upon this blog and have a reaction to express, feel free to post away. Hopefully, my opinions will prompt some fruitful discussions, rather than functioning as a series of monologues.