What It Is

A few years ago, I had a startling realisation. I'm one of those people who, when filling out the "About Me" sections of CVs, dating sites and arrest reports, always cites "cinema" as one of my interests. And yet, as I stood pondering in February 2008, I couldn't think of a film I'd seen in the cinema in nearly two years. Clearly, this would not do.

I examined the reasons why I hadn't, and they were the usual. Too busy. Nobody to go with. Promising to see films with people who can't get their act together. Just too much hassle to go there. And with these reasons in mind, I constructed my manifesto.

1. Aim to go to the cinema at least once a week, if anything worth seeing is on.
I decided to leave myself a get-out clause early there. I didn't want to set myself some kind of Dave-Gormanesque challenge, the point of this was to see more good films. Hence, in a week when the best thing on is Space Chimps, you don't have to go.
2. It's OK To Go Alone.
Cinema's actually a very personal experience. However many people you go with, ideally, you will sit with them in a darkened room, in silence, for two hours. Obviously, someone to discuss a film with afterward is nice to have, but ultimately, this is a pursuit you always do alone.
3. No Reservations.
Don't let people say "Oh, will you see (this film) with me?" thus locking you in to seeing it when their schedule allows, if at all. I've still not seen Donnie Darko, and this why. Tell people you're seeing the film this week, and that they're welcome to join you. If they can't commit to a time this week, tough.
4. Never Too Busy For Cinema.
Your artistic and cultural life is important, and cinema is one of the easiest and best ways of fulfilling that need. Be too busy for something else instead. Follow points 2 and 3, and this ought to take care of itself anyway.
5. Can't Be Bothered Isn't A Good Enough Excuse.
If the only reason you aren't going is that it seems like a lot of effort, and you'd rather crash on the couch, you have to go. (Exception: If you're genuinely so tired that you think you might actually fall asleep, don't go. Nobody likes a snorer.)

So, there I was, with a new hobby. And like good obsessive, I felt that I'd like to document the experience. Now, I could have written a personal diary, but I'm not the kind to talk to myself. Actually, I am the kind to talk to myself, but when I do, it's in the form of rehearsing dialogue I'd say to someone later. So, a series of reviews seemed like the way to go. On Monochrome, there's a film section, with a review file/thread, and I thought I may as well drop my reviews in there, thus fulfilling my need for an audience, but making that audience really limited.

Since then, I've been pretty religious about the whole film-going thing, and while I may not have seen fifty two movies a year, I've certainly seen more than forty on average, which is a status quo I'm happy with. Several people have asked me why I don't publish the reviews in a blog, and the answer is "no reason at all, really." So, with Monochrome increasingly like publishing my thoughts via Mr Samuel Morse's Astonishing Elecktrial Telegraph, I thought I'd say hang it all, and take a leap into the late 20th century by emblogening them.