I have always loved the magic of movies and the art form of making films.
Some of my earliest memories are of my family going to the drive-in movies when I was only five years old. My father would set me on the car’s hood on a warm blanket, my back against the windshield with snacks in hand. He would make sure the speakers that hung on the rolled-down windows were turned up loud enough for me to hear them. I would watch in wonder as the movies played out on a screen larger than life against a backdrop of the sky filled with stars. I could look back into the car cab and see my mother and father snuggling close as the film’s story moved them or made my mother tear up. It was magic.
I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to be a film reviewer and interviewer for ICTN in Texas. I had done my college internship there and became friends with the producer for the Aboute Towne show. When the resident film critic, who taught film criticism at SMU, took a year sabbatical, I saw my shot. I asked if I could try to do the film reviews in his absence because the person he had chosen could not handle being on camera. I told the producer I don’t have a degree in criticism, but I have worked on films and shorts as a writer, videographer, and grip. Also, I had done what I called the “Quentin Tarantino” film school. I had done the video store route of learning just like him. I had worked at a Block Buster store while attending college. I took full advantage of the free rentals we could use. I had watched literally hundreds of films while I was there. I had become so well-known locally for my knowledge and taste in foreign and independent films that I could order and stock all the more obscure ones at our store. We had a following of UTA students who were into film and knew we stocked the best films.
So began my thirty-year-plus adventure in reviewing films and interviewing celebrities and filmmakers. This allowed me to be accepted into the Dallas Fort Worth Film Critics Association.
Fast forward to April of 2016. My dear friend and screening partner Gary Murry had already told me about Selig Film News a few years before and how much he loved reviewing there. He was talking to me about possibly contributing to it myself. I had never written my reviews in anything other than a shooting script for the studio so I could tape my segments. He knew that I was always frustrated and felt limited by the five minutes I had to discuss everything about a film that I either loved or hated. Towards the end of the Dallas International Film Festival, we lost Gary. I had been on the red carpet shooting for Doc, and he had wrapped up the interviews he did for Selig. He told me he was going to watch and cover the awards segment. I told him I was heading into a film screening I needed to see, but I would meet up with him afterward. That was the last time I spoke with him. He was killed by a hit-and-run driver crossing the street back to the theater area. I tell you this because he was the reason I am a reviewer and interviewer here at Selig Film News. I knew no one could ever replace Gary; he was one of a kind, and I still miss his twisted, snarky, intelligent humor. But I knew Selig could use the help, so I did my first review for this site in August of that year.
Writing my reviews in this format and for this site has been challenging and joyous. When I started, the learning curve was high; after all, I couldn’t rely on my tone of voice or body language to tell you how I felt about a film. But I have finally found my writing style in this online arena. This format has given me the freedom to dig a bit deeper into aspects of a film that have moved me and why. Ultimately, the job of a film critic or reviewer is to tell you about the project and let you know if they subjectively think it was good or not. And then justify why we feel that way. And for me, my bottom line is this: is it worth you, as the audience, setting aside your precious time and spending your hard-earned money to go see it in a theater or on a streaming device?
I like to think of myself as your nerdy “film friend” who will go and see just about everything and let you know what the “must-see” films are this season. Thank you for the privilege to share my opinions with you all.
Member of:
Dallas Fort Worth Film Critics Association
DFW Writers Workshop
Writers Guild of Texas