Celebrating 10 Years of Jeremy The Critic

Well, it's time. Ten years ago today, June 1st, 2006, I posted my first review(s) and it's kind of hard to believe this has been going on so long, especially considering when it began I hadn't written in a while and there were no ambitions beyond sharing some brief thoughts on a couple of movies I've seen. While it started in a far different place than it's ended up and some periods (like recently) have been leaner than others, I always tried to make it a point to never go a month without at least posting SOMETHING. With all the film and television in our culture, there's always something to say or comment on, even as outside commitments may have prevented more often than I've liked. Coming to terms with that and realizing it's sometimes okay to just only seek out what I'd likely enjoy watching and writing about has been a gradual process, but well worth it.

That dreaded word "critic" has long held a negative connotation, but it doesn't need to. It's possible to pick apart a piece of art, examining its strengths and weaknesses, while still opening the floor for intelligent debate and discussion. If even one of my reviews did that for a casual or frequent readers of this site (to both of whom I'm incredibly grateful), it was a success. It's always far harder to bash something, even with only partial knowledge of all the hard work put in by those in the film industry and the difficulty involved in just getting a film made. No one sets out to make a bad one. Unfortunately, "Jeremy The Analyst" just doesn't have the same ring to it.  But enough about me. Let's talk about why we're really here. To celebrate the movies.

A lot has changed over the past decade, to the point that movies aren't even really watched the same way anymore. Unprecedented access has in some way made them easier to review, but the endless outlets from which they're available has also made the process far more difficult. What hasn't changed is the fact that the passage of such time is necessary to truly judge a film's worth. Realizing I may have simply "outgrown" a movie (or sometimes even an entire genre) I loved years earlier must be one of the worst, weirdest feelings I've had doing this, but one that's just as quickly replaced by the unexpected staying power of another primed to take its spot.

It's with these thoughts in mind that I announce an upcoming SERIES OF SPECIAL TOP 10 LISTS posted throughout the remainder of the year celebrating this decade milestone. While the details will gradually be revealed, each one of them will very much incorporate the films I've reviewed throughout the past ten years, and maybe even some I haven't. Everyone seems to love Top 10's and my guilt over posting so few of them over the years has finally gotten the best of me. The regular reviews will continue, just with some surprises thrown in for good measure. I figured that's the best way to do this. So keep an eye out.  And, as always, thanks for reading.