By Oscar O’Sullivan

If you’re reading this right now, it’s probably because I told you to, in which case good job, you’re off the hook. In any case, it’s probably good form for me to lay down the law, as it were. So what can we all expect from this blog?

I love to watch movies. More than that, I love to talk about movies. I already do this extensively on Letterboxd (hint hint), but as great as Letterboxd is for jotting down thoughts and keeping track of movies, I’ve been wanting to write more long-form opinions, really stretch that film degree. This blog, then, is the place for that.

I’ve got a few ideas already about the sort of content I want to create on here. Once a week I’d like to do a summary of my film watching, to share and compare thoughts I’ve had on the films I watch. By treating my Letterboxd as a place for quick thoughts, I hope to dig in deeper with opinions here, and I think a weekly schedule would give a good overview of my watching, with perhaps monthly a monthly “best-of” to finalise some thoughts. Beyond sharing my own opinions, I also aim to give guidance and recommendations to other people. I think anyone can seriously get into film with minimal effort, and a little structure. My writing style favours simple, understandable language, and I’m able to explain any theory or background required to make my points.

Another type of post you could expect to see here is Director or Actor Showcases, where I make the case for a particular filmmaker or performer by briefly highlighting four or five movies that represent their body of work, as well as where to watch them. Reviews of new releases are a given, as even if I don’t watch every new film, I try to catch most major releases. I could also see myself writing random opinion pieces on film-related topics, such as awards, upcoming films, and maybe even diverging into television or video games once in a blue moon.

You might be wondering what qualifies me to criticise or recommend movies. Aside from my degree in film studies, I’ve watched nearly 1500 different films and counting across all genres, I read and view film criticism extensively, am currently studying journalism, and have worked with film festivals and in independent film production. Whatever kinds of film you enjoy, I’ll probably be covering them, and I think every film is worth serious discussion.

Let me be clear, my intention here is not to convince you that my taste is correct or superior. That’s self-evident. My aim is to help you explore your own taste, to show some of the different ways you can think about film of any style or genre, high art or blockbuster slop, fluffy rom-com or harrowing thriller, it’s all equal and worthy of being approached with respect.

So if you’re interested in some film discussion, intro to basic theories and some laughs, watch this space. Watching movies is basically all I do, so you can bet I won’t ever be short on content. Unless I get lazy and stop posting. That won’t happen though, honest.