On blogging...

It’s all Steven Spielberg’s fault. Everything else looks alright, the system is working. Until now. Except for that damn Jurassic Park 3.

My Spielberg problem highlighted above as you may have worked out was related to the organisation of my DVD collection. You see I don’t want to simply go alphabetical, as I have some series of films or groups by the same director that seem to go well together. For example all the Pixar films or Studio Ghibli films belong together, they may have different directors but they shouldn't be scattered throughout the shelves. So I put all the Spielberg films together, except in doing so I separated the Jurassic Park films, leaving number 3 in the J’s on its own. Gah, and it was all going so well.

You see blogs are personal things, even when what you write about isn’t. Some will identify with my DVD dilemma, others, probably quite rightly, will think me rather odd. The focus within blogs on opinion and instant reaction lends itself to the format perfectly, but in doing so you assume, I think, a certain amount of narcissism. To think that what you think about something matters. But I love reading peoples opinions or reactions to things. Or even just finding people engaging about the things I too am interested in. A moment of shared opinion and agreement with something written thousands of miles away by someone you have never met is always thrilling, and I find it fascinating and rewarding that the personal reaction I can have to certain things, be they films, games or even world events, are not unique and that others can share my feelings unknowingly. I guess what I’ve been wrestling with this year in this site is the notion that it’s okay to put my opinion out there, and to do so without expectation or ego.

So with a new year comes another start. Rather than reviews as have come before on the site I will instead offer my thoughts on a variety of topics that interest me, including the films I watch. I do so not because I believe I am more qualified or knowledgeable on these subjects than anyone else, nor because I believe my words deserve to be read and judged, but because I believe one of the best outcomes of entertainment in all its forms is that it promotes discussion and opinion. So often our culture is what unites and divides us, and even defines us in some respects. It’s not all going to be serious, but I hope that I can at least prompt a reaction or an interest in at least some of the things I cover. If not I can only apologise in advance.

Now to get back to my DVDs, I think I was just sorting James Cameron…

First up, Aliens.

Damn it.