have never written a column before. You could say I am losing my column virginity and make some "American Pie" (1999) joke involving the forgotten career of Jason Biggs and a warm apple dessert, but I think it is best if we leave that to the sex columnists. For nine years — dating back to middle school — I have been involved in scholastic journalism. Now, with eight months left in my college career, I get to write in the first-person and have a goofy portrait of myself accompanying the text each week. For that, I am grateful.
In the coming weeks, this column will focus on the independent film industry. I'll report on low-budget movies and underpaid actors. I'll let you know about the best art-house movie theaters in the Boston area. I may even decide to reveal my justifiable man-crush on indie stud Ryan Gosling in greater detail. We can leave the droll day-to-day of mainstream Hollywood off to the side. Here, the objectives are to inform, advise and, above all else, tell a good story.
I have reviewed nearly 20 films since coming to Tufts, encompassing the good — "Slumdog Millionaire" (2008); the bad — "Fast & Furious" (2009); and the very ugly — "Motherhood" (2009). As a lanky freshman, I interviewed director Danny Boyle a few months before he won Best Director at the Oscars. A year later, I interviewed a congested — and equally as lanky — Uma Thurman. I studied abroad in London last semester, became a staff writer for CriticsNotebook.com and have since had three of my film reviews posted under the "Critics" link on IMDB. I trust my voice, and I hope you will too.
And now for the rest of the semester, I get to engage in a cinematic dialogue with you, writer to reader. I've chosen to examine only independent films and not the mainstream movie business because indies tell better stories. Many Hollywood films are heartless formulas with poor character and plot development. There are certainly exceptions to that rule, but then there's Michael Bay.
In closing, I write about movies because I love them. I even love the bad ones. I try to turn every movie I watch into a learning experience. Life is full of BS, and for me, the best way to clear my mind is to relax in front of a giant screen and watch a movie. We all have to drag through lectures and readings and tests. When we are older, many of us will work long hours at stressful jobs and sit at undersized desks. We will have kids who complain. Years later, we will have parents calling us up to talk about their never-ending list of prescriptions.
Life only gets harder. But for two hours, when the lights are off and a good movie is on the screen, our imaginations can run wild.
I was 16 the first time a movie truly took hold of me. I went to see Michael Mann's film version of "Miami Vice" (2006) with four friends. We sat in the top row of the theater, and I remember having this weird epiphany: All of the images, cuts, sounds and music made sense. I didn't have to stop and think about them as separate elements. That is the power a great film can have on a viewer. My job is to convey that passion of cinema to you.
Quentin Tarantino once said, "The good ideas will survive." With my column, maybe I can help their survival.
