Hi, My Name Is...

Think of your favorite movie. What about it makes you like it so much?
Now think of your least favorite movie. What makes it so terrible to you?

Those aren’t meant to be trick questions; you can probably answer them easily, even if you have to think for a minute. That's because as consumers, we know what we like. Good movies are good, bad movies are bad. Sometimes if a movie is bad enough, it becomes good again, but that’s about as complicated as things get. Entertainment is subjective, and most people wouldn’t feel a burning desire to rationalize their taste beyond that statement.

I am not most people.

My name is Mike Matthews. I’m an aspiring screenwriter, amateur storyteller, and self-declared movie buff. And if my liberal arts education has taught me anything, it’s that easy answers are a waste of time. That’s why I started this blog: to dig deep and start overthinking some of the greatest (and worst) stories that surround us every day, be they on cinema screens, on television, or on our shelves in the form of… what are the kids using now, Blu-Ray? Is that the official thing? I still go for DVDs most of the time. They’re like $5 now. It’s awesome.

Let me be clear: this is not going to be a blog of movie reviews, at least not in the sense that you’re used to them. It will probably be pretty clear whether or not I like a given movie, but in the context of what I write, acting, directing, or cinematography are not my main concern. I may not even limit myself to one movie per post. I don’t know exactly what I plan on doing with this blog in the long term, but one thing I can guarantee: Story is my business, and it will likewise be my focus. What about this plot, or scene, or moment, works? What about it falls flat? And above all, why? Those are some of the questions I’ll be looking at, and ideally finding some interesting answers to.

Hopefully, as time goes on, I’ll get better at the process and we’ll all learn some neat things together. Or maybe my posts will get increasingly worse as I use up all my good ideas in the first few months. Only time will tell, but if I’m being honest, the smart money is on the latter option. (That was a joke. Please read this blog.)

I’m notorious for my unnecessarily long introductions, so I’m going to force myself to leave it at that and say thanks for clicking this link. Keep coming back, and I’ll do my best to make it worth your while.

Okay.

Thanks.

Bye.

- Mike