Becoming a Film Addict: Part 2

The previous 'Becoming a Film Addict' seemed to go down well and, looking back on it, the article seemed a little perfunctory.  I have thought about it some more and this is an expansion on Part 1.

This addiction to film and DVDs led me, following a region hack check, to DVD Reviewer (where I lurked for a couple of years before joining) and others who shared my passion, talking about films I hadn't seen (yet) and invariably leading to an increase in my DVD collection. This also created a need to talk about the films I'd seen, if not with 'real people', then with online acquaintances who were happy to chat.

One of the threads that drew me in was the 'Personal Viewing Log' where, every week, several of us would list the films we'd watched and say what we thought in a mini review. Eventually this was rebranded as 'What I Watched This Week' which I did religiously. As much as I enjoyed writing the piece, a lack of feedback and the possibility that no-one was actually reading the thread was disheartening. Obviously it had more readers than I thought and when a vacancy came up to join the official review team, I was encouraged to apply due to the mini reviews I'd been writing in the threads - I don't know why I hadn't considered applying sooner.

A couple of years ago I had the idea of studying film at university, as much for expanding my horizons as to come out at the end with a bit of paper to say that I know what I am talking about when I review a film! As a casual watcher and film reviewer, I had only considered the medium as entertainment but, for the two years of my degree (a part time MA in International Film), I read about and analysed film in a way that I had never previously imagined and, coming from a politics background (with a BSc in Social Sciences and an MA in International Studies), this proved to be a massive challenge as I was on a course with people whose academic background was in film. As well as being eye opening and introducing me to new concepts, filmmakers and ways of reading film, it was a lot of fun even if timetables didn't always fit my availability and therefore led to me taking a second year module in The Hollywood Musical!

Whilst all this was going on, I continued as a reviewer at DVD Reviewer and the newly created sister site MyReviewer, an avocation I started in June 2006 and where I have written over 650 reviews so far. This has become another compulsion in which I feel the need to write about things I watch and it's only because of time and logistical constraints that I don't do more. It is now the case that I watch more films for review purposes than those I own, rent or record from TV. My life now revolves around film and my waking hours are spent watching films, writing reviews, going to the cinema, buying films and talking about films on message boards or even with 'real' people! I spend my evenings watching films and reading and my mornings planning reviews, cinema visits and my evenings viewing list, so every waking moment is just about devoted to film. As an illustration, in the first three months of 2010, I have watched 176 films (plus over 20 with a commentary track)!

It's come to the state where I'll recognise a piece of music but, as I don't listen to music on the radio or watch TV, will spend hours racking my brains until I figure out on which film's soundtrack it features. To make matters worse (or better depending on your point of view) most of the books I read are film related, either textbooks, film guides (such as Profondo Argento, Nightmare Movies and Horror: The Definitive Guide to the Cinema of Fear) or fiction that has been (or is likely to be) adapted into a film. I also subscribe to Sight & Sound and Fangoria, the gorehound's bible, which together cover both the highbrow and arthouse releases to the gory horror output that I enjoy so much.

One of the hazards of this addiction is the 'double dip', not the etiquette about a chip and dip that featured so brilliantly in Seinfeld, nor the sherbet confectionary but the multiple purchases of the same title either from one format to another (VHS to DVD or DVD to BD) or the compulsion to buy the same film again because it has been released with better AV quality or a never before seen extra feature. Was I satisfied with one copy of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre? Of course not and now I own four copies on DVD and another on Blu-ray. The same goes for many other films including Gladiator, Blade Runner and Dawn of the Dead. The Exorcist will follow when that receives its high definition debut later this year. For some titles I triple, quadruple and quintuple dip! Then there are the posters, T-shirts, figurines and so on.

I would love to be in a position to go to film festivals, such Frightfest, and spend a week watching myriad films but, sadly, my physical condition makes this an impossibility. I can't see a future where I don't check the cinema listings and want to go at least once, whether to see something massively hyped or going with the lowest expectations, or spending my evenings watching and reading about film.

I imagine in many of these aspects I am not alone!

Your Opinions and Comments

10 / 10
I remember when I started that 'Personal Vieiwing log' that yourself (aka Wossname?) and another horror fan whose moniker I forget were the most regular contributors. I would add the 2 or 3 dvd's I'd viewed, and then marvel at the length of your lists. I think you were amongst the first (if not THE first) to move on from a list to a form of mini-reviews. I don't know whether you ever back-tracked to the thread in our secret reviewer forum where we discussed the need for new talent? You will see that I punted for you to join - and RJS then did the honours. And we've all never looked back. Some 650 reviews on, and going strong, it was if it was fated to be. Long may your passion continue David and long may you continue to post your first class reviews!
posted by Stuart McLean on 2/4/2010 22:04
9 / 10
It was me as wossname and the now disappeared izombie.  It was a bit odd how the thread took on a life of its own and then disappeared as I thought no one was reading.

I'd like to bring it back but I simply don't have the time with the amount of reviews I write - that was the reason it went as it was basically becoming a list of the review discs I'd seen that week with a summation and link to the review.
posted by David Beckett on 3/4/2010 13:13
10 / 10
Ah! That's right ....Izombie was the other big horror fan. I wonder where he / she is these days? I think 'DazMack' was a regular contributor too. Maybe we should have a go at revitalising it. It's the sort of thread that 'lurkers' love!
posted by Stuart McLean on 3/4/2010 13:40
Great read once again David! Looking forward to Part 3 :-)Didnt you mention something last time about 'why horror?' be cool to read that too.
posted by Curtis Owen on 3/4/2010 15:36
9 / 10
Why Horror? will follow in the next few fays - I'll leave you in suspense until then! 

It'll probably tie in well with these two and will act as the third in the trilogy.
posted by David Beckett on 3/4/2010 17:28
10 / 10
I'm looking forward to the fourth and final part of the trilogy David.
posted by Stuart McLean on 3/4/2010 18:18
Me too (lol). This would be a good idea for a book with the same title - exploring the reasons why you became addicted to film. My story started when i was at school and i watched Pulp Fiction. I used to watch horror films as a kid but that didnt get me thinking about movies seriously. After watching Tarantino it led on from there and then films like Goodfellas, Taxi Driver and Blade Runner. I remember speaking to my career adviser lady at school and asked what i wanted to do, i said, 'i want to do film studies at college' and the look she gave me was of horror. I wrote a thing on Pulp Fiction and then i guess it went on from that. It was my mum who first got me interested in cinema. She used to be a big fan of films like Scarface, Made in Britian, Scum and The Commitments. She joined this thing called 'Britanna' where they used to send you videos through the post. I watched s*** loads of movies like Daylight,  Judge Dredd and stuff like that. After watching movies at college it opened my eyes to what there was around. Going to University was a waste of time for me. If anyone says to me, 'im going uni to study film', i'll tell them to save up some money buy some film books and get aload of DVDs and watch them. I learned nothing but pretentious balderdash for 3 years from lecturers who knew nothing about cinema except to dissect it into a thousand little pieces. It took away the magic for me. Academic writing is cold and doesnt have passion. I guess thats my 2 cents. Finding a website like this is the perfect place to watch movies and comment about them. I couldnt believe your into 600+ reviews, thats amazing! I guess we all have reasons why we fell in love with films, its nice to hear it written in such a clear and elegant way. I'm sure you have a book in this David. I for one will read it.
posted by Curtis Owen on 3/4/2010 20:59
9 / 10
I think a book is out of the question as they've already been published, and are better than I could write, by John Walsh with Are You Talking To Me? and Mark Kermode's recent (and fantastic) sort-of-autobiography It's Only A Movie.
posted by David Beckett on 4/4/2010 14:55