FLAW IN THE IRIS is FIVE ∆∆∆∆∆

Here’s the story how I got hooked on writing about the movies.

I first read film criticism regularly in Time Out, the London weekly guide to everything happening in the city. I was living in the UK and a sponge for anything I could see, going to the movies most Friday nights, sometimes Saturday, too. I loved what Time Out had to say about movies. In a couple hundred words or so  they would invariably get to the heart of the thing.

timeoutsept87

The first time I got paid for writing about movie was for a DVD review of Gangs Of New York from The Coast back in 2003. I was well pleased. Being a professional critic was never a life goal, but I do love the community of film-goers, and I love talking about what I’ve been watching. As soon as you and another person have seen the same movie, it’s an ice-breaker, a conversation-maker. It doesn’t matter if you saw it at the same time, in the same place, or a decade apart, you’ve got a shared experience. That’s a big part of what makes movie-going (and movie-writing) fun for me.

Five years ago this week I started this blog, and I’m still at it. These days I also have a podcast, LENS ME YOUR EARS, with Stephen Cooke, and lately have been appearing on television (CTV Atlantic Morning Live) and radio (News95.7 FM). Good times all around.

Lens Me Your Ears Podcast

Going forward, there’s gonna be a few changes here at Flaw In The Iris.

Writing a film review in less than 125 words for The Coast was often too small a box,  but unless I’m raving about a movie—or really confounded by it—I don’t think I always need the length I’ve been working in here on FITI.

I’m returning to my original inspiration: Time Out. Gonna keep the rambles to a minimum and get back to tight, concise reviews, trying to keep them under 300 words. Here’s my first attempt.

I’m also going to make a point of writing about more obscure, interesting films I’m seeing on VOD, Blu-Ray, and Netflix. All the good stuff not arriving in the multiplex.

Lately I’ve been digging into my vault of older reviews, largely written for my CKDU broadcast The Love & Hate Movie Show (2005-2009). I’m going to keep doing that from time to time. There’s a lot of material here. And I’ll keep an eye on what’s opening every weekend in Halifax with my Friday In Cinemas instalments.

As an experiment, I’m going to give star ratings a try. You’ll only be able to see them on the FITI landing page, which will allow the casual reader a sense of the recent reviews beyond my frequently obtuse headlines. At the bottom of each post image you’ll see one or more of these: ∆, which I’ve chosen as my star symbols (inspired by the British band, Alt-J).

Roughly, here’s how the ratings work:

∆ = abysmal, ∆∆ = disappointing, ∆∆∆ = some ambivalence and/or an entertaining genre entry, ∆∆∆∆ = great stuff, ∆∆∆∆∆ = a classic

And one last thing, for the sake of full disclosure:

I’m working these days with the good people at Carbon Arc, the Halifax screening series that shows independent, international, and Canadian films at the Museum of Natural History. The screenings are Friday nights, starting September 25, just after the Atlantic Film Festival, and running through November, followed by a winter series starting in the New Year. I’m helping them with programming and communications. I’ve always been a fan of what they do—bringing quality features and documentaries that the multiplex hasn’t the imagination or commercial interest to screen, so I’m happy to have the opportunity to be part of it.

As a result, you’ll likely see a few more posts on FITI giving heads up on forthcoming screenings at Carbon Arc. I look forward to seeing you on Fridays this fall.

Happy-Birthday-cover

Many thanks to you who stop by here  to check out my rambling opinions. My best to all who love the movies as much as I do.

About the author

flawintheiris

Carsten Knox is a massive, cheese-eating nerd. In the day he works as a journalist in Halifax, Nova Scotia. At night he stares out at the rain-slick streets, watches movies, and writes about what he's seeing.

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