About one month ago, after I learned that Blip would be hosting CineMatt Reviews, I made a brief announcement video discussing what that would mean for the sites I would upload videos to. Naturally, since Blip was happy to give CineMatt Reviews a home and YouTube's finicky copyright policy would make future episodes of the show troublesome, CineMatt Reviews would be uploaded to Blip only. What I was uncertain about was where I would post my Gut Reactions to current movies, ultimately choosing to put them onto YouTube only.
Well, I'm reluctant to note that, as of right now, I'm putting Gut Reaction videos on hiatus. This doesn't mean that I'll never do Gut Reactions again or that I won't review current movies. What this does mean is that, for the time being, I won't be doing video reviews for current films.
Now, there are a few reasons for this. First and foremost, I'm not entirely happy with my execution of the concept. Unlike CineMatt Reviews, Gut Reactions are unscripted. As such, I often have a few talking points I want to discuss, but don't know how to exactly phrase them. Someone who's good at improvising on the spot or who's a quick talker could pull this off well. I am neither of those. As such, I try to make myself as verbose as I am in my writing on screen, off the top of my head, which, as you can imagine, is quite clunky when I'm not as quick-witted or sharp-tongued as I'd like to be. Quite simply, I tend to stumble over my words or just pause or stammer trying to get what I want to convey.
Second, even when I do clearly know what I'm trying to say (after a certain number of takes, I have a crude idea of a "script" to stick to in my head), I'm not sure if video reviews for these are the way to go. I'll admit, my videos could just as easily be podcasts (even though that still doesn't solve my verbal arthritis). They sound like written reviews being read aloud... albeit still in the process of being written.
Third, while I like the concept of my reviews, there's a variation on it that seems to work better than the default one I have right now: that of unscripted group reviews immediately after having seen these movies (i.e. Team Snob's Midnight Reviews). However, most of my close friends are not as "cinematically-inclined" as I am (to give you an idea of what I'm talking about, the only movie I saw this year with them was Iron Man 3). Now, if in the future, my friends ever want to get in front of the camera and talk about movies with me, I'd be more than happy to do so. In fact, I wouldn't put it out of the question that, if a movie really demands I do so in a way that only video can accomplish, I'll hop in front of the camera to do a Gut Reaction video in the future.
Fourth (this one solidified my opinion), I haven't been feeling as strongly about my Gut Reaction videos up until this point as I have been with CineMatt Reviews. CineMatt Reviews demands that I use video, taking advantage of editing, in-depth commentary, and visual representation of my opinions in a way that Gut Reactions just can't match. Not to sound too cautious, but I do feel that, at a certain point, as I try to stay on schedule with CineMatt Reviews (yes, I am actually trying to stick to a reasonable timetable with these videos), making Gut Reaction videos for every current movie I see will hinder my progress on those primary efforts.
With this final point, I asked myself a question that eventually made up my mind: Do I want to put in the effort to what amounts to so-so, simplistic videos when the same amount of effort can create fleshed-out and analytically written reviews? The answer, when I phrased the question that way, was "no".
But, this doesn't mean the end for my reviews of current films. On the contrary, I'm taking something that could use improvement and use it as a building block for further experience. This blog, in addition to the irregular album review here and there (as I have been wont to do), will now host written reviews on current films as I see them. The two most recent films I have seen (In A World... and You're Next) further cemented this choice of mine as they are both movies I want to exactly phrase my opinions on rather than desperately grasp for the proper words over the span of five minutes.
What I hope this will accomplish is that it'll improve my writing, both on film and elsewhere, while giving me an outlet for my opinions on current movies. CineMatt Reviews will be my primary effort video-wise; this blog will be my primary source for written efforts.
So, to put a long-winded explanation of my reasoning short: Gut Reaction videos are being put to the side for now (but could make a return at some point). Written reviews of current films on this blog will take their place. CineMatt Reviews are going to be my main video efforts. With that in mind, I'll try my damnedest to make both of these the best that they can be.
(Film reviews for In A World... and You're Next will be posted soon.)
