The Chrisicisms May Roundup

Summer movie season starts, and the Chrisicisms Conversations begin.

A little over a month ago, I learned I would no longer be writing about film for Collider, which had been my main platform for nearly a year.

There will be more to say about this down the road, but it was probably the best thing that could have happened for this newsletter and for me as a film writer. I was tired of the templated, click-first approach to “content” that Collider and similar sites rely on. I understand it’s profitable for them, but it robs the conversation of soul or identity. I’m at a stage where I’m beginning to identify as a writer first, critic second, and it stifled the energy and creativity I want to bring to this endeavor. When I learned my contract at Collider had been terminated, my wife and I had already started talking about whether I should be moving on. I consider it a blessing.

This past month has been one of the most productive and memorable I’ve had at Chrisicisms, and I believe it’s mainly due to the resurgence of enjoyment and a desire to make this a place for engaging conversations not just about cinema but about faith, culture and whatever else is on my mind. The summer movie season kicked off, I continued writing about older films, the podcast I co-host hit a landmark, and there were some new features that I start that I can’t wait to do more of. It was a good month and if you missed it, I’ve collected it all in this post.

Before I get into the roundup, I’ll hold out my hat, something I feel uncomfortable doing and won’t do often. This project is highly enjoyable to me, but it takes time. It also takes money – for movie rentals and tickets (especially as studios pull back on critic screenings in Detroit), podcast hosting and editing platforms, transcription materials, and Zoom memberships. This month, I instituted a new paid option – for less than the price of a movie popcorn each month, you can support this newsletter, which goes a long way toward justifying the time and energy it takes. In return, I’ve started rolling out some paid features – so far, just Saturday coffees. But in the future, paid subscribers will get earlier access to reviews and podcast episodes, perhaps some video content, and other chances to engage. There will still be free posts here, but this is a way to say thank you for those who support it on a monetary level.

And if you can’t afford a subscription, can I ask you to do something else? Perhaps share this post or one you’ve enjoyed. Let’s invite more into the conversation. There’s a lot coming in June – the Rob Reiner series will wrap up, Summer of ‘86 will kick into high gear, I have some more personal pieces I’m working on, and I already have another Chrisicisms Conversation recorded and in need of editing (look for that the second week of June). Plus, Perry and I are overdue to record Episode 101 of We’re Watching Here, and some upstart named Steven Spielberg has a new movie about to release. May was a great month – June’s shaping up to be another fun one!

And now, in case you missed it.

Podcasts and interviews

New release reviews

Rob Reiner retrospective

Summer of ‘86

Saturday Coffee

Saturday Coffee is a weekly series for paid subscribers. It’s where I can go a little deeper on one subject or offer a quick digest of things I’m enjoying.

Misc.

As you can see, it was a busy month! Subscribe now so that you don’t miss a single bit of the excitement in June!