Welcome (back) to Chrisicisms

Let’s keep this conversation going

A funny thing happened since I went on break Feb. 27: Somehow, my subscriber count increased.

Not substantially, but enough for me to know a few things. One, some of you signed up even though I wasn’t pushing out much new content. Two, many of you might have subscribed because you liked a certain piece but don’t know who I am. And three, many of you who have been getting only Sunday posts through Lent might be surprised/annoyed at my return to productivity.

So, let’s restart the conversation.

If you’re just joining us, welcome! My name’s Chris Williams, and I’m a writer from the Detroit area, where I live with my wife, two kids, and dog. By day, I’m a marketing writer. By night (and weekend, and the occasional lunch hour), I write this newsletter. I’m not new to this; I’ve been a professional writer for nearly 20 years. I began as a reporter for a weekly newspaper and then, when I decided I wanted to pay my rent, I gravitated toward marketing.

I’ve been a movie lover since I was a kid, and minored in film studies in my undergrad (my master’s is in media arts and studies). When I was a reporter, I also served as our paper’s film critic and even after I left the field, I freelanced in that role for several years. I bounced around online at a few different outlets before deciding to start my own space in September 2020. I’m a founding member and on the leadership board of the Michigan Movie Critics Guild. I’ve hosted several podcasts with people much more eloquent than I, my master’s thesis focused on film criticism in the digital age, and I once contributed a chapter to a book about the intersection of film and faith.

That last one is important. Although I don’t write solely about film from a faith context – but I guess it makes sense to say my beliefs are the lens through which I see everything – it is probably the area of focus to which I’m most drawn. That’s not to say I prefer faith-based films (because, lol) or that I have a special focus on movies about the Bible. I love movies of all genres and about all subjects, and I don’t draw a line at something because it’s rated R. But I’m very interested in how films can make us better people and even shape our souls.

My faith is also (part) of the reason why there has been little activity here for about two months. Because this newsletter is such a part of my identity and takes up so much time, I decided to give up going to screenings and writing reviews for Lent, allowing myself only to write on Sundays. It was helpful. It gave me time to join a small group and enjoy watching things for my own pleasure, rather than with an eye toward reviewing. Surprisingly, I actually ended up not watching much at all – but what I did choose to watch was almost consistently great. Eraserheard, The Princess Bride, Black Bag and the Back to the Future trilogy. It rekindled a lot of movie love and gave me a bit of a vacation from treating film like an obligation.

I’ll admit that at the back of my mind, I had an ulterior motive. Part of me wondered if, after writing about film for 20 years, I was ready to hang it up and focus on other types of writing. I went to an artist’s retreat with our church and wrote one of my first personal pieces in a long time. I began reading poetry. And there was a point near the beginning where I seriously wondered if I might enjoy it more if I stopped the movie reviews altogether and just wrote for pleasure under the radar.

But I’ve had that thought before. And every time – just like Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part III – just when I think I’m out, they pull me back in. And I found myself itching to write about new movies. If I had thoughts on a piece of movie news, I either had to wait for Sunday or push it deep down inside and realize it just wasn’t my thing to write about (and trust me, I really wanted to go off on a diatribe about how if you’re whipping out phones and chucking popcorn during Minecraft, you should go straight to jail). And when I did occasionally write about movies or TV that had moved me, I found it more fulfilling than I had in a long time (my piece on Netflix’s Adolescence is one I’m particularly fond of).

And so, I went from wondering whether it was time to hang up my popcorn bucket to eagerly anticipating the moment I could get back to writing about film.

So…here we are. What’s different?

Honestly, if you’ve subscribed to this newsletter for a while, maybe not much. I’m still going to review new releases. I’m still going to occasionally talk about movie news. There will still be a focus on older titles – although we’ll get into some tweaks there in just a second. And I’ve told Perry that one of us will have to be in the ground before I’m ready to stop recording We’re Watching Here. The things you love will still be here.

But there are some changes I want to address, both in the content and the rhythm.

First, I want to bring a bit more intentionality to my writing. The new release schedule provides a nice framework for what I cover in terms of current releases. But I want more purpose behind the older films I write about. Yes, sometimes I do series – as usual, I’ll start my summer flashback series in a few weeks covering the movies of 1995, which was a particularly memorable moviegoing summer for me. I’ll still do Franchise Fridays, and I’m sure I’ll find a way to structure my look at horror movies around Halloween.

But more than ever, I want to write about how art — particularly, but not limited to, film — can make us better and help heal our soul. We live in fraught and anxious times. I’ve wondered what role I can play in encouraging people and fighting for the right things. Screaming on Facebook doesn’t seem to accomplish much. But so many of our problems in this country stem from changes we need in our hearts and souls as we examine our values and what we owe to those with whom we share this planet. Yes, Donald Trump and other politicians are a problem; but I think they’re symptomatic of deeper issues that have wrapped themselves around our hearts. We need our stories. Sometimes, they speak louder than our sermons.

One of my favorite quotes is by Roger Ebert, talking about the power of cinema:

“For me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy. If it’s a great movie, it lets you understand a little bit more about what it’s like to be a different gender, a different race, a different age, a different economic class, a different nationality, a different profession, different hopes, aspirations, dreams and fears. It helps us to identify with the people who are sharing this journey with us. And that, to me, is the most noble thing that good movies can do and it’s a reason to encourage them and to support them and to go to them.”

If there’s a quote that fuels my belief in the power of film and the importance of having these cultural conversations, that’s the one. And so, I want to focus more on films that can inspire, lift our spirits, generate empathy and remind us of our responsibilities. I want to do a series that addresses depictions of America in film. I want to laugh at our country’s foibles. I want to write about movies that speak to our soul – you know, in addition to the Marvel movies and the latest Minions junk.

And so, I have a running list that, at the moment, numbers more than 60 films. And I’m structuring my editorial calendar to find a way to space them out. I have a few already filed away. Some we might not get to for months. And I’m sure titles will be added and titles will be deleted. But it provides a nice framework going forward and, to be honest, it’s what I’m most looking forward to as I jump back in.

I considered changing the name of this newsletter from Chrisicisms to something more aspirational or lofty. But…nah. Chrisicisms is my handle on social media, and it’s been my identifier on sites for a long time. I kind of love the bad pun of it all (I’m a dad; it’s in my DNA). But you might notice that the subhead under the title has changed. It used to read “Movies. TV. Pop Culture. More.” Which, I’ll admit, was a pretty good catch-all. But I’ve updated it to read “How I see the world.” Which I think is a much better mission statement. And it’s flexible enough to allow me to incorporate other types of personal writing and opinion pieces from time to time. To talk about faith away from film, discuss politics, or occasionally try new types of writing. Yes, movies will always be my primary focus here. But I want to broaden the conversation as necessary.

I also considered what to do about paywalls and paid subscriptions. I’m still unsure on that. I’ve experimented in the past, but I’m holding off on any big decisions. In fact, I’ve removed paywalls on all old articles (they used to go up after six months). That said, I will periodically remind readers that this hobby takes time. I’m writing and attending screenings on evenings and weekends. I may eventually move to some subscriber-only posts. Anyone willing to pledge support will always be appreciated, but it’s never expected.

Finally, let’s talk rhythm. As I just said, this takes time. And one of the reasons I needed a lengthy break was because I was getting exhausted. Screenings take me away from my family. Writing…also takes me away from my family. So the break was good, and a big portion of my reimagining this newsletter involved me considering what a healthy rhythm looks like.

The truth is that, again, I don’t quite know. I was doing a pretty solid 3-4 posts a week before. Lengthy ones. And that’s probably not sustainable. During Lent, I posted once a week, and that felt like too little. Right now, my aim is for two posts a week. Sometimes, you might get more. If life gets busy, you might get less. My biggest challenge is to make myself okay with that. My goal is to get a few weeks ahead of myself in terms of vintage releases (which often take more time than new release reviews). I have a few weeks’ worth of posts banked already. So, I feel good about the rhythm set up and my intention is to neither get too lazy that things pile up but also not so eager about this that I overextend myself. A healthy balance is good, and I’d rather have one or two really solid pieces a week than four messes that I just dash off.

We’re going to roll into this new phase of the conversation starting this week. I have a lot I’m excited to write about and, again, I’m so grateful for everyone who has subscribed and is eager to be part of this conversation. And I do mean “conversation.” Please take advantage of the comment feature. Find me on social media (Chrisicisms at most platforms; I’m not on X, but you can find me at BlueSky, Facebook, Threads, Instagram and Letterboxd). There might also be a TikTok component coming soon. I can’t wait to see where this goes.