THE MOVIE PROJECTOR Returns Feb. 1

THE MOVIE PROJECTOR will return on Monday, February 1, with a few changes. The scope of the site will still be eclectic, with the emphasis on classic films (those made between roughly 1930-1980), my chief area of interest. The focus, however, will be more limited: I will be writing mostly in the brief review format, in each post typically reviewing one film I've recently watched. And I will no longer be posting on a regular schedule, as I have in the past. For the present, this will all be on a trial basis, and after a few weeks I'll see how satisfied I am with it.

The impetus for this change is my desire to find a less labor-intensive way of blogging. I've found that the ambitious goal I set for myself of producing an analytical essay each week is simply too time-consuming and has begun to feel too much like an obligation. The work I've done at THE MOVIE PROJECTOR has been satisfying, but it has begun to distract me from other important things in my life.

I've also found it increasingly difficult to come up with original subjects that are meaningful to me, films that are fresh enough to me and that make a strong enough impression on me to inspire me to write about them. From the first, I decided that unless I had something new to bring to the discussion, I wanted to avoid writing about movies that have endured what has been called "analysis to paralysis." I admire and love Trouble in Paradise, Citizen Kane, All About Eve, Vertigo, The Seven Samurai, and Persona, but does the world really need my thoughts about such films, which have been the subjects of extensive academic analysis and some of which have had entire books written about them? My posts have been inspired mostly by my recent movie-viewing experiences, films of the period I'm interested in that are new to me or that I have rediscovered. I like to think that my posts might inspire some readers to seek out these films to enjoy for the first time or to revisit, although I sometimes get the impression I'm preaching to the converted.

Finding titles that haven't already been well covered is becoming ever harder. Since I started THE MOVIE PROJECTOR a year-and-a-half ago, many excellent blogs about classic movies have come along. WONDERS IN THE DARK, with its decade countdowns anchored by the concise reviews of Briton Allan Fish, is virtually a reference source for the great movies of the past. John Greco's TWENTY FOUR FRAMES is very strong on the movies of the 50s and 60s, especially those with a noirish slant. Alistair Rupert does a great job of covering the 40s, both obscure and better-known works, in his CLASSIC MOVIES DIGEST. Judy at MOVIE CLASSICS focuses on the rarities of the 30s, especially the earlier part of the decade. C. K. Dexter Haven's HOLLYWOOD DREAMLAND shows a real classic movie fan's enthusiasm for the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Although Richard Hourula covers all the decades at RIKU WRITES, he returns time and again to films and subjects from the 30s and 40s, always eager to add more about Fred and Ginger, Bogey and Cagney, John Ford and William Wellman. A newer site I enjoy is CLASSIC FILMBOY'S MOVIE PARADISE, which has lately been covering topics revolving around the 40s. Several other sites concentrate exclusively on film noir of the late 40s and early 50s, a genre that is a particular favorite of mine. Dave at GOODFELLA'S MOVIE BLOG recently launched an ambitious countdown of his 100 best films noirs. The existence of these and other classic film sites makes me wonder how relevant THE MOVIE PROJECTOR is.

Still, I'll soldier on awhile longer, hoping I can find enough movies that I feel strongly enough about and that haven't already been thoroughly exhausted as blog fodder to provide me with something to write about. Even then, I anticipate that I will invariably write about films other classic film bloggers have already written on. Posting on a film someone else has already covered is bound to happen now and again, and when it does, I apologize in advance for the overlap and will try not to duplicate the efforts of others but to find something original to say, or at the least a different approach. In the meantime, I'd like to thank everyone who regularly visits THE MOVIE PROJECTOR and especially those who have taken time to leave comments and encourage me in my efforts. I'd also like to thank all those who have provided links to THE MOVIE PROJECTOR at their own sites.

THE MOVIE PROJECTOR adopts a new mascot. Farewell, Buster. Welcome, Cary.

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