I'll try, Adrian. Does that mean that I could not include those films I've seen prior to accepting the challenge? Hehe :D Daya ba? Hahaha :D

A certain majority of film critics nowadays see films as an art and not as a result of a technical vocation. In college, one of my classes was "Art of the Film" and little we were taught on the "technical" side of filmmaking. We were indoctrinated on looking at nuances, forming an analysis of the content, and dissecting the film outside the usual step-by-step process on the development. I learned about the "fade in/out, dollying, positioning of light, zooming, shooting exterior and interior scenes, etc." on a different course, but not necessarily filmmaking (i think that was broadcasting, sorry, I can't recall). But during those days, independent filmmaking was at its infancy, not to mention, unheard of, so basically the avenue was not as open unlike today when anyone with a video camera be it Mini-DV or an HD camera can just shoot and concoct something they can consider a "film".

So, I think the varying climate also contributed to the education of a critic. Ebert, Kael, Sarrris, Rafferty, Farber, Ehrenstein, Rosenbaum were not filmmakers to begin with. Yes, they delved into the business as a kind of immersion. But as the sociology of movies grows closer to commentary, anyone can be a critic. Anybody can voice out an opinion and say this or that, even without the luxury of "film education". It is preferable, of course, as it can serve as a backbone of opinion, yet it is not a requirement. Films are usually representation of society, of history, of life. I guess prodding into its mechanical components is tantamount to surgery being done on a person simply to know how he lived his life.

Anyway, I think I got carried away. I'm learning a lot from you and your blog. Hehe :D I didn't exactly anticipated that I would be "into films" nor write about them after I graduated. Seemed to me that I went for the choice of major to avoid anything mathematics. Hahaha. :D

Hey Adrian,

Much of what I know about the technicality of film is actually the basics. I have no idea whatsoever on how films are made---except maybe, you have a script, a director, the cast, crew---the whole shebang. Yet the visual effect of a film is usually a product of a good story, being an avid reader myself, I picture the words in my head, playing with cinematic fluidity as if there is an enormous screen right in front of me. And I write about films practically because I love the process. Writing is cathartic. Inasmuch as I don't proselytize nor impose my preferences to people, I guess I can admit my snobbery is one way to educate them. And I'm not making criticisms on the films that I've seen, I am simply voicing out an opinion. To some, the term "criticism" denotes negativity or some kind of violent retort.

And thanks for adding me up on your blog. I was trying to be an incognito as far as my blog is concerned. I still believe I don't write that well to be noticed by some. Hehe. I'll keep writing as long as I can, I might neglect my blog once in a while, but that doesn't mean I'll stop. If the curtains fall, I'll probably have my own reasons.

And your blog is wonderful. Intelligent. Academic. Introspective. Keep it up. :)

I wasn't entirely a film enthusiast to begin with--even with a film class back in college, I slogged through the midterms that covered Coppola's The Godfather, and made-up for a passing grade with a screening of Eddie Romero's Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon at the Filipinas Heritage Library. My enthusiasm, however, maybe inherently embedded in my being, yet ignored for how-many-years, only to be defibbed by an online forum I frequent. My filmic knowledge initially revolved around the cinema of Alfred Hitchcock, whom I admire (and was the subject of a college thesis), but gradually expanded to much more than merely a confinement to Hitchcock. And from there I was introduced to Truffaut, Antonioni, Fellini, Godard, etc. etc. I write about films because I like writing about them, educating the uneducated, and because writing about films is simply a fun thing to do. :)