Whatsit all about?
At its essence, The Big Whatsit (formerly called Mmmm, and it was high time I changed that aspect of the journal) exists because I not only like films, but also enjoy boring anyone prepared to listen with the reasons why. Unlike many of the sites on the Film Journal network, the reasons for this one have no specific root - it doesn’t focus exclusively on Eastern cinema, horror movies, etc. Nor does it post a series of fantastically lurid film posters from the annals. All I really wanted to do was talk about was the things I’d watched yesterday, whether that was the result of a cinema visit, a DVD, or some tat I stumbled across on Movies4Men. That allows for a wide brief, and I make no apologies for veering wildly from discussing established classics to getting excited over The Spongebob Squarepants Movie. I love the idea of a random blog, where you never know what you’ll get from one day to the next. After all, that’s what my movie viewing tends to be like, and I want that reflected here.
Occasionally, I try to set up a series of articles for the site, with varying results of success. I’ve celebrated the fact that Star Wars is 30 years old by reviewing each of the movies. Elsewhere, there’s a long-running attempt to work through the films of Alfred Hitchcock, along with various other ideas that have stalled along the way and may yet be revived. One day, I’ll sort the site’s Categories into an order that means something. Presently, these have grown with the site, without any concept of strategy, which means they don’t make a lot of sense.
Having come across They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They? and downloaded their round-up of the 1,000 greatest movies of all time, I have made it a life aim to see every darn flick on the list. Hey, it beats smoking dirty cigarettes. If there’s one constant on TBW, it’s my attempt to record my achievements with this, and the fact I’m getting a serious education in good cinema along the way.
There are various other sub-domains I could recommend within Film Journal, if you want to read some of the best movie-related comments currently on the web. A great deal of literary talent is kicking around these here parts. More than once, I’ve rushed out to see something because it’s been recommended by one of the guys who regularly post at the Journal. As for this site, providing people keep reading my words, I’m happy to go on providing them. Please let me know if you have any general comments, criticisms, or even compliments. Though I don’t always feel this way, I’m not too old to change!