Act 1; A Hero Emerges!

I'm a big dork.

No, really. I play video games. I love b-movies. I'm a television sci-fi geek.

I'm also stuck in a rut in a dead end job after graduating college with a journalism degree. I know what you're thinking - not only are you a dork, but a journalism dork too?! Probably a pretentious uppity jerk. A liberal nut. And you're probably writing this in a Starbucks, too! (Which I am... shhh...)

One of the basics of journalism that I fully believe in is full-disclosure. And what better way of starting this blog off than to introduce myself and who I am, and detail just exactly why I'm doing this.

First off, my name ISN'T Frank Crowe. I love that pseudonym though.

Secondly, I squandered my chances in college to work on a writing portfolio. I didn't do as well as I would have liked. I didn't take it seriously and I am paying for it by waiting tables for a living. I've been told by my professors and mentors that I have great writing talent, though... I don't know if it was due to laziness or sheer apathy that I didn't apply myself. I now know that not doing so was a mistake, and here's my chance to rectify it.

I love film. I love the allure of Hollywood - not the Lindsay Lohan, celebrity sex-tape version but the pure, old school appeal of it. The glitz and glamor of the older days, free of the scandal and dirt. Films are instrumental in shaping culture, teaching people, pushing boundaries and challenging our way of thinking. You'd be hard pressed to find a tool that has such mass-appeal as film does. Everybody loves the movies. Including me.

I'd love to review movies professionally for a living. I know I don't fit the bill though - typically, I'd have to be a pretentious movie snob that hates anything that isn't Oscar-bait. This isn't me. I can enjoy a no-frills popcorn flick as long as it's well made just as much as I can enjoy "Terrence Malick Presents Moody and Introspective Poorly-Paced Oscar Bait - The Sequel."

I've noticed that the majority of these mainstream reviewers and bloggers suffer from the need to make their film-school credentials be apparent in every review. Their reviews suffer from an obvious need to prove how smart they are and how many books they have read and written on film. Mr. Ebert, I'm looking at you - drop the phrase "Meet Cute" into one more review and I'll barf.

The average reader is the victim here. Instead of knowing whether or not a film is good and in their preference-range, they are given paragraphs upon paragraphs of heady cinema-speak that is likely to soar over their heads.

This is what I want to fix. I want to be the friend of yours who you go to for movie recommendations. I want to simplify the process. I'm going to be that guy that will talk to you about films and break it down, free of the narcissistic nature of the Hollywood machine. And if I can get stuff in my portfolio to show employers, hey, that's a plus.

While film will be primarily the main focus here, I'll also take aim at Hollywood and the entertainment industry as a whole. During the next few months, I want you to be able to crawl into my mushy brain and feel like you live there; I want you to feel the passion I do about all things entertainment and pop culture. I want you to know that I'm just like you. I'm the guy sitting next to you at Starbucks with dreams of hitting it big!

Coming this weekend is Super 8, from JJ Abrams and Spielberg. It's a movie I've been eager to see, and it's going to be the start of something special for this dork and this blog.