I want to briefly address my hiatus and my plans for this site in the year ahead. I saw a record number of new films this year—according to my Letterboxd, 38 and counting, including Netflix comedy specials—but I didn't write about many of them. In fact, after I reviewed Hereditary, there was radio silence here until now. While my gut response is to chalk it up to time constraints, there are more honest reasons.
Some films I just didn't know how to write about, and others I felt I saw too late. I never gave myself deadlines. I also took a class on film criticism this past fall, which prompted me to unconsciously stop as I learned about the genre beyond evaluative popular reviews. And the biggest factor was that in the latter half of the year, I committed myself to write more scripts and strongly pursue that area of creativity. By December, I had written one short and two pilots, which I'm proud of.
And while I want to remain dedicated to the wholly creative craft, I am a lifelong student of the art of cinema, which is why this website will not languish in a forgotten oblivion. I want to provide content that I enjoy writing, but which is also different from other online reviews. Now with a plan and deadlines, here's a taste of what you should come to expect in 2019:
Instead of reading 38 outdated reviews on 2018 films, expect an 8-part retrospective of 2018, with a new installment released every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, starting next week until the end of January.
This will culminate with the 2nd Annual Adam's Final Cut Awards, which I had a blast doing last year. The nominations will be revealed on January 31st. Following this, I plan on uploading my entire backlog of reviews from the old blog so absolutely everything is here.
I launched a podcast called Movie Deep Dive last June. Because that first episode on Return of the Jedi was created foremost for a class assignment, I didn't plan too much before diving in and failed to keep it going. With several months to think about it, I've charted out the next 20 episodes with a wide range of films—from classics to moderns to international and the unusual. The first new episode, which is about a 2018 film, should launch on January 20th. I also want to launch a new interview-based podcast next month. Look forward to more details on that.
I have some new segments planned that I'm excited about, which I'll go more into in February. But starting this Tuesday, come to expect the first of them: The Weekly 7, a weekly listicle series about films, creativity, and more.
Of course, look forward to more of the same reviews and features you've come to love. In fact, you can look forward to Bird Box, Aquaman, and Glass reviews this month! All this is my way to continue writing regularly, to study the art which I love, to bathe in creativity, and to provide unique pieces for you to enjoy.
My mantra this year is Momentum. This is just part of the productivity I want to define my 2019, and I cannot wait to share what else is in store. So to keep up to date with this and more side projects, including an exciting upcoming YouTube venture with a colleague of mine, follow me on Facebook and Twitter.
In the meantime, let's celebrate film! And check out my Most Anticipated Films of 2019!