READ ME FIRST

*** SPOILER ALERT!! SPOILER ALERT!! ***
All the reviews and discussion on this site - whether it be for movies, music, live performance, literature, art, etc. - is written post-consumption; that is, intended as reflection or reaction to a piece of art. Because that's the danger of mass-produced creative art in the modern day: not only is so much of it artistically bankrupt, but the sheer volume produced encourages the thoughtless swallowing of art on a large scale - it cultivates the passive, unthinking observer. Which, in a Zen-like 'let everything wash over you' sort of way, is certainly calming and peaceful, but which over time leads to BRAINDEATH. By way of resistance, we should consciously strive to think about what we see and listen to; to react, to analyze critically, to explain and debate and to interpret and re-interpret - in essence, we should be active participants in the artistic flow.

But this brings me back to what I was saying: these writings are all after-the-fact, and so necessarily discuss points which might spoil the experience for, let's say, the first-time viewer of a film, or similarly, predispose a first-time listener of a CD or live performance. In other words, THERE ARE LOTS AND LOTS OF SPOILERS HERE!!! Go see the film first! Hear the band first! Experience it for yourself, and then, if you're interested in reading one humble (ahem) artist's take on it, read about it here, and better yet, leave some comments!!!

Now, let's go find some art!...