Saturday, November 19, 2011

To quit or not to quit?

I have no idea. To quit or not to quit? To stop blogging about movies or continue? Everytime I watch a movie it feels more and more meaningless to write about it. Everyone has written everything about every movie. And the rest just don't care.

24 comments:

Ronald Perrone said...

Not to quit! Everyone has written everything about every movie ... but not like you!

Wes said...

Fred, I know what you mean... sometimes the blog becomes a job rather than something fun to do, and yes every film has been written about - but if you can write about a film with your own voice, and do it with passion, people will want to read it. I keep up to date with your blog and I gotta say, your posts are a lot better than most blogs out there - there's plenty of stuff on these pages that is obscure and ready for discovery, so you're definitely doing great work here. Lately, my energies have been weakening, and I'm finding it hard to post as frequently as I would like, but I'd hate to let my blog go now, I've put so much work into it. I went thru a phase where I was crazy about getting comments, checking my stats to see how many hits I got, but I've decided not to worry about that stuff anymore. So my advice would be, don't quit the blog, just post when the mood takes you - you will see a film sooner or later and you will want to write about it...

Michael Thomason said...

I look at this way, Fred: yes, maybe every film has been written about...but no-one else is you and your opinion is just as valid as the next man. While movies have been written about, enmasse by many, no-one else can write about your feelings and impressions other than you. What makes someone's reviews meaningful is that it is their form of expression and it is their personality that comes through in the writing.

Wes' suggestion isn't a bad one either: if that's the way you feel, know that your writing is valued by many (myself included) but sometimes taking a break puts things back in perspective and can make a BIG difference. I did it for two years between the last blog and this new one - and in the middle of the year I had two months of downtime. It's the old saying: sometimes a change is as good as a holiday. :)

Anonymous said...

Not to quit. There's never enough good writings about movies. Keep writing.

Dead Moon Night said...

Don't quit for sure! It's a great pleasure reading your reviews. It doesn't matter if other people have written reviews of movies you review before, it's your personal touch that makes them interesting. Sure most people who likes the alternative cinema often already knows what they are about but its your own thought of them that are an interesting read! Keep em comin!

Jack J said...

Quit!!

At least if it has become a chore for you.

It should be fun, not a drag. If you're tired of reviewing films then why don't you write about your cat, or your dirty laundry, or something else for a while.

Besides, your point about how everything has been written about all movies is exaggerated. How many English language reviews are there of Jaka Sembung part 5?

Anonymous said...

Don't quit man. Your reviews are wicked and I have learnt so much about films I would never have imagined existed from all over the world. Also there are only a handful of blogs that are so easy to navigate and wonderfully presented.

CiNEZiLLA said...

WATCH STUFF, AND DON'T WRITE ABOUT IT... THAT'S WHAT I DID AND STILL PRACTICE. IT TOOK A FEW DAYS BUT THEN THE FORCED FEELIN OF HAVING TO WRITE WENT AWAY. LATER ON WHEN THAT MOVIE THAT YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING EXTRA ABOUT POPS UP THEN YOU'LL KNOW... AND BOOM, THERE'S INSPiRATION AGAIN, NOT ROUTINE.


j

Karl Brezdin said...

Agreed with Jack -- quit if it's no longer fun for you. And if you get the itch again, we'll be here to read! Going through a lull myself with my own blog for other reasons, but can't wait to dive back into it after so much time off.

dfordoom said...

In actual fact when it comes to cult movies there's not that much on the internet that is really worthwhile. I'm always surprised how difficult it is to find any reviews of the sorts of obscure movies I love.

Most online reviewers, even those specialising in horror and science fiction, have no understanding of or appreciation for anything made more than 20 years ago.

I understand the feeling that nobody cares but you'd probably be surprised how many people read your blog. For every person who leaves a comment there are dozens who read but don't comment. So I think you should stick with it.

Fredrik said...

We don't visit this page to read any reviews of old movies. We visit this page to read YOUR reviews. They can't be found on other sites.

Anonymous said...

Don't quit, just write only when you want to, even if that's only once or twice a month. I'd miss this blog. Where else would I have found out the strange history of Sam Pascoe? Also, I'm still waiting to read a write up of the Weekend of Horrors convention.

Nigel M said...

If it is no longer fun then don't quit, just take a break for a bit, if you feel the same way after a break then quit.

Or simply update the blog when you feel like, and when you don't feel like then don't blog.

Johnny Biacofsky said...

My advice would be to evaluate your intentions with your blog. I've started and deleted multiple blogs because I felt lost in the grand spaces of the internet. Nobody was reading my blogs, so why should I bother writing? Well, in the end, the writing shouldn't be about who is reading your stuff. It should be about you putting what you want to put down, on YOUR own merits. If it catches on with others, then that is a great bonus, but if it doesn't, that shouldn't be an indication of your own failures. If thats how you feel, then you really need to change your outlook.

Nobody reads my blog, and I've been writing anyway. I've learned that even if nobody reads my stuff, if I write about something that later on proves to find a click, I'll feel vindicated. And if not, when I die I'll still have words floating through the vast expanse of shared human subconscious that is the internet. If a tree falls, but nobody is around to hear it, does it still make noise? The answer is yes.

Need proof? Just ask Emily Dickinson.

Anonymous said...

Vad ska jag då läsa på lunchen?
/Sutter

Bjarke Kristensen said...

Yeah, don't quit - just take a break and hope to gain the urge to write again. I'll definitly hang around even if you post with bigger intervals :)

/ regards, bjarke

Brian Harris said...

I have the same problem brother but you can't stop. You think you can and you might even try but writing about films is already in your blood. It's not likely to vanish.

Take a break, get a breath of fresh air, watch some cinema you don't want to write about and allow yourself time to unwind.

Your blog is indeed appreciated.

Richard of DM said...

That's crazy talk! The world needs Ninja Dixon! Keep on keepin' on, duder. You have a unique voice. Who gives a shit if someone else has reviewed what you've reviewed? They suck! You rule! That is all.

clockworkdaisyblues said...

are you sure? check out more VHS or YouTube. I know one giallo/grindhouse YouTube channel. keep on running-

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGialloGrindhouse

Rikard said...

Nä vad tråkigt om du slutar, jag hittade nyss hit! Jag tycker att du gör en stor kulturgärning med bloggen, så mycket bra skrivet om så mycket fantastisk underhållning samlat på ett ställe är obetalbart! Om du behöver tanka dina ninjasuperkrafter inför en comeback så kan jag rekommendera en lyssning på det svenska 100% postapokalyptiska synthbandet Zonen på länken nedan. Inspirerat av Carpenter, Frizzi, Goblin och läderklädda mutanter i SS-hjälmar som sladdar med motorcyklar i ett grustag framför de rykande ruinerna av Manhattan.
http://zonenljud.bandcamp.com/

Jack J said...

I've tried to quit several times and we know how THAT ended!

Ty said...

Hope you don't quit! Maybe take a break for a while to re-charge your batteries for writing.

Rebus said...

don't quit man...you are a living legend...I always admire your passion and how dedicated you are to your writing..I hope sometime I will reach your level...Respect from Greece!

www.my-tv-is-dead.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Don't stop Fred, you just led me in the direction of 5 new DVD/Bluray purchases earlier today alone and I've bought several films on your recommendations before that I would probably never have come over if it weren't for you and your writing. If you're truly tired of it just take a break for a while or cut down.