What is an anecdotal film review? Jonathan explains what he wants to try to do:
I’m going to review films by relating a story. Nowhere in the story will be any mention of the film whatsoever. It’s up to you, the reader, to interpret the story with the film any way you wish but hopefully, if you’ve seen the movie or even if you haven’t, you’ll understand why the story connects to the movie for me. But more than that, I do not intend this as a gimmick. I intend it as a legitimate way to review a movie. I don’t see it as something many others would want to do, but I like the idea of it. I’ll hope you’ll agree.
His first anecdotal review is up. He reviews AI, but never mentions the film. Jonathan tells such a terrific story that I forgot about the film review part of it. The last line of the post is just perfect. (Actors, theatre students, directors of plays – anyone who has been or is any one of those things – will eat that post up – with its view of a college acting environment – I just so recognized it!!). It’s an intriguing idea, the anecdotal film review, and I might have to try my hand at it.
I would love it if you did it too! You have so many great stories that you tell on this site I’d love to see if any of them make you think of a movie in any particular way. And I’m encouraged by the comments that people got it, as I was apprehensive that it might be too weird or misguided, mainly misguided. I have so many others in my head that I will have to be careful not to turn it into the Anecdotal Review Blog.
What a great idea, Jonathan!
Thank you Emily. In many ways, Sheila was the inspiration for it because she always has such great stories that I too wanted to tell some on my site, as long as I could find a way to connect it with film.