The purpose of my blog...

As the title suggests, I'm a film student from America who is currently living in London!! I came over here two years ago to do a master's in 20th Century Literature and stayed on to do a second master's in Film Studies.

My program was fantastic!! I took courses on different subjects such as the various cinematic innovations beginning with early sound, American values in classic and contemporary Hollywood cinema, London's relationship with cinema throughout the decades, and Hitchcock's view of America in his work.

I also got to hear many talks by documentary filmmakers, film critics, curators of moving image museums, heads of film production companies, etc... Best of all, I got to intern at Sight & Sound Magazine, one of the most renowned international film magazines in existence!! I also served as primary researcher for the Editor, Nick James, on a book about the history of film criticism in Britain which was a thrill!! Can't wait until it comes out!!

Today I have handed in my thesis and I haven't got a clue about what to do next. Recession or not, there never has been an overtly huge market for graduates in my field; even harder since I don't actually graduate until March (UK education system--don't ask!!) Thanks to the inspiration Nick gave me though, I am planning on writing a book about film and have found some potential publishers to contact once I have completed a couple more sample chapters. Until then, I suppose I'm hunting for a job like so many other fellow graduates!!

In the meantime, I refuse to let my love of films go to waste!! Therefore, I've constructed this blog to list, in various categories, many of my favorite films. I have, more or less, 12 weeks left here in London, and every week, I will construct a new list based on some random category in film.

This blog is no different than some others out there I am sure, but what I hope will distinguish it from the others are the films I’ve chosen to write about. My tastes usually seem to gravitate toward those films which are often overrlooked, underrated, or forever ignored by audiences. If there is a mainstream film in the mix though, it is probably there for reasons not directly related to its initial success.

Despite my degree in film, my internship at the magazine, or my researcher credit on Nick's upcoming book, I do not claim that any of my lists, or my interpretations of any of the films chosen, are the definitive word on any aspect of film. These are merely my choices and my readings of these films and where I feel their place is in the world of cinema.

At this point, this blog is really just an act of indulgence for me, more than anything else really. However if anybody wants to read, or possibly comment on my blog, please feel free!!