What is Moviegoing with Bill?
Better late than never, I finally have an answer.
Dear Moviegoers,
In my time here on Substack - three years or so - and even prior on Medium, WordPress, and Blogger, I’ve struggled to properly define what exactly I wish to put out into the world. From name changes to writing scope, it’s been pretty difficult navigating through the noise of online movie reviews. There’s just… just so many of us, and only so much space to uniquely carve out as our own.
In Louisiana, part of the supposed “Hollywood South,” the space is much smaller, and even with few professional writers covering criticism, it’s still a tight squeeze for readership.
And it isn’t simply more attention or recognition that I’m after, but rather an expansion and grander appreciation of regional film culture, from movie-making to moviegoing. Could this be my attempt at self-validation and self-worth? It could be, but I really do wish for cinema to blossom more in this place of music and food.
Years ago, at a meeting of film minds in the offices of the New Orleans Video Access Center (NOVAC), an idea was presented that never got off the ground: An app that would act as an easily accessible calendar of movie events across the city, to avoid cross screenings and to create more efficient scheduling and attendance. While I’m not proficient at app development, I do 1) Have this newsletter blog, 2) Keep my ear to the ground, and 3) Have many contacts.
Awareness. I want to bring awareness. That Southeast Louisiana has and can have excellent film programming. That screenings happen in various ways, from theatrical to underground to virtual, in and around places normally passed by. That there’s a wonderful history of movie exhibition that’s waiting to be told and has yet to be sparked.
Moviegoing with Bill will feature movie reviews and interviews of course and will share information on local cinema, from series and programs to the people behind them all.
With that, I now have a theme for this newsletter blog. A mission. A space.
If you know of or have a film screening - in person or virtual - that you’d like to get the word out on, hit me up at nolamoviereview@gmail.com
Sincerely Yours in Moviegoing,
