My name is Joel Crary. I’m a film critic currently residing in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I started writing film reviews at around age 20. Don’t try to find those reviews. You won’t.

When I turned 29 I made a list of things I wanted to do before I turned 30. I made tasks of writing 10 1,000-word reviews for my 10 favourite films and launching a film review site. For the second half of 2009, I hosted the site on Wordpress.

I studied film as a minor at University. Film theory opened up my perception to aesthetic evaluation and how film is used as a communicative medium rather than simply as an entertainment, but my reviews typically come out of my emotional responses to films. I write anecdotally a lot.

I also read a lot. Among my favourite critics and columnists are Roger Ebert, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Michael Phillips, Dustin Putman, Brian Orndorf, Vadim Rizov and Pauline Kael. I also browse a lot of film blogs, written by people who are dedicated to criticism as an often thankless, under-paying hobby.

Review Schedule and Mandate

I review two older films and three theatrical releases per week. I call myself an Ottawa film critic in large part because living in Ottawa dictates my film-going activity. I am not always immediately exposed to select market films. Ottawa does have some great repertory cinemas that afford me the chance to see films that a smaller town may not show theatrically. I’m not as timely with certain reviews as some critics, but Ottawa residents will find my reviews fairly current.

I will watch anything, but I have a penchant for popular films. Unfortunately, at the moment, I pay to see every theatrical release, so I’ll be more likely to put my money down on something that I feel might carry more substance.

A Note on Ratings

I review films on the same four-star system that Roger Ebert and a wealth of other critics have used for decades. A film must meet a very simple criterion to achieve at least a three-star rating: I have to be willing to see it again. Films rated 2 1/2 stars or lower should be considered films to avoid.

I’m aware of the irony that some joker can come along after months or years of a film’s production and pronounce a verdict on it after giving it 2 hours of his life. I am not a filmmaker, which is why film appeals to me more than any other art form. I have boundless respect for the technical effort that goes into each and every film I watch. I believe, however, that the end result stands alone and, like all art before it, opens itself to interpretation. Everyone’s a critic. Some are both critics and writers. That’s how I see myself.