Welcome to mergemovies.com! Become a fan of the site on Facebook here or follow on Twitter here. Ok…enough with the obligatory first post. Here is what the website is all about:
mergemovies.com is a project based in Michigan and born out of a love for the moviegoing experience. Whether it is watching the latest blockbuster with throngs of people on an IMAX screen or thoughtfully pondering a foreign film at a more eclectic cinema venue, watching a film is more than simply staring at a screen. The experience of watching a movie is influenced by many factors—the individual, the people around you, the food and most of all, the place.
From theaters in booming metropolises to small town cinemas, the Midwest has a film culture all its own—a unique mix of do-it-yourself screenings, festivals, art house theaters and local and national chains. The main focus of this site then is to examine these places not only to better understand the connection between film and place, but to look at the past, present and future Midwestern cinema.
the different sections of mergemovies.com
The four types of posts that you will most commonly see on this blog are the following:
cinema review
This is the bread and butter of the website. Here I will recount my experiences visiting movie theaters, venues and events throughout Michigan and the rest of the Midwest. Anything is fair game in the reviews—screen size, concessions, atmosphere, cleanliness, seating style, type of film used and even carpet pattern—you name it and I will probably talk about it at some point. I will also try to scatter interviews and behind-the-scenes looks at the different venues in order to get a glimpse at what people actually go through to bring us great film experiences. Although I aim to be as thorough as possible in the reviews, my main goal is to make people aware of some truly great places to watch film. From small town, hole-in-the-wall cinemas and art houses to large chain theaters and film festivals, the website will showcase the places that play a big role in providing film entertainment and culture to the communities around the Midwest.
field trip
Although mergemovies.com is based in Michigan and is primarily concerned with Midwestern film venues, occasionally I will venture outside of the heartland and will post reviews or information about movie venues around the United States. Field trip posts will follow the same format as the cinema review section.
the ultimate list
I love going to the movies. However, I will be the first to admit that I lack the knowledge that comes with watching and re-watching of a lot of the “classic” films. In an attempt to remedy this, I present to you The Ultimate List. A collection of films chosen from a plethora of “best of” lists, this list is probably the best you can do short of watching every movie on the Internet Movie Database. In accordance with the main purpose of mergemovies.com, I will try to view as many of these films as possible in a theater as opposed to catching them on DVD in order to capture, if even a small part, the atmosphere of watching the film for the first time on the big screen.
commentary
This type of post will include any film related ramblings, news or tidbits that I couldn’t fit into any of the other categories above.
Last, but not least, I want to hear about your moviegoing experiences! Let me know if you have any places I should visit in my movie-related travels and feel free to comment about any of the topics posted on this website.
