The End of the Beginning

I'm almost a quarter of the way through my senior year of college (and I'm not going to grad school... yet). I'm anxiously awaiting the end, but I want to savor the time I have left. I have plans of moving out to L.A. and working in the entertainment industry, hence the beginning of this entertainment blog. I've been critically analyzing movies and television shows for the past 7 years of my life. Ever since my first film class with Mark Cummings at Saint Louis University High School, I have never been able to look at a movie the same way. There's so much more to a movie than a good plot, good acting and beautiful scenery (not that those hurt). And with the extra elements, I've learned to appreciate and enjoy the sheer entertainment of each piece of work. Some don't live up to my expectations, some exceed them and some (whether good or bad) hit the mark I was anticipating. Because I've had minimal work with the entertainment industry, I'd just like to talk first about a common trend I've seen. With the current economic situation in the country, people are staying in at night instead of going to the movies. People wait until dvd to see films and I think this has affected the industry (in my opinion). I see less studios putting money into enormous blockbusters and more investing in subtle dramas. Blockbusters do not have the same appeal when you're not staring at a screen as big as a school bus. Television programming has also made drastic improvements and have become more and more like movies in my opinion. But, we'll save that thought for another night.