Just the Ticket

I consume a lot of media.  Movies, television shows, video games, books, blog posts, you can name most things and find that I absorb it on a regular basis.  When I find something I really enjoy or that strikes me more than most, I tend to go out and absorb more of it; i.e., reading every book written by an author I discovered, doing intensive research on the making of a movie I liked, etc.  And then, once I've pulled all of this information into my brain, I let it mull.  It rolls around and around, sometimes getting spit out at nearby listeners, but mostly turning into something cohesive that I then fold neatly, place in a box, and file somewhere in the recesses of my brain to do absolutely nothing with.

I've received the comment more than once that I should actually sit down and review these things I consume, rather than just placing them in my personal bin, and for the most part I've brushed these off.  But it's a new year, which always seems to beg new adventures.  I'd like to challenge myself to think more critically, and a review project seems like just the ticket.  And that's what I'm calling it: Just the Ticket.  I have a tendency to save all of my ticket stubs from anyplace that gives me one, thinking I'm going to do something with them.  This is my way of doing something with them.

There are a few rules I'm going to be following:

1.  Keeping it fresh: I'll be looking at things I've only recently seen for the first time.  I'm not going to go back and review all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, just because I've seen it (though never doubt that I could, folks.  Never doubt).

2. Just right: I'll aim to keep these from being either too long or too short.

3. Don't pull punches: I'm also not always going to be nice about things.  This is about being critical, and there are plenty of things that I don't like.  I'm not going to sugarcoat them.

4. Vary it up: I mentioned up top that I consume all sorts of media; I'm not going to limit myself in what I review.  So prepare yourself for a variety.  It will probably be weird.

5. Spoiler alert: I'll do my best to avoid spoilers, but I'm not going to skirt around them if I need to make a particular point.  I'll try to note on each review whether they're spoiler-free.

I doubt I'll post on any sort of schedule (when do I ever?), but I'll aim for some degree of regularity.  Just to keep me honest.  And speaking of, full disclosure: though I've been thinking about doing this for a long time, Dustin Harbin's Review Project partially spurred me to action (which you should also check out, especially if you like awesome drawings).  I can't promise these will be great to start with.  In fact, I can almost guarantee they won't be.  But I hope you'll enjoy taking this ride with me!