I have now done over 30 reviews and had time to really think about my methods and motivations. I have to admit, a major part of me feels guilty — like I have stated before; it takes so much bravery, effort, and skill to create a piece of art like a movie or a craft beer and so little to write a review.

With that said, I myself am an avid review reader. I love to know what other people think about movies and beer. Some critics may be simply writing to get a reaction or further their own celebrity, but others are truly passionate about their subjects and simply enjoy intellectualizing and writing about what they’ve observed and how it made them feel.

So what is my motivation? First of all, I am really enjoying the simple act of archiving and cataloging the movies I watch and the beer I drink. I have such an appreciation for the two that simply enjoying them and moving on with my life didn’t feel like enough.

I also thought this might be a great way to expand my knowledge of the two. When I first saw Reservoir Dogs as a 14 year old kid I began obsessively researching, watching, and studying everything I could about movies. As I have gotten older, I sort of lost that. Now, since starting this blog, my passion for cinema has returned with a vengeance.

Also, around the time I started doing this, I had been visiting local breweries with some friends and meeting people who were passionate about craft beer. I immediately became interested and wanted to know more. I downloaded the app untappd and started logging my beers and recording my thoughts. Then, one night, the idea hit me.

I’ve always considered the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema my personal Mecca (as of the writing of this article I still have never been). Why not create my own virtual “Crafthouse Cinema” where I could begin logging, learning, and writing about beer and movies?

I want people to know I do not think of myself as an expert. I hate the idea of the artists behind the movies and beers I review reading what I write and saying, “What the fuck does this dude know? Who is he to critique my creation?” That is not my intent. I never mean to sound like I am saying that I could have crafted something better.

My intent is to record, articulate, and share those thoughts that pop into my mind after tasting a beer or watching a movie. At the very least, it will help me organize and track my experiences — at the very most, it could connect me with a community of people who want to shoot the shit about the same stuff.

So, in order to help catalogue and compare my reviews I decided to use the 5 star system that is in place for both the Untappd and Rotten Tomatoes systems. Below is my best attempt to rationalize these otherwise abstract ranking systems:

1 star: I didn’t get it. I won’t be recommending this movie/beer to anyone.

2 stars: I can see the appeal, but it isn’t for me. I won’t be recommending this movie/beer to most people.

3 stars: It was good. I will recommend it to some people.

4 stars: It was awesome. I will recommend it to most people.

5 stars: I am in awe of it. I will recommend it to everyone.

Pretty simple, but simplicity is genius — right?

I hope you enjoy my blog.

@MattRomary