59I am resident of Carmel, Indiana, an Indianapolis suburb, and have been reviewing films on-and-off since 1983. I stay away from blockbuster movies for all the obvious reasons. Readers and filmgoers have a tendency to vote at the box office based on buzz and glitzy trailers. So, really – what’s the use? If you're gonna see "Star Wars," you're gonna see "Star Wars." If you're not, you're not.
I'm a pretty insightful observer and ArtsChannelIndy.com is glad to have me as their critic. On that site, you can find reviews of all the Oscar contenders and the occasional buried treasure. You might sometimes find reviews for films on the back side of their box-office shelf life. Think of their timeliness in terms of best bets for rentals, streaming, art-house releases and occasionally, dollar movie specials.
I'm also a Central Indiana businessman (Something has to pay the bills, right?), and I have served as a local coordinator for Foreign Links Around the Globe -- an organization promoting foreign exchange students. My wife & I have hosted a total of five exchange students.
I also serve as secretary of the Central Time Coalition, a PAC whose goal is to restore Central Time to all of Indiana. Don’t ask me about this unless you have an hour or two to spare. I know more about time zones than is healthy for anyone. For those of you not located in the Midwest, you probably assume Indiana follows Central Time already. Actually, we observe the same time as New York, Boston, and Maine. Doesn't seem logical, does it? Eastern Daylight Time here has resulted in children being hit by vehicles while waiting for buses are walking to their schools, during our abnormally dark mornings. Consequently, I haven't seen a firefly in years, thanks to our abnormally sunny summer evenings.
But enough of that. I am also a member of the ACLU of Indiana. And I enjoy singing baritone (and occasionally second tenor) in the St. Luke’s United Methodist Church Chancel Choir in Indianapolis.
I am a student of film history and film criticism, and my work has appeared in several local publications including the Current in Carmel magazine. I now review for their web-site, CurrentNightAndDay.com, as well as for Arts Channel Indy. I am co-owner of the Arts Channel Indy site, which aims to cover the local independent theatre and music scenes here in Indianapolis.
And finally, I am an active member of the IFJA, or Indiana Film Journalists Association. I'm hardly ever in complete agreement with our annual awards, but then you try to get 10 to 12 very opinionated writers to agree on anything, let alone motion pictures!