I definitely consider myself a movie buff, and perhaps a little too obsessed with what goes on via the big screen and behind the scenes. Suffice to say, I was anxiously looking forward to reading “Milk Plus: A Discussion of Film”.
“Milk Plus” is a collaboration of several different folks that claim to be a “collective of writers who have come together because we are all opinionated, passionate lovers of film who wish to share with friends and strangers alike”. That self description hits the purpose and function of the weblog right on the nose.One of the best things about this particular type of weblog is the choice of movies the writers choose to review. They don’t stick with the big screen blockbusters, but also dive right into the independent film pool. These writers are die hard movie fans, and they very much know exactly what they do and do not like about a movie. While it may be viewed by some as too biased, their reviews are anything but that.
With each review, you get comments about the plot, the script, the camera shots, and the acting crew to name a few of the things the writers touch on. Something I became particularly fond of was the comparison between other movies, whether it be something the particular actor had starred in or just another movie that happened to be somewhat similar. As a reader, this gave me the opportunity to, in a way, judge whether or not I would have any interest in the particular movie after knowing what these fine reviewers would compare it to.
With over a year of archived reviews, the troop of reviewers at Milk Plus are definitely consistent. The reviews of movies that I had actually seen were fun to read because I could compare my thoughts on the movies, and the reviews of movies I haven’t yet seen had me mentally adding movies to watch to my list.
The layout goes well with the title. As I found out from the FAQ section of the site, “Milk Plus takes its name from … a name chosen in homage to Stanley Kubrick and his film A Clockwork Orange“. The banner at the top of the page is a “spoof” of the Kubrick film’s logo, which is very tastefully done. I would have liked to see the tables that are used lined up a bit better with the top banner, but once you start thumbing through the reviews, the design is the farthest thing from your mind.
I was very impressed with this weblog. Truthfully, I headed straight over to my Netflix account and started adding some of the movies these folks had reviewed – especially A Clockwork Orange.