Welcome to Three And Above!

Hello Internet!

     One of my earliest memories was of my parents, my sister and I piling in the car, on a cold morning in late November 1995. She and I were ecstatic, and my parents seemed pleased about the journey. Although I'm sure I had been taken to the movies before, this is the first memory I have of going with the family, grabbing a bag of popcorn to share, and sipping on our sodas as the curtains came down. 

     We were there to watch Toy Story, and though it had seemed like a pretty stellar choice by all, I don't believe any of us knew how big the film truly was. Yes, it had the voice talents of an actor and comedian both at the top of their game, and, yes, it had groundbreaking computer animation, but I couldn't care less. The brilliance of Toy Story was it's imagination; every child created their own  stories while playing with their toys, cars, hell, even sticks in their backyard. Such a story is a wonderful metaphor for cinema as a whole. 

     Cinema is powerful. From the physics defying dreamscapes of Christopher Nolan's Inception, to the real life drama of Ron Howard's Apollo 13, to the heartbreaking verisimilitude of Spielberg's Schindler's List, films have the power to make our wildest dreams a reality, to take us to space or to show us the true horror of human evil as well as the will we have to overcome it. It was this love of cinema and imagination that first led me to the field of film criticism, and from 2005-2009, I wrote for the monthly High Country News as their local film critic. It was wonderful, being able to share a love of movies with a wide audience in the small communities of Alberta, and hearing feedback on the movies I had reviewed, and why I should review some that I hadn't. It was heading to University in 2009 that threw a wrench in my plan to become the next Roger Ebert; but I'm finished university now, and it's time for something  different, and it's time to return to cinema...

     With Three and Above, I hope to convey the wonder, awe, and simple enjoyment I get anytime I watch a movie. A good movie is something that either entertains and enlightens; a great movie is both. Using the standard five star rating system for film reviews, I will showcase a variety of my reviews from all genres, and occasionally, all eras, (although I'll mainly be reviewing modern cinema). However, here's where we take a turn - no film reviewed on this website will receive lower than three stars. Yes, there are awful movies, and yes, I have watched too many films deserving of zero stars. But the internet has enough people pointing out what's wrong, incorrect, or offensive with all areas of culture, and why give attention to awful films that don't deserve it? With Three and Above, I'm hoping to shine a light and discuss the aspects of films that are merely enjoyable to those that are absolutely life changing. There's no turkeys here. Just a need for the silver screen. Thanks for checking out the blog, and I'll be posting new reviews soon.

- Grant