Our friends over at The Movie Blog found themselves the subject of a piece in Time Magazine this week, which was all at once surreal and exciting to see. The article was about how bloggers/fanboys are becoming a major influence in Hollywood, and how their opinions can actually make or break a film — now even moreso than conventional movie critics. While I suppose Film Junk aims to be a part of that whole movement, we’ve always been quick to keep our levels of blind enthusiasm in check, and maintained a sense of humour about the trivialities that often get blown out of proportion on the web. We’ve done our best to play the cynic, separate ourselves from the obsessives, and even parody them occasionally. So this article got me thinking about whether or not this is a group I really want to be associated with and also whether or not I have any choice in the matter.

First of all, I don’t really consider myself a “fanboy”, and I think there are plenty of bloggers out there who would agree with that sentiment. “Geek”, I could live with, but fanboy? That’s just not me. Sure, I see a lot of movies, play video games, watch TV, even read the odd comic book, and I generally consume myself with more meaningless junk culture than the average person. But I have trouble identifying with the rabid dedication that hardcore fans possess. Technically speaking, I suppose we’re all fans of something, whether it be Spider-Man, the New York Yankees, or really fast sports cars, but there is a line that I have difficulty crossing in my adulation, a mentality that logic and self-awareness prevent me from ever truly committing to.

The word “fanatic” implies crazed devotion and unquestioning support. To me, a fanboy is someone who is completely immersed in a fictional world, trying desperately to participate in it, and who feels some sort of ownership in the material. Now I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing, but the feeling of ownership is a bit troublesome because it leads to irrational attachment and emotional ties. Don’t get me wrong, I love dissecting and discussing movies, and I certainly feel attachment to my favourite flicks. But I’ve always seen myself as more of a detached observer than a participant. I respect the opinion of professional critics a lot more than I do bloggers for that very reason. The minute you feel like an artist or entertainer owes you something, well, that’s when you’ve lost it, in my opinion.

I guess this is one major reason why Film Junk will never be as big as many of the other movie websites out there. We don’t blurt out unwarranted praise for a movie before we’ve seen it (sometimes not even after we’ve seen it), and we keep our inner geeks in check as best we can. Personally, it’s not that I’m ashamed, it’s just that I prefer to choose my words carefully and be consistent. Maybe that makes me “no fun”, but I do have a passion for movies, I hope that much is clear, even if I don’t always wear it on my sleeve.

Strangely, as I’ve been collecting my thoughts in this matter I came across a couple of similar posts on Cinema Blend (who were also mentioned in the article) and FirstShowing.net. Both take exception to the implication that all movie websites are run by fanboys, and I think it’s a point worth making. Fanboys may compose the loudest percentage of people on the internet, but there are plenty more down to earth folks out there as well. Just because someone writes for the web, it doesn’t automatically mean they wear a stormtrooper outfit in their spare time. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

Speaking of fanboys, Heroes returned on NBC this week after a pretty long hiatus. This is a show I love to hate and hate to love (just ask Alicia, I think my snickering at the TV screen is really starting to wear on her). What can I say, the more popular it gets the more I want to pick it apart. The following is my list of top 5 things that bug me about Heroes:

5. The cop who can read minds and the mother with the split personality
4. The stupid marketing catch phrases: “Save the cheerleader, Save the world”, etc.
3. Almost every superpower in the show is a rip-off of an X-Men character
2. Blatant pandering to geek audience (ie. casting George Takei/Christopher Eccleston)
1. The dialogue is so unnatural and comic book-y (ie. ANNOYING)

Although I haven’t been updating them lately, I’m thinking about adding my del.icio.us bookmarks as an embedded feed in the sidebar of this site. I can bookmark all the interesting stories I read throughout the day for easy storage and reference, plus I get to add yet another layer of incoming information to this hyperconnected hub.

More Links For Today:
» Gatorade Erodes Teeth Faster Than Coke
» Will Ferrell Movie Generator
» Q&A Column with the Haimster and Feldog!