My first film review was a homework assignment in 11th grade given to me by Mrs. Krantz my lovely and inspiring Advanced Writing teacher. I had a sports column in the high school newspaper and I was on the Yearbook staff but I didn’t take anything very seriously. I wrote quite a bit while attending Fresno State especially in order to obtain my degree in Speech Communication but I never thought about writing as a career.
My film column in The Spectrum, a newspaper owned by Gannett News (owner of USA Today) came almost by accident. I had substituted for the then film columnist and we shared a passion for films. When she abruptly left town, she recommended me to the Spectrum and by default (and perhaps a small demonstrable ability to meet a deadline and write a cogent sentence or two) and in 2000 I began contributing film reviews every week.
My column appears in both editions of The Spectrum & Daily News on Fridays in the awkwardly named “Where It’s @” section. My primary posture as a film critic is to offer an “everyman’s voice” in film criticism. I strive to offer reasonable, persuasive criticism without the cynical or jaded perspective that is common among career journalists. I attempt to combine my background as a film fan with my life experience as a family man and offer insight to parents when I can. I hope my reviews are concise, accurate and entertaining reads without disclosing too much in the way of content. I also cherish discussion and interaction with other film lovers and I am hopeful this website will offer not only useful information but a forum for insightful dialogue.
Bruce Bennett
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