Many of my earliest and best memories are in front of a flickering screen. I remember countless days after school watching movies when I was supposed to be doing homework. My dad had a great collection of classics from Hitchcock and this was my film school.

I remember being dropped off at the movie theater for a whole afternoon while my parents would run their errands. This wasn’t a social event for me as much as a sanctuary of sorts. Our local video rental shop was one of my favorite places. I would wander the store until my mother would force me to decide on a film. I would beg and usually talk her into the stack that had gathered in my hands.

I’m not going to lie and say that as a 10-year-old kid I was choosing Fellini films. I would say I was a regular kid, but I think I liked movies like Charade, His Girl Friday, and High Noon a little too much to be considered average. I just loved the way that film could completely transport you to another time, place, or reality. I never felt this way about books, getting too caught up in the details to let the story wash over me.

For many years I have been writing about movies as I watch them. I used to run a site like this called engagingculture.com. But sadly, I let the domain name lapse and lost a good bit of my work in the process. But I have done my best to hang onto as much as I could. I have started this site to share my love for film as I spend my life at the movies and look for reflections of life at the movies. Increasingly, I have wanted to share these experiences with others and so I have started groups where I can get together with fellow movie lovers to participate in the sacrament of film.

Check the site out, but please don’t just read and leave. This site is about interaction. I want you to join (or start) a group. leave comments on the posts, start a conversation. I know that everyone has their own opinion on films. They hit us in different places because we have lived vastly different lives. Please, share your thoughts and feelings. This is a safe place, and there are no “wrong” answers.

To get updates, you can also like and follow my Facebook page, or follow me on Twitter @engagingculture. If you have any questions or suggestions, you can use on of those social media outlets or you can use the contact form below. Thank you! Thanks, and I’ll see you at the movies.