My name is Kyle, and I like movies. Like, a lot. Seriously, it’s downright unhealthy. I am also a big fan of pop culture in general, and, as a writer and journalist, my writing tends to lean towards coverage of the arts and entertainment. I am acutely aware of the power that entertainment and popular culture can have over our lives. This power can be positive, but is most often negative, particularly in regards to the cult of celebrity that pervades our culture.

So, why this blog? First and foremost, I am here to write about things that interest me (and hopefully you too), and this is a good outlet in which to do so. Beyond that, I am here to demystify the sometimes gloomy pall that popular culture can cast over us. We often consume our entertainment passively, without realizing what it is actually doing to us. This is not the way it’s supposed to work. We need to engage the culture around us, and, sometimes, our greatest cultural discussions begin after we leave the movie theater, or during the commercial breaks of our favorite TV shows. If we don’t analyze our entertainment, it becomes more difficult to analyze the world around us.

Now, some might say “well, it’s just entertainment, it doesn’t affect my life.” And yes, some entertainment is probably that disposable. But, even the lightest of entertainment has probably caused you to feel something. Maybe a light, airy comedy you caught on TV has pulled you out of a slump, turning your day from bad to good. Or, maybe an evening newscast or episode of “Dateline” has bummed you out. At the very least, entertainment often affects our moment-to-moment moods.

At its best, however, entertainment isn’t just a reflection of life. It is life itself. Filmmakers, novelists, and video game designers bring their own life experiences into their works. This kind of entertainment doesn’t just affect our mood; it can reveal a part of ourselves we didn’t know existed, or illuminate a topic we had no idea was so important.

So, how will I approach entertainment here? Through thoughtful reviews, essays, news critiques and analyses, I will try to get at the deeper meaning of entertainment. But, I will also share tons of aggregated content or post my own reflections that are just plain fun. It is entertainment, after all, and if I make everything serious and stoic, no one will have any fun (including myself).

So, please, explore the world of entertainment and pop culture with me. I hope you enjoy (and maybe feel a bit more illuminated in the process).