woe to those who sacrifice unity on the altar of criticism:  will we bend toward other generations?

I'm in between. A mom to the learning generation. A daughter to the leading generation. It's a good place to be.

But from here, in between, I fear that the bridge is still out.

I've sat on committees and heard elders say, "This generation, where is their commitment?" I respond, "Actually, they may just be the most committed generation the planet has ever seen--but their commitment does not manifest itself in allegiance to forms and fixtures."

I've sat in think tanks and coffee shops and heard twenty-somethings say, "That generation, they just don't get it. Why can't they make room for the artist? Why can't they embrace our uniqueness? Why can't they focus on the stuff Jesus focused on?" I respond, "Actually, the stuff they do 'get' has eternal strength. The opportunities open to us today are the fruit of their prayers and tears."

If you can excuse a moment of semi-shameless self-promotion - along with five other accomplished film critics and writers, I'm involved with a new venture called Filmwell, a website interested in cinema off the beaten track and criticism at the margins of the great conversation. We launched today, and below is the press release. Hope you'll check us out.

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Hi,
 
We are happy to announce the release of Filmwell (www.filmwell.org), a new website that will be updated daily with essays, film and DVD reviews, and news on cinema off the beaten track. Founding Filmwell contributors include widely published authors and critics, as well as film festival programmers and educators. Filmwell content is dictated by the whims of its contributors, who frequent national festivals, scour DVD catalogs and screening schedules, and are otherwise always on the hunt for those films that make this great conversation so worthwhile. Yet another film blog? Maybe. But our collective audiences are hungry for an entry point to thoughtful criticism on films they haven't heard about yet.