Last month, I had no idea that I was celebrating the five-year anniversary of this blog.
But it’s true. The Looking Closer Journal made its debut on May 11, 2004. The first post was a welcome. The second noted that Tilda Swinton just might be cast as the White Witch in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
We’ve come a long way, baby.
Thanks so much for making the journey with me. We’ve discussed so many great films, albums, and stories, and I’ve enjoyed your company as dreams like Through a Screen Darkly and Auralia’s Colors and Cyndere’s Midnight came true.
It’s hard to imagine what the next five years might hold. Well, besides the last two chapters of The Auralia Thread: Raven’s Ladder and the as-yet-untitled closing chapter.
I hope you’ll hang around.
Congratulations Jeff! I’ve really, truly enjoyed your various postings over the years, even starting with this site’s early predecessors, “Green Lake Reflections” and “The Buzz.” Seems like ages ago now. Shelly and I are both tremendously grateful for the work you do. Whenever a new film comes out and I mention I might be interested in seeing it, very often the first question Shelly will ask me is “What does Jeff say about it?” Speaks for itself, I trust.
That’s cool, Jeffrey. Like David H. says, there are many a time I come read what you say about a film before I see it, or after I see it to find out where we might agree/disagree. It’s been awesome to be with you during your growth from movie reviewer to fantasy author, and beyond. And truth be told, you’ve also helped me grow in my own film-viewing, as I now look for the spiritual within any and all movies. Thanks for sharing with us your walk.
Wow! Congratulations! Your site has been a great resource for finding films off the beaten path, which is especially important now that I live in a smaller, less “artsy” (for lack of a better word) market than Seattle. I just don’t hear about the variety of incoming foreign films as much unless they make some critics list or win a national award. So, thanks and keep it up!
Julio
Happy Birthday, Looking Closer!
Thanks, Jeff, for all the work and love you put into this blog. Many have benefited from it.