Two years ago, we launched a newsletter hoping to attract readers who love movies as much as we do. Here's a brief look back as we head into year three.
Congrats and many happy returns!! I look forward to both of your writings greatly every week. ❤️ I wasn't here from the start but I'm very glad to be here now.
Longtime fan of you both, relatively new subscriber, happy to be here. Please, do what you need to do to make this project financially sustainable!
I hadn't heard the Good Will Hunting story before - that's interesting. I love certain elements of that movie, and would say that overall, I mildly like it, but the lows are just beyond dire. I guess I hadn't realized that that wasn't a universally held opinion - though, I mean, it won multiple Oscars in 1997 and was nominated for a bunch more, so I guess a lot of people must have actually liked some of the stuff I hated about it.
Yeah, so I was in graduate school at the University of Miami and Keith was part of what was then a skeleton-crew of The A.V. Club-- just him and Nathan Rabin, with Stephen Thompson as editor. I think this was the first junket either of us had done-- I'd only do one more; they're terrible-- and it was for Good Will Hunting and Scream 2. Things I remember about the trip: 1. It was my first NYC visit ever, inaugurated by a cab driver ripping me off egregiously. 2. I made the mistake of telling Courteney Cox the truth when she asked us all what we thought of Scream 2. Never made that mistake again. 3. Keith and I did a whole lot of walk-and-talk that weekend about movies we'd seen recently, like A Life Less Ordinary.
At the time, The Onion was expanding to Chicago and needed a local editor. I applied but lost the job b/c the editor really had to be someone plugged into music, because a lot of the gig involved calendar listings in the back of the paper. But I was brought on to freelance, which I did for a year and a half before moving to Chicago in '99 for full-time work.
I have been a paid subscriber since the beginning, and it's been a great investment the entire time. I'm always excited when it arrives in my inbox and usually set aside whatever else I am doing at the moment. Congratulations on two outstanding years and here's to many more.
Congrats! Money has been tightening lately (as I’m sure it has for most), so I almost considered dipping. However, I adore the content (and hosts!) so much I can’t quit it.
Yes, PLEASE paywall more. Or, you could consider offering more teases, then paywalling most of the article. A common tactic, I know
Happy University, as Mrs. Cookie fond of saying. Me have followed both of you through all of those media outlets you mentioned, but Reveal feel even more necessary in year when formerly-beloved AV Club became AI-driven hellscape. Come with me if you want thoughtful perspectives on cinema to live!
Congrats on 2 years! I've been a fan since the AV Club, loved loved loved the Dissolve, and it's nice to see the gods of ever-evolving mediums for monetizing content provide a new option! I've missed the vibe of the old comments sections, and it's been great to find that here: thoughtful movie nerds who want to have reasonable conversations on the internet.
Thanks for highlighting a bunch of great films I would have missed. Without The Reveal, I never would have had the emotionally shattering experience of watching Aftersun, and I probably wouldn't start tearing up every time I hear Under Pressure.
So glad you started this, so glad to be here. I lurked the AV Club and the Dissolve for many years, but the vibe here is so chill I finally felt comfortable jumping in. Who knew there were such cool people on the internet?
Happy anniversary! I love being part of this community, so thank you for bringing us all together and for all the great fodder for viewing and discussion. When you talk about what a welcoming, positive community this is, I'm reminded of how different my experience was when I was part of an online mix-disc trading community, and how nasty the comments there could get if you, say, included a Rush or Kansas track on one of your mixes. I'm grateful that a whole spectrum of tastes are welcome here, that everyone can speak so eloquently about it, and that no one feels a need to apologize for it.
Happy anniversary guys, and thank you for finding a way to resurrect the AV Club / Dissolve glory days. I was genuinely upset for a few days after seeing Keith’s final update.
I have no complaints with everything you both are providing here, I especially love the more personal touch to a lot of the articles. The only suggestion I have is maybe bring back some of The Dissolve articles. The film of the week and Career View series were great, would love to see the occasional reprise or film of the month if it’s manageable for your workload.
But as long as you’re writing I intend to be subscribing. Cheers guys.
“at a time when social media has become a particularly chaotic and unappealing place to trade opinions and share enthusiasms”
I think this is so key. Unfortunately it’s hard to find a *free* space with a commentariat that seems to value being decent to one another. This is a nice space.
I was happy to see you guys branch out on your own. At the time, it felt like a lot of critics had fallen in with the Twitter hive mind to such an extent that they seemed almost to have lost their individuality. It’s hard to explain. Most of the criticism I found could’ve been written by any of 50 people, even when written by people that I had previously recognized as distinct voices.
You guys still sound like yourselves. This probably doesn’t seem like high praise but it’s intended that way. I’m just happy to be here, really. Thanks for the work that you do.
Thanks for all the kind words, gang. We really love doing this newsletter and being a part of this community, and unlike our previous outlets, no one can tell us what to do or when to stop. Party on, Wayne. Party on, Garth. Etc.
Congrats guys, been a paying subscriber since (checks notes) Feb 2022. I'll have to stick around a long time to get the entire Sight & Sound Top 100 done.
Thanks for two years of great writing. My journey to this site started in 1990 when I started at the University of Illinois as a freshman, picking up a free copy of The Onion on the way in to the cafeteria. Then getting my first computer in 1998 and reading it and the AV Club online, following you to The Dissolve, discovering TNPS podcast, and now here. Only Roger Ebert has had a longer influence on my film viewing experience.
Congrats and many happy returns!! I look forward to both of your writings greatly every week. ❤️ I wasn't here from the start but I'm very glad to be here now.
Longtime fan of you both, relatively new subscriber, happy to be here. Please, do what you need to do to make this project financially sustainable!
I hadn't heard the Good Will Hunting story before - that's interesting. I love certain elements of that movie, and would say that overall, I mildly like it, but the lows are just beyond dire. I guess I hadn't realized that that wasn't a universally held opinion - though, I mean, it won multiple Oscars in 1997 and was nominated for a bunch more, so I guess a lot of people must have actually liked some of the stuff I hated about it.
Yeah, so I was in graduate school at the University of Miami and Keith was part of what was then a skeleton-crew of The A.V. Club-- just him and Nathan Rabin, with Stephen Thompson as editor. I think this was the first junket either of us had done-- I'd only do one more; they're terrible-- and it was for Good Will Hunting and Scream 2. Things I remember about the trip: 1. It was my first NYC visit ever, inaugurated by a cab driver ripping me off egregiously. 2. I made the mistake of telling Courteney Cox the truth when she asked us all what we thought of Scream 2. Never made that mistake again. 3. Keith and I did a whole lot of walk-and-talk that weekend about movies we'd seen recently, like A Life Less Ordinary.
At the time, The Onion was expanding to Chicago and needed a local editor. I applied but lost the job b/c the editor really had to be someone plugged into music, because a lot of the gig involved calendar listings in the back of the paper. But I was brought on to freelance, which I did for a year and a half before moving to Chicago in '99 for full-time work.
I have been a paid subscriber since the beginning, and it's been a great investment the entire time. I'm always excited when it arrives in my inbox and usually set aside whatever else I am doing at the moment. Congratulations on two outstanding years and here's to many more.
Congrats! Money has been tightening lately (as I’m sure it has for most), so I almost considered dipping. However, I adore the content (and hosts!) so much I can’t quit it.
Yes, PLEASE paywall more. Or, you could consider offering more teases, then paywalling most of the article. A common tactic, I know
Keep up the great work!
Happy University, as Mrs. Cookie fond of saying. Me have followed both of you through all of those media outlets you mentioned, but Reveal feel even more necessary in year when formerly-beloved AV Club became AI-driven hellscape. Come with me if you want thoughtful perspectives on cinema to live!
Congrats on 2 years! I've been a fan since the AV Club, loved loved loved the Dissolve, and it's nice to see the gods of ever-evolving mediums for monetizing content provide a new option! I've missed the vibe of the old comments sections, and it's been great to find that here: thoughtful movie nerds who want to have reasonable conversations on the internet.
Thanks for highlighting a bunch of great films I would have missed. Without The Reveal, I never would have had the emotionally shattering experience of watching Aftersun, and I probably wouldn't start tearing up every time I hear Under Pressure.
This place is an untouchable resource.
So glad you started this, so glad to be here. I lurked the AV Club and the Dissolve for many years, but the vibe here is so chill I finally felt comfortable jumping in. Who knew there were such cool people on the internet?
Happy anniversary! I love being part of this community, so thank you for bringing us all together and for all the great fodder for viewing and discussion. When you talk about what a welcoming, positive community this is, I'm reminded of how different my experience was when I was part of an online mix-disc trading community, and how nasty the comments there could get if you, say, included a Rush or Kansas track on one of your mixes. I'm grateful that a whole spectrum of tastes are welcome here, that everyone can speak so eloquently about it, and that no one feels a need to apologize for it.
Happy anniversary guys, and thank you for finding a way to resurrect the AV Club / Dissolve glory days. I was genuinely upset for a few days after seeing Keith’s final update.
I have no complaints with everything you both are providing here, I especially love the more personal touch to a lot of the articles. The only suggestion I have is maybe bring back some of The Dissolve articles. The film of the week and Career View series were great, would love to see the occasional reprise or film of the month if it’s manageable for your workload.
But as long as you’re writing I intend to be subscribing. Cheers guys.
“at a time when social media has become a particularly chaotic and unappealing place to trade opinions and share enthusiasms”
I think this is so key. Unfortunately it’s hard to find a *free* space with a commentariat that seems to value being decent to one another. This is a nice space.
I was happy to see you guys branch out on your own. At the time, it felt like a lot of critics had fallen in with the Twitter hive mind to such an extent that they seemed almost to have lost their individuality. It’s hard to explain. Most of the criticism I found could’ve been written by any of 50 people, even when written by people that I had previously recognized as distinct voices.
You guys still sound like yourselves. This probably doesn’t seem like high praise but it’s intended that way. I’m just happy to be here, really. Thanks for the work that you do.
Thanks for all the kind words, gang. We really love doing this newsletter and being a part of this community, and unlike our previous outlets, no one can tell us what to do or when to stop. Party on, Wayne. Party on, Garth. Etc.
Let me second Scott’s thanks. We had no idea if this would work or not and it wouldn’t without all of you.
Congrats guys, been a paying subscriber since (checks notes) Feb 2022. I'll have to stick around a long time to get the entire Sight & Sound Top 100 done.
Thanks for two years of great writing. My journey to this site started in 1990 when I started at the University of Illinois as a freshman, picking up a free copy of The Onion on the way in to the cafeteria. Then getting my first computer in 1998 and reading it and the AV Club online, following you to The Dissolve, discovering TNPS podcast, and now here. Only Roger Ebert has had a longer influence on my film viewing experience.
Congrats! I'm glad I finally subscribed.