A Christmas Blogging Challenge

I can't offer you a present. There's no gift I possess you'd cherish with open arms and wide smiles. The only gift I can give you is a challenge. You see, with the entire internet at our disposals, many bloggers never make it outside their immediate network. Perhaps it's a fear of adventuring too far from 'home,' but who knows. The reason I mention this is because by not venturing out beyond the immediate collection of bloggers you follow, you often miss one of the most amazing things blogging can offer you: A new way of looking at the same movie.

Let's be honest after we've all read that thirty-second review our friends have posted on Harry Potter - we're pretty much predicting the next line. We know their writing styles, their likes and dislikes, and often times the reason for our mutual following is because statistically they enjoy the movies we do. Sure, occasionally we get a few posts that pop into our feeder that truly dissent from our own opinion of a movie. Yet it's hardly that far.

So this weekend I challenge you to give a gift to yourself. Pick a movie you love or hate, it can be one from this year or a classic. Then go into google and seek out a review of the film that is polar opposite of your own opinion. Don't just read the post - try and understand it. Analyze their critiques in conjunction with your own notions. See how they differ, align, and flow together. By doing this you will be challenging your own thoughts on the film. Did you miss something? Perhaps you saw something differently than they did? If so, why did you see it different? Asking yourself these questions doesn't change you, as many seem to fear it will. Instead, it makes you a better blogger.

It also makes you a more understanding human. Appreciating the differing opinions this world entails will open you up to a life of intelligent discourse and self-discovery. Don't wrap yourself up in your world, and only see the benefit in those things which support you. In essence, don't be a Scrooge. :)

P.S. Mad, I think your post a few weeks back makes you exempt from this challenge. That mental beating of cinematic disagreement might be more than anyone should have to handle in one go.

Happy Holidays Everybody!