About

The actual silver emulsion is the key that makes it possible for films to be made. Unfortunately, every film made is not worth watching. That’s where SilverEmulsion.com comes in. Here you will find honest, direct film reviews that focus on what matters. Acting, Directing, Cinematography, but most importantly, “Is it worth watching?”

My name is Will and I’m a twenty-nine-year-old guy from California with a distinct love for cinema. I loved Star Wars, Indiana Jones and The Goonies (among others) as a child, but in my early teens my world got rocked when Jackie Chan’s Rumble in the Bronx got released in U.S. cinemas. It led me on a multi-year Hong Kong movie bender, where I consumed any and all films I could get my hands on. It was in this period that I first dreamed of writing about film. My love of Jackie Chan led naturally into my film snob era when I discovered how much he was influenced by silent film icon Buster Keaton. This was a long period in which I educated myself on film history and tried to only watch excellent films, or ones that were “well made.” I loved horror movies though, so there were discrepancies in my logic, but I tried my best to keep it to universally well-regarded horror fare to keep in line with my film snob mindset.

The decreasing quality of film in the 2000s eventually led me to indifference until I caught No Country for Old Men in a theater. My love for cinema was instantly reignited. This led me to consider my old dream of writing about movies, but it still took me a few years and some prodding from my girlfriend to get around to setting up this website. It’s been going strong since April 2010, and has led me into my most enjoyable movie nerd era yet: The period in which I see the value of all cinema, from iconic classic to trashy horror fare, from Hollywood spectacle to low-budget shockers.

I hope you enjoy your stay here at Silver Emulsion!

A word about the rating system:

Every film is rated on the standard four star rating system, but my philosophy behind awarding the ratings might be somewhat different from the norm. I try to judge the film in terms of its success in delivering what it sets out to deliver, counterpointed with filmmaking skill and style. I greatly enjoy the Subspecies film series, but most of them only rate 2 1/2 stars, a fairly average score. This is because despite my overall enjoyment, they aren’t quite made well enough to outweigh their low-budget nature and garner a higher rating.

This mentality towards star ratings leads to some interesting situations like Laserblast, an awful film that I absolutely love. I can’t in good conscience give it any higher than 2 stars, but I LOVED it. In such cases, where my feelings aren’t necessarily in line with my rating (is that schizophrenic enough for you?), I’ll add a second star rating for the “B-Movie Fun”. This “judging films in terms of their own success within their genre” carries over to mainstream films as well. I didn’t think The King’s Speech delivered anywhere near the level of drama and tension that a big-budget historical drama should, so it gets 2 1/2. Clear as mud?

I guess it’s probably not as different as I think it is, but I think my key difference comes in applying the same formula to mainstream and B-pictures. I started this website in part because I was tired of reading bad reviews of good horror movies in my local paper because the reviewer hated horror movies. How does one that hates a genre effectively review a film in said genre? WTF.

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions. I am easily accessible on Twitter, Facebook and Email or you can leave a comment below. Whatever’s clever.