The Meaning

At first glance, it may appear that this is just another blog writing reviews for movies, games, and the like. Puh-lease. Trust me, I fully realize that there are plenty of entertainment blogs out there. However, it is my mission to bring something new to the table. The goal at DiM is to look critically at any kind of work that tells a story, such as movies, games, books, or other entertainment media of the past and present (and occasionally, when my crystal ball cooperates, future), through a different, more focused lens.

Rather than evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a work on a basic, surface level, I delve deeper, looking at more hidden elements that contribute to the quality (or a lack thereof) of a work. What encourages the audience to continue with the story or to care about the characters and their outcomes? What exactly is done that makes the work succeed commercially or critically? What is at work behind the (usually self-proclaimed) #1 movie in America that was able to propel said movie to such heights? I intend to answer these and similar questions through regular analysis of the movies, games, and other entertainment that YOU are interested in, in an understandable manner which YOU have not seen already.

I understand that entertainment media such as films and games are highly opinion-based, and I recognize that different works do different things (good and bad) for different people. This is why my review structure is designed not around aggregate rating scales based on stars or points, but instead based around the idea that it is more interesting and more helpful to look at actual reasons why certain aspects of works succeed or fail. The idea here is that you actually read what I post; don’t expect to come here for nothing more than a score out of 5 or 10. There will be plenty of grey area: not everything will be strictly good or strictly bad. For example, there can easily be mediocre works that I enjoy in spite of myself. But I will explain this honestly while discussing what exactly made the work mediocre, as well as why I enjoyed it despite the poor quality.

This blog was created, and is regularly updated and maintained, by Brian Compere, a Journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park. I am not a professional critic or analyst, just an ordinary person who cares about entertainment just like you do. If you have anything you would like to bring to my attention regarding suggestions or complaints about the blog, advertising opportunities, interest in writing guest posts, or even employment opportunities (hey, always worth a shot!), please do not hesitate to get into contact with me! I can be reached through comments on the blog, my Twitter account, BComp272, or my LinkedIn profile. With that, I hope you get involved in the discussion, bring your friends, and enjoy taking a look beneath the surface.

P.S.: This is a SPOILER-FREE BLOG. Spoilers are just no fun, and you will never see me revealing specific plot-related details in any of my posts. In addition, I ask that comments steer clear from revealing spoilers as well (although I have plans to install some place where readers can discuss the content of my posts with spoilers-stay tuned!)