Welcome to Namby Pamby Pish

So here it is, my attempt to jump on the blogging bandwagon- it was bound to happen sooner or later.

"Why has it taken you so long?" I hear you ask.  Well, I guess I never really saw the point; or rather I never really had a point.  Then it struck me.

The origins of Namby Pamby Pish

I have a terrible memory.  Not for everything- if I make a conscious effort then I can remember lots of things.  If you name a year since 1939 I can tell you who won the English FA Cup for instance.  I am a keen quizzer so there's general knowledge up there in my head, it's just a question of finding where I've put it.  However, there are other things I'm hopeless with; if you are a friend of mine then there will no doubt have been at least one occasion when you've said to me, "And of course you'll remember such and such," only to be met with a blank stare.  I probably don't remember doing it to you but I'm sorry anyway, it's not deliberate.

The same goes for films.  Not all films- I remember the good and bad that I've seen, and I can quote Spinal Tap, Monty Python, and Reservoir Dogs when the mood takes me and the company is obliging.  But there are those that I don't remember seeing (probably because they're not worth remembering) and of the good and the bad, I will often forget how good or bad I found them or indeed why I thought that at all.  As such, six months ago I resolved to make a note of all the films I watch for the first time along with a brief note of my thoughts.  The results were surprising for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, I was struck by how many 'new' films I get through- an average of 8 or 9 per month.  I would have guessed at half of that if I hadn't been keeping a note.  Secondly, by committing my thoughts into writing, even if it is three or four sentences in wee moleskin notebook, I was forced to reflect much more on the film than I had previously been doing.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I was sitting having coffee with a couple of friends I hadn't seen for a few months and was telling them this.  One of them asked why I didn't blog it.  I may have been fairly dismissive of it at the time, after all, who would be interested in my opinion on the films I see, but it did get me thinking.

The philosophy of Namby Pamby Pish

Of course, there is no particular reason why anyone should interested in my opinion on the films I see.  There are other blogs that are far more professional and comprehensive (see the links on the right) but I am interested in other people's opinions.  Not just the critics but among those who don't know their Demme from their Dovzhenko- I want to be able to talk about films without having a firm grasp on critical vocabulary.

Beyond that, Edinburgh is great place to be a film fan.  One of the first things I tell people about my flat in Fountainbridge is that I'm within a 15 minute walk of 5 cinemas, including the Filmhouse and the Cameo.  We have the oldest continuous International Film Festival in the world which doesn't seem to get the attention I think it merits from my fellow Edinburghers.  We have community projects such as the brilliant Pilton Video and the fight to save the old odeon in the Southside for future film goers.  I hope I can use this site to play my small part in promoting these.

Other than that, I'll post things I find amusing, diverting or anything in the search of instigating some sort of dialogue.  Well, that's the idea anyway.  Let's see if I can keep this up for more than a few weeks.

Why Namby Pamby Pish?

Good question.  The title is a tribute to one of the best-loved films to come out of our city (see right).  It seemed a nice way to sum up the blog.

Now, where's that second post going to come from?