today is the 22nd anniversary of Flick Filosopher

Not many movie sites that were online in 1997 are still around. But me, like a fool? Still here.

Reupping the post below, from exactly a year ago. Everything still pretty much applies. I’m still trying to figure out how to make Patreon work with what I do here, how to add even more value for those of you who choose to support me via that platform. Your suggestions are welcome!

PREVIOUS: 09.08.18

why not buy Flick Filosopher a beer for its 21st birthday?

On this day in 1997, I launched Flick Filosopher. It’s my baby, and now it has reached the US legal drinking age. Damn.

I like to say, in the tradition of “If I’d known I was gonna live this long, I would have taken better care of myself,” that if I’d known the site was gonna be around this long, I might have done things differently from the beginning. But actually, it’s tough to know exactly what I could have done differently, since I didn’t have a crystal ball that would let me see how the Internet would develop, how the movie industry would change, or how much publishing as a business and journalism as a calling would both come under increasing fire. If I had known, I might never have even started, because then I wouldn’t have gotten in this deep.

Everything that I do here gets more difficult, in a financial sense, every year. Yet I also believe that what I’m doing — as a woman with decades-long experience in a male-dominated field that needs more diversity — has value. I love this work, and I don’t want to quit. But quitting is something I must constantly consider: it would be the financially responsible thing to do. I’m really exhausted with my precarious living situation, which is not conducive to creativity and doing good work. It’s also damn stressful being worried about money all the time.

But then along comes #TimesUp and #MeToo. Along comes — maybe — some real action on getting women’s voices heard more in Hollywood and in the culture. Along is coming, very soon, Cherry Picks, a Rotten Tomatoes–style review aggregator for female critics. Maybe things are changing. So I can’t quit now. If I do, the bastards win. (I am the sunk-cost fallacy in action.)

While we wait for the revolution, you can help me keep going by becoming a patron of my work at Patreon:

(I’m working on some rewards and on ways to give Patreon supporters more. I’ll be asking you all for input on that soon.)

If you’re afraid of commitment, you can make a one-time (or recurring!) donation via PayPal:

(You can also use PayPal at Patreon!)

A big thank-you, as always, to those lovely readers who have been supporting me throughout the years. I literally could not have kept this up without your help.

And a big thank-you to all you lovely new supporters to come!