I never figured out that this little hobby of mine to help pass the time and share my love for writing about films, books, anime, games and other forms of entertainment would last as long as it has. I’ve always thought that when I first began the site that after a couple months I would get tired and bored by it and just let it wither on the vine. But instead of withering it’s actually has grown to include not just myself as a contributor but many others.
I have to say many thanks to some old buddies of mine going as far back as the old FF Gurus stomping ground which turned into the Suikox stomping grounds. I will forever be indebted to necromoonyeti (Shad4K for those who remember him from FFG and Suikox) for not just writing about his love for all things metal, but for the other genres of metal beyond the Metallica, Slayer, Black Sabbath and Megadeth I grew up listening to. Its through his educated and passionate writing about black metal, folk metal and power metal (and many more) that I’ve grown to appreciate the finer points of music.
Sailor Sexy has been a partner-in-crime that I think we may have been twins in a previous life. He’s been the anime and manga dude who may not have been as active but has definitely expanded my own appreciation for Japanese anime and manga. He’s probably helped introduce the artform to many of the site’s readers who have never really experienced anime outside of what’s being shown on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Here’s to hoping he celebrates this milestone with beer and more beer with his pals Tugger and PB at his side.
Other contributors have joined the site in just the past 6 months to help add their unique voices to the growing crew. There’s SemtexSkittle who has become the site’s gaming guru and whose love for gaming surpasses even my own. In addition to his helping write articles and reviews for the site he has also helped me become a better Black Ops player even though I’m probably still the one guy in the team who dies most of the time.
Another contributor who has added his own unique writing style is uberthegeek who shares the same love for all things nerdy and geeky as I do. Then there’s Leonard Wilson who brings his own film reviewing style which shows not just his love for film, but also shows him growing as a writer and hopefully he will continue to write as he finds his true writer’s voice. Another film fan who has joined just recently is leonth3duke who I first met over at a film fan union over on Gamespot. He brings a cineaste‘s appreciation for film that I rarely find when talking with my contemporaries and has been a welcome addition to the site.
The site also has one-time contributors in danceonavolcano and zackthewicked1 whose lone contributions are much appreciated as the ones made by the other writers for the site.
Last, but not least, is the one person who has helped me through the growing pains of the site when it was just months old and who accepted my invitation to write for the site without questions asked on her part: Lisa Marie Bowman. She has been so active in keeping the site always with something new to check out and read that she’s become as much a founder of Through the Shattered Lens as myself. Her love for grindhouse and exploitation cinema surpasses my own. Her unique personal take on films she reviews has made her articles some of the most read one’s on the site and I hope that giving her an outlet to write without restrictions has helped her in whatever small way to open up creatively since she first joined me almost 17 months ago. She’s also the reason for bringing in her sister, Dazzling Erin, to add to the coterie of writers which will only continue to help grow the site beyond what I had first envisioned it to be.
Through the Shattered Lens has been and will continue be a place guided by no rules other than for each contributor to write what they want to write about in regards to entertainment of their choosing. I’ve wanted to keep the site as chaotic and as free of restrictive guidelines as possible. While other sites have succeeded in being more focused on a particular theme or having access to the entertainment industry for news and interviews, I’ve always thought that this site has been a success on its own right because of it’s own chaotic nature. Visitors both new and old will always come in with the expectation that something new, weird and unexpected will greet them as they enter for the first time or the umpteenth time.
Thanks for sticking by us as we reached our first 1000th post milestone. Here’s to hoping you stick around and see us through to the next 1000….
….also remember: the cake is a lie.
Through the Shattered Lens 
Congrats on the first 1,000! 🙂
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Thanks! If it wasn’t for everyone don’t think it would’ve made it this far or this soon. 🙂
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Kudos to all. I discovered this site near the beginning of 2010. I didn’t realize that it was a nascent venture, at that point. I had been searching for horror film recommendations, and my search criteria brought me to Arleigh’s “20 Best Horror Films of the Past Decade” post. Having seen most of the films he had selected, it was clear that this guy had a legitimate understanding and appreciation of horror cinema. If I remember correctly, I think I quibbled (which is just not like me) with him a bit about whether or not “horror/comedies” should be considered for inclusion on such lists. But I was impressed with his analytical writing and taste, both of which were confirmed in subsequent posts.
The sedition of Ms, Bowman a few months later really expanded the scope and depth of the site. That a 25-year-old woman is as familiar with as many things as is she is remarkable. Her writing skill and comprehension of conceptual nuance has made for truly thought-provoking reading.
So the intellectual testosterone/estrogen balance (would that be yin and yang?) has provided consistently interesting perspectives and exposure to things both new and old.
The uniform intelligence and familiarity with the subject matter possessed by all contributors, including the more recent additions (BTW, Leonard, I may have been kidding about featuring Bugs Bunny as a “Hottie Of The Day” – still, it’s your call)), have served the site well, and made it a valuable source for both information and entertainment.
That’s my unsolicited 3 cents (adjusted for inflation). Congratulations. Thanks for all of your hard work, and know that it has been noticed and appreciated.
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BTW, that should read “addition” (of Ms. Bowman), not “sedition”. Blasted Spell Check. (I’ll leave it to Arleigh to decide if either term could actually apply.) 🙂
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🙂 Thank you, KO! 🙂
I have to admit that when I read your comment about me and Arleigh being the Yin and the Yang, I had to smile because it made me flash back to an Intro. to Philosophy course that I took back at UNT. Our professor was explaining the Yin and the Yang and he goes, “The Yang is positve, active, dry, and male while the Yin is considered to be negative, passive, wet, and female.”
And, of course, I kinda arched my eyebrow at that but before I could say anything, the guy sitting right next to me goes, “Well, I don’t see what’s so negative about a passive, wet female.”
And then he looked over at me and smiled! AGCK!
Anyway, I’m always happy to log into this site and see comments waiting from KO and I’m glad that my love for Fulci hasn’t driven you away. 🙂
I hope you like our next 1,000 posts just as much as the first. 🙂
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I really can’t say much more than what’s already been said. I think the biggest thing as a writer (for me, anyway) is a sense of validation, that the effort to get your thoughts down ends up with at least one person reading it and saying..”Wow, I get that.” That’s how I feel here, like I’m heard. That’s the coolest feeling in the world. 🙂
You all amaze me. When I’m quiet here, it’s because I’m humbled by all the Awesome talent that surrounds me and I don’t want to sound stupid. 🙂 I love movies, but I have to admit I didn’t even know what an “auteur” was until I got here. You all live and breathe entertainment. You’re all teaching me something every day I’m here.
To Senor Geekus – I’m so waiting for you next post. I’m loving what you throw out on Twitter. You mind is always moving and I hope it translates to something on the page. I know it’s not easy, but again, I hope you find your way back. 🙂
KO, I may do the Bugs Bunny thing. 🙂 I think I pull it off, but I have a few more Hotties I want to add first.
To Arleigh and Lisa, just want to add:
Arleigh, thanks for inviting me in on this. I’m not sure if I said so before, but I’m thankful that you did. I’ve done more writing since joining than I have in long while. And that you have such an open door policy with regards to what to write (even if anyone else wrote a review before) is just so inviting. I may not be the best wordsmith, but I’ve never felt that anything I posted needed to be dismissed. You’ve let me take my time, with subtle nudges, of course. 🙂 Thanks for your time and patience in letting me find (or recapture) my voice again. Oh, one more thing. I spoke with Kevin, who runs the Live Tweets. Since it’s public domain (no one owns the movies we watch, but their production companies), I’m free to write reviews for anything I watch on Saturday Nights. That should be fun.
Lisa, I can only echo what KO said. Your writing defines how much love cinema, and it’s incredibly awesome that you’ve knowledge on so many films that are before your time. I mean, “Humongous”. Wow. I can count on my hand the number of people I know who could even vaguely remember that movie. You are indeed a brilliant writer, showcasing not just why your audience should (or shouldn’t) give a film a chance, but how it affected you. I don’t usually see much of a personal angle when reading reviews, but you have a gift there in conveying that. When you get inducted into A.M.P.A.S. or the Writer’s Guild, just remember us, okay? 🙂
Thank you, everyone. 🙂
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🙂 Thank you so much, Leonard. I can’t tell you how much that means to me and I can’t describe how big a smile I have on my face right now 🙂
🙂 However, I won’t have to remember you guys when I get into the Writer’s Guild because you all will already be in there. And I’ll see you guys and be like, “Hey, remember me!?” And you guys will be like, “Who is that obnoxious redhead?” 🙂
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I’ll have to think up something good to help commemorate this auspicious event, but in keeping with my procrastinating tradition, said post probably won’t come for at least two weeks or so. Also because I’m on the boat until then. But, congrats on the milestone!
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You, Tugger and PB plying the waves!
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🙂 Wow. I don’t even know where to begin. What can you say to so many wonderful compliments than “Thank you?” 🙂
Far too often, when it comes to sites dedicated to entertainment, there’s a real herd mentality and a definite sameness to the opinions being presented. Far too often, we often see people jumping on the bandwagon and adopting a jack-boot mentality towards anyone who might dare to dissent. God forbid that you should even mention disliking Avatar or The Social Network on any of these sites. God forbid you should go against the conventional wisdom. And, quite frankly, God forbid that you should have both a vagina and an opinion on these sites.
And that’s why I love this site. This site isn’t about jumping on a bandwagon. This site isn’t about trying to bully the rest of the world with second-hand opinions that we stole from Roger Ebert. This site is about people who love pop culture in all of its forms. This site is for people who have opinions of their own. This site is about celebrating the fact that we are all separate and unique individuals with our own separate and unique outlooks.
I’m very proud to be a part of this site and I’m even more proud of my fellow contributors. The fact that we’ve reached a 1,000 posts while so many other blogs tend to die before they reach 50 is a tribute to all of us.
🙂 And now, onward to 2,000! 🙂
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