The blog by Girish Shambu has become a wonderful clearinghouse for online film criticism and other cinema-related media.  It is also well-known for the extensive discussions that take place in the comments sections of his postings.  The traffic to this site is excellent and those taking part in the discussions often read like a who’s who of the critical world.  Though it is rare that one will find passionate and detailed dialogue about specific films and filmmakers because of the genteel tone that most of the visitors adhere to (as well as the general nature of the posts).  There is more backslapping and glad-handling than anything, no doubt due to the notoriety of many of the posters and perhaps a general unwillingness to get down and dirty with each other about issues one believes in.

One can find this blog to be more of a guide that opens the door to good content, even if it does not rigorously debate that content.  Oftentimes there are links to rare pieces that have been lingering somewhere in digital space waiting to be examined.  In this sense Girish’s blog functions similar to Film Studies For Free, though a bit less rigidly academic and more “popular” instead.

The layout of the blog is minimalist with very few pictures, favoring instead a cascade of text and hyperlinks.  Even the comments sections often turn into an extensive listing of weblinks.  Though the site is easy to navigate the lack of visual diversity means that some bits of information can become lost in the shuffle.  And maybe a minor complaint can be offered about the functionality of the comment application, which demands that one be navigated away from the main page and into that generic blogspot space that makes following conversations and trains of thought while one composes his or her own a bit unwieldy.

A major complaint about the blog can be offered regarding the regularity with which Girish posts.  About one per month seems to be the rhythm of late, which can leave the hungry consumer unsatisfied for long stretches.  Girish is a university professor so obviously his time is limited.  Still, it seems to be a fair trade-off if less extensive posts would yield more frequency.  Regardless of these quibbles the fact remains that Girish is providing a great service to the online critical community and his blog is one of the few mandatory meeting points for those interested in the current state of critical thought on the cinema.

http://girishshambu.blogspot.com/