Listening to Myself in Act Three

Although flying back and forth between coasts for years now has had clear downsides, for this film geek, having a wide selection of films to choose from while in the air has almost evened the balance sheet. 

On this trip, I was enthralled end-to-end watching Disclosure Day. The nicest surprise? Stumbling across this engrossing and intelligent Stephen Spielberg film with no pre-knowledge. How can this be the case for an aficionado, you might reasonably ask. Several years ago, I made a resolution to try and bypass reviews and any "buzz" surrounding new books and films. As much as possible in Act Three, I now attempt to arrive at my own unvarnished opinion of the literature and movies I'm exposed to. I've done so with music most of my adult life. Why then the struggle throughout Act Two with my two other abiding passions? 

I've never been fully satisfied answering that question. In Act One of anyone's life, it's predictive - maybe unavoidable - for our opinions to be influenced by many things e.g., parents, peers, mentors, others more educated and experienced than our young selves. As we become actualized adults, those influences begin having less impact. But in my case, although the influence of parents and peers became less of a factor in Act Two, the voices of cultural critics seemed to grow. And the more esteemed the critic - Harold Bloom, John Leonard, James Wood - the more I found myself occasionally parroting their views. Why? Again, I'm still trying to land on a satisfactory answer to that. 

Hence, my Act Three resolve re movies and books. I have no idea what the critics have said about Disclosure Day. Because it's a Stephen Spielberg film, I'm reasonably confident there has been plenty of buzz. My daughter in the film industry certainly knew about it and asked me what I thought soon after we got to her place. My buzz to her? Clearly worth two+ hours, especially to distract myself while in the air, in a cramped seat, having difficulty concentrating on my book. What would John Leonard have had to say about this movie if he was still with us? Not sure. Hope I wouldn't have paid him any mind.