What's Happening?!
A lot as usual - here's a summation of things to look forward to, things I've recently accomplished and surprise, surprise, lists!
Been a bit since I’ve sat down to write a new essay or reviews (lots to catch up with) and that’s because it’s been an even busier time than usual. I really want to reiterate how proud I am of some accomplishments as of late that I hope you’ll take the time to seek out. Here are some general thoughts:
First and foremost, the passing of a friend of mine from high school hit me hard. I am still planning to write more about Annie despite the fact that we didn’t keep in touch over the years. This past weekend was chock-full of unexpected events that sent me into a tailspin, and Annie’s service was beautiful and of course, truly heartbreaking. Still processing a lot lately.
Speaking of which (trigger warning), I was a guest on a podcast called Suicide Noted, all about mental health from the perspective of a suicide attempt survivor. It was an honor to share my story, even if it’s heavy/dark.
There are things I’m working on in my day job that will be occupying my time more to where I am not sure if next year, I will be able to remain a freelance, part-time film critic. That’s something I don’t want to say for certain nor do I want to end the podcast. If anything, yearly traditions will continue; I’m going to do my best to manage everything. It’s more of a “wait and see” scenario.
I’m working on my first book proposal due at the end of this month so that’ll be taking top priority for the weeks to come (hence less writing here). More on that if it actually gets selected. (Which would honestly be a miracle).
My first experimental short film, The Switching Division, has been submitted to a couple of short film festivals just for kicks. Again, not expecting it to be selected and far more focused on the mental health documentary I’d like to complete by the fall of this year. Just curious to see what happens. Proud of the fact that folks who have seen it have been incredibly kind.
1995 retrospective podcast will be out this coming Friday, March 7th. It’s the only episode for this month. I feel like each year; we get better and better even if the film years themselves are sometimes underwhelming. I’m beyond grateful for friends like Collin and Erik who always bring their A-game and contribute their time and energy in ways that go above and beyond. I’ll be creating a separate archived page here for those particular episodes that go all the way back ten years to when we first did this in 2015 for the year 1985.
After working on Nick Digilio’s best-of lists for the past 40 years on Letterboxd, I felt inspired to revise all of mine. It starts with 1984; goes all the way to 2024. 20 Favorites. 40 Years. 800 Movies. Check this link later today for all the lists: https://letterboxd.com/jimlaczkowski/tag/favorites/lists
I won’t be on a couple of social media platforms as much in the months to come as well. Mainly due to how much is going on. I have a lot of on my plate, would like to avoid more distractions. I will keep things open (not delete them by any means). Outside of Letterboxd, Substack and Bluesky, I’m dialing back from the land of Facebook & Instagram for obvious reasons.
Finally, for something truly fun that I’m excited to put together soon: it’s my own little video collage/collection of the things I find to be the funny. My dad once made a VHS tape full of his favorite sketches/oddities. Perhaps it’ll be nice for me to experience this when things are heavy but I’m hoping to share it with everyone on Vimeo or via a live stream once it’s complete. We could all use a good laugh once in a while. Let’s end with an example below. Take care, be safe, and do your best to support those in need during these crazy times.
Thank you all for your time, patience and continued support <3