"A Certain Pretendency"

This essay writes itself.

I want to take a moment to introduce an idea I've been working with for the last little while. It's a separate site, devoted exclusively to discussion about movies. To be precise, movies that in most thinking circles do not spark great interest on their merits alone (context is another beast entirely). So I've made up a game: pretend a canon of these films, imagining the choruses of adulation and the terms of their success. With apologies to Truffaut, I call it A Certain Pretendency. I hope it is ready soon. In the meantime, here is the "readme" document, first draft: 

The writings here are a series of thought experiments built around a single conceit: imagine this film (whichever is one is under inspection at the moment) belongs among the canon of great works and its makers deserve the default of thoughtful artistic intent ascribed regularly to the likes of Scorsese and Kubrick, Fellini and Bergman. 

That is, I want to commend designs and reward successes that probably don’t exist. It is a game of pretend.

By its nature, this enterprise runs against intuition. The point of departure is the point where we begin, and no later. If you want, you can create an alternate universe, one where the rules are different for aesthetics, politics, morality – whatever  you may judge by in any single case. Put this site in that universe. This is the universe where Showgirls is a "great film," without the looming parenthetical of Camp. Or, as it may turn out, because of a veritable quicksand of campy elements.

I hope it is obvious that this is not direct and honest criticism. It does not belong in a newspaper. Nor does it attempt to seriously combat or expand the canon; there is enough of that going on without my help.

Meanwhile, it is not a "comedy site," full stop. I am certain films will be punchlines in themselves, and their defenses laughably far from consensus. It seems likely that others may actually deserve some of the credit we will pretend for them.

What else? There is another leak to plug from the start: some of the arguments to be made will not hold much water. This is going to result in some dead-ends, unfortunately, where it makes no sense to go on. I don't promise proper endings. Give it a meta-function, if you want, but that is not always the goal. I'm not out to upend reviewing as a form.

So, really, this is a sandbox. Pretendency isn’t even a word (as far as I’ve found)! I’ll try not to get too carried away.