Neman

While most viewers see a movie for its entertainment value, Richmond Times-Dispatch writer Dan Neman watches for artistic value.

A room full of Virginia Commonwealth University students sees a scene from the film “Capote” as writer Truman Capote’s train ride with fellow writer Harper Lee, while Newman sees an editor’s expression of Truman’s desire for the spotlight.

Capote expresses early in the film that he’s a southerner and later that he’s from Alabama. Neman pauses the film to tell the room that this is called exposition and the direction is bringing the viewers in to feel closer to character.

Most film viewers are sucked into a film, took for a ride, but Neman searches for what they’re trying to do and how well they’re doing it. “The quality and the art,” he said. “ THere is a quality and an art to crafting a movie.”

Neman’s high school girlfriend left him broken heartened and he needed an outlet.

That’s when he turned to film.

“I had to get away from myself,” he said.

At the University of Chicago, Neman watched between 140 and 145 films a year with the university’s film societies. This led him into taking a movie class which he says made him look at movies like English majors look at books.

“Once you think upon analytical lines, that’s how you think,” he said. “It’ll ruin movies for you.”
While Neman looks at each film objectively, he says that readers tend to remember his negative remarks.

“If I say I like a film that you do then you’ll agree,” he said. “If I write I don’t like film that you do, then you’ll be offended.”

Neman said the only film that’s close to perfect is, “Casablanca,” which is also his favorite.
Even though he’s been far from perfect since his first time predicting, he thinks “Little Miss Sunshine” should take the Oscar this year.

Predicting awards and analyzing film is his job but Neman says he critiques all media now.
“Movies, books, TV shows, I analyze them all now.”