“Critical Masses?” you wonder. “What’s this site about?” You look around briefly. “Oh, another review site.”

Hold on my friend. You are mistaken.

Let’s take a look at those two words in our name.

First: “Critical.” We critique with the intention of refining and regularly redefining what it means to love something that was created. That said, because so much competes for our attention these days, that which is done with sloppiness or carelessness sometimes needs to be called out.

Second: “Masses.” Of course, we make this site available to the public. There is that. We also mass or aggregate the thoughts of several contributors about numerous media. Finally, combined with the first word, “masses,” of course, recalls the concept of a critical mass, which in sociodynamics basically describes the moment when an idea or opinion becomes wide-spread enough to effect change and lead to something new. We think this happens within the creative arts as well, as motifs and themes appear and disappear, and as we write and think, we hope, in a small way, to help promote and propagate that kind of intellectual exchange. If we might be so bold.

Spend a little time here, please. We think you’ll find something worth reading.

Critical Masses is:

Staff:

Matt “No Gimmicks Needed” Dunn – Co-founder, co-editor, contributor, site design and maintenance.
Columns: 50 Movies For 50 States.

Wasteoid Hoth – Co-founder, co-editor, contributor, site design and maintenance.
Columns: Instant Gratification. Former: The Gross Yields, Back to the Cinema.

Ryan “Critical” Masteller – Co-founder, co-editor, contributor.
Column: Crate-Digging.

Contributors:

Jon A. Butz – Batman in Print.

Columns (Active)

Film/Television

50 Movies for 50 States – Matt Dunn; weekly, Wednesdays.
Instant Gratification – Wasteoid Hoth; weekly, Tuesdays.

Music

Crate-Digging – Ryan Masteller; twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays.

Print/Literature

Batman in Print – Jon A. Butz and Jonathan Kemmerer-Scovner; every other Friday.

Columns (Retired/On Hiatus)
Back to the Cinema – Wasteoid Hoth.
The Gross Yields – Wasteoid Hoth.
The Illustrated Story – Jonathan Kemmerer-Scovner.
On Shuffle - Jan Grothe; occasional.
Small Winners – Paul Gee; occasional.
Tales and Their Tellers – Jonathan Kemmerer-Scovner; bi-monthly.