1. I've spent years trying to become the most accurate and trustworthy film watcher you will ever know. An impossible task with so many different tastes. That's something I've learned in my years on the Boards. This year, I've learned that my own tastes are getting more out of sync with conventional wisdom, and nit just because I love old B&W film either. This year, I championed Fantastic Beasts, Hated in the Nation and Don't Think Twice as Top 5 films for 2016 while expressing disappointment with
Don't Breathe
High-Rise
The Handmaiden
Love & Friendship
Lemonade
Midnight Special
Pete's Dragon
The Witch
Rogue One
Except for The Witch and Rogue One, I prefer Ghostbusters and X-Men:Apocalypse to those films.
2. This is fine so long as I am able to explain myself with conviction. My other big takeaway this year is that only happens occasionally. I used to be a much stronger writer (and less prone to grammatical mistakes). This is probably connected to my own recent struggles with writing scripts. I still love a good script more than anything else, but I've become more detached with feeling like I can be part of the group.
3. Much as I enjoy hunting for film treasure, I wish there were more obvious choices waiting for me to discover. Occasionally, I'll hear about a film and it will get me excited, but it's rare to find something I would call Great. Last year, I watched nothing new that I rated higher than 3 Stars.
4. Last year, around this time, I posted about pulling back from the Boards. We all see how that went. I imagine I'll be here until I die. Certainly not a bad thing. All my friends are here, even though some of them don't realize how much they mean to me. (Looking at you, Steve.) If Junior is my Doppelganger, DarkeningHumour has quickly risen to become Junior-Me. (I've had all 5 of your realizations. All but #3 happened while I was a Filmspotter.)
5. I remember when I first joined, there were the people I looked at as wise old souls. Even though I didn't agree with them much, I would always bow to their wisdom. Seems like I'm on the other side now and I'm hoping you continue to challenge me and call me out when I'm wrong. Turns out an accumulation of knowledge doesn't equal wisdom.