After some 3 odd years spent as a professional movie reviewer, I noticed that while my word limits kept on shrinking (first from 1500 to 1000, then ultimately down to 500 or less), my content didn’t. If anything, it helped me focus my arguments more clearly. Inspired by the famous Hemingway anecdote (according to legend, the author once bet he could write a full story in only six words: “For sale, baby shoes, never worn.”) and Smith Magazine’s fantastic compilation of six-word memoirs, I grew increasingly intrigued by the idea of 6 word movie reviews - film criticism boiled down to its most essential point(s). Out of this, FilmsIn6Words was born.

As Wes Craven once told me during an interview for Paris, je t’aime: “I actually like restrictions in a way. I think any artist likes sort of a boundary within which to work.”

Whether it’s a 5 minute short (as was the case with Wes) or a 6 word review, restrictions somehow seem to encourage creativity rather than stifle it. And after trying my hand at only a few of these condensed critiques, I found that not only is getting a coherent review across in 6 words tricky, it’s also a hell of a lot of fun. Try one for yourself and see what I mean. But be careful, it’s addictive…

Rick Mele
Founder, FilmsIn6Words.com