FOR SOME BEWILDERING, UNKNOWABLE REASON, the folks at the Northwest Film Center have been kind enough to invite me to participate in an upcoming panel at the Portland International Film Festival. They’re screening a documentary about film criticism, you see; apparently, someone at the Film Center thought I’d have something worthwhile to add to a post-screening discussion. (Yes, this person is clearly ill-informed, and no, I don’t have any idea how this all came about—especially when I remember that the good people at the Film Center might still pissed at me for writing this a few years ago.)

For the Love of Movies is Gerald Peary’s documentary about film writing, a profession I’ve been gleefully half-assing my way through for years. The official PIFF synopsis:

Boston Phoenix film critic Peary has crafted an entertaining and informative history of American film criticism from its raw beginnings before “The Birth of a Nation” to Bowsley Crowther’s 27-year reign at The New York Times; from the incendiary Pauline Kael-Andrew Sarris debates of the ’60s and ’70s right up to the current battle for audiences between youthful website populists and the veteran print establishment. Providing a unique insider’s view of the film critic’s profession are comments by some of America’s most influential film writers, including A.O. Scott (The New York Times), Lisa Schwarzbaum (Entertainment Weekly), Roger Ebert (The Chicago Sun-Times), as well as other legends like Sarris, Janet Maslin, and Jim Hoberman.

Joining Gerald Peary after the Sunday screening will be Portland film critics Shawn Levy, D.K. Holm, Aaron Mesh, and Erik Henriksen.

The screening is this Sunday, February 14. (Yes, Valentine’s Day—because what could be more romantic than hearing film critics talk about their jobs?) More about Levy, Mesh, and Holm here, here, and here; screening details here; tickets here.

I really have no idea how this thing is going to play out, but I’m looking forward to it. Also, please be aware that I’ll be desperately looking for an opportunity start a fistfight over Benji the Hunted and Carnosaur.