I'm pretty sure Chris McEneany posted in a GC thread a few days ago.
Aye, that's right and what a can of worms my first entry in this forum opened, eh? Best leave off the "real-life" issues in future and stick to my Specialist Subject.
But, yeah, to answer the question from Earthworm Jim about enjoying films and being able to switch off from reviewer mode - well, it is pretty easy, actually. I can't speak for the other guys, obviously, but I am a passionate movie-lover, first and foremost. Obsessional, my wife would say.
From a very early age, they have dominated my life. My best friends either love films almost as much as me or, due to my dogged persistence, have come to, at least, appreciate them almost as much.
Reviewing does, inevitably, mean that you switch to a more clinical and objective frame of mind but, for a pretty recent (actually very recent) example - I've just reviewed the most problematic and controversial BD release so far, which just happens to be my all-time fave movie, Gladiator. Beset with issues, it most certainly is, and a major let-down. BUT, I will definitely be able to kick back and enjoy even this version for the forseeable without worrying about its video transfer from this point onwards simply because I will be able to see beyond those issues.
In my capacity as a disc-reviewer, the technical aspects are obviously of paramount concern, but, as ever, the film comes first from my own personal standpoint.
With regards to the films, themselves ... like everybody else, I will naturally find elements that I like and elements that I don't like. My own innate critical nose will certainly sniff out things in screenplay, characterisation, direction, photography and themes as a matter of course - but if I'm going to actually sit down and write about it, these things will not hamper my enjoyment, or lack of enjoyment for that matter, of the film.
One weird thing tho, when I'm talking to mates about the latest releases, I can quite arbitrarily lapse into jargon-mode about EE and DNR-filtering, colour fidelity and grain structure, but their reactions (which says a lot about this whole reviewing lark, I suppose) tend to snap me out of it pretty quickly! lol.
Hope this answered your question, mate.
Cheers,
Chris McEneany