Without proper enthusiasm, writing a Mutant review is impossible. Mutant Reviewers From Hell arguably would not exist if it weren't for the enthusiasm a young man named Justin O. felt when it came to his favorite films, and I like to think that same enthusiasm is shared and reflected by the Mutants he has welcomed into the fold as well as by the readers long and new who drop by, hopefully daily, to absorb the latest Mutant review or feature.

Speaking only for myself, I can attest that there are certain films that get me so "in a tizzy" that I can't wait to drive to wherever my trusted laptop can be found and pump out a review, pronto. Other films, I can sheepishly admit to, I'm excited to review . . . but not so excited that I feel like gathering all the extra information to add to the review page, leaving me the rather spineless option of waiting out another fellow Mutant to review the film first, and then happily writing just my core review and sending that in while I utilize my saved time to frolic (which generally includes a beach setting and one of those metal buckets, filled with ice and Coronas, that you get to keep when you're done).

There are also some films where, regardless of my state-of-mind leaving the theater and of my overall opinion of what I have experienced, I know that it simply does not behoove me to write a review. Whatever the reason(s) may be, I generally stick to my guns in those particular situations, and just leave those movies be.

Religulous and W. are the two most recent films I've seen, and the two most recent examples of films I feel are essentially unreviewable. At least by me.

I bring this up only because this is the first year in all my Mutant service where I've had a handful of films that would seem to be dying for a Mutant perspective (especially, from my bloated ego's point-of-view, my perspective) that I can't quite seem to find the proper starting point to build upon. Iron Man required a couple months' worth of contemplation before I could review, because even though I absolutely adored it from minute one, I wanted to tap into my opinion in a profound way. Whether I succeeded in my ultimate review is largely up to you the reader. The Dark Knight I'm still thinking about, perhaps because I took a special girl to see it and that situation got . . . complicated, and those memories come into play whether I think of the Joker. Disturbing, that situation is. And yet, completely compelling. I love drama!

With Religulous and W., it's not fear of betraying my beliefs or anything (as my thoughts on religion should be obvious, and as far as political beliefs go I put a male in my Myspace Top 8 for the first time ever and that kind of lets that cat out of the bag) nor is it 'sinking ship' syndrome where I don't want to talk about or attach myself to artistic failures (I think both films largely succeed at what I perceive to be their respective goals, and I walked out of both entertained and satisfied).

No, with these two films, I think it is solely the case that I would have to contort myself into amazing sentence structures to convince someone who wasn't already committed to seeing them into giving them a chance, and I'm not interested. Which is not to say that I would not do that for a film, because I not only would but I would jump at the chance, as that is the sort of challenge a writer dreams of. But here, while I would never say either film is propaganda or without cinematic merits, I can say that I'm distinctly unmotivated to give them a Mutant review. I'll talk them over with friends and discuss them on the forum, but from my perspective I can't see how I can write a passionate review when, for me, for both films it boils down to how you approach the subject matter, and that determines everything.

Like I said, it's weird. And I'm writing this now at 2 in the morning, having just driven home from the late showing of W.. I know I'll eventually review The Dark Knight because I have plenty I want to say about it, and I know I can review films where I approached the subject with a very particular and set point-of-view because I pretty much rushed home from the theater to review Fahrenheit 9/11 after the first showing on opening day.

I don't mean to shatter any reader's trust in me as a reviewer. I only mean to highlight how important it is for guerilla reviewers such as we Mutants are (unless I'm the only one not getting a paycheck, in which case WHY!?!?!?!) to channel the fire a piece of art stokes within us into a Mutant review, even if the fire is equivalent to a broken match because the movie in question sucks (paging The Doom Generation among others). It plays into my prior plea, which was to see movies you enjoy and cherish the ones that really speak to you, because "love is all you need." It's the same basic thing, but from the other side of the reviewing equation.

Although I do wonder, having written all this, if I would have had a better time and consequently felt in the necessary Mutant mood if I had gambled the necessary $14 and, for both films, purchased a big tub of buttery popcorn. Man, I'm a sellout. Kids, don't grow up to be like me!