Welcome to 'The Screening Room'. My name is Cody Dame and I have recently been twisted into writing a blog. You see, over the past two weeks or so, I have been working at getting the Gazette's website switched over to the new design, as well as filling in all the holes, such as bloggers, video, on the street, movie reviews, and more. I had no desire to write a blog. At all. Let me put that in easier terms, no bloggy for me.

To explain how I agreed to do a blog after my expressed non-interest in such a thing is long and drawn out and I'll try to condense it into an easy to digest portion.

Anyways, I started a program on the website for movie reviews and Fridley Theatres which owns McCook's Cinema 3 was kind enough to help us do that program. Well, I got some terrific responses from the movie reviews and we decided to branch out to movie reviews of new DVD releases rather than just new releases at the cinema. What a great idea! I'll get to watch more movies(for free!) and share my comments on them. Wait. Actually, now I have to do more work. The benefits here are, watch more movies and not pay for them. The downfalls, more work. I was already starting to back out. As much as I love movies, I hate working more than necessary. Let me actually elaborate on that. I enjoy working hard at something (I loathe lazy people), but movies are a passion, if you will. I will work 24 hours a day as long as I can take a break and watch a movie with the family. But this new thing is going to take my enjoyment time and turn it into work. When am I going to have my enjoyment?

Well, long story short, I realized that I don't actually have to write the reviews till the next day after I watch the show, so I can still have my fun and do the work part later. That's enough complaining by me anyways. I really didn't have that much opposition to the whole thing since it was my idea. I'm just not a typical blogger. Thus, my blog won't be about me or what's going on with me. It will be strictly a place for DVD movie reviews.

With that story out of the way, I'd like to thank Colby at Movie Gallery. Movie Gallery has been kind enough to donate movies for us to review each week. Without Colby and Movie Gallery, this little blog wouldn't be happening.

From experience with the other bloggers and the feedback I have received and that they have received, it would seem that YOU, the dedicated reader, would like to know more about the people blogging. So, for those of you who do not know me. Here's a brief introduction.

I have lived in McCook my entire life except for a brief college stint in St. Louis at Webster University. I came back from college and started my Videography, Photography, and DJ Service business, Divine Productions, which I still do today. I also just recently started Game On, LLC with my partner Tanner Lytle. Game On is a video game, board game, and card game store that should be open by September 1st of this year. And, of course, I work here at the Gazette doing various things such as the website. I stay pretty busy with work, but on top of that, I have been married for just under 4 years (August 30th, 07 will be the 4th anniversary) to Amanda Dame(Hilker). We have a beautiful little girl named Natalie Eowyn who is 16 months old. And thats the condensed work and family biography.

In conclusion, stick around and come back often for DVD movie reviews. I'll lay out my opinion and then you can tear it apart or agree completely in the comments. You can contact me directly at the Gazette by emailing mccookgazette@gmail.com.

I have been told that I should have some cheesy line at the end of my blogs, like "See ya at the movies!" But, so far, nobody has quite found a cheesy enough line. If it's going to go on the end of all the movie reviews/blog entries, it's got to be really terrible. If you got an idea for one, put it in the comments and maybe we'll have a vote later on to see which one I should use. Maybe we'll give out a prize!