I started writing a movie review site about a year and a half ago, as a way to experiment with the latest web design techniques. You can still see it by following this link.

This year, I moved to Los Angeles, and found myself right in the middle of the movie-making capital of the world. So how do I get to see all these great movies before they come out? Well, there are several ways for mere mortals to see something most can't. Here's the three easy ways I do it:

1. I enrolled in a course at UCLA Extension called Sneak Previews. You get to see 8 movies every academic quarter, and the best part is that someone involved with the picture will be invited to speak afterwards. I've heard many directors give insight into the creative process, writers talk about how studios try to change your movie, and actors talk about how they prepare for roles. It's a wonderful experience and I highly recommend it to anyone.

2. Another way to see movies really early is to be asked to participate in a test-audience screening. How do you do that? Well, just hang around any populated place in LA during the daytime. Inevitably, someone with a clipboard will come up to you and ask if you want to see a new movie absolutely free. If you agree, they usually give you some sort of instructions on where to meet (many times at a studio), you watch the movie, then fill out a form afterwards. It's the type of stuff that leads to changes in endings, release dates, or total rewrites.

3. College campuses are prime places for movie companies to get test audiences. A couple of new films are shown on UCLA's campus every month, and as always, they're free.

The Movie Interview bonuses are my comments about the post-film viewing interviews conducted for the Sneak Previews Class. They're the best part of the class...getting the chance to hear a director talk about what they were really going for, what scences were cut and why, etc. They also field questions from the audience, so like I said before this is a great class to take and anyone in the LA area should check it out.

Enjoy the reviews and if you'd like to contribute, go ahead and use the comments pages. Thanks for visiting Sneak Reviews.

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