Who is Sam? Why Did He Shoot First?
The who is easy, I am Sam.
I am Sam Van Haren to be more specific, a student and cinephile who resides in Madison, Wisconsin. Cinema is my true passion but that doesn’t pay the bills, so I am studying Human Services (“Which, as you know, pays the big bucks!”, he said facetiously.) while I develop my voice as a writer.
The why is not as easy. It’s a (potentially) clear reference to my first cinematic obsession, Star Wars. At first that’s all it was, I replaced my name with Han Solo’s because it sounded cool. But now I look at it as a reflection of my mission to help bring nerds from all corners together instead of driving them apart. Which brings us to…
…what this site is all about:
Our society has become a culture of absolutes, and nerd culture is no different. Much of what passes for criticism these days comes down to: “IT SUCKS!” or “IT ROCKS!” with seemingly no nuance to be found. So with my reviews, features, and opinion pieces about film, television, and comics I hope to be part of the effort to find nuance again.
Oh, and you will not be finding listicles on my site. Ever.
Sam Shot First 