Demetri Panos

I grew up watching a little Movie Review show on PBS called SNEAK PREVIEWS. It was hosted by Gene Siskel & Roger Ebert. Every week I’d tune in to watch them talk movies. Sometimes they agreed. Sometimes they didn’t. And that was ok! Sometimes I agreed with Ebert. Other times I agreed with Siskel. And that too was ok! I loved how they talked about movies. There was a passion behind it. They didn’t hate to hate and not every movie they liked was great. It made me a better movie watcher and even a bigger movie fan! At the tender age of 5, I got hooked on the movie going experience. I’ve been reviewing movies since 1987. First on WBCN Radio. A year or so later I wrote capsule reviews for The Boston Phoenix where my work was edited by famed movie critic Peter Keough. I left the publishing world to take a job working for Universal Pictures. It was my very first studio gig and it was in the Distribution Department. It was a position in its infancy; Exhibitor Relations. I got to work with movies like: JURASSIC PARK, SCHINDLER’S LIST, ARMY OF DARKNESS AND SCENT OF A WOMAN. I kept my hand in helping out with WBCN Screenings and while I took a break from reviewing movies, I NEVER stopped talking about them. I moved to Los Angeles in 1996. My first job: Costume Department Production Assistant on Robert Zemeckis’s CONTACT. I got my very first screen credit. You can find my name under staff assistants—just don’t blink! In 2000, I returned to the world of Distribution. Working at LIONSGATE I oversaw Exhibitor Relations, Box Office Reporting and Analysis. A decade later, I hopped over to Technicolor where I helped usher in the theatrical digital age. It was there where I had the privilege of helping Maria Menounos and Keven Undergaro get their movie, SERIAL BUDDIES, polished and ready to go into AMC Theaters. Keven & Maria owned a Podcast Network-THE POPCORN TALK NETWORK and asked if I’d like to be a host on a movie review show, Anatomy of a Movie. So, in 2013 I was pulled back into the reviewing world. I brought to the table a much better perspective and history of movies along with a wealth of experience working in the movie industry. Today, with well over 500 movie dissections and interviews, my humble experience afforded me acceptance into the Hollywood Critics Association. I bring that insight and background to THECINESCOPE.COM. A website for Movie Fans who appreciate when Movie Reviews mattered and were more than just 150 characters. I hope you enjoy THECINESCOPE.COM and whether you agree or disagree, that’s OK! – Demetri Panos