Blind Film Critic Gaining Online Fame

ABCNews

Tommy Edison reviews films and posts his critiques online, but with one major difference from other reviewers: He was born blind.

After posting his first review a few weeks ago, his videos have steadily grown online as people enjoy his humor and his reviews.

“I’ve always liked film,” Edison, who is a traffic reporter for Star 99.9 FM radio in Connecticut, told ABC News. “It’s always been something I’ve enjoyed.”

Along with his friend Ben Churchill, who directs and produces the videos he posts, they have created a rating system starting with one eye for a bad movie to four eyes for a great movie.

Churchill shot and edited the video critique of their first movie review, “Scream 4,” and they posted it online.

Since then, his reviews of films like “Scream 4” and “Water for Elephants” have been viewed by several thousand Youtube users. “I’m very surprised at how fast the word is travelling. It’s wonderful,” he says.

Edison, who lives in Milford, Conn., believes that, although he can’t see the movie, he is able to pick up on other cues like dialogue, sound editing and music choice that other reviewers may miss.

“Content is king with film,” he believes. “For example, in the ‘Water for Elephants’ review that I did, I talk about the part where the elephants are doing all sorts of tricks and circus things and whatever?it’s gratuitous. It added nothing to the story.”

His favorite movie is “Goodfellas.” “It’s so well written, and the narration is great in it?Just boom, boom, boom, it keeps on moving. It’s just wonderful,” he said.

A few weeks ago, Edison tweeted filmmaker Kevin Smith, of “Clerks, Malrats and Chasing Amy” fame, to ask him which of his movies would be best for a blind man to review. Find out which movie Smith told him to review, and more about Tommy Edison, by watching our Conversation with the “Blind Film Critic.”