There are two ways to review any piece of media; the first is to discuss it from a consciously placed position behind the lens of your own experience. The second is to step out from that and try and look at the thing if not dispassionately then certainly from distance.
It’s entirely possible to do both. It’s also entirely possible to do both way too much. Go one way and you’re Spocking all over the thing going ‘Hmmm, fascinating.’ Go too far the other and you’re spending 3000 words talking about your background with regards to the piece, what you had for breakfast and what the cinema was like.
I’ve read that review. I’ve never written it. Come damn close though.
So here’s the thing and this has probably damaged me a little bit; whichever way you choose, you have to make sure it’s about what you’re talking about and not about you. If you’re building your personal brand, great, but do your damn job first. That’s what transparency boils down to for me, asking this single question before I hit Send, or Publish:
Did you talk about the text?
If so, do it. If not, sit on the text 24 hours and come back when you’re ready to do it properly.