Angela of The Hollywood Revue – Critical Juncture

Each week we present a segment known as Critical Juncture. In it, we discuss cinema with either a film blogger or a movie critic, submitting the same list of questions every week so our readers can compare and contrast the answers of each participant. Our guest this week is Angela, the creator of a blog known as The Hollywood Revue. If you’re a fan of classic films, it should quickly move to the top of your must-read list. From reviews of classics such as Bye Bye Birdie, To Be or Not to Be, and Contempt, to regular updates on what’s airing on TCM, The Hollywood Revue is your one-stop destination for silents, musicals, pre-codes, comedy, film noir, 1960s European films, campy B-movies, and so much more.

But enough of my nonsense. Let’s hear a little bit about Angela in her own words.

“Angela is a 25-year-old classic film enthusiast from Detroit. In college, she earned a degree in Television and Digital Media Production and minored in Film Studies. While she was in school, she realized she loves writing about movies and studying film history. After she graduated, she started to miss writing about films so she launched her blog, The Hollywood Revue in February 2010. She has also co-authored the cookbook Cooking with the Classics: Recipes Inspired by Classic Films. Aside from working on her blog, she likes going for walks, listening to music, and going to flea markets.”

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Let the interview begin…

Only Good Movies: What’s the first movie that you remember seeing?
Angela: E.T. I think I had to have been maybe three or four years old at the time.

OGM: What’s the most recent movie you’ve seen?
Angela: I just finished watching The Heiress with Olivia de Havilland and Montgomery Clift, which was amazing. But if you mean the one to come out most recently, I believe it was Inglorious Basterds.

OGM: Is there a particular film that you feel is criminally underrated?
Angela: I wish A Letter to Three Wives and The More the Merrier would be talked about more often. Letter had such a stellar screenplay, strong cast, and a clever premise. The More the Merrier was hilarious, and I loved the Jean Arthur/Joel McCrea/Charles Coburn combination. And then there’s Hands Across the Table with Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray. I found that one to be so charming and funny, and I love Lombard and MacMurray together.

OGM: Which director do you feel has turned out the best overall body of work?
Angela: Billy Wilder has never let me down. I love how he could do anything from frenetically-paced comedies like One, Two, Three to very serious movies like The Lost Weekend, and he could do both with equal brilliance. Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Sunset Boulevard, and Witness for the Prosecution are also some of my all-time favorite movies.

OGM: From an artistic standpoint, which film do you think is most important?
Angela: I really can’t name just one, because I think it depends on what type of film you’re dealing with. What made Footlight Parade an innovative musical isn’t what made Rear Window a great thriller or High Noon an important Western.

OGM: All artsy considerations aside, which movie is your personal favorite?
Angela: Without a doubt, E.T. As I said, it’s the first one I ever remember watching, and it’s stuck with me very strongly all this time. I could go on for hours about all the movies that I consider to be my favorites, but E.T. will always be the one I’d take with me to that hypothetical deserted island.

OGM: In your opinion, which film is entirely overrated?
Angela: Citizen Kane. It was hugely groundbreaking from a technical standpoint, and I give it all the credit it deserves for that, but I simply don’t think it’s the end all, be all of American film.

OGM: Have you ever walked out of the theatre during a film? If so, what movie was playing?
Angela: I’ve never actually done it, but I certainly wanted to every time I’ve had to see something with Adam Sandler in it.

OGM: In your mind, what’s the ultimate goal of a movie critic?
Angela: All I try to do is be honest, be informative, and be ready for someone to disagree with me. Since I focus on classic films, it’s not like I’m trying to save people from wasting $10 on some awful movie at the theater. But if I can pique someone’s interest in a movie they otherwise might have totally overlooked on the TCM line-up, that’s something that makes me happy.

OGM: Time to look into the future. Do you predict any major changes for the movie industry over the next 25 years?
Angela: I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a big backlash against movies full of excessive computer generated effects and movies eventually started moving in a simpler direction. You can only push something so far before people will start resisting it. I’ve been sensing more and more people getting frustrated with movies that are put out with the hope that a bunch of computer effects will distract the audience from the lack of a good script and talented actors.

OGM: Here’s another chance to predict the future. Name a relatively unknown actor or actress who’ll be a huge star within five years.
Angela: I think Kiernan Shipka, who plays Sally Draper on Mad Men, has a lot of potential. She’s pretty young right now, but she’s been given some great material on the show and she’s handled it very well. If she continues to act as she gets older, I think she could have a pretty bright future.

OGM: Who’s your favorite movie critic to read?
Angela: I like Leonard Maltin.

Our thanks go out to Angela for taking part in Critical Juncture and allowing us to learn a little more about The Hollywood Revue. Join us again next week for a new guest and plenty more cinematic musings. In the meantime, here are a few links to interviews from the past:

• Meaghan Couture of Wild Celtic
• Philip Martin of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
• Michelle Graham of The Film School Rejects

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• 12 Questions with Critical Mass | The Hollywood Revue
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