Garon Cockrell – Movie Critic Interviews

Friday, August 14, 2009 at 3:47 pm

In this week’s edition of Critical Juncture, we’re talking to Garon Cockrell, the writer/editor/creator of Pop Culture Beast, a frequently updated blog that’s been around since February of 2007. If you want movie reviews and opinons with some bite, why not check out the site? I’m betting you’ll be glad you did. Now let’s get right to the interview.

Only Good Movies: What’s the first movie that you remember seeing?
Garon Cockrell: The Land Before Time. In a theatre anyway. I do remember sneaking out of my room and crawling behind couches to get a glimpse at Nightmare On Elm Street.

OGM: What’s the most recent movie you’ve seen?
GC: (500) Days of Summer and it was magically brilliant. (OGM note: It took me a few weeks to get Garon’s reply posted, so he’s no doubt seen movies since then. In fact, his site has a shiny new review of The Time Traveler’s Wife just waiting for your perusal.)

OGM: Is there a particular film which you feel is criminally underrated?
GC: The Monster Squad. Awesome movie not seen by near enough people. Or Con Air.

OGM: Which director do you feel has turned out the best overall body of work?
GC: It has to be Martin Scorsese. The guy is incredible.

OGM: From an artistic standpoint, which film do you think is most important?
GC: This is such a suggestive question. It could be anything from The Godfather to Memento to American Beauty. All three are gorgeous examples of the power and artistic nature of film.

OGM: All artsy considerations aside, which movie is your personal favorite?
GC: It depends on which day of the week. I usually count these three among my favorites: The Breakfast Club, A Nightmare On Elm Street, and Almost Famous.

OGM: In your opinion, which film is entirely overrated?
GC: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Snoozefest.

OGM: Have you ever walked out of the theatre during a film? If so, what movie was playing?
GC: I have walked out of exactly 2 movies in my lifetime. The first was Black Mask starring Jet Li and the second was Driven with Sly Stallone. I’ve never seen either of them since.

OGM: In your mind, what’s the ultimate goal of a movie critic?
GC: For me, the goal is to tell people how I felt about a film. That’s the obvious answer. I don’t want to tell someone what to think about a movie. I want them to know how I FEEL about it. It’s my emotional connection with movies that has had me captivated for over two decades. I want to share this emotional bond with everyone who reads my site so they can experience just how important movies are to me and get excited about sharing that experience themselves by seeing the movies I talk about.

OGM: Time to look into the future. Do you predict any major changes for the movie industry over the next 25 years?
GC: I don’t think the future of the movie industry has ever been as unknown as it is right now. In terms of economy, technology, creativity, etc. It seems like the creative voices are being stifled more and more and originality is being crushed. It’s sad to see so many remakes and reboots coming out making true original stories seem almost endangered. That topped with sub par products, overpriced movie tickets, and people’s desire to just stay home make it an uncertain future. I’m looking forward to the next renassaince. TV had it, I think it’s time for movies to have one.

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.
GC: I might have to say Anton Yelchin. He is already started to climb but the guy is so charming and a great actor. I could see him exploding in the near future.

OGM: Besides yourself, who’s your favorite movie critic to read?
GC: I enjoy Tyler Smith’s reviews (Battleship Pretension podcast and occasionally, Pop Culture Beast). He’s a smart guy with some great thoughts on film.

Thanks again to Garon Cockrell for taking part in this edition of Critical Juncture!

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