Jim Carter aka The Movie Whore at Critical Juncture

Critical Juncture returns! If you’re new to this feature, all you really need to know is that it’s an interview segment featuring movie critics or film bloggers. This week’s guest is Jim Carter, also known as The Movie Whore.

Jim is a sucker for independent films, and he dedicates his rather excellent site to those hard-working indie auteurs trying to get noticed. With plenty of irons in plenty of fires, here are a few places where you can check out Jim Carter and his partners in crime:

Suicidal Flower Productions – An indie feature film production company where Jim serves as an Associate Producer.
Last Rockstar Productions – Independent film production company where Jim once again holds the title of Associate Producer.
Door Eleven Productions – Jim is a creative consultant for this video production company that specializes in low-budget filmmaking.

And like everyone else on the planet Earth, Jim also has a Twitter account. Visit it daily to see up-to-the-minute musings from The Movie Whore.

And away we go…..

Only Good Movies: What’s the first movie that you remember seeing?
Jim Carter: When I was three, I saw the original Star Wars in the theater, and you can actually blame George Lucas for me becoming The Movie Whore. Oh, and, no, I am not going to refer to it as Episode 4 or A New Hope. It was just plain Star Wars then, and it still is.

OGM: What’s the most recent movie you’ve seen?
JC: Well, recently I have been abusing the instant watch feature of Netflix quite a bit, and I had a chance to peep something I have been looking to see for quite some time. The film is called The Movie Hero and is definitely without question The Movie Whore movie. It stars Jeremy Sisto and Dina Meyer (Crazy brother in Six Feet Under and Diz from Starship Troopers), and, basically, Sisto’s character truly believes he has his own audience to the point where he acts as if other people are crazy when they question the existence of his audience. It is one of those quirky little flicks that should suck but is surprisingly entertaining. I liked it so much I watched it twice in a row. How could any movie whore not like a movie with the below quotes:

“Thou movie, which art on screen, hallowed be they name. The time has come. Thou will be shown in theaters as well as home. Give us this day our daily film and forgive our bad choices, as we forgive those whose movies were so bad to choose. And lead us not into television, but deliver us from that evil, for movies are the picture and the sound, and the greatest thing in the whole wide world, forever and ever. Movies Rule!”

“What if this movie held the answer to the universe? That’s why you have to see every one.”

OGM: Is there a particular film which you feel is criminally underrated?
JC: There are so many. Let me list a few. Ghost in the Shell, The Emperor and the Assassin, Photographing Fairies, Midnight Meat Train, Clerks 2, Swimming with Sharks, Brotherhood of the Wolf, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Brick. I could go on all day.

OGM: Which director do you feel has turned out the best overall body of work?
JC: This is going to sound crazy to some, but I actually would have to say Kevin Smith. For the most part, Smith knows who he is and what he can do and pretty much stays to that. I have found there are too many direcotrs that make films that are beyond their talent level or have too much control over the creative process and end up making films that lose because of it. One thing any director needs is someone standing behind them keeping them in check. This is why I feel the role of creative producer is one that I think you’ll see growing in the next few years.

OGM: From an artistic standpoint, which film do you think is most important?
JC: This is a difficult question to which there’s no firm answer. Because film is such a subjective art form, it is difficult to say that one film is more important than another. If you look back over history, there are a few films that stand out. The Wizard of Oz, Alien, The Matrix, Behind the Green Door, Last House on the Left, Crash, Star Wars, The Last Starfighter, Tron and others all stand as films that were firsts in their own respect and had an impact on the way films are made today. Some shocked and pushed the limits of what audiences could take, and others pushed the boundaries of what we thought you could do in a movie. A lot of these films have been copied or had aspects of them copied by other filmmakers. Pushing the artistic envelope is something few filmmakers these days actually even aspire to, much less try to make happen.

OGM: All artsy considerations aside, which movie is your personal favorite?
JC: I love a good personal story that I can relate to. There is a scene in High Fidelity where Cusack’s character is alone in bed and can’t stop thinking of his ex having this amazing sex with another man. Every man has had this moment at least once. It is when I can really relate to the characters and the events taking place that I find myself completely engrossed in a film and will watch it over and over again.

OGM: In your opinion, which film is entirely overrated?
JC: Most of the Coen Brother films. Most overrated filmmakers around. No Country for Old Men was the laziest filmmaking I have seen in years, and Burn After Reading should have been burnt instead of viewed. Even the films they have done that I liked were good, but not great.

OGM: Have you ever walked out of the theatre during a film? If so, what movie was playing?
JC: I have only walked out of the theater once, and that was during the remake of The Omen. I have never been so angry, except for maybe Spiderman 3, but I don’t talk about that movie anymore.

OGM: In your mind, what’s the ultimate goal of a movie critic?
JC: First, let me say that I am not nor have I ever considered myself to be a critic. I see what I do more as commentary on film and the film industry. Critics are often failed filmmakers that have a limited view of film and what it can do. If I was to actually guess what the goal of a critic is, I would say it would be to make themselves sound like they have a clue, but in all reality I think most critics don’t even really like movies. It is just a job, and anytime you are doing a job for the sake of having a job and forget to bring passion to what you do, it shows. In the end, I think their ultimate goal is a paycheck. Nothing more, nothing less. That’s why the movie bloggers are so much better to read. More often than not, they are closer to commentators than they are to the traditional critic.

OGM: Time to look into the future. Do you predict any major changes for the movie industry over the next 25 years?
JC: In the next 25 years, one of two things is going to happen. Either we are going to see the independent film market explode and the studios will have refocus on making quality films again, or media consolidation will win out and you’ll be hard pressed to find anything that’s not aimed at 14-year-old girls.

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.
JC: That’s a tough one, since a lot of this is based on the luck of an actor/actress finding that one film that launches everything. However, I think if Liesl Ehardt can find that one role, you will see her blow up big.

OGM: Besides yourself, who’s your favorite movie critic to read?
JC: A couple of my favorites are The Reel Whore, Blog Cabins, The Horror Queen, and I get most of my movie info from the JoBlo Movie Network. Let me be perfectly clear on this point: Rotten Tomatoes is absolutely one of the worst film sites in existence, and the site has done nothing but go downhill.

Thanks again to Jim Carter aka The Movie Whore for taking part in this installment of Critical Juncture. If you enjoy reading movie critic interviews, here are a few more to feast your eyes on:

• Michael Den Boer of 10kBullets
• Dan Schneider of Cinemension
• Garon Cockrell of Pop Culture Beast

 

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