Meaghan Couture – Critical Juncture

This week’s guest on Critical Juncture is none other than Meaghan Couture, an artistic young woman with the soul of a poet. A writer and self-described “movie enthusiast,” Meaghan documents her life over at Wild Celtic, her personal blog.

When she’s not watching movies, Meaghan also enjoys music and literature. Favorite musicians include Van Morrison, Alanis Morrisette, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Frank Sinatra, and Jane Monheit. On the literary side of things, some of her favorites are 1984, All the Pretty Horses, The Stand, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Brave New World, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

While I love to talk about music and books, Critical Mass is dedicated to all things cinematic, so let’s dive into the questions and see what Meaghan has to say about the current state of film.

Only Good Movies: What’s the first movie that you remember seeing?
Meaghan Couture: The first movie I remember seeing is The Little Mermaid. I was five years old at the time and I remember being so enthralled by the music and singing. For months afterward, I would run around the house singing those songs, requesting to spend most of the summer in a bathing suit so I looked like a mermaid and splashing happily in the tub, pretending I was at first a mermaid and then a real live girl with two legs! Ah, childhood.

OGM: What’s the most recent movie you’ve seen?
MC: The most recent film I’ve seen was Toy Story 3. I loved it! They did a fantastic job of connecting with the audience and plucking our heartstrings.
[OGM Note: It took me a number of weeks to get around to posting this interview, so Meaghan has no doubt seen other movies since then.]

OGM: Is there a particular film that you feel is criminally underrated?
MC: A film that I feel is criminally underrated would be Bright Star. I take underrated to mean not so much based on whether it won awards or received nods from critics so much as I mean the general public. Bright Star is beautiful, funny, relatable, historical, romantic. It has poetry, intrigue, star-crossed lovers, hardship and charisma. It’s a shame that practically no one in the States has heard of this film.

OGM: Which director do you feel has turned out the best overall body of work?
MC: I’m not by any means qualified enough as a movie lover to answer such an important question. Directors I admire would be Scorsese, Hitchcock and Allen, but, again, I reserve judgment for those better schooled in film than me. It’s really too subjective.

OGM: From an artistic standpoint, which film do you think is most important?
MC: Artistically, I like American Beauty and Lost in Translation. I wouldn’t say one film is more important than another because important means different things to different people. For instance, Lost in Translation was more important to me over an artsy film like Moulin Rogue because I feel the message was stronger, the interactions more romantic and real. Though someone may like American Beauty more for it’s messages.

OGM: All artsy considerations aside, which movie is your personal favorite?
MC: My personal favorite movie is Bright Star. I am a writer, poet, and hopeless romantic, so this film will forever reside in my heart, memory, and imagination.

OGM: In your opinion, which film is entirely overrated?
MC: Overrated films are very easy to find because they are usually followed by shameless sequels. That’s all I’ll say on the subject, so feel free to take your pick. 🙂

OGM: Have you ever walked out of the theatre during a film? If so, what movie was playing?
MC: It took me a minute to remember, because usually I have a policy to see something all the way through before I see how I feel about it. I did, however, walk out of Scary Movie 3.

OGM: In your mind, what’s the ultimate goal of a movie critic?
MC: I think ultimately the goal of a movie critic is to review a film for it’s depth, content and whether or not it’s a genuine body of work that belongs in the category of “film” or if it is a pretender. They weed out the real stories from just images captured on film.

OGM: Time to look into the future. Do you predict any major changes for the movie industry over the next 25 years?
MC: Entertainment is an ever-evolving body of work. The film industry will change, and is changing even now. The economic situation is reflected in films today. The subject matter will change, the technology will change. Someone will come forward with a new and innovative idea that will change cinema–we just don’t know who or what as of yet.

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.
MC: The variables here depend on talents yet to be discovered, as well as the dedication of the actor to pursuing their career. 🙂 Sorry, no prediction for me!

OGM: Who’s your favorite movie critic to read?
MC: The only critic I read is Mike Lippert from Toronto, Canada. Otherwise I prefer to screen the film for myself.

Thanks to Meaghan Couture for being nice enough to participate in this edition of Critical Juncture. If you’d like to show her your appreciation, be sure to visit her website, Wild Celtic. Until next week’s installment, here are a few more interviews to keep you entertained.

• Ivan G. Shreve, Jr. – Thrilling Days of Yesteryear
• Shaun Huhn – CineNiche
• Katrina Hill – Action Flick Chick

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