Screen Team – Movie Critic Interviews

Critical Juncture is back, and this week we’re packing in more guests than you can shake a stick at. We’ve got nine members of the Screen Team taking part. You read that right–nine participants in only one post. Talk about getting your money’s worth (not that this is actually costing you anything). So who, or what, is the Screen Team? Here’s how one of their own members described them…

“The Screen Team was created by ex-Movie Mob members when the Reelz Channel cancelled it January 6th. Several of the reviewers from the show got together via Skype, since they were in different states around the country, and decided to make their own show. The first video–a teaser–was posted on YouTube January 18th. Now, four months, 44 videos and 1900 subscribers later, we are all still doing what we love to do…watching movies, talking about them and making people laugh. The Screen Team: The Best Movie Review Show NOT on TV…yet!”

Just in case you’re wondering what the Screen Team looks like, here’s a photo for your enjoyment. Front row: Action Flick Chick, BlackNerd, Fanboy, FilmBadgers. Second row: Nevermore, Skillz, Mr. Cheezypop, CineManiacs. Back row…Unemployed, TanMan, Garden Mary.

Two of the nine members of the Screen Team also contributed a little biographical information. That’s coming at you right now…

• Russell Pinkston (RussellMania and one half of the CineManiacs) – “I have been a huge movie fan all my life…and practically was raised in a movie theater. My brother Gary worked 20 years as a movie and TV extra (Die Hard, Lethal Weapon 4, Assassination, Terminator and many more) and that only added to my love of the cinema. I reviewed movies for my high school newspaper (The Golden Echo), so it was only natural for me to review via web cam 20 some years later…first on the Reelz Channel’s show Movie Mob (which is where several of us met) and now on the Screen Team.”
• Fanboy – “My name is Carter Friend. I live in New Orleans, Louisiana. I have loved movies all my life. Along with being a giant movie fan, I am also a huge comic book nerd.”

By the way, we also interviewed another member of the Screen Team, Action Flick Chick, a few weeks ago. You can click right here to read our interview.

Now onto the Q&A…

Only Good Movies: What’s the first movie that you remember seeing?
Russell Pinkston: Don’t remember the name, but I remember the boobies….it was a Russ Meyer flick that my dad took me to at the drive-in….Thanks dad….I have been a fan of movies and boobies ever since.
CineManiacs Scott: Silver Streak with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor.
Garden Mary: First movie I remember seeing in the theater was Disney’s Cinderella at Radio City Music Hall. It was magical and began my love with cinema!
FilmBadger Angie: The first movie I remember seeing in theaters was Jurassic Park. I was completely blown away by it.
FilmBadger Chad: Star Wars in 1977. The opening shot with the Star Destroyer was so cool! I credit Star Wars for shaping my love of movies in general.
TanMan: My mom was big on showing Disney movies to us, so I would have to say Jungle Book or Robin Hood. Don’t hold me to that, though.
Fanboy: The Phantom Menace.
Mr. Cheezypop: E.T.
Nevermore: Batman, when I was 5.

OGM: What’s the most recent movie you’ve seen? (NOTE: It took me a few weeks to get their answers posted, so the members of the Screen Team have no doubt viewed other films since they responded.)
Russell: I went and saw Kick Ass with my friend and CineManiacs team member Scott.
Scott: Kick Ass for the Screen Team with CineManiac Russell.
Garden Mary: Most recently, I have seen Date Night, which I liked, having lived through the days of the kids wearing you down. At home I like to watch old classics and westerns. I just saw Rock Hudson in The Lawless Breed–the story of a famous gunman, Wes Hardin. Excellent!
FilmBadger Angie: I saw Date Night in the theaters. Steve Carell and Tina Fey make the movie worth seeing. They are hilarious!
FilmBadger Chad: Date Night! Reviewed it for Screen Team, actually.
TanMan: Date Night. Carrell and Fey are comedy couple gold!
Fanboy: Date Night.
Mr. Cheezypop: Date Night.
Nevermore: The most recent was Kick-Ass.

OGM: Is there a particular film that you feel is criminally underrated?
Russell: I really loved How to Train Your Dragon…with all the people running out to see the crappy Clash of the Titans, it’s not getting the attention I think it deserves, as it’s really a good 3-D movie.
Scott: Roadhouse…”I thought it would be bigger.”
Garden Mary: Criminally underrated was ET losing the Oscar to Ghandhi–still upsets me!
FilmBadger Angie: True Romance. It’s one of my favorite films of all time. So many classic scenes and great actors like Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper. And it’s written by Tarantino.
FilmBadger Chad: Forbidden Kingdom, with Jackie Chan and Jet Li. It’s a really fun adventure with some great fights! No one talks about it. I don’t understand why!
TanMan: I really enjoy the National Treasure movies–guilty pleasure!
Fanboy: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. It’s one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen…the problem is that barely anyone else saw it, even though it’s written and produced by the great Judd Apatow!
Mr. Cheezypop: Falling Down.
Nevermore: I don’t really have a movie I feel is underrated.

OGM: Which director do you feel has turned out the best overall body of work?
Russell: Wow…there are so many good ones out there. James Cameron, George Lucas both influence me but I would probably say Steven Spielberg…that man has made so many great movies…if it’s a Spielberg movie…you pretty much know it’s gonna be good and an event worth seeing on the big screen.
Scott: James Cameron….Avatar was awesome.
Garden Mary: For me, the best director is Martin Scorsese and his recent Shutter Island proves he continues to twist our minds.
FilmBadger Angie: Definitely Steven Spielberg!! He’s a genius.
FilmBadger Chad: Steven Spielberg. Come on…Jaws, E.T., Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, Minority Report, Indiana Jones. Almost everything he does is great, and such variety.
TanMan: Uwe Boll. I kid! To me it would have to either be Lucas or Spielberg. I could throw John Hughes in the mix, just cause I’m an 80’s movie addict.
Fanboy: Martin Scorsese.
Mr. Cheezypop: Martin Scorsese.
Nevermore: I love Tim Burton’s Work, but I gotta go with Martin Scorsese. He has made classic after classic after classic.

OGM: From an artistic standpoint, which film do you think is most important?
Russell: I am not really an artistic movie fan. I just a want a good story, good acting and directing, and some humor. I love the movie She’s the One by Edward Burns!
Scott: Star Wars….it changed moviemaking and Sci Fi.
Garden Mary: Artistically, the most important movie, recently, I believe is Cloverfield. I got so absorbed by the film being recorded on a personal cam. I so believed its plausibility and wanted to see more – what about the kid on the bridge? Matt Reeves, we want to know more!
FilmBadger Angie: So many films come to mind, but I gotta mention Pulp Fiction for its focus on dialog and out of order story-telling.
FilmBadger Chad: It’s cliche, but you always have to point to Citizen Kane for revolutionizing the way movies are shot. I also think a more modern gamechanger was the storming of the beach in Saving Private Ryan, with the handheld shots and shaky cam style (or NYPD Blue on TV, lol).
TanMan: If I went old school, I would have to say the original Dawn of the Dead was huge with its social commentary. New school would be Avatar for the simple fact that it has vaulted cinema into the new generation.
Fanboy: Gone With the Wind.
Mr. Cheezypop: Gone With The Wind.
Nevermore: Edward Scissorhands, I think, is an important film about difference and the way we see difference. Most see it as negative, but there is nothing to fear or hate at all.

OGM: All artsy considerations aside, which movie is your personal favorite?
Russell: Die Hard is my all-time favorite movie….the smartassness of Bruce Willis with all the action of director John McTiernan. Plus, my brother plays a hostage in it, so that doesn’t hurt, either.
Scott: Road House….I love that movie!
Garden Mary: My personal all-time favorite is Gone With the Wind, and frankly my dear “I don’t give a damn what others might choose”.
FilmBadger Angie: My favorite film has to be Serenity. I can watch it over and over. And I quote it daily. Shout out to all the Browncoats out there!
FilmBadger Chad: Empire Strikes Back has always been my favorite movie. It’s more than a movie, but a “feeling”. Kind of dark and mysterious, magical. With the toys, trading cards and all that as a kid, nothing really comes close to matching the “feel” of Empire Strikes Back. Plus, it’s got one of the BEST movie scores of all time by John Williams.
TanMan: Dirty Harry. Clint Eastwood is the man.
Fanboy: The Dark Knight. I still get extremely angry when I think about how it was completely ignored in the Best Picture category at the Oscars. At least Heath got his well-deserved statue.
Mr. Cheezypop: Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.
Nevermore: My personal faves are The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Edward Scissorhands.

OGM: In your opinion, which film is entirely overrated?
Russell: The remake of Clash of the Titans is just so bad in so many ways…and the 3D is the worst I have ever seen. The original is a much better movie.
Scott: The Hurt Locker…it wasn’t that good and it shouldn’t have won Best Picture…Avatar should have.
Garden Mary: Entirely overrated is Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation. What?
FilmBadger Angie: No Country for Old Men. I liked it, but if I hear someone mention how amazing it is one more time, I might just have to kill someone.
FilmBadger Chad: No Country For Old Men. What a rip off. Starts out great, and then…it all just randomly falls apart. It’s like they said “Haha! Not what you’d expect, huh? Aren’t we cool for not giving you the typical Hollywood ending?” Yeah, cool…and what a waste!
TanMan: The only thing that comes to mind right now is Sweeney Todd. Just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Fanboy: The 40-Year-Old Virgin. I know it’s, like, a sin to say that, but it’s not that I didn’t think it was funny. I just didn’t think it was as funny as some similar R-rated comedies, such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, Talladega Nights, Anchorman, Tropic Thunder, and Walk Hard.
Mr. Cheezypop: (No answer given)
Nevermore: Don’t hate me…Lord of the Rings…all of them. I just didn’t get into them. Repeat, don’t hate me. Haha

OGM: Have you ever walked out of the theatre during a film? If so, what movie was playing?
Russell: My CineManiacs friend Scott and I went to see Cry Baby, and it was so bad we finally got up and left. I almost walked out of Garfield, as well, but stuck it out.
Scott: Yeah…Cry Baby…it was really bad!
Garden Mary: I have never walked out on a film. In fact, I usually don’t leave until they turn off the projector. I am definitely a credit reader!
FilmBadger Angie: I’ve never walked out during a movie before. I think there’s something to enjoy in all movies. If its a really horrible movie, then at least I can laugh at it, right?
FilmBadger Chad: Never have walked out on a movie! They’re too expensive! For $10 or more, I’m sitting through that damn movie, even if it kills me like Epic Movie did.
TanMan: I walked out during License to Wed to go into Chuck and Larry. Other than that, I’d never walk out during a movie. I paid to see it, so I’m staying!
Fanboy: I’m sure I used to when I was very young and bored with a film, but now that I’m older, I feel like I should at least give the movie one viewing no matter how bad it is. Well, except Twilight. I’ll walk out of that.
Mr. Cheezypop: Nope.
Nevermore: Only once during the showing of How to Train Your Dragon. only because my little cousin got sick and was puking everywhere.

OGM: In your mind, what’s the ultimate goal of a movie critic?
Russell: To give my honest opinion to people so that they can decide if they want to see a particular movie or not.
Scott: To tell people when something is worth spending their money on. I appreciate it when someone lets me know if a movie is good or not and if I should go see it.
Garden Mary: The goal of a movie critic is to be honest.
FilmBadger Angie: It’s all about giving an honest review.
FilmBadger Chad: To set aside your personal preference for any given genre and judge the movie based it’s own merits, keeping in mind how it compares to similar movies in the same genre.
TanMan: My goal as a critic is to entertain the viewers along with letting them know when to save their money and when to fork it out.
Fanboy: To help guide viewers to an appropriate movie choice that they will enjoy watching.
Mr. Cheezypop: Judge the movie fairly without bias towards previous films.
Nevermore: To inform the people what is worth their money, their time, and their attention.

OGM: Time to look into the future. Do you predict any major changes for the movie industry over the next 25 years?
Russell: Lets hope the whole 3D fad dies out sometime by then. Movie theaters are gonna be out of business if they keep raising the prices. I think we will all just be viewing movies in our home instead of going out to a theater.
Scott: 3D is gonna be a pain in my ass for a long time to come!
Garden Mary: Over the next 25 years, I think we should expect better and better 3D. Yeah! I am a huge fan of 3D!
FilmBadger Angie: I’m afraid 3-D will take over. I hope not.
FilmBadger Chad: Hopefully 3D withOUT the glasses.
TanMan: I feel like 3D is gonna get ridiculously overdone, but not before more major innovations are made to it. I could see movie studios beginning to experiment with holograms to make 3D without the glasses.
Fanboy: I believe 3D will only get bigger from here on out. 25 years from now, I’m guessing almost everything, whether it be movies, TV, or video games, will be 3D.
Mr. Cheezypop: With the Internet becoming more and more in our society, there will be new ways to watch movies. I think, however, that going to the movies will always be a staple in our society.
Nevermore: I think there will be, movie wise obviously, but I think the industry will stay pretty much the same.

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.
Russell: Chloe Grace Moretz from Kick Ass…that girl is gonna be big like Natalie Portman someday.
Scott: That little boy in The Blind Side…he stole the show.
Garden Mary: Jesse Eisenberg from Adventureland, etc. He is on his way.
FilmBadger Angie: Chris Hemsworth will be huge, mark my word. He was awesome as Kirk’s dad in Star Trek, but now he’ll be playing Thor in the new Thor movie. He’s gonna be a big star!
FilmBadger Chad: Whoever lands the role of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit! (I have a feeling it will be a relatively unknown actor).
TanMan: I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Clark Duke so far. Pretty funny guy.
Fanboy: Me! Haha, no, I’m kidding. He’s already had a few roles in some big movies, but in a few years I bet Anton Yelchin will be a household name.
Mr. Cheezypop: Me.
Nevermore: The girl who played Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass (Chloe Moretz) is gonna get big after her performance.

OGM: Who’s your favorite movie critic to read?
Russell: I like the Film Addicts’ reviews, and I like to watch Spill.com…and of course the Screen Team because I am on it and everyone is so funny!
Scott: I like Spill.com…I watch it religously!
Garden Mary: I like to read movie critic Roger Ebert, even though we don’t always agree.
FilmBadger Angie: I gotta say Roger Ebert. I really enjoy reading all his movie reviews, and as a kid I used to love watching him and Gene Siskel on TV every week.
FilmBadger Chad: Always good old Roger Ebert. Just seems like THE movie critic, so always interesting to read what he thinks.
TanMan: No doubt that it’s Roger Ebert. Always the best.
Fanboy: Roger Ebert.
Mr. Cheezypop: Ebert!
Nevermore: I don’t really have one.

So there you have it–all the latest thoughts on cinema from the members of the Screen Team. I’d like to thank our guests for taking part, and be sure to watch their videos and show your support. Join us again next week, when another popular movie critic or blogger with be taking part in Critical Juncture. Until then, here are a few links to tide you over:

• Carrie Rickey of The Philadelphia Inquirer
• Mick LaSalle of The San Francisco Chronicle
• Derek Miller of The Bad Movie Realm

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