Chuck Wells – Movies and the Masses

This week’s guest on Movies and the Masses is Chuck Wells, the owner/operator of The Comic Book Catacombs. Chuck’s site is a massive tribute to the four-color world of comics, and it’s frequently updated with everything from comic art to pictures of beautiful women. In short, it’s a geek’s paradise, and Chuck isn’t shy about putting himself in that category. As a fellow geek, I can appreciate that kind of honesty.

Here’s a little bio that Chuck whipped up for yours truly:

Factoids about me: I write about comic books, genre television and films over at “The Comic Book Catacombs” (Google it). My weekly “Gal” Friday cheesecake featurette is fairly popular with my regulars. I’m currently ranked #140, out of over 200,000 English language blogs on Wikio Literature; and that’s not too shabby for a 48 year old nerd with delusions of grandeur. Plus, I’ve just become single after my 22 year marriage collapsed. I’m hoping that chicks still dig me. I’m a great cook, but I need someone to wash the dishes and my pug eats his off of the floor. Oh, and I’m a six year cancer survivor, with no hint of recurrence–so no complaints here.

While that’s plenty of info, I decided to dig a little on his site and see what else I could turn up. Here are a few more points of interest about the mighty and amazing Chuck Wells:

• Claims to be “Sexy as hell; if you look hard enough or if you regularly abuse alcohol.”
• He lists his interests as “comics, women, movies, pugs, etc.”
• Favorite music includes: Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Queen, Bee Gees, David Bowie, Commodores, Doobie Brothers, and BTO.
• Favorite books: Hard-boiled detective stories, science fiction, and high adventure from guys like Edgar Rice Burroughs, James Rollins and Jules Verne.

Now let’s see what Chuck thinks about the state of Hollywood and movies in general…

Only Good Movies: What’s the first movie you remember seeing?
Chuck Wells: I’m not absolutely certain about which one it was, but it was either 2001: A Space Odyssey or Ice Station Zebra.

OGM: If you only had a few hours to live and could do nothing but watch five movies, which films would you select?
CW: The Day the Earth Stood Still (original), Forbidden Planet, The Searchers, Casablanca, The Dirty Dozen.

OGM: What’s your favorite movie?
CW: It would be too hard to choose from the above list, so I’ll split the difference and just go with–The Magnificent Seven.

OGM: What’s your least favorite movie?
CW: Batman and Robin. The most god-awful superhero movie ever released other than Catwoman.

OGM: Do you subscribe to an online rental service like Netflix or Blockbuster Online? Why or why not?
CW: I do not currently, I’m still using the standard Blockbuster rental card. I have plenty of friends and family that do use Netflix, and are happy with the service, but I am always slow to adapt and I tend to shy away from credit card stuff.

OGM: In 50 years, which modern movies do you think will be viewed as classics?
CW: To name a few: Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?, Dumb and Dumber, The Silence of the Lambs, Alien, Pretty Woman, Star Wars. A couple of these are underrated, a couple are already considered classics, and a couple spawned many derivatives: you choose which ones I mean!

OGM: If you see a movie based on a book, are you then more or less likely to read the book?
CW: I would have to say that the opposite is more true for me. If I’ve enjoyed a book and a film version is released, then I usually opt to see it, but I can’t think of a single film that prompted me to check out the original hard copy.

OGM: Who’s your favorite celebrity?
CW: Johnny Depp is always interesting, no matter what the role.

OGM: Is there any actor or actress whose movies you actively avoid?
CW: John Travolta. I shake my head every time he is cast in another film. As an actor he “jumped the shark” long, long ago.

OGM: How do you feel about all the remakes of older and classic films?
CW: Man, I really hate remakes. I would much rather see stuff get remade, that tanked theatrically or was critically drubbed on the first pass, doing that seems like a no-brainer, but Hollywood just keeps on hitting the “easy” button, choosing to trade on the name recognition of established works, but without the creative talent that made those films “classic” in the first place.

OGM: Which actor or actress do you find most attractive?
CW: I’m a guy, so while there are many ladies that work for me, Drew Barrymore can do no wrong in my book. She’s cute, funny and can act so well that she makes it look easy, plus she has strange tastes in men–so maybe I’ve got a shot.

OGM: Do you read movie reviews? If so, which critics do you read most often, and why do you like them?
CW: I usually do read reviews and the guys over at Ain’t It Cool News haven’t steered me wrong yet. They are just as much pop culture geeks about the different kinds of stuff that I like as I am.

OGM: What type of people annoy you when going to a movie theater?
CW: The vocally “sick”! There is nothing worse about going to see a movie, than to have somebody cough, sneeze & hack their way all through the film.

OGM: Do you consider movies to be works of art?
CW: Definitely! Every spectrum of human emotion becomes engaged through film. I’m a comic book kinda guy, so “visual” aids in storytelling are paramount with me [pun intended].

OGM: What type of candy or drink do you consider essential to your movie watching experience?
CW: Popcorn is my favorite, but these days I lean towards bottled water for the most part. It’s cheaper than a small $5 coke, and if you just sip on it to wet your whistle, you won’t have to worry about visiting the little boy’s room during the show.

Let’s give a big round of applause to Chuck Wells for participating in this edition of Movies and the Masses. Join us again next week, when another fascinating member of the general public will weigh in on cinema. Until then, be sure to check out the following:

• Good Kid Movies
• Vampire Movies
• 10 Movie Roles Megan Fox Should’ve Played

 

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