DCMovieGirl – Movie Critic Interviews

It’s once again time for Critical Juncture, our weekly interview segment with online movie critics, both professional and amateur. This week’s guest is DCMovieGirl, a delightful young lady who runs D.C. Girl @ the Movies. Whether you’re looking for guides to D.C. area theaters, movie reviews, or snarky commentary on cinematic race and gender issues, you can find it all and more at her site. And when she’s not ripping Hollywood a new one, she enjoys getting her way, sleeping, walking on the beach, and working towards the perfect eyebrow arch. So without any more delays, here’s DCMovieGirl…

OnlyGoodMovies: What’s the first movie that you remember seeing?

DCMovieGirl: I’ve been told it was The Fox and the Hound, but the movie I first remember seeing is E.T. My cousin took me when I was 5 or 6. It was also the first movie to affect me. It made me fall in love with movies. I remember crying my eyes out for it.

OGM: What’s the most recent movie you’ve seen?

DC: The Final Destination. It was the worst of the series. Of course, you don’t go to that kind of movie for great cinema, but the deaths were really predictable and unimaginative.

OGM: Is there a particular film which you feel is criminally underrated?

DC: Hmm, two come to mind. GATTACA is still Jude Law’s best performance, in my humble opinion, and one of the best sci-fi films in the past twenty years.

…And Galaxy Quest. Making a genuinely funny comedy without the easy crutch of f-bombs and potty humor is challenging, but this PG-rated gem managed it. It has since amassed a cult following, but I wish it were as popular out of the box as it deserved to be.

OGM: Which director do you feel has turned out the best overall body of work?

DC: Right now, I’d have to say Danny Boyle, especially considering the range of his product and the fact that he’s managed to cross genres without going down in quality.

OGM: From an artistic standpoint, which film do you think is most important?

DC: Hmm, artistic? As much as I hate to admit it (being a black woman and all), Birth of a Nation. That movie pioneered pretty much every technique known at the time. Many are still being used.

Not bad for a movie made in 1915.

OGM: All artsy considerations aside, which movie is your personal favorite?

DC: I have to pick one?! Arrgh! I can’t. It depends on my mood!

I tend to watch movies I love so much, then get sick of them, movies like It’s a Wonderful Life, The Color Purple,The Sound Of Music…The Beast Master. *…what?!*

Okay, right now? I’m in love with 2009’s Star Trek *there goes my credibility* since funds haven’t allowed me to grow sick of that…yet.

OGM: In your opinion, which film is entirely overrated?

DC: Of recent films? District 9. It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t great or that unique, either. It was too predictable with too many cliches. It’s handling of the local black population was problematic in the way Hollywood too often does.

…And just about any Oscar winner that you can only watch once. If I don’t want to see it again, I don’t consider it to be that good.

OGM: Have you ever walked out of the theatre during a film? If so, what movie was playing?

DC: The last movie I walked out on was The Unborn. The horror genre has been pretty awful in recent years.

OGM: In your mind, what’s the ultimate goal of a movie critic?

DC: The ultimate goal is to simply be honest and not to give reviews you think your audience wants to hear but what you really think. If your audience knows you and your taste, whether they agree with you or not, you can trust they will take it from there.

Don’t be a snob! There’s no one right or wrong way to see a film. Remember your opinion is not the end-all, be-all.

And most importantly have fun! It’s only a movie.

OGM: Time to look into the future. Do you predict any major changes for the movie industry over the next 25 years?

DC: Every pop culture nugget from the 80’s that has yet to made into into a movie? Will be.

In all seriousness, IMAX will become more common as will other technical innovations. I think (hope) films garnering mainstream success will continue to get more diverse (Slumdog Millionaire).

And…Ticket prices will keep going up.

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.

DC: Zoe Saldana will be the next Hollywood go-to black actress, a’la Halle Berry… Though I wish they’d pick more than one at a time, you know? *still sour over Halle Berry playing Storm*

OGM: Besides yourself, who’s your favorite movie critic to read?

DC: I love Roger Ebert. 🙂 When I was a girl, with the critic field being dominated by pretty much all the same type of people (old white men) he was the only person I saw addressing issues that were relevant to me, race being one of them.

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