1. Where’s your byline?
The Capital Times, Madison, WI
2. Education:
BA (English) Colorado State University, MA (Public Affairs Journalism) University of Illinois-Springfield
3. Film education:
Seen way too many movies
4. Indispensable film books:
Roger Ebert's annual Yearbook
5. Favorite film magazines and/or websites:
www.aintitcool.com, www.hollywood-elsewhere.com
6. Describe a typical work week:
My title is entertainment writer, so movies are only part of the mix. I'll review about 2 films a week, often on DVD screeners that smaller distributors are kind enough to send to a smaller-market critic. For bigger movies, I often have to drive to Milwaukee for press screenings.
7. How many movies did you review in 2006?
Rotten Tomatoes says 107. Wow, really?
8. What do you take with you to a screening?
Pen, notepad and as little advance knowledge about the film as possible. (Not very possible, these days.)
9. Movie you lambasted that then got you lambasted, & have you since backpedaled?
Nothing really comes to mind. And no backpedaling. When I look back on old reviews, I never think I was too hard on a movie. I do sometimes regret being too easy.
10. To what extent do you believe home theatres will make movie theatres obsolete?
I certainly hope that the special, irreplaceable feeling of seeing a movie with a large crowd in a dark theater is important enough to enough people to keep theaters going. Plus, how are they going to sell us $6 buckets of popcorn in our own homes?
11. Advice for hitting a film fest; What are your objectives?
I attend as a journalist, so I usually hit screenings where the filmmaker is there to be interviewed, or whether there's a good chance the film will be coming back to Madison for a theatrical run. If I was just going as a movie-lover, I'd probably do the exact opposite and only hit films that I might never get the chance to see again.
12. Most over/under-rated film fest and why:
Only been to the Wisconsin Film Festival, which is terrific.
13. What fests did you attend in 2006, and which would you like to attend in 2007?
a.) Wisconsin Film Festival. b.) Every other one.
14. How do you fuel yourself during a hectic fest schedule? --
15. Your ideal film fest theme: --
16. What do you consider the most prestigious non-Oscar film award? --
17. Movies/genres you can discuss better than anyone else:
Action/crime movies. Hey, I was a teenage boy in the 1980s!
18. If you were locked in a theatre with the work of three directors...
Woody Allen, Spielberg, Coen Bros.
19. How often do you watch movies that you aren’t critiquing?
I've always got a movie going. Netflix makes it too easy.
20. Three favorite sick-in-bed/easy-on-the-head movies:
Any Bond
21. Surprising turn from one of your least favorite actors/directors:
Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls
22. Three essential movies for a proper film-snob library:
Big Sleep
23. How did you become a film critic?
Was hired as a general pop culture writer, saw that we were only running wire reviews, and my editors were kind enough to let me start writing them if I did it on my own time.
24. Career moment you’re most proud of:
I'm always just really happy when I hear from a reader who saw some eensy little film based on my recommendation and liked it. In an age of ginormous studio marketing budgets, championing the little guys is where a movie critic can be of most use.