1. Where’s your byline?
The Reno Gazette-Journal, www.rgj.com (daily newspaper), and KTVN Channel 2 (CBS affiliate in Reno, NV). My work can also be seen at RottenTomatoes.com and ForrestHartman.com
2. Education:
Bachelor’s degree in Communications with a minor in Music from California State University, Chico
3. Film education:
Mostly self-taught through incessant reading and film viewing, plus a long-term interest in the arts. Most of my formal education was in journalism, although I have taken courses in film and theater. I also make short videos for the Reno Gazette-Journal Web site and completed a rigorous short-form class on video editing and production in order to do this.
4. Indispensable film books:
VideoHound’s Golden Movie Retriever
5. Favorite film magazines and/or websites:
IMDB.com, RottenTomatoes.com, VideoETA.com, DVDtalk.com, Entertainment Weekly
6. Describe a typical work week:
There’s no such thing.
7. How many movies did you review in 2006?
Lost track, but I typically review between 100 and 150 per year.
8. What do you take with you to a screening?
Most often a notepad. Sometimes nothing but my brain and the clothes that I’m wearing.
9. Movie you lambasted that then got you lambasted, & have you since backpedaled?
Mulholland Drive
10. To what extent do you believe home theatres will make movie theatres obsolete?
As audiences become increasingly rude, home theaters will become increasingly popular. Do I think they will eventually lead to the death of theaters? No. Do I think audiences will decline in the future? Yes.
11. Advice for hitting a film fest; What are your objectives?
My objectives are to see as many pictures as possible, packing as many as four into a day. The average viewer will probably get more enjoyment out of the experience if they pick and choose carefully and limit it to two films per day. Remember, I’m doing this for a living and have to pack as much as possible into a day.
12. Most over/under-rated film fest and why:
No thoughts here, as festival coverage isn’t a regular part of my job.
13. What fests did you attend in 2006, and which would you like to attend in 2007?
I limited my attendance to local festivals: The Reno Film Festival and the Tahoe-Reno International Film Festival. Next year, I would like to catch Sundance and Toronto.
14. How do you fuel yourself during a hectic fest schedule?
Just grab a bite whenever possible and drink more caffeine than I really should.
15. Your ideal film fest theme:
Film noir. I can't get enough of it.
16. What do you consider the most prestigious non-Oscar film award?
The Broadcast Film Critics Association’s best picture award (because I’m a member). Seriously, I would have to say the best picture winner from either the New York or Los Angeles Film Critics societies. They may not have the clout of the
Golden Globes, but they make solid picks based on artistic merit.
17. Movies/genres you can discuss better than anyone else:
Vampire films, James Bond
18. If you were locked in a theatre with the work of three directors...
How about Stanley Kubrick , Martin Scorsese and Alfred Hitchcock. C’mon, can’t I have four?
19. How often do you watch movies that you aren’t critiquing?
Sadly, not often because I’m always working, meaning I watch films almost everyday. I do, however, relish the opportunity to sit down with a movie that I missed on the job. Usually this happens during vacations.
20. Three favorite sick-in-bed/easy-on-the-head movies:
The Wedding Singer
21. Surprising turn from one of your least favorite actors/directors:
Kevin Costner in The Upside of Anger
22. Three essential movies for a proper film-snob library:
Casablanca
23. How did you become a film critic?
Started as a journalist and lobbied to start reviewing films. Once people realized I could do it well, there was no turning back, although I write about other arts as well.
24. Career moment you’re most proud of:
No single moment, but it’s always a thrill to interview film greats. Some of my favorite moments include interviews with Rod Steiger, Nicolas Cage, Ang Lee, and Rachel Weisz.