Why do certain critics love trash and trash the movies you love? Maybe it’s because they were dropped on their heads as infants. Maybe it’s their upbringing. Or maybe it’s purely a matter of bad genes.
We’ve invited our writers to introduce themselves so that perhaps you can get a better insight into their unfathomable minds.
Who are you?
Matt Anderson writes about movies big and small and is our second-longest-running contributor
I’m Mattman.
What are your writing credentials?
I earned a degree in journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder and my articles have appeared in places as diverse as Interference.com, The Greeley Tribune, Rocky Mountain Sports and Fitness, TurnerClassicMovies.com, and Batman-On-Film.com.
What are your movie credentials?
I’ve been writing for Movie Habit for going on 6 years. Interviewed numerous folks in the business and covered the Starz Denver International Film Festival the past couple years. I also like to keep tabs on the industry as a whole.
Why should anyone listen to your opinion?
For a guy whose goal is world domination, I’m extremely reasonable and my taste is mostly impeccable.
Movie pet peeves?
In the theater: People talking on cell phones, even if is “only” a pre-movie commercial or a trailer.
At home: double-dipping movies with numerous DVD editions, plus the new trend of “theatrical” and “unrated” DVD editions. Both versions could and should, in most cases, fit on one DVD, along with both the widescreen and pan-and-scan (for the uneducated) formats.
In general: Quentin Tarantino.
Do you have any non-movie habits?
I’m a Bonoholic. For the uninitiated, that means I follow U2 on tour to all corners of the globe. That reminds of a couple other habits: traveling and extreme amateur photography. Oh yeah… and I like to try to stay fit. Speaking of staying fit, I’ve also been known to have bouts of Arthuritis (uh, once again for the uninitiated, that means I drink Guinness fairly regularly).
When not doing any of the above, I’m the master of my own domain at Mattopia.com.
Give us some movie recommendations.
Some of my all-time favorites are The Commitments, Dead Poets Society, North by Northwest, Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge!, The Indiana Jones Trilogy, the original Rocky, Brazil, Amelie, Lawrence of Arabia, Batman Begins, Il Postino....
What are some of your guilty pleasures?
Species, Basic Instinct, Dodgeball, Wild Things, and smoothie flavored Skittles.
Any movie wisdom you’d like to share?
Words to live by:
“Seize the day, boys! Make your lives extraordinary.” — John Keating to his students in Dead Poets Society
“It’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you.” — Rachel Dawes to Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins
“Truly for some men, nothing is written unless they write it.” — Sherif Ali to T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia
“What we do in life echoes in eternity.” - Maximus Decimus Meridius to his troops, Gladiator
Simple words that say a lot:
“Punch a hole in the sky.” — Mrs. Yeager to Mr. Yeager in The Right Stuff (and, of course, Chuck’s reply, “I’ll be right back.”)
“Knock the cover off the ball.” — Pop Fisher to Roy Hobbs in The Natural