conducted by Mario Escoto
Who are you and why are you so mysterious?
Heh, well, I might as well "dox" myself here: While I don't identify with the Woodstock generation, I was born June 6th, 1956 in Modesto, California (go Panthers!) and have lived everywhere from Akron to Afghanistan (as part of a Nat'l Security Fellowship) to my current home in San Narcisso, FL about 4 miles from the beach which I share with my wife Pat, three gorgeous step-daughters and grouchy one-eyed tabby named Slut-Shame (blame the girls for that one!). It's a beautiful place & we are blessed to reside here before the end.
Have you seen every movie ever?
Oh, goodness gracious no!
How does it feel to be a Z-list internet sensation?
As a Covid 19 survivor, my perspectives and priorities in life have changed drastically. The journey of requiring serious hospital care in my mid-sixties (combined with loss of hearing & sight) led me to put the Creator first in my life, with all worldly concerns falling to zero significance. I cried when I saw my scars. During this time, God put words in my heart as a teacher to write on Letterboxd in defense of His creations and dismantle their lies with humor & eternal truths so I "put on the orange robes" so to speak. Its profoundly sad people don't know their loving & judgmental Creator while clinging like ticks to their "religion" (more like disorder) of cinephilia. 800,000 souls are trafficked each year, mostly through Letterboxd.com.
It feels like you know the secrets of the world, is that true?
My second wife Aiymee always said I pretended to know all the answers, but calling me an idiot would be an insult to stupid people! She drowned in 1995 and now resides with the Lord.
Can you talk about bridging the gap between art and trash?
No.
What are the 5 lamest things about mainstream movies in 2021?
War is the worst thing in the world, and movies should be the opposite of that.
In your eyes, what defines a good movie?
I try to avoid movies that are "entertainment" instead of truth and faith-based Art. Bad films, both untruthfully made and those that do not have a significant (important to our journey as followers) message, can be "entertaining." Therefore the ability to entertain is not the marker of a good movie.
My assessment: what defines a film? It should serve & glorify the Creator, be skillfully done (screenplay, cinematography, editing, music), well-acted, cohesive & consistent story, provoke thought, emotion, mood, and shepherd Followers down a path towards the new era; a film should be a rod of iron.
Here's a link to a "TED" talk that speaks more about movies, "Art" & entertainment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOXFf9kPopQ&ab_channel=nib134
I discovered the gospel that is Gods of Egypt through you, impart some wisdom about it onto the readers.
Post-Covid 19 I have disowned my appreciation of that film, though I've left my "reviews" up for historical interest.
It feels like a lot of the films you watch are from another dimension, where do you find them?
I buy everything from some of our great online DVD retailers I find through Facebook.com pages. Check it out: Create a New Account: https://www.facebook.com/r.php
Your love for these movies is so genuine, how do you feel about people ironically liking movies? Or the idea of "so-bad-it's-good"?
I don't feel anything at all. I listen to my oldies, turn up the volume and ask God to "tune out" the negative persons.
Rank the 5 most essential Letterboxd lists you've made.
1. "Christopher Nolan films ranked by how gay the main characters are"
2. "MCU movies that have a energy beam shooting to the sky in the climax that can almost destroy the planet"
3. "Christmas movie posters with White Heterosexual couples wearing Red and Green"
4. "Ben Mendelsohn as a LGBT villain who thinks too much himself of being to reminded by a dictator Big Bad wears who a breathing device due to physical impairment who the real boss is"
5. "Movies where Jessica Chastain gets fed up with the useless men around her so she decide to save the world herself"
I think you're an essential part of film crit/theory/analysis (whatever you wanna call it) that is severely missing nowadays; IMO you could write one of the great film texts. Do you have any interest in that sort of film analysis/scholarship?
I have written 8 romance/spy novels, paid articles for Omni, Horse & Rider, Elle, Black Tail (Germany), Cigar Aficionado & Nickelodeon's 4-KIDZ-Only! magazine, along with 55 short "Discipleship Training School" instructional booklets that can be purchased through my Facebook.com page. Words are harlequins to me.
Any last words/shoutouts/recommendations/shitposts?
Nope, except to praise God.
Please Come Back And Visit Often.