The Moviesite Spotlight: Ultimate Reviews

Welcome to this week’s Moviesite Spotlight. For those who wonder what this is:

Every week I read a lot of great movie related blogs and I thought it was time to give the ones I visit regularly a chance to shine in the spotlight, by interviewing its writers.

This week’s interview is with Mark, founder of Ultimate Reviews.

What’s the history of your site, why did you start it?

I started Ultimate Reviews back in 2009, which was a time where I had plenty of spare time and was able to watch a lot of movies. As I was watching so many movies I thought it would be nice to be able to document my thoughts and opinions of them and also share them with others. When I started I had no idea of the size or friendliness of the online movie community and I was quickly taken in by it. Since then I have become hooked and there isn’t a day that goes past where I don’t spend a few minutes reading the latest blog posts by some of the best people in the community.

Over the past 3 to 4 years I have made many good friends in the community and now in fact have a number of people who all help me run and contribute to Ultimate Reviews. It has turned from a small blog where I was going to write some little reviews to a full on blog that is updated on a daily basis by a number of different people from around the world.

What makes your movie blog different from the other ones out there?

Carrying on from above back in 2009 when I was setting up Ultimate Reviews I thought it would be brilliant to see other peoples favourite movies. So I set up the ability to receive top 10 lists. When people send them in I publish them on the site for all to see and comment on. These top 10 lists
have ranged from the 10 coolest movie vehicles

– to the top 10 teaser trailers – to top 10 movie characters you would like to be for a day – (this one is by you!!).

Ultimate Reviews also has a number of different contributors which brings a certain difference in each post that is written, be it in a different writing style to being written from a different culture. ultimate Reviews should be able to cater for any reader.

What do enjoy most about your site and what is the reason you keep doing it?

What I enjoy most about my site is the fact that it is my distraction from the real world. When I started in 2009 I had plenty of time to devote to the site and watching movies, but unfortunately due to work and personal commitments I no longer have as much spare time. So any chance I get I like to site down and relax by either watching a movie or writing about one. It is my way of getting away from everyday hassles and it is definitely what I enjoy doing and for this reason Ultimate Reviews will always live on.

In which ways has your blogging changed the way you watch movies?

To be honest, the way I watch movies hasn’t changed at all. I try to watch every movie with a clean slate regardless of what I have read about it. I am a movie fan and by no means a critic and that writing Ultimate Reviews has not changed this at all. Unfortunately I now watch less movies than I did, but this is not out of choice. I guess I am now more open to a wider range of films than I was before I started, for example I would never have sat down and enjoyed watching a movie like The Artist before, but gaining a grater knowledge about movies in general has allowed me to do so.
Although I am still a sucker for a big budget action adventure movie, which you probably see by some of the scores that I give these types of movies.

What’s your favourite article you have written?

I have a number of favourite posts, but one which I wrote back near the beginning was when Avatar was released and the hype of 3D was all a buzz, after watching it I felt slightly underwhelmed by the 3D which I was expecting a lot more from. I then wrote a follow up post to this two years on. I have many a conversation on Twitter (@reviwer) on the subject.

I am also proud of the collection of top 10 lists Ultimate Reviews now has – and I often like to look back over these as well as the ever growing Ultimate List which is where every movie that is reviewed on the site is added to and ordered by rating out of 5.

Could you name five of your all time favourite movies?

This is very difficult as it is constantly changing, but here in no particular order are 5 of my all time favourites.

Back to the Future

Raiders of the Lost Ark

The Matrix

Pulp Fiction

Jaws
These are all movies I watch at least every few months.

How many movies do you watch on average each week?

A few years back I could manage an average of about 10 movies a week, but now due to work and other such commitments my time to watch movies has dramatically decreased. I am now normally averaging about 2 movies a week, but try to squeeze in a few more if I get time.

Do you own any movie related items that you are very proud of?
I have a plaque of original films cells from each of the 6 Star Wars movies which I love. The only downside is that the Mrs will only allow it to be on the wall in the toilet.

Anything else you want to tell us about yourself?
I am going to be a Father for the first time in May!