The Moviesite Spotlight: Marked Movies

It has a been a while since I’ve done these (you can find previous installments here), but thought it was time to shine the spotlight on another great movie blog: Marked Movies. I did an interview with the man behind it: Mark Walker.

What’s the history of your site, why did you start it?
As you know, my blog just turned a year old recently. Before that I was using Flixster (Rotten Tomatoes) for a couple of years from which I achieved a ‘Super Reviewer’ status. I loved the community vibe that Flixster had and I was always getting involved in discussions with people over there. However, they changed the format and the site became more of an advertising/purchasing site and the community spirit began to dwindle fast. There are still some people who hung on and I still post there myself but I no longer interact with people. As a result of Flixster losing it’s integrity, I decided on setting up my own site as I was determined to keep some form of film discussion and interaction going. I have to say, I’m more than happy with the results and never dreamed it would grow as fast as it has.

What makes your movie blog different from the other ones out there?
I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m vastly different from anyone else. Over the course of the last year, I’ve noticed that everyone is very similar in terms of enjoying movies and writing up their thoughts. Where I find that people do differ is in any recurring feature they might have. In this case, my “Tuesday Trivia Tidbits” or “Let’s Have A Sit-Down” probably set me aside from other bloggers.

What do enjoy most about your site and what is the reason you keep doing it?
The thing I enjoy the most and the reason I keep doing it are both one and the same answer. It’s simply down to the interactive side of things. It’s marvellous getting to know people and their different tastes. I’d probably always still write about movies but it wouldn’t be the same without people stopping by to add their thoughts.

In which ways has your blogging changed the way you watch movies?
My movie watching has, without a doubt, been changed since I started writing about them. I used to let a lot of films pass over me but my critical eye is always active now. I can’t sit down without exploring the themes, cinematography, actors etc. If anything, I now watch less movies because I end up with a backlog of reviews to finish and I like to get the writing out of the way before moving on.

What’s your favorite article you have written?

That’s a tough one. I like to keep my reviews concise and have read several, better and more in-depth stuff from other bloggers but my scathing review of “Titanic” was one I enjoyed writing. If only, because it upset some people and was probably the first review where my voice stood out from the masses.
I also enjoyed the response to my trial run of “Let’s Have a Sit-Down” – a heated conversation between DeNiro and Pacino.

Could you name five of your all time favorite movies?
I most certainly can. They are:

The Big Lebowski

Once Upon a Time in America

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Blade Runner

Trainspotting

How many movies do you watch on average each week?
On an average week, I’ll manage 2 or 3 films. These are films that I’d choose to watch myself, though. I have two young daughters who commandeer the household with many of their own preferences, so I have to sit through quite a lot of children’s stuff which I don’t really count.

Do you own any movie related items that you are very proud of?
Can’t say that I do, really. I did once own a european VHS copy of “Once Upon a Time in America”. It was the full uncut version and fetched a pretty penny at the time, as there were very few in print. I gave it away to a friend, though, as DVD was introduced and it was of no use to me anymore.

Anything else you want to tell us about yourself?
There’s not much to say, other than the fact that I’ve met Scottish actor Robert Carlyle on a few occasions. My daughter was in the same class at school as his son. My good lady and daughters were once at his house for a birthday party but unfortunately, I was working that day. I’ve also crossed paths with actor/writer/director Peter Mullan.