The Moviesite Spotlight: Popcorn Addiction

Time for a new installment of The Moviesite Spotlight, where I shine the light on a blog which I think you should be reading. This week that blog is Popcorn Addiction, run by Steven.

What’s the history of your site, why did you start it?
I started Popcorn Addiction in December 2010 after a number of months contributing to both HeyUGuys.co.uk and BesforFilm.com. Having spent the last three years working at my local cinema, and having seen almost every mainstream film released theatrically in that time, I found that I had more opinions than I could outsource, and so decided to start my own blog as a way to bring my reviews together under one roof and put everything I had learnt into practice on something I had created myself.

What makes your movie blog different from the other ones out there?
I like to think that my blog is as different from the rest of the blogosphere as I am from my fellow bloggers. My taste in movies has always been pretty unique, leaving me to defend my dislike for films such as Step Brothers and The Dark Knight just about any time I’m in company. I am also an avid supporter of 3D, CGI animation and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

What do you enjoy most about your site and what is the reason you keep doing it?
Over the years I’ve noticed that I spend substantially more time in the cinema than my friends and family. Popcorn Addiction has given me a platform not only to develop my own understanding and appreciation of cinema, but to meet like-minded people with whom to share my thoughts and enjoyment. I keep coming back to my blog because I always seem to have something to say, and I’m forever grateful to realise that there are people out there willing to listen.

In which ways has your blogging changed the way you watch movies?
My blog has certainly pushed me beyond the multiplex to explore independent cinema and cinemas. I also have a greater appreciation for the work gone into filmmaking, particularly as I look back through the process itself, along with filmographies of various actors and directors. Blogging has also convinced me to go back over films I had previously seen and dismissed, giving me a chance to re-evaluate misunderstood classics and reaffirm my suspicions about overrated duds.

What’s your favorite article you have written?

Looking back over previous work is often a recipe for much groaning and embarrassment, so I’ll have to opt for something a little more recent. I first saw Cloud Atlas last November while teaching English in Russia, but I finally got the chance to watch it in English upon its UK release in February. It’s a review I’m very proud of: http://popcornaddiction.com/2013/02/12/cloud-atlas-2013/

Could you name five of your all time favorite movies?
The order is ever-changing, but a random sampling of my favourite movies would be:

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

V for Vendetta

and most recently How To Train Your Dragon

How many movies do you watch on average each week?
I try to take in all of the major new releases, working out at about four films at the cinema each week. I also have a fair-sized DVD collection, which I raid most nights for something to watch before bed.

Do you own any movie related items that you are very proud of?
Not really. I don’t tend to go in for movie memerobilia, as I find that my money is better spent on the films themselves.

Anything else you want to tell us about yourself?In addition to blogging about film, I also keep another blog on my travels around Scotland and the world at large. Finding A Neish has so far been featured as Wanderlust Magazine’s Blog Of The Week and led to a series of articles in Quest Resettlement Magazine.