Marshall and the Movies, in a super ambitious and clever series called Origins, has done a fantastic write up and interview for us here and CyniCritics about our beginnings in the movie blogging world. Be sure to check out Marshall and the Movies for more great Origins entries and movie articles. Enjoy!

It’s another two-for-one special today for “The Origins Project” with Matt and Luke for “CyniCritics.” I’m only just discovering their site, but I sure do love their honest and often brutal takes on movies.  The two writers are good friends, and their two takes coexist beautifully.  They have a very versatile site that sports much more than just reviews.  They give especially great answers, and it’s fun to read them play off each other.

What movie began your love affair with cinema?

MATT: When I was really young, I loved Batman Returns and the Lion King. I think the “moment” when it happened was the beginning of the Lion King in the movie theater.
LUKE: The first film I went to on my own was Pirates of the Caribbean in sixth grade and I remember just how fantastic it looked on the big screen. The beautiful landscapes, the Hans Zimmer score and Johnny Depp were all too much for me to forget. I starting paying attention to how the movie was put together rather than just what entertained me, which ended up entertaining me in a whole new way.

When did you start blogging?

MATT: February 2010.
LUKE: That’s the date we started on WordPress with CyniCritics, but we blogged on MySpace years earlier unofficially with a few movie entries.

Why did you start blogging?

MATT: Luke and I thought it would be a good way to develop our skills for our (hopefully) future careers
LUKE: I saw a really nerdy friend on Facebook do music reviews on video and they were just awful. I figured it was about time I started doing film reviews now that there were better mediums than MySpace out there and I could for sure put together something better than that kid did. Besides that, I really like writing about movies.

What has kept you going?

MATT: I enjoy writing about movies.
LUKE: Matt. If I didn’t have him to push me this would never work out. On your blog you don’t get graded, paid or told what to do by your mother. With him around, I feel obligated to post things in a way. Also the success keeps me going. Knowing that when you put out something interesting or well written, people will read it and respond. That’s a good feeling.

Has there been a particular person (or people) that has helped you along the way?

LUKE: Like I said, Matt has help motivate me and does some proofreading for me now and then because I am awful at spelling and grammar.

What’s the best part of being a blogger? The worst?

MATT: The best part is having discussions about the things you are passionate about. The worst is that it doesn’t pay, and also when people view your opinion as stupid just because it’s different than their opinion.
LUKE: The best part is when you write something you know could be published in Entertainment Weekly or the paper. There are sometimes when I feel I could write seven pages about a movie, and it’s great writing. But the worst part is when it is the opposite of that, when you go to start a review or post and nothing comes after hours of sitting in front of the screen.

Has blogging increased or diminished your passion for movies?

MATT: I would say it’s stayed the same, but my writing about them has improved a little bit.
LUKE: I have the same passion. I no longer have the passion to make them, but that is because of something else. Now my passion would be to get to write about them.

What’s your proudest moment as a blogger?

MATT: I can’t really think of a “proudest moment.” I guess I would say looking back at the beginning and looking at now and seeing improvements.
LUKE: My proudest moment is when our negative Fight Club review got a huge backlash. Matt’s analysis and discussion was too valid, educated and well written for a few people to be content with because they loved the film so much so they resorted to saying “you are the over-protective mother figure proud of her inbred child” which gave me a great laugh. It’s like whenever somebody like Lady Gaga becomes so unstoppable yet humble they spread teeny weeny rumors because they are defenseless. When somebody resorts to playground tactics like that, you know you are on to something.

What advice would you give to someone looking to follow their passion? To someone starting a blog of their own?

MATT: Do it… if you’re starting a blog of your own, just write. That’s the most important thing, never mind interactivity or layout. The writing is what they’re there to see, and if it’s good the rest isn’t important.
LUKE: This is where I have to disagree with Matt. Nobody is going to find your blog based on the writing. You have to have the appeal, either an efficient site, networking skills or some type of promoting skills to get people to your site, otherwise nobody is going to be reading s**t. Once you hook them though, you better bring the bait.

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