The Moviesite Spotlight: Impassioned Cinema


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 Max, writer of Impassioned Cinema.


What’s the history of your site, why did you start it?
Impassionedcinema was started in Janurary 2011. Having been out of a job for a while, I decided that starting a website would be a good way to show off my videos and talk about my love for the film industry. It has since morphed into a pure joy to work on and I do consider it my full time job, even if it isn’t paying right now.

What makes your movie blog different from the other ones out there?
A few months ago I wouldn’t have been able to answer that. I started by emulating a lot of my favorite blogs writing reviews and posting the latest Hollywood news. Then I decided I needed a lot more original content to keep users coming to my site. Something they couldn’t get anywhere else. 2012 was a starting over point and since then I’ve started new weekly and bi-weekly series and the focus is to bring readers in and keep them around.

What do enjoy most about your site and what is the reason you keep doing it?
Really I love the comments and the idea that people are taking my word seriously. I’m very opinionated and I’ll tell you if a movie is garbage to your face. I also love being part of the industry in some capacity. I have made an effort to go to film festivals and making new friends through The Lamb has been a lot of fun.

In which ways has your blogging changed the way you watch movies?
I’ve watched a lot of movies I would’ve never considered watching before. I was really selective on what movies I watch. I still am, but writing a scathing review once in awhile can be fun as well. I’ve realized I’ve seen some movies by certain directors, but I really need to explore a lot of different films in order to really understand some of them.

What’s your favorite article you have written?

Right now it’d have to be my Top 10 Studio Ghibli films article. It didn’t originally get a lot of attention, but it was featured on a few sites and now it is my second most read article on the site. I’m also a huge fan of anime, so sharing my love for that particular medium in a digestible fashion for the film crowd makes me hope I’ve influenced some more people into watching these amazing pictures.

Do you own any movie related items that you are very proud of?
I have quite a few special editions I love. I bought the Blu-ray briefcase of Blade Runner and a few other Blu-ray special editions like Ben-Hur. Anime is very serious about how their cases and box sets arrive so I have a lot of special boxes in that regard as well.

How many movies do you watch on average each week?
I’d have to put it at a good 3 to 4 movies a week. I never watched this many movies before I started the site, but I really enjoy doing what I’m doing.

Could you name five of your all time favorite movies?
Sure can do:


Lost in Translation


2001: A Space Odyssey


Eternal Sunshine


Almost Famous


Godfather

Anything else you want to tell us about yourself?
Hoping to shoot my own short film within the coming weeks for my final project in my film studies certificate program. If you’d like to see my other videos that I’ve done I’ve featured them on my vimeo page @ http://vimeo.com/maxcovill. Thanks.

20 thoughts on “The Moviesite Spotlight: Impassioned Cinema

  1. Yeay Nice to see Max Featured here!!

    I am just popping in to say HI. I have been manic this week, and I still am in changing my theme. This also means editing all the posts to fit the new size and look good… GRRRR

    Hope you are well

    Nice spotlight… Me Mucho Love Maximilian!

  2. I love Lost In Translation & Almost Famous. I too am a bit selective on the movies I watched, but yes criticizing bad movies are fun too. Great start then for 2012! Great job, Max 🙂 and Nostra too.

    • Thanks Andina. Glad to hear another fan of Lost in Translation and Almost Famous. The Tiny Dancer scene in Almost Famous kills me every time! I’m hoping John Carter this weekend won’t be a bad movie review, but for early remarks it might be headed that way.

  3. Nice spotlight! Max does some great things over at Impassioned Cinema, and it’s cool to see we share similar favorites (especially 2001 and Almost Famous).

  4. I’ve seen Max’s blog evolve over the last year or so and he is definitely on the right track, writing more original content. It’s so important to find an identity for your blog and probably one of the hardest thing to do. Best of luck Max!

    • Thanks for the kind words Castor. It has been tough becoming a blog that does more than just rehash the latest the news like so many other blogs do. Your blog does a wonderful job of doing that.

  5. Another great site you’re featuring here Nostra. Max’s got a great blog and it’s nice to see him collaborating with others as well. Best of luck with the blog and your movie projects, Max!

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