Today, 16th March 2012, is officially our first birthday and to celebrate, I went into the damp and dingy staff basement, unshackled my team and forced them at gunpoint to answer a few questions on what they thought about the last 12 months. So for your enjoyment, cast your eyes upon the answers below…
Dr Lenera
Favourite film(s) of the last 12 months?
Hugo was simply wonderful, a lovely gift from one great movie lover to other real movie lovers. Drive was ultra-cool and had the best cinematography in years [every other shot was a masterpiece!]. Amer was a diabolically clever and twisted tribute to my beloved subgenre of Italian horror. Insidious just scared me bloody senseless, so much so that I still can’t bring myself to watch the DVD I own. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy a spy drama that managed to be thrilling despite not having a car chase or explosion in sight. And, don’t laugh, but Gnomeo And Juliet was the best animated film in ages, simply glorious and hilarious entertainment from beginning to end.
Film(s) to look forward to this year?
Where to begin? Dare I say I’m not too fussed about The Dark Night Rises, nor I’m afraid Prometheus [though of course I’ll go and see them!] so for me first and foremost it has got to be The Hobbit, which I hope will give me some of the sheer joy I had when watching the Lord Of The Rings films. Then there’s Wachowski brothers’s next Cloud Atlas, unsurprising as I loved The Matrix sequels. Nicolas Winding Refn’s next Only God Forgives. Terence Malick’s new untitled project. The Expendables 2 [don’t laugh folks!]. Skyfall as I’m a huge 007 fan and there hasn’t been a Bond film in a while [the horrid Quantum Of Solace doesn’t exist]. The Dictator, because I think Sacha Baron Cohen is the funniest man alive. The Tim Burton double whammy of Dark Shadows and Frankenweenie. Pixar’s Brave. And Dario Argento’s Dracula. I know his recent efforts have been below par, so come on Dario, show us you’ve got one more great movie in you!
Favourite article you wrote?
Though I absolutely love writing about my beloved Universal horror films, it would have to be my feature on Terry Gilliam. I feel I poured my heart and soul into it, and, coming from someone who is never satisfied with what he has written, it doesn’t seem too bad even when I revisit it.
Your personal highlights of the first year of HCF?
My scribbling being considered good enough for me to be invited to join the team on the site. Seeing the site grow into a giant monster almost overnight. Ross interviewing John Carpenter – yes I know the answers weren’t that great, but just the fact that he did the interview was exciting to me. The advent calendar and HCF awards. Ross’s sense of humour. Matt’s insane work-ethic. Bat’s patience during the site’s technical hiccups. Juan almost making me interested in computer games due to the skill of his writing. Darren writing about films I’ve never heard of.
Popcorn… sweet or salted?
Neither for me I’m afraid. Will be either chocolate m&ms or chilli flavoured doritos!
What tune you’re going to sing at the HCF Birthday Bash karaoke?
Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlBiLNN1NhQ
Darren Williams
Favourite Film (s) of the last 12 months?
Tree of Life, Drive, Kill List, Hugo, Midnight in Paris
Films to look forward to this year?
The Master, Hyde Park on Hudson, The Wettest County
Favourite article you wrote?
Examining weird porn was fun
Your personal highlights of the first year of HCF?
Getting to interview Joshua Zeman
Popcorn…..Sweet or Salted?
Sweet
What tune you are going to sing at the HCF Birthday Bash Karoke
I do a good Viv Stanshall
David Gillespie
Favourite film(s) of the last 12months?
Drive is the only film in the last 12 months that I would put into the classic category and my favourite flick for the last few years. The cinematography, acting and soundtrack are all first rate. I went into the cinema with modest expectations and was blown off my seat. I cannot think of the last time that I have experienced that. After purchasing the DVD at the weekend, I was surprised how well the project transfers onto the small screen too. Other favourites would be Lynn Ramsay’s visually stunning, We Need to Talk About Kevin with Tilda Swinton’s powerhouse performance as the mother of the most evil child that you could possibly have the misfortune to meet. Other recommendations would go to The Guard, The Skin I Live in, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Kill List and Tintin.
Film(s) to look forward to this year?
I have mixed feelings about The Dark Knight Rises (I hope I am wong) so it has to be The Hobbit I’m looking forward to seeing most.
Favourite article you wrote?
I write very few articles, so I suppose it would be my review for Drive?
Your personal highlights of the first year of HCF?
I guess I am happy at how professional looking the website has become. Hopefully there might be a sugar daddy for our website in the future.
Popcorn… sweet or salted?
Sweeeeeeeet
What tune you’re going to sing at the HCF Birthday Bash karaoke?
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye – Soft Cell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbEOgfq3CNc
Juan Vasquez
Favourite film(s) of the last 12months?
Kill List was very impressive, and I was very surprised by how much I
enjoyed Captain America and Cowboys and Aliens, but didn’t really watch
anything ground-breaking to be honest.
It’s the year of the superheroes isn’t it? If there’s only one I catch this
year it has to be The Dark Knight Rises. Words cannot describe how excited I
am about this film. I’m also excited about Spider-Man. I still think it was
unnecessary to reboot it, but I think the Spidey films (well the first two)
are some of the best in the sub-genre.
And of course, there’s the team up with the other Marvel titans in the
Avengers. But I will remain sceptical until I see it.
Straying away from super-humans, the end of the year sees the mightily
anticipated Hobbit. And I’m excited to return to Middle Earth, but with
these other great films out before it, it’s taking a back seat those for
now.
Finally, and I’m probably in the minority here, but I was so pleased to see
The Phantom Menace re-released. I don’t buy into 3D, but I’m in there for a
2D screening! It’s my favourite of the prequels.
Favourite article you wrote?
The article I wrote, Hollywood and Videogames was rather well received,
which was nice to see, as it was a subject weighing on my mind that I had to
have a rant about! My E3 coverage,(although I had to watch it online rather
than being there) was quite the mammoth undertaking, and Gamefest was great
as well, though I got to attend that one!
Your personal highlights of the first year of HCF?
Becoming part of the team. I started out as a contributor, but was soon
grabbed off the street, thrown into a van, and locked in the HCF dungeon.
It’s been fantastic. The HCF Awards were exciting, too.
Popcorn… sweet or salted?
Salted. Always salted.
What tune you’re going to sing at the HCF Birthday Bash karaoke?
It depends what I’ve had to drink! Born To Run is always a great one to belt
out, or anything by AC/DC!
Matt Wavish
Favourite film(s) of the last 12months?
Drive, without a doubt, although that bastard Kill List comes in VERY close as second place!
Films to look forward to this year?
Prometheus, wait no, The Dark Knight Rises, no, hang on, The Hobbit! Christ there’s too many! As for the smaller films, Rob Zombie’s Lords of Salem!
Favourite article you wrote?
Can I cheat? Are there rules here? My favourite news article would have to either be the premier of either the Prometheus or Dark Knight Rises trailers. I was close to pissing myself!
As for interviews, I must say that Jonathan Martin’s interview was astonishing, I don’t mind saying!
As for review/article, HAS to be my review of Cannibal Holocaust for my Video Nasty Project, I found a whole new love and respect for that film.
Your personal highlights of the first year of HCF?
Making new friends in the movie business, seeing our logo and our creator at the Grimm Up North festival. Watching us grow and grow and seeing new fans follow us, always good to know your work is appreciated.
Popcorn… sweet or salted?
If I had to choose it would be sweet, but I hate the bastard stuff. Gimme a hotdog and two scoops of over priced ice cream! Popcorn makes a mess, gets stuck in your throat and makes you cough through the whole film, and also annoying feckers in cinemas will gladly dig through their box during quiet moments and all you can hear is that arsehole’s popcorn rustling. God I hate it!
What tune you’re going to sing at the HCF Birthday Bash karaoke?
Devil in Me by the 22-20’s, speaks for itself really
Ross Hughes
Favourite film(s) of the last 12months?
This is where I differ! My film delight is finding films that are not known to the wider audience. I still remember the buzz of coming across Session 9, Lighthouse and MaleVolence. Even Ringu was unheard of when I got my hands on it many years ago, before of course the sub standard American remake which brought it to more people’s attention. 2010 was a brilliant year for finding unheard of gems, The Torment, The Objective, House Of The Devil were all classics in their own right but 2011 was a year when only one film stood out like a shining light and that was of course the simply breathtaking The Shrine, a wonderful horror film that blew me away and needs to be watched by all readers of HCF. If I had to pick a close second then it would have been Kill List but having seen We Need To Talk About Kevin last week, then that quite stunning film deserves second spot!
Films to look forward to this year?
Now this is a hard one! Of course a certain return of a Bat fills me with joy but I will still be there on a Monday Morning, scanning the straight to DVD Market shelves for “that film of 2012” that will blow me away and needs to be told about to our readers of HCF!
Favourite article you wrote?
All of them!
No seriously, this is a dream to write for a film site and for the site itself to be so well received. Its been an amazing year!
Your personal highlights of the first year of HCF?
Too many to choose from. The fact how the site become the beast it was in the space of a weekend. I remember sitting down with Bat and Matt on that Saturday afternoon and the three of us admitted that we had something special here. A few drinks and 24 hours later, what was just a basic review site became this massive giant and what made it more complete was when Darren, Doc and David agreed to join the team. A few weeks later, Juan who was blowing us away with his games reviews then agreed to join up and our team was born and its become what it is now.
As for what we have achieved, well having so many talented directors to agree with an interview has been amazing. So once again thanks to them all who gave their time up to answer a few questions which enabled HCF to grow even quicker. They did not have too but they did……so thank you!
Popcorn… sweet or salted?
A man has just bought a live chicken and then goes to a movie theatre, hiding the chicken in his pants so the ticket-taker won’t hassle him about bringing a bird into the theatre. Once in his seat, sitting next to two women, he opens his fly so the chicken can stick out its head and breathe easily. In the dark room, the women misinterprets what the man is doing. The first woman says to her friend, ‘This man’s fly is open!’ The second woman says, ‘When you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ’em all!’ The first woman says, ‘Yeah, but this one’s eating my popcorn………..A BOOM BOOM……..
Sorry what was the question again?
What tune you’re going to sing at the HCF Birthday Bash karaoke?
The Song from Halloween………the only good thing Rob Zombie “borrowed” for his re-imagination of a classic!
Bung, bung, bung, bung, bung
Bung, bung, bung, bung, bung
Bung, bung, bung, bung, bung
Bung, bung, bung, bung, bung
Bung, bung, bung, bung, bung
Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream
(Bung, bung, bung, bung)
Make him the cutest that I’ve ever seen
(Bung, bung, bung, bung)
Give him two lips like roses and clover
(Bung, bung, bung, bung)
Then tell him that his lonesome nights are over
Sandman, I’m so alone
Don’t have nobody to call my own
Please turn on your magic beam
Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream
………………………………………………………..While wearing a Michael Myers Mask
BAT
Favourite film(s) of the last 12 months?
Last year was a very impressive year for film. I would say the ones that really made me go ‘WOW’ were Troll Hunter, Some Guy Who Kills People, Rage and Whisperer in Darkness. They were all made by people with passion and it came flooding through onto screen. There was also a lot of incredible short films sent our way from a host of directors such as Gerard Lough, Davide Melini, David Guglielmo and of course, the Bloody Cuts guys. Some truly tremendous filmmaking.
Films to look forward to this year?
Prometheus all the way. Not a real lover of the Bat, ironically, or anything LotR related, so I’m definitely flying the sci-fi flag here are HCF. I’m also looking forward to Sacha Baron Cohen’s outing as The Dictator. That should be one hell of a funny movie! I’m keen to see The Hunger Games too and martial arts flick, The Raid. I do love flipping through the back catalogue as there’s plenty of hidden gems to be discovered, so I will probably be watching a lot of films from years gone by over the next 12 months.
Favourite article you wrote?
There can only be one. My interview with Dyanne Thorne. For me that was a dream come true and to talk to her and her wonderful husband, Howard Maurer, on their experiences and thoughts on the ILSA films and work they’d done together, was one of the best moments of my life that I’ll never forget.
Your personal highlights of the first year of HCF?
Watching HCF tear through the internet in front of my eyes with the help and support from the best team you could ever wish for. HCF has grown so much over it’s first year and we hope it’ll continue to grow bigger and bigger! Big thanks to all our readers for your support.
It’s been great to meet new people, both fans of film, other press and filmmakers themselves. Covering Grimm Up North film festival was a definite highlight and I applaud the Grimm team for running such a tight ship and for putting on an amazing fest in the city of Manchester.
The interviews with the many filmmakers and my favourite actress, discovering new talent and of course our very first HCF Awards are in there as well.
Popcorn… sweet or salted?
Salted wins hands down. It’s moreish and then gives you an uber-thirst from all that yummy, heart-attack inducing salt.
What tune you’re going to sing at the HCF Birthday Bash karaoke?
Oh, it’s gotta be Gang Bang by Black Lace from Rita, Sue and Bob Too (fab film!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXtx6N3ww7Y
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