By way of introduction my name is Colin Mack, film columnist, critic and proprietor of the interactive web site, Mack at the Movies.com. The creation of Mack at the Movies has been something that I have long aspired to complete as a continuing demonstration and by-product of an ongoing passion, dream and personal commitment… as well as providing an outlet for film aficionados such as myself. My overall intent and goal in creating the site was to provide a forum for sharing my passion with others, as well as seeking the views of other film industry “groupies”. The ultimate delivery of this technological effort was completed despite the never-ending life hurdles presented by general life maintenance issues including the completion of educational requirements, earning a living, and dealing with the other life emergences that seem to confront all of us at various points in time. Now, I am immensely proud to announce to anyone… see you at “Mack at the Movies.com.!
Anyone who really knows me is not surprised to discover that my first word spoken was “movie”. Ok…maybe that’s a stretch but, not by much! Anyone who talks to me for more than ten minutes gets the point! Clearly, I am all about the film industry. What started as a never ending desire and need to watch movies for their entertainment value quickly transitioned to a more critical view “behind the curtain”. In that regard, soon, actually seeing the movie was not the end of the story… but merely the beginning! Artistically, the “fabric” of each film became the focus. That said, simply seeing the film was now the “price of admission” only to lead to a deeper analysis of the true meaning of the film, the motivation of the director, hidden messages, lighting effects, the “pedigree” of the director, the value to the studio’s business strategy, and on and on and on! I was, not so silently, evolving into the role of a “film critic”.
With this passion, my actual “hands-on’ experience broadened and now continues to seek new levels. Specifically, the path of my pedigree has been vast and diverse. Noteworthy (and full of pride) stops include: Entertainment Director and Film Critic for Buckeye Television Network; Film Critic and Columnist for the Columbus, Ohio publication for University Media Group (UWeekly), contributing columnist to the Dayton Daily News, desk editor and researcher for The Daily Buzz, as well as hosting radio shows and participating in special event film promotions. With the advent of ‘Mack at the Movies.com’ , I hope to keep the dream alive as it moves to a new level while providing a forum that is both informative, thought provoking, interactive and easily accessible.
Often, I am asked as to why I love movies so much. The question is a good one…but also one that is very difficult to answer. Truly, the inquiry deserves a response but, as the song goes…”it’s like telling a stranger about rock n’ roll i.e. it remains difficult, if not impossible, to effectively answer. Still, the question is a good one and one that I have tried to answer for myself. The simple answer is an honest response of “I simply do not know”. That said, maybe the answer has its roots in some psychological obsessive compulsive disorder, or maybe the answer lies in my exposure to movies stemming from my parents Friday night movie date nights during the nine months before my birth, maybe it’s a fascination with the idea of stretching reality, or simply a desire to close one’s eyes and just imagine! Suffice it to say, there is no clear answer. What I do know is that I never get tired of the feeling experienced when watching James Bond defeat the villain and get the girl; or the dance sequence in Wedding Crashers; or the shower scene in Psycho; the light shattering home run in The Natural…etc. etc. etc. Whatever the reason, I know the passion is real and will live on….and now appearing in “Mack at the Movies.com”.
Enjoy the Show!
For now, I will leave you with a compiled listing of my top ten films followed by a compiled list of my secondary favorite films of all time!
1) “American Graffiti”
2) “Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho”
3) “October Sky”
4) “Stand by Me”
5) “Saving Private Ryan”
6) “National Lampoons Animal House”
7) “The Blues Brothers”
8) “John Carpenters Halloween”
9) “Goodfellas”
10) “The Goonies”
“The Shawshank Redemption,” “Dog Day Afternoon,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Gremlins,” “Jurassic Park,” “Dazed and Confused,” “James Cameron’s Aliens,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Gladiator,” “The French Connection,” “Magnolia,” “The Monster Squad,” “Munich,” “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” “The Assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford,” “Fight Club,” “The Abyss,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “The New World,” “John Carpenter’s The Thing,” “Sin City,” “George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead,” “E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial,” “The Exorcist,” “Forrest Gump,” “Oceans 11,” “Traffic,” “Boogie Nights,” “Joyride,” “The Dark Knight,” “Saturday Night Fever,” “Casablanca,” “Vertigo,” “The Village,” “Star Wars,” “Grindhouse,” “Kill Bill: Volumes 1&2,” “Full Metal Jacket,” “The Shinning,” “Trick 'r Treat,” “Poltergeist,” “Airplane,” “Inside Man,” “Black Hawk Down,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “There Will Be Blood,” “The Mist,” “Pleasantville,” “Collateral” “The Godfather,” “Scarface” and "James Cameron’s AVATAR."