An interview with Laura and Robin Clifford from Reeling the Movie Review Show
Reeling the Movie Review Show has been produced by Robin and Laura Clifford at the Malden, Massachusetts cable access television station, MATV, since March 16, 1991 and is cablecast throughout Massachusetts and beyond (ME, CA, OR, MI, GA) as well as being available on Vimeo. Their reviews appear on the Rotten Tomatoes website and they are designated Top Critic at the Movie Review Query Engine. -From the Reeling Website
Full disclosure, I have been a volunteer crew member for Reeling for roughly about a billion years and I don't regret it at all.
What follows is an email interview with Laura and Robin Clifford about their show.
1. Do you feel being married gives the show a different dynamic than other movie review shows?
Laura: Well, when you live with someone you know all their likes, dislikes, quirks, etc., so that is bound to influence how you interact. There is also the matter of influence in that we are both exposed to the other’s preference in films on our ‘off hours’ more than say, a couple of critics paired together on another show.
6. How would you define the role of the movie critic?
Laura: It is two-fold. On the most basic level, you are acting as a consumer guide, but at a deeper level you are analyzing a film not only to point out why it works or does not but to place it in perspective against the filmmaker’s other work, the zeitgeist, etc. Then there is the art of writing itself – there are some beautifully written film criticisms which are enjoyable to read even if you do not agree with the critic’s conclusions.
Robin: I think it is to show folks what movies are out there and what we think of them, and encourage our readers/viewers to think about them, too.
7. How do you separate yourself as a fan from a critic?
Laura: Any critic who is not a fan of film isn’t a critic worth following in my opinion. Everyone has prejudices, one must simply be honest about them and be conscious of them so as not to allow them to unduly sway an assessment.
Robin: I AM a fan and a critic so I don’t separate them.
8. What movies would you watch purely for fun, and why?
Laura: Movies that I have seen before and liked enough to make part of my home library are like old friends you can let your hair down with. Occasionally I’ll watch something I know will be trash just as a lark.
Robin: Generally speaking, I will sit down happily and watch a documentary pretty much about anything if it educates, entertains and informs.
9. If you could convince people to see any one movie, which would it be?
Laura: That’s a tough one and I’d say it would have to depend on the person. For example, I knew someone older than me who had never seen “The Wizard of Oz” – I’d try very hard to convince him that he really should see it and why, but that’s not a film I would generally be promoting because almost everyone has seen it. Averse to subtitles? A specific genre? A specific subject matter? A certain actor or filmmaker? I’d try to find the best example of something someone would reject out of hand, and try to convince them to try it. Unless I agreed with them
Robin: For 2021 films, Spielberg’s “West Side Story” with the proviso that you watch the 1961 original, too.
10. At times you are at odds with other critics. Why do you think that is?
Laura: All critics worth their salt are at odds with other critics at times. I would be very suspicious of anyone who always sides with the majority as someone who doesn’t trust his/her own opinion, a ‘herd follower.’ If everyone thought the same way, life would be boring indeed. I always loved something our long-time director, Chris Zell, said about us – ‘Even when they agree, they agree for different reasons.’
(Bloggers note: Sadly Chris is no longer with us. He was a treasure and a wise ass and I miss him.)
Robin: I think it is about taste and opinion – mine, not theirs.
12. How well do you feel that you've grown and developed on the show?
Laura: I now have an incredible sense of timing! I can set a kitchen timer for 15 minutes, be in
another room, and get up to check on what's cooking and find the timer at 14:58 when I walk
into the room - do it all the time. But that's from the producing angle. I'm a lot more at ease
on camera, although it hasn't made speaking before an audience any easier. That said, I also
recognize my weak spots and try to compensate for them - I always tend to ramble on the first
movie of the show, for example, so I allow a bit more time for the first review until I get into
the rhythm and focus. And while we were well versed in film when we started, we have easily
seen and reviewed well over 5,000 films since. There's something to be said for experience
and historical perspective.
Robin: I have seen thousands of movies since we started riding in this rodeo three decades
(that sounds scary!) ago. I hope I have gotten better over the years of experience. (You tell
me.)
(Bloggers note: Yes, they both have gotten better overall.)
13. Reeling has had many long term folks on the studio crew. When you first started out, did you think about the impact that the show would have in making a network of friends behind the scenes? What do you think about that social circle that has developed around the show?
Laura: No because I never expected it would go on as long as it has and because we largely began with people we already knew. That has changed over the years and been a delightful surprise. And while some of the people who have joined in initially did so because of movies, I find it interesting that movies are far from the main topic of conversation when we get together.
Robin: Truthfully, having our friends get together ever two weeks to help us do this thing we do is the #1 reason for me – and I get to see a sh*tload of movies for free
