Chris Gore - Ultimate Film Fanatic

It’s funny because I worked with [creator] James Rowley before on a show called The New Movie Show. We used to play this game all the time. Off camera we would throw out a mvoie quote and the other person has to guess it. We used to goof on each other. So he came up with the show with a guy named Mark Cronin. I’m just a hired gun on this. They needed someone to host and wanted someone like Chris Gore.

Exactly [laughs]. We are mutual fans of one another’s and they just called me up. To IFC’s credit they didn’t want just a “host.” Because there are people who host things for a living and I suck at that. I can’t keep my own personality in check. So they wanted somebody who would interject their own comments and someone who knew film as well as the contestants who came on the show. I am film fanatic. I could scare you with some stuff.

Go for it!

Is it David Cronenberg?

Ivan Reitman?

Let me quiz you. Please reveal to me the true identity of the man, Glen Milstead. I’ll give you a hint; he’s worked with Traci Lords.

No it’s Divine.

He is much better looking as a woman. Film trivia can really trip you up. There are certain things I know a lot about then others things I know nothing about. If you are unlucky and get a question about a movie you know nothing about then you're screwed.

Not every film fanatic has the same knowledge.

I was a little shocked. But also a lot of it is not judged not by the item but what you had to go through to get it.

I’ve saved every movie ticket stub for every movie I’ve seen since I was 12. I saved them in a giant fish aquarium and when it was full I cataloged them by date. So it’s like when they find the apartment in Se7en but it’s my house instead. I also own a custom made George Lucas action figure in the classic packaging made by a fan. I also own a prop replica gun from the movie Logan’s Run, mmmm Jenny Agutter.

I love that. That’s one of my all time favorite movies. That was the first time I saw nudity at the movies. There is some good nudity in that one.

No, the judges were selected by executives at IFC. But I threw in a resounding endorsement for Traci Lords. I thought she would be fantastic. What I like about the judges is that if you are a film fanatic these are people who have cred. What was fun was how seriously Traci took her duties as judge on the show. For the people who were contestants on the show they spent their entire lives watching movies and it all came down to this moment. I think that had an impact on the judges so they took it seriously. One funny thing was, during breaks Jason Mewes would pass dirty notes to Traci. He would put the most vile things and the only one I could mention is “Traci, I know you are looking at my ass and I know you want it.” Then it graduated to really horrible hardcore drawings and Traci took it in stride. All I could think was “Man, I wonder what that would get on ebay?” Original Jason Mewes drawings!

I think there was some idea to the separation. Jason hit on her during filming jokingly but also kind of serious but if Traci came back at him you know he would have backed down.

What’s cool about it is that we can see a movie today then in the afternoon have a review and coverage. I’m a big fan of the web plus we can get instant reaction. Readers can tell us to go fuck ourselves on the same day we post a review.

I believe so. We championed a lot of these people early in their careers and now they don’t talk to us.

When I started the magazine there was no independent film section at the video store and now there is, which is something of an achievement. It’s now become a respected category of film like a horror, sci-fi or an action film. That’s cool. I’m also really excited to see documentaries get their due. Documentaries are playing in multiplexes now, which is huge.

No I’ve interviewed Steven Soderbergh and Spike Lee for the website. The writers who write for Film Threat don’t hold back. Friend of the website or not, we are going to call them like we see them. We do include opposing reviews and that’s something we’ve been doing for years.

I am also getting away from doing the website, it’s really being run by Eric Campos and a dedicated band of writers. I just wrote and produced this movie called My Big Fat Independent Movie.

Yeah I’m really excited about it. I’ve got some other film projects that aren’t mainstream.

I spent a year and a half working on the DVD and it’s coming out in August from Film Threat DVD. It’s got three layers of commentary. One is me and the cinematographer, the other one is the drunk commentary because we had five beers apiece and did commentary and the third one is the old production assistant giving all the dirt on what happened. It’s also subtitled in ten different languages.

Because I could! My intention for starting Film Threat DVD was to be the Criterion Collection for underground film.

I have to say that the person who won is a much bigger geek than me.

by Daniel Robert Epstein

SG Username: AndersWolleck