So I had the good fortune to speak to Mackenzie Lambert, the man behind the podcast Mack & the Movies, as part of this fundraising event, Festival Cinephilia. It’s always nice to just sit down with a fellow movie buff, without all the hassle or antagonism of, say, Film Twitter on a bad day. I asked Mackenzie about his early love for movies and how he has channeled his passion in recent years.
Robin Write: Let’s start from the very beginning. What do you love about the movies?
Mackenzie Lambert: I’ve always been an escapist. The films that don’t show the world I see outside my window are what interest me. I get enough of the real world on a daily basis that I want my media consumption to show me something otherworldly. Film has that ability to transport me.
So what genres provide that for you? And any films in particular?
Science fiction, horror, animation. Specific films? Blade Runner, Delicatessen, Wizard of Oz, Ghostbusters, Aladdin ’92, Dr. Strange, Dr. Strangelove.
Did you write reviews as a kid, or draw comics, act out space battles?
I started writing reviews in elementary school, around 5th or 6th grade. Mostly for TV shows, Space Ghost Coast to Coast being the one I remember vividly. I was big into Star Wars at the time, and Micro Machines (I’m dating myself with that reference!) allowed me to re-live those films in my own head. Good times!
Growing up did you want to be in filmmaking in some way?
I was never interested being a filmmaker myself. That was way over my head. But, I still had an itch to be involved in the filmmaking process. Between 2010 and 2012, I was involved in the Buffalo film community…
Acting, extra, grip, go-fer, I did a lot. Then, I just drifted back into writing about film. Which led to me being a YouTube critic for a bit, then to the podcast I have now.
So you got a taste of movie making and moved on. Through choice? And what happened with the YouTube channel?
I just go through phases of interest. I’m really into something for a period of months to years, then I move onto another endeavor. I still have the YouTube channel, but currently use it for promoting the podcast…
My video reviews are still up, as are the audio riffs I recorded with a friend of mine, John. I keep the channel up because I’m proud my work on there. I moved away from the platform because the algorithm worked against me…
I only uploaded once or twice a week, and it negatively impacted my views. So, I went to the greener pastures of podcasting.
Yeah it’s a tough field. So the podcast, how did that come about?
Between 2010 and 2013, I was a guest on podcasts for X-Strike Studios, now Fat Gatsby, and Way of the Buffalo. I had a blast talking movies and video games with them. They would bring me on every so often. Shortly after, I started digging into various podcasts like Solomonster Sounds Off, Peter Travers for Rolling Stone…
After a long time (5 years or so), I decided to go ahead and start my own podcast. The format took some pondering. The lists and “so bad they’re good” gimmicks were plentiful. I took an approach that was more “me”…
About 95% of the films I review, I’ve never seen before. I look at them the same way an archaeologist would look at an archaic object, or I wanted to be the podcast equivalent to horror host Bob Wilkins (Creature Features). I want to know as much as possible about these films, and share my findings with an audience…
And this approach has introduced me to a number of gems.
That is a great path. So what are some of these gems?
Demon Witch Child was a revelation. It’s a Spanish knock off of The Exorcist. But, it’s done in a less is more manner, which always struck me as more effective. Haunting music score. Some fantastic editing effects, a few that made me fall off my couch in disbelief for a film made in the mid 1970’s…
In the last six months, I’ve introduced myself to the Italian comedy duo, Bud Spencer and Terence Hill. It was covering them that my show blew up. It was the first episode to resonate with listeners. Either people were discovering them along with me or they have a larger fanbase than I expected…
Nice! I saw you did a show on Jean-Pierre Jeunet too which I must listen to.
I was late on the Amelie train. I’ve had so many people tell me to see it. But, I loved his darkly quirky films like Delicatessen and City of Lost Children.
Amelie is one of my favourite films ever.
I appreciate for it’s unabashed whimsy. Delicatessen is one of my all-time top ten.
Delicatessen is great. So what else have you covered in your podcast shows?
My first episode fell on Friday, July 13th, so of course one has to cover the Friday the 13th series. Ghostbusters. Fred “the Hammer” Williamson, Enzo G. Castellari, The cinematic milestones of the Zombie genre. I’m most proud of my episode that was a primer for Goblin – my all-time favorite film music composers. One that would be of interest to your part of the world was the Video Nasties episode. My Tales from the Crypt episode also looks at the UK reaction to US horror comics.
Brilliant. Just to wrap up. Tell everyone where they can find you, Twitter, site etc.
They can find Mack & the Movies on the podcast platform of their choice:
iTunes — Spotify — Google Play Music — Podomatic
I’m on Facebook at Cinema Mack.
And on Twitter @CinemaMack.
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