About Flix Capacitor

Greetings there film-fans. My name is Stephen Carty and this is my movie and TV blog. Not enough information for you? Well then this page should provide the answers you’re looking for. As well as a few that you aren’t.

Rather than offer a big sprawl which would only be read by my parents, the odd online punter and some stalkers (keep up the good work!), I thought it best to do a Q&A. This way, I can offer details to things I think people might be interested in. As such, my shoe size and inseam are not included. So, without further ado, let’s begin with ‘your’ questions:

Where am I?

Physically, I don’t know, but I’m guessing near a computer of some sort. Mentally, I’m not sure either. With regards to website, you’re on Flix Capacitor - the site I conceived, maintain and co-designed with the help of talented web developer Darren Huskie.

What the hell is a Flix Capacitor?

If you get the site’s title, then you’ve found the film and TV site for you. If not, you’re welcome anyway. Still wondering? It’s a reference to Back To The Future (one of my all-time favourites), where the car is powered by a Flux Capacitor. Flix obviously comes from “the flicks”, as in the cinema. Got it? Good. As something of a pun-master I’d love to take credit, but the name actually came from my buddy Ross.

 Who are you?

Fine, thanks for asking. Oh ‘who’, sorry. Well I’m a freelance film and TV reviewer (obsessive) from Edinburgh, Scotland. I’ve been writing since about 2005 and it’s long since been my goal to create a website. So here we are.

Is this your job and do you get paid?

No, and I wish. I do it all in my spare time from my flat. This is my ‘office’:   

How did you get into reviewing?

Well I’ve always loved movies and TV shows, pretty much since I left the womb. But for whatever reason, I’d never considered this being a career or study path. However, as my very first University lecture began (I was studying Sport and Recreation), our tutor put a clip of Ben Hurr on and it felt like being a film student. I loved it.

Now, I stuck with my course for the full duration, but during this I realised that I actually enjoyed writing essays. Seriously. It dawned on me that I loved putting the words together and creating something. So, I decided to fuse this with my habit of staying up till the early hours watching boxsets.

After finishing my first Honours Degree, I spoke with my Dad about going back to Uni to study film and he said “Go for it. You only live once so do what you have to do.” Great advice. Then, I went straight into third year of a Film and Media course, began writing for the University paper and it went from there.

 Who Have You Written For?

All sorts. Most notably, in the last few years I’ve been doing reviews for a Scottish website called Eye For Film (Here’s my page), had work experience at both Empire Magazine and Total Film, while also being lucky enough to contribute to the former’s blog. Oh, and the website you’re on, of course.

 Why should I be reading your reviews?

I am a firm believer that the best and most appropriate reviewer for you is, well, you. Isn’t this viewpoint a little contradictory to someone who has their own review site? Yes, probably, but stay with me here. Film reviews can (and often do) guide you in the right direction and show some of us what to expect – to a certain degree. But, at the end of the day, just because I love Attack Of The Killer Piranhas 49 (please note, this is not an actual movie), doesn’t mean you will.

However, I love reading certain critic’s reviews and it’s my genuine hope that readers will enjoy mine. I try to write so that both well-versed film-boffins and the average punter will get something out of it. I don’t include spoilers without fair warning, but there’s often a few in-jokes included (if something makes you go “huh?”, it’s probably one of these). In that way, it’s actually better to have seen the movie / show first before reading the review!

How did you get your site to look like this?

A LOT of hassle. The condensed version is this: I consider myself a reasonably intelligent guy, but without any remote kind of website design training or education, I wasn’t just up a river without a paddle - I wasn’t even in a boat. Deciding to use blogging software that would cut all this out for me, I eventually found WordPress and settled with that. Having printed off the ENTIRE CSS code (49 enchanting pages of techno-babble) so I could try to modify the site myself (IE, changing a line at a time to see what it did), I realised I was still out my depth. Advertising for a designer, I sifted through the various fee quotes (everything from £2000 to £10 an hour) and was lucky to locate web developer Darren Huskie (for those too lazy to scroll up, here’s his page again) who did all the behind-the-scenes work.

How did you get into movies?

I guess through my family. My Dad introduced me to James Bond (not literally) at an early age, my Mum took me with her when she worked in a video shop so I could watch films on the counter and my Grandad showed me that there’s often more going on in a movie than meets the eye (using Manhunter as the example). Also, my Gran let me watch a film everyday at lunch (well, as much as could be fitted in), my Auntie shared her passion for Tom Cruise flicks and my Uncle digests almost as many as I do. Then at University I missed about 89% of morning lectures as I was up late the night before watching movies till all hours. Good times.

What is your favourite movie?

Like many film fans, I don’t have a definitive answer here, as it’s just an impossible question. It depends on my mood, what I’ve seen recently, what way the wind is blowing and a hundred other factors. However, I put together a list of ten favourites, which then morphed into something which included a second ten. And then some more. I then also made a list of TV shows, and these can be seen here.

Who is your favourite director?

It’s tough to pick one, but I do know that my two favourite directors are Chris Nolan and James Cameron. Hands down. For my semi-hard-earned cash, they haven’t done an average movie between them, let alone a bad one. Both are adept at storytelling and visceral action, but admirably center their flicks around ideas, concepts and themes. As someone who favours intelligent mainstream (a contradiction, I know), these guys are unbeatable in my eyes.

As supported by my favourites page,  Steven Spielberg would probably nab third place. You can’t really argue with the guy who helmed Jaws, the Indiana Jones franchise and – to quote Alan Partridge – Jurassic Park. After that, I really like Kathryn Bigelow (Strange Days, Point Break, The Hurt Locker), JJ Abrams (even though he’s not directed many features yet), Sidney Lumet (a true, true master) and Woody Allen (whose neurosis speaks to me). Others who I usually like (or have previously directed a few favourites) include David Fincher, Bryan Singer, Michael Mann, Richard Donner and Robert Zemeckis.

What are your favourite film genres?

Good question. Even though I posed it myself. Well, I tend to lean towards crime thrillers and science-fiction, but to be honest it depends more on who’s writing or directing. I’m not really into Westerns, but if Chris Nolan or James Cameron were involved, then I’d be the first one through the saloon doors.

What do you say to people that say you take movies too seriously?

I’d say that they don’t take them seriously enough. No, in all honesty, I get that people like movies where you don’t have to think about them too much. I love Commando and adore Road House! What really grinds my gears though is when someone doesn’t pay attention during the first half an hour or so then asks questions about what is going on and afterwards complains the film was poor as they didn’t get it. My teeth are gritting just thinking about it.

What are the downsides to doing what you do?

Not having enough time to see and review everything I want to. Since I started writing, the volume of both movies and shows I watch has diminished greatly (as time is re-allocated to critique them).

Oh, and definitely folk who seem stunned that you haven’t seen every movie ever. Like when you tell them you haven’t seen something they mention and their response is: “but I thought you were a film buff?” Sigh. Unfortunately, being one doesn’t gain you the ability to stop time and watch every single motion picture committed to celluloid. Although that would be awesome.

Are you a Geek / Nerd?

Depends. I think everyone is a geek for something, and that just means they are passionate about it. For example, in my opinion those who like football are football geeks. Those who like music are music geeks, and so on. The thing about ‘geeks’ (or at least the common perception of them) is that they tend to go to extremes for their passions.

However, if you think that the definition of a geek is someone with their own FX lighsaber, then I guess I am.

Do you read comics?

Not so much anymore, but I used to read a lot. If pushed, I’d say my favourite writer is Jeph Loeb, followed closely by Brian Michael Bendis. I definitely veer closer to those comics which try to be as realistic as possible. Silver-age stuff where everyone is flying around and some folk have giant insect heads, not so much.

Anything not covered, feel free to get in touch.