Justin's Memories

Walk with us now, as we revisit some of our favorite and personal memories about Mutant Reviewers!

NAME AND MRFH NICKNAME (IF ANY)
Justin, aka "Admin", aka "Head Mutant", aka "Fearless Leader", aka "Hey You".

TELL US ABOUT HOW YOU FIRST DISCOVERED MRFH, WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT IT, AND HOW YOU CAME ON BOARD AS A WRITER.
I guess I "discovered" it in my head. It was junior year of college, when I was first fiddling around with the then-new field of personal website creation through GeoCities. After whipping up a Hudson Hawk website, Texan Kym started to correspond with me about this and other cult movies. Coupled with my exploding interest in movies at the time -- our college dorm was a haven for "you gotta see this!" film parties -- it seemed only natural that we put our calloused fingers to the keyboard and shove our opinions on innocent internet visitors. We had no lofty aspirations or strict goals, other than every movie that we covered be cult, be reviewed by us both in a "counterpoint" fashion, and be only a paragraph long. Two of those three ideals died an early death.

SHARE ANY FAVORITE MEMORIES OF "BEHIND THE SCENES" MRFH EVENTS OR INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER MUTANTS.
Over ten years, there's almost too many to mention. PoolMan's first visit to Detroit -- a few months after I moved here -- was a momentous occasion, as were the subsequent summits and my wedding gathering. I remember how juiced Clare got when she found out MRFH got a short review in Premiere magazine (which I have framed and hanging on the wall over this computer as I type). I fondly recall all of the flames and various characters that have floated in and out of our forums and e-mail inboxes. Once in a great while, we get a nice accolade, public recognition or a fun freebie, but for the most part we've stayed a small, focused website that's never received or probably will receive widespread fame. And for some reason, MRFH's constant course is a stabilizing factor in my life. Some days it is work to put together an article or review page, but in ten years, I've almost never had to force myself to do it.

For me, MRFH is a "dream job" that we've made into pseudo-reality. It's a group of friends who get to work on a huge project together, being crazy and funny all the while. Every time we bring on board a new staff member, it's an incredibly exciting time; every time a Mutant retires, it's a piece of history already passing by.

WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR PERSONAL FAVORITE ARTICLES & REVIEWS THAT YOU WROTE, AND WHY DO YOU LIKE THEM SO MUCH?
Mutant Viewings are the most time-intensive of any articles that we do, and I'm particularly proud of my GI Joe PSAs, Lord of the Rings and Dungeons and Dragons articles. Most of my "favorite" pieces of writing are ones that elicit the most response, such as my Anaconda review (penis fish!) or the silly Justin's Guide to Why People Die In Horror Movies. I've probably drenched this site in more useless words than I want to recall, so it's not for me to say what succeded and what did not.

SHARE ANY INTERESTING ENCOUNTERS OR E-MAILS THAT YOU HAD WITH MRFH READERS – GOOD OR BAD!
I've been saving select e-mails in a folder that I've titled "Supid E-mails". They're not all stupid (although some really are), but also weird or cool enough to warrant an article at some point. One of my favorites in this folder was a huge ego boost that particlar day:

Mutant Reviewers From Hell

Re: Copyright Permission Request

The professor listed below is interested in using material for which you hold the copyright. This would be used as part of a photocopied custom course reader for a class in the upcoming semester. The reader will be sold in the Mesa Bookstore. Proper acknowledgment of title, copyright owner and date will be given for all material reprinted with permission.

Qty Reqstd: 37
Distribution: Mesa Bookstore Only
Semester: Spring 2007
Professor: Clark
Course: DRAM.151 Cinema as Art / Communication II
Source Title: Mutant Reviewers From Hell
Author/Editor:
Selection Title: The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Review

MRFH: We're college credit!

WHAT ASPECT OF MRFH DO YOU THINK MAKES IT UNIQUELY SPECIAL APART FROM THE REST OF THE INTERNET?
It's not what we cover, how cleverly we cover it, or how "niche" we try to be. I think MRFH sets itself apart in the minds of its readers and writers is that there's a "family" feel to the place. It's comfy, it's familiar, we're not acerbic or cynical; we're not elitist or professionals. We're just average joes and janes who love movies, love jawing about them, and aren't delusional about what that means.

WHAT WAS THE WORST FILM YOU REVIEWED FOR MRFH, AND WHY?
It used to be The Doom Generation, but Freddy Got Fingered topped that a year or so ago. I've never had such a hard time sitting through an entire movie without (a) vomiting, (b) calling a suicide prevention hotline, and (c) renouncing my faith in humanity.

Wait. I never had faith in humanity. Carry on, then.

IF YOU HAD A FRIEND WHO WAS TRYING TO GET INTO CULT CINEMA, WHAT FIVE FILMS WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO THEM TO WATCH FIRST, AS A PRIMER?

• Monty Python and the Holy Grail - To test their sense of humor
• Hudson Hawk - To test their ability to withstand abstract weirdness
• Gymkata - To test our friendship
• Army of Darkness - To test their coolness factor
• The Breakfast Club - To test their love of the 80's

HOW DO YOU THINK MRFH HAS CHANGED OR GROWN OVER THE YEARS YOU'VE KNOWN IT?
From 1997 to present day, we've constantly been evolving, refining and growing, sometimes in tiny steps and sometimes in radical leaps. The look's gone from amateur hour to... a few hours later than that. I think the most noticable difference is our increased level of quality that we're able to put out there. For non-paid peons, the staff puts out an incredible effort in terms of what they put themselves through to be able to pen interesting, informative and entertaining reviews. Every year it just keeps getting better.

IF MRFH HAD A THEME SONG, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
"Harvey the Wonder Hampster" by Weird Al Yankovic. Hey, Harvey!

ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO ADD? (STORIES, FAVORITES, QUOTES, ETC.)
As we close out 2007 and our 10th year in MRFH, I sincerely hope that we find ourselves doing this in another 10 years. I'll be a decrepit 41, Sue will be drawing Social Security, and Kyle will still be in college. Yet our love of cult cinema shall never perish, and there will always be a part of our hearts in which resides youthful enthusiasm for Mutant Reviewing.