Let's Talk

The Kid in the Front Row has recently been conducting several interviews with fellow film bloggers. Though I requested for one, he seemed very eager to ask me questions.


The Kid: You changed the name of your blog a few years back - what made you change?

Anna: Oh, that's easy. The original name, Life of a Cinephile and Bibliophile, was way too much of a mouthful and I figured I wasn't the only one getting sick of typing it. I wanted something catchier and, most importantly, shorter. I came up with Defiant Success, which has a double meaning now that I think of it. I originally chose that title as a combination of The Defiant Ones and Sweet Smell of Success, two films I saw in 2010 that I was very much impressed by (the latter title currently resting among my top 5). Now it's more of a reference towards my blogging fame. I'm grateful for my status in the blogging world, but I want more.

K: You write about such a wide variety of films -- do you write about films you've watched, or do you watch films because you want to write about them?

A: The former, though at times the latter. I've seen a number of opinions on a number of films, many of them I agree on. At times I find details within the films that a scant number of people have pointed out, usually involving the actors. You know, lighting, actors' expressions and gestures, things like that. I tend to keep my eye on the small details. (It's a peculiar habit of mine.)

K: You've taken part in lots of blogathons -- what do you enjoy about doing them?

A: It's frequently my way of both showing my work to other people and exploring the work of prolific names I probably never would've watched under regular circumstances. Like when the Large Association of Movie Blogs (LAMB) have their monthly posts focusing on actors and directors, I try to watch at least one or two films the subject has done. (Most of the time I'd already seen a few of their projects.) It's with these blogathons that I discovered many of the actors and directors I admire today.

K: What can you tell us about your life away from blogging?

A: It's not very interesting, I'm afraid. I'm very much a loner and I'd rather write or read instead of chit chat with my peers face to face. Plus side of being a loner is that I can watch my films in peace and not deal with someone constantly going, "What's going on? Who's that actor? Why does she look familiar?" (It's not bad if they talk afterwards but talk to me when I'm watching a film, I will break out the duct tape. I'm not afraid to use it either.)

K: What would you say is your main reason for blogging?

A: I only started blogging because I got bored one summer day in 2009. Then I got a little more into blogging once I made ties with other bloggers. Then a year passed. Then two years and now nearly three years later, here I am. To sum things up, it's my way to curb my boredom. Well, that and because my social life is -- oh, what's the word I'm looking for? -- nonexistent.

K: You seem to blog pretty much every day! How do you keep it fresh and enjoyable?

A: Simple: change up what you post. Review a highly regarded classic one day and then an underrated recent release the next. And when writing reviews starts to get a little dry, write up a clever list. Rank the work of a prestigious name in the business. Confess which praised films you constantly regret having not seen. You can get a lot of inspiration from other blogs. (Usually for me, I sketch out an idea for a list days if not at least a week in advance. Again, peculiar habit of mine.) 

K: Do you think you view films differently now to when you first started blogging?

A: Absolutely. When I started the blog, many of my posts were as bare-boned as possible. You know, stuff everyone and their moms knew. Now my posts go into greater (and sometimes grander) detail. My movie watching was also affected. I had only seen a few classics, the oldest movies I would watch were from the mid 1970s max. Now I'm watching films ranging from present day to the 1920s. It's also thanks to starting the blog I view films as more than just a form of entertainment. It's just really interesting to see the evolution of film.