{"id":1273,"date":"2013-03-18T00:00:54","date_gmt":"2013-03-18T04:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smugfilm.com\/?p=1273"},"modified":"2013-12-30T15:19:22","modified_gmt":"2013-12-30T20:19:22","slug":"an-interview-with-wetmovie1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smugfilm.com\/oldsite\/an-interview-with-wetmovie1\/","title":{"rendered":"An Interview with Brendan Mitchell, aka, WetMovie1"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"brendan\"
\n

\nBrendan Mitchell, known on YouTube as WetMovie1<\/a>, is a self-proclaimed movie hoarder\u2014and quite proud of it. He has over 5,000 VHS, DVD\u2019s and Blu-rays in his ever-growing personal collection, and posts weekly updates on his channel discussing his latest purchases. He also posts reviews of new movies, as well as \u2018Hoarding Up\u2019 videos, in which he films himself and his friends as they travel to big box stores to stock up on new releases and sale items. One could definitely say he\u2019s certifiably obsessed with movies, and his attitude is infectious\u2014he\u2019s a very friendly and personable guy, and when you watch his videos, his completely unpretentious disposition towards cinema, and awe for all that it has to offer, rubs off on you.
\n
\nRecently, I had the opportunity to chat with Brendan, and get to know the man, the myth, and the collection a little better:<\/p>\n

Q: How did you get into collecting movies?<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s kind of simple, actually. I had a babysitter who had two movies recorded on a VHS tape, which were Look Who\u2019s Talking<\/a> and The Goonies<\/a>, and watching those two a lot, they were the ones that got me to go \u2018you know what, I wanna own<\/i> these, and I wanna own all the other movies that I like and love.\u2019 And then I guess that all kind of spiraled into just buying everything<\/i>, even stuff that\u2019s just kind of mediocre, you know? [Laughs] And what got me into the more cult, obscure stuff was that my dad showed me a couple movies that he was in, low-budget horror ones, and ones he was just an extra in, and I was like \u2018wow, this is kinda cool!\u2019<\/p>\n

Q: How many movies do you watch in a given week?<\/b><\/p>\n

I try to watch at least one a day, if not two. Maybe eight to ten in a week,\u00a0 probably. Unless like a lot <\/i>of stuff came out\u2014like today I bought like eleven blu-rays like a crazy hoarder bastard. [Laughs] But yeah, usually around like eight to ten a week.<\/p>\n

Q: What percentage of the movies in your collection are ones you haven\u2019t gotten around to watching yet?<\/b><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know, maybe 20 or 30% of them. And that\u2019s all different kinds of movies, they\u2019re not just like a certain genre or anything. Sometimes it might vary though, a little more or a little less. Like when the Dollar Tree had their crazy dollar special, I was a crazy hoarder and bought like thirty of them\u2014and I still haven\u2019t opened like any of those ones yet, like the crazy bastard that I am. [Laughs]<\/p>\n

Q: Do you have any very rare movies in your collection, collector\u2019s items that have shot up in price for whatever reason?<\/b><\/p>\n

Not a whole bunch. There are probably a couple that have skyrocketed up and I don\u2019t even know yet, because I don\u2019t like, you know, sit and search through every one of my movies and go \u2018oh, is this one worth anything yet?\u2019<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a collection of movies that I have on DVD, and most of them on on VHS, that are called Young Dragons: The Kung-Fu Kids<\/a>, and each VHS tape, on eBay, goes for like $75 to $200 dollars. And I have like three or four of the original tapes of Parts III, IV, and V that I\u2019ve never<\/i> seen on eBay or any of those sites, so I could probably get like $1,000 for the complete set of these tapes. So I would have to say that those are probably the most valuable, and the most valuable to me<\/i>, because they\u2019re not like great movies or anything, but they just mean a lot to me nostalgically.<\/p>\n

Q: Are there any movies in your collection that you don\u2019t even like? Do you ever resell or trade them?<\/b><\/p>\n

There are movies in my collection that I don\u2019t like, but I can\u2019t think of any off the top of my head right now. But I do resell them, I have my own Amazon page and sometimes I sell stuff on eBay, or go to places like CD Trader or Amoeba Records and get rid of them after I watch them and stuff. Like I have a movie sitting in front of me right now that I have to watch and talk about in a video, a horror movie called Eaters<\/a>, and it just\u2014it just does not look like it\u2019s gonna be any good. [Laughs] But I guess I have no idea until I watch it!<\/p>\n

Q: I\u2019ve noticed that you have a very uncynical approach when it comes to movies. Most people, when they see that a movie has a very low percentage on Rotten Tomatoes, would avoid it, but you seem to give literally anything and everything a fair shot. What is your personal criteria for choosing to pay to see a movie (whether by going to theaters, or buying it)?<\/b><\/p>\n

If it sounds interesting to me, I\u2019ll give anything a shot. And if it\u2019s bad, I\u2019ll say so, but when it comes to me reviewing things, I always try to point out the good<\/i> things about a movie, unless the movie is really really <\/i>bad and I just have to say it. But I usually give things a fair shot because I know how hard it is to be a filmmaker out there doing your thing, and I know how hard it is to make a movie, and get everyone there to shoot it and stuff, and put it together, and edit it, so I don\u2019t like just trashing something. I always try to find what I think is interesting about whatever I\u2019m watching.<\/p>\n

Q: The word \u2018hoarder\u2019 tends to have a negative connotation, as a result of what we see on TV. However, you tend to tongue-in-cheekily self-describe as one. What does the word mean to you?<\/b><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know, I think I just wanted to say something different in my videos\u00a0 instead of just \u2018hey guys, I\u2019m going out to uh\u2026 collect some movies!\u2019 And I\u2019m kind of a fan of the TV show Hoarders, so I just thought it\u2019d be kind of like a funny, quirky little thing to say here and there, and call the videos I do \u2018Hoarding Ups\u2019. Because, if you think about it, that\u2019s what I\u2019m doing and that\u2019s what a lot of the people in the YouTube community who go out every Tuesday and buy new movies are doing. And we\u2019re not dirty or have like DVDs all over the floor and like cat piss and shit all over \u2018em, but we are<\/i> hoarders in a way, since we always want to buy all the new movies that come out on any given Tuesday. I know some people don\u2019t like the word, but I don\u2019t use it in a negative way.<\/p>\n

Q: Has having such a large collection affected your living space negatively in anyway?<\/b><\/p>\n

Not yet, because I have all my stuff organized everywhere, and I don\u2019t think they\u2019re obstructing anything. They\u2019re all nicely put away on bookcases and stuff so I don\u2019t think it\u2019s anything negative yet. I can see it getting kind of super crazy if I keep going like I\u2019m going for another 10 years or so, if I don\u2019t get a bigger place or something, but I don\u2019t really see anything negative happening. I\u2019ll always purge some movies to make room for new ones.<\/p>\n

Q: I know you\u2019ve worked at Blockbuster for many years. I myself worked at a mom-and-pop video store here in NYC for about five. I\u2019m sure we could go back and forth all day swapping funny retail stories. Do you have one you could share with our readers today?<\/b><\/p>\n

I have a lot<\/i> of funny stories about customers, and I\u2019m not sure exactly what I should say or not say on here but… you know what, I don\u2019t give a shit. [Laughs] There\u2019s this old guy that comes into my store, he\u2019s probably like in his sixties, maybe seventies, and he\u2019s always talking about his mom, and this and that, and how he saw someone run a red light or some shit, and it\u2019s like, dude, we don\u2019t care, we work in a store, do you want the new Star Trek<\/a> movie or not? But every time he comes in he like tells us his life story. And it\u2019s like, whatever, but we don\u2019t need to hear all that every time you come in.<\/p>\n

But one time, he comes and there\u2019s these young girls up in the front, probably like in their twenties or something, and they\u2019re talking to me, and I\u2019m doing something, renting out their movies or whatever, you know how I roll. I actually got their number, but of course it was fake and shit. [Laughs]\u00a0 Anyway, they start talking to the old guy, and they\u2019re joking around and goofing off and being happy-go-lucky girls or whatever, and they pinch his butt, and he gives me this weird look and I\u2019m like \u2018Oh shit, you\u2019re gonna get some tonight!\u2019 And then after the girls leave, he\u2019s like \u2018Aren\u2019t you gonna do something about that?\u2019 And I\u2019m like \u2018Do something about what? The girls pinching your ass?\u2019 And he\u2019s like \u2018Uh, yeah?\u2019 And I\u2019m like \u2018Uh, no? I\u2019m just here checking out movies to ya.\u2019 And then he leaves or whatever, and then then I come into work like two days later and my boss is like \u2018Brendan, I need to speak to you\u2019, and he takes me into the back room and is like \u2018a customer says he got his butt pinched by a customer and you didn\u2019t help him out.\u2019 And I\u2019m like \u2018What the hell was I supposed to do, call the cops or whatever because a girl pinched his butt?\u2019 [Laughs] There\u2019s just some weird stupid shit that happens at Blockbuster. And there\u2019s some other stuff I can\u2019t really say until I actually leave<\/i> Blockbuster, or it closes down or whatever, but there are a lot<\/i> of weird, crazy things that have happened over the last couple years. Mostly customer crap.<\/p>\n

Q: How do you feel about rental stores in general? Do you lament that they\u2019ve been disappearing?<\/b><\/p>\n

I love<\/i> them. I grew up with them. I have all the fondest memories in the world of going to mom and pop stories, or even the Blockbuster I work at, and buying VHS tapes like Vegas Vacation<\/a>, or like the Scream<\/a> movies when they came out for like the 4 for 20 thing. So I have all these different memories, and awesome nostalgia for all of that. And I dunno, man. I really don\u2019t know where they\u2019re going. I know a lot of them are disappearing, a lot of them already have disappeared, but I have a feeling that Blockbuster, or at least the one I work at, has a good 3 to 5 years left in it. Why, I don\u2019t know, but I just think it\u2019s the location that we\u2019re in that will keep us there. It\u2019s in more of a low income community, and like, a lot of people that come in I don\u2019t think even have internet in their house. I\u2019m not trying to stereotype anyone or anything, but it\u2019s just, a lot of people that you would see walk in to my store, you\u2019d be like, \u2018hey guys, why don\u2019t you check out Netflix!\u2019 and they\u2019d be like \u2018Netflix? What\u2019s that?\u2019 You would actually like hear<\/i> that kind of stuff at my store. I\u2019m not saying everybody that comes in doesn\u2019t know much about the internet, but I dunno, I have a feeling my store will be around for a while.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s just a lot of weird stuff that happens at Blockbuster, like price changes back and forth all the time, like \u2018it\u2019s gonna be a one day rental, now it\u2019s gonna be a five day rental, now it\u2019s gonna be $5.99, now it\u2019s $2.99, is it gonna be $4.99?\u2019 Like they keep changing things and I don\u2019t think the chain stores really know what they\u2019re doing, they\u2019re really trying to grasp and claw their way into staying around as long as they can, but I just don\u2019t think physical media is really going to be around much longer. Like even Best Buy is having a hard time selling their stuff, like if you go to a Best Buy, you see that their DVD and Blu-ray section is like empty<\/i> now, like they don\u2019t really restock as much as they used to. I don\u2019t know man, I really don\u2019t know where all this physical media is gonna be in the next few years. I just don\u2019t want all the stuff to go to downloads, because I kinda like having the physical thing in my hand, you know? I\u2019m an old school brother, and there\u2019s a lot of other old school brothers out there that feel the same.<\/p>\n

Q: Amen. What are some of your \u2018desert island\u2019 movies\u2014favorites from your collection that you treasure way more than others, ones that you could watch again and again and never get sick of?<\/b><\/p>\n

I would have to say The Goonies, because that is one of my favorite ones of all time and will always be. And uh\u2014I dunno man, maybe Good Burger<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Like, I could watch Goonies and Good Burger all day every day if I wanted to, you know what I mean? They\u2019re just fun ones to watch.<\/p>\n

Q: I don\u2019t know about Good Burger being on my list, but I think The Goonies would have to be one for me as well. Thanks a lot for doing this interview, it was great talking to you!<\/b><\/p>\n

Definitely. Thank you very much for wanting to interview me for your site. I\u2019m sorry if I\u2019m not a great \u2018interviewee\u2019 or whatever, I haven\u2019t really done one of these ever, so hopefully you can piece some of this together into something good. [Laughs]<\/p>\n

Q: No worries! You did fine. Catch ya later, brother!<\/b><\/p>\n

Thanks! Talk to you later, buddy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"brendan\"<\/p>\n

Brendan Mitchell, known on YouTube as WetMovie1<\/a>, is a self-proclaimed movie hoarder\u2014and quite proud of it. He has over 5,000 VHS, DVD\u2019s and Blu-rays in his ever-growing personal collection, and posts weekly updates on his channel discussing his latest purchases. He also posts reviews of new movies, as well as \u2018Hoarding Up\u2019 videos, in which he films himself and his friends as they travel to big box stores to stock up on new releases and sale items. One could definitely say he\u2019s certifiably obsessed with movies, and his attitude is infectious\u2014he\u2019s a very friendly and personable guy, and when you watch his videos, his completely unpretentious disposition towards cinema, and awe for all that it has to offer, rubs off on you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,22],"tags":[616,626,619,630,620,96,625,621,629,104,185,627,622,628,618,617,623,624],"class_list":["post-1273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-allposts","category-codysinterviews","tag-brendan-mitchell","tag-eaters","tag-hoarder","tag-hoarders","tag-hoarding-up","tag-interview","tag-kung-fu-kids","tag-look-whos-talking","tag-scream","tag-smug-film-2","tag-smugfilm","tag-star-trek","tag-the-goonies","tag-vegas-vacation","tag-wetmovie","tag-wetmovie1","tag-young-dragons","tag-young-dragons-the-kung-fu-kids"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smugfilm.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smugfilm.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smugfilm.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smugfilm.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smugfilm.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1273"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/smugfilm.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4071,"href":"https:\/\/smugfilm.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1273\/revisions\/4071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smugfilm.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smugfilm.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smugfilm.com\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}