Movie Quiz....

Movie Quiz

As seen over here....

1) What was the last movie you saw theatrically? On DVD or Blu-ray?

The night of my last class this semester, I stopped at the dollar theater and saw Dark Knight again.

On DVD? We watched Elf and Christmas Vacation on Christmas day at my folks' house. I am currently watching the flick Quick Change. It's only been sitting on top of the TeeVee from the nice folks at Netflix for a month.

I been busy.

2) Holiday movies— Do you like them naughty or nice?

I like nice, though when you cross over into cloying and sweet, I'll walk away.

I dig Christmas, by and large. And movies that celebrate the spirit, be it religious or secular, I dig. A Christmas Story's still the favorite...

3) Ida Lupino or Mercedes McCambridge?

Ida Lupino, if only because she was in one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes.

4) Favorite actor/character from Twin Peaks

I've never seen the show. Just one of those things, I guess.

5) It’s been said that, rather than remaking beloved, respected films, Hollywood should concentrate more on righting the wrongs of the past and tinker more with films that didn’t work so well the first time. Pretending for a moment that movies are made in an economic vacuum, name a good candidate for a remake based on this criterion.

So, what you're saying is, making this movie in an economic vacuum, we could construct a real meteorite and destroy Paris, France for real? For ultimate realism in my remake of the flick Armageddon? We'll leave in the junk where it's easier to train oil drillers to be astronauts than it is vice-versa. I can make that leap...

Gonna have to give this one more thought...I don't hold too many grudges, that I can think of...

6) Favorite Spike Lee joint.

Do The Right Thing is just a good movie. There's a weird part of me that He Got Game digs for the same reason I dig Field of Dreams. No tears, though.

7) Lawrence Tierney or Scott Brady?

Lawrence Tierney. Scott Brady, for me, is just one of those "that guys."

8) Are most movies too long?

Only if Michael Mann directs them.

9) Favorite performance by an actor portraying a real-life politician.

I love that movie where Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the Governor of California.

10) Create the main event card for the ultimate giant movie monster smackdown.

King Kong is the Hulk Hogan of the genre...he seems to comeback every decade or so, and gets unbelievable markout from the fans....Godzilla for all his longevity, year in and year out, is the Ric Flair of the genre. I gotta think that's gotta be the main event. You do it right, though. Two out of Three Falls, with one fall taking place in Tokyo, in the vicinity of the Tokyo Dome, and the second in New York, of course, at MSG. The third, in some other, neutral location. Los Angeles? Or perhaps London? I dunno. My analogy wears a little thin.

Especially since I'm having trouble equating Gamera to anybody....Barry Windham, maybe?

11) Jean Peters or Sheree North?

Gotta be honest. Sometimes, my movie snob pants aren't long enough. Gonna give it to Sheree North, because she played Kramer's mom. And I had to look that one up.

12) Why would you ever want or need to see a movie more than once?

I've thought long and hard about that. I think it was Pauline Kael who likened seeing a movie once like wandering around in a candy store.

Me personally, there are some movies that are like comfortable pants. At the end of the day, when life gets you bedraggled....it's nice to slip into a comfortable routine as an escape.

13) Favorite road movie.

I always dug Road to Rio....

Planes, Trains and Automobiles also comes to play.

14) Favorite Budd Boetticher picture.

That one of him holding the fish.

15) Who is the one person, living or dead, famous or unknown, who most informed or encouraged your appreciation of movies?

My Dad.

16) Favorite opening credit sequence. (Please include YouTube link if possible.)



17) Kenneth Tobey or John Agar?

Kenneth Tobey. If only for Airplane and the two Gremlins movies....

18) Jean-Luc Godard once suggested that the more popular the movie, the less likely it was that it was a good movie. Is he right or just cranky? Cite the best evidence one way or the other.

Mostly, just cranky and elitist. A filmmaker that can make a film that resonates with people after an initial viewing, yet remain accessible and entertaining has a talent.

Which is not to say Adam Sandler or Martin Lawrence deserve to keep making movies.

As with all things, with two point of views, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

19) Favorite Jonathan Demme movie.

It's hard to compete with Silence of the Lambs...

20) Tatum O’Neal or Linda Blair?

Umm...so we're pitting the girl from Exorcist against the girl in Bad News Bears....hardly seems fair.

At the end of the day, I'm going to give the edge to Tatum O'Neal, because Rescue Me is actually a pretty fuckin' good show.

21) Favorite use of irony in a movie. (This could be an idea, moment, scene, or an entire film.)

I don't know if it's my favorite, but the one that pops to mind was Wall-E's condemnation of a throwaway, logo-emblazoned culture. Yet everytime I can remember turning around this summer, I saw a Happy Meal box or a sign for Wall-E.

22) Favorite Claude Chabrol film.

Gonna be honest and say you're a bigger movie snob than me.

23) The best movie of the year to which very little attention seems to have been paid.

You know....Doomsday was a Glorious Mess.

I'm not going to sit here and debate whether it is a great movie (it is not).

I'm not going to argue the S.F. (not feasible) or ignore the plot holes (there are a shitload).

But damn, I give Neil Marshall credit for making a movie, outside of Tropic Thunder and Dark Knight, I had more fun with than anything. It's like a scenario you dream up when you're eight, and you just carry through with it to the bitter end.

Like I said...this one's like pulling random topics out of a hat, and jamming them into a flick....but I like it.

24) Dennis Christopher or Robby Benson?

Robby Benson

25) Favorite movie about journalism.

Citizen Kane is very much a journalism movie, inasmuch as the medium ends up being the message.

However, I have long viewed Superman 2 as a cautionary tale of how impossible it is to remove yourself from a story....

26) What’s the DVD commentary you’d most like to hear? Who would be on the audio track?

For the longest time, I'd have said Tim Burton, on something like Beetlejuice or Edward Scissorhands, but his commentary on the first Batman movie was neither revealing nor entertaining....

I'm sure I'll think of a better answer...but for some reason, I'd love to hear Kevin Smith do a Star Wars commentary track...he and Scott Mosier did a track on the Roadhouse DVD a while back that's a riot. I'd like to hear that from the guys on a Star Wars disc, in whichever inevitable re-release is coming.

Hell, you could probably convince Kevin to do a podcast commentary without too much argument....

27) Favorite movie directed by Clint Eastwood.

Mystic River. Sean Penn is Sean Penn...he's one of the greatest actors of his generation. And Kevin Bacon I've always looked at as a guy who had character actor chops, who got elevated to leading man status really early on, and kind of lost his way as an actor.

Here's the thing. I've always regarded Tim Robbins dubiously. In a lot of the way I've always regarded Lily Taylor. She's got the right look and personality, but for some reason, I never bought all in for much that he did. I'm sure there's arguments out there against that, but it's been a personal thing. It's rare that I completely buy a performance of his. Bull Durham, Shawshank Redemption, those are really the only two other times I can think that he looks like he's who he's trying to play. No matter what else he's done...whether it's with the Coens, or with Altman, or Spielberg, or whomever...he looks like he's acting.

I say all that to say this: Not only did Eastwood bring something out in Tim Robbins, an unease with the world...he made me see Dave Boyle the character, in an entirely different way. Mystic River's my favorite Dennis Lehane book, too...and I didn't like Dave Boyle in the book...he seemed too willing to accept his role as victim, in life, and seems to use that--on the whole, the book wasn't about him, he was just a tool used to make everybody else tick. Meanwhile, the Dave Boyle in the movie truly came to life for me...a guy who's damaged goods, withdrawn, but willing to make-due with what he has....Clint brought forth what I thought was the weakest part of the book, and made it (probably) the strongest part of the flick.

28) Paul Dooley or Kurtwood Smith?

I respect Paul Dooley's comic stuff, but given his work on That 70's Show, I think Kurtwood Smith can go toe to toe with him on that account. They both have stuff they've done that I just dig...Dooley in both Slap Shot and Popeye...Smith for his Star Trek resume, and his blowhard in Quick Change (which just popped on the screen as I came to this question)....

I'm going to go with Kurtwood Smith. He's just great in Robocop. From Clarence Boddicker asking "Can you Fly, Bobby?" to the whole bit where he takes Officer Murphy's hand. A small time hood gone big time...a bully, in the end. But he just wallows in that role, and it's one of my favorites...

29) Your clairvoyant moment: Make a prediction about the Oscar season.

My two favorite performances of the year will both get shafted in the Best Supporting Actor category. My geek-crush for Heath Ledger's Joker knows no bounds. And Robert Downey, Jr. in Tropic Thunder might be the best comic performance in years.

I'm not sure what'll beat them out. If one has a chance, it's Ledger. But somehow, I think the the pop-culture momentum will work against him. And we all know how much respect comedy gets come award season...

30) Your hope for the movies in 2009.

Same as it's been the last couple of years. Let's stop revisiting old properties. Let's continue the trend that people, characters and good writing are funny, and not build so many comedies around Jack Black or Adam Sandler or Martin Lawrence. Let's remember that movies are supposed to be fun. On the whole, I'll look back on 2008 rather fondly, when it comes to movies....

31) What’s your top 10 of 2008? (If you have a blog and have your list posted, please feel free to leave a link to the post.)

In alphabetical order:

Cloverfield
Dark Knight
Doomsday
In Bruges
Iron Man
Redbelt
the Strangers
Tropic Thunder
Wall E
Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Keep in mind that it's by no means a complete list. I've had less time this year, between work, school and other commitments to see the flicks I want to. Add to that I live in the sticks. So, a jaunt 50 miles north to Knoxville to catch a flick at the Downtown West, the nearest arthouse-type flick, was made somewhat prohibitive by $4 a gallon gas, as well.

BONUS QUESTION (to be answered after December 25):

32) What was your favorite movie-related Christmas gift that you received this year?

Just a few flicks on DVD....

Happy holidays to all y'all, and a happy new year too!