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DR. JONATHAN HEMLOCK'S ARTSY-FARTSY, HISTORICAL-SCHMISTORICAL SANCTIONISTIC SUMMER VACATION MOVIE QUIZ
(Editor's note: Wow. It's been over a month since I posted to this page? I'm either getting old or distracted, or both... But that's a question for another time...)
Well, as Dean of SLIFR University (that'd be Lord Hy Muckitymuck to you), I'm happy to announce that I'm off with my family on a much-needed summer vacation, the vagaries and responsibilities of overseeing an institution like SLIFR-U being quite trying at times-- one of the younger film history professors on staff actually told her classes that "I suppose D.W. Griffith deserves a mention," before proceeding to dismiss further discussion of his work and suggesting that her students should rely on her testimony that The Birth of a Nation was reprehensible and feel no obligation to investigate it for themselves. I personally... corrected her, and when she didn't show up in class the following session she was summarily dismissed from the staff. (Strangely, no one has seen her since. But I insist that I know nothing about what I suppose must be described as her sudden disappearance.)
One of our more reliable tenured instructors provides a more solid foundation for his journey of discovery with his students into the world of art history, and that would be the host of this most recent SLIFR U Movie Quiz, Dr. Jonathan Hemlock. When we approached Dr. Hemlock for his ideas for a new quiz, he was enthusiastic, especially since it had been such a long time since one had been published-- "It's a hell of a honor to be asked to kick-start such a grand tradition," the super-sexy and down-to-earth historian proclaimed, before excusing himself to discuss a poor assignment performance with one of his preposterously luscious female students, who was apparently much more fascinated by the possibilities of her art history class than her grades would indicate. Dr. Hemlock is indeed popular with his students, and a very busy man who somehow always finds time to moonlight as a mountain climbing instructor and guide, a side interest which is apparently a lucrative one, which would account for his possession of an extensive personal collection whose value would seem to far exceed the reach of a professor's pay grade, even one as esteemed as himself.
So hopefully you'll understand why we consider having him contribute to the SLIFR Movie Quiz canon to be such a coup. Dr. Hemlock invites you along to participate and expects you to get a good grade. If you don't, he's made it incumbent upon us to insist that those who score unsatisfactorily be made to accompany him on his next climb for a bit of instruction in the sport "which he sincerely hopes you will survive." (We have not yet determined exactly what Dr. Hemlock means by this vaguely threatening statement, but we feel sure you have nothing to fear. Perhaps he knows something about the disappearance of our film history professor. Hmm...)
At any rate, time to get to the new quiz, which hopefully you have been hankering for. The usual reminders are in order. You can post your answers in the comments column below, and when you do please copy and paste the questions as well as your answers so readers will know to what your answers refers without having to scroll back up to this post to be reminded. You can also link to your own blog page or Facebook page if you prefer to post your questions/answers there.
And please, don't feel you have to post short answers. For this quiz, as all SLIFR quizzes, the longer, more discursive answers are almost always more interesting to read. But short answers can be great too-- if you've got a witty, quippy reply, feel free to cut loose and run.
With all that in mind, submit now to Dr. Jonathan Hemlock's particular talent at compiling quizzes and have at his Artsy-Fartsy, Historical-Schmistorical Sanctionistic Summer Vacation Movie Quiz. Your grade, or your life, may depend on it.
1) Name a musician who never starred in a movie who you feel could have been a movie star or at least had a compelling cinematic presence
2) Akira or Ghost in the Shell *
3) Charles Lee Ray or Freddy Krueger? *
4) Most excruciating moment/scene you've ever sat through in a film
5) Henry Cavill or Armie Hammer?
6) Name a movie you introduced to a young person, one which was out of their expressed line of interest or experience, which they came to either appreciate or flat-out love
7) Second favorite Robert Rossellini film
8) What movie shaped your perceptions of New York City, Los Angeles and/or Chicago before you ever went there and experienced the cities for yourself.
9) Name another movie that shaped, for better or worse, another city or location that you eventually visited or came to know well.
10) Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee? *
11) Elizabeth Debicki or Alicia Vikander?
12) The last movie you saw theatrically? The last on physical media? Via streaming?
13) Who are the actors, classic and contemporary you are always glad to see?
14) Second favorite Federico Fellini film
15) Tessa Thompson or Danai Gurira *
16) The Black Bird or The Two Jakes?
17) Your favorite movie title
18) Second favorite Luchino Visconti film
19) Given the recent trend, what's the movie that seems like an all-too-obvious candidate for a splashy adaptation to Broadway?
20) Name a director you feel is consistently misunderstood
21) Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth? *
22) What's the film that most unexpectedly grew in your estimation from trivial, or unworthy, or simply enjoyable, to a true favorite with some actual meat on its bones?
23) I Am Curious (Yellow), yes or no?
24) Second favorite Lucio Fulci film
25) Are the movies as we now know them coming to an end? (http://collider.com/will-streaming-kill-movies/)
*****************************************
23 comments:
1) Name a musician who never starred in a movie who you feel could have been a movie star or at least had a compelling cinematic presence
For a man, Donald Fagen - can't you see him as the too-hip college professor with the corduroy jacket? For a woman, Stevie Nicks - she would've fit right in as one of Marlowe's next-door neighbors in The Long Goodbye.
2) Akira or Ghost in the Shell *
Akira. Though I'm sad to learn a recent redubbing removed one of my favorite lines: "They don't teach tact at the Academy!"
3) Charles Lee Ray or Freddy Krueger? *
I never knew Chucky's full name before, so take this with a grain of salt, but... Chucky.
4) Most excruciating moment/scene you've ever sat through in a film
In Minority Report, the blind Tom Cruise accidentally eats and drinks moldy vittles. It's the closest I've come to vomiting in the theater.
5) Henry Cavill or Armie Hammer?
Armie for The Social Network: "I'm six-five, two-twenty, and there's *two* of me."
6) Name a movie you introduced to a young person, one which was out of their expressed line of interest or experience, which they came to either appreciate or flat-out love
My nine year old stepson HATED A Wedding, so when I showed him Popeye, I didn't tell him who directed it. He watched it twice more in the next 24 hours.
7) Second favorite Roberto Rossellini film
My foreign movie blind spot rears its ugly head again, and I have to pass.
8) What movie shaped your perceptions of New York City, Los Angeles and/or Chicago before you ever went there and experienced the cities for yourself.
For New York, a confluence of Scorsese and Woody Allen. For LA, one of Fast Times and Short Cuts. (Not the worst description of the city proper.)
9) Name another movie that shaped, for better or worse, another city or location that you eventually visited or came to know well.
I confess to not being well traveled and as such am unable to answer this one.
10) Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee? *
Lee, for greater variety.
11) Elizabeth Debicki or Alicia Vikander?
Vikander, so good in Ex Machina.
12) The last movie you saw theatrically? The last on physical media? Via streaming?
Theatrically, Won't You Be My Neighbor. On DVD, Paper Moon. Streaming, Clue.
13) Who are the actors, classic and contemporary you are always glad to see?
Very many. I will say that one who used to lead that list was Philip Seymour Hoffman, and I haven't been able to watch a single scene of his since he died.
14) Second favorite Federico Fellini film
Satyricon.
15) Tessa Thompson or Danai Gurira *
Pass.
16) The Black Bird or The Two Jakes?
Never hoid of da Boid! I'll confess to being intrigued, even as I read how bad it is. The Two Jakes, I'm okay with just having seen the trailer.
17) Your favorite movie title
FDR: American Badass.
18) Second favorite Luchino Visconti film
Another shamefaced pass.
19) Given the recent trend, what's the movie that seems like an all-too-obvious candidate for a splashy adaptation to Broadway?
I was all set to say Moulin Rouge - only to find out I'm the last to know it's impending. I'd say Bohemian Rhapsody would be a good bet...
20) Name a director you feel is consistently misunderstood
I'm going to say Sam Peckinpah. I wonder if he'd be thought better of if his personality was less poisonous.
21) Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth? *
Hemsworth. Who can forget him as Captain Kirk's dad?
22) What's the film that most unexpectedly grew in your estimation from trivial, or unworthy, or simply enjoyable, to a true favorite with some actual meat on its bones?
I think I gradually woke up to Groundhog Day being a remarkable statement at about the same pace that the rest of America did.
23) I Am Curious (Yellow), yes or no?
Yes, if only because it gave Jackie Onassis the chance to put a judo move on a paparazzi.
24) Second favorite Lucio Fulci film
Hard pass.
25) Are the movies as we now know them coming to an end?
Yes. As always.
1) Name a musician who never starred in a movie who you feel could have been a movie star or at least had a compelling cinematic presence
Fats Waller.
2) Akira or Ghost in the Shell *
Ghost in the Shell.
3) Charles Lee Ray or Freddy Krueger? *
Freddy Krueger seems to have a mythic dimension.
4) Most excruciating moment/scene you've ever sat through in a film
Basically all of Santa Sangre was an ordeal. For as much as I watched of it that Kevin Costner/Woody Harrelson Netflix movie was a phenomenon: I swear every line of dialogue was bad. The thing in filmed entertainment I find most excruciating is the humor of embarrassment. I’m trying to think of an example in movies, but what’s coming into my head is the British TV series Peep Show. Sacha Baron Cohen movies, there’s an example.
5) Henry Cavill or Armie Hammer?
Armie Hammer, I guess.
6) Name a movie you introduced to a young person, one which was out of their expressed line of interest or experience, which they came to either appreciate or flat-out love
I gave a nephew a copy of The Usual Suspects, which I gathered he had never heard of, for Christmas. He took it down to the TV room and when he came back he said “That was pretty good.” Other uncle gifts were Blue Velvet to a nephew and My Neighbor Totoro to a niece, and I think they both found something they didn’t expect.
7) Second favorite Robert Rossellini film
Stromboli.
8) What movie shaped your perceptions of New York City, Los Angeles and/or Chicago before you ever went there and experienced the cities for yourself.
California Split. After the fact I think the movie that most captured what Los Angeles looked and felt like in the 1970s was The Long Goodbye. Pulp Fiction in the background seemed to capture the city I was living in; I swear I lived in every one of those apartments at one time or another.
9) Name another movie that shaped, for better or worse, another city or location that you eventually visited or came to know well.
I’ve never yet visited New York City, but I thought that Pi was showing me some aspects of New York that you never see in the movies.
10) Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee? *
Bela Lugosi. It’s a question of Universal vs. Hammer, and if I had any allegiance at all it would be to Universal. Christopher Lee as a person though seems to be a good sport, happy to be here, no qualms about the kind of movie he’s famous for.
11) Elizabeth Debicki or Alicia Vikander?
Elizabeth Debicki is the one who’s been in movies I went to see.
12) The last movie you saw theatrically? The last on physical media? Via streaming?
Theatrically, John Wick 3. What you’re doing at John Wick movies is watching someone else play a video game in God Mode, and the “drama” is like video game cut scenes. I find them bullshit but condescendingly watchable, but not more than once. Ian McShane is in them, though. Physical media, Swing Time on the Criterion Blu Ray. Streaming, The Rolling Thunder Revue, which I think should have been called I Wish I Hadn’t Looked Back. I liked the Nazi guy.
13) Who are the actors, classic and contemporary you are always glad to see?
Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Ian McShane, Steve Buscemi, Alec Guinness, Toshiro Mifune, Woody Harrelson, Groucho Marx, John Cleese, Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Cary Grant, Charles Laughton, George Clooney, if you’re still allowed to say so, Kevin Spacey. No matter how many times it has been disproven, and they are legion, when I see Woody Allen on the screen I still like I’m going to have a good time at the movies.
14) Second favorite Federico Fellini film
I Vitelloni.
15) Tessa Thompson or Danai Gurira *
Tessa Thompson.
16) The Black Bird or The Two Jakes?
The Black Bird. “What use is torture without the threat of death behind it?” “It’s fun!”
17) Your favorite movie title
Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
18) Second favorite Luchino Visconti film
Ludwig.
19) Given the recent trend, what's the movie that seems like an all-too-obvious candidate for a splashy adaptation to Broadway?
The trend that really gets me is when they take a big splashy adaptation to Broadway, then they take the Broadway show and make it a movie again. Disney likes to do this.
20) Name a director you feel is consistently misunderstood
I think just about any foreign movie director can be misunderstood if you turn off the subtitles.
21) Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth? *
Oh God, Chris Hemsworth. I don’t think there was so much as a split second in any of those movies where I could believe in Chris Evans as someone who had been in or come out of the 1940s. Thor: Ragnarok was one long Monty Python skit with Lord of the Rings production values.
22) What's the film that most unexpectedly grew in your estimation from trivial, or unworthy, or simply enjoyable, to a true favorite with some actual meat on its bones?
Bambi, believe it or not. If you can bring yourself utterly ignore the story, the characterization and everything in it that could be called an idea, I think you will see that in Bambi,Disney truly achieved the fusion of music and image that he was trying to capture in Fantasia. I wouldn’t say it was a favorite, but I have some respect for it.
23) I Am Curious (Yellow), yes or no?
I’m not curious. I am old enough to remember when it was the only dirty anyone could see (though I was not at that time old enough to see it). When I was old enough to see a dirty movie there were dirty movies around that didn’t include a lot of Norskis being earnest.
24) Second favorite Lucio Fulci film
I’m sure they’re all outstanding in their own way.
25) Are the movies as we now know them coming to an end? (http://collider.com/will-streaming-kill-movies/)
I really don’t see how. There seems to be something irreducibly half-assed about movies made by streaming services. To use Raymond Chandler’s phrase, everyone’s wearing their second-best suit creatively speaking. It’s in long form programming that streaming services excel.
(1/2, natch)
Ah, it HAS been a bit, hasn't it?
1) Name a musician who never starred in a movie who you feel could have been a movie star or at least had a compelling cinematic presence
Marilyn Manson. His bit parts, especially in Rise (an otherwise horrific exercise) and Wrong Cops make me think he could handle something with more meat on it.
2) Akira or Ghost in the Shell *
TETSUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
3) Charles Lee Ray or Freddy Krueger? *
Freddy. Though it should be noted that Jaggu, the Charles Lee Ray cognate in the Bollywood Child's Play ripoff Papi Gudia, always struck me as much more Charles Lee than Brad Dourif ever did. (He's the only good thing about that movie, though.)
4) Most excruciating moment/scene you've ever sat through in a film
Excruciating as in terrible? The scene that caused me to give Heini Grünbaum's Flænset zero stars (spoiler alert: I give automatic zero-star ratings for any scene that starts off as rape and ends as consensual sex). Excruciating as in "it's meant to be that way and is effective"? The central four-minute shot at the end of Day Four in A torinói ló. I marked that scene out specifically in my review as the four most excruciating minutes I've ever sat in a theater.
5) Henry Cavill or Armie Hammer?
I want to make this into a Hellworld vs. Spring Breakdown comparison, but Cavill is playing Geralt of Rivia. As long as he doesn't screw that up, it'll pretty much automatically make him immortal.
6) Name a movie you introduced to a young person, one which was out of their expressed line of interest or experience, which they came to either appreciate or flat-out love
If I can stretch the definition of "young" a bit, Menace II Society (which my ex-wife first saw with me when she was twenty-one).
7) Second favorite Robert Rossellini film
Era notte a Roma
8) What movie shaped your perceptions of New York City, Los Angeles and/or Chicago before you ever went there and experienced the cities for yourself.
Candyman. Bonus: I've been to Chicago many times since my first trip there (in 1994) and it still shapes my perceptions despite my experiential knowledge of everything from the gold coast to Rush St.
9) Name another movie that shaped, for better or worse, another city or location that you eventually visited or came to know well.
Kingdom of the Spiders. No, I'm serious.
10) Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee? *
Lord Summerisle, always.
11) Elizabeth Debicki or Alicia Vikander?
I am far from comprehensive in my Vikander knowledge, but I find it hard to believe she's ever done anything as flat-out awful as The Cloverfield Paradox, and thus she gets it by default.
12) The last movie you saw theatrically? The last on physical media? Via streaming?
sticking to features:
SLOP2 (god help me)
Satantangó (again)
Kalevet
13) Who are the actors, classic and contemporary you are always glad to see?
IMDB asked last night whose work you'd choose if you had to take only one actor's material for the rest of your life. I couldn't decide between Robert Mitchum and Lillian Gish.
For contemporary, seeing David Yow's name attached to anything is an immediate yes, as is Tadanobu Asano's. Eihi Shiina, though she doesn't get parts nearly as often as she should.
(2/2)
14) Second favorite Federico Fellini film
I'll have to be honest here... I've never been a fan.
15) Tessa Thompson or Danai Gurira *
As much as I want to give this to Gurira based solely on the strength of The Visitor, Thompson's showed a broader set of chops thus far, methinks. But still, The Visitor.
16) The Black Bird or The Two Jakes?
The former contains Stéphane Audran. The latter does not. This makes the choice easy.
17) Your favorite movie title
The movie sure as hell doesn't live up to it, but Oh, Dad! Poor Dad! Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad!.
18) Second favorite Luchino Visconti film
Ossessione (though full disclosure, that's because it's the only other one I've seen, and I need to remedy that).
19) Given the recent trend, what's the movie that seems like an all-too-obvious candidate for a splashy adaptation to Broadway?
50/50. It lends itself to maudlin songs that are supposed to be humorous all too well.
20) Name a director you feel is consistently misunderstood
Trying to decide between Pablo Absento and Xan Cassavettes here is going to give me an aneurysm if I keep it up.
21) Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth? *
Hemsworth has the edge thanks to Cabin in the Woods.
22) What's the film that most unexpectedly grew in your estimation from trivial, or unworthy, or simply enjoyable, to a true favorite with some actual meat on its bones?
I hated Suspiria the first time I saw it. But a couple of scenes really stayed with me enough to rent it again maybe six months later, and the second time I didn't hate it. By the fourth time, maybe three or four years later, I had the idea that it was something special. Now it's my third-favorite Argento.
23) I Am Curious (Yellow), yes or no?
Such a no I took it back to the library without watching Blue.
24) Second favorite Lucio Fulci film
The Beyond, of course.
25) Are the movies as we now know them coming to an end? (http://collider.com/will-streaming-kill-movies/)
Movies have been eternal since the second DTV became an option. There is zero change movies will die out. Will the current studio system? Probably. And as long as they continue to use the barbell model, good riddance.
1) Name a musician who never starred in a movie who you feel could have been a movie star or at least had a compelling cinematic presence. A real life friend I've known for over fifty years - blues musician Otis Taylor.
2) Akira or Ghost in the Shell * I'm a Studio Ghibli guy.
3) Charles Lee Ray or Freddy Krueger? * Chucky - but only the Don Mancini version.
4) Most excruciating moment/scene you've ever sat through in a film? I was a mess after seeing Ken Russell's The Devils
5) Henry Cavill or Armie Hammer? Slightly more interest in Hammer.
6) Name a movie you introduced to a young person, one which was out of their expressed line of interest or experience, which they came to either appreciate or flat-out love? None that I can recall.
7) Second favorite Robert Rossellini film? General Della Rovere. The Taking of Power by Louis XIV rules.
8) What movie shaped your perceptions of New York City, Los Angeles and/or Chicago before you ever went there and experienced the cities for yourself. Not any specific film, but I had a kind of patchwork impression of Los Angeles before the couple of times I visited there as an adult. I grew up in the New York metro area followed by time in a Chicago suburb when I was much younger, so less conscious of specific films. I think the TV series 77 Sunset Strip has greater influence on my idea of LA.
9) Name another movie that shaped, for better or worse, another city or location that you eventually visited or came to know well. Wings of Desire. Uncertain of what to expect in a post-wall Berlin.
10) Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee? * Lugosi loved the role that made him famous.
11) Elizabeth Debicki or Alicia Vikander? I've always had a weakness for tall women, even those taller than me.
12) The last movie you saw theatrically? The last on physical media? Via streaming? Theatrically - Dragnet Girl (Ozu), on blu-ray - The Wild Heart (The Archers, plus uncredited Rouben Mamoulian), Streaming - The Bronte Sisters (Techine).
13) Who are the actors, classic and contemporary you are always glad to see? Warren Hymer, Tomas Milian, Rosemary DeWitt
14) Second favorite Federico Fellini film? Oy!!! Otto e Mezzo is Number 1. I'll go with Nights of Cabiria as second only because of the number of times I've seen it.
15) Tessa Thompson or Danai Guria * Thompson.
16) The Black Bird or The Two Jakes? Um, er, Hammett.
17) Your favorite movie title? A unrealized Jerry Lewis project - The Worst Robber who ever Lived (And We don't Mean Maybe)
18) Second favorite Luchino Visconti film? A couple of unseen films. The Stranger, with Rocco and His Brothers leading the pack.
19) Given the recent trend, what's the movie that seems like an all-too-obvious candidate for a splashy adaptation to Broadway?
Vox Lux.
20) Name a director you feel is consistently misunderstood? A greater distinction needs to be made between Clint Eastwood's onscreen persona and the films he's directed, especially those in which he does not appear.
21) Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth? * Hemsworth, if only because I wouldn't know Evans from Chris Pine.
22) What's the film that most unexpectedly grew in your estimation from trivial, or unworthy, or simply enjoyable, to a true favorite with some actual meat on its bones? Lucio Fulci's The Beyond because of the commentary track on the blu-ray.
23) I Am Curious (Yellow), yes or no? The only Vilgot Sjoman film I've seen was You're Lying when I was with what was then known as the Northwest Film Study Center, in 1973.
24) Second favorite Lucio Fulci film? Lizard in a Woman's Skin, with One on Top of the Other slightly higher.
25) Are the movies as we now know them coming to an end? (http://collider.com/will-streaming-kill-movies/) Not necessarily an end, but an evolution. Streaming seems to be the home for the kind of films that use to be the bulk of mainstream Hollywood. For non-cinephiles, sometimes a more active search is required for good and great films that do get a theatrical release. We are in the middle of an evolution regarding popular culture and how it is consumed.
My answers are here: https://moviebot.blogspot.com/2019/06/slifr-summer-vacation-movie-quiz.html
You can find mine here: http://coolbev.blogspot.com/2019/06/film-quiz.html
1) Name a musician who never starred in a movie who you feel could have been a movie star or at least had a compelling cinematic presence
Lang Lang. His father’s not bad either. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyJemf8hwkU
2) Akira or Ghost in the Shell *
Well, I have Akira sitting downstairs on the TV ready to watch.
3) Charles Lee Ray or Freddy Krueger? *
Not big on either one, but as serial movie killers go, Freddy was enough for me.
4) Most excruciating moment/scene you've ever sat through in a film
Can’t remember an exact scene (and not really interested in watching it again to find one), but it was probably in Son of the Pink Panther. Sure seemed like Roberto Benigni was as natural a successor to Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau as could be, but no, wrong.
5) Henry Cavill or Armie Hammer?
Armie Hammer seems a little more engaging, and Cavill (at least when I’ve seen him), seems to play similar characters – a little stiff.
6) Name a movie you introduced to a young person, one which was out of their expressed line of interest or experience, which they came to either appreciate or flat-out love
I’ve had some memorable failures in this department (e.g., giving my niece and nephew nightmares with Little Shop of Horrors). Successes? I had a dickens of a time talking my godson into watching Cool Runnings, but he loved it.
7) Second favorite Robert Rossellini film
Alas, I’ve never seen one. I’m interested in his take on St. Augustine.
8) What movie shaped your perceptions of New York City, Los Angeles and/or Chicago before you ever went there and experienced the cities for yourself.
For New York, it was probably The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (the Matthau/Shaw one). Reality wasn’t quite so colorful – or maybe I just didn’t find it.
9) Name another movie that shaped, for better or worse, another city or location that you eventually visited or came to know well.
It’s strange, I seem to have done more of my traveling before seeing movies about those places! Maybe the closest I come is seeing Blood Simple slightly after having moved to west Texas – set off some pretty creepy resonances.
10) Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee? *
As Dracula? Probably Lugosi. As anything else? Christopher Lee. So many fun roles. “Release the Drive Bee!”
11) Elizabeth Debicki or Alicia Vikander?
I would have to say Alicia Vikander. I found her thoroughly compelling in the few films I’ve seen her in (Ex Machina, The Man from UNCLE). I really like Elizabeth Debicki though, too. I suppose next is “Jared Harris or Hugh Grant”.
12) The last movie you saw theatrically? The last on physical media? Via streaming?
Theatrically: Avengers: Endgame. I thought it delightful! Crowd-pleasing, but well done, and kept me guessing (well, until near the end), which most of these films don’t.
DVD: The Greatest Showman. Fitting of the film’s subject – and I’m down with that. Fun songs, even if it felt a little like a grown-up High School Musical.
Streaming: Does Good Omens count? I enjoyed it a lot, even if it’s a bit uneven.
13) Who are the actors, classic and contemporary you are always glad to see?
Classic: William Demarest, Thelma Ritter
Contemporary: Cate Blanchett, Sam Elliott
14) Second favorite Federico Fellini film
I’m such a heathen.
Sweet Charity was good.
15) Tessa Thompson or Danai Gurira *
I’ve only seen Danai Gurira in the Black Panther/Avengers movies, and she’s wonderful in them. But I’ve seen more of a variety of roles that Tessa Thompson has played, and she seems quite brilliant – I’ll go with her.
16) The Black Bird or The Two Jakes?
Why spoil the wine with a beer chaser?
17) Your favorite movie title
Maybe Splendor in the Grass, although I think it was a book title before it was a film. Hmm … Same issue with In Cold Blood. … OK, Raising Arizona.
18) Second favorite Luchino Visconti film
I’ve only seen one, Death in Venice, which I really wanted to like. But when we had left the theater, the girl I had seen it with burst out laughing, and so did I. Mahler’s “Adagietto” is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever, and yet the film made even that tedious.
19) Given the recent trend, what's the movie that seems like an all-too-obvious candidate for a splashy adaptation to Broadway?
The Greatest Showman
20) Name a director you feel is consistently misunderstood
I don’t know directors’ reputations very well, so not sure how much I can say here. Well, one I suppose seems mischaracterized to me is Mimi Leder, who seems to be known as an “action blockbuster” director before she disappeared from movies for a long time (I didn’t realize she had directed On the Basis of Sex! I need to go see that). But the “action” movie tag didn’t seem to fit to me – yes, there’s plenty of action in The Peacemaker and Deep Impact, but both seemed primarily character-driven to me, to the point where it seemed glaringly different from action movies of the time, from most of today’s too. I like her way better. I’d like to see Deep Impact again. Armageddon? No thank you.
21) Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth? *
Man, I’ve hardly seen either one in a role other than the obvious. OK, I really enjoyed Cellular, so Chris Evans it is.
22) What's the film that most unexpectedly grew in your estimation from trivial, or unworthy, or simply enjoyable, to a true favorite with some actual meat on its bones?
When I was a kid, One, Two, Three was just a fun slapstick movie – and mostly fun once the action took off. Now I get a little more of the historical context, and some brilliant dialogue in there.
23) I Am Curious (Yellow), yes or no?
I am curious (somewhat).
24) Second favorite Lucio Fulci film
My cupboard is bare.
25) Are the movies as we now know them coming to an end? (http://collider.com/will-streaming-kill-movies/)
I’m not terribly worried about this. I’m probably more worried about an urge to make things 3D changing movies forever. The group experience of going to a film (or a play, or a concert) seems pretty universal, even if it may decline slightly in popularity. To be honest, I wouldn’t mind a few more films oriented at the adult crowd.
Have you ever thought of putting a tag on your quiz posts? I've been wanting a chance to just go in chronological order with them (even though I know some of them have questions that are time-specific) and that would probably be made easier by having them all in one place to be found!
I needed another of your wonderful movie quizzes, Dennis. Many thanks and you'll find my answers right here.
Always enjoy these quizzes, my answers are here:
http://kaedrin.com/weblog/archive/003731.html
Thanks!
Where is everybody??
My apologies to everyone who posted your answers and then didn't see your answers appear. I posted the quiz just before my vacation, and then when I came back I found myself overwhelmed with office work and ended up ignoring the blog. But they are up now. Thank yo so much for participating. Now the fun part-- reading all your responses!
STinG: I haven't, though I suppose I someday should. In the meantime, in 2015 I collected all the quizzes up to that point here for somewhat easier reference.
I hate having missed this - I love these quizzes. As always, I lopped off the questions about which I knew nothing.
1) Name a musician who never starred in a movie who you feel could have been a movie star or at least had a compelling cinematic presence.
Chuck Berry. A genuine brown-eyed handsome man, he had charisma to burn, panache, mystery, a sense of danger, and an aura of keeping something hidden, which I think every movie star has. If Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins series of books had come out in the Fifties, and if American culture of that time had been fundamentally different. Berry would have been perfect for the lead role.
3) Charles Lee Ray or Freddy Krueger? *
Charles Lee!
4) Most excruciating moment/scene you've ever sat through in a film
The fight to the death between Adam Goldberg and a Nazi as sniveling nebbish Jeremy Davies whimpers in the corner in “Saving Private Ryan.” Runners-up: Ed Begley, Jr. getting his arm yanked off in the awful re-make of “Cat People” and the kids screaming non-stop after being told their lives depended on remaining quiet as they hid in a car from a T. Rex in “Jurassic Park.” (I don’t think I was supposed to yell “Eat them!!” while watching the latter, but I did.)
5) Henry Cavill or Armie Hammer?
Each falls in the “Anyone for tennis?” school of acting, but Hammer was good in “The Social Network” and Cavill was suave in the disappointing “Man from U.N.C.L.E.” I think Hammer has more potential to turn in a memorably creepy off-kilter role, a la Perkins in “Psycho,” while I fear Cavill may tend toward weight gain and hair loss, neither of which indicates his moral worth, but both of which will hurt his ability to get roles. So I’ll go with Hammer by a nose.
8) What movie shaped your perceptions of New York City, Los Angeles and/or Chicago before you ever went there and experienced the cities for yourself.
Woody Allen’s “Manhattan” actually inspired me to move to New York when it was released. (I was disappointed that Gershwin music wasn’t playing on the streets at all hours.) I saw “Fast Times at Ridgmont High” immediately after moving to Los Angeles and it was the first thing that allowed me to think, “Oh, I think I get this city,” which was a big help.
9) Name another movie that shaped, for better or worse, another city or location that you eventually visited or came to know well.
There are a bunch of New York-set movies, mostly from the 1950s, that shaped my view of the city, such as The Best of Everything, The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit, and the early scenes from North by Northwest. That’s still how I see the city in my imagination, even though I know it doesn’t, and maybe never did, exist like that now.
10) Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee? *
Christopher Lee. He was elegant, while Bela was cheesy and a little sad.
12) The last movie you saw theatrically? The last on physical media? Via streaming?
The last Mission Impossible, which was enjoyable. I just saw Forty Guns on TCM, which was great, saving the last scene of Stanwyck running after Barry Sullivan, which seemed a betrayal of her character, and the unintentionally funny song about the woman with a whip. I’ve never streamed.
13) Who are the actors, classic and contemporary you are always glad to see?
Classic: Cary Grant, 1930s Joan Blondell. There are many, many more, but I’ve never been steered wrong with these two. Contemporary: I’m surprised, but the first name that popped into my head was Paul Rudd. I’ve liked a lot of Clooney’s movies, but he’s had a few real stinkers. I appreciate that Susan Sarandon keeps working away at compiling a long list of smart, unusual women characters in small movies, as well as TV.
16) The Black Bird or The Two Jakes?
I remember wanting to like both movies more than I could, but I’d go with The Two Jakes because it does manage to capture something about the post-World War II feeling of Los Angeles. The plot was wobbly, and Townes wasn’t the right director, but that one remains more vivid in my memory.
17) Your favorite movie title
The Half-Naked Truth always tickles me. I agree with Andrew Sarris’s assessment of History Is Made at Night as the most romantic title in history, as well.
19) Given the recent trend, what's the movie that seems like an all-too-obvious candidate for a splashy adaptation to Broadway?
Forrest Gump. (Apologies if this has already happened.)
20) Name a director you feel is consistently misunderstood
Quentin Tarantino. I think he’s a world-class a-hole and people don’t seem to understand that.
21) Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth? *
I like both, but I love Chris Evans’ Captain America, so I’ll go with him.
22) What's the film that most unexpectedly grew in your estimation from trivial, or unworthy, or simply enjoyable, to a true favorite with some actual meat on its bones?
This is a great question and I wish I had an interesting answer. I usually like a movie right away, if I’m going to like it, and I share Robert Christgau’s rejection of the concept of “guilty pleasure,” so it’s hard to think of a movie that fits your question. I can think only of either Harold Lloyd’s silent work, which serves as both a wonderful visual record of 1920s Los Angeles and as an interesting, astute look at a very American archetype, or of Errol Flynn’s Adventures of Robin Hood, which I’ve always loved, but now seems very clearly to be one of the great modern folk tales.
23) I Am Curious (Yellow), yes or no?
It seemed kind of dull. And I say that as a fan of naked people.
25) Are the movies as we now know them coming to an end?
It feels as if movies may go the way of Broadway in that they’ll mostly be devoted to big spectacles, with a small slice of the pie devoted to the equivalent of off-off-Broadway. What I think will disappear will be the medium-sized movie aimed at adults, which was one of the main things movies did in the Golden Age.
1) Name a musician who never starred in a movie who you feel could have been a movie star or at least had a compelling cinematic presence
Miles Davis
2) Akira or Ghost in the Shell *
Based on my initial screenings of both (I've not revisited "Akira" since its debut), I'll go with "Ghost in the Shell," which I found even more original and ambitious in its day.
3) Charles Lee Ray or Freddy Krueger? *
Freddy Krueger. This is a killer with a real imagination at his best.
4) Most excruciating moment/scene you've ever sat through in a film
Hard to call up a single moment, but the third act torture scene with the needles in "Audition," accompanied by the sing-song "ticky-ticky-ticky" is certainly among the top contenders.
5) Henry Cavill or Armie Hammer?
Given the range of performances, I have to go with Armie.
6) Name a movie you introduced to a young person, one which was out of their expressed line of interest or experience, which they came to either appreciate or flat-out love
I showed my nephew, who isn't a classic movie fan, the original "To Be or Not to Be."
7) Second favorite Robert Rossellini film
The Taking of Power by Louis XIV
8) What movie shaped your perceptions of New York City, Los Angeles and/or Chicago before you ever went there and experienced the cities for yourself.
Los Angeles: "Blade Runner"
9) Name another movie that shaped, for better or worse, another city or location that you eventually visited or came to know well.
"Don't Look Now" and Venice
10) Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee? *
No question here. Sir Christopher, a man who could bring dignity to the most undignified production.
11) Elizabeth Debicki or Alicia Vikander?
Have to give Alicia Vikander the nod here, though to be fair she's also had a greater range of roles to date.
12) The last movie you saw theatrically? The last on physical media? Via streaming?
As of the day I started working on this quiz (which will take days to finish before I post):
Theatrical: Midsommer (interesting but a disappointment compared to Ari Aster's debut film).
Physical: "The Baker's Wife," Marcel Pagnol, on Criterion Blu-ray (funny and full of character but no "Fanny" trilogy)
Streaming: "Ralph Breaks the Internet" on Netflix. Mostly I stream TV, often foreign shows, and though it's not a film but a limited series, let me say that I also recently streamed "I Am the Night," a superb 6-part TV noir on Hulu.
13) Who are the actors, classic and contemporary, you are always glad to see?
I'm leaving out big stars (Burt Lancaster would head that list) to focus on those who often play supporting roles. In no particular order: Bill Nighy, Thelma Ritter, J.K Simmons, Eugene Pallette, Ruth Donnelly
14) Second favorite Federico Fellini film
8 ½
15) Tessa Thompson or Danai Gurira *
Two fine actresses but I'm team Tessa.
16) The Black Bird or The Two Jakes?
"The Two Jakes" by default; I am no fan of "The Black Bird"
17) Your favorite movie title
Jawbreaker (great title, poor film)
18) Second favorite Luchino Visconti film
Senso
19) Given the recent trend, what's the movie that seems like an all-too-obvious candidate for a splashy adaptation to Broadway?
The Room. Come on, tell me someone isn't working on this.
20) Name a director you feel is consistently misunderstood
Brian De Palma. His play with perception and POV is fascinating even when his scripts are not, the sheer pleasure of his cinematic experiments and stylistic symphonies are a joy. And when he has a solid script or story to tell, as in "Carrie" and "Blow Out," or has the opportunity to use his camera to express the psychological anxiety or confusion of his characters ("Body Double," "Raising Cain"), his films are amazing.
21) Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth? *
Chris Evans shows greater range and interest in his projects.
22) What's the film that most unexpectedly grew in your estimation from trivial, or unworthy, or simply enjoyable, to a true favorite with some actual meat on its bones?
"Body Double." Hated it when it came out, but started having a turnaround on De Palma sometime in the 1990s (see above). When I revisited the film, I found myself completely taken with it.
23) I Am Curious (Yellow), yes or no?
A product of its era perhaps, but today… no.
24) Second favorite Lucio Fulci film
City of the Living Dead
25) Are the movies as we now know them coming to an end? (http://collider.com/will-streaming-kill-movies/)
Sure they are. Just as movies as we knew them in 1926 came to end and movies as we knew them in 1945 came to an end and movies as we knew them in 1976 came to end. The way movies are made, distributed, and received has always evolved. That's not to say it's good or bad, merely inevitable. Conventions change, audiences change, and the films change with them.
Love Sean's answer to #13.
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