tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post116529860997562596..comments2024-03-18T00:41:13.588-07:00Comments on Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule: PROFESSOR DAVE JENNINGS' MILTON-FREE, UNIVERSE-EXPANDING HOLIDAY MIDTERMDennis Cozzaliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-28933351314134833002010-04-08T23:16:33.661-07:002010-04-08T23:16:33.661-07:00nice filmnice filmfazahttp://pokemon-leaf-green-x.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-29256443885200143062008-01-03T17:28:00.000-08:002008-01-03T17:28:00.000-08:001) What was the last movie you saw, either in a th...1) What was the last movie you saw, either in a theater or on DVD, and why? - Superbad. It was hot outside.<BR/><BR/>2) Name the cinematographer whose work you most look forward to seeing, and an example of one of his/her finest achievements. - Gregg Toland, I prefer Grapes of Wrath even over his Citizen Kane<BR/><BR/>3) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson? Joe Don Baker. Seriously, did you SEE him in Fletch.<BR/><BR/>4) Name a moment from a movie that made you gasp (in horror, surprise, revelation…) - The Innocents, when the bug crawled out of the statue's mouth.<BR/><BR/>5) Your favorite movie about the movies. - The Player<BR/><BR/>6) Your Favorite Fritz Lang movie. - M<BR/><BR/>7) Describe the first time you ever recognized yourself in a movie. - The second time I saw To Kill a Mockingbird as a child and realized those things happened in the movie and not really to me and my sister.<BR/><BR/>8) Carole Bouquet or Angela Molina? - I desire Carole Bouquet<BR/><BR/>9) Name a movie that redeems the notion of nostalgia as something more than a bankable commodity. - Cinema Paradiso (bet there's an argument about that, but I ate it with a spoon)<BR/><BR/>10) Favorite appearance by an athlete in an acting role. - Alex Karras in Victor/Victoria<BR/><BR/>11) Favorite Hal Ashby movie. - All of them. Okay, Harold and Maude, but only because it was my first<BR/><BR/>12) Name the first double feature you’d program for opening night of your own revival theater. - The Bad and the Beautiful & The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly<BR/><BR/>13) What’s the name of your revival theater? - The Alternative<BR/><BR/>14) Humphrey Bogart or Elliot Gould? - Tough choice, Humphrey Bogart<BR/><BR/>15) Favorite Robert Stevenson movie. - The AbsentMinded Professor. Stop tapping into my childhood.<BR/><BR/>16) Describe your favorite moment in a movie that is memorable because of its use of sound. - Ben Hur, near the end of the film during the storm after Jesus dies - I saw it at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. The cranked up the sound. I was scared that part of the building would fall in.<BR/><BR/>17) Pink Flamingoes-- yes or no? -Yes. It had to be made<BR/><BR/>18) Your favorite movie soundtrack score. - Lawrence of Arabia<BR/><BR/>19) Fay Wray or Naomi Watts? - Fay, but Naomi isn't done yet.<BR/><BR/>20) Is there a movie that would make you question the judgment and/or taste of a film critic, blogger or friend if you found out they were an advocate of it? - No. Why?<BR/><BR/>21) Pick a new category for the Oscars and its first deserving winner. - Best Casting (not best cast), No Country for Old Men<BR/><BR/>22) Favorite Paul Verhoeven movie. - Robocop. Easy. Would have been Total Recall if Peter Weller had starred.<BR/><BR/>23) What is it that you think movies do better than any other art form? - Express time.<BR/><BR/>24) Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney? Really tough one - Ustinov, just because I loved Viva Max as a kid and now I can't find it anywhere.<BR/><BR/>25) Favorite movie studio logo, as it appears before a theatrical feature. - The old Universal B&W plane around the world logo.<BR/><BR/>26) Name the single most important book about the movies for you personally. - Flesh and Fantasy<BR/><BR/>27) Name the movie that features the best twist ending. (Please note the use of any “spoilers” in your answer.) - The problem with twist endings is that they usually get old the more you think about them. I'll go with The Long Goodbye - still seems fresh to me.<BR/><BR/>28) Favorite Francois Truffaut movie. - 400 Blows<BR/><BR/>29) Olivia Hussey or Claire Danes? - boring one, Claire<BR/><BR/>30) Your most memorable celebrity encounter. - Heath Ledger grabbed my ass. Crowded party, he was shoved, and had no choice or he'd fall down.<BR/><BR/>31) When did you first realize that films were directed? - Jaws, the book not the movie. I'd just read it the same time I got a movie camera for Christmas.Mad Duckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07544486476085450956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-64225004101214506942007-06-02T08:45:00.000-07:002007-06-02T08:45:00.000-07:00Just for the hell of it:1) What was the last movie...Just for the hell of it:<BR/><BR/>1) What was the last movie you saw, either in a theater or on DVD, and why?<BR/><BR/>„The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada“ (DVD). Because I usually enjoy the work of Mr. Jones and Mr. Pepper, love Guillermo Arriaga’s writing and admire Chris Menges‘ cinematography, so I thought I might be in for a treat. I wasn’t disappointed. <BR/><BR/>2) Name the cinematographer whose work you most look forward to seeing, and an example of one of his/her finest achievements.<BR/><BR/>Most unfortunately, there’s nothing to look forward to anymore, as the man died in ‘03: I’m speaking of Conrad L. Hall whose work was excellent throughout, both in crispy b&w (Richard Brooks‘s „In Cold Blood“ comes to mind) and in glorious color (anything from „Cool Hand Luke“ to „American Beauty“ and back). <BR/><BR/>3) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson?<BR/><BR/>JDB. His brilliant performance in Don Siegel’s „Charley Varrick“ (one of my all-time faves – shame on Universal for releasing it as a p&s DVD) is worth the price of admission alone.<BR/><BR/>4) Name a moment from a movie that made you gasp (in horror, surprise, revelation…)<BR/><BR/>The „tree rape“ scene in „Evil Dead“.<BR/><BR/>5) Your favorite movie about the movies.<BR/><BR/>Being an avid Billy Wilder fan, I’ll have to say „Sunset Blvd.“, of course, with „Two Weeks in Another Town“ and „The Bad and the Beautiful“ as a close second and third. But then, there are so many excellent (or at least enjoyable) movies about the movies I don’t know where to start: „Barton Fink“, „Peeping Tom“, „The Stunt Man“, „Movie Crazy“, „Living in Oblivion“, „Day for Night“, „Boogie Nights“ etc. etc. Out of competition: „Singin‘ in the Rain“; Guilty Pleasure: „Fade to Black“; Worst Movie Movie Ever: „Hollywood Ending“.<BR/><BR/>6) Your favorite Fritz Lang movie.<BR/><BR/>„The Big Heat“, for its unforgiving coldness and brutality – and for Lee Marvin and the mighty Gloria Grahame. But I also have a soft spot for his flawed noirs: „Ministry of Fear“, „House by the River“ and „The Blue Gardenia“. <BR/><BR/>7) Describe the first time you ever recognized yourself in a movie.<BR/><BR/>It certainly wasn’t the first time, but the most memorable: „When Harry Met Sally . . .“ Though I’m nowhere near as funny as Billy Crystal, I had a similar kind of relationship with a most desirable woman at the time. Unfortunately, it didn‘t have a happy ending.<BR/><BR/>8) Carole Bouquet or Angela Molina?<BR/><BR/>Both could be not-so-obscure objects of my desire.<BR/><BR/>9) Name a movie that redeems the notion of nostalgia as something more than a bankable commodity.<BR/><BR/>„Once Upon a Time in America“<BR/><BR/>10) Favorite appearance by an athlete in an acting role.<BR/><BR/>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in „Airplane!“ and German soccer legend Paul Breitner in Peter Schamoni‘s horrible 1976 Kraut western „Potato Fritz“ (aka „Montana Trap“). <BR/><BR/>11) Favorite Hal Ashby movie.<BR/><BR/>As editor: „Cincinnati Kid“ (boy, what a movie this could’ve been if they’d left Peckinpah in the director’s chair); as director: „The Last Detail“.<BR/><BR/>12) Name the first double feature you’d program for opening night of your own revival theater.<BR/><BR/>„The Dark Mirror“/“Dead Ringers“ (I can already see them lining up around the block. )<BR/><BR/>13) What’s the name of your revival theater?<BR/><BR/>The Lighthouse<BR/><BR/>14) Humphrey Bogart or Elliot Gould?<BR/><BR/>Bogart. No doubt about it.<BR/><BR/>15) Favorite Robert Stevenson movie.<BR/><BR/>„The Man Who Changed His Mind“. As a kid, I was nuts about those Herbie movies, though. <BR/><BR/>16) Describe your favorite moment in a movie that is memorable because of its use of sound.<BR/><BR/>The bus appearing out of nowhere with a feline roar in Jacques Tourneur’s „Cat People“. <BR/><BR/>17) Pink Flamingoes -- yes or no?<BR/><BR/>Yes and no.<BR/><BR/>18) Your favorite movie soundtrack score.<BR/><BR/>Howard Shore’s work for David Cronenberg; Thomas Newman’s score for „American Beauty“; most of Bernard Herrmann’s and Michael Nyman’s stuff; Morricone’s work for Leone, and Miles Davis’s improvised score for Louis Malles „L’Ascenseur pour l’échauffaud“. Song-oriented soundtracks: „Saturday Night Fever“, „The Big Lebowski“, „Backbeat“ and „Velvet Goldmine“ (for „Hot One“, Shudder to Think should’ve gotten an Oscar). And, oh, screw Randy Newman.<BR/><BR/>19) Fay Wray or Naomi Watts?<BR/><BR/>Fay Wray – for her name, looks and screams.<BR/><BR/>20) Is there a movie that would make you question the judgment and/or taste of a film critic, blogger or friend if you found out they were an advocate of it?<BR/><BR/>Phony, artsy-fartsy junk like „The Hours“ and „The Piano“, not to mention „Dogville“ and „Inland Empire“.<BR/><BR/>21) Pick a new category for the Oscars and its first deserving winner.<BR/><BR/>Best German picture without jews, nazis or East German Stasi officers in it. Winner: „Die Polizistin“ (Policewoman) by Andreas Dresen. (Just kidding – but the fact that a piece of unadulterated tripe like „The Lives of Others“ won out against a masterpiece like „Pan’s Labyrinth“ is a scandal, no less.)<BR/><BR/>22) Favorite Paul Verhoeven movie.<BR/><BR/>„RoboCop“. But I also enjoyed „De vierde Man“, „Starship Troopers“, „Zwartboek“ and, er, „Hollow Man“.<BR/><BR/>23) What is it that you think movies do better than any other art form?<BR/><BR/>Jerk tears.<BR/><BR/>24) Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney?<BR/><BR/>Finney. I despise Peter Ustinov.<BR/><BR/>25) Favorite movie studio logo, as it appears before a theatrical feature.<BR/><BR/>20th Century Fox. The fanfare, the vivid colors, the swooping camera – the perfect way to make the transition into Movieworld.<BR/><BR/>26) Name the single most important book about the movies for you personally.<BR/><BR/>Non-fiction: Truffaut’s book about Hitchcock, as it really stirred my interest in movies and movie-making. Fiction: David Thomson’s „Suspects“ and Theodore Roszak’s „Flicker“.<BR/><BR/>27) Name the movie that features the best twist ending. (Please note the use of any “spoilers” in your answer.)<BR/><BR/>Not very original: „Planet of the Apes“ (1968).<BR/><BR/>28) Favorite Francois Truffaut movie.<BR/><BR/>„Les quatre-cent coups“<BR/><BR/>29) Olivia Hussey or Claire Danes?<BR/><BR/>I’ve never seen the Zeffirelli film (and hated every single one of his films I ever sat through) and loved Danes in „My So-Called Life“, so although I fondly remember Hussey in „Black Christmas“, Danes it is.<BR/><BR/>30) Your most memorable celebrity encounter.<BR/><BR/>Drinking and discussing movies till 4 a.m.with the excellent German actor Gustav Peter Wöhler. An evening with German writer/director Herbert Achternbusch (who wrote Herzog’s „Heart of Glass“). A chat with Bruno Ganz who used to buy his wine at the same neighborhood store as me. A – very short – chat with Wallace Shawn who swiftly handed over the conversation to his wife, the charming Deborah Eisenberg. And once Wim Wenders held court at a table next to mine at a Berlin restaurant; I would’ve loved to get up and tell him how much I loathe his work, but, needless to say, I didn’t. ;)<BR/><BR/>31) When did you first realize that films were directed?<BR/><BR/>I don’t have the slightest idea. Hitchcock, I guess. And/or Sergio Leone’s Dollar trilogy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1168536994365639682007-01-11T09:36:00.000-08:002007-01-11T09:36:00.000-08:00http://thewrongbox.blogspot.com/2007/01/1-what-was...http://thewrongbox.blogspot.com/2007/01/1-what-was-last-movie-you-saw-either-in.htmlThe Wrong Boxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11525871621986041165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1167900903363410382007-01-04T00:55:00.000-08:002007-01-04T00:55:00.000-08:001) What was the last movie you saw, either in a th...1) What was the last movie you saw, either in a theater or on DVD, and why? <BR/>The massive triple feature of Children of Men/the Holiday/Pan's Labyrinth because: my boyfriend was in it/I think Kate Winslet is a delight and I'm always an optimist when Nancy Meyers is involved (frequently disappointed as well)/and because FUCK IT LOOKED AWESOME! I also just watched Beauty Academy of Kabul to review. And Event Horizon last night because I love Laurence Fishbourne and it seemed like a good scare. <BR/><BR/>2) Name the cinematographer whose work you most look forward to seeing, and an example of one of his/her finest achievements.<BR/>John de Borman, Jeong-hun Jeong. After seeing Children of Men, now Emmanuel Lubezki as well. <BR/><BR/>3) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson?<BR/>No opinion. <BR/><BR/>4) Name a moment from a movie that made you gasp (in horror, surprise, revelation…)<BR/>Some of the scenes in Pan's Labyrinth are pretty brutal. <BR/><BR/>5) Your favorite movie about the movies.<BR/>Purple Rose of Cairo, Sullivan's Travels, Singing in the Rain. <BR/><BR/>6) Your Favorite Fritz Lang movie.<BR/>I don't think I've seen a one. <BR/><BR/>7) Describe the first time you ever recognized yourself in a movie.<BR/>Probably Satisfaction, I wanted to be in that band so badly!<BR/><BR/>8) Carole Bouquet or Angela Molina?<BR/>No idea. <BR/><BR/>9) Name a movie that redeems the notion of nostalgia as something more than a bankable commodity.<BR/>hah, the Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. <BR/><BR/>10) Favorite appearance by an athlete in an acting role.<BR/>The only one I'm aware of is OJ Simpson in the Naked Gun movies and I'm not willing to say he's my favorite anything!<BR/><BR/>11) Favorite Hal Ashby movie.<BR/>Being There. <BR/><BR/>12) Name the first double feature you’d program for opening night of your own revival theater.<BR/>Black Dog and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. A litle something for everyone. <BR/><BR/>13) What’s the name of your revival theater?<BR/>The ERIN, duh. <BR/><BR/>14) Humphrey Bogart or Elliot Gould?<BR/>Gould!<BR/><BR/>15) Favorite Robert Stevenson movie.<BR/>Whoa, the guy who directed Old Yeller and Mary Poppins also directed a film called I Married a Communist? I MARRIED A COMMUNIST!<BR/><BR/>16) Describe your favorite moment in a movie that is memorable because of its use of sound.<BR/>Probably the Ring and its creepy grinding sounds. Judging by the trailer the Host has some tense moments with the monster's breath. The Departed's moment of lusty silence was pretty awesome. <BR/><BR/>17) Pink Flamingoes-- yes or no?<BR/>No! John Waters, I love the man I can barely sit through any of his films. <BR/><BR/>18) Your favorite movie soundtrack score.<BR/>Gattaca, Edwards Scissorhands. <BR/><BR/>19) Fay Wray or Naomi Watts?<BR/>Watts all the way. <BR/><BR/>20) Is there a movie that would make you question the judgment and/or taste of a film critic, blogger or friend if you found out they were an advocate of it?<BR/>No, I love the wild rationales good film writers come up with to defend maligned films. <BR/><BR/>21) Pick a new category for the Oscars and its first deserving winner.<BR/>Editing for a documentary, Sundance did it! So can you, Oscar!<BR/><BR/>22) Favorite Paul Verhoeven movie.<BR/>Showgirls! <BR/><BR/>23) What is it that you think movies do better than any other art form?<BR/>Movies do almost everything better than every other art form. <BR/><BR/>24) Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney?<BR/>It's an old man tie. <BR/><BR/>25) Favorite movie studio logo, as it appears before a theatrical feature.<BR/>Tri-Mark with its Pegasus!<BR/><BR/>26) Name the single most important book about the movies for you personally.<BR/>Sam Fuller's autobio. <BR/><BR/>27) Name the movie that features the best twist ending. (Please note the use of any “spoilers” in your answer.)<BR/>the Conformist's ending was pretty cool. <BR/><BR/>28) Favorite Francois Truffaut movie.<BR/>I've seen less than half of his films but I love 400 Blows and the Bride Wore Black. <BR/><BR/>29) Olivia Hussey or Claire Danes?<BR/>Danes! That old R&J sucks eggs! <BR/><BR/>30) Your most memorable celebrity encounter.<BR/>Hmm, I almost fainted when I met James Hetfield. I got so giddy when I met Kristy McNichol that I think she thought I was being sarcastic (I wasn't, I LOVE YOU, KRISTY MCNICHOL!!!!!) I accidentally said to Robin Wright Penn that her husband "look BRRR-OKE!"<BR/><BR/>31) When did you first realize that films were directed?<BR/>Probably not until my friend Cathy told me in college. It wouldn't've mattered since up until that point I was only watching old MGM/Warner Bros dramas anyway.Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09780573311870868638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1167770099323748672007-01-02T12:34:00.000-08:002007-01-02T12:34:00.000-08:001. L'Intrus by Claire Denis, showed it to a film-...1. L'Intrus by Claire Denis, showed it to a film-maker colleague.<BR/><BR/>2. Harris Savides, mainly on account of Elephant and Last Days with Van Zant, but also the work he's done with Fincher.<BR/><BR/>3. J. Don Baker. Both big lugs. Baker can act.<BR/><BR/>4. Shelley Duvall recoiling from her husband's insane typewritten gibberish in The Shining, so much done with so little.<BR/><BR/>5. Figuratively speaking, Rear Window, a movie about so many things, but ultmately, all about seeing. On a more literal level--Sullivan's Travels.<BR/><BR/>6. My personal Lang obsession, Spies, a film that seems to come to us more from the future than the silent film past, in its grasp of a post-ideological political world--but it's got to be M. because 20th century film history is inconceivable apart from it.<BR/><BR/>7. Age l4--I indisputably, knew I was Benjamin (Dustin Hoffman) pining for Elaine (The Graduate) <BR/><BR/>8. Molina. Bouquet's a babe. Molina's a babe who can act.<BR/><BR/>9. Magnificent Ambersons. Nothing comes close in this particular category. No, wrong, The Leapord comes close.<BR/><BR/>10. Jim Brown in The Dirty Dozen. His depositing hand grenades death run is, if you'll pardon me saying it, is the bomb.<BR/><BR/>11. Shampoo. Because Ashby's warmth meshes with Towne/Beatty's shrewd coldness to the enrichment of both.<BR/><BR/>12. Impossible to answer. Vigo's L'Atlante and Murnau's Sunrise to tell my prospective audience that the highest cinema art can also move them.<BR/><BR/>13. MOVIES<BR/><BR/>14. Bogart. Come on. Unfair to Gould.<BR/><BR/>15. <BR/><BR/>16. In honor of a previous respondent--all 90 minutes of Playtime--but esp. the moment when the power blows in the restaurant.<BR/><BR/>18. Tie: Herrman/ North by Northwest Morricone/For a few Dollars More (but impossibly painful to limit it to two)<BR/><BR/>19. Naomi Waats. Faye Wray is in a better movie about an ape, but Naomi Waats can act.<BR/><BR/>20. Showgirls. For some reasons, critics I admire, and at least one film maker of genius (Rivette) admire this film vociferously, and it makes me wonder. (I'm not sure if this is the answer you really wanted.) If I discovered that someone liked some of the current slasher-horror crap that would scare me.<BR/><BR/>21. no. too many categories too many awards now<BR/>(maybe ensemble acting awards, Iguess)<BR/><BR/>22. Soldier of Orange.<BR/><BR/>23. represent consciousnesss<BR/><BR/>24. Albert Finney less campy<BR/><BR/>25. The loud 20th century Fox logo<BR/><BR/>26. Tie: Agee on Film--I Lost it at the Movies, movies as an object of intelligent passion.<BR/><BR/>27. French Connection, because the twist comes "after" the ending.<BR/><BR/>28. Jules et Jim. No comparison.<BR/><BR/>29. Claire Danes. Both babes. Claire Danes can act.<BR/><BR/>30. Robert Altman's publicist, introducing me to Julie Christie, doing her cameo day on Nashville--such beauty I was speechless shaking her hand.<BR/>(The day, incidentally, Nixon left office as president.)<BR/><BR/>31. Was taken to Citizen Kane by a clever cousin at age 8, and the opening mysterious images made all the difference...who was doing that?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1167577131382847472006-12-31T06:58:00.000-08:002006-12-31T06:58:00.000-08:00(Afraid, you'll forgive me, I hope, but I'm afraid...(Afraid, you'll forgive me, I hope, but I'm <I>afraid</I> we do care, so I took the liberty of copying them from your site and posting them here. Happy new year! Dennis)<BR/><BR/>The title of this post is the title of Dennis Cozzalio's latest cinema quiz, which I have decided to attempt to answer. In the past I've only been able to answer about half the questions he sets, but this time I felt like I get something of some substance down. It's taken me ages, by the way - three or four half-hour sessions.<BR/><BR/>1) What was the last movie you saw, either in a theater or on DVD, and why?<BR/><I>The Queen</I>. I went to see it because: I had read good reviews of it by nearly every critic I track; Helen Mirren stars in it, and her work is always interesting; Stephen Frears directed it, a man who rarely (if ever) makes a film you walk away from disappointed; its subject matter was something that interested me, both inherently and in how it would be tackled by filmmakers; and it was showing a short 1-minute walk up the road from me, at a cinema for which I have a discount card. Most of all, I went to see it because I can think of no better way to spend a couple of hours than in a darkened room experiencing the flicker of light on a screen and its accompanying sound, that thing which moves and impresses me most (i. e. because I love movies).<BR/><BR/>2) Name the cinematographer whose work you most look forward to seeing, and an example of one of his/her finest achievements.<BR/>I have to go with two here. One is Rodrigo Prieto, Alejandro González Iñárritu's (<I>Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel</I>) regular collaborator, who has also done excellent work for many other directors. I was particularly impressed with his efforts on <I>Frida</I>, which is an otherwise mediocre film. Two is Janusz Kaminski, who has worked on all of Steven Spielberg's films since <I>Schindler's List</I>. His work on <I>War of the Worlds</I> (which I maintain is sorely underrated) was stellar.<BR/><BR/>3) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson?<BR/>Never heard of them before now. Presumably they are linked here by the fact that they played the same character in <I>Walking Tall</I> films, of which I have only seen the remake starring Dwayne Johnson. Baker was in <I>Mars Attacks!</I>, Svenson was in <I>Kill Bill</I>; I'll go with Svenson.<BR/><BR/>4) Name a moment from a movie that made you gasp (in horror, surprise, revelation…)<BR/>The final shot of <I>Hana-bi</I> (Fireworks), Takeshi Kitano's masterpiece. It's just a girl's face, but in the context in which it's presented, it ought to floor any viewer.<BR/><BR/>5) Your favorite movie about the movies.<BR/><I>Adaptation</I>. No contest.<BR/><BR/>6) Your Favorite Fritz Lang movie.<BR/>Unfortunately I have only seen two. <I>Metropolis</I> was interesting, but only in an 'amazing, groundbreaking for its time' way. <I>M</I>, on the other hand, still holds up as an all-round superb film. It also gets points for launching the career of Peter Lorre, that familiar mischievous, sometimes nasty face that pops up in many films of the 30s and 40s.<BR/><BR/>7) Describe the first time you ever recognized yourself in a movie.<BR/>I related very strongly to <I>Donnie Darko</I> as a sullen, introspective teen. To be honest, the less said about that the better; while I still like the film and what it's about, I'm quite happy that those days of furious diary-scribbling and searching for significance are behind me.<BR/><BR/>8) Carole Bouquet or Angela Molina?<BR/>I have to go with Molina because she was in <I>Carne trémula (Live Flesh)</I>, but to the best of my knowledge, I haven't seen any films starring Bouquet. I've no idea what the link between these two is.<BR/><BR/>9) Name a movie that redeems the notion of nostalgia as something more than a bankable commodity.<BR/>Man, I'm not even sure if I understand what that means. If it's a film that makes you look back on a time in your life wistful, romantic longing, then my answer would be <I>Clueless</I>. I watched that movie about ten times in the week we had it out from the video store when I was thirteen, and those were glorious days of much time and little responsibility. I guess that means it's nostalgic for me by association, but that's all right. I still love that film, by the way. I may even love it more now that I'm older.<BR/><BR/>10) Favorite appearance by an athlete in an acting role.<BR/>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in <I>Airplane!</I> "Listen, kid. I've been hearing that crap ever since I was at UCLA. I'm out there busting my buns every night. Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes."<BR/><BR/>11) Favorite Hal Ashby movie.<BR/><I>The Last Detail</I>, closely followed by <I>Being There</I>. What the hell went wrong with him at the start of the 80s?<BR/><BR/>12) Name the first double feature you’d program for opening night of your own revival theater.<BR/><I>Before Sunrise</I> followed by <I>Before Sunset</I>. I never got the chance to see them in the cinema, so I'd be more excited than anyone.<BR/><BR/>13) What’s the name of your revival theater?<BR/>B's Fish 'n' Chip 'n' Movie Emporium. We'd sell fish and chips as well.<BR/><BR/>14) Humphrey Bogart or Elliot Gould?<BR/>Bogart's face is one of the most iconic images ever projected on movie screens. He may never have been a truly great actor, but he knew his limitations, and he stayed steadfastly within them, giving every director exactly what they paid for. His career encompassed as many great films as probably any actor who has ever lived. That said, if Gould had never got into acting, we wouldn't have had Geraldine Chaplin excitedly saying "Look, it's Elliott Gould!" in one of <I>Nashville</I>'s most obviously magnificent scenes. So I'm going with Gould.<BR/><BR/>15) Favorite Robert Stevenson movie.<BR/>I very much liked <I>The Absent Minded Professor</I>, perhaps partly because my father always took every opportunity to expound upon its delights. Looking over his credits on IMDb, I've come across one of the greatest titles ever: <I>The Man Who Changed His Mind</I>. I'll have to try and track it down, even though it's probably trash.<BR/><BR/>16) Describe your favorite moment in a movie that is memorable because of its use of sound.<BR/>Can it be absence of sound? In <I>2001: A Space Odyssey</I>, when HAL opens Frank's suit to a vacuum - the flash-zoom into Hal's eye, Frank spinning out of control... never fails to give me the chills. If I can't have that, I'll take the scene about ten minutes later in which the hibernation machines go down.<BR/><BR/>17) <I>Pink Flamingoes</I>-- yes or no?<BR/>Don't know. Never seen it, no desire to do so.<BR/><BR/>18) Your favorite movie soundtrack score.<BR/>I've talked about this often: Michael Nyman & Damon Albarn's score for <I>Ravenous</I>. It is the only film score I know of that both enhances the quality of the film itself immeasurably (such that the film would probably not be good without it) AND exists has a separately enjoyable listening experience.<BR/><BR/>19) Fay Wray or Naomi Watts?<BR/>Or, 'Boring overacter, clearly a product of her time, or nuanced, enduring performer'? Watts, then.<BR/><BR/>20) Is there a movie that would make you question the judgment and/or taste of a film critic, blogger or friend if you found out they were an advocate of it?<BR/>Yes. It is called <I>Baise-moi</I>. It is, to quote one of the times Peter Calder got it absolutely right, 'utterly devoid of artistic merit'. It is a waste of your or anybody's time.<BR/><BR/>21) Pick a new category for the Oscars and its first deserving winner.<BR/>Best Use of Non-Original Music. I'm always torn between original scores or non-original music for what is best in films; I think I've decided it should be taken on a case-by-case basis. <I>Ravenous</I>, as mentioned earlier, would've been weaker without its score. So would pretty much any grand epic. However, people like Tarantino and Sofia Coppola (with the help of her adviser Brian Reitzell) have figured out how to use non-original music to excellent effect in their films. I'm not sure who would receive such an award; I suppose anybody receiving credit as 'Music Supervisor' for a film would be eligible, or failing that, the director. The first recipient would be Reitzell for <I>Marie Antoinette</I>. But why am I even discussing this? I hate the Oscars.<BR/><BR/>22) Favorite Paul Verhoeven movie.<BR/>I haven't seen any of his work in Dutch, which I feel I should rectify. At this stage, <I>Total Recall</I> is my favourite of his films. I watched it again recently and it's still just as kick-arse as it was when I was 14 - not as good or groundbreaking as <I>Terminator 2: Judgment Day</I>, but possibly more fun. It also has a hysterical audio commentary on the special edition DVD, as the Austrian Oak interrupts every one of Verhoeven's insightful spiels to explain, in his own inimitable fashion, just what is happening in this scene.<BR/><BR/>23) What is it that you think movies do better than any other art form?<BR/>Combine sound and pictures to create something unique. All my favourite directors are acutely aware of how their films both look and sound, and how the two senses can heighten each other. Truly, the best thing that ever happened to cinema was the innovation of synchronous sound.<BR/><BR/>24) Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney?<BR/>Finney, for his part in <I>Miller's Crossing</I>.<BR/><BR/>25) Favorite movie studio logo, as it appears before a theatrical feature.<BR/>Does Focus Features count? I don't know, there's something about that fuzziness and the two accompanying chords that feels incredibly reassuring to me - perhaps because I first saw it before <I>Lost In Translation</I> and <I>Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind</I>.<BR/><BR/>26) Name the single most important book about the movies for you personally.<BR/>The BFI's <I>The Cinema Book</I> - an invaluable reference.<BR/><BR/>27) Name the movie that features the best twist ending. (Please note the use of any “spoilers” in your answer.)<BR/><I>Fallen</I> - not necessarily the best, but the first one that made me say, "Wow. Awesome."<BR/><BR/>28) Favorite Francois Truffaut movie.<BR/>I have only seen <I>Les quatres cents coups (The 400 Blows)</I>, which I could see being my favourite no matter how many of his films I see.<BR/><BR/>29) Olivia Hussey or Claire Danes?<BR/>I don't think Danes is a very good actor, but I saw her once on Letterman and she seemed pretty cool, so she gets my vote.<BR/><BR/>30) Your most memorable celebrity encounter.<BR/>Japanese pop idol Makoto Ogawa.<BR/><BR/>31) When did you first realize that films were directed?<BR/>Watching <I>2001: A Space Odyssey</I> aged 12, probably. The world of the film wasn't just happening; somebody had decided everything would look and feel and move that way. I credit that experience with starting my passion for film. It, and all of Kubrick's work, have remained the yardstick by which I judge movie experiences.Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1167526190517492182006-12-30T16:49:00.000-08:002006-12-30T16:49:00.000-08:00My answers are here, if anybody cares.My answers are <A HREF="http://jdanspsawyksui.blogspot.com/2006/12/professor-dave-jennings-milton-free.html" REL="nofollow">here</A>, if anybody cares.afraidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895319052865627617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1167420175951180822006-12-29T11:22:00.000-08:002006-12-29T11:22:00.000-08:00So that I don't take up more space than I have to,...So that I don't take up more space than I have to, here's a link to my own film blog where you will find my my answers to this quiz:<BR/><BR/><BR/>http://damianarlyn.blogspot.com/2006/12/interesting-movie-quiz.htmlDamian Arlynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07937513879456460221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1167399822205420152006-12-29T05:43:00.000-08:002006-12-29T05:43:00.000-08:001) What was the last movie you saw, either in a th...1) What was the last movie you saw, either in a theater or on DVD, and why?<BR/>In the theater - <B>The Departed</B>, which of course is now deservedly on many Top 10 lists for '06. And although it's a great time at the movies, I was disappointed to realize later that it didn't resonate much above its purely visceral charms, of which there are many.<BR/><BR/>On DVD - <B>Saw II</B>. Inferior to <B>Saw</B> and completely depleted any interest I may have had in watching <B>III</B>. In sequel terms, that's known as a Big Stupid Failure.<BR/><BR/><BR/>2) Name the cinematographer whose work you most look forward to seeing, and an example of one of his/her finest achievements.<BR/>Roger Deakins and the desperate, lonely, whiteout world he creates in <B>Fargo</B>.<BR/><BR/><BR/>3) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson?<BR/>I'll go with Joe Don Baker - he just seems a bit more capable of bringing the crazy.<BR/><BR/><BR/>4) Name a moment from a movie that made you gasp (in horror, surprise, revelation)<BR/>Richard Dysart suddenly getting his hands chewed off at the wrists while applying the defibrillator paddles in <B>The Thing</B>.<BR/><BR/><BR/>5) Your favorite movie about the movies.<BR/>It may not be my favorite because so many others have followed it, but I remember being incredibly impressed by <B>Hooper</B> upon seeing it originally - and spending at least a year convinced that I'd be a stuntman someday.<BR/><BR/><BR/>6) Your Favorite Fritz Lang movie.<BR/>I will wretchedly admit here that I don't remember ever sitting through an entire Fritz Lang movie.<BR/><BR/><BR/>7) Describe the first time you ever recognized yourself in a movie.<BR/>This is an odd choice, because my instinct is to answer with the character of a child in a movie - that I recognized myself very early on or something. But instead I want to say Ted Striker from <B>Airplane!</B>, because I always aspired to be the reluctant hero, the guy who no one believed could come in and overcome obstacles and save the day.<BR/><BR/>Of course, I also wanted to be the funniest guy in the room.<BR/><BR/><BR/>8) Carole Bouquet or Angela Molina?<BR/>Sorry; see #6 above.<BR/><BR/><BR/>9) Name a movie that redeems the notion of nostalgia as something more than a bankable commodity.<BR/>I think that the only true answers to this question play both sides of the coin. Nostalgia only feels genuine when it's not presented as a commodity, but if a filmmaker utilizes it as a narrative device - in order to make you <I>feel</I> something in the movie, doesn't that automatically make it into a commodity? <BR/><BR/>That having been said, I'll go with <B>Toy Story</B>, just for the idea that all of those recognizable toys from my youth had inner lives and dreams and fears.<BR/><BR/><BR/>10) Favorite appearance by an athlete in an acting role.<BR/>Zero hesitation here: Andre the Giant in <B>Princess Bride</B>. "Anybody want a peanut?"<BR/><BR/><BR/>11) Favorite Hal Ashby movie.<BR/><B>Harold and Maude</B><BR/><BR/><BR/>12) Name the first double feature you’d program for opening night of your own revival theater.<BR/><B>A Clockwork Orange</B> and <B>Back to the Future</B> - you know, a little something for everyone.<BR/><BR/><BR/>13) What’s the name of your revival theater?<BR/>"Fliques"<BR/><BR/><BR/>14) Humphrey Bogart or Elliot Gould?<BR/>Bogart<BR/><BR/><BR/>15) Favorite Robert Stevenson movie.<BR/><B>The Absent Minded Professor</B><BR/><BR/><BR/>16) Describe your favorite moment in a movie that is memorable because of its use of sound.<BR/>As a precursor to the first McClane vs. terrorist fight in <B>Die Hard</B>, McClane has just watched the firetrucks that he summoned to Nakatomi Plaza turn around and leave. He's feeling angry and frustrated when the elevator arrives at his floor.<BR/><BR/>It's a simple, otherwise innocuous sound; we hear it every day: *ding!* But in this case it means that someone knows he's there and is coming to kill him. <BR/><BR/><BR/>17) Pink Flamingoes-- yes or no?<BR/>I'll say "no".<BR/><BR/><BR/>18) Your favorite movie soundtrack score.<BR/>It may be the obvious choice, but I'd be dishonest to say anything other than <B>Raiders of the Lost Ark</B>. It truly was among the earliest soundtracks that I'd listen to in its entirety as opposed to merely the iconic bits. And I used to use it to get my blood bubbling en route to take exams in college.<BR/><BR/><BR/>19) Fay Wray or Naomi Watts?<BR/>I never saw the updated <B>Kong</B>, so I can't compare them on that basis. Come to think of it, I'm having hard time remembering a single movie with Watts that I've watched all the way through, so I'll go with Wray. Kid had a set of screamin' pipes on her, that's for sure.<BR/><BR/><BR/>20) Is there a movie that would make you question the judgment and/or taste of a film critic, blogger or friend if you found out they were an advocate of it?<BR/><B>Armageddon</B>.<BR/><BR/><BR/>21) Pick a new category for the Oscars and its first deserving winner.<BR/>"The Career Implosion Award After Winning an Oscar" and it would be a tie between Gwyneth Paltrow and Halle Berry.<BR/><BR/><BR/>22) Favorite Paul Verhoeven movie.<BR/><B>Robocop</B> is the first of his I ever saw, and the one that has lasted in my memory as being equal parts cool, smart, subversive, sickening and even emotional.<BR/><BR/><BR/>23) What is it that you think movies do better than any other art form?<BR/>Put you into the shoes of someone you might never have identified with in a way that sticks with you long after the lights have come up.<BR/><BR/><BR/>24) Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney?<BR/>Finney<BR/><BR/><BR/>25) Favorite movie studio logo, as it appears before a theatrical feature.<BR/>There is absolutely something about the 20th Century Fox logo that I find thrilling and transporting. The building music, the sweeping, swooping move of the camera - it all tells me that I'm in for a good time.<BR/><BR/><BR/>26) Name the single most important book about the movies for you personally.<BR/>William Goldman's <I>Adventures in the Screen Trade</I>, which I read in college as a not-quite-decided aspiring screenwriter. I may have started packing the car for California the day after I finished it.<BR/><BR/><BR/>27) Name the movie that features the best twist ending. (Please note the use of any "spoilers" in your answer.)<BR/><B>The Usual Suspects</B>, although not as much for the revelation of the <I>who</I> (because really, throughout the movie the who has to be the least obvious person, which automatically makes its revelation the only choice), as it is the <I>how</I> - and the realization that we as the audience - *spoiler* cannot depend on anything that we've been told previously. It's not only a great twist, but a great twist of storytelling conventions.<BR/><BR/><BR/>28) Favorite Francois Truffaut movie.<BR/>I'll go with the #6 defense again. C'mon - I'm a lowbrow guy, whaddya want from me?<BR/><BR/><BR/>29) Olivia Hussey or Claire Danes?<BR/>To be honest, I'm not a big fan of either.<BR/><BR/><BR/>30) Your most memorable celebrity encounter.<BR/>When I was in Hollywood, I found myself in situations in which it was "cool" or "acceptable" or "not actionable" to speak freely with a celebrity only once or twice.<BR/><BR/>So instead I'll relate two instances in which I - wisely, I'd add - decided that it was NOT cool to do so.<BR/><BR/>I once was finishing a particularly energetic, if not quite convincing, set of repetitions on a weight machine in the fine Warner Bros. gym. I stood and toweled off the machine to see that the guy waiting to use it next was an <B>Unforgiven</B>-era Clint Eastwood. "Thanks," he said, in a voice I'd heard a thousand times in flickering celluloid on the big screen - friendly, but with a twinge of (most likely imagined by me) threat. I responded with a "Sure" and a sheepish, needlessly embarrassed smile.<BR/><BR/>Following a premiere screening of the made-for-HBO movie <B>Truman</B>, I squeezed through the crowd to get to the men's room where I stood at a line of urinals. I suddenly found myself standing in between the movie's lead actor Gary Sinise on my left and Tom Hanks on my right - and they continued to chat with each other over and around me as we all completed our tasks. I stood silently, eyes plastered on the tile in front of me, marveling inside my head as to the surreal nature of Hollywood.<BR/><BR/><BR/>31) When did you first realize that films were directed?<BR/>As a kid of maybe 8 or so, I owned this book that was all about home remedies for recreating monster make-up effects from the movies, and it included a section detailing the brain-inside-the-skull effect from <B>Young Frankenstein</B>. I hadn't even seen the movie - and wouldn't have the chance for years - yet I was amazed and thrilled by the idea that such an effect could be created behind the scenes.Burbankedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14060477901077195090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1167299312391172392006-12-28T01:48:00.000-08:002006-12-28T01:48:00.000-08:0020) Is there a movie that would make you question ...20) Is there a movie that would make you question the judgment and/or taste of a film critic, blogger or friend if you found out they were an advocate of it?<BR/><BR/>no.Anthonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07196770365237279809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1167297926030011672006-12-28T01:25:00.000-08:002006-12-28T01:25:00.000-08:001) What was the last movie you saw, either in a th...1) What was the last movie you saw, either in a theater or on DVD, and why?<BR/>Wicker Man, the remake, b/c I wanted to see if it was as awful as i thought it was--cryptic, with mild horror, and mostly dull, the orginal seemed to be a v. time and place thing, which is a shame, b/c the central message seems to be one of lebutes main wrestling venues, not quite gender, but what happens when men and women start realising they hate each other, what happens with power when the sexes have been found out (though the scene thru the woods, on the first chase, at night, looks oddly like a kinkade w. the lights turned out, which i find really funny) (and molly parker is really sexy in it)<BR/><BR/>2) Name the cinematographer whose work you most look forward to seeing, and an example of one of his/her finest achievements.<BR/>Tobias A. Schliessler, Friday Night Lights and Dream Girls, w. FNL, the scenes in between, of small towns, and the usual robert frank aesthetics, are made grainy, without that grainess being used to symbolize much at all, those scenes were so well shot, and slowed down the movie, into a gorgeous, syrupy utopia...i havent seen dream girls, but i can imagine he can do equal things there. <BR/><BR/>3) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson?<BR/>Bo Svenson, aside from doing a fantastic, grizzled frontier work on kill bill, he has this great white trash aesthetic, including television work.<BR/><BR/>4) Name a moment from a movie that made you gasp (in horror, surprise, revelation…)<BR/>Bambi's dad being shot. <BR/><BR/>5) Your favorite movie about the movies.<BR/>Sunset Bvld, The Player, Bamboozled (though thats really television), i like the angry and deseprate better than the love songs<BR/><BR/>6) Your Favorite Fritz Lang movie.<BR/>Lets Divide this into two:<BR/>German M (nothing creepier, more effective, more elegant in its evil than peter lorre here)<BR/>American Rancho Notorious, cause it reminds me of Johnny Guitar<BR/><BR/>7) Describe the first time you ever recognized yourself in a movie.<BR/>this awful little gay love story, from the UK, cheap and sort of melodramatic, with really cheesy musical cues, called Beautiful Thing, embarassingly enough.<BR/><BR/>8) Carole Bouquet or Angela Molina?<BR/>i dont know enough<BR/><BR/>9) Name a movie that redeems the notion of nostalgia as something more than a bankable commodity.<BR/>im stuck on this one, but the first that came to mind was steel magnolias, because it seemed genuine and honest about life in the rural south, among women, and the pace, and the refusal to be anything but entertainment, seemed not to have any agenda but documenting that, it seems then, not to be current, but looking backwards (another answer--the best little whorehouse in texas, where easy and ready sex is cast as good clean fun, and that progress is attached to morality, is a sort of backwards lesson, but i like how sex for money is what is viewed w. rose coloured glasses, and intereference with that is viewed as problematic progress)<BR/><BR/>10) Favorite appearance by an athlete in an acting role.<BR/>Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan the Barbarian<BR/><BR/>11) Favorite Hal Ashby movie.<BR/>Harold and Maude, because Ruth Connor had an amazing run in the 70s, after a long and complicated life, becaue it was erotic and tender, difficult and lovely, with morbid humour, well written, and decently shot...a cult classic that should be moved straight into the canon<BR/><BR/>12) Name the first double feature you’d program for opening night of your own revival theater.<BR/><BR/>Pink Narcissus, Wild is the Wind (set decoration as political subtext)<BR/><BR/>13) What’s the name of your revival theater?<BR/>The Holy Neville<BR/><BR/>14) Humphrey Bogart or Elliot Gould?<BR/>Elliot Gould, because he has this laid back sunbaked charm, and a hard new york edge; because he managed land half a dozen movies that worked as films and as satires, because he didnt look like he was working hard, and because he managed to be interesting, and basically good..i think i could live without bogart (i would have a problem w/o maltese and key largo) but i cannot imagine living without teh night they raided minskys, m*a*s*h, california split, bob and ted and carol and alice, or the two muppet movies, <BR/>he also has a sense of humour about himself, and his reputation, the v. funny, and v. hollywood deconstructions found in oceans 11 and oceans 12 are the only thing accessible in those monuments to inside baseball)<BR/><BR/>15) Favorite Robert Stevenson movie.<BR/>Mainstay of my childhood, and i think one of the first people who taught me about how to intergrate a huge variety of media into one text (including the under the sea set peice of bedknobs, and the dick van dyke penguin dance by marry poppins---i love some of the amazing music in marry poppins, and remember wondering fondly how they did the tea party scene, and i found myself comforted by the precise, and slightly sinister performances by both lansberry and andrews...i didnt like slapstick much as a kid, but loved the steampunk appliances that made flubber, i remember three generations of my family (granddad, mom, and i) weeping at the end of old yeller, the only time i saw my grandfather cry),forbidden planet was the first science fiction film i ever saw, and though it was not my introduction into space opera, i think ti was amongst the first times that i operationalised the other, fuck, i even watched the shaggy da on sundays thanks to the wonderful world of disney...i cannot choose<BR/><BR/>16) Describe your favorite moment in a movie that is memorable because of its use of sound.<BR/>Pyscho. I know its obvious, but come on, the shower scene soundtrack...scared the shit out of me, and synthesised 20th centuries history of discordance as a symbol of trauma, like the Black Angels Death Song by Crumb, but pop<BR/><BR/>17) Pink Flamingoes-- yes or no?<BR/>fuck yeah<BR/><BR/>18) Your favorite movie soundtrack score.<BR/>is it cheating to use a musical---Cabaret, if it is, then perhaps Badlands by Malick, for how low/broken the soundtrack matched the low/broken people and the low/broken landscape, the short idyll in the swamp, with the domesticity proteccted by cotton woods, the sounds of birds, nature, crickets, etc, as well as love is strange, makign the whole thing sound so ordinary, the least strange thing being love is strange, is one of those deep lingusitic ironies that is pure malick <BR/><BR/>19) Fay Wray or Naomi Watts?<BR/>Fay Wray, looked like she really wanted to fuck that monkey, Watts just looked like she wanted to fuck herself...<BR/><BR/>20) Is there a movie that would make you question the judgment and/or taste of a film critic, blogger or friend if you found out they were an advocate of it?<BR/><BR/>21) Pick a new category for the Oscars and its first deserving winner.<BR/>Best Porn Film, or even merge AVN with the academy. (Pirates or the new Michael Lucas remake of Caligula)<BR/><BR/>22) Favorite Paul Verhoeven movie.<BR/>everyones favourite pop refiensthal, starship troopers<BR/><BR/>23) What is it that you think movies do better than any other art form?<BR/>Spectacle. <BR/><BR/>24) Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney?<BR/>Finney is doing more interesting work, longer, from Tom Jones to Erin Brokovich<BR/><BR/>25) Favorite movie studio logo, as it appears before a theatrical feature.<BR/>MGM, i love the lion (and of course, the implications of body image as found in the columbia model)<BR/><BR/>26) Name the single most important book about the movies for you personally.<BR/>Waters Shock Value gave me permission to like movies for their own sake, and Thomsons New Biographical....allowed me to be eccentric, even in a form that was encylopedic. <BR/><BR/>27) Name the movie that features the best twist ending. (Please note the use of any “spoilers” in your answer.)<BR/>Snake Eyes by De Palma, not for its twist endings, but for its twist beginning, middle and end, and for eventually jettisioning any attempt at normal narrative spin<BR/><BR/>28) Favorite Francois Truffaut movie.<BR/>400 Blow, for all the usual reasons<BR/><BR/>29) Olivia Hussey or Claire Danes?<BR/>Claire Danes. <BR/><BR/>30) Your most memorable celebrity encounter.<BR/>Jake Gyllenhall, Yorkville, Toronto Film Week (he's dreaaaaaaamy)<BR/><BR/>31) When did you first realize that films were directed?<BR/>Oddly enogh, i think that the disney animated films did it, because they were so singualr in their viusal style, and the clues for what to look like, apperead like a string...Anthonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07196770365237279809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1166856818934806372006-12-22T22:53:00.000-08:002006-12-22T22:53:00.000-08:001) What was the last movie you saw, either in a th...1) What was the last movie you saw, either in a theater or on DVD, and why?<BR/><BR/>Dead Man, on DVD, for the third time in the last couple weeks. I may be becoming obsessed with it.<BR/><BR/>2) Name the cinematographer whose work you most look forward to seeing, and an example of one of his/her finest achievements.<BR/><BR/>Christopher Doyle, Last Life In The Universe, to be a little less obvious.<BR/><BR/>3) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson?<BR/><BR/>Joe Don.<BR/><BR/>4) Name a moment from a movie that made you gasp (in horror, surprise, revelation…)<BR/><BR/>The hand shooting out of the grave at the end of Carrie.<BR/><BR/>5) Your favorite movie about the movies.<BR/><BR/>8 1/2.<BR/><BR/>6) Your Favorite Fritz Lang movie.<BR/><BR/>M.<BR/><BR/>7) Describe the first time you ever recognized yourself in a movie.<BR/><BR/>ET: The Extra-Terrerstrial (I was Eliot, not the alien).<BR/><BR/>8) Carole Bouquet or Angela Molina?<BR/><BR/>Bouquet. Haven't seen the Bunuel, but I have seen For Your Eyes Only. <BR/><BR/>9) Name a movie that redeems the notion of nostalgia as something more than a bankable commodity.<BR/><BR/>Grand Illusion.<BR/><BR/>10) Favorite appearance by an athlete in an acting role.<BR/><BR/>Kareen Abdul-Jabbar in Airplane!<BR/><BR/>11) Favorite Hal Ashby movie.<BR/><BR/>Being There., I guess. I like his movies, but can't say I love any of them.<BR/><BR/>12) Name the first double feature you’d program for opening night of your own revival theater.<BR/><BR/>Millenium Mambo and Week End.<BR/><BR/>13) What’s the name of your revival theater?<BR/><BR/>The End Of Cinema, naturally.<BR/><BR/>14) Humphrey Bogart or Elliot Gould?<BR/><BR/>Bogart.<BR/><BR/>15) Favorite Robert Stevenson movie.<BR/><BR/>Darby O'Gill And The Little People. Terrifying, and not just Sean Connery's singing.<BR/><BR/>16) Describe your favorite moment in a movie that is memorable because of its use of sound.<BR/><BR/>The restaurant scene in Playtime, when cacophany becomes music.<BR/><BR/>17) Pink Flamingoes-- yes or no?<BR/><BR/>No.<BR/><BR/>18) Your favorite movie soundtrack score.<BR/><BR/>The Mission, by Ennio Morricone.<BR/><BR/>19) Fay Wray or Naomi Watts?<BR/><BR/>Naomi Watts, without a doubt.<BR/><BR/>20) Is there a movie that would make you question the judgment and/or taste of a film critic, blogger or friend if you found out they were an advocate of it?<BR/><BR/>Yes, there is.<BR/><BR/>21) Pick a new category for the Oscars and its first deserving winner.<BR/><BR/>Best First Feature Film, Charles Tait, The Story Of The Kelly Gang, for the 1906 Oscars.<BR/><BR/>22) Favorite Paul Verhoeven movie.<BR/><BR/>Starship Troopers.<BR/><BR/>23) What is it that you think movies do better than any other art form?<BR/><BR/>Everything: no other medium can be so all-enocompassing and function of so many levels.<BR/><BR/>24) Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney?<BR/><BR/>Finney. Neither of those Christie movies are particularly great, but Miller's Crossing is.<BR/><BR/>25) Favorite movie studio logo, as it appears before a theatrical feature.<BR/><BR/>The old RKO logo with the radio tower dwarfing the Earth itself.<BR/><BR/>26) Name the single most important book about the movies for you personally.<BR/><BR/>The Films Of My Life by Francois Truffaut. My introduction to serious thought about film.<BR/><BR/>27) Name the movie that features the best twist ending. (Please note the use of any “spoilers” in your answer.)<BR/><BR/>Casablanca.<BR/><BR/>28) Favorite Francois Truffaut movie.<BR/><BR/>Shoot The Piano Player.<BR/><BR/>29) Olivia Hussey or Claire Danes?<BR/><BR/>Claire Danes.<BR/><BR/>30) Your most memorable celebrity encounter.<BR/><BR/>I yelled at Bill Gates's entire family as they were waiting for a movie and blocking the entrance to my theatre. Gates chuckled at me.<BR/><BR/>31) When did you first realize that films were directed?<BR/><BR/>I have no idea. I can't remember not knowing who Steven Spielberg was and that he was responsible for films.Sean Gilmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16124894627028920508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1166842791309523772006-12-22T18:59:00.000-08:002006-12-22T18:59:00.000-08:001) What was the last movie you saw, either in a th...1) What was the last movie you saw, either in a theater or on DVD, and why?<BR/><BR/><BR/>“Whoever Says the Truth Shall Die” on DVD because it was sent to me to review.<BR/><BR/>2) Name the cinematographer whose work you most look forward to seeing, and an example of one of his/her finest achievements.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Though I appreciate the contributions cinematographers make, I find it difficult to single out a favorite cinematographer the way I can a favorite director or writer or actor. I have enjoyed many of the films Robby Muller has worked on, and I think he did his best work on “Dead Man.”<BR/><BR/>3) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson?<BR/><BR/>Joe Don Baker.<BR/><BR/>4) Name a moment from a movie that made you gasp (in horror, surprise, revelation…)<BR/><BR/><BR/>When the hepped-up yokel in “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot” opens the trunk full of rabbits. A true surprise, and one of the funniest scenes I have ever watched. <BR/><BR/>5) Your favorite movie about the movies.<BR/><BR/>Instead of picking my favorite, I’ll give a nod to a very good one only recently made available: Symbiopsychotaxiplasm just released this month by Criterion.<BR/><BR/>6) Your Favorite Fritz Lang movie.<BR/><BR/>Die Nibelungen and M. I will not choose between the two.<BR/><BR/>7) Describe the first time you ever recognized yourself in a movie.<BR/><BR/>Well, I was in a couple of short student films. I recognized myself pretty quickly.<BR/><BR/>8) Carole Bouquet or Angela Molina?<BR/><BR/>Never heard of the first, sort of know who the second is. So I'll go with her.<BR/><BR/>9) Name a movie that redeems the notion of nostalgia as something more than a bankable commodity.<BR/><BR/>Rocky.<BR/><BR/>10) Favorite appearance by an athlete in an acting role.<BR/><BR/>Wrestlers make great actors. I’ll go with Roddy Piper in “They Live.”<BR/><BR/>So do body-builder. I really like Jouko Ahola's performance in "Invincible" (Herzog's, not the 2006 one).<BR/><BR/>11) Favorite Hal Ashby movie.<BR/><BR/>Can’t think of one that I think is particularly good. “Being There” is the least uninteresting.<BR/><BR/>12) Name the first double feature you’d program for opening night of your own revival theater.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Barry Lyndon and Pink Flamingos. Two masterpieces at the opposite ends of the creative spectrum. I want to meet people who appreciate them both, and have them come back to my theater as often as possible. They will be the future of cinephilia.<BR/><BR/>13) What’s the name of your revival theater?<BR/><BR/>“Can’t Stop the Dancing Chicken.” No, I guess I couldn’t get away with that. Anything short and sweet that is marketable. The theater name isn’t something to get creative about, just be functional.<BR/><BR/>14) Humphrey Bogart or Elliot Gould?<BR/><BR/>Bogart, but I do love Gould in California Split and The Long Goodbye. Then again, I don’t really care for him in anything else, and Bogey is still Bogey.<BR/><BR/>15) Favorite Robert Stevenson movie.<BR/><BR/>Pass.<BR/><BR/>16) Describe your favorite moment in a movie that is memorable because of its use of sound.<BR/><BR/>The conversation between Dave and HAL when HAL informs Dave that he can’t let him back in. The way Kubrick cuts from the noisy machines inside the pod to the ominous silence of outerspace is just about the finest example of sound editing I have ever witnessed.<BR/><BR/>17) Pink Flamingoes-- yes or no?<BR/><BR/>Uh… yeah! <BR/><BR/>18) Your favorite movie soundtrack score.<BR/><BR/>Dead Man.<BR/><BR/>19) Fay Wray or Naomi Watts?<BR/><BR/><BR/>Naomi Watts but obviously not because of King Kong.<BR/><BR/><BR/>20) Is there a movie that would make you question the judgment and/or taste of a film critic, blogger or friend if you found out they were an advocate of it?<BR/><BR/>American Beauty. Seriously, I cannot understand how any sentient being can mistake this smug atrocity for a good film. Then again, my favorite critic of all rates it as a good (but not great) film. So go figure.<BR/><BR/>21) Pick a new category for the Oscars and its first deserving winner.<BR/><BR/>I’d design a new retroactive category where voters can vote to remove any single past Oscar award. I would begin either by stripping American Beauty of its Best Picture award, or I would undo Opie’s Best Director nod just because it is absurd that Opie has a Best Director Oscar and Kubrick doesn’t.<BR/><BR/><BR/>22) Favorite Paul Verhoeven movie.<BR/><BR/>Total Recall, also Ahnold’s last good role. But I haven’t seen any of his Dutch films. <BR/><BR/>23) What is it that you think movies do better than any other art form?<BR/><BR/>Inspire me.<BR/><BR/>24) Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney?<BR/><BR/>Peter Ustinov. Just because Finney was so damned annoying in/as Tom Jones.<BR/><BR/>25) Favorite movie studio logo, as it appears before a theatrical feature.<BR/><BR/>Paramount.<BR/><BR/>26) Name the single most important book about the movies for you personally.<BR/><BR/>Movie Mutations. ed. by Adrian Martin and Jonathan Rosenbaum<BR/><BR/>27) Name the movie that features the best twist ending. (Please note the use of any “spoilers” in your answer.)<BR/><BR/>Twist endings are almost universally awful. I liked the one in Unbreakable though. It wasn’t too hard to see coming, but I just loved the delivery.<BR/><BR/>28) Favorite Francois Truffaut movie.<BR/><BR/>Shoot the Piano Player. No competition, no other Truffaut film even comes close.<BR/><BR/>29) Olivia Hussey or Claire Danes?<BR/><BR/>Olivia Hussey.<BR/><BR/>30) Your most memorable celebrity encounter.<BR/><BR/>I once took a piss next to Ricky Jay in the bathroom at the Egyptian Theater. No, I didn’t look over.<BR/><BR/>31) When did you first realize that films were directed?<BR/>(I cribbed this one from The House Next Door. Thanks, Matt! Great question!)<BR/><BR/>I guess with Taxi Driver, just because it’s the first film I remember going back to watch a second with the thought “Now how’d they do that?” The first time I fully embraced the concept of the auteur was probably “Last Year at Marienbad” which changed the way I view films forever.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1166827861139123152006-12-22T14:51:00.000-08:002006-12-22T14:51:00.000-08:00My dog ate my quiz, so that's why I'm late... 1) W...My dog ate my quiz, so that's why I'm late...<BR/><BR/><B> 1) What was the last movie you saw, either in a theater or on DVD, and why?</B> "Pan's Labyrinth" -- which also happens to be my favorite movie of 2006. I first saw it back in September at the Toronto Film Fest, then re-watched it on a DVD screener so I could review it.<BR/><BR/><B>2) Name the cinematographer whose work you most look forward to seeing, and an example of one of his/her finest achievements.</B> Too many to mention. From the way the question is worded, I'll assume you're asking for cinematographers who are still working. I'd sure like to see Haskell Wexler's name as DP on more movies ("Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," "Days of Heaven," "The Secret of Roan Inish," "Limbo"). And I'll see anything photographed by Michael Ballhaus (go look at his work with Fassbinder!) or Robby Muller. <BR/><BR/><B>3) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson?</B> I'd like to answer "Bo Hopkins," but that wasn't the question. I've never seen a "Walking Tall" movie (I'm more of a "Crawling Small" type, meself), so I have no real preference.<BR/><BR/><B>4) Name a moment from a movie that made you gasp (in horror, surprise, revelation…)</B> Recently: a shot from "Perfume" that begins with a man on a hill and ends with a redheaded woman on horseback whose hat blows off in the wind. <BR/><BR/><B>5) Your favorite movie about the movies.</B> It's a double-bill: Buster Keaton's "Sherlock Jr." with Wim Wenders' "Kings of the Road." (And "Ed Wood" at midnight.) Wenders' "The State of Things" could easily substitute for "Im Lauf der Zeit."<BR/><BR/><B>6) Your Favorite Fritz Lang movie.</B> Those mirror-image movies with Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett and Dan Duryea: "The Woman in the Window" and "Scarlet Street."<BR/><BR/><B>7) Describe the first time you ever recognized yourself in a movie.</B> Literally? It's in David Mamet's "House of Games." I play a student in Leila Kadrova's classroom. Way over at the right in the back of the classroom...<BR/><BR/><B>8) Carole Bouquet or Angela Molina?</B> Trick question! Both obscure objects of desire are the same woman!<BR/><BR/><B>9) Name a movie that redeems the notion of nostalgia as something more than a bankable commodity.</B> Ettore Scola's "We All Loved Each Other So Much," for its sentimental fondness of the Italian cinema of the '50s and '60s.<BR/><BR/><B>10) Favorite appearance by an athlete in an acting role.</B> Bruce Jenner, "Can't Stop the Music!" Or Kurt Thomas in "Gymkata."<BR/><BR/><B>11) Favorite Hal Ashby movie.</B> "Shampoo."<BR/><BR/><B>12) Name the first double feature you’d program for opening night of your own revival theater.</B> "Sherlock, Jr." and "Stop Making Sense." With "Duck Amuck" as the cartoon and "Un Chien Andalou" as the short.<BR/><BR/><B>13) What’s the name of your revival theater?</B> The CinePad.<BR/><BR/><B>14) Humphrey Bogart or Elliot Gould?</B> Oh, it can't be an either/or question, can it? We can't have "The Long Goodbye" without "The Big Sleep"... and, now, vice-versa.<BR/><BR/><B>15) Favorite Robert Stevenson movie.</B> "That Darn Cat!" Funniest thing I'd ever seen when I was seven years old.<BR/><BR/><B>16) Describe your favorite moment in a movie that is memorable because of its use of sound.</B> The sound of the Great Whatzit at the end of "Kiss Me Deadly."<BR/><BR/><B>17) Pink Flamingoes-- yes or no?</B> Unequivocally yes! "Someone has sent me a bowel movement!"<BR/><BR/><B>18) Your favorite movie soundtrack score.</B> Ennio Morricone's "Once Upon a Time in the West"; Bernard Herrmann's "North By Northwest"; Nino Rota's "La Dolce Vita."<BR/><BR/><B>19) Fay Wray or Naomi Watts?</B> Watts -- mostly for "Mulholland Dr."<BR/><BR/><B>20) Is there a movie that would make you question the judgment and/or taste of a film critic, blogger or friend if you found out they were an advocate of it?</B> Alan Parker's "Mississippi Burning" and/or Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers." Both pretend to be about something, but their ham-fisted stylistic approaches undermine any serious intentions and turn the movies into patronizing spectacles. <BR/><BR/><B>21) Pick a new category for the Oscars and its first deserving winner.</B> Best Opening Shot. 2005 Winner: David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence." 2006 Winner: Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth."<BR/><BR/><B>22) Favorite Paul Verhoeven movie.</B> Tie: "The Fourth Man"/"Starship Troopers."<BR/><BR/><B>23) What is it that you think movies do better than any other art form?</B> Create associations between images (with the addition of sounds and words and music...).<BR/><BR/><B>24) Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney?</B> Finney. "Under the Volcano" features one of the greatest movie performances. And then there's "Miller's Crossing"...<BR/><BR/><B>25) Favorite movie studio logo, as it appears before a theatrical feature.</B>The old b&w Universal logo with the model plane circling the globe.<BR/><BR/><B>26) Name the single most important book about the movies for you personally.</B>Two: Robin Wood's "Hitchcock's Films" -- and, later, Pauline Kael's "Reeling."<BR/><BR/><B>27) Name the movie that features the best twist ending. (Please note the use of any “spoilers” in your answer.)</B> "Fight Club" has one of the best, but I'm going to say Fritz Lang's "Woman in the Window." A lot of people hate the twist, but the movie does what <I>noir</I> does best, taking you into inexorably deeper and deeper into a nightmare until there's no way out.<BR/><BR/><B>28) Favorite Francois Truffaut movie.</B> "Jules and Jim." (But I also love "The Green Room," which many dismissed at the time it was made. It's reputation is deservedly growing.) <BR/><BR/><B>29) Olivia Hussey or Claire Danes?</B> Hussey! <BR/><BR/><B>30) Your most memorable celebrity encounter.</B> Lots. But I'll never forget playing air hockey with John Candy at his office (where he'd installed the bar from "Only the Lonely") one night.<BR/><BR/><B>31) When did you first realize that films were directed?</B> I wish I could remember. I do recall going to a double-bill at the Edgemont Theater in the waterside burgh of Edmonds, WA, when I was in my mid-teens and starting to watch the second feature, something called "The Long Goodbye," which had barely been released the year before. I remember seeing the name "Robert Altman" on the screen and turning to my friend to whisper: "I've read about this guy. He's supposed to be good...."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1166814136786128702006-12-22T11:02:00.000-08:002006-12-22T11:02:00.000-08:00To Weigard:Fancy meeting you here.Absolutely. Stop...To Weigard:<BR/><BR/><I>Fancy meeting you here.</I><BR/><BR/>Absolutely. Stop by DVD World on 9th street sometime and say "Hi."Damian Arlynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07937513879456460221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1166734054679262092006-12-21T12:47:00.000-08:002006-12-21T12:47:00.000-08:0015) Favorite Robert Stevenson movie.Let this be a ...<EM>15) Favorite Robert Stevenson movie.<BR/><BR/>Let this be a lesson-- a Film Studies degree from Pitt is worthless.</EM><BR/><BR/>Oi, Bandit! I have one of those!andyhorbalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11579148222763743531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1166733414802554952006-12-21T12:36:00.000-08:002006-12-21T12:36:00.000-08:00Even IMDB takes the spotlight away from the cinema...<EM>Even IMDB takes the spotlight away from the cinematographer by having their names buried way down the list instead of near the top.</EM><BR/><BR/>Betamax, I agree that this is an injustice.<BR/><BR/>Reading over the responses to this question I noticed two things:<BR/><BR/>1) Those who, like me, interpreted "look forward to seeing" as indicating an interest by Prof. Jennings in <EM>active</EM> cinematographers are in the minority. Because there's not actually anything in the question that explicitly <EM>does</EM> suggest that it's looking for active DPs.<BR/><BR/>2) I didn't offer an example of one of Mssr. Libatheque's finest achivements. I will rectify this now by submitting that his work on <EM>Tigerland</EM> (2000) almost entirely redeems that movie's flaws.andyhorbalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11579148222763743531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1166715709730869842006-12-21T07:41:00.000-08:002006-12-21T07:41:00.000-08:00I can't believe anyone's still reading these, but ...I can't believe anyone's still reading these, but I can't resist chiming in regardless.<BR/><BR/>1) What was the last movie you saw, either in a theater or on DVD, and why?<BR/><BR/> On DVD: The Wedding Party, because I’m trying to fill the lacunae in my De Palma viewing.<BR/><BR/>In the cinema: Stranger than Fiction, because I love meta with my fiction.<BR/><BR/>2) Name the cinematographer whose work you most look forward to seeing, and an example of one of his/her finest achievements.<BR/><BR/> Robert Yeoman; apart from his collaborations with Wes Anderson my favorite movie he photographed is CQ (actually three films in one) directed by Roman Coppola, Sophia’s more talented brother.<BR/><BR/>3) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson?<BR/><BR/> The Rock.<BR/><BR/>4) Name a moment from a movie that made you gasp (in horror, surprise, revelation…)<BR/><BR/> Children of Men, when someone is surprisingly killed in the first act.<BR/><BR/>5) Your favorite movie about the movies.<BR/><BR/> Haneke’s Cache, the best film about cinema since Rear Window.<BR/><BR/>6) Your Favorite Fritz Lang movie.<BR/><BR/> Cliched as it is, it has to be Metropolis.<BR/><BR/>7) Describe the first time you ever recognized yourself in a movie.<BR/><BR/> Johnny Depp in The Ninth Gate, when he was excitedly comparing variants between copies of the same book.<BR/><BR/>8) Carole Bouquet or Angela Molina?<BR/><BR/> Utter ignorance.<BR/><BR/>9) Name a movie that redeems the notion of nostalgia as something more than a bankable commodity.<BR/><BR/> Pixar’s Cars was refreshingly, even subversively nostalgic for gasoline-fuelled automobiles. Does that disqualify it? The movie itself was quite bankable as well…<BR/><BR/>10) Favorite appearance by an athlete in an acting role.<BR/><BR/> For its sheer novelty value, LA Laker Rick Fox’s short-lived acting career as a college recruiter in He Got Game.<BR/><BR/>11) Favorite Hal Ashby movie.<BR/><BR/> I like the films he edited for Norman Jewison — The Cincinnati Kid, The Russians Are Coming, In the Heat of the Night, The Thomas Crown Affair — more than his own movies.<BR/><BR/>12) Name the first double feature you’d program for opening night of your own revival theater.<BR/><BR/> If it’s a double feature it would have to feature doubles, so:<BR/><BR/>A Zed & Two Noughts / Dead Ringers<BR/>or<BR/>Mulholland Dr. / Femme Fatale<BR/><BR/>I would also have a Double-Double Feature on Saturday // Sunday, in which each double feature is its own unit, but the fourth film synchretizes the first three:<BR/><BR/>Vertigo / Obsession // Rear Window / Body Double<BR/><BR/>Psycho / Dressed to Kill // Tenebrae / Raising Cain<BR/><BR/>13) What’s the name of your revival theater?<BR/><BR/> The Cinecure. (groan!)<BR/><BR/>14) Humphrey Bogart or Elliot Gould?<BR/><BR/> Much as I like The Long Goodbye, Bogart delivered Chandler’s memorable lines definitively.<BR/><BR/>15) Favorite Robert Stevenson movie.<BR/><BR/> Mary Poppins, though I’ve always liked the idea that he directed Kidnapped just because it was a Robert (Louis) Stevenson novel!<BR/><BR/>16) Describe your favorite moment in a movie that is memorable because of its use of sound.<BR/><BR/> Blow Out is my favorite movie about sound, though I was recently impressed with the sound design of THX 1138.<BR/><BR/>17) Pink Flamingoes– yes or no?<BR/><BR/> Just not yet.<BR/><BR/>18) Your favorite movie soundtrack score.<BR/><BR/> Though A Fistful of Dollars has the best two minutes in the history of film music, the best score is Once Upon a Time in the West. More recently I thought Birth had a great score from Alexandre Desplat.<BR/><BR/>But if “soundtrack score” means a collection of non-original selections then I’d say it’s a tie between the first Austin Powers movie and Kill Bill Vol. 1.<BR/><BR/>19) Fay Wray or Naomi Watts?<BR/><BR/> Been in love with Naomi since Mulholland Dr. and The Ring.<BR/><BR/>20) Is there a movie that would make you question the judgment and/or taste of a film critic, blogger or friend if you found out they were an advocate of it?<BR/><BR/> Pleasantville is one of the few movies I despise; however I would love to see an attempt to make sense of this incoherent film.<BR/><BR/>21) Pick a new category for the Oscars and its first deserving winner.<BR/><BR/> Most Gratuitous Product-Placement-turned-Cameo-Appearence.<BR/><BR/>And the Oscar goes to: Virgin’s Richard Branson (for Superman Returns and Casino Royale)<BR/><BR/>22) Favorite Paul Verhoeven movie.<BR/><BR/> Starship Troopers, though I like Basic Instinct as a “remake” of Vertigo.<BR/><BR/>23) What is it that you think movies do better than any other art form?<BR/><BR/> Manipulation, in the sense of controling the viewer’s experience. In theater, everyone sees the action from a (literally) different perspective, but in film everyone sees the same thing and cannot see anything outside the frame or before and after the cut.<BR/><BR/>For the viewer, it means that in fiction you’re able to identify with practically any type of character, but in documentaries it means you cannot trust anything you see because there is always a context out of sight.<BR/><BR/>24) Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney?<BR/><BR/> Ustinov forever, if only for his Nero in Quo Vadis.<BR/><BR/>25) Favorite movie studio logo, as it appears before a theatrical feature.<BR/><BR/> RKO’s original “A Radio Picture” logo with the three-dimensional globe.<BR/><BR/>26) Name the single most important book about the movies for you personally.<BR/><BR/> Truffaut/Hitchcock.<BR/><BR/>27) Name the movie that features the best twist ending. (Please note the use of any “spoilers” in your answer.)<BR/><BR/> The Long Goodbye surprised me as everyone else has mentioned, but I’ll pick<BR/><BR/>28) Favorite Francois Truffaut movie.<BR/><BR/> Haven’t seen enough to answer justly.<BR/><BR/>29) Olivia Hussey or Claire Danes?<BR/><BR/> I haven’t seen Luhrmann’s R&J but it doesn’t matter since Hussey is the definitive Juliet.<BR/><BR/>30) Your most memorable celebrity encounter.<BR/><BR/> Brushing past Sylvester Stallone at the LA Auto Show. My first thought was “Gee, the hair on that tiny man with the big head looks just like Stallone’s” before I did a double-take: “That midget IS Stallone!”<BR/><BR/>31) When did you first realize that films were directed?<BR/><BR/> Standing in line for Star Tours at Disneyland, I asked my dad why it said “from the imagination of George Lucas” or something. (Given his last name I thought he was Mexican for a long time.)<BR/><BR/>This was fun, though I wouldn’t have minded if it wasn’t Milton-free! Now I’m going to have to take Prof. Kelp’s Endless Summer Chemistry Test as well. Thanks Dennis!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1166665608361528782006-12-20T17:46:00.000-08:002006-12-20T17:46:00.000-08:00To Damian: Indeed. :) Fancy meeting you here.To Damian: <BR/><BR/>Indeed. :) Fancy meeting you here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1166657043045040342006-12-20T15:24:00.000-08:002006-12-20T15:24:00.000-08:00Bandit - Buddy, Fay Wray was definitely hot.Bandit - Buddy, <A HREF="http://www.shillpages.com/faywray/wrayfd06.jpg" REL="nofollow">Fay Wray was definitely hot.</A>Chris Stanglhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06300723935864517305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1166603516126659992006-12-20T00:31:00.000-08:002006-12-20T00:31:00.000-08:00Dear Prof. Jennings,Please forgive me for the tard...Dear Prof. Jennings,<BR/><BR/>Please forgive me for the tardiness of this take-home exam. As you will note, I have been absent from your class for quite some time: namely, since the Fall of 1977, when I last sat in the front row of your classroom. I am hoping that the quality of my answers will make up for the long delay in my completing this assignment. Either that, or you have smoked so much pot and become so disenchanted with your novel and your academic life that you just won't care and will give me a good grade anyway.<BR/><BR/>Sincerely,<BR/><BR/>Blaaagh<BR/><BR/>1) What was the last movie you saw, either in a theater or on DVD, and why?<BR/>I last saw THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE on DVD, in my own version of your legendary Dirty Dishes Theater, on my laptop, because you told me how great it is, and it is. It made for especially creepy, magical Christmastime viewing.<BR/><BR/>2) Name the cinematographer whose work you most look forward to seeing, and an example of one of his/her finest achievements.<BR/>I perk up whenever I see something photographed by Owen Roizman, whom I first noticed as a teenager obsessed with THE EXORCIST, because of his wonderful use of light, not so much in EXORCIST, but, for example, in NETWORK in the scene with William Holden and Faye Dunaway out in the crisp, autumn air in New York: it somehow seems real, unfiltered, but both the people and the surroundings look stunningly beautiful. But look at THE FRENCH CONNECTION, THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE, even THE ELECTRIC HORSEMAN. I dunno what happened to him lately, but I love the way his stuff looks. <BR/><BR/>When I first read this question, though, I first thought “who shot CASABLANCA?”, and when I looked him up I realized it was Arthur Edeson, who also shot THE MALTESE FALCON, RED DUST, MUTINY OF THE BOUNTY, THE OLD DARK HOUSE, and ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT. Jeez…why don’t I know—and look for—this name?<BR/><BR/>3) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson?<BR/>Bo Svenson, just because he seems more likable (no offense to Mitchell!!), and because he was in—and gave a committed performance in—BUTCHER BAKER NIGHTMARE MAKER!<BR/><BR/>4) Name a moment from a movie that made you gasp (in horror, surprise, revelation…)<BR/>I think I gasped in revelation and awe when I saw Sarah Miles’s bare boob in RYAN’S DAUGHTER when I was 11 or so. I felt like the luckiest, most blessed kid in the universe.<BR/><BR/>5) Your favorite movie about the movies.<BR/>SUNSET BOULEVARD. I could watch it any day or night and find it fresh, true and rich.<BR/><BR/>6) Your Favorite Fritz Lang movie.<BR/>METROPOLIS, I guess: it was mesmerizing when I saw it long ago, in film class (177 Lawrence, I think) in college. I would say M, but it freaked me out and I have never had the desire to see it again. I did see about half of RANCHO NOTORIOUS recently, thanks to you, and I have a date with the other half—and now I want to see THE BIG HEAT in a big way!<BR/><BR/>7) Describe the first time you ever recognized yourself in a movie.<BR/>Er, in either one of my own 8mm masterpieces, or in ANIMAL HOUSE…but I know what you mean. <BR/><BR/>I reckon I’d have to say the Scarecrow in THE WIZARD OF OZ: eternally trying to make everything all right, thinking he has little to offer but willing to go along hopefully, and finding he actually has more going on than he knew. Hopefully this doesn’t sound too egotistical!<BR/><BR/>8) Carole Bouquet or Angela Molina?<BR/>Er…it was so long ago that I saw THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE, though it made a great impression on me, that I think I must choose Molina, because I think there was a rumor that Bouquet was a transsexual, around the time of FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, and that made me worry a bit about her (PC alert!)<BR/><BR/>9) Name a movie that redeems the notion of nostalgia as something more than a bankable commodity.<BR/>PAPER MOON.<BR/><BR/>10) Favorite appearance by an athlete in an acting role.<BR/>Since I can’t think of any, I’ll mention Kenny Moore in PERSONAL BEST, since another actor from Eugene who was in it, and is friends with Moore, told a funny story about Moore’s appearance in it: Moore was some sort of a consultant on the film, and Robert Towne was flying back from Eugene with Mariel Hemingway, talking about who could play the male love interest, and Hemingway said something like, “how about Kenny?”—so he ended up playing the part, never (I think) having acted before, and had to do full-frontal nudity, which I’m told was extremely embarrassing to him as he watched the film at its Eugene premiere with his parents, and Coach Bill Bowerman, all sitting around him.<BR/><BR/>11) Favorite Hal Ashby movie.<BR/>I like COMING HOME, though I’m aware that no one remembers it fondly nowadays.<BR/><BR/>12) Name the first double feature you’d program for opening night of your own revival theater.<BR/>Maybe PEEPING TOM and REAR WINDOW.<BR/><BR/>13) What’s the name of your revival theater?<BR/>CINEMATHEQUE. I favor something people can remember, with some favorable associations, and which rolls off the tongue nicely.<BR/><BR/>14) Humphrey Bogart or Elliot Gould?<BR/>I’m a sucker for Bogart, and he was a wonderful actor. I’m still coming around to an appreciation for the sometimes-lazy, often-the-same Gould.<BR/><BR/>15) Favorite Robert Stevenson movie.<BR/>I loved BLACKBEARD’S GHOST as a kid, but I’ve only seen MARY POPPINS once, as a kid in 1964, and it was so memorable I can still see images of it when I try. I’m almost afraid to see it again, for fear I’ll think it’s lousy! High marks for DARBY O’GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE, too.<BR/><BR/>16) Describe your favorite moment in a movie that is memorable because of its use of sound.<BR/>My FAVORITE moment? Hmph. I’ll go with the moment when Jessica Tandy discovered Farmer Dan’s corpse in his farmhouse in THE BIRDS, because there’s no sound, or very little. The fact that there’s no music to hype the scene makes it so much scarier. I can still see that movie today, and find that scene horrifying.<BR/><BR/>17) Pink Flamingoes-- yes or no?<BR/>Yechh…no, thanks, though I haven’t seen it in a long time, and I wouldn’t turn down another viewing, in good company.<BR/><BR/>18) Your favorite movie soundtrack score.<BR/>I have a soft spot for the score from THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (1992), though it could as easily be old favorite DAYS OF HEAVEN. I also like Nick Bicat’s music for the 1982 TV film THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL…but these are just the ones that come to mind today.<BR/><BR/>19) Fay Wray or Naomi Watts?<BR/>I love Naomi Watts, but there is no substitute for the sweet sexiness of Fay Wray.<BR/><BR/>20) Is there a movie that would make you question the judgment and/or taste of a film critic, blogger or friend if you found out they were an advocate of it?<BR/>PULP FICTION, though most friends/critics/bloggers I like seem to like and/or respect it, so I wouldn’t hold it against them…just question their judgment.<BR/><BR/>21) Pick a new category for the Oscars and its first deserving winner.<BR/>BEST MAIN TITLE DESIGN: Saul Bass (Lifetime Achievement Award).<BR/><BR/>22) Favorite Paul Verhoeven movie.<BR/>STARSHIP TROOPERS. <BR/><BR/>23) What is it that you think movies do better than any other art form?<BR/>Make us believe we are in another time and another place, and are involved in the lives of people we’ve never actually met.<BR/><BR/>24) Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney?<BR/>I like Finney best, because he’s consistently danced around being typecast and has consistently created believable, complex, and surprising characters, and continues to do so.<BR/><BR/>25) Favorite movie studio logo, as it appears before a theatrical feature.<BR/>The MGM lion never fails to please me. I only feel a little wistful nowadays that there is no real studio behind him.<BR/><BR/>26) Name the single most important book about the movies for you personally.<BR/>I’m a little sheepish, but it’s Leonard Maltin’s guide—formerly called TV MOVIES, and now called MOVIE GUIDE—not because I don’t love reading the Pauline Kael collections, because I do, but Maltin’s guide has been a dependable companion since I was about 15, and I turn to it frequently still.<BR/><BR/>27) Name the movie that features the best twist ending. (Please note the use of any “spoilers” in your answer.)<BR/>I’m an easy mark, apparently, because I really fell for THE SIXTH SENSE. Oh, and I think I gasped at the end of that, too.<BR/><BR/>28) Favorite Francois Truffaut movie.<BR/>SMALL CHANGE: it’s utterly charming and beautiful.<BR/><BR/>29) Olivia Hussey or Claire Danes?<BR/>I try hard to like Claire Danes, and she is really talented, but I just don’t dig her. Olivia Hussey, on the other hand, is a living love potion: that voice! Those eyes! That hair! Then again, I feel like dirty old man, because she was only a kid in ROMEO AND JULIET, but dang, she was pretty—still is!<BR/><BR/>30) Your most memorable celebrity encounter.<BR/>I already told my Sheree North story on your blog…OK, I have a lot of boring tales of celebrity encounters, but I guess…OK, here’s one. I was at a booksellers’ conference in L.A. several years ago, and I had sat down in an outdoor courtyard to eat my meager lunch. As you know, I have a strict policy not to show any sign of interest or excitement at meeting someone famous, even if I might feel it internally. My usual policy is to treat them as if I don’t recognize them, and I behave like my usual polite self. Some love this, as they’re tired of being fawned over, and I can tell that others are searching my eyes for some sign that I recognize them and that I’m thrilled. Anyway, I was sitting there starting my lunch, when a door opened from inside, a cane appeared, then a very dapper, ruddy-cheeked older gentleman walked out in a crisp black suit and a bowler hat. Something about him was familiar from his gait, and my eyes traveled to his face. I was completely off-guard when I recognized him, and without thinking about it, as my eyes met his, I said aloud, smiling, “Mr. Steed?” A familiar chuckle bubbled up from the man who returned my smile: Patrick Macnee, whom I’d watched and idolized on THE AVENGERS as a kid, and he said, “How are you?” I was ridiculously thrilled to see him, and could say only, “Fine, thank you.” I sensed an opening for more conversation as he paused politely, awaiting my next scintillating comment, but, faced with my silence, he turned away politely and found his own table. In that moment, my usual blasé attitude toward famous people failed me completely, and I was completely starstruck.<BR/><BR/>31) When did you first realize that films were directed?<BR/>When my dad picked up my older brother Ray and I from 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, at the Hollywood Theater in Portland, and started talking about “Stanley Kubrick-this” and “Kubrick-that.” I started then trying to figure out who he was talking about, and I remember looking at the poster outside the theater, seeing “Directed by Stanley Kubrick,” and from then on gradually trying to figure out what a director does. It helped that Ray passed along to me the wonderful book by Jerome Agel, THE MAKING OF KUBRICK’S 2001.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1166598621321663132006-12-19T23:10:00.000-08:002006-12-19T23:10:00.000-08:00To Weigard:13) What’s the name of your revival the...To Weigard:<BR/><BR/><BR/><I><B>13) What’s the name of your revival theater?</B><BR/><BR/>How about the Whiteside? It's a real theater in town that's literally dying to be renovated.</I><BR/><BR/><BR/>HOLY COW! Do you live in Corvallis too?Damian Arlynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07937513879456460221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1166583777821710052006-12-19T19:02:00.000-08:002006-12-19T19:02:00.000-08:001) What was the last movie you saw, either in a th...1) What was the last movie you saw, either in a theater or on DVD, and why?<BR/>The last movie I saw in the theater was "Inland Empire," which had its moments but was ultimately an exercise in self-indulgence. I knew it was likely to be so, but I like Lynch enough that I wanted to experience it anyway, and I'm not sorry I went. Last film I saw on DVD was "The Last of Sheila," a tricky whodunit written by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim that has held up surprisingly well. I wanted to see it again after 20 years or so.<BR/><BR/>2) Name the cinematographer whose work you most look forward to seeing, and an example of one of his/her finest achievements.<BR/>Robert Richardson. I think his work in "Natural Born Killers" and "Kill Bill" is excellent--a clean, crisp look but a creative use of movement and angles. Underrated.<BR/><BR/><BR/>3) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson? Neither. <BR/><BR/>4) Name a moment from a movie that made you gasp (in horror, surprise, revelation…)<BR/>Two, though neither are profound. Recently, the moment in "The Prestige" when I realized what was going on with the Tesla machine, and the delicious bit in "Deep Blue Sea" where Sam Jackson's rally-the-troops speech is ingloriously cut short.<BR/>5) Your favorite movie about the movies.<BR/>"Sunset Boulevard" and "State and Main."<BR/>7) Describe the first time you ever recognized yourself in a movie.<BR/>Not sure that I have, but someone once told me I was Kenneth Branagh's character in "Dead Again," if that helps...<BR/><BR/>11) Favorite Hal Ashby movie.<BR/>"Harold and Maude."<BR/>12) Name the first double feature you’d program for opening night of your own revival theater.<BR/>"Miller's Crossing" and "The Big Lebowski"<BR/><BR/>14) Humphrey Bogart or Elliot Gould?<BR/>Bogey.<BR/><BR/>16) Describe your favorite moment in a movie that is memorable because of its use of sound.<BR/>The soundscape created for "Blade Runner."<BR/>17) Pink Flamingoes-- yes or no?<BR/>yes<BR/>18) Your favorite movie soundtrack score.<BR/>"Jaws"<BR/>19) Fay Wray or Naomi Watts?<BR/>Watts<BR/>20) Is there a movie that would make you question the judgment and/or taste of a film critic, blogger or friend if you found out they were an advocate of it?<BR/>"The Thin Red Line."<BR/><BR/>22) Favorite Paul Verhoeven movie.<BR/>"Robocop"<BR/>23) What is it that you think movies do better than any other art form?<BR/>Entertain, distract.<BR/>24) Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney?<BR/>Finney by a long mile.<BR/>26) Name the single most important book about the movies for you personally.<BR/>"Guide for the Film Fanatic"<BR/>27) Name the movie that features the best twist ending. (Please note the use of any “spoilers” in your answer.)<BR/>"Psycho"<BR/>29) Olivia Hussey or Claire Danes?<BR/>Hussey<BR/>30) Your most memorable celebrity encounter.<BR/>Telly Savalas farted in my general direction when he thought he was alone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1166572458646307872006-12-19T15:54:00.000-08:002006-12-19T15:54:00.000-08:001) What was the last movie you saw, either in a th...1) What was the last movie you saw, either in a theater or on DVD, and why?<BR/><BR/>Saturday I caught "Home of the Brave," 'cause it's all about the Biel. I was unaware going in that she spent the movie with a prosthetic hand. Then we caught "Blood Diamond." Why to both? Because I make it a point of seeing any movie I'm even slightly interested in on the big screen. Next up-- Rocky! Then Clint, Soderbergh, and of course, "Black Christmas."<BR/><BR/><BR/>2) Name the cinematographer whose work you most look forward to seeing, and an example of one of his/her finest achievements.<BR/><BR/>I used to love Dante Spinotti's work with Michael Mann and Curtis Hanson, but lately he's stuck in Ratnerville, so I'll go with Mann's new guys, Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron. I also like Cameron's sun-scorched work for Tony Scott. I'll also second that Matthew Libatique response.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>3) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson?<BR/><BR/>J.D.B. by a landslide, though the Svens was in some AWESOME Bob Clark revenge movie ("Breaking Point"?) that my local independent station broke out constantly growing up. But Baker for his cunning ability to be the supervillain in one James Bond movie, then turn up two movies later as an altogether different character. By this logic, Maud Adams is also a mega-talent, I suppose.<BR/><BR/><BR/>4) Name a moment from a movie that made you gasp (in horror, surprise, revelation…)<BR/><BR/>William Petersen biting the dust in "To Live and Die in L.A."<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>5) Your favorite movie about the movies.<BR/><BR/>Generally I HATE insider-Hollywood movies: Too smug, too inside, too wink-wink, nudge-nudge. For that reason, I'm usually down on media satires and political wonk insider tales, all of which seem too, too... Kenneth Turan for me. So I'll go absurdist and plug "Pet Sematary Two" for its electrocuted-actress prologue.<BR/><BR/>6) Your Favorite Fritz Lang movie.<BR/><BR/>Is he the guy who helped Holbrook bury Adrienne Barbeau in "Creepshow"? I'm a Michael Bay fan, I don't know this stuff. "Metropolis."<BR/><BR/>7) Describe the first time you ever recognized yourself in a movie.<BR/><BR/>Buddy Repperton in "Christine," and Bob the Nerd Who Somehow Scores P.J. Soles in "Halloween." The latter because I had his stylish horn-rimmed frames growing up.<BR/><BR/><BR/>8) Carole Bouquet or Angela Molina?<BR/><BR/>Bouquet. In "For Your Eyes Only," she was the 1995 Liv Tyler of 1981. Plus, wasn't she married to Christopher Lambert? That's AWESOME.<BR/><BR/>9) Name a movie that redeems the notion of nostalgia as something more than a bankable commodity.<BR/><BR/>Soderbergh's "King of the Hill" is pretty solid, coming as it does from a director with seemingly no thematic consistency and a generally cold touch.<BR/><BR/>10) Favorite appearance by an athlete in an acting role.<BR/><BR/>O.J. saving a cat.<BR/><BR/>11) Favorite Hal Ashby movie.<BR/><BR/>"Last Detail" by a country mile, but I'll give the unsung "Eight Million Ways to Die" props for feauturing the most profane warehouse shootout of all time. Plus, Jeff Bridges' hair is stunning in it. What a nice feathered coif with a solid middle part.<BR/><BR/>12) Name the first double feature you’d program for opening night of your own revival theater.<BR/><BR/>"Driller Killer" and "Ms. 45."<BR/><BR/>13) What’s the name of your revival theater?<BR/><BR/>Jeff Bridges' Hair Is Nice.<BR/><BR/>14) Humphrey Bogart or Elliot Gould?<BR/><BR/>Gould. The 'fro, man.<BR/><BR/>15) Favorite Robert Stevenson movie.<BR/><BR/>Let this be a lesson-- a Film Studies degree from Pitt is worthless.<BR/><BR/>16) Describe your favorite moment in a movie that is memorable because of its use of sound.<BR/><BR/>The subtitled bar conversation-dance in David Lynch's "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me." Any Lynch soundtrack, really.<BR/><BR/>17) Pink Flamingoes-- yes or no?<BR/><BR/>No. I'll keep my perfect track record of never seeing a John Waters movie, despite thinking him an enjoyable raconteur and wit.<BR/><BR/>18) Your favorite movie soundtrack score.<BR/><BR/>John Carpenter and Alan Howarth, "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" (SERIOUSLY.)<BR/><BR/>19) Fay Wray or Naomi Watts?<BR/><BR/>Naomi Watts. Was Fay Wray even hot?<BR/><BR/>20) Is there a movie that would make you question the judgment and/or taste of a film critic, blogger or friend if you found out they were an advocate of it?<BR/><BR/>Not really. Everyone's different, and I resent the milquetoast critical standard that automatically leaps on easy targets like Michael Bay, Tony Scott, Joel Schumacher, De Palma, "Gigli," "All the King's Men," etc., practically sight-unseen, just because one middlebrow critic decided that was a safe thing to dislike or deride.<BR/><BR/>21) Pick a new category for the Oscars and its first deserving winner.<BR/><BR/>Lifetime Achievement In Awesome Moustaches: Tom Atkins.<BR/><BR/>22) Favorite Paul Verhoeven movie.<BR/><BR/>"Turkish Delight," though anything up to and including "RoboCop" is a masterpiece. "Spetters" is intense.<BR/><BR/>23) What is it that you think movies do better than any other art form?<BR/><BR/><BR/>24) Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney?<BR/><BR/>Finney. "Wolfen." "Looker."<BR/><BR/>25) Favorite movie studio logo, as it appears before a theatrical feature.<BR/><BR/>MGM's lion is the coolest, though I LOVE the histrionic fanfare of the post-1997 Universal musical intro. And WB usually means I'm about to see a better movie.<BR/><BR/>26) Name the single most important book about the movies for you personally.<BR/><BR/>I absolutely hated it in college, but Robin Wood's commie classic "Hollywood From Vietnam to Reagan" still gets a lot of mileage. After all, he appreciates "Cruising" AND "Last House on the Left."<BR/><BR/>27) Name the movie that features the best twist ending. (Please note the use of any “spoilers” in your answer.)<BR/><BR/>It's overrated by geeks, but I love the twist in "Fight Club."<BR/><BR/>28) Favorite Francois Truffaut movie.<BR/><BR/>"Close Encounters." "Day For Night."<BR/><BR/>29) Olivia Hussey or Claire Danes?<BR/><BR/>Dizzanes. Her walk out to the sunset on the Santa Monica pier in "Mod Squad" was the stuff of legend. And in "Brokedown Palace," she and Kate Beckinsale romped and partied in the wackiest Thai prison ever.<BR/><BR/>30) Your most memorable celebrity encounter.<BR/><BR/>I was an extra on "Sudden Death," featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme at his most, shall we say, distracted. I used to love watching him ogle ladies and short-fusedly throw tantrums at random people into the wee hours of the evening.<BR/><BR/>31) When did you first realize that films were directed?<BR/><BR/>Around 8 or 9, when I associated three different movies I loved, "The Fog," "Escape From New York," and "Halloween," all with the name John Carpenter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com