Friday, November 24, 2017

PROFESSOR BIRDMAN'S WING-FLAPPING, PLUMAGE-FLAUNTING, BEAK-BUSTING THANKSGIVING WEEKEND MOVIE QUIZ



SQUAAAAAAAWK!!! 

In honor, I suppose, of all those odd-looking indigenous birds who yesterday ended up on so many millions of American dinner tables, all in the name of gratitude, tribute and gratuitous belt-loosening, SLIFR University, after a long hiatus, is proud to present our latest quiz. This one will be presented by one of our most unstable and, if provoked, potentially aggressive faculty members and Dean of the SLIFR U College of Ornithology, Professor Francis X. Birdman.

Known for his elaborate, rambling lectures about ornithological behavior patterns, taxonomy and population ecology, during which he often displays the ability to take on the form and function of the particular species being studied, Professor Birdman is one of the most popular teachers on campus-- this despite his occasionally hostile behavior toward students (many have reported being randomly pecked during office visits) and insistence on being fed bread crumbs during lectures. However, he promises to behave and, in acknowledgment of the unfortunate circumstances that transpired during his final exams last semester, to not slash at or otherwise tangle his talons in the hair of those students whose scores he deems demonstrative of a certain lackadaisical attitude toward the obtainment of knowledge about his most precious ancestral line—er, subject of academic inquiry.

A few words on procedure, as usual. When leaving your answers in the comments section below, please remember to cut and paste the questions and include them as part of your response. That way, those who will be examining your paper won’t have to constantly refer to this post to ground themselves in the context of your answers. (Of course, if you have a blog of your own and would like to answer your questions there, please post a link in the comments so we can see what you’ve come up with.)

So, without any further hesitation, it’s time to dust off your wings, pick up your sharpened number 2 and get flappin’. Professor Birdman, the podium is yours.

***********************************

1) Most obnoxious movie you’ve ever seen

2) Favorite oddball pairing of actors

3) Which movie would you have paid to see remade
     by Ken Russell?

4) Emma Stone or Margot Robbie?

5) Which member of Monty Python are you?

6) Which movie would you have paid to see remade
     by Vincent Minnelli?

7) Franco Nero or Gian Maria Volonte?

8) Your favorite Japanese monster movie

9) Which movie would you have paid to see remade 
     by Stanley Kubrick?

10) Hanna Schygulla or Barbara Sukowa?

11) Name a critically admired movie that you hate

12) Which movie would you have paid to see remade
       by Elia Kazan?

13) Better or worse: Disney comedies (1955-1975) 
       or Elvis musicals?

14) Which movie would you have paid to see remade 
       by Alfred Hitchcock?

15) Ryan Gosling or Channing Tatum?

16) Bad performance in a movie you otherwise like/love

17) Which movie would you have paid to see remade 
       by Howard Hawks?

18) Tippi Hedren or Kim Novak?

19) Best crime movie remake

20) Which movie would you have paid to see remade 
        by Preston Sturges?

21) West Side Story (the movie), yes or no?

22) Which movie would you have paid to see remade 
        by Luchino Visconti?

23) What was the last movie you saw, theatrically
       and/or on DVD/Blu-ray/streaming?

24) Brewster McCloud  or O.C. and Stiggs?

25) Which movie would you have paid to see remade
        by Luis Bunuel?

26) Best nature-in-revolt movie

27) Best Rene Auberjoinois performance (film or TV)

28) Which movie would you have paid to see remade 
        by Ingmar Bergman?

29) Best movie with a bird or referencing a bird in its title?

30) Burt Lancaster or Michael Keaton?

31) In what way have the recent avalanche of allegations unearthed in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal changed the way you look at movies and the artists who make them?

32) In 2017 which is “better,” TV or the movies?

**************************

18 comments:

Vulnavia Morbius said...

My answers are here.

Patrick said...

1) Most obnoxious movie you’ve ever seen

Gummo. Extremely unpleasant doesn't even begin to describe its extreme unpleasantness.

2) Favorite oddball pairing of actors

I think it'd have to be the Sicilian scene in True Romance. Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper aren't trying to out-weird each other, but they bring their own inherent weirdness into the scene, inevitably amping up the electricity and the enjoyment.

3) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Ken Russell?

Change of Habit, with Elvis Presley and Sister Mary Tyler Moore.

4) Emma Stone or Margot Robbie?

I really enjoyed Emma's performance in Battle of the Sexes, where she was more workmanlike than star-quality, but I haven't yet seen I, Tonya, which if the previews are any indication will make Margot a top fave. I guess the jury's still out on this one.

5) Which member of Monty Python are you?

Eric Idle. Worked alone within the team, has a lot of wordplay in his work, a little too concerned with money, likes a good Beatles story.

6) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Vincent Minnelli?

New York, New York. Far more his speed than Scorsese's. Also, directing his daughter...

7) Franco Nero or Gian Maria Volonte?

Gian, for the Clint Eastwood connection.

8) Your favorite Japanese monster movie

Godzilla vs. Megalon, just because it was the first Mystery Science Theater episode I saw.

9) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Stanley Kubrick?

A.I. So he could finish what he started, and so the infusion of family warmth would go missing at the end.

10) Hanna Schygulla or Barbara Sukowa?

Pass.

11) Name a critically admired movie that you hate

Stevie, the Glenda Jackson movie about poet Stevie Smith. Artificial beyond belief, and not just because it's based on a stage play. Who's with me? (Looks around eagerly, face falling at lack of supporting hands)

12) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Elia Kazan?

The Front. Wouldn't that mess with some heads!

13) Better or worse: Disney comedies (1955-1975) or Elvis musicals?

I have a soft spot for Disney comedies, in part because I saw a batch of them and they entertained me. Maybe I'd feel different if I'd been raised on the King, but give me The Love Bug over Love Me Tender any day.

14) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Alfred Hitchcock?

Brick. Hitch in a high school setting? Sign me up!

15) Ryan Gosling or Channing Tatum?

That's a tough one, but right now I feel like I've seen Ryan show more range.

16) Bad performance in a movie you otherwise like/love

Stephen Stuckey in Airplane. How come he got to ham it up when no one else did? That threw off the balance in all his scenes and made the movie too self-aware, which is exactly what it didn't need. Nothing worse than someone clearly trying to be funny.

Patrick said...


17) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Howard Hawks?

No wrong answers here; Hawks made one of the best films of the genre in just about every genre he tried. I think I would've liked to see him take on a Tennessee Williams movie, maybe This Property is Condemned, and chill the overheated aspects a little; something really special could have come of that.

18) Tippi Hedren or Kim Novak?

Kim Novak. She seems more self-assured in Vertigo, and that's nice to watch.

19) Best crime movie remake

I'll say The Maltese Falcon, even though I haven't seen the two original versions.

20) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Preston Sturges?

Three O'Clock High. He'd give the script a good rewrite, so the movie wouldn't need all those cinematographic tricks to make it worth watching.

21) West Side Story (the movie), yes or no?

No. I could buy it as a play, but watching everyone break out in choreographed dancing on the actual streets of New York just snaps the wires that suspend my disbelief.

22) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Luchino Visconti?

The Remains of the Day might be good...

23) What was the last movie you saw, theatrically and/or on DVD/Blu-ray/streaming?

The Eyes of Laura Mars. Enjoyed your work in it, Professor Birdman!

24) Brewster McCloud or O.C. and Stiggs?

O.C. and Stiggs. It's more fun for me, with the titular heroes(?) beating Bill and Ted at their own game (but only because they cheated).

25) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Luis Bunuel?

Waking Life. Surreal, talky, a whole new medium to work with.

26) Best nature-in-revolt movie

Jaws. Full stop.

27) Best Rene Auberjoinois performance (film or TV)

Not the most original answer, but I've got to go with Father Mulcahy in MASH.

28) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Ingmar Bergman?

Boyhood. Imagine watching Fanny and Alexander grow.

29) Best movie with a bird or referencing a bird in its title?

An encore appearance of The Maltese Falcon.

30) Burt Lancaster or Michael Keaton?

Ahhh, Birdman, I get it! Do the two have anything else in common? This is an apples-and-oranges question if ever I heard one. If I have to split hairs, I'll split Keaton's - his range seems wider to me, and I enjoy rooting for him even when he's the bad guy.

31) In what way have the recent avalanche of allegations unearthed in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal changed the way you look at movies and the artists who make them?

I've become more aware of the conspiracies of silence in Hollywood, and more disappointed in those who knew and did nothing because they were enjoying the ride too much. I'm looking at Tarantino in particular - Mira Sorvino was his girlfriend for 3 years, so he knew what Harvey did to her, and yet he kept working with Harvey. I've come to believe others who say they didn't know, and I guess I'll be judging them on their subsequent actions; I stopped liking Kevin Smith's work years ago, but his donating 100% of his Miramax royalties to women's causes is an A-plus response.

32) In 2017 which is “better,” TV or the movies?

Television takes more chances, tells more stories, has fewer cookie-cutter characters, and doesn't suffer on the big screen even as small screens at home get bigger and bigger. The movies would do well to look for more inspiration than the bottom line.

J. Lewis said...


1) Fever Pitch (2005). Jimmy Fallon plus changing Nick Hornby’s classic memoir about English football (which, incidentally, I despise along with all other sport) into a romturd.

2) James Hong and Marissa Miller as Roy and Nick’s avatars in the otherwise wretched R.I.P.D. Should’ve made the movie through their eyes and it would’ve been a classic.

3) Any Ken Russell film. And I’ll keep paying until he gets one right, trapping him in a perpetual hell of his own pretentious, self-indulgent films.


4) Both, slowly fed into a CLASS Tucano combine harvester to prevent them from “acting” again.

5) In my head, John Cleese. In reality, Graham Chapman.

6) Chicago.

7) Gian Maria Volontè


8) Oldboy.
9) El Mariachi

10) Barbara Sukowa

11) Inception

12) Captain America: Civil War

13) Disney comedies marginally better.

14) Good Will Hunting. See how *you* like it, Gus.

15) Tatum. Triple threat.

16) Dominic West in anything. He is the wobbly-accented turd in every punch bowl.

17) Hudson Hawk. Just to confuse people more than the original did.

18) Kim Novak.

19) Ocean’s 11. The original was tripe.

20) Any adaptation of Dickens, except Christmas Carol.

21) Si.

22) Life of Brian.

23) Logan Lucky.

24) Brewster McCloud

25) Jackass

26) Into Eternity (2010)

27) Odo, DS9

28) Harald And Kumar Go To White Castle

29) Where Eagles Dare

30) Lancaster. Keaton is one-note and….urgh, American Assassin.

31) Not a jot. Male actors, directors and producers have always been (and will always be) conceited arseholes who think everyone else is beneath them. Just don’t give money to the rapey ones.

32) Neck and neck swandive to the bottom for both this year.

Jeff Gee said...

1) Most obnoxious movie you’ve ever seen
Obnoxious? If that means ‘self-congratulatory, maybe “A Prairie Home Companion.”

2) Favorite oddball pairing of actors
Raymond Burr and Haruo Nakajima.

3) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Ken Russell?
Vincent Minnelli’s “Meet Me in St. Louis.”

4) Emma Stone or Margot Robbie?
Margot. I bailed on “La La Land” after 20 minutes, while I made it all the way through “Suicide Squad,” albeit occasionally at double speed.

5) Which member of Monty Python are you?
Oh, fer crying out loud, Dennis. I am ALL of them.

6) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Vincent Minnelli?
Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut.”

7) Franco Nero or Gian Maria Volonte?
I was absolutely going to go with Volonte, because of “Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion” & the Sergio Leone movies. However, I checked out Franco’s filmography and he co-stars with George Kennedy in something called “Alien Terminator” (1988), so it’s Franco.

8) Your favorite Japanese monster movie
“My Neighbor Totoro” is Japanese & there are monsters, so is that okay? If we’re sticking to more traditional fare, let’s go full-on Old Skool and say “Godzilla.”

9) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Stanley Kubrick?
Elia Kazan’s “Panic in the Streets”

10) Hanna Schygulla or Barbara Sukowa?
Well, there’s no wrong answer for this one.

11) Name a critically admired movie that you hate
Feh! I hate them all!!

12) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Elia Kazan?
Alfred Hitchcock’s “Topaz.”

13) Better or worse: Disney comedies (1955-1975) or Elvis musicals?
I’m not seeing anything on the Wiki list of Disney movies I like as much as “King Creole” or “Jailhouse Rock” (or “Viva Las Vegas”) except “Mary Poppins” & some of the cartoons.

If we’re just limiting ourselves to the post-army Elvis musicals, there are some very lame flicks, but even the lamest ones are usually redeemed by things like Elvis’ “Yoga Is as Yoga Does” duet with Elsa Lanchester in “Easy Come Easy Go.” (Elsa also pops up in a couple of Disney movies during this period, so constitutes a LIVING LINK between the two despised genres. Except she’s dead, but you know what I mean).

14) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Alfred Hitchcock?
Howard Hawk’s “Only Angels Have Wings.”

15) Ryan Gosling or Channing Tatum?
Although I’m a Channing Tatum fan, it’s gotta be Gosling—for this.

16) Bad performance in a movie you otherwise like/love
I’d rather not.

Jeff Gee said...

17) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Howard Hawks?
Preston Sturges’ “The Sin of Harold Diddlebock,”

18) Tippi Hedren or Kim Novak?
Kim, especially for her very funny work in “Kiss Me Stupid.”

19) Best crime movie remake
The obvious answer here is version 3 of “The Maltese Falcon.” I don’t want to be obvious, but I’m hard pressed to come up with another one.

20) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Preston Sturges?
Luchino Visconti’s “The Damned.”

(Actually, “IQ” (1994), directed by Fred Schepisi & written by Andy Breckman. It’s 60% of the way there already. Great idea, terrific cast, but the Tim Robbins character needs to be a Preston Sturges hero— as it stands, it makes no sense that Meg Ryan is still in love with him when the big lie at the center of the story comes out. He needs to have something else going for him. Something Sturges-y. He could (say) write goofy science fiction stories that nobody will publish until he becomes famous through Einstein’s gambit, and Meg Ryan adores those goofy stories. Then it all makes sense!).

21) West Side Story (the movie), yes or no?
I’m not nuts about it, but Russ Tamblyn & Richard Beymer having shared the screen in “West Side Story” makes “Twin Peaks” more fun to watch.

22) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Luchino Visconti?
Luis Bunuel’s “Un Chien Andalou.”

23) What was the last movie you saw, theatrically and/or on DVD/Blu-ray/streaming?
“Song to Song” by Terence Malick. I’m working my way through the Angela Bettis oeuvre. I must have blinked during her nano-second.

24) Brewster McCloud or O.C. and Stiggs?
I saw “Brewster McCloud” the week it opened, when I was 14 or 15. It was what they call a Formative Experience. I’m afraid to watch it again because maybe it’s not as wonderful as I remember and that would make me sad. Probably it’s great. I finally caught up with “OC & Stiggs” on YouTube a while back.

I’m not going to watch that one again either.

25) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Luis Bunuel?
Ingmar Bergman’s “Now About These Women.”

26) Best nature-in-revolt movie
I assume this is a euphemism for “Lesbian Prison Movies.” They’re ALL good.

27) Best Rene Auberjoinois performance (film or TV)
After what I said about “Brewster McCloud,” how can I say anything else?

28) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Ingmar Bergman?
Ken Russell’s “The Boy Friend.”

29) Best movie with a bird or referencing a bird in its title?
I dunno about ‘best,’ but I’m fond of both the 1935 and the 1963 movies which share the title “The Raven.” They also share Boris Karloff, a few stray Edgar Allan Poe references, and that’s about it.

30) Burt Lancaster or Michael Keaton?
Birdman-ing aside, there’s not much overlap here— There’s no Burt equivalent of “Beetlejuice,” Michael’s got no “Jim Thorpe All-American” in his bag of tricks. They can both go dark very effectively. I don’t see Michael as J. J. Hunsecker, but he’d have been an excellent Sidney Falco. Michael can do seedy effortlessly, Burt tries hard but nope. Burt was buckling swashes well into his 50s, Michael was the least gymnastic Batman conceivable. Plus, Michael seems to be getting more interesting as he ages.

31) In what way have the recent avalanche of allegations unearthed in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal changed the way you look at movies and the artists who make them?
I enjoy it when the people I like and admire turn out to be good people. It’s depressing when they turn out to be bullies, or pigs, or monsters. I’m over 60 and in my adult life I’ve never been under the impression Hollywood suffers from a shortage of monsters and bullies. But holy crap. All these guys who sorta kinda thought they maybe knew something was going on, and now they sorta kinda feel bad about it, YEESH.

32) In 2017 which is “better,” TV or the movies?
Feh! Feh!

W.B. Kelso said...

My answers are a go! Thanks! Always a blast.

Josh said...

My answers are here: http://moviebot.blogspot.com/2017/11/thanksgiving-slifr-quiz.html

wwolfe said...

1) Most obnoxious movie you’ve ever seen

Putney Swope. I wanted to slap everyone in it, and everyone who made it.

2) Favorite oddball pairing of actors

My first thought was John Wayne and Barry Fitzgerald in "The Quiet Man." So I'll go with that.

3) Which movie would you have paid to see remade
by Ken Russell?

The Sound of Music

4) Emma Stone or Margot Robbie?

Emma Stone. It's not close.

5) Which member of Monty Python are you?

Carol Cleveland! Not really, but someone should mention her. I guess Michael Palin, but I'd prefer Eric Idle.

6) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Vincent Minnelli?

I think he would have done a much better job - more intelligent, less heavy-handed, with a lot more empathy and a lot less snideness - with "Cabaret." I'm not sure how his daughter's presence would have affected things, but I think it would have been a better movie in any case.

7) Franco Nero or Gian Maria Volonte?

I don't know either well enough to say.

8) Your favorite Japanese monster movie

The "Godzilla" with Nick Adams and Raymond Burr. I'm always fascinated by the look on Adams' face: "I was a hot young actor, a pal of James Dean, so what the heck am I doing looking up at this rubber monster surrounded by all these folks speaking Japanese?"

9) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Stanley Kubrick?

I'm not a fan of Stanley Kubrick. His strongest theme is his hatred of the human species, so maybe he could do a movie-length version of the "To Serve Man" episode of "The Twilight Zone."

10) Hanna Schygulla or Barbara Sukowa?

Hanna

11) Name a critically admired movie that you hate

A bunch of Oscar nominations, with at least one major win, qualifies as "critically admired," so I pick "Forrest Gump." Not to mince words, it's a fascist movie: the woman who questions authority gets AIDS and dies, while the guy who never questions anything and always does what he's told gets to be happy.

12) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Elia Kazan?


"The Front." I don't mean that sarcastically. He would've known the subject first-hand, and it would have been interesting to see how he responded to the storyline.

13) Better or worse: Disney comedies (1955-1975) or Elvis musicals?

Elvis musicals. Elvis had charisma and you could see his tongue firmly in cheek most of the time. More importantly, there were some genuinely good musical numbers. (And one truly blasphemous moment, when Mary Tyler Moore's nun tries to choose between Jesus and Elvis at the end of "A Change of Habit.") By comparison, Disney's comedies at best possessed a very wan, fatigued charm, with even that being generally suffocated by Disney's ever-encroaching sense of Babbittry.

14) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Alfred Hitchcock?

If you lifted out the storyline involving Martin Landau's decision to hire a contract killer to murder his mistress from the rest of "Crimes and Misdemeanors," I think that would have made a good stand-alone Hitchcock movie. (But a better Fritz Lang movie.)

15) Ryan Gosling or Channing Tatum?


For me, Gosling's most enjoyable work is when he's being funny and self-effacing, like in "The Nice Guys" and "Crazy, Stupid Love." I don't think he understands this about himself yet, though, and I'm not confident that he ever will. Tatum, on the other hand, clearly knows he's good at being funny ("21 Jump Street" and "Hail! Caesar," among others), enjoys doing it, and can still do good serious work, as well. So at this moment, I'd go with Tatum.

16) Bad performance in a movie you otherwise like/love

Robert Cummings in at least three movies: Saboteur, The Devil and Miss Jones, and Dial 'M' for Murder.

wwolfe said...

17) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Howard Hawks?

For many years, I've had a fantasy that Steve McQueen had a great actor/director relationship with Howard Hawks. Hawks would have been the perfect director for McQueen, a great movie star who never got to work with a great director, while McQueen could have given Hawks a late-career new lease on life in Hollywood, a la Leonardo DiCaprio with Martin Scorcese. So, with all that in mind, I'd say "The Thomas Crown Affair." Hawks, for starters, would've axed that awful "Windmills of Your Mind" and the silly dune buggy scenes, and instead focused on the skill and professionalism of McQueen's world class thief.

18) Tippi Hedren or Kim Novak?

Novak. I like Tippi, but this is less close than the Emma Stone vs. Margot Robbie question.

19) Best crime movie remake

I can't believe I'm mentioning this twice in one quiz, but probably "The Thomas Crown Affair."

20) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Preston Sturges?

"Wall Street," with Eddie Bracken in the Charlie Sheen role.

21) West Side Story (the movie), yes or no?

NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A stupid idea, badly executed. After seeing this movie in sixth grade, it took me almost ten years to be able to enjoy musicals. The only merit is the filmic record of vanished areas of New York City.

22) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Luchino Visconti?

"The Two Jakes." I think Visconti would have understood the luxurious, unsettling, alluring mystery that is Los Angeles. Robert Towne clearly understood this as a writer, but I thought his directing was not quite up to the task.

23) What was the last movie you saw, theatrically and/or on DVD/Blu-ay/streaming?


"The Hitman's Bodyguard."

24) Brewster McCloud or O.C. and Stiggs?

Haven't seen either.

25) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Luis Bunuel?

"Mrs. Miniver."

26) Best nature-in-revolt movie

"The Birds."

27) Best Rene Auberjoinois performance (film or TV)

I liked him in a recurring role in four episodes of "Warehouse 13."

28) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Ingmar Bergman?

This already happened: the Bergmanesque version of an old D.A. Pennebaker campaign documentary about Jeb Bush's doomed Presidential run that aired on Samantha Bee's show last year.

29) Best movie with a bird or referencing a bird in its title?

Once again, "The Birds."

30) Burt Lancaster or Michael Keaton?

Unfair! Both are essential American weirdos - and I say that with total love. I'll go with Keaton, just because I'm in tune with his very particular type of energy more than I am with Lancaster's.

31) In what way have the recent avalanche of allegations unearthed in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal changed the way you look at movies and the artists who make them?

What will be in my mind a lot, I think, is when I see actresses on screen and find myself wondering what kind of awful crap they've had to go through to have their careers.

32) In 2017 which is “better,” TV or the movies?

TV. It still knows how to do meat-and-potatoes shows that are the equivalent of studio genre movies from the 1930s and '40s, while also making intelligent, grown-up work - art films, in a sense.

le0pard13 said...

Always look forward to these, Dennis. As usual, have placed my answers on my blog. Thanks for this.

Beveridge D. Spenser said...

Holy cow, that was hard! My answers, my blog: http://coolbev.blogspot.com/2017/11/quiz-time.html

Mark said...

Always a pleasure to participate, my answers here:

http://kaedrin.com/weblog/archive/003583.html

Already looking forward to the next one!

Neil said...

1) Most obnoxious movie you’ve ever seen

Man Bites Dog. Not nearly as funny as it thinks it is.

2) Favorite oddball pairing of actors

Adam Sandler & Emily Watson in 'Punch-Drunk Love'.

3) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Ken Russell?

Any movie that features a glowing portrait of the monarchy, (King's Speech/Victoria & Abdul/Mrs. Brown - take your pick). Maybe then we'd get the movie the monarchy (and those of us who have no time for them) deserve.

4) Emma Stone or Margot Robbie?

Emma Stone.

5) Which member of Monty Python are you?

Graham Chapman.

6) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Vincent Minnelli?

The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

7) Franco Nero or Gian Maria Volonte?

Franco Nero.

8) Your favorite Japanese monster movie

Pass.

9) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Stanley Kubrick?

Inception

10) Hanna Schygulla or Barbara Sukowa?

Pass.

11) Name a critically admired movie that you hate

Jerry Maguire. I can't believe the great reviews this got. Does Jerry really affect any change? The movie just ends up worshipping money and success. 'You complete me/You had me at 'hello'. Really? Rennee Zellweger - ugh! And her sickening son - a poster-child for vasectomies if ever i saw one.

12) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Elia Kazan?

I see I'm not the only person who thought of The Front.

13) Better or worse: Disney comedies (1955-1975) or Elvis musicals?

I really don't like Elvis.

14) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Alfred Hitchcock?

Dressed to Kill.

15) Ryan Gosling or Channing Tatum?

Like them both, but Ryan.

Neil said...

cont.

16) Bad performance in a movie you otherwise like/love

Brad Pitt in Seven. I like Brad Pitt alot - he does alot of good work in good movies, works with interesting directors, but i cannot stand him in Seven. He comes across as unbelievably callow and immature - more like some high-school jock than a detective. Especially when acting all over the place next to Morgan Freeman, who magnetises you with the minimum of effort.

17) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Howard Hawks?

Pass.

18) Tippi Hedren or Kim Novak?

Kim Novak.

19) Best crime movie remake

Scarface

20) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Preston Sturges?

Pass

21) West Side Story (the movie), yes or no?

No.

22) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Luchino Visconti?

Blood and Black Lace

23) What was the last movie you saw, theatrically and/or on DVD/Blu-ray/streaming?

Theatrically - Killing of a Sacred Deer
Blu-ray - Chinatown
Streaming - The Hospital

24) Brewster McCloud or O.C. and Stiggs?

Two of the few Altman films i haven't yet seen, sorry!

25) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Luis Bunuel?

Vertigo

26) Best nature-in-revolt movie

Wolfen

27) Best Rene Auberjoinois performance (film or TV)

Eyes of Laura Mars.

28) Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Ingmar Bergman?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

29) Best movie with a bird or referencing a bird in its title?

The Bird With The Crystal Plumage

30) Burt Lancaster or Michael Keaton?

Like them both. Lancaster?

31) In what way have the recent avalanche of allegations unearthed in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal changed the way you look at movies and the artists who make them?

None really. Watched 'Chinatown' the other day. I wasn't just watching the work of a master film-maker who committed a terrible crime, i was watching a work feature the work of terrific actors, a terrific screenwriter, a terrific cinematographer, composer, production designer, costume designer etc.
I read yet another article just the other day by critic claiming that she would no longer watch any new Woody Allen movie. That's her choice and fair enough. But i sometimes think that if that's the case, shouldn't she really check to see who directed every television episode they watch, every theatre production they attend, every music video they watch, every song they listen to?

32) In 2017 which is “better,” TV or the movies?

None is really 'better'. Mad Max: Fury Road, Boyhood, Margaret, Melancholia, Godzilla, We Are The Best are better than alot of television i've seen recently. Six Feet Under, Lost, Mindhunter, The Leftovers are better that alot of movies i've seen recently.

However, when you look at how little films like Melancholia, Antichrist, Margaret, Tangerine, Bone Tomahawk grossed at the box-office, it feels like we've lost a large audience who will watch original, unpredictable, adult, intelligent on television, but who won't venture to a cinema to watch the same.

le0pard13 said...

From my colleague Jack Deth, part 1:

#1: Most obnoxious movie you’ve ever seen

Otto Preminger’s ‘Hurry Sundown’. A film with a solid cast wasted in a steamy southern potboiler that is unintentionally and incredibly racist that wouldn’t be shown on Turner Classic Movies.

#2: Favorite oddball pairing of actors

Don Ameche and Joe Mantegna in David Mamet’s ‘Things Change’.

#3: Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Ken Russell?

I’d like to see Ken’s take on David Cronenberg’s ‘The Brood’.

#4: Emma Stone or Margot Robbie?

Emma Stone. She hasn’t found her depth yet. want to see he hit bottom. Then work her way back up.

#5: Which member of Monty Python are you?

Eric idle.

#6: Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Vincent Minnelli?

‘The Player’

#7: Franco Nero or Gian Maria Volonte?

Franco Nero

#8: Your favorite Japanese monster movie

It’s got to be Godzy. With Raymond Burr. Though the original, ‘Gojira’ is far moodier and suspenseful.

#9: Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Stanley Kubrick?

Brian De Palma’s ‘Sisters’.

#10: Hanna Schygulla or Barbara Sukowa?

Barbara Stanwyck for The Win.

#11: Name a critically admired movie that you hate

‘The China Syndrome’: Stopped nuclear power in the US for no good reason!

#12: Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Elia Kazan?

Would like to see Elia Kazan try his hand at a remake of ‘The Contender’.

#13: Better or worse: Disney comedies (1955-1975) or Elvis musicals?

Disney comedies. Animated or live action. With Dick Van Dyke.

#14: Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Alfred Hitchcock?

Peter Bogdanovich’s ‘Targets’.

#15: Ryan Gosling or Channing Tatum?

Walton Goggins for the block.

#16: Bad performance in a movie you otherwise like/love

Rob Schnieder in the 1995 version of ‘Judge Dredd’.

le0pard13 said...

From my colleague Jack Deth, part 2:

#17: Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Howard Hawks?

‘Invasion Of The Body Snatchers’.

#18: Tippi Hedren or Kim Novak?

Tippi Herdren

#19: Best crime movie remake

‘Heat’ was a remake of Michael Mann’s earlier Made For TV: ‘L.A. Takedown’.
Which, in many instances is as good as his later big budget classic. Notable for the detectives use of a semi-auto 12 gauge shotgun built inside and oversized M-16 frame wielded by Richard Chavez.

#20: Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Preston Sturges?

‘Jason & The Argonauts’.

#21: West Side Story (the movie), yes or no?

‘West Side Story’. Yes for ‘Officer Krupke and its syncopation.

#22: Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Luchino Visconti?

‘Roman Holiday’. For the scenery, romance and mood.

#23: What was the last movie you saw, theatrically and/or on DVD/Blu-ray/streaming?

DVD; ‘Runaway’ from 1984. With Tom Selleck and Gene Simmons.

#24: Brewster McCloud or O.C. and Stiggs?

‘Brewster McCloud’. Followed ‘O.C. & Stiggs’ through ‘The National Lampoon’ magazine.

#25: Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Luis Bunuel?

‘Milo & Otis’.

#26: Best nature-in-revolt movie

‘Phase IV’ from 1974. With Nigel Davenport.

#27: Best Rene Auberjoinois performance (film or TV)

His ‘Dago Red’ from Altman’s ‘M*A*S*H’.

#28: Which movie would you have paid to see remade by Ingmar Bergman?

‘How To Steal A Million’. With Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole.

#29: Best movie with a bird or referencing a bird in its title?

‘The Bird With The Crystal Plumage’.

#30: Burt Lancaster or Michael Keaton?

Burt Lancaster…. Comparatively, Keaton is weak beer.

#31: In what way have the recent avalanche of allegations unearthed in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal changed the way you look at movies and the artists who make them?

The Weinstein fiasco is going to hurt films. Especially in Middle America “Flyover States”. Who are sick of Hollywood getting films wrong. And will gladly stay home until the cesspool is cleaned out to their satisfaction.

#32: In 2017 which is “better,” TV or the movies?

Television. Because so many top line actors are shifting over there,

Mythical Monkey said...

Somehow missed this a while back.

My belated answers are here:

https://mythicalmonkey.blogspot.com/2018/01/another-quiz-from-sergio-leone-and.html