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connielane at 07:12pm on 21/01/2008 under movies
connielane at 07:12pm on 21/01/2008 under moviesStolen from my new favorite movie blog, Final Girl.
1) Your favorite opening shot
Well, it's probably cheating to say Touch of Evil, because it's so obvious - and rightly so, being quite literally the single most amazing and historic opening tracking shot in the history of the world. But laying aside the obvious answer, I'll have to go with the opening shot of The Godfather - close up on the unfortunate undertaker, slowly pull back to reveal that he is in a dark office, keep pulling back until we see the silhouette of Vito Corleone behind his desk, and as he finishes his monologue there is the faintest gesture from the Don to one of his assistants. Beautiful setup.
2) Tuesday Weld or Mia Farrow?
Tuesday Weld. I've never been that fond of Mia Farrow or most of the roles she has played.
3) Name a comedy you’re embarrassed to admit made you laugh
I can't say I'm ashamed of enjoying any movie, that I recall. Okay, maybe Teen Lust.
4)Best Favorite Movie of 1947
Hm. I know it's predictable, but I've got to say Gentleman's Agreement. It gets to the meat of what racism is really all about.
5) Burt Reynolds was the Bandit. Jerry Reed was the Snowman. Paul LeMat was Spider. Candy Clark was Electra. What’s your movie handle?
Geshlafiguch
6) Robert Vaughn or David McCallum?
Hm. Vaughn was in The Magnificent Seven, McCallum was in The Great Escape. Gotta give this one to Vaughn.
7) Most exotic/unusual place/location in which you've seen a movie
North By Northwest at Mount Rushmore, for the win!
8) Favorite Errol Morris movie
Fog of War
9) Best Movie of 1967
Lots and lots of good stuff here, but I'll have to go with Cool Hand Luke.
10) Describe a profoundly (or not-so-profoundly) disturbing moment you’ve had courtesy of the movies
Goodbye Uncle Tom. 'Nuff said.
11) Anne Francis or Julie Newmar?
Julie Newmar. She's so statuesque. ;)
12) Describe your favorite one sheet (include a link if possible)
There was a poster for Girl With a Pearl Earring that featured this picture. Sadly, I can't find a link of the actual poster of this image, but I love how closely it matched Vermeer's painting.
13)Best Favorite Movie of 1987
Dude, no contest. The Princess Bride.
14) Favorite movie about obsession
Close Encounters of the Third Kind, because obsession is not always a bad thing. :)
15) Your ideal Christmas movie triple feature
Holiday Inn, Black Christmas, and It's a Wonderful Life. In that order. :P
16) Montgomery Clift or James Dean?
Clift, all the way.
17) Favorite Les Blank Movie
Um...
18) This past summer food critic Anton Ego made the following statement: “In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize that only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.” Your thoughts?
None to add, whatsoever. That pretty much nails it.
19) The last movie you watched on DVD? In a theater?
DVD - The Treasure of Sierra Madre
Theater - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
20) Best Movie of 2007
Oh jeepers, how I hate that word "best." My favorite was Sweeney Todd.
21) Worst Movie of 2007
"Worst" I'm not afraid of. I'm sure there were worse movies than this that I never saw, and I'm thankful. Because Perfect Stranger was ball-shrivelingly bad.
22) Describe the stages of your cinephilia Okay, this will be pretty rough, because I truly can't put a finger on what kinds of movies I really liked more than others.
BIRTH - 12 YEARS: I couldn't get to the movies much, because our family just didn't have the money. My cinematic education was therefore limited to whatever was on network television, which was some pretty cool stuff - The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, and The Sound of Music, for example.
TEEN YEARS & HIGH SCHOOL: We got cable shortly after we got a VCR, so there was a sudden influx of movies, thanks to the video store and free previews of premium cable channels. And classic movies, thanks to AMC. Oh, you probably want examples, don't you? Alright - Dirty Dancing, Grease (1 & 2), the "Brat Pack" movies (including, but not limited to, John Hughes' stuff), Nightmare on Elm Street (1-4), Silence of the Lambs, Dances With Wolves.
COLLEGE: Started to see a LOT more stuff in the theater (and on previously unavailable video shelves :P) - Pulp Fiction, Interview With the Vampire, Reality Bites, Natural Born Killers, Exit to Eden, The Hitcher, Carrie, Legends of the Fall, Seven, Batman Forever
LATTER COLLEGE YEARS AND POST-COLLEGE: Heavy in the award-bait movies and increasing in horror and horror classics - The English Patient, Evita, Titanic, Shakespeare in Love, The Thin Red Line, American Beauty, Evita, The Exorcist, Evil Dead, Blair Witch Project, Scream...
LATE 20s - NOW: Heavy on "genre" and grindhouse fare, but pretty much everything I can possibly see (we'll call these the BNAT years) - Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Hostel, Crash, Night Warning, The Black Swan, Oldboy, V For Vendetta, Pirates of the Caribbean, Audition, Re-Animator, Me and You and Everyone We Know, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Texas Chainsaw Massacre...
23) What is the one film you’ve had more difficulty than any other in convincing people to see or appreciate?
I don't know how to answer that. I can't recall really trying that hard to convince people to see/appreciate something. I mean, would it be cool if my friends liked stuff like Re-Animator and Texas Chainsaw Massacre as much as I do? Sure, but some people are just really not into that, and who am I to push them into watching it?
24) Gene Tierney or Rita Hayworth?
Is this even up for debate? Rita Hayworth!
25) The Japanese word wabi denotes simplicity and quietude, but it can also mean an accidental or happenstance element (or perhaps even a small flaw) which gives elegance and uniqueness to the whole. What film or moment from a film best represents wabi to you?
Gah, again with the absolutism! Like I can just recall every single film I've seen and narrow down the BEST. Sheesh. Okay, a GOOD example (though maybe not the DEFINITIVE BEST OMG) is the giggly post-kiss scene in Order of the Phoenix. Clearly not scripted that way, but such a perfect "friendship" moment.
26) Favorite Documentary
Shakespeare Behind Bars
27) Favorite opening credit sequence
To Kill a Mockingbird - one of the few credit sequences that can make me cry
28) Is there a film that has influenced your lifestyle in a significant or notable way? If so, what was it and how did it do so?
This may sound weird, but Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It's what pushed me over the edge into downright obsession with the books, without which I would never have found the fandom, my fandom friends, and the need to voice strongly held opinions. :P
29) Glenn Ford or Dana Andrews?
Ford, baby.
30) Make a single prediction, cynical or hopeful, regarding the upcoming Academy Awards
The writers' strike WILL be over by then, and we WILL be treated/subjected to all the glamour and self-importance that the Oscars have come to represent to us all. And I will love every minute of it. (That's my hopeful prediction.)
31) Best Actor of 2007
Grrr, there's that stupid word again. Daniel Day-Lewis, Mathieu Amalric, and Johnny Depp. I won't pick. *crosses arms and huffs* (Though Depp does have the edge that he was in TWO excellent movies this year.)
32) Best Actress of 2007
I haven't seen the ones the critics are cooing over (namely, Julie Christie and Marion Cotillard), so I'll go with Ellen Page.
33) Best Director of 2007
Julian Schnabel, if I *HAVE* to pick one. Sergei Bodrov is also worth a mention.
34) Best Screenplay of 2007
CAN'T PICK JUST ONE - Juno, No Country For Old Men, Charlie Wilson's War...
35) Favorite single movie moment of 2007
Meat pies during Sweeney Todd at BNAT
36) What’s your wish/hope for the movies in 2008?
That all the good movies will come to theaters where I can go see them.
1) Your favorite opening shot
Well, it's probably cheating to say Touch of Evil, because it's so obvious - and rightly so, being quite literally the single most amazing and historic opening tracking shot in the history of the world. But laying aside the obvious answer, I'll have to go with the opening shot of The Godfather - close up on the unfortunate undertaker, slowly pull back to reveal that he is in a dark office, keep pulling back until we see the silhouette of Vito Corleone behind his desk, and as he finishes his monologue there is the faintest gesture from the Don to one of his assistants. Beautiful setup.
2) Tuesday Weld or Mia Farrow?
Tuesday Weld. I've never been that fond of Mia Farrow or most of the roles she has played.
3) Name a comedy you’re embarrassed to admit made you laugh
I can't say I'm ashamed of enjoying any movie, that I recall. Okay, maybe Teen Lust.
4)
Hm. I know it's predictable, but I've got to say Gentleman's Agreement. It gets to the meat of what racism is really all about.
5) Burt Reynolds was the Bandit. Jerry Reed was the Snowman. Paul LeMat was Spider. Candy Clark was Electra. What’s your movie handle?
Geshlafiguch
6) Robert Vaughn or David McCallum?
Hm. Vaughn was in The Magnificent Seven, McCallum was in The Great Escape. Gotta give this one to Vaughn.
7) Most exotic/unusual place/location in which you've seen a movie
North By Northwest at Mount Rushmore, for the win!
8) Favorite Errol Morris movie
Fog of War
9) Best Movie of 1967
Lots and lots of good stuff here, but I'll have to go with Cool Hand Luke.
10) Describe a profoundly (or not-so-profoundly) disturbing moment you’ve had courtesy of the movies
Goodbye Uncle Tom. 'Nuff said.
11) Anne Francis or Julie Newmar?
Julie Newmar. She's so statuesque. ;)
12) Describe your favorite one sheet (include a link if possible)
There was a poster for Girl With a Pearl Earring that featured this picture. Sadly, I can't find a link of the actual poster of this image, but I love how closely it matched Vermeer's painting.
13)
Dude, no contest. The Princess Bride.
14) Favorite movie about obsession
Close Encounters of the Third Kind, because obsession is not always a bad thing. :)
15) Your ideal Christmas movie triple feature
Holiday Inn, Black Christmas, and It's a Wonderful Life. In that order. :P
16) Montgomery Clift or James Dean?
Clift, all the way.
17) Favorite Les Blank Movie
Um...
18) This past summer food critic Anton Ego made the following statement: “In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize that only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.” Your thoughts?
None to add, whatsoever. That pretty much nails it.
19) The last movie you watched on DVD? In a theater?
DVD - The Treasure of Sierra Madre
Theater - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
20) Best Movie of 2007
Oh jeepers, how I hate that word "best." My favorite was Sweeney Todd.
21) Worst Movie of 2007
"Worst" I'm not afraid of. I'm sure there were worse movies than this that I never saw, and I'm thankful. Because Perfect Stranger was ball-shrivelingly bad.
22) Describe the stages of your cinephilia Okay, this will be pretty rough, because I truly can't put a finger on what kinds of movies I really liked more than others.
BIRTH - 12 YEARS: I couldn't get to the movies much, because our family just didn't have the money. My cinematic education was therefore limited to whatever was on network television, which was some pretty cool stuff - The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, and The Sound of Music, for example.
TEEN YEARS & HIGH SCHOOL: We got cable shortly after we got a VCR, so there was a sudden influx of movies, thanks to the video store and free previews of premium cable channels. And classic movies, thanks to AMC. Oh, you probably want examples, don't you? Alright - Dirty Dancing, Grease (1 & 2), the "Brat Pack" movies (including, but not limited to, John Hughes' stuff), Nightmare on Elm Street (1-4), Silence of the Lambs, Dances With Wolves.
COLLEGE: Started to see a LOT more stuff in the theater (and on previously unavailable video shelves :P) - Pulp Fiction, Interview With the Vampire, Reality Bites, Natural Born Killers, Exit to Eden, The Hitcher, Carrie, Legends of the Fall, Seven, Batman Forever
LATTER COLLEGE YEARS AND POST-COLLEGE: Heavy in the award-bait movies and increasing in horror and horror classics - The English Patient, Evita, Titanic, Shakespeare in Love, The Thin Red Line, American Beauty, Evita, The Exorcist, Evil Dead, Blair Witch Project, Scream...
LATE 20s - NOW: Heavy on "genre" and grindhouse fare, but pretty much everything I can possibly see (we'll call these the BNAT years) - Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Hostel, Crash, Night Warning, The Black Swan, Oldboy, V For Vendetta, Pirates of the Caribbean, Audition, Re-Animator, Me and You and Everyone We Know, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Texas Chainsaw Massacre...
23) What is the one film you’ve had more difficulty than any other in convincing people to see or appreciate?
I don't know how to answer that. I can't recall really trying that hard to convince people to see/appreciate something. I mean, would it be cool if my friends liked stuff like Re-Animator and Texas Chainsaw Massacre as much as I do? Sure, but some people are just really not into that, and who am I to push them into watching it?
24) Gene Tierney or Rita Hayworth?
Is this even up for debate? Rita Hayworth!
25) The Japanese word wabi denotes simplicity and quietude, but it can also mean an accidental or happenstance element (or perhaps even a small flaw) which gives elegance and uniqueness to the whole. What film or moment from a film best represents wabi to you?
Gah, again with the absolutism! Like I can just recall every single film I've seen and narrow down the BEST. Sheesh. Okay, a GOOD example (though maybe not the DEFINITIVE BEST OMG) is the giggly post-kiss scene in Order of the Phoenix. Clearly not scripted that way, but such a perfect "friendship" moment.
26) Favorite Documentary
Shakespeare Behind Bars
27) Favorite opening credit sequence
To Kill a Mockingbird - one of the few credit sequences that can make me cry
28) Is there a film that has influenced your lifestyle in a significant or notable way? If so, what was it and how did it do so?
This may sound weird, but Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It's what pushed me over the edge into downright obsession with the books, without which I would never have found the fandom, my fandom friends, and the need to voice strongly held opinions. :P
29) Glenn Ford or Dana Andrews?
Ford, baby.
30) Make a single prediction, cynical or hopeful, regarding the upcoming Academy Awards
The writers' strike WILL be over by then, and we WILL be treated/subjected to all the glamour and self-importance that the Oscars have come to represent to us all. And I will love every minute of it. (That's my hopeful prediction.)
31) Best Actor of 2007
Grrr, there's that stupid word again. Daniel Day-Lewis, Mathieu Amalric, and Johnny Depp. I won't pick. *crosses arms and huffs* (Though Depp does have the edge that he was in TWO excellent movies this year.)
32) Best Actress of 2007
I haven't seen the ones the critics are cooing over (namely, Julie Christie and Marion Cotillard), so I'll go with Ellen Page.
33) Best Director of 2007
Julian Schnabel, if I *HAVE* to pick one. Sergei Bodrov is also worth a mention.
34) Best Screenplay of 2007
CAN'T PICK JUST ONE - Juno, No Country For Old Men, Charlie Wilson's War...
35) Favorite single movie moment of 2007
Meat pies during Sweeney Todd at BNAT
36) What’s your wish/hope for the movies in 2008?
That all the good movies will come to theaters where I can go see them.
geeky