Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Movie Questionnaire Blogathon


A blog I’ve recently discovered, Cinemaniac Reviews, has started a Movie Questionnaire blogathon. Here’s my take on it!

1. What is your favorite movie?
Taxi Driver

2. Least favorite movie?
All time: Sex and the City 2. This year: Cosmopolis.

3. Name one movie you loved upon initial viewing but eventually grew to hate (or vice-versa).
I was completely indifferent toward both Moneyball and Warrior when I first saw them. Now I think they are superb films.

4. Name your biggest “guilty pleasure” film.
Cliffhanger

5. Favorite quote from a favorite actor/actress (must be a line from a movie)?
“I no longer know who I am and I feel like the ghost of a total stranger.” – Victor, The Rules of Attraction

6. Favorite quote from a favorite actor/actress (must NOT be a line from a movie)?
“Has anyone ever done this before?” – Catherine Warner

7. Three favorite movie scenes?
First three off the top of my head:

The same monologue in Persona from two different perspectives
Father vs. Son basketball match in He Got Game
The final scene of Traffic

8. Four films that should NOT have won Best Picture?
Oh Christ, I could go on and on here: 
Dances with Wolves
Shakespeare in Love
Crash
Around the World in 80 Days

9. Top five of the year (currently)?
Compliance
The Imposter
Magic Mike
The Dark Knight Rises
Killer Joe

10. Bottom three of the year (currently)?
Cosmopolis
To Rome with Love
Piranha 3DD

11. What film gets your vote for the worst or most pointless remake?
One of the most pointless of recent memory would have to be The Amazing Spider-Man

12. Is there any film you think is actually desperate for a remake?
I’d love to see Fincher finish out the Lisbeth Salander flicks, with Rooney, naturally.

13. Name your three favorite film heroes.
Henry Fonda – 12 Angry Men
Errol Morris – The Thin Blue Line
Travis Bickle – Taxi Driver

14. Name your three favorite film villains.
Mountain Man – Deliverance
Norman Bates – Psycho
Travis Bickle – Taxi Driver

15. Best sequel?
The Godfather, Part II

16. Worst sequel?
The Godfather, Part III

17. Best trilogy?
Ingmar Bergman’s faith trilogy

18. Worst trilogy?
I hate The Lord of the Rings films. Sorry.

19. What’s your favorite word to use in a movie review (if your film blog does not feature reviews, substitute “review” with “-related post”?)
That’s easy: masterpiece.

That’s a word I do not use very often. At all. Only when absolutely necessary.

20. Anything else?
Nope!

45 comments:

  1. Hey, I was just working on my questionnaire last night. I always enjoy reading these as you really know what people's movie tastes are.

    I agree that Shakespeare In Love should NOT have won an Oscar, nor Gwyneth for that matter. Ahah, Travis Bickle is your favorite hero AND villain, so he's the perfect antihero then :)

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    1. Yes. He. Is. :)

      I could name so many movies that didn't deserve to win Best Picture. Ugh. Oh well, name of the game! Can't wait to read your post.

      Delete
  2. What films make up Ingmar Bergman's Faith trilogy?

    I'm saddened a little bit that you don't care for Lord of the Rings, but each their own right.

    So your saying I should absolutely avoid Cosmopolis?

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    1. The Berg's trilogy is: Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light and The Silence. All A+ masterpieces.

      Yeah, LOTR... I just cannot be converted. I've given each film three individual attempts, and they get worse for me everytime. You couldn't pay me to see The Hobbit. Oh well!

      Avoid Cosmopolis Like. The. Fucking. Plague.

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  3. 1. Taxi Driver is on my list, I think. If not, it's going there.

    2. Cronenberg is a director that I haven't seen and, unlike my two major unseen directors (Lynch and Tarantino), I have absolutely no desire to see any of his films.

    3. You must have been using drugs the first time you saw them. Both appear on my Top 10 of 2011.

    4-8. Nice picks.

    9. Have I heard of Compliance...?

    10. You know Piranha 3DD is terrible when they name it, a sequel to Piranha 3D, the same thing with just an addition "D", and better yet are releasing it to home video as Piranha DD (wtf??). I bet on my blog it would earn a D.

    11. Exactly. Pointless remake, despite being an enjoyable film.

    12. I'd love to see the original Millennium trilogy and/or the 2011 Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remake!

    13. "You talkin' to me? Well, I'm the only one here."

    14. Love that Travis Bickle is both a hero and a villain.

    15-16. No offense, but I find putting the initial sequel as best and then the "threequel" as worst is, well, lazy. I saw it on another blog (though I can't remember which one), where someone said Terminator 2: Judgment Day was the best sequel and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was the worst sequel. But either way, I'd agree wholeheartedly. I LOVED The Godfather Part II even more than Part I, and Part III was close to crap.

    17. This is the second time I've heard this response, so I looked up the films. Haven't heard of any of them, but I'd be interested to check them out.

    18. Yeah I don't particularly care for LOTR either.

    19. I love that word, too.

    20. Nice job with this one, my friend!

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    1. 2. Cronenberg is solid. A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, The Fly, Spider... all great flicks. His past two, though, are not.

      3. Best shit good shit.

      9. Tiny American indie thriller that just came out. See it by any means necessary.

      14. Thanks!

      16. Is The Godfather Part III the worst sequel ever made? Of course not. Did I think it was a cutesy answer given my pick for 15? Sho'Nuff.

      17. Bergman is my favorite director. These are three of his best. Check 'em out!

      18. Niiiiice.

      20. Thanks for setting it up!

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  4. I feel like I'm the only person who liked The Godfather, Part III.
    Obviously it's not a great film, but I think it's solid and I love the whole scene in the theatre.

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    1. Ha, man, people are not digging that answer. Check it: Part III is in no way the worst sequel ever made. But it is, arguably, the worst followup to a the movie that came before it ever made. Know what I mean? Nothing can compare to Part II, so Part III has that benefit of the doubt, but, man, it is just oh so unnecessary.

      I'd probably give Part III a C+, but I consider Part II an A+ masterpiece.

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  5. You Hate LOTR ?? WOW, I never knew. I wonder why ? :D

    Completely agree with your picks for movies that should not have won Best Picture Oscar. Love 12 Angry men being mentioned, love Travis Bickle mentioned. Twice. I also agree Godfather III was BAD but not as bad as T3 or Matrix: Revolutions(whenever someone says bad sequel, I am kinda programmed to go there.)

    Haven't seen The Faith trilogy(That and scenes of a marriage are still unseen) but I always struggle to answer best trilogy question. Some really great ones there !

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    1. Oh man, hate them I do. I thought you knew I wasn't a fan of those flicks?!

      Yeah, Godfather Part III is in no way worse than Matrix Revolutions. That is a goddamn disaster.

      Oh man, try to see Bergman's faith flicks soon!

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    2. Yes Alex. I Know. That was an attempted Joke. Apparently a Fail One. :P

      Here is something You might not know. I always find it little funny that you don't like LOTR at all, yet the name of your site is one of my favorite LOTR quotes, certainly the one I use most frequently. :) "And So It Begins" and "I Know your Face".

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    3. haha okay I thought I was going insane, I was like, "Wait, I KNOW we've talked about this."

      I had no idea my namesake was in LOTR. (sigh), oh well, I can live with that.

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  6. I need to watch Cliffhanger.

    Love those scenes. He Got Game! Brilliant scene, but the rest of the movie pales in comparison.

    Around the World in 80 Days is a guilty pleasure (?) of mine.

    Fonda! Why didn't I think of him?

    Haha. Bickle x 2.

    Gorgeous images from Bergman's faith trilogy. Three Colors just barely beats it for me, because Three Colors: Red is a better conclusion than The Silence.

    YAY! I don't hate the LOTR films, but I sure don't love them either.

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    1. Cliffhanger roooocks.

      Yeah, that scene in He Got Game just nails me.

      Three Colors trilogy is so very good. But White, for me, is such a lesser film than Blue and Red. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE White, but I fucking love Blue and Red.

      No love for LOTR is better than some love :)

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    2. That's fair on White. For me, it helps that all three films would be in my top 25. I agree that White is the "worst" of the trilogy though.

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  7. My heart is breaking for Lord of the Rings, :'( ... ahahaha! I wouldn't call it the best trilogy of all time though...that goes to the original Star Wars trilogy (I'm so original)

    Hmm...films that are desperate for a remake...that's a tough choice!!...Ahh.... I'll fill out my own survey soonish and answer that then!

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    1. The remake one was probably the hardest question for me, but when I thought of Fincher's GWTDT flicks, it was a no brainer.

      Never will I ever enjoy the LOTR films. Soooory!

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  8. Excellent, excellent list. I'm looking for post ideas at the moment so I may borrow this one!

    Also, I'm stunned (not really, but sort of) that we have the same worst movie of all time: Sex and the City 2. How interesting.

    Awesome to see you giving a shout out to the Faith trilogy too. Hells yes.

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    1. Sex and the City 2 is the only movie I did not assign a grade when writing my review. My justification was that, in assigning a grade, that would mean it was all right to actually consider it a film, which it is not. Ha, don't even get me started on that garbage.

      Faith trilogy reigns supreme. Might need to watch all those this weekend.

      Delete
  9. 1). Kubrick's entire filmography from 1957 onwards... ah ok gun to my head; 2001: A Space Odyssey.

    2). The Good Shepherd, 2005 what a waste. More recently 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' for again just wasting my time. There is nothing more painful to me than a dull spy-flick...

    3). 2001 I dismissed at first as being too pompous and pretentious "WTF is going on?" way, over time and many, many repeat viewings I consider it a 2 and half hour film school. Because Kubrick pretty much was my film school

    4). Either 'The Rock' or 'Elsewhere' (I got a thing for Anna Kendrick, ok...)

    5). "They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the *Chicago* way!" Sean Connery as Malone, The Untouchables. or "Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I'm half crazy all for the love of you. It won't be a stylish marriage, I can't afford a carriage. But you'll look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two... " HAL from 2001

    6). "Pale, awkward and very very small. Form an orderly queue, gents." Anna Kendrick (See why?)

    7). Lordy... ummm lets see, for right now: Ending of 'Field of Dreams', Dave shutting down HAL, Title Sequence for 'Raging Bull'

    8). Only Four? Shakespeare in Love, Driving Ms. Daisy, American Beauty, How Green Is My Valley?

    9). Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Dark Knight Rises, Safety Not Guaranteed, Moonrise Kingdom, Cabin in the Woods

    10). That's my boy, Cosmopolis, 2016: Obama's America (I am not trying to be political, just I do not like to be lectured in a movie)

    11). Gus Van Sant's Psycho, need I say more?

    12). The Great Gatsby, NOT with Baz Lurhmann...

    13). John Rabe from 'John Rabe', Judge Dan Haywood from 'Judgement at Nuremberg', Malone from 'the Untouchables'

    14). HAL and Heywood Floyd from 2001 (You have to think a little), Hans Landa from Inglorious Basterds, Darth Vader

    15). Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, considering what came before it

    16). Ysh...ummm lets go with the Star Wars Prequels and forget about it

    17). Star Wars: Original Series

    18). Transformers

    19). 'Dreamlike'

    20). Can't wait for Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln! November can't come sooner.

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    1. Great answers all around here man. 2001 is in my Top 5 of all time. Love it.

      Yeah, I have no interest in Obama's America, for the exact reason you mentioned.

      HAL is one of my favorite villains too.

      Christ do I hate the Transformers abominations.

      Dreamlike is a great word.

      Delete
  10. Travis Bickle for best hero and best villain- hats off dude! He's my favourite anti-hero, along with Alex DeLarge :D

    Hi5! on The Amazing Spider-man. Gahh.

    I really hope that Fincher-Mara-Craig finish the trilogy.

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    1. Bickle is The. Man.

      F The Amazing Spider-Man. Gross.

      I hope Fincher gets to finish those flicks too. He could do greatness with them.

      Delete
  11. #3 - Warrior is a bit like that, I really liked it first time but then I absolutely loved on further watches.

    #9 - Excited for Compliance! Absolutely loved TKDR and Imposter. Didn't mind Magic Mike too.

    #18 - Huge call! I mainly hate that everyone overrates them and calls it the best trilogy ever.

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    1. Ahhh Compliance is so good. Definitely do all you can to see that one.

      Yeah, LOTR just ain't for me.

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  12. Travis Bickle as both your favorite movie hero and favorite movie villain. Hah! I love that. :)

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    1. Thanks! He's my favorite character ever.

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    2. He's a great character. I love the fact that the iconic "are you lookin' at me?" thing was completely unscripted.

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    3. Just Scorsese sitting on the floor, saying, "More, more. Again, again."

      God. Incredible.

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  13. LOVE that Rules of Attraction quote. I really want to see Draogn tattoo sequels too and it seems Fincher may actually be on board if Sony won't give him trouble like last time.

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    1. Yeah, it would be really nice to just let Fincher do his own thing. Leave him alone and let him run!

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  14. No doubt Lord Of The Rings is some boring-ass shit. Peter Jackson's one of those style-over-substance directors for me. I don't consider him that much more interesting than Michael Bay. And have you ever tried to read any of the books? Jesus Christ. I should pick up another copy; might cure my insomnia.

    That Rules of Attraction quote is awesome. On a total Bret Easton Ellis hype at the moment - read American Psycho and Lunar Park (Roger Avary's adaptation of the latter sounds like it's gonna kick ass) over the summer, probably gonna blow too much of my student loan on the rest of his books. There's something that gets me in his writing. I think its narcissism is so immersive (if that makes sense).

    Kudos for the Taxi Driver pick as well. Gotta be one of the best movies, full stop. And I need to see 4/5 of your best of the year list. Kept telling myself I'd go and see Killer Joe but I didn't. Not surprised you didn't like Cosmpolis, really, although I haven't seen that either. It came out over here a while ago, and I'm witnessing everybody's disappointment all over again!

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    1. So there is someone else alive who finds the LOTR films as boring as I do. I had no idea haha. And no, I couldn't be paid to read those books. Just not for me.

      Bret Easton Ellis is my favorite author, bar none. His books are the only ones I've ever read twice in my life. I love them for the exact reason you mentioned. For my money, The Informers is his best work. But I love them all.

      Taxi Driver roooocks.

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  15. Great answers, especially involving Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver is now one of my favorite films, it's so fucking perfect). I have not seen most of your favorite movies of 2012. Like that you use a quote from an actress whose in your own movie. The Godfather 3 does suck balls. I kinda like the Lord of the Rings but Jesus do the have to tell an hour and a have story in 3 hours, especially the third one. Have not seen any of the faith trilogy but find it funny how different the word trilogy is in Europe (3 different films with a common theme) and America (3 films with the same structure almost every time, 1. The characters are drawn in, 2. The bad guys almost win, 3. Everyones happy and every problem solved).

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    1. Great comment here, Trevor. Your thought about Euro vs. American trilogies is something I can't agree more with. American sequels are, by and large, so goddamn lame.

      I really couldn't think of an actor quote haha. I remembered her saying that on set, so I thought it'd be cute to include it. Ya dig?

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  16. For kicks, I went blog-hopping, especially looking at those top 5 of 2012 on questionaires, and your inclusion of Compliance and The Imposter was certainly up there with the most interesting top 5's I've found so far.

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    1. Wow man, thanks for saying that. Those are two hidden flicks that deserve more exposure right now. Try to see them if you can!

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    2. On my travels of top 5's, I also discovered Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story (2012) , which has a 100% RT score(haven't seen it yet)

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    3. Hmmm, me either. Definitely going to check that one out.

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  17. Who's your favorite screenwriter and who's your favorite book author?

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    1. Screenwriter: Ingmar Bergman. Book author: Bret Easton Ellis.

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    2. Tarantino or Mamet. Though I wish Mamet wrote more films.

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    3. Now, my real question.
      How interested would you be if Werner Herzog directs a film adapted by David Mamet after a Bret Easton Ellis book with Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Daniel Day-Lewis and Naomi Watts.

      Delete
    4. I think you just came up with a recipe for inarguable movie heaven. Perfection.

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