Tuesday, October 02, 2007









The answers to: Substitute teacher, Richard Clark's easy-ass,
movie related pop quiz... Part deux


...and now for something completely similar:




5. Discuss a movie you were totally hyped about seeing that left you kind of empty and/or disappointed upon viewing.

I created a short list for this question that was made up mostly of sequels and prequels. Seems that most of you were on the same page:

amanda said: Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix - It was the longest book and the shortest movie. They took out so many important parts of the book that I thought it was hard to follow.

athena said: Star Wars Episode One because it shat upon all the things I listed above that I loved. My Top 5 non-Star Wars related disappointments are: Godzilla, Planet of the Apes, both Matrix sequels, Oceans 12 and the horrid adaptation of From Hell (a.k.a. From Ass) that I refuse to talk about anymore.

Both Ocean's 12 and 13 appeared on my list, as did-- of course-- Episodes I, II, and III. I loved Pirates of the Caribbean- The Curse of the Black Pearl, but that ship left nothing in its wake. Dead Man's Chest was disappointing, and the reviews of At World's End (both from critics and friends) convinced me to wait for the DVD. The James Bond franchise has long been one of my favourites, but apart from a moderate taste for Tomorrow Never Dies, the Pierce Brosnan years left me kind of cold (we wont even mention Timothy Dalton).

I was, however, more disappointed by the follow up to The Mummy. Yes, The Mummy Returns hit me kind of hard... I'm not a bit embarrassed to say that I loved the former. The Mummy was great because it knew what it was; it was a smart film because it realized how stupid it should be. I remember thinking that, just as George Lucas paid homage to the old serials when he wrote the Indiana Jones pictures, the folks behind The Mummy were aware that they were having fun with the "B-movie" formula, rather than making a B-movie.

A wink goes out to the audience to imply that "you are smart enough to follow our intentions... we're going to make this film as over-the-top as we can, and the fun we're having will translate to you." The result is a CGI blockbuster film that never forgets how important things like characters, plot, wit, and performance really are. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the two films that followed. The Mummy Returns was not only a mess of animation without the same amount of attention paid to story... It also had a kid. C'mon now, people. This is a device employed by sit-coms that have jumped the shark.

And as much as I would like to have tea and scones with the charming Dwayne "THE ROCK" Johnson (he seems like a cool guy), I don't want to suffer through 92 minutes of his attempt to carry a movie. The Scorpion King is even more abysmal than The Mummy Returns. I had high hopes for The Mummy franchise that were swiftly dashed.


6. Discuss a movie that you figured you'd be damned before seeing that subsequently impressed you more than you could have imagined.
Ok. So I wavered over a number of movies that might adequately answer this question. But it was not until I saw a DVD on the shelf at Blockbuster that I knew what to say. I was more than surprised to find that 12:08 East of Bucharest has been released, and even more surprised to find it at Blockbuster.

I saw it at the Toronto International Film Festival two years ago. I had to wake up early because it was an 8:00 a.m. screening, and I thought "Fuck... I chose this film because it's Romanian, and my dad is Romanian... I want to sleep. I don't want to watch some morose, eastern european movie. Romanians suck. Kill me now."

Well, as it turns out, Romanians don't suck, nor are they necessarily morose. 12:08 East of Bucharest is a delightful comedy, and I am pleased to see that it is readily available to rent. I urge you to check it out (and please let me know what you think).

amy said: Not White Chicks. This is a hard question because if I really thought I wouldn't like a movie I wouldn't go see it. Closer? Yeah! Closer. I thought I wouldn't like Closer because it's all about infidelity which I'm opposed to, but then it was so well done and so real and got under my skin. And now I love it.


mary said: Tremors. All of them. I hate creature movies and they're so cheesy and low budget but I love them. They're really clever and funny. They're basically buddy movies with giant man-eating monsters running around. Man I want them all on DVD!




athena said: It’s a toss up between The Notebook and Roadhouse. I can’t decide today…>




7. Ben Affleck or Matt Damon?

A lot of support for Damon in this category... some of it quite fervent:




mary said: Matt Damon, hands down. Ben Affleck has this shit-eating smirk and when he talks I feel like he hisses a little, spraying his spittle everywhere out of his big ol' mouth.




Wow.
Personally, I'm an Affleck man. Matt seems to be the better actor, and he certainly has a stronger portfolio of films, but Ben wins me over with his cheeky attitude and rugged good looks.



8. What movie would you hide between your mattresses because you fear people will discover that you like it?

I am rarely embarassed by my taste in films. In fact, I have been known to praise Cabin Boy in mixed company. I will, however, admit to being a little ashamed of the degree to which I enjoy Bring it On. If I had to choose between never seeing Bring it On again or never rewatching The Godfather, I would have a lot of thinking to do.







andreus said: I'm not very shy about things I like, trashy or not. I think Erik the Viking is one of these. And Dude, Where's My Car?, which is a cinematic triumph.

elle said: Island of Dr. Moreau (1996). It’s compulsive, if it comes on TV I have to watch it.

athena said: I just admitted to liking the Notebook and Roadhouse so I really don’t have a lot of shame.






mary said: Harry Effin Potter. I love those movies way too much, and not in an entirely pure way.


amy said: Adventures in Babysitting. I watched that movie a hundred times when I was a kid and it has so much nostalgia. Upon a viewing as an adult it's actually pretty crazy racist and homophobic and terrible. But I still can't not watch it. Plus Mark from Rent is in it!


9. Favourite, or least favourite, Steven Spielberg film? Why? (see, you know the test is easy when there's a Spielberg question!!!) Extra credit for describing both.

Judging by your comments, War of the Worlds is the strongest contender for least favourite. I don't know about that. For me, War of the Worlds sails right past bad into the category my former roomate dubbed "crap-tacular". It was like Spielberg suddenly forgot how to make movies, and I so enjoyed it as I do the work of Ed Wood.

I hate A.I., mainly because it had such potential. I don't know if it would have been much more successful had Stanley Kubrik lived to film it, but it couldn't have been any more disappointing. It needed to be darker, and Spielberg's just not into dark. In fact, now that I think about it, I disliked Minority Report for much the same reasons. Plus Tom Cruise.








As for a favourite, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Jurassic Park come close, but neither of them have Indiana Jones.

andreus said: I haven't seen Hook all the way through but what I did see seemed to be disasterous.

athena said: Catch Me if You Can is my fave. I loved the book, and I loved the film. It was the first time I ever liked Leo in a film.

mary said: Favourite: Casper. I had such a crush on Casper when I was little. He's like my ultimate boyfriend!

Least Favourite: E.T. OH MAN E.T. I maintain that my childhood would have been at least 35% healthier had it not introduced the idea of aliens to me. I was terrified.


10. Which actor(s)/actress(es) do you have the biggest crush(es) on, and why?

Apparently Ben Affleck (who knew?).






The very first celebrity poster I hung on my wall for reasons of crushiness was of Brooke Shields. I still kind of dig her. If I could choose anyone living or dead, though, I'd have to go with Myrna Loy. She's beautiful, to be sure, but so spunky and adorable in the Thin Man series. The fact that she is not currently alive does little to deter my feelings.



In terms of celebrities who actually breath, Keira Knightley, Rachel Weisz, and Rosario Dawson top my list. I am also willing to make certain comprimises if George Clooney ever calls.


elle has interesting choices: Callum Keith Rennie since Hard Core Logo (1996) Billy is defiantly Talent. Gerard Butler since Dracula 2000 (2000) I wanted to be bit, bad. Last but Certainly not least David Tennant I mean he’s The Doctor who does want to be taken aboard the TARDIS???



joanne does, too: Steve Buscemi, Vincent D'Onofrio, Michael Pitt, Juliette Binoche, cause they are either funny of very attractive or both.


amanda and athena are very convincing: Ryan. Reynolds. Is. The. Hottest. Man. Ever. I. Know. That. Isn’t. A. Good. Explanation. But. Who. Cares. & All time crush is Ryan Reynolds. He's absolutely beautiful.


anonymous throws in a vote for: Brad Pitt, he's gorgeous and can act in a variety of roles.


and amy might be schizophrenic: Colin Firth. Natalie Portman - We're involved her and I. Jodie Foster - She's so badass and was totally the inspiration for Scully.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

mmm...ryan reynolds. *drools a little**