Mammoth Movie Meme Part One

 Thanks to Brother Cal over at the legendary Cave Of Cool for bringing this meme to my attention. I don't often get involved with memes but this one about movies seemed a bit of fun, so why not? Be warned there are 60 (!) questions but I won't do it all in one post. That way madness lies. The plan is to break it down into four parts so it won't cause too much eye-strain for the reader. Expect lots of ridiculous, ill-informed and self-centred choices ahead. ( Oh, and the first part of Cal's take on this meme can be found here... )

1. A movie you’ve seen most times in cinema.
Strangely enough, probably Evil Dead II. A friend of mine's mum worked at our      local cinema at the time and got us free tickets. I actually watched Sam Raimi's hilarious splatter-fest 3 times in a week. ( I suppose I could have lied and said something more worthy like Citizen Kane... )

2. Your most rewatched movie.
Probably Jaws, the original and the best. ( Sequels? What sequels? ) I first saw it at the cinema at the age of about nine and I've watched it Buddha-knows how many times since. And, even though I've got the DVD and can watch it any time, if it's on telly I'll always watch it. I still think it's the best thing Spielberg's ever done.

3. A movie you quote on a daily basis.
Withnail And I, without a doubt. Not just one of the best British comedies ever, but one of the best British films ever, full-stop. The dialogue as heard in the film is brilliant enough, but I'd recommend getting hold of the script book for Bruce Robinson's darkly witty descriptions and asides which add immeasurably to the spoken words. "What f***er said that?"

4. Favourite movie soundtrack.
I'll have to go with Nino Rota's  beautiful score for The Godfather, once heard never forgotten. Close runners up ( all for very different reasons ) being Lawrence Of Arabia, A Matter Of Life And Death, Taxi Driver, Sleeper, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange... the list goes on...

5. Top 5 films of your favourite actor and actress.
 I'm hard pressed to actually nominate a favourite actor or actress. There are so many actors I admire that it's difficult to pick only one... and even the best have had their occasional dodgy performances. For the purposes of this meme, however, I'll go with James Stewart and Marilyn Monroe ( old school! )  -  ask me again in ten minutes and I'd probably say two different actors...

Jimmy:                                                Marilyn:
It's A Wonderful Life                      Some Like It Hot
Rear Window                                   Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Rope                                                    How To Marry A Millionaire
Vertigo                                                The Misfits
Harvey                                                Niagara

6. Top 5 performances of your favourite actor and actress.
Just to prove the above, I'm going to go with two different actors for this. Awkward bugger, aren't I?

Robert DeNiro:                                 Sigourney Weaver:
The Godfather Part II                     Aliens
The Deer Hunter                             Alien
Taxi Driver                                        Ghostbusters
Mean Streets                                     The Ice Storm
Goodfellas                                          Galaxy Quest

 7. A movie storyline you wish you had actually lived.
 A tricky one. How about Roman Holiday? It would give me a chance to pose around a black and white 1950s Italy with Audrey Hepburn. ( I'd be Gregory Peck, of course, not Eddie Albert. )

8. A movie that reminds you of your mum.
Ang Lee's Sense And Sensibility. Sarah and I took my Mum to see this a few months after losing my Dad, Pete. Although there are some quite sad moments in the storyline Mum really enjoyed it and it was good to help take her mind off things. I'm not a fan of Jane Austen ( I read Mansfield Park at A-Level and it bored the pants off me ) but Lee and a great cast kept me interested. ( For a hilariously superficial debate about this film's casting see this link to the IMDB. )

9. A movie that reminds you of your dad.
No one film in particular, although we did watch a lot of movies together. When I was young Pete would always want me to stay up late and watch some film or other but Mum would usually veto it, saying I had school the next day etc. One night I'd been in bed for a good hour when Mum came into my bedroom, not happy, having clearly lost the argument, and said "Pete wants you to watch this film. Come back down." Cheers Pete!
I will say, however, that one of my regrets is not going to see A Bridge Too Far with him. Pete was a great fan of war movies and we had agreed to go to the cinema to see this. Being a typically empty-headed kid I'd forgotten that and arranged to go swimming with a mate instead. As Pete was a farmer and very rarely had time to go out we missed the opportunity to see the film and I've regretted it ever since...

10. Favourite movies from your childhood.
Many of my favourite childhood movies are still favourites ( I've always had good taste )  :-)  Here are a few:
The Wizard Of Oz
Jason & The Argonauts
Jaws ( did I mention that? )
The Jungle Book
Willie Wonka And The Chocolate Factory
Dr. No
Planet Of The Apes
Star Wars

11. Favourite quote(s).
Bloody hell! This is a whole blog post on its own! Here are just a few:
"You're going to need a bigger boat."
"Monty, you terrible c***!"
"Well, no-one's perfect."
"I say you are the Messiah, and I should know  -  I've followed a few..."
"Funny how?"
"Get away from her you bitch!"
"It's not personal, Sonny, it's strictly business."
And if you don't know where these quotations are from, see me after class...

 12. Top 5 favourite female performances. ( Only 5??? )
Sigourney Weaver in Aliens ( see a pattern forming here? )
Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot ( yep, definitely a pattern )
Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany's
Diane Keaton in Annie Hall
Grace Kelly in Rear Window

13. Top 5 favourite male performances. ( Only 5??? again )
Al Pacino in The Godfather ( I could just do a Top 5 from this movie... )
David Niven in A Matter Of Life And Death
Robert DeNiro in The Godfather Part II
James Stewart in It's A Wonderful Life
Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca

14. Favourite year for movies. ( Can't do just one. How about three? )
1939 ( Don't remember it myself... but it was Hollywood's annus mirabillis )
The year of The Wizard Of Oz, Gone With The Wind, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Wuthering Heights, Stagecoach and, as they say, many more
1982 ( One I can remember and definitely remember having a great time at the movies )
The year of ET, Blade Runner, The Thing, The Evil Dead, Poltergeist
1973 ( The year of... you know what? This year deserves its own post. Watch this space... )

15. Your favourite movies from [insert year].
The random year is 1979 and the movies are Manhattan, Apocalypse Now, The Jerk and Monty Python's Life Of Brian  -  quite a cool selection :-)

 

OK, that's Part One done. It's Intermission Time... a selection of ice creams are available in the foyer... please don't slam your car door on the way home -  this is a residential area... 

Soundtrack: Scared To Dance / The Absolute Game by the Skids