Movies That Are New To Me Part Two

A Woman of Paris: Charlie Chaplin's straight drama where he only appears in a brief unrecognizable cameo as a train porter. This is the story of a young courtesan who is caught in a romantic triangle between a rich playboy and a young artist. When first released "A Woman of Paris" was critically acclaimed but was a box office flop. I could see how it was innovative, as Chaplin makes these people seem real and three dimensional, however I'm not sure it holds up as well as his other films. The film is full of many melodramatic scenes that dates it too much, but there are instances of real emotion that only a filmmaker like Chaplin could pull off. I'm interested to see this a second time since I consider Chaplin one of the masters of cinema.

A King in New York Chaplin's final starring role is a sincere though messy film. Made after Chaplin was exiled from America, the film is a biting satire of American life. Chaplin plays a king from a European country who flees to New York after a revolution. This gives Chaplin ample opportunity to poke fun at the American way of life. It seems Chaplin tries to take on too many targets and the editing of the film is one of the things wrong with it. The main target he takes on mostly in the final third of the film is the communist witch hunt trials that took place in the 40s and 50s. Here Chaplin is most effective and even gets a great performance from his young son who plays a child of parents accused of being communists. Cut off from his studios in Hollywood, Chaplin was required to rush this film which might account for its rough edges, however it does not take away from the power of some of the scenes.

Fall of the Roman Empire One of the best epic films I've ever seen, directed by Anthony Mann. It tells the story of the change of power in Rome and the beginning of its collapse. The film has a great scope but remains intimate, Mann is a master of these kinds of stories, you could tell from his westerns, it's all high drama and tragedy. I mostly don't go for epics because I find most of them go for spectacle rather than story, but this is one of the exceptions. Plus great performances by Alec Guinness, James Mason, and Christopher Plummer.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask Woody Allen's comedy based on the famous book is full of many funny vignettes, while some of them aren't as strong as others,many of them are inspired. My favorites include Gene Wilder's love affair with a sheep, Woody coming across a mad sex scientist played by John Carradine, and the finale which takes place inside a male body who is about to have sex.

A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy: Another Woody Allen comedy, his first one with Mia Farrow tells the story of various couples who spend the weekend together in the early 1900s. This was a turning point in Allen's career, he was coming off his modern comedies "Annie Hall", and "Manhattan", and boggled his audience with "Stardust Memories". Allen would become more nostalgic and deal with more ensemble pieces than ever before. "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy" is rather tame, but it was a starting point for some of his most memorable films of the 80s.

Au Revoir Les Enfants: Probably the best film of the bunch is director Louis Malle's autobiographical story of when he was a boy going to a catholic school for boys during the second world war. He befriends a young Jewish boy being hidden there by one of the priests along with other Jews from the gestapo. The film leads up to an incredibly heartbreaking finale, and one that haunted its director his entire life. I won't say anything else about "Au Revoir Les Enfants", except that it's a very special kind of film.

The Kick-Ass Controversy: Joining the Bandwagon!

I've recently seen "Kick-Ass", and if you haven't yet, I very much recommend seeing it. However what interests me more about "Kick-Ass" is not so much the film, but the critical reception it's receiving. An argument has erupted over the film concerning the violence, more specifically concerning the violence inflicted upon but also inflicted by the 11 year old scene stealing wonder Hitgirl.

The film is called "Kick-Ass" which follows the exploits of a young teenage kid who has the idea of wearing a scuba suit and go out and fight crime in this real world of ours. Kick-Ass the character is truly the heart, the naivete, and the optimism of the film, but really the show belongs to Hitgirl played with gusto and confidence by 13 year old actress Chloe Morez. She played Joseph-Gordon Levitt's wise beyond her years younger sister in "500 Days of Summer". Each time she's on screen, Morez owns the film and makes more out of it than it deserves, she's the reason you should see this "Kick-Ass".

The problem arises with the fact that Morez is 13, her character in the film is 11, yet she does and says things that we shouldn't expect from a girl at her tender innocent age. Throughout the film, Hitgirl almost singlehandedly does away with an entire Mob syndicate, and not with any clean G-rated, or even PG-13 rated niceness. Her blows to her enemies are as harsh as anything Uma Thurman was asked to do in "Kill Bill". The difference of course is Thurman's a mature woman, while little Morez doesn't even have a learner's permit. Hitgirl's mouth isn't all that clean either, her words are about as harsh as her hits, which brings the question of appropriate behaviour in a film like this to the forefront.

"Kick-Ass" is without a doubt being aimed at its teenaged boy demographic, most of which were in the audience I saw the film with. At the end of the movie, I heard many of the guys say how much they thought it was awesome, yes awesome was the prominent word in the air. I'm not sure if they were at all sensitized to the idea of an 11 year old girl being beaten to a pulp, or stab a guy at point blank range, or saying the "C" word, I suspect to them, it was all cool.

However I will try not to speak for them, and speak only for myself. To me "Kick-Ass" worked just barely and that had a lot to do with Morez's natural charisma which she should be praised for. I for one believed in the world of Hitgirl, she fits in to the film better than anyone else, and I wish it was through her eyes we could see it. I can't say I was disturbed by the violence, because Morez makes Hitgirl almost indestructible, I always believed she was going to be okay, much like Uma Thurman's The Bride or Indiana Jones for that matter, she was the hero.

I don't blame the controversy on Morez or the character of Hitgirl at all, the blame should go to director Matthew Vaughn for making "Kick-Ass" into a tone deaf mess. Perhaps critics wouldn't pound so much on the film had Vaughn decided to make one kind of movie, but he tries to have his cake and eat it too. "Kick-Ass" is suppose to be what happens when a real life kid tries to be a super hero in the real world. We get some of that, but then Vaughn also wants to make a real super hero story involving cartoonish action sequences involving bazookas and jet-packs. All reality is thrown out the window when this happens, the only thing that makes it watchable is...Hitgirl, she just rolls with the punches, Morez sets her own tone and we're able to follow her.

I think what Vaughn should've done is gone completely the "Kill Bill" route and scratch all the reality. Perhaps it wouldn't have been as controversial if Hitgirl was in a truly comic book environment. The violence in "Kill Bill" was never taken seriously (only to those who didn't understand what Quentin Tarantino was doing). In that film, we see huge amounts of blood squirt out, but it's mostly seen as humorous or way over the top. Vaughn insists on reality constantly overtaking fantasy too many times, and that's where I think people are taking an issue.


Hitgirl in the comics. Remind you of "Kill Bill" at all?

I think I looked at "Kick-Ass" as a movie it should've been had a director with the right tone directed it. What saved it for me were the performances, particularly Morez. I would say after all, a young 11 year old girl who can take care of herself in a fight is ultimately a positive thing, perhaps it went to the extremes, however let's not pretend this was the first film to do so. If you want, you can go all the way back to Linda Blair in "The Exorcist" for children doing inappropriate things for the sake of the cinema.

However due to box office receipts it's unlikely "Kick-Ass" will be high in the minds of movie goers anyway. I suppose parents were smart and took their children to see a cartoon about a dragon instead of a foul-mouthed ultra-violent super-heroine in her tweens. It's hard to say who won this round, but it was enjoyable to be a part of the discussion.

Movies that are new to me Part One

I've been able to see a variety of films I have never seen before, here are a few that stuck out for me.

Fahrenheit 451: Francois Truffaut's only English language film and first film in color. This is an adaption of the science fiction masterpiece by Ray Bradbury about a future civilization that outlaws books and burns any that exist. With "Fahrenheit 451", Truffaut does with books what "Day for Night" did for film. It's a love letter to the written word. The moment for me that was sheer romance was when Oskar Werner's hero Montag opens up "David Copperfield" and begins to read for the first time. You can also sense the Hitchcock influence with Truffaut in this film, although the themes and the situations are purely his own. Like with all of Truffaut's films I fell under its spell, it's a very special film.

Who's That Knocking at my Door/Boxcar Bertha: Martin Scorsese's first two feature films had eluded me for so long, I was curious to see what they were. "Who's That Knocking..." started out as Scorsese's student film and was later expanded into a feature. At times it feels very much like two different films that don't quite add up. One film is a love story between a guy from the streets (Harvey Keitel in his first role) and a more educated young lady. The other has to do with the guy getting along with his hoodlum friends. The two stories never converge together but it remains interesting. I enjoyed the scenes between Keitel and his girlfriend much more, and you can sense Scorsese planting the seeds of what would become his first masterpiece "Mean Streets".

"Boxcar Bertha" is an entirely different entity altogether. This was Scorsese's film for famed B-movie producer Roger Corman. It's a knock off of "Bonnie and Clyde" with Barbara Hershey as the title character who forms a gang with Union man David Carradine. The two fall in love and try to hide from the law for as long as they can, until the inevitable climax. Watching it, you couldn't really call this a Scorsese film, not much of his usual style is evident throughout. You could probably say this was his "director-for-hire" job, although the finale does include one not so subtle religious symbol that Scorsese no doubt took part in. All in all this was an exploitation film, though entertaining wasn't all that memorable.

Bigger Than Life One of the masters of cinema in the fifties was Nicholas Ray. Best known for "Rebel Without a Cause", Ray was fully conscious of what was lying underneath a well-to-do suburban town. "Bigger Than Life" is one such story about a high school teacher who seems to have a perfect life with his wife and son. Suddenly he is taken ill, the only way for him to live is when the doctor's prescribe a miracle drug. All is well until he decides to addicted to the drug, and he slowly becomes a completely different person. I was interested in seeing "Bigger Than Life" for a few reasons, mostly because it seemed to be one of those textbook 50s melodramas which I haven't seen much of. The second because Nicholas Ray has always been a director I've wanted to see more of, and let's not forget the star of the film James Mason who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors.

Lola Montes Director Max Ophuls' final film, the only one he did in color as well. Like Nicholas Ray, Ophuls is the kind of director that interests me, I like diving into his work every chance I can. "Lola Montes" is an ambitious film and is done in vivid technicolor and cinemascope. Ophuls is one of those directors who knows how to move the camera effectively and use every inch of space and movement with a certain motivation. However while all this was happening, I felt a distance towards the film, perhaps it was in the lead character who I didn't much care for. However with a director like Ophuls I will give him the benefit of the doubt and maybe appreciate it more the second time.

Gates of Heaven I'm not usually one for documentaries, I find there are very few that actually move me. I understand there purpose, but I rarely get invested in what's going on than when I watch a fictional film. "Gates of Heaven" is directed by Errol Morris who is a master at the documentary film. Roger Ebert declared it to be one of the top ten movies ever made. Despite all that I again never became much involved with the story about the people behind a pet cemetery. Morris brings on a lot of themes about love and death, and the people in the film are all very engaging, yet I was never deeply moved as I feel I should've been, perhaps that's my failing, or perhaps I was in a different frame of mind when watching it. I was grabbed by some people's stories, I felt a whole film should've been made on the lady who's son keeps borrowing money from her, I wanted to see more of her.

Another Quiz from Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule

1) William Demarest or Broderick Crawford?
William Demarest he was funnier and less intimidating.

2) What movies improve when seen in a state of altered consciousness? (Patrick Robbins) Although I haven't proven this theory myself, my father once told me of a trip he took to see "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" in an altered state. He said it was great.

3) Favorite studio or production company logo?
RKO

4) Celeste Holm or Joan Blondell?
I admire both women, but after just recently viewing "Gold Diggers of 1933" and "Night Nurse", I'm a huge Joan Blondell fan all the way, I can't wait to see her in more.

5) What is the most overrated "classic" film? (Tony Dayoub)
Maybe I would have a different feeling about it today, but when I first saw "The Graduate" I thought, what was the big deal? I admired the performances of the actors and the Simon and Garfunkle songs but I just never connected to the story.

6) What movie do you know for sure you saw, but have no memory of seeing? (Patricia Yokoe Cozzalio)I know I saw "Fantasia" when I was younger, I wouldn't say I don't remember seeing it at all, but I only remember elements, I would love to see it again.

7) Favorite Hammer Film? This is embarrassing but I have yet to see my first Hammer film.

8) Gregory Itzin or Joe Pantoliano? I like Joe Pantoliano, he's one of those actors that makes anything better just by being in it.

9) Create a double feature with two different movies with the same title. No remakes. (Peter Nellhaus) "Notorious" (The Hitchcock classic and the Bio of Notorious BIG)

10) Akiko Wakabayashi or Mie Hama? (Ray Young)
Mie Hama though I may be confused as to which Bond girl was which.

11) Can you think of a (non-porn) movie that informed you of the existence of a sexual act you had not known of prior? (Bob Westal) In Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors" when Allen's sister is talking about being urinated on while in bed. I was pretty young when I saw that, and my dad was in the room with me when she said it. Needless to say he was disgusted with what I was watching.

12) Can you think of a black & white movie that might actually improve if it was in color? (Patrick Robbins) Nope

13) Favorite Pedro Almodovar Film?
I have yet to see one, I am so behind the times.

14) Kurt Raab or Udo Kier?
I guess I have to go with Udo Kier but really both of these men have not effected my life in movies all that much.

15) Worst main title song (Peter Nellhaus)
Not sure if it's the worst main title song, but Madonna's "Die another Day" has my vote for worst Bond song ever.

16) Last movie you saw in a theater? On DVD, Blu-ray or other interesting location/format? In Theatres: A Single Man
On DVD: Fahrenheit 451

17) Favorite movie reference within a Woddy Allen movie? (Larry Aydlette)
Marcel Ophuls "The Sorrow and The Pity" in "Annie Hall"

18) Mary Astor or Claudette Colbert?
Claudette Colbert was one of the great screen comedienne's plus she has one of my favorite exits ever in a movie in Lubitch's "The Smiling Lieutenant".

19) Favorite trailer (provide YouTube link if possible)?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J2fo5alMVI the kid in me came out the first time I saw it.

20) Oddest double bill you either saw or saw listed in a theater
We have no double bills nearby it's a shame really

21) Favoite Phil Karlson film? I haven't seen any of his films

22) Favorite “social problem” picture? "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town".

23) Your favourite Harryhausen film/monster? (Ali Arikan)
"Jason and The Argonauts" and the fighting skeletons

24) What was the first movie you saw with your significant other? (Patrick Robbins)
Seeing how I don't have a significant other at the moment, this question depresses me.

25) John Payne or Ronald Reagan?
John Payne

26) Movie you feel a certain pressure or obligation to see that you have not yet actually seen
Well I do feel the need to see a Hammer film or two and a film by Pedro Almadovar. One such classic film that has been on my radar for a long time is "The Red Shoes" which has so far eluded me.

27) Favorite “psychedelic” movie (Hey, man, like, define it however you want, man…)
"2001 A Space Odyssey", it's trippy, full of colors, it's about space, it's about life man, it's about why we are all here, it's about the meaning of life man yeah!

28) Thelma Ritter or Eve Arden?
Now this is actually a tough one. Do I pick Jimmy Stewart's loyal sassy cartaker in "Rear Window" or Jimmy Stewart's loyal sassy secretary in "Anatomy of a Murder"? I have to give this one to Ritter by a hair.

29) Favorite iconic shot or image from a film? Just one? There are so many! Fine if I must choose just one, I will pick the moment the flower girl realizes who The Tramp really is in the last precious seconds of "City Lights", there, are you happy?

30) What is the movie that inspired the most memorable argument you ever had about a movie? One argument came about when I decided to show friends "Do the Right Thing", thinking they would love it just as much as I did. No, it is probably the only film I've ever shown people that sparked a debate between me and the others.

31) Raquel Torres or Lupe Velez?
I remember Lupe Velez was mentioned in the very first episode of "Frasier" I can't believe I remember it, but it was funny because Velez always wanted to be remembered, so she decided to commit an extravagant suicide but it went awry. Long story short, I still remember Lupe Velez. According to IMDB Raquel Torres was in "Duck Soup" with The Marx Brothers, that gives her points, but I don't remember her, I remember Lupe Velez.

32) Favorite adaptation of Shakespeare to a film?
Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood"(AKA "Macbeth"

33) Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein (in 3D)-- yes or no?
Sure, I haven't seen it but okay!

34) Favorite movie rating?
"This Film is not yet rated"

35) Olivia Barash or Joyce Hyser?
I have no opinion about these ladies. It said on IMDB Olivia Barash was on an episode of "Night Court" I always liked that show so I'll choose her.

36) What was the movie that convinced you your favorite movie genre was your favorite movie genre? I'm not sure I have a favorite movie genre, but I do love westerns a whole bunch. I'm not sure there was a certain western that made me love it, but the films of John Ford certainly made it easier for me to choose (ie "The Searchers", "My Darling Clementine", "Stagecoach", "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" etc.)

37) Favorite Blake Edwards movie Anything he did with Peter Sellers, but "A Shot in the Dark" is by far the best.

There Will Be Blood: A second look

I'm hoping to start a new series in my blog entitled "A Second Look". These are movies in which I was not entirely sure about when I first viewed it, and movies I think are worth a second glance to see if my opinion about them might change. I feel a lot of movies become richer the more times you see them, something may be there you might not have noticed the first time, and sometimes you appreciate something the more you see it. Some of my favorite movies started as films I didn't really appreciate the first time I saw it, but there was always something about them that made me want to revisit them. For my first entry in this series I chose "There Will Be Blood".

I had not seen "There Will Be Blood" since it was first released in theatres, and back then I felt I already came into the film with preconceived notions. As a rule, I try not to read too much about a film before I go see it, but I live in Red Deer, and sometimes when a film like "There Will Be Blood" comes out, it takes awhile for my city to recognize it. It wasn't until the film was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, that Red Deer finally got it. However there was so much written about the film, I couldn't resist reading up on it. One thing that I think made me go in with a skeptical eye was how it was compared very much to "Citizen Kane". The audacity of that comparison had to be unfathomable, how could any film come close to what that classic accomplished?

Upon watching the film, many things bothered me about it, I found it slow moving, with an annoying score that seemed out of place, but most of all a lead character I was ambivalent towards. I felt "There Will Be Blood" tried to impress me too much with its technical wizardry, but had a story I could care less about.

However many things made me want to see it again. Many critics began praising the film even more than before, saying it rewards with multiple viewings. One of my favorite critics Kim Morgan had it in her top ten of that year somewhere in the middle, but after seeing it again, she shot it up past "No Country for Old Men" to take the number one spot.

While this was happening, I was convinced by other friends saying how great it was, when this happened, I felt my ego tarnished, I guess I missed something.

I started thinking about it and figured perhaps I did go into the film with different expectations, I was judging it for what it wasn't, not for what it was. But I suppose the thing that convinced me to see it again was Paul Thomas Anderson. Here is one of the most talented Hollywood filmmakers around, who's "Boogie Nights", "Magnolia" and "Punch Drunk Love" show a very unique though slightly derivative voice. I figured someone like Anderson deserved the benefit of the doubt.

So I have now viewed "There Will Be Blood" for the first time since it was first released, and I must admit my views of it have changed.

The film begins as a silent film with a shot of a mountainous area and an ominous score that I haven't forgotten since the first time I saw it. The shot is very reminiscent of the beginning of the "Dawn of Man" segment in Kubrick's "2001". In fact I would say there are many Kubrick elements throughout the film, most notably in the rather darkly comic finale.

The first 20 minutes of the movie should be shown in film schools on the importance of telling a story through image, as that is what Anderson does. We get the humble beginnings of Daniel Plainview, and his obsessive determination which will dominate his character throughout the film, all done with no dialogue. Anderson always seems to have a very grandiose way of introducing his movies, I find this way less showy and far more impressive.

In my first viewing I was annoyed by the music by Johnny Greewood, I felt it brought too much attention on itself. I had a different feeling towards it now, it is a great score, and I can appreciate how Anderson uses it in the film. The music tells of the dread we have for Daniel Plainview, it's almost as if it's used in foreshadowing, at times it made me feel like I was watching a horror movie.

I suppose your love of the film must some how fall on the shoulders of Daniel Day Lewis and how you view his performance. Much has been said of his chameleon like sensibility when approaching a role, and this particular one gives him much to chew on.

Still the one thing that continues to bother me with "There Will Be Blood" is in the character of Daniel Plainview himself, it's not in the way Day Lewis plays him, but in the way the script refuses to show what made him the man he is.

When we first see Plainview, he has carved out a path for himself, but what makes him choose this path. There are three relationships in Plainview's life that define who is, the first one is his son, who he abandons when he becomes a burdon. The second is a man claiming to be his brother who he learns to bond with, and the third is Eli Sunday, the Preacher/Prophet who is just as ambitious and monstrous as Daniel. The son and the brother hint that there is something more to Daniel than the bloodthirsty oilman, something that he and the film hide too much, they are too interested in Daniel the capitalist monster. Eli is Daniel's reflection, and that is all he has in the end, and when Eli is gone, Daniel truly is finished.

I think "There Will Be Blood" is an interesting movie, but it could've been more interesting if it let its character be more human. Daniel Plainview lacks ambiguity, you know from the very beginning what he wants and what he's after, he's a shadow of a man as the film begins, I wish I knew how he became that shadow.

I'm still hesitant to call "There Will Be Blood" a classic, but watching it I can't deny its uniqueness. It's unlike any American movie made in the past decade, it gets you out of a stupor of mundane movie making. I must say I was more interested in the way Anderson was telling the story than I was the first time, and it held my attention. I appreciate the film more than before, and definitely think it deserves multiple viewings, there were shots that I thought were magnificent and I may just want to go back to the film just to admire that aspect. Perhaps someday I'll feel the need to watch it again, maybe then I'll be convinced of its greatness.

Movie Review: Clash of the Titans

I think I enjoyed "Clash of the Titans" more than I had any right to. I went into the film expecting a certain kind of film, and I left knowing my expectations were met.

"Clash of the Titans" isn't high art, it's high camp, a B-movie splendor that probably won't be remembered in the next month or so when movies like "Iron Man 2" come out, but it'll do for the moment.

I never saw the original "Clash of the Titans" so don't expect this review to be any kind of comparison. I have however seen my share of Ray Harryhausen movies such as "Jason and The Argonauts", and "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad". Harryhausen was a wizard with stop motion special effects that brought more to the imagination than the computer generated schlock you see today. The original "Clash of the Titans" was the last film to use Harryhausen's unique special effects, and I encourage anyone who hasn't seen any of his movies, to go see them.

Now let's get to this new updated version shall we. The new "Clash of the Titans" is the story of Perseus (Sam Worthington) a demi-God who's father is Zeus (Liam Neeson) and who's mother was mortal. When the humans start to rebel against the Gods, Zeus along with his brother Hades (Ralph Feinnes) think it's about time to teach them a lesson. By the way, Hades is still sore at Zeus for sending him to rule the underworld, so he's concocted his own plan to get back at him. While all this God stuff is going on, Perseus is mankind's only hope, he leads a small band of soldiers to find a way to kill the God's most powerful weapon against mankind, a giant sea monster known as The Kracken. On their way to the underworld, the men run into their fair share of giant scorpions, desert people who look like they are made of rock, witches with one eye they carry in the palm of their hand, and Medusa, that snake like woman who turns men to stone just by her stare.

There isn't much originality in "Clash of the Titans" look or feel, it owes more than a debt to not only Ray Harryhausen's original vision, but also "Star Wars", and "Lord of the Rings" as well. What saves "Clash of the Titans" for me is how it seems to know this, there is a wink of acknowledgement from the film's director Louis Leterrier by his way of not treating this as anything more than a big budget B-movie.

Leterrier lacks the grandeur and the scope of a James Cameron or a Peter Jackson, but he does have a playful sensibility and is able to create crowd pleasing set pieces. The cast also seems to have fun playing along, Worthington plays it smart and maintains a status of an everyman action hero in the film. Neeson and Feinnes also seem to have fun hamming it up as the Greek Gods, unfortunately they aren't given much to do other than talk a lot about the silly humans who's lives they are making horrible.

I saw the film in 2-D which is the way it was originally intended, and most of the critics who are blasting it seem to have only seen it in 3-D, so do yourself a favour save some money and see it the way it was originally filmed, you'll probably enjoy it more.

I would put "Clash of the Titans" as a humble little blockbuster, that will probably dry those salivating mouths just long enough for the summer movie season to begin. You may not gain any IQ points while watching this movie, but if giant scorpions are your thing, than I say enjoy.

This Blog Entry Needs a Title

This questionaire was taken from the Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule archives. I just haven't filled it out yet.

1) What was the last movie you saw, either in a theater or on DVD, and why?
In Theatre: "Hot Tub Time Machine" because my friends were going and I felt like a laugh.
On DVD: "Death Proof" because I haven't watched it since it was in theatres and I wanted to see it again.

2) Name the cinematographer whose work you most look forward to seeing, and an example of one of his/her finest achievements. Roger Deakins and his finest acheivment was probably "Fargo"

3) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson? Bo Svenson

4) Name a moment from a movie that made you gasp (in horror, surprise, revelation…)Lots of movies do that for me, the good ones anyway, but there is at least one moment in all films from "The Three Colors Trilogy" that has me gasping with revelation.

5) Your favorite movie about the movies. That is a tough question. Either Woody Allen's "Purple Rose of Cairo" or Truffaut's "Day For Night" are my answers.

6) Your Favorite Fritz Lang movie. Another tough question. When the cards are down, I will probably always go with "Metropolis".

7) Describe the first time you ever recognized yourself in a movie. Jimmy Stewart in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". I was a kid at the time, I was timid, shy, and naive. People have always said I have this innocent quality about me, and I stuttered when I spoke, mostly because I was so shy. Jefferson Smith was like looking in a mirror, the fact that he became a hero to look up to made it all the more special.

8) Carole Bouquet or Angela Molina? I have no idea who those ladies are, and after looking them up on IMDB, I don't think I've seen any of their films.

9) Name a movie that redeems the notion of nostalgia as something more than a bankable commodity. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"

10) Favorite appearance by an athlete in an acting role. The Hansen Brothers in "Slap Shot", they might not've been real hockey players but how else coule they make the list.

11) Favorite Hal Ashby movie. I am so behind my Hal Ashby movie watching, I haven't even seen "Harold and Maude", but of the ones I've seen I would say "Bound for Glory".

12) Name the first double feature you’d program for opening night of your own revival theater. "The Kid" and "The General".

13) What’s the name of your revival theater? The Cinephile

14) Humphrey Bogart or Elliot Gould? Bogart, Gould's in a different time and a different category.

15) Favorite Robert Stevenson movie.
"Mary Poppins"

16) Describe your favorite moment in a movie that is memorable because of its use of sound. "2001: A Space Odyssey" when all you hear is the breathing of a man in space, and suddenly that breathing is no longer heard, and that's when you know that man is dead.

17) Pink Flamingoes-- yes or no?
Yes, since I have never seen it, so I'm always up for that.

18) Your favorite movie soundtrack score.
"Vertigo" or "Three Colors: Red"

19) Fay Wray or Naomi Watts?
Fay Wray was the scream queen and will forever be King Kong's true love, but I choose Naomi Watts for being the better actress overall.

20) Is there a movie that would make you question the judgment and/or taste of a film critic, blogger or friend if you found out they were an advocate of it?
"Paschandaele"

21) Pick a new category for the Oscars and its first deserving winner.
Best Comedy: "Horse Feathers"

22) Favorite Paul Verhoeven movie.
Did he do "Total Recall" if he did, then I pick that one.

23) What is it that you think movies do better than any other art form?
Live in the moment of the characters and situations that are going on.

24) Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney?
It's close, but Peter Ustinov was on "The Muppet Show" so he gets it.

25) Favorite movie studio logo, as it appears before a theatrical feature.
RKO, I miss it.

26) Name the single most important book about the movies for you personally.
My "1001 Greatest Movie Moments" book, I love going through it to see which films I have yet to see and which moments I have yet to experience.

27) Name the movie that features the best twist ending. (Please note the use of any “spoilers” in your answer.)If you could count "Three Colours Red" to be a twist ending, which in a way I do then I choose that.

28) Favorite Francois Truffaut movie.
"Jules and Jim" no contest.

29) Olivia Hussey or Claire Danes?
Claire Danes

30) Your most memorable celebrity encounter.
He was never in the movies but Bret The Hitman Hart I guess, he bumped into me. He was a guest voice on "The Simpsons" so hurray!

31) When did you first realize that films were directed?
I think when I was young, I may no have known what a director was, but I remember seeing Steven Spielberg's name and knowing his films had a certain similarity to eachother, the same could be said for Frank Capra when I saw his films. So it probably started with those two names.

My Childhood Trauma: The Ten Commandments

The wrath of God, a burning bush, the Angel of death, Charlton Heston's voice. Put this all together, and you have one of the most famous Hollywood spectacles in history, you also have one frightened little boy.

Easter is fast approaching, it's considered to be the most sacred and important day on the Christian calender, it's also the beginning of Passover, as a child I dreaded this time, for this was the time "The Ten Commandments" would be shown at nausea on television. For me, "The Ten Commandments", wasn't about the spectacle, nor did I think it was about the freeing of slaves, all it stood for was a lot of sleepless nights.

When you think of movies that traumatize children, "Bambi" might come to mind, or "The Wizard of Oz". What about "The Ten Commandments"? That is never uttered. Was I the only who grew up with the disturbing images from that movie?

I don't remember the first time I saw "The Ten Commandments", I just remember every Easter, it came on. Everyone in my family loved the movie, I don't know why, my mom, my dad, my brother, and myself would sit sometimes as a family and watch it. I remember one such Easter where it was actually thundering outside, and rain was banging against our house, and "The Ten Commandments" was on, it was like my worst dreams were coming true. At any moment, I thought God was going to come with one of his many plagues he used to free the Israelites from the Pharaoh.

There are few images from movies that I remember when I was a child, and the majority of the scary ones come from "The Ten Commandments". I remember the image from the burning bush, where Moses talks to God for the first time. As a child, I didn't know the context of the scene, I just remember the deep voice of God along with the Godly voice of Charlton Heston, talking to eachother. It was never a comforting voice, but it was one full of vengeance, and growing up as someone who went to church, I knew God was capable of anything, and he sounded pissed off.

There were also very disturbing scenes when Moses comes back to challenge the Pharaoh. I always cringed at the sight of when Moses' staff turns into a snake, and eats the Pharaoh's staff which has also turned into a snake.

But the mother of all moments for me, and the one that haunted me well into my twenties was The Angel of Death sequence. This was the last plague God put forth on Egypt. I just remember all the houses of the Israelites were plastered in goat's blood or something similar, and the Angel would pass over any house that had that sign. In the film, the Angel is represented by a white foggy substance, that would move through the frame like a snake. You never saw the bodies of the dead, all I remember in the film were the screaming and the moaning you heard as every first born child of Egypt was sacrificed. And I'm supposed to believe Bambi's mother being killed by a hunter is more traumatizing than this? For a long time afterwards, everytime I saw a strange fog like substance in the air, I would get week in the knees, wondering if The Angel of Death was coming after me.

A few years back, I was actually able to watch "The Ten Commandments" in its entirety, I faced my fear and was vindicated. I was no longer afraid of the film, in fact I'm pretty sure it contains some of the worst dialogue ever written for the screen.

I'd love to hear if anyone out there has their own childhood trauma movie that they would like to share