Before reading this, please understand, I do not consider myself to have ever written a serious review of a film. I title some quickie reviews or reviews, but I do not go into them telling much, if anything about the plot, the actors or any other major aspects that would qualify them as real reviews. I despise reviews to be honest, because they are so often wrong and, if read before viewing a film, will lean the viewer towards that line of thought. I see it every single week with someone who always agrees with what they read or were told about the movie. For me, I enjoy the blind exploration. As for this, I just found it interesting.
QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. Where did you grow up, and what was it like? Brooklyn, New York from 1970-1985. It was a mixed bag of cultures and ethnicity and it taught me to look for the beauty in what was different about people, but also how much we're all the same, despite the appearance of being so very different. I think, later in life, when I delved into foreign films, this was a huge advantage, despite never having traveled outside of the country.
2. Was anyone else in your family into movies? Yes, my parents and both sets of grandparents were very fond and the bulk of the movies I saw growing up were black and white; many considered classics. If so, what effect did they have on your moviegoing tastes? I think it made me comfortable with black and white, silent and subtitles, which is something most of my friends, who grew up in Westchester, don't seem to have much patience for.
3. What's the first movie you remember seeing, and what impression did it make on you? The King Kong remake in 1976, was the first I saw in the theatre. I was only six years old, but I remember being amazed at the enormity of the beast. I also couldn't understand why he kept trying to take Jessica Lange's blouse off. I definitely understand now.
4. What's the first movie that made you think, "Hey, some people made this. It didn't just exist. There's a human personality behind it." The African Queen. I remember thinking the actors were suffering, all to entertain us. I remember loving the movie, but thinking that it was such a hard job. Years later, after reading of the woes that went on while filming, it really occurred to me how much work goes into the acting alone. Then of course, the other aspects that makes movies, such as that one, incredible.
5. What's the first movie you ever walked out of? I've never walked out of a movie in my life. It's too expensive to do such a thing. I very rarely even turn a movie off, no matter how horrible it might be. Recently, I turned off Mr. Turner, then read it was ranked almost a perfect score by Rotten Tomatoes. I stand by my gut, it's a horrible movie, that one more hour, couldn't possibly have turned around.
6. What's the funniest film you've ever seen? Mel Brook's Young Frankenstein is still, to this day, the funniest movie I've ever seen. Although, the hardest I've ever laughed inside of a theatre, was There's Something About Mary.
7. What's the saddest film you've ever seen? Dear Zachary was the only movie, I've ever had to pause and compose myself, because I couldn't hear. That being said, it's a documentary, so I'm going to go with Terms of Endearment. That one scene...you all know what I'm talking about, is the most gut wrenching scene in movie history. Even though, most guys would say Brian's Song.
8. What's the scariest film you've ever seen? The only movie to ever give me a nightmare was Hitchcock's Spellbound, but the only movie that I can say scared me, was Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Probably because my lunatic parents let me see it, in the theatre, at age eight.
9. What's the most romantic film you've ever seen? Mine is a tie, between The Artist and Cinema Paradiso. The reason it's a tie, is because both are romantic in completely different ways than people would think. If it was simply, romance between a man and a woman, I'd be hard pressed to come up with one. Possibly one I just watched, Murnau's 1927 gem, Sunrise. Or possibly Amelie, but once again, is it true romance?
10. What's the first television show you ever saw that made you think television could be more than entertainment? All in the Family. Some may laugh, but I remember how much it used racism to mock racism. Showing that racism not only can be spawned from ignorance, but it is primarily spawned by ignorance. Sadly, the same tool I watched, was watched by nearly everyone I know and most of them didn't get it.
11. What book do you think about or revisit the most? Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are, will always be my favorite book, because it represents everything that is important to a child, that nearly every adults loses. That is the magic of it and why, even without reading it in nearly 25 years, it still remains my favorite book.
12. What album or recording artist have you listened to the most, and why? There is no band I've listened to more in my life than The Clash. They captured the angst of being 12-13 in the early 80's and their messages stand true today. The anti-establishment movement that punk music was, was important to that era's kids. They might not have been the first, but they were without a doubt the most influential band for everything that came after.
13. Is there a movie that you think is great, or powerful, or perfect, but that you never especially want to see again, and why? Boogie Nights. I know this will sound odd, but I thought this was one of the best movies I'd ever seen when it came out, but with each subsequent viewing, I like it less and less. my critical eye starts wandering and I find entire scenes that should have been cut or shortened, but then there is the flow, which I find odd, because when I originally saw it, it seemed so short, but the last viewing, I was praying for it to end. I think it is brilliant, but I doubt I'll go back ever again.
14. What movie have you seen more times than any other? Without a doubt Jaws, but that is simply because it is on television the most. The movie I have gone out of my way to rewatch the most, is Lethal Weapon. While I somewhat shy away from straight action, I adore this movie and have seen it, start to finish, at least 20 times.
15. What was your first R-rated movie, and did you like it? Somehow I got into S.O.B. and was the first time I'd seen nudity on film. I'd seen Playboys before, but I think this was the first experience in the theatre and seeing Julie Andrews, of my beloved The Sound of Music, in her naked glory, was quite a shock.
16. What's the most visually beautiful film you've ever seen? Aronofsky's The Fountain is the first film that comes to mind, the second being anything by Terrence Malick, but the film that blew me away aesthetically was Hero. The use of colors, put even the likes of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to shame.
17. Who are your favorite leading men, past and present? Just off the top of my head, I'll go with Pacino, Gosling, Oldman, Dean, Von Sydow, Burton, Cobb, Fassbender, Widmark and Hopkins.
18. Who are your favorite leading ladies, past and present? Katherine Hepburn, Streep, Foster, Joan Allen, Blanchett, Swinton, Mirren, Lawrence, Lindblom and Bejo.
19. Who's your favorite modern filmmaker? Paul Thomas Anderson, but this isn't a slam dunk
20. Who's your least favorite modern filmmaker? Christopher Nolan
21. What film do you love that most people seem to hate? Severance is one of my favorite horror/thrillers of all-time and I've yet to meet one person who liked it enough to praise or recommend it. I've seen it three times and I think it's clever, funny and has enough, wow moments to put it over the top. I also adore the Resident Evil series.
22. What film do you hate that most people love? Shawshank Redemption & Citizen Kane. Yes, I know.
QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. Where did you grow up, and what was it like? Brooklyn, New York from 1970-1985. It was a mixed bag of cultures and ethnicity and it taught me to look for the beauty in what was different about people, but also how much we're all the same, despite the appearance of being so very different. I think, later in life, when I delved into foreign films, this was a huge advantage, despite never having traveled outside of the country.
2. Was anyone else in your family into movies? Yes, my parents and both sets of grandparents were very fond and the bulk of the movies I saw growing up were black and white; many considered classics. If so, what effect did they have on your moviegoing tastes? I think it made me comfortable with black and white, silent and subtitles, which is something most of my friends, who grew up in Westchester, don't seem to have much patience for.
3. What's the first movie you remember seeing, and what impression did it make on you? The King Kong remake in 1976, was the first I saw in the theatre. I was only six years old, but I remember being amazed at the enormity of the beast. I also couldn't understand why he kept trying to take Jessica Lange's blouse off. I definitely understand now.
4. What's the first movie that made you think, "Hey, some people made this. It didn't just exist. There's a human personality behind it." The African Queen. I remember thinking the actors were suffering, all to entertain us. I remember loving the movie, but thinking that it was such a hard job. Years later, after reading of the woes that went on while filming, it really occurred to me how much work goes into the acting alone. Then of course, the other aspects that makes movies, such as that one, incredible.
5. What's the first movie you ever walked out of? I've never walked out of a movie in my life. It's too expensive to do such a thing. I very rarely even turn a movie off, no matter how horrible it might be. Recently, I turned off Mr. Turner, then read it was ranked almost a perfect score by Rotten Tomatoes. I stand by my gut, it's a horrible movie, that one more hour, couldn't possibly have turned around.
6. What's the funniest film you've ever seen? Mel Brook's Young Frankenstein is still, to this day, the funniest movie I've ever seen. Although, the hardest I've ever laughed inside of a theatre, was There's Something About Mary.
7. What's the saddest film you've ever seen? Dear Zachary was the only movie, I've ever had to pause and compose myself, because I couldn't hear. That being said, it's a documentary, so I'm going to go with Terms of Endearment. That one scene...you all know what I'm talking about, is the most gut wrenching scene in movie history. Even though, most guys would say Brian's Song.
8. What's the scariest film you've ever seen? The only movie to ever give me a nightmare was Hitchcock's Spellbound, but the only movie that I can say scared me, was Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Probably because my lunatic parents let me see it, in the theatre, at age eight.
9. What's the most romantic film you've ever seen? Mine is a tie, between The Artist and Cinema Paradiso. The reason it's a tie, is because both are romantic in completely different ways than people would think. If it was simply, romance between a man and a woman, I'd be hard pressed to come up with one. Possibly one I just watched, Murnau's 1927 gem, Sunrise. Or possibly Amelie, but once again, is it true romance?
10. What's the first television show you ever saw that made you think television could be more than entertainment? All in the Family. Some may laugh, but I remember how much it used racism to mock racism. Showing that racism not only can be spawned from ignorance, but it is primarily spawned by ignorance. Sadly, the same tool I watched, was watched by nearly everyone I know and most of them didn't get it.
11. What book do you think about or revisit the most? Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are, will always be my favorite book, because it represents everything that is important to a child, that nearly every adults loses. That is the magic of it and why, even without reading it in nearly 25 years, it still remains my favorite book.
12. What album or recording artist have you listened to the most, and why? There is no band I've listened to more in my life than The Clash. They captured the angst of being 12-13 in the early 80's and their messages stand true today. The anti-establishment movement that punk music was, was important to that era's kids. They might not have been the first, but they were without a doubt the most influential band for everything that came after.
13. Is there a movie that you think is great, or powerful, or perfect, but that you never especially want to see again, and why? Boogie Nights. I know this will sound odd, but I thought this was one of the best movies I'd ever seen when it came out, but with each subsequent viewing, I like it less and less. my critical eye starts wandering and I find entire scenes that should have been cut or shortened, but then there is the flow, which I find odd, because when I originally saw it, it seemed so short, but the last viewing, I was praying for it to end. I think it is brilliant, but I doubt I'll go back ever again.
14. What movie have you seen more times than any other? Without a doubt Jaws, but that is simply because it is on television the most. The movie I have gone out of my way to rewatch the most, is Lethal Weapon. While I somewhat shy away from straight action, I adore this movie and have seen it, start to finish, at least 20 times.
15. What was your first R-rated movie, and did you like it? Somehow I got into S.O.B. and was the first time I'd seen nudity on film. I'd seen Playboys before, but I think this was the first experience in the theatre and seeing Julie Andrews, of my beloved The Sound of Music, in her naked glory, was quite a shock.
16. What's the most visually beautiful film you've ever seen? Aronofsky's The Fountain is the first film that comes to mind, the second being anything by Terrence Malick, but the film that blew me away aesthetically was Hero. The use of colors, put even the likes of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to shame.
17. Who are your favorite leading men, past and present? Just off the top of my head, I'll go with Pacino, Gosling, Oldman, Dean, Von Sydow, Burton, Cobb, Fassbender, Widmark and Hopkins.
18. Who are your favorite leading ladies, past and present? Katherine Hepburn, Streep, Foster, Joan Allen, Blanchett, Swinton, Mirren, Lawrence, Lindblom and Bejo.
19. Who's your favorite modern filmmaker? Paul Thomas Anderson, but this isn't a slam dunk
20. Who's your least favorite modern filmmaker? Christopher Nolan
21. What film do you love that most people seem to hate? Severance is one of my favorite horror/thrillers of all-time and I've yet to meet one person who liked it enough to praise or recommend it. I've seen it three times and I think it's clever, funny and has enough, wow moments to put it over the top. I also adore the Resident Evil series.
22. What film do you hate that most people love? Shawshank Redemption & Citizen Kane. Yes, I know.
23. Tell me about a moviegoing experience you will never forget—not just because of the movie, but because of the circumstances in which you saw it. Going to see The Seven Samurai at a revival house in NYC called The Thalia. It changed my view of films, because I realized language didn't always matter.
24. What aspect of modern theatrical moviegoing do you like least? I do not go to the movies anymore, because aside from people having no courtesy, I despise surround sound.
25. What aspect of moviegoing during your childhood do you miss the most? There is nothing I loved more than going into the theatre when it was light out and coming out to darkness. It's as if you're transported and I'll always enjoy that.
26. Have you ever damaged a friendship, or thought twice about a relationship, because you disagreed about whether a movie was good or bad? I'd never take it that far, but I am shocked by how angry people get when I say I thought Whiplash was one of the ten to fifteen worst films I've ever sat through. I've lost some Twitter followers over it.
27. What movies have you dreamed about? Spellbound and Houseboat....falling on a spike and Sophia Loren. One was slightly better than the other.
28. What concession stand item can you not live without? If I'm at the theatre, I need popcorn. Anything else is just a distraction.
28. What concession stand item can you not live without? If I'm at the theatre, I need popcorn. Anything else is just a distraction.
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