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I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made.


The gang's all here. Spring Beach, Orford. July 2012.

It's a challenging Q and A for a bloke that has barely watched a movie in the past ten years with the glory that is The Movie Time Meme, once again stolen from Sunday Stealing.

Thankfully, a large portion of my life pre-children was dedicated to watching films!

1. What is your all-time favourite movie costume?
John Hurt’s get-up in The Elephant Man is pretty good.

2. What classic film would you nominate for a remake?
If a film is a ‘classic’, it seems rather pointless to ‘remake’ it, wouldn’t you think? Watch the original!

3. Name your favourite femme fatale.
Jessica Rabbit.

4. Name the best movie title.
I like the simplicity of Jaws. That said, I have some time for the expansive The Assassination of Jesse James...

5. Describe the worst performance by a child actor that you’ve ever seen.
It’s not really a short list, is it? Generally I would opt for any child with bright red hair that is aiming for ‘cute’. Whoever played Annie in that dreadful version in the early-1980s is an excellent case in point.

6. Who gets your vote for most tragic movie monster?
Someone like Henry is Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a pretty tragic case of a movie monster, as he is utterly irredeemable.

7. What is the one Western that you would recommend to anybody?
I enjoy a good Western. It’s a nice vehicle for all of those juicy themes that make a movie interesting. It is probably a cliché these days, but it hard to beat The Unforgiven.

8. Who is your ideal movie-viewing partner?
Someone very quiet.

9. Has a film ever made you want to change your life? If so, what was the film?
Lots of things act as a spur to change aspects of your life, personality or approach, but I would never be so dramatic to ascribe a massive shift to something like watching a film. A good movie for me though is one that gets me to reflect on things. That might get me to change. Kieślowski’s The Dekalogue is a good example of that.

10. Think of one performer that you truly love. Now think of one scene/ movie/ performance of theirs that is too uncomfortable for you to watch.
I’m not certain that I ‘truly love’ any given performer. I don’t mind Sean Connery, but the notion of him getting intimate with Catherine Zeta-Jones in Entrapment even though he was – what, 120 years old – just gave me the creeps.

11. On the flip side, think of one really good scene/performance/movie from a performer that you truly loathe.
Jim Carry was very good in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

12. What is your favourite romantic comedy?
There is Something About Mary. That was romantic.

13. What is your favourite drama?
I do like Au Revoir, les Enfants a lot.

14. Worst film you've seen?
(Much) more often than not, I’ll not bother pursuing with a film if it is rubbish, so there are a whole bunch that I wouldn’t nominate as I “haven’t seen (all of) it”. One that I watched right way through and truly loathed is Life is Beautiful, an atrocity in its own right.

15. How do you feel about the majority of romantic films being labelled "chick flicks"?
I can’t say that I feel anything about that particular turn of phrase. It does seem a little disdainful.

16. Favourite on-screen couple?
I suspect that I might be the wrong person to fill out this Q and A... I can’t say that I have a favourite on-screen couple. If pushed, I’d probably nominate Irene Jacob in The Double Life of Veronique. What a pair they were! [ahem]

17. Favourite off-screen couple?
Pass. Actors bore me.

18. Best kiss in a movie?
The bit in Godfather Part II when Michael kisses Fredo. “I know it was you. You broke my heart, Fredo.”

19. Favourite scene?
I love that section in Raiders Of The Lost Ark where the bloke does all of the elaborate sword waving and Indiana Jones just pulls out his gun and shoots him dead is a good one.

20. Who are two film characters you wished had gotten together, but never did?
People really are obsessed with the whole romance angle, aren’t they. If it wasn’t meant to be it wasn’t meant to be!

21. Two actors you think would have great chemistry, but have never done a film together?
Puss in Boots and Buzz Lightyear.

22. Favourite song in a film (doesn't have to be from a musical)?
The extended play of the Doors’ The End right at the beginning of Apocalypse Now is memorable.

23. Best score from a film?
I thought that Trainspotting had a good selection.

24. Best film quote?
[Charlie:] Look, kid, I - how much you weigh, son? When you weighed one hundred and sixty-eight pounds you were beautiful. You coulda been another Billy Conn, and that skunk we got you for a manager, he brought you along too fast.

[Terry:] It wasn't him, Charley, it was you. Remember that night in the Garden you came down to my dressing room and you said, "Kid, this ain't your night. We're going for the price on Wilson." You remember that? "This ain't your night"! My night! I coulda taken Wilson apart! So what happens? He gets the title shot outdoors on the ballpark and what do I get? A one-way ticket to Palooka-ville! You was my brother, Charley, you shoulda looked out for me a little bit. You shoulda taken care of me just a little bit so I wouldn't have to take them dives for the short-end money.

[Charlie:] Oh I had some bets down for you. You saw some money.

[Terry:] You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it. It was you, Charley.

25. A film you'd recommend that is a "Must See" for us to watch?
I’ve referenced it already, but everyone should watch Krzysztof Kieślowski’s The Dekalogue at least once in their lives.

Comments

Roddy said…
Watch out for camera thieves.
A great family portrait.
Roddy said…
It asks me to sign in and then dumps two comments on you.
Kris McCracken said…
We had the beach all to ourselves. They would have had to climb over a lot of rocks to get to the camera.
Roddy said…
What about thieving rock wallabies?
Marites said…
Beautiful family portrait.
Kris McCracken said…
Thanks! We escaped without falling into the water too, which is always a plus!

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