Saturday, May 07, 2016

Movie-Themed Liebster Award

Sarah at How to Watch a Movie nominated me for a Liebster Award :-)  Thanks, Sarah!  All her questions are movie-themed, which makes this especially fun for me.


Rules:
1. Answer the 11 questions given by the person who nominated you
2. Nominate other bloggers (up to 11) and give them 11 questions to answer.

Sarah's Questions:

1. Favorite movie genre, and why?

Westerns.  That's where my heart roams free.  Basically, I love all the possibilities present in that world -- people can grow and change in endless ways.  You can have a lot of characters from very different backgrounds thrown together and have to work with one another when ordinarily, they wouldn't have anything to do with each other.  I find that fascinating.  Also, I love horses and wide open spaces.


2. Favorite movie that's an adaptation of a book you've read?

The Lord of the Rings trilogy, most likely.

3. An actor or actress you're enjoying who you've only recently noticed?

Alan Ladd.  "Enjoying" is not a deep enough word, here.  "Enthralled with" might come close.  In a good way.  I'd seen him in a couple things over the years, but never paid a huge amount of attention until I watched Whispering Smith (1948) this spring.  Since February, I've watched him in 9 different movies, many of them 2 or 3 times each...


4. A favorite "unexpected surprise" movie?

As in, a movie I didn't expect to like, but then ended up loving?  I'm going to say Tangled (2010), because I didn't watch it until about a year ago, and I had to watch it in two parts, so the first night, I watched until just after the "Kingdom Dance" scene and quit there, and I was like, "Oh, this is nice, but I'm just not clicking with it."  The next night, I picked right back up with "At Last I See the Light," had tears running down my cheeks by the end of that song, and flat-out loved the movie.  Definitely a surprise.

5. A movie that has a cast catered to you?

Probably Hell is for Heroes (1962).  When I found out Bobby Darin made a war movie with Steve McQueen, Fess Parker, and James Coburn -- there's no way I wasn't going to love that.  I was right.


6. An obscure movie that you think is great and you wish more people knew about?

So many!!!  Gunfight in Abilene (1967), Across the Great Divide (1976), Mrs. Winterbourne (1996), And Now Tomorrow (1944), It's Always Fair Weather (1955) -- I love a lot of obscure movies.

7. A movie that has a great soundtrack?

I have to choose one?  Hmph.  Um... well... I talk a lot about soundtracks, and one I consider an absolute masterpiece is Miklos Rosza's score for Ben-Hur (1959).

8. A movie that reminds you of summer?

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) specifically reminds me of the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college.  I first saw it toward the end of my sophomore year, then went home over the summer, rented it, showed it to my brother (I was 19, he was 15), and we watched it every night for like 5 nights running.  I just kept renewing it.  Man, we loved that movie.


9. A movie you loved as a kid and still love (not because of nostalgia)?

Well, The Man from Snowy River (1982) has been my favorite movie since I was 2 years old...

10. Plot device pet peeve?

I can't stand "near-misses."  Where characters are searching for each other and they come super close to finding each other, but don't because of some tiny circumstance.  Those frustrate me to no end.

11. Ending preference for movies, and why?

I prefer for a movie to end with moral balance restored to the universe.  Good guys win, and bad guys lose.  This can be either a happy or a sad ending, but gotta have that balance back.


Now, I shall tag:

Of Bookshelves and Daydreams (Ashley)
Castles in the Air (Abigail)
Coffee, Classics, and Craziness (Eva)
Fictionally (Grace)
Fiction Prediliction (Lynn M)
Healthy Simplicity (Jennifer)
A Lantern in Her Hand (Emma Jane)
An Odd Blog (Laura)
Sidewalk Crossings (DKoren)
Sunshine and Scribblings (Mary)
You, Me, and a Cup of Tea (Lois)

And here are your 11 questions:

1.  Are there any movies you like better than the books they were based on?
2.  Have you ever liked a remake better than the original film?
3.  What movie do you enjoy introducing other people to?
4.  Do you identify strongly with any movie characters?
5.  Do you have any favorite film score composers?
6.  What's the oldest movie you've ever watched?
7.  What's the newest movie you've watched?
8.  Do you have any favorite movie-watching snacks?
9.  Whose movie recommendations do you tend to trust?
10.  What was the last movie you watched?
11.  What's the next movie you plan to watch?

Yeah, I decided to do a movie-related theme for mine as well.  If I didn't tag you, and you want to answer these, go ahead and do so on your blog too, or in my comments here, whatever.  Play if you want to!

24 comments:

  1. Thank you for nominating me! I'll be sure to answer these and post it soon. :)

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    1. You're welcome, Laura! I look forward to your answers :-)

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  2. I don't do as many move-themed things as I'd like on my blog, so I'm looking forward to do this! Thanks a bunch for the tag! :-D

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  3. Fun! Thanks for tagging me. :)
    Tangled surprised me with how much I liked it too. I didn't watch it until probably a year after it came out.

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    1. You're welcome, Lois. I know, Tangled is so much better than "just another Disney princess movie."

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  4. What a fun tag! I agree with your "ending" preference for films. Although I do nearly always prefer the happier side of an ending. If it's sad I'm usually left feeling empty, which is never a good place to be.

    I've often considered renting 10 Things I Hate About You, but that's one of those 90s flicks I never got around to renting. ;)

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    1. Rissi, I do prefer the happier endings, but some stories, a happy ending would feel false, and I'm okay with those too.

      10 Things is adorable. You should see it!

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  5. I graduated this morning!!!! YAYYYYYYYYYY!!!!! Now I can fill out the tag :-)

    1. Yep, I like S&S 08 better than the original “Sense and Sensibility” novel—even though the novel is brilliant, I just feel the movie is even deeper and richer.
    2. Yeah . . . I’m kind of notorious for liking remakes better than originals :-) For example, I’m a much bigger fan of Carrie Underwood’s Sound of Music than Julie Andrews. I love the scenery and settings in the original—obviously, since it’s actually Austria!—but I liked almost all the characters better in the new version, and I enjoyed the singing a lot more, too, since it was live.
    3. Sydney Penny’s “Bernadette”—specifically, the French-language version, not the English version. It’s my absolute favorite movie of all time, and almost none of my friends have seen it . . . something which MUST AND SHALL CHANGE. (Nope, that wasn’t a hint at all. *cough*)
    4. Mmmmmmmmmmm . . . William Wilberforce in “Amazing Grace”? It’s a bit hard because he’s a guy, not a girl; but at the same time, we’re scarily similar in a lot of ways.
    5. I’m just gonna go with the guy who wrote the music for “Bernadette,” Francis Lai, because a) it’s my favorite movie score ever and b) I hardly ever pay attention to the names of movie score composers anyway.
    6. Uh . . . “Going My Way” from 1942 or something like that. Good film, but not as good as the sequel, “The Bells of St. Mary’s.”
    7. “The Force Awakens” :-) One of my top favorites, by the way.
    8. Nope, I watch movies in my bedroom and I’m not allowed to have food in my bedroom.
    9. Yours, Olivia’s, Naomi’s, Rosie’s, and my brother’s :-)
    10. “October Sky,” over spring break. LOVED IT.
    11. Probably “Civil War,” if we can manage to get to the theater to see it. I REALLY WANT TO.

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    1. COngratulations, Jessica! You're freeeeeeeeeeee! For the summer, anyway ;-)

      I still haven't seen the Carrie Underwood version of TSOM. One of these days! And I'll have to see if I can find Bernadette at the library or online...

      I identify with more guy characters than girl ones, to be honest, so that makes sense to me.

      I like The Bells of St. Mary's better than Going My Way too, though I love the song "Swingin' on a Star."

      Aww, I'm honored that you trust my movie recommendations!

      I saw Civil War on Saturday and it was so, so, so good.

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    2. Yes!! I'M FREE NOW!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhh, it feels so good . . . :-)

      I know "Bernadette" is on YouTube--it's not GREAT quality but it's not horrible quality either. There's the French version without subtitles, plus the English version with Spanish subtitles. I watched it the first couple times on YouTube, and then got the DVD because I loved it so much.

      Was it good? I'm so happy!! I just can't wait to see Steve and Bucky again :-)

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    3. I'll have to try to find time to watch it sometime, then. Kind of swamped right now, but maybe in a few weeks.

      It was very good. I need to see it again to say for sure, but I think it's the best Avengers movie since The Avengers. It's not a happy movie, though.

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  6. Great explanation for #1 -- you made me want to go watch a western. :D Aww, Tangled! Yes! Wow, I haven't even heard of any of the obscure movies. Great story for #8. That's actually very similar to what I would have said, except with The Way, Way Back. I think we only watched it three nights in a row though. :D Ugh, great pick for #10. I hate that too. So have you seen the movie Serendipity? That immediately popped to mind when I read that.

    If I do say so myself I'm so glad I thought of the question for #11, because the answers for that one are fascinating! I'm loving them. And yours seems so you. It's great! :D

    Great questions. #2 has me thinking. ;)

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    1. Sarah, woohoo! I made you want to watch a western! That's very cool.

      Yes, I've seen Serendipity. Not A Fan. Even though I really like John Cusack.

      #11 was a great question!

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  7. Thanks for the nomination- I'll get working on my answers as soon as possible. And you're right: "near misses" are annoying- almost as annoying as the plot device where two characters have a misunderstanding which could be cleared up with a few simple words of explanation.

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    1. Lynn, yes, those are annoying too! Just talk to each other, people, and you'll be fine!

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  8. Aw thanks for nominating me! I loved reading your answers to the questions posed to you.

    I'm going to just answer these here as I don't have brain power or energy to do an actual post right now.

    1. Are there any movies you like better than the books they were based on?
    Many: off the top of my head: Laura, Swamp Water, Ben-Hur, Fried Green Tomatoes, The Hobbit.

    2. Have you ever liked a remake better than the original film?
    Sure, but since most of the remakes I love are remakes of silent films and that almost doesn't count, I'm going to name Outland (1981) instead. It's a remake of High Noon and I vastly prefer it.

    3. What movie do you enjoy introducing other people to?
    Different movies for different people. There isn't a one-size fits all.

    4. Do you identify strongly with any movie characters?
    Yep. Poe Dameron. Tonto. Pike Bishop. Dwayne Hicks. Alan Grant. Victoriano Ramirez. Hawkeye. Fili.

    5. Do you have any favorite film score composers?
    Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner.

    6. What's the oldest movie you've ever watched?
    I've seen both A Trip to the Moon and The Great Train Robbery.

    7. What's the newest movie you've watched?
    Captain America: Civil War.

    8. Do you have any favorite movie-watching snacks?
    No, I'm not really a snack person, but homemade popcorn would probably be preferred (not movie theater popcorn) if I'm going to eat something.

    9. Whose movie recommendations do you tend to trust?
    No one's, really.

    10. What was the last movie you watched?
    Ant-Man.

    11. What's the next movie you plan to watch?
    High Rise.

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    1. DKoren, do tell me how High Rise is! It's got Luke in it, but it also looks scary?

      I've never seen Outland. Would I like it?

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    2. Yep, I'll report in on it after we see it.

      Outland... is dark and violent and tense and claustrophobic, so it would not be my first recommendation to you, no. Much more a me movie than a you movie. But it's also really well done, Sean Connery is awesome as the lone marshal trying to do the right thing on a space station where just about everyone is against him, and his nasty boss hires assassins to kill him. And Frances Sternhagen plays one of my favorite fictional movie doctors. She is almost cooler than Connery in this movie.

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    3. Thanks!

      And gotcha. I'll leave "Outland" on the list of "if I stumble across this some day, give it a whirl" movies.

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  9. I relate so much to your answer about "near misses". Like, when someone is searching for someone and they pass each other on the street but don't know it...that sort of stuff drives me NUTS.

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    1. Natalie, exactly. It feels like cheap writing. "Let's make this more suspenseful!" "How?" "They can almost find each other, but then just... not find each other." "Great plan!" UGH.

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  10. I'll let you see my answers if you'll let me see your answers to my liebster list....

    1. Are there any movies you like better than the books they were based on?

    Yes. I thought Jack Finney sold out for a happy ending in "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers". Bothe the 50's and 70's movie versions opted for a more ominous ending, (though even the 50's version managed to spin a little bit of hope...)

    2. Have you ever liked a remake better than the original film?

    Yes. "The Birdcage" over "La Cage aux Folles".

    3. What movie do you enjoy introducing other people to?

    Despite my affinity for action and man cave style movies... "Arsenic and Old Lace". Proof that a comedy doesn't have to be raunchy to be funny.

    4. Do you identify strongly with any movie characters?

    Anyone who refuses to conform to what is expected of him or her to fit in. Howard Roark, comes to mind.

    5. Do you have any favorite film score composers?

    Basil Poledouris.

    6. What's the oldest movie you've ever watched?

    The oldest movie I've watched? Or the oldest movie I've watched and liked? I've seen a smattering of silents, but not many of them appealed to me.

    7. What's the newest movie you've watched?

    Captain America: Civil War

    8. Do you have any favorite movie-watching snacks?

    Whatever is handy.

    9. Whose movie recommendations do you tend to trust?

    No one that I would unequivocally allow to influence me just on their say so.

    10. What was the last movie you watched?

    The Blue Dahlia and The Glass Key, the two movies you reviewed for my blogathon.

    11. What's the next movie you plan to watch?

    This Gun for Hire and The Killers, two more movies from the same blogathon.


    Your turn.

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    1. Quiggy -- look another comment I didn't know you'd left me. (But I DID finally answer your Liebster thing!) I really like Arsenic and Old Lace too -- my kids haven't seen it yet, but they already know about burying Yellow Fever victims in the basement cuz my husband and I quote the film quite a bit.

      I love the book The Fountainhead, but the movie struck me as kind of tinny. Still a good performance from Cooper, though.

      I can't wait to hear what you think of Dahlia and Glass Key and This Gun for Hire!

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