A few days ago, Lindsey posted some film-related questions on her blog at themotionpictures.net. So I thought I’d answer them here to give you all a little more insight into my taste in films.
- Who is your favorite character actor?
Edward Everett Horton and Thelma Ritter. Also, all the character actors in It’s a Wonderful Life. - What is the one film that you would recommend to anyone regardless of their personal tastes?
One that I mentioned before in my January wrap-up post is Make Way For Tomorrow, which I think a lot more people need to see. - What is your least favorite genre of films?
I wouldn’t say they’re my least favorite, but genres that I haven’t watched a lot from are Westerns and war films. - Which fictional character (from a film, book or television series) do you most closely identify with?
The first film character that comes to mind is Iris from The Holiday. - What is your favorite film soundtrack or score?
Man, there are so many that I love! My iPod is 80% film soundtracks/scores (a lot of that is probably just musicals). At the moment though I’ve been listening a lot to American Graffiti and Grease…obviously I’m into ’60s music right now. - Do you take notes when watching a film for review? If so, do you use the good ol’ standby of pen and paper or do you use your cell phone/tablet/laptop?
I rarely ever take notes, but in the past when I have it was probably with a pen and paper. - Have you watched every single film of a specific actor, actress, or director? (And of course, tell us who it is if the answer is yes!)
To my knowledge, I’ve only completed a few director filmographies: Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Terrence Malick (excluding To the Wonder since it was just released in limited theaters). All are just the feature films they directed, so I haven’t seen other films Tarantino’s worked on and so on…but I have seen all of Wes Anderson’s shorts as well as his features. - Congratulations! You’ve been given the opportunity to travel back in time to any film premiere in the year 1939. Which premiere will you attend?
This is really tough because I’m sure the premieres for Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz would have been such an experience. But I’d love the opportunity to meet certain people that I admire greatly, and from a picture I’ve seen, Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant (aka my two favorite actors) were at the premiere for Love Affair so I have to pick that. I love the film anyway so it’d be a treat for me. - Who is your favorite non-monster movie villain?
Norman Bates from Psycho and Phyllis Dietrichson from Double Indemnity are two that come to mind…and of course, as a Star Wars fan, I have to say, Darth Vader. - What is your favorite city in which many films are set, and what are your favorite films to be set in that city?
I have a lot of favorites, but one that I’m really drawn to is San Francisco; I like seeing all the neighborhoods and the Golden Gate Bridge. Vertigo, Bullitt, and What’s Up Doc? are good examples of why I like the San Francisco setting, but other favorite films set in that area are The Graduate, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Harold and Maude, The Maltese Falcon, and Zodiac. - You can only watch the films of a single director for the next year of your life. Which director do you choose?
It’s a real toss-up between Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder…but I think I’ll have to go with the latter just because his filmography is more diverse.
Thanks for answering these! Iris is a great choice for #4, I can relate to her a lot too.