What Movie Do You Want To See?

Again, the Internet has lead to the creation of a blog entry and two articles are to blame. One article from the April 7 issue of CNet deals with a new app from FlickChart that offers movie recommendations based on the kind of movies you prefer. Another article from Roger Ebert’s blog deals with a best film list from a British film magazine Sight & Sound. What sets this best film list apart from other best film lists are two things:

1. Assorted film critics, directors, producers, film festival organizers, etc., are polled for their top ten all time best films and this is distilled into a best film list.
2. This list comes out once every ten years.

Well, as you can guess, these two articles got me thinking. Not so much about how art films and award winners seem to dominate these lists, rather it is how these lists are just reflections of the bias of those who put such lists together.  Those in the film industry would pick films they are familiar with. The app from FlickChart picks films based on one you already like. So, that leads to best of lists that contain films ranging from Shoot the Piano Player to Carrie.

Of course, bias in and of itself isn’t so bad. If you didn’t have things that you liked and return to time and time again (i.e. foods or activities) and vice versa, you wouldn’t have any order in your life. Still, it is important to note that these lists are not to be taken as fact. Yes, lists like Sight & Sound  and the one you make on FlickChart can help you make movie viewing choices, but they are not the be all or end all of best of lists. They are just a bunch of films that a group of people think are worth ranking.

So, don’t be surprised if art films and award winning films end up on best of lists. Critics, film festival organizers and other in the field have a bias and yes, a certain degree of film snobbery, for films in that genre.  After all you wouldn’t expect that Carrie or Porky’s would be on such a list. That’s why there’s your personal Netflix queue or FlickChart for when you are in the mood for such films. Your own best of list is reflective of your own bias.  Therefore, if watching a film like Porky’s helps you to forget your troubles, so be it.  The best “Best of” list is the one you personally make.

Sources:
http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57410710-285/get-better-movie-recommendations/

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2012/04/post_5.html

 

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Famous or Infamous Movie Lines

Sometimes movies can generate lines that are just as well known, if not more so, as the movie itself. So, I’ll use this blog entry showcase some memorable movie lines.

“Never tell me the odds.”
Was this quote from:
A.)   Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
B.)   Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
C.)  Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

The answer is B. After escaping via the Millennium Falcon from the ice planet Hoth, Han Solo and Chewbecca take Princess Leia and CP3O, through the Hoth asteroid field in the hopes of alluding Imperial forces. Of course, this is a very tricky maneuver. How tricky? CP3O states that the odds of success are 3,720 to 1, at which point Solo says to not to tell him the odds. Come to think of that’s better odds than hitting the million dollar plus lottery.

“In your eyes, the light, the heat. In your eyes, I am complete.”
Which movie was this line from:
A.)  Say Anything (1989)
B.)  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
C.)  Porky’s (1982)
The answer is A and it isn’t a line of spoken dialogue. It is a line from the Peter Gabriel song In Your Eyes from his album So. Gabriel’s song was the song playing from John Cusack’s character’s boom box as a way to serenade Ione Skye’s character. This song then ended up becoming the love anthem of many a lovesick Generation X’er.

“Do you mind if my friend sits this one out? She’s just dead.”
This line came from:
A.)   The Mechanic (the 2011 version)
B.)   Thunderball (1965)
C.)  Ocean’s Eleven (the 1960 version)
Yes, B. Really, you didn’t recognize it as one of James Bond’s famous one liners? I could do a whole blog entry on Bond’s one liners, since there are so many of them and they’re all so clever. Say, now that’s a thought.

“I gotta see about a girl.”
Which Oscar winning movie did this quote come from:
A.)   Titanic (1997)
B.)   The Lion King (1994)
C.)  Good Will Hunting (1997)

C. In case you don’t know, Good Will Hunting won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay in 1998. This line was spoken by Robin Williams’ character as he was describing the time he first saw his wife. He and his buddies had tickets to the World Series and they were about to go to the game when he saw the girl who was “The One”. He gave his ticket to his friends and said, “I gotta see about a girl.” Wouldn’t it be nice if more guys were as willing to let go of their sports obsession the way Williams’ character did?

“Play it again, Sam”
A.)  Casablanca (1942)
B.)  Christmas In Connecticut (1945)
C.)  None of the above

It’s C. Actually the line goes:
“Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.’ ”
Don’t believe me, go to http://www.afi.com/100years/quotes.aspx and scroll down to number 28 or put Casablanca on your Netflix queue and see for yourself.

“Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into!”
I’ll make this a little easy for you. Which Laurel and Hardy film is this from:
A)    Pardon Us (1931)
B)    Sons of the Desert (1933)
C)   Bonnie Scotland (1935)

The answer is B.  Stan and Ollie want to go to the Sons of the Desert (their fraternal club) Annual Convention in Chicago. Their wives won’t let them go. So, Stan hatches a plan whereby a “doctor” (actually a veterinarian) prescribes a Hawaiian vacation for Ollie, without the wife, to calm his nerves. Of course, Stan has to go along to watch over his friend in need. The wives buy it, the boys go to Chicago and no one is the wiser. That is until a few days later when news comes along that the boat the boys are supposedly on has sunk. To kill time until the rescue reports come in, the wives go to the movies. It is at the movies that they see a newsreel featuring Stan and Ollie having a grand ol’ time in Chicago. While the wives are at the movies, the boys return home. I’m sure you can guess what happens next.

“You’re free of the carbonite.”
Yes, this is not a well known quote, still it might be known by certain cognoscenti. So, is this from:

A)    Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
B)    Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
C)   The Last Starfighter (1984)

The answer is B. If this still doesn’t ring a bell, let me describe it for you. A masked bounty hunter who earlier brought Chewbacca to Jabba the Hutt sneaks into Jabba’s lair late at night. The bounty hunter goes to where a carbonite frozen Han Solo hangs. The bounty hunter presses a few buttons and pulls a level and Han Solo is freed from the carbonite. “Who are you?” Solo asks the figure whose voice unfamiliar to him and he can’t see, since being frozen in the carbonite temporarily blinded him. The bounty hunter removes the mask (which also has a device to disguise the bounty hunter’s voice) to reveal that she is Princess Leia and answers “Someone who loves you.” Now do you get it?

So, memorize this list and weave these quotes into the conversation, the next time you are at a gathering. Not only will you look like a knowledgeable cinephile, your friends will be amazed at your knowledge, the object of your affection will want to be with you even more and your enemies will have to submit to your superiority.

Actually, none of these things will happen. Still, it doesn’t hurt to have these quotes handy. You’ll never know when you’ll need them.

Sources:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Hoth_asteroid_field
http://videosift.com/video/Say-Anything-boombox-scene-In-Your-Eyes http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059800/quotes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119217/quotes
http://www.afi.com/100years/quotes.aspx (Numbers 28, 50, 60)
http://www.laurel-and-hardy.com/
http://www.screenplays-online.de/screenplay/67  (Scroll down to page 14)