Very cool movie survey… with videos!

1.) What was the first movie you saw in a theater and simply had to go back and watch again the next day?

Moulin Rouge! I went to see that one night and I enjoyed it soooo much I went the next afternoon to see it again. I had to see it alone the second time out because the person I went with didn’t like the movie. What can I say… no one’s perfect.

2.) What movie do you know so well that you find yourself mouthing the dialogue silently along with the characters?

There are a few that I can do that to, but one that I can’t help but talk with is the Boondock Saints. Here is a clip of one of the best scenes of the film:

3.) What is the most unique movie-watching experience you’ve ever had?

Winter of 1996, I’m home for the holiday break. I went out to go ‘shopping’… or so people in my family was told. The truth: I took a one hour Go Train to Union Station in Toronto. From there I took another 30 minutes to get to the York Theatre. That was the only movie theatre in all of Canada (just one in the entire nation) that was showing Kenneth Branagh’s epic four hour HAMLET on the big screen. It was a masterpiece, and well worth the trip I made to see it. This movie was so long, a little over halfway through it, there was an intermission! The only movie I’ve ever seen that had an intermission, and I used that break to take a pee and get another drink. I really can’t wait to see this film in Hi-Def…

4.) In terms of laughter, tears, fear, or anger, what movie triggered the strongest emotional response in you?

The movies that generated the most:

Laughter: South Park the movie. Once Terrence & Phillip started to belt out the ‘Uncle Fucker’ song, I was roaring with laughter for the entire film while my wife and her friends were all offended and wanting to walk out. I was slapping my knee and spitting pop out of my nose at some points, that movie was just off the charts funny.

Tears: For me, the movie the really gets to me is ‘Field Of Dreams’. The part at the end when Ray finds out that the catcher on the field is the ghost of his Dad, and he has a chance to say the things he never got to say. And he asks for a catch before he goes back to the field… that part breaks me up every time.

Another movie that I really have to recommend people check out is “Life As A House” that stars Kevin Kline and Hayden Christensen. The movie is another about a Dad and his son connecting and all that jazz… Kevin Kline plays a man named George who finds out he has cancer and only months to live. He spends his last summer with his son building his dream home. The end has me tearing up every time, espeically when the audience finds out the real reason why George build his house to begin with… A great ending that will touch everyone. Here is the scene:

Fears: Movies about pending disaster. I realize that a lot of them are just hollywood fluff, but sometimes there are times when one really sits down and realizes that the whole asteriod thing isn’t too far fetched since we just watched Mars get pelted a few times with a few doozes. Sometimes hollywood is too obsessed with the end of the world. That’s why I’m likely toing to skip that 2012 movie… Mr. Emerich has enough of my money. No clips, just something to think about here.

Anger: I watched the movie “Recount” on HBO recently. Starred Kevin Spacey and it focuses on the Florida Recount that eventually gave George W. Bush the win in the 2000 Presidental Election. If you sit down and watch this film and truly find out how much fraud was committed in that state to sway the results in a state where the difference was only 400 votes… anger is a kind word to describe how people should feel about what happened in Florida that year.

5.) Have you ever enjoyed a film remake? If so, which one(s)?

One remake that I was completely impressed with was Rob Zombie’s Halloween. It was loyal to the original, but at the same time presented it’s own story and freaked the holy hell out of the audience with a updated version that was freaky enough to scare today’s kids. I went with Leah and there were scenes where the entire theatre jumped out of their seats collectively. Was fun to watch with a crowd like that…

Another remake that I thought was complete kickass was Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s 11” with Clooney and Pitt. While they’ve gone a little overboard with the sequels, the first was a pretty sweet remake:

6.) Are there certain directors, writers, or actors you trust more than others to make a film worthwhile? If so, which one(s)?

Films directed by Michael Mann, M. Night Shyamalan, The Coen Brothers, Danny Boyle, Martin Scorsese and recently Bryan Singer are films I’m willing to give a chance just based on reputation. I give more credit and chances to directors more than I do to actors…

7.) What movie has the finest first 15 minutes in cinema?

One opening that really caught my eye a drew me into a movie that I never thought I would enjoy was ‘Closer’. What I thought was so great about this opening was it’s lack of action. You watch the two characters (played by Jude Law and Natalie Portman) walking through the city and you can feel their attraction as they move closer to one another and finally meet at the same street corner for their abnormal chance encounter. I thought it was a cute and very unique opening and it stuck with me…

Moving on to something better, the first scenes to Trainspotting are off the charts. “Choose life, choose a job, choose a career, choose a fucking big television…” We all know it, we all quoted it back in ‘96. We all fucking loved it. Ewan McGregor running down Princes Street of Edinburgh, stolen merchandise spilling out of his pockets and all to the thumping of Iggy Pops ‘Lust for Life’. Nail on the fucking head:

Now we’ll get to what I think is the greatest opening scene… ever: Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Peru, 1936. Indiana Jones enters an ancient temple with two guides. There’s spear traps, poison darts, pits, closing stone doors, betrayals, hat snatching action, running away from massive rolling boulders… a cinema classic. And, then, after all this, Indy has the idol taken off his hands by his nemesis and has to run for his life from a tribe of bare assed natives…

A cinema classic, period. Best. Opening. Of. All. Time.

8.) What movie has the finest final 60 seconds in cinema?

Without a doubt, the movie that had my jaw dropping at the end was The Usual Suspects. When I first saw the movie, I never saw the ending coming. I really thought the cop had it all figured out, and it made so much sense given the history of the characters and of Dean Keaton. It hit me right between the eyes, and I loved it. I think that is the best twist of all time. This is the trailer, not the end:

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9.) What is your favorite dialogue exchange in movie history?

My favorite exchange was in “A Few Good Men” at the end of the film when Jack Nicholson is on the stand and Tom Cruise is grilling the Col. for is inconsistent testimony. It’s one of the best legal scenes I’ve ever seen on screen, written by Aaron Sorkin, who later created and wrote The West Wing. When I first saw this in theatres in 1992, there was one small difference… when Nicholson confessed to giving the code red I swear in the theatre version he said, “You’re fucking right I did!” but when it was released on DVD, it changed to this version which says ‘God-Damned Right I Did’ which to me didn’t have the same impact when I saw it in theatres… Bad edit, but still a great scene.

10.) What movie has the cheesiest dialogue exchange in movie history?

Trashy and horribly written fluff films like Clueless or Legally Blonde. Watching movies like that make my IQ drop points and give me migraines that last for days. I won’t even torture you guys with any clips of that crap…

11.) Do you have a favorite season or time of year for movie watching in the theater?

A lot of people like the summer, but I really enjoy watching movies in winter because it’s the time of year when really good dramas come out for theaward season, and it’s the time when you really want to stay inside from the snow anyway.

12.) Are there any movies you can only watch at a certain time of year?

I really don’t have a film that I watch for a specific time of year. I usually just watch whatever I’m in the mood for… and that can change to anything at any given time.

13.) What is the first movie you saw in theaters which you remember clearly?

The first movie I ever saw happened when I was five. Dad took myself and my older brother to the old theatre in downtown Hamilton to check out what I remember is my first movie going experience: Superman II. Staring the late Christopher Reeve as Superman, Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor and Terence Stamp as General Zod (KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!!):

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14.) Are there any movies you absolutely adored as a child that you can no longer stand as an adult?

Growing up I was a huge fan of James Bond. I grew up watch Roger Moore play Agent 007, and thought those movies were the coolest ever made. Today I think most of Moore’s films are the worst films of the franchise…

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15.) Have you ever had a movie you thoroughly enjoyed that was ruined for you by becoming associated with someone?

Nope, never had that experience. If I enjoyed a movie… I keep liking it regardless of who I watched it with.

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16.) Is there a movie that you dislike entirely save for one redeeming or beloved scene?

Titanic. A three and half hour movie about a boat that took two hours to sink. The good part was the stunning special effects of the actual sinking of the boat. That was the only Oscar it truly deserved…

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17.) Have you ever seen a movie that you were enjoying, only to have it utterly ruined for you in the last few minutes?

I would have to say the first Hulk movie. The one that starred Eric Bana and was directed by Ang Lee. I really liked that movie and it was great… right up to the horrible, horrible ending. It was badly written, poorly executed and just flat out awful. It was the reason why the series had to be restarted. It was a waste cause that film had a lot of good scenes in it.

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18.) What is the worst film you have ever watched?

The Avengers. The film had a great cast, (Ralph Feinnes and Uma Thurman) but the script was just gaud awful. It deserved ever Raspberry it was nominated for… it was the biggest disappointment of the year, possibly the decade.

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19.) Have you ever purchased a movie before actually having watched the film before?

Never. I will not purchase a movie unless I check it out myself first.

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20.) What movie could you watch every day for the rest of your life?

Here are three movies I could watch forever:

1. Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain

2. Pulp Fiction

3. The Shawshank Redemption