Thus Spake Russ

Posted By Russ Emerson on March 10, 2007 at 11:31 am

Yips (or would that be orgle-orgles?) go to Robert at Llamabutchers for this one.
1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times.
The entirety of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
2. Name a movie that you’ve seen multiple times in the theater.
Each of the Star Wars trilogy. Many times each.
3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.
Tom Hanks. Seems like a decent likeable guy.
4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.
Sean Penn. I would pay money to not see him, in anything, ever.
5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.
Three come to mind immediately: The Blues Brothers, Airplane!, and of course Caddyshack.
6. Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs.
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. At least, I used to know all the lyrics… it’s been a while since I’ve seen it.
7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with.
Man of La Mancha. I don’t know it all, and I sing rather less well than Peter O’Toole’s voice double did. But it’s an absolutely terrific musical.

To dream the impossible dream,
To fight the unbeatable foe,
To bear with unbearable sorrow,
To run where the brave dare not go,
To right the unrightable wrong,
To love pure and chaste from afar,
To try when your arms are too weary,
To reach the unreachable star.

This is my quest, to follow that star,
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far.
To fight for the right, without question or pause.
To be willing to march into Hell for a Heavenly cause.

And I know if I’ll only be true, to this glorious quest,
That my heart will lie will lie peaceful and calm,
When I’m laid to my rest.

And the world will be better for this:
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove, with his last ounce of courage,
To reach the unreachable star.

I don’t know how anyone with a backbone can listen to that song and not get a lump in his throat.
Go ahead, call me quixotic. It is a label I would bear proudly.
8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.
Master & Commander – The Far Side Of The World. Most highly rated.
9. Name a movie that you own.
Many many many, so let’s go for obscurity here: Crazy Moon.
10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops.
After seeing Invincible, I would say Mark Wahlberg meets the criteria for this category.
11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?
Not terribly many. The last was Red Dawn.
I’d like to see drive-ins make a comeback, but let’s face it: cars aren’t as comfortable as they used to be, and bratty teenagers are noisier and more disruptive now than they ever used to be.
12. Ever made out in a movie?
In a movie? No. At a movie? Well, ya, of course… but not lately.
13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven’t yet gotten around to it.
Yojimbo. I’ve seen a lot of Kurosawa’s films (own a number on DVD, even) but I’ve never gotten around to seeing this one.
14. Ever walked out of a movie?
Not that I can remember. It would have to have been a truly awful movie, and I try to steer clear of anything with even a hint of stink.
15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.
The cemetery scene at the end of Saving Private Ryan. It just kills me.
16. Popcorn?
Butter and salt.
17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?
Once, maybe twice a year. It’s got to be something I’m reasonably sure I’ll like, and it has to be the kind of visual spectacle that warrants schlepping to the theater… which, for me, is pretty rare.
18. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?
Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest. That definitely warranted a trip to the theater.
19. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie?
Science fiction, comedy, mystery.
20. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?
The first movie I remember seeing in a theater was The Sound of Music. I even remember the theater — thirty years later, I saw Independence Day in the same theater in San Jose. It must have been a re-release, though, because I was only three years old when it was first released, and I’m pretty sure I was older than that when I saw it; I remember it too well, and I haven’t seen the whole thing again since then.
I believe I saw my very first movie at a drive-in. When I was six years old when the folks bundled us kids into the back of the ’67 Ford Galaxie station wagon so they could go see Planet of the Apes. It was another 10 years before I saw the whole movie again… and I remembered a goodly portion of it.
21. What movie do you wish you had never seen?
Star Trek – The Motion Picture. It was utterly awful, though it did have the sole redeeming virtue of enabling the subsequent making of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the best of all the Trek movies.
22. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?
Nacho Libre. Went to see it with my sister-in-law, niece and nephew. Though unusual, it turned out to be pretty good family fare.
23. What is the scariest movie you’ve seen?
Alien. It still completely creeps me out.
24. What is the funniest movie you’ve seen?
Tied: Return of the Pink Panther, and Team America – World Police.
The former makes me a connoisseur of comedy.
The latter makes me a bad, bad man.

Categories: DVD, Movies
Tags: