Meme Leech :: Thee Better Late than Never New Year's Quiz-O-Rama!

By all standards and practices, for me, at least, 2011 was pretty damned odious as far as 365 consecutive days go. But, there were a few bright spots scattered hinter and yon, one of them was discovering the musings of The Girl with the White Parasol, via a couple of participated Blogathons. It's always a good read, and now, they've thrown out their first meme. And so, in an effort to give 2011 the middle finger in the rear-view mirror, here are my better late than never answers to TGwtWP's New Year's Movie Meme:

1. What is your all-time favorite Grace Kelly costume?

Though I love this little sleeveless number from the same movie:


There's just something about this simple outfit that wraps-up Rear Window that fogs my glasses up and over completely:




Denim never looked so good, am I right? But, lets face it, she could make a burlap sack look good.

2. What classic film would you nominate for a remake?


I've trumpeted this before and I shall continue to blow hot air until it happens. Directed by Joe Dante; written by John Sayles; produced by Jon Davidson; with a combination of CGI and practical F/X by the late Stan Winston's company. Also, like the original, NOT in 3-D.

3. Name your favorite femme fatale.

Hrrrmmnnn ... that's a tough one, with lots to choose from. I mean, I love the venomous, spiteful and completely whackadoodle Ann Savage in Detour:


And Cathy O'Donnell always breaks my heart in They Live By Night:


But, I'm only deluding myself if I don't give a most deserving nod to Peggy Cummins for Gun Crazy:





4. Name the best movie with the word "heaven" in its title.


5. Describe the worst performance by a child actor that you’ve ever seen:


Eddie "Munster" Furlong is about 98.5% of the reason I give when people look at me incredulously and splutter, "Waitaminute ... You hated Terminator 2? Really? Why?" Even with Linda Hamilton completely spitting the bit as Sarah Connor, and Cocksure Cameron at his absolute worst, that kid just junks the movie and sunk the whole damned franchise for me.

6. Who gets your vote for most tragic movie monster?


7. What is the one Western that you would recommend to anybody?


Right before Henry Hathaway made the original True Grit, he made an offbeat and off the wall western-mystery hybrid called 5 Card Stud. On the surface a vehicle for Rat Pack booze-crooner Dean Martin, the film is a surprisingly violent and broody affair. It also serves as kind of a proto-slasher movie (-- I'm serious), when an unknown killer starts wiping out a group of men who share a sinister secret they'd like to keep buried in the past. (Again, totally serious. More details here.) And if nothing else, you'll get to see Robert Mitchum behind the pulpit again, bringing the fire and the brimstone and the lead to the unrepentant.

8. Who is your ideal movie-viewing partner?

My cat. She doesn't judge -- my viewing habits or the habitual viewing. Yeah, more into solitude, but also enjoy a crowd now and then -- if they're tuned in properly, depending on the circumstances or venue.

9. Has a film ever made you want to change your life? If so, what was the film?


When I caught a matinee of this when I was six or seven years old back in the mid-1970's, all thoughts of being a fireman or a cowboy dried up as I decided, then and there, that I was gonna be a special-effects animator in Hollywood when I grew up. How I wound up here instead of there is still a subject of much conjecture, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. But, between this and an early screening of William Castle's The Spirit is Willing, my love for genre films was cemented and I haven't really been the same since.


10. Think of one performer that you truly love. Now think of one scene/movie/performance of theirs that is too uncomfortable for you to watch.

At first, Bill Murray popped into mind (-- yes, I'm thinking about you What About Bob?), but then I reconsidered and decided to go with someone else. For how bad does a movie have to be that stars Kurt Russell as the illegitimate son of Elvis Presley in a no holds barred actioneer shoot 'em up before I compare it to a sucking chest wound gone septic? This bad:


11. On the flip side, think of one really good scene/performance/movie from a performer that you truly loathe.


I don't know if loathe is the right word but I used to have an irrational hatred of Kim Basinger that I think began with a disastrous screening of Nadine. This opinion held fast and firm until the spell was broken by L.A. Confidential.

12. And finally, since it will be New Year's soon, do you have any movie or blogging-related resolutions for 2012?

Well, I fear that I have really over-extended myself this past year. Raiders of the Lost Archive was founded with good intentions but was practically still-born and is a few days away from permanent extinction as all of the content will be shifted over here to free up space for our new Poster Archive. Alas, I don't think that's gonna be enough as I'd like to narrow my focus even more, meaning a tough, tough decision on The Morgue needs to be made sooner than later. Don't worry, that one will be staying up for archiving purposes, and for those of you needing your classic movie ad fix, again, I'll definitely be making them a regular feature here. Stay tuned.