You know how it is, you see one of these challenge deals and you think, "This should be easy. How hard can it be to answer 16 questions? Money for old rope."
So, 3 weeks later and after some serious memory/brain-strain, I finish the review and discover that hardly anyone else has gone for it.

"Flip it," I said to myself, "I'm a-posting it anyway."

And as you can see, that's exactly what I've done.



Following on from the dooyoo music challenge here is the dooyoo film challenge, please copy the questions and have a go!

~ The Film Challenge Questions ~


1) FAVOURITE MOVIE TO WATCH WITH A PARTNER OR A LOVER

Hmmm, what about DEBBIE DOES DALLAS?
As you can probably guess, I'm not overly romantic. In fact I absolutely hate it when they stick a slushy bit in the middle of an otherwise gripping film. I suppose CASABLANCA would be one of the all-time great romantic films and I can watch that without cringing, maybe even WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, but, Mrs P and myself would much rather watch a comedy and laugh together.


2) BEST ADAPTATION OF A BOOK OR A PLAY

I'd be mad not to say LORD OF THE RINGS, so I'm going for any one of the Raymond Chandler books/films: THE BIG SLEEP, FAREWELL MY LOVELY etc. (especially when Dick Powell played Marlowe) Mainly because they are pretty accurate adaptations of the books with nothing really added, or taken away. They're almost exactly how I imagine the 3D version when I read the books.
Another example is ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT - both renditions of this are almost word-for-word (with the translation, at least).
Does OH BROTHER WHERE ART THOU? count as an adaptation of the Odyssey?


3) WORST ADAPTATION OF A BOOK OR A PLAY

I'm sure the candidates for this could stretch from here to eternity (pun intended) but a couple that spring to mind are
: PAPILLON starring Steve McQueen. I looked forward to this after reading the book but I was very disappointed, it just didn't have the feel of the book at all. I thought it was a good enough film, but not if you'd read the book first.
Another one is: I, TOM HORN - again starring Steve McQueen. Absolutely brilliant book but the the film condensed an 800 page book into less than 2 hours and did so by omitting most of the story. It all made for a very disjointed viewing experience.


4) BEST SEQUEL

No question, GODFATHER II. I can't think of any another film that, although it was a classic in its own right (THE GODFATHER), was completely outshone by the sequel. This is one of the best films ever - never mind best sequel.
An honourable mention goes to THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.


5) BEST ACTOR

This is a hard one. There are so many great actors from the old B&W days, never mind more recent candidates. But since this is my list I'm picking the guy who, may not be everyone's choice as best actor ever to the grace the silver screen, but he surpasses everybody else for me. HUMPHREY BOGART. Most would regard him as the typical, typecast gangster but that would be selling him way short. To be fair, he did portray some juicy gangsters in films such as THE ROARING TWENTIES and THE PETRIFIED FOREST, but he excelled as Marlowe, the hard-bitten private eye in all those Chandler movies. He wasn't too shabby in THE AFRICAN QUEEN either, but for me, his portrayal of Fred C. Dobbs in THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE was gobsmacking. Pure daffy duck!
A major star and leading man in the days when matinee idol looks were king, HB had the rugged good looks of Sid James...the man did it on talent alone.


6) BEST ACTRESS

Bette Davis has got to be right up there, along with Katherine Hepburn. In more recent times I would probably go for Meryl Streep. Her performance in SOPHIE'S CHOI
CE would br
ing a tear to a glass eye.


7) DOUBLE ACT IN FILMS

It's hard to see past Tom & Jerry.
Tracy and Hepburn, Grant and Hepburn, Bogart and Bacall, all spring to mind, but I'm going for Paul Newman and Robert Redford. They only made 2 films together, BUTCH CASSIDAY AND THE SUNDANCE KID and THE STING, but they had great chemistry together.


8) MOST MEMORABLE LINES FROM A FILM

"He's not the messiah, he's just a very naughty boy." from LIFE OF BRIAN - that's a cracker.
Or.....
When Butch Cassiday and the Sundance Kid are at the top of a cliff about to jump into the raging torrent below, and Sundance says he can't swim. Butch replies, "Don't worry, the fall'll kill ya anyway." Same film: When they blow the train carriage to smithereens and Sundance says, "Think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?" (Of course that line is taken right off THE ITALIAN JOB - "You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!")
Robert de Niro in GODFATHER II when he mumbles something in Italian and one of his henchmen asks him to repeat, he says in English, "I make him an offer, he don't refuse."

The bandit in TREASURE of the SIERRA MADRE when he says: "Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges!"
Same film, Bogey says to Cody, "who you saying ain't civilized", just before he socks him on the jaw.
That film is literally crawling with excellent, quotable lines.


9) A SPECIAL FILM

BRAVEHEART - not because it was such a great film and certainly not for its historical accuracy, but because it helped to encourage Scottish people to take a closer look at their own history. When I was at school - in the totally independent and different Scottish education system, we were still subjected to Br
itish history being more concerned with English history rather than our own. The result being that a great many Scottish people were not aware of the richness of their own history and simple facts like the USA constitution being based on the Declaration of Arbroath (written during the Scottish Wars of Independence and not very long after Wallace was killed).
If Mel Gibson hadn't given it the Hollywood treatment, I don't suppose the film would have been much of a success, but for me, the success was not measured in box-office takings but in the re-awakening of a nation's sense of itself.


10) BEST ACTING PERFORMANCE (MALE)

John Mills in Hobson's Choice - pure Genius. An excellent film as well of course.
Humprey Bogart in TofSM.
Walter Huston in TotSM


11) BEST ACTING PERFORMANCE (FEMALE)

Meryl Streep in SOPHIE'S CHOICE, Bette Davis in WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY-JANE?


12) MOST POIGNANT FILM

SOPHIE'S CHOICE again.

Another contender is IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE - this is probably not exactly poignant, but it certainly has a great 'feel-good' factor and Christmas wouldn't be the same without a wee look at this film.


13) BEST COMEDY FILM

For a good all-round belly laugh, BLAZING SADDLES is probably numero uno. But there's also anything by the Marx Brothers for some dated anarchy, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY was pretty funny, STEVE MARTIN before he went weird, THE BIG LEBOWSKI....I could be here all day!


13) BEST MUSICAL/MUSIC FILM

Let me see, what about a film concerning street gangs and racism in New York using Jazz dance to portray a Shakespeare play. There's a winning formula for a musical if ever I heard one. WEST SIDE STORY - great story, great music, great songs.
Then there's FIDDLER ON THE ROOF - brilliant.


14) BEST FILM DIRECTOR

Billy Wil
der, who was responsible for such classics as: 'Double Indemnity', 'Some Like it Hot', Sunset Boulevard and 'The Lost Weekend' comes close.
As you'd expect from some of my previous choices, I can't see past John Ford who directed, among many others: 'The Maltese Falcon', 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre', 'Key Largo', and 'The African Queen' --- Now there's four classic movies.
I'm a huge fan of anything the Coen Brothers have made....they can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned.
But I suppose the best has to be Spielberg....I'm not listing the movies he's directed as I think we're all familiar with his work.

15) BEST B MOVIE/MADE FOR TV MOVIE

I'm not really sure - I used to love those corny '50's Sci-fi movies, and probably the best of them would be THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN...does that count as a B movie?

16) BEST PLACE TO WATCH A MOVIE

Certainly not the cinema. Stuck in the same room with all the plebs munching their way through unfeasibly large containers of popcorn and slurping from buckets of coke...and then the soundtrack is turned up so loud it hurts your ears but you still can't distinguish what's being said....not to mention sticking to the seat...
NAH, I'd sooner watch a DVD at home where I can chill out and veg....and if I need to go make pee-pee, all I have to do is pause the movie.


So there you have it. A large number of my film choices were made without the benefit of colour film. Does that make me an old fuddy-duddy? - Probably.
I just happen to believe that movies are about more than technical wizards and unbelievable special effects. Far too many movies these days are all style and no substance.....a bit like everything else, really.


But enough of what does it for me - let's hear about YOUR favourite film....erm...stuff.




Thanks for
reading



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