these are not my walls

I stole this meme from Vinny (who I assume doesn't mind me linking him, given that his blog hasn't really been anonymous for a long time) because I wanted to comment on one of his responses and he doesn't allow comments on his blog. After I went to the trouble, I figured I might as well do the entire meme, since otherwise I'd have to do work. Blech.

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times.

When I was in grade 8, I lived with my dad. It was the only year I lived with him, and it was not an experience I would choose to repeat (nor have I). I had two friends that I spent most of my time with that year: Stella, who was a nerdy loser like me, and therefore our friendship was quite understandable; and Leslie, who hung out with the cool kids a lot, and I have no idea why she spent any time at all with a girl who was awarded the Student of the Year Award for, among other things, starting the Recycling Club. Please see my earlier remark re: nerdy loser.

Anyway, Leslie slept over at my house almost every weekend, and every time she slept over we would watch Major League, at least once. I honestly don't remember why; it's a fun little movie, but it's not view 50+ times good. We didn't have crushes on any of the stars, nor did we want to be them. My dad also owned hundreds of movies we could have watched at the time; he probably owns thousands now. Still, every week, without fail, we would pop in Major League. Haven't seen it in years, now.

2. Name a movie that you've seen multiple times in the theater.

I saw Aladdin five times in the theatre. One of those times was in Germany, where they translated everything - including the songs - into German. It was unsettling, to say the least.

I only paid for the German experience; my boyfriend at the time paid for us to go the other 4 times. He was a) in love with all things Disney, and b) writing his own musical at the time. He and his boyfriend now live in Australia. :)

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.

Hmmm...this question doesn't really require that the actor be in the movie, so I could be really cheesy and say my husband. He's an actor, see? See? He could make me more inclined to see a movie, see? Eh, forget it.

There are lots of actors I would see for eye candy, and there are lots of actors who I think do excellent work. Two who serve both functions are Johnny Depp and Christian Bale.

4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.

I don't want to speak ill of the dead, but I generally avoid movies with Chris Farley.

5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.

I carried a watermelon.

6. Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs.

Every musical I've ever seen? Well, probably not, but I know a LOT of musical lyrics. Please see my comment above re: nerdy loser. Also the comment re: gay ex-boyfriend.

A specific example, music I'm listening to right now: Chicago.

7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with.

See my previous answer.

Although the only movie I've sung along with in the theatre (above a whisper) is The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Funny story about RHPS: I saw it for the first time when I was 11. My mom and stepdad had rented it while we were in Ghana, and I was blown away by how hilariously awesome it was. So, I figured it would be a good choice to play at my birthday party the following week. My 12th birthday party. With all of my little 11 and 12-year-old friends from the International School I'd been attending for about 2 months. You'd think that introducing them to the magic that is RHPS would make me their idol, but no. Quite the opposite, in fact.

8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.

That's a hard one. I can think of movies that are both inoffensive and yet still not so stupid that I would recommend people avoid it, but then those movies aren't usually so good or gripping that I go around recommending them. Hmmm. What would both my husband and my grandmother enjoy?

This, by the way, is one of the places where I disagreed with Vinny. He said Leon: The Professional, the European cut. Really? I mean, it's an excellent film, but I have a hard time seeing him recommend it to his mother. And my grandmother definitely would not thank him for the recommendation. Unless his recommendations are not based on what he thinks others will enjoy, but on what he thinks they should enjoy; in which case, I quibble no longer.

9. Name a movie that you own.

I think I still only own the one: Sneakers, on VHS, which I received as a gift at a job once. Very random.

Oh, hey! I think it might be an aswer to #8!

10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops.

Here we come to the second place where I disagreed with Vinny. He said George Clooney. The question seems to me to be asking about a person who launched their entertainment career in a non-acting entertainment medium. Like, say, Britney Spears, if her acting chops impressed you. And if they did, you need professional help. George Clooney started in television and moved to movies, it's true, but he's always been an actor.

I'm going with Marky Mark on this one. Feel the vibrations!

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?

As a child, I saw The Muppets Take Manhattan at a drive-in theatre. We got to stay up late, and played on the swings with other kids waiting for it to get dark enough to play the movie. My sister and I both fell asleep in the car on the way home. It was a magical evening.

As a young adult, I saw a double-header at the drive-in, Apollo 13 and some forgettable horror movie. I went with my soon-to-be dumped boyfriend who was in a pissy mood, it was horribly muggy hot out, and we were inundated with mosquitos every time we lowered the windows to get some air. It was much less magical.

12. Ever made out in a movie?

Back to the Future II, baby. Under the shirt, over the bra.

13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven’t yet gotten around to it.

Shit, where *is* that list I keep starting? Um, off the top of my head: Dancer in the Dark.

14. Ever walked out of a movie?

Funny story: in the lost year that I spent in Regina, when I had to drop out of university because I had no money and basically holed up in my shitty apartment and smoked, I won tickets on a radio show to go see Heaven's Prisoners. I have no idea what went wrong with their promotion, but I showed up to the movie (with a person I really didn't know that well, but who was willing to be seen with me in order to see the movie for free) to find hundreds of little children in the theatre. Heaven's Prisoners is very much NOT a kid's movie. It's also quite possibly the shittiest movie I've ever seen. It's the only movie I've every been willing to walk out on - due in large part to the bored and therefore loud and rambunctious kids, but let me reassure you the movie was shitty - but we were seated in the middle of a full row and couldn't get out.

15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.

I cry at the drop of a hat. Long distance commercials make me cry. I honestly can't remember the last movie I saw in the theatre that made me cry. The last movie I cried at was Proof. I watched it yesterday.

16. Popcorn?

Usually.

17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?

I think I've gone more in the last 6 months in Sudbury than I did in the previous three years in Victoria, so it's hard to say. Maybe once or twice a month on average?

18. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?

Music and Lyrics. Meh.

19. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie?

This is completely dependent on mood. Plus, as anyone who knows me should understand by now, I hate being asked to pick a favourite anything, let alone a favorite! So I decline to answer.

20. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?

Mary Poppins. But this is one of those memories that I can't swear is real, and I haven't simply adopted it for myself from other peoples' stories/memories. I have definitely seen Mary Poppins, though.

21. What movie do you wish you had never seen?

I actually have few regrets in life, and I try not to waste them on something as superficial as movies.

There are movies I wish I could watch again for the first time, though, like The Sixth Sense, so in that sense I guess I wish I'd never seen them. I don't think that's what the question is intending to ask, though.

22. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?

What is this obsession with absolutes?

Vinny picked Adaptation, which is a movie that I very much enjoyed. I'll just stick with that one then.

23. What is the scariest movie you've seen?

Christ. Here we go again with this "est" business.

My own imagination is scarier than any movie I've ever seen, so I guess movies that inspire my imagination are scariest.

Oh, no, wait, I'll pick a movie: Brazil. I watched this with my dad when I was younger and totally didn't get it, and he and my stepmom mocked me for years. I had more nightmares about this movie than any other, so I guess that makes it scariest. :)

24. What is the funniest movie you've seen?

The movie that made me laugh the most while watching it was Naked Gun 2 1/2.

No, seriously.

I'm not saying it was the cleverest or the wittiest or the best written or performed movie, but I watched it with my mom and my grandmother, who was visiting us in Regina for some reason. Something about the movie tickled my mom's funny bone, and she almost peed her pants laughing at this movie. Tears were pouring from her eyes. She couldn't breathe. It was AWESOME.

My grandmother, on the other hand, couldn't see a single thing about the movie that was funny, and kept looking askance at my mom and making very pointed comments.

One of the best times I've every had watching a movie. :)