Sunday 12 August 2012

Feature - The Liebster Award


This lovely award was kindly passed on to me by Chris from movies and songs 365.

Here are the rules:
1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Answer the 11 questions the person giving the award has set for you.
3. Create 11 questions for the people you will be giving the award to.
4. Choose 11 people to award and send them a link to your post.
5. Go to their page and tell them.
6. NO TAG BACKS

11 things about me:
1. I have two house rabbits that choose which film I'm going to watch. I line up the DVDs and the first one they knock down is the one that I will watch. Strange how they both always choose 18 rated horrors. I've trained them well...

2. The film that gave me the worst nightmares as a child was Wait Until Dark. I saw it when I was a little evlkeith and the big jumpy scene made me soil my pants.



3. My favourite author is F. Paul Wilson. 'The Keep' and 'The Tomb' are probably the books that I have re-read the most.

4. 'Steptoe and Son' is one of my favourite comedies. 'Bottom' is probably the other. I can't say that I've seen a new comedy in years/decades that is actually funny. Peter Kay. Ricky Gervais. Prime offenders.



5. My favourite album of all time is possibly 'Frances the Mute' by The Mars Volta. Incredibly hard going for a fair while but now I completely love it. Including the extended section of bird song.

6. The actor who I would most like to have a pint with is James Garner.



7. I like to visit non-franchise dodgy greasy cafes. They always have a much better atmosphere than Starbucks etc. Plus they don't ask me if I want a Portuguese Custard Tart when I plainly ask for a pot of tea only.

8. I love Italian food.

9. If there's one thing that's better than high quality speakers then it has to be high quality speaker cables. Mmm, cables...



10. If I had to choose between chopping off my arms or legs... the legs would have to go. I could always knock up some bionic ones.

11. As well as blogging, I enjoy painting pretty pictures, photography, making music, playing board games and Warhammer, reading comics and running. As the niece of evlkeith would say, 'You're such a geek.'



Here are the 11 questions sent to me by Chris:
1. When and how did you become interested in movies?
The first film that I can remember going to see was Star Wars. That surely had to have an effect on me. I came home and immediately started drawing TIE fighters. Another factor could be that I spent a lot of time with my Granddad when I was little and he liked to watch old black and white films. That could possibly explain my love of Cary Grant and James Stewart films.

2. Who is your favourite director and why?
There are so many great directors so this is a tricky question... er.... give me a minute... right, I think it would have to be Lucio Fulci. To be able to create four classic zombie films in the space of three years is a major achievement. His work went downhill after that but this has happened to many other directors: John Carpenter and Dario Argento to name but two.



3. What is your favourite movie discovered in 2012 (old or new), and why?
I don't think that this has been the greatest year for films that I've seen, but I did really enjoy The Hindenburg. The ending, showing real footage of the Hindenburg exploding, is stunning. There are still a few months left too, so fingers crossed...

4. If you had to recommend any movie that you think everyone should watch, what would it be, and why?
The Dark Crystal. It's a film where the world and characters were brought to life practically, without the use of CGI and it is still visually stunning now. It is so immersive compared to other world building exercises. Avatar springs to mind. It is also the film that I reference and quote the most.



5. Have you been to a film festival, and how was the experience?
I've been to the Celluloid Screams horror festival at the Showroom in Sheffield for the past three years and I've got my pass booked for this year. The experience? Nothing can beat watching a sleazy euro-horror at one o'clock in the morning whilst drinking a gorgeous pint of beer.

6. Which soundtrack or score do you keep going back to?
I can't choose between my favourite two so I will list them both: Mulholland Drive and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Both bring such atmosphere and emotion to their respective films.



7. What films do you find yourself daydreaming about every so often?
There are some films that I don't like initially, or just think they are average, that seem to worm their way into my head. The Pact, Cold Sweat and, from this year, First Squad are all good examples.

8. Who do you talk movies with in real life, outside of the blogosphere?
A bloke at work is good to talk to about old war films, but the main person I talk to about films is Doccortex, mostly when we're at the football. The best thing about the majority of games is the half-time chat and cereal bar.



9. Favourite film poster?
That would have to be Alien. I can remember going to London with father of evlkeith when I was very young and Alien was just out. The poster made me imagine all kinds of horrific goings on. And I really wanted to see it. The poster for Dead and Buried had a similar effect.




10. What movie is the record holder that you have seen the most times?
That would be really hard to say but these films have all had a lot of viewings: The Beyond, The Wicker Man, The Thing, North by Northwest, To Catch a Thief, The Dark Crystal, The Beastmaster, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Aliens. Sorry I can't be more specific, but it all depends on what kind of mood I'm in.



11. Which movie websites (not blogs) do you visit?
None. But I do read the magazines SFX and The Dark Side. Even then I take the reviews with a pinch of salt. SFX in particular is prone to reviewing films favourably on cinema release and then giving them a much lower rating when they come out on DVD after the initial hype has died down. They seem to have got better recently, with most films getting average review scores. (I once bought a copy from a small newsagent and they'd placed it on the top shelf. The bloke proceeded to wrap it in a brown paper bag and gave me a contemptuous look. I wonder why...)



11 Winners:
Here are the lucky winners. I'm not sure whether these blogs have won the award before but they deserve to win it anyway (I have tried to check but you never know...). In no particular order:

1. NZPete at http://nzpetesmatteshot.blogspot.co.uk/
2. Peter Hall at http://horrorsnotdead.com/wpress/
3. Andy Hanley at http://hanners-anime.blogspot.co.uk/
4. Scotty, Griff and Adam at http://3guys1movie.com/
5. Zena at http://www.realqueenofhorror.com/
6. Dave J. Wilson at http://www.cinematicshocks.blogspot.co.uk/
7. Bonjour Tristesse http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/
8. Bill D. Courtney http://theuraniumcafe.blogspot.co.uk/
9. Slowdeath77 at http://horrorsmorgasbord.blogspot.co.uk/
10. Roy Fraley at http://www.agamerwithamouth.com/
11. Amanda at http://www.mandysmorgueofhorror.com/

11 Question for the Lucky Winners:
1. What really irritates you about films?
2. What has been the best film related experience that you have ever had?
3. What is the best 'undiscovered gem' that you've ever found?
4. If you were going to make a film what would it be about?
5. Desert Island Films: which three films (all from different genres) would you take?
6. CGI or practical effects?
7. Which person from behind the scenes (it can't be a director) do you admire the most?
8. If you could wipe one film from the history of film-making because it is just too disturbing (e.g. Mamma Mia) or irritating (e.g. Mamma Mia), what would it be?
9. Which film has scared you the most?
10. There have been many 'versus' films of late, e.g. Cowboys & Aliens. What would be your dream 'versus' film?
11. Yoghurt: should it have fruit bits (more commonly known as grit) in it or not?



evlkeith






2 comments:

  1. Thanks for taking part, some excellent answers here!

    Ha your story about the rabbits was funny :)

    I may watch an episode or two of 'Steptoe and Son' since you think it's a comedy great. I don't know album Frances the Mute - The Mars Volta either, so giving it a listen soon.

    Why a drink with James Garner, any reasons?

    I haven't watched any Lucio Fulci(I like Italian horror director Dario Argento)
    Which is Lucio Fulci's best film do you think?

    I'm with you that real sets are more stunning than CGI

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    Replies
    1. The strange thing is that the rabbit I had before these two was exactly the same. I could line up three U and PG rated films and one 18 rated horror and she would always go for the horror.

      Divided We Stand and The Desperate Hours are both really funny episodes. Some are fairly politically incorrect but they don't come across as offensive. I recently went through my Steptoe box set and it is classic stuff.

      James Garner is a legend. I love The Rockford Files. When I retire I want to live in a caravan on a beach in Malibu and be a private detective with a shifty afroed buddy called Angel. Plus his acting in The Notebook is the best acting I've ever seen. Legend.

      I like Argento films too but he seems to have gone a bit off the boil recently. For Fulci films, take your pick from Zombie Flesh Eaters, The City of the Living Dead and The House by the Cemetery. My personal favourite is The Beyond. It is very gory but filled with atmosphere, great music and one of the bleakest endings. Not one for the faint hearted though.

      If I had to convince a jury I would show them the original Star Wars trilogy and then the prequels. Practical sets, miniatures and matte paintings generally look a lot more realistic.

      Thanks for the bonus questions, Chris.

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