Meine Liebsters

Oh jeez, I think this is WELL into throwback territory, as it’s now been several months since these were going around and I never finished mine! I had never done one of these, so I stockpiled a few, then that felt overwhelming so it took me a while. Thank you to all for the nominations and thank you also for REMINDING me of them—I kept those emails in my inbox to shame me into actually, eventually completing them :)

The first was from the excellent Karen of Shadows and Satin. Check out her fun answers and facts here.

1. On your perfect viewing day, what five films would air back-to-back on TCM?

I’d definitely need a day of musicals! Let’s start with peak Bob and Bing in Road to Singapore, follow up with the bizarre magic of Meet Me in Las Vegas, pair that with the mythical bodybuilder musical Athena, count down husbands in What a Way to Go, and wrap it up with the big classic On the Town.

2. What’s your favorite movie-related book?

I really love Robert Rodriguez’s Rebel Without a Crew, in which he details the making of his Sundance-darling El Mariachi for $7,000.

3. Name an underrated film that you’d recommend.

I am currently totally obsessed with the above-mentioned Athena, which I gush over in further detail here.

4. What movie do you watch every time it comes on TV?

You know, I cancelled my cable subscription, so now my movie-watching has taken on a much more intentional experience! But I have definitely watched Titanic back-to-back on cable because I couldn’t turn away.

5. What’s your favorite western?

Johnny Guitar! I’ll take Joan over John any day.

6. If you had Aladdin’s lamp, what three wishes would you make?

I probably need to go over these again to ensure there aren’t any Monkey’s Paw-style loopholes, but…

• A sizable weekly allowance forever
• An all-access pass to every movie studio, including their archives and costume rooms and nobody’s allowed to kick me out
• Ability to SHAPE-SHIFT

7. What movie have you seen more often than any other?

The Nightmare Before Christmas! They play it around Halloween-time at El Capitan in Hollywood and I also watch it at Christmas on my own. I used to re-watch movies a lot more, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve started to give more preference to seeking things out that are new to me, since there are SO many.

8. Name one thing you believed as a child that turned out not to be true.

Here is a silly one: I used to wonder why teens in movies always made a big deal about getting pimples, when obviously they could just put a band-aid over them and nobody would be the wiser. That was totally going to my plan as a teen, which didn’t quite work out.

9. What is your favorite guilty pleasure movie?

Mommie Dearest, because it’s so campy and fun as a movie, but also a sad and terrible story. And I’ll also say Holiday Inn, which I would fully love without guilt if not for the awful blackface.

10. Name a movie that it seems everyone has seen except you.

I haven’t seen a lot of the Pixar movies, which feels like one of the bigger holes. In Old Hollywood terms, I still haven’t seen All About Eve. I just saw The Apartment for the first time at this year’s TCM Fest, which was one of my big ones!

11. Humphrey Bogart or Robert Mitchum?

Humphrey Bogart, but primarily due to proximity to Lauren Bacall.

Next I got tagged by Michaela from Love Letters to Old Hollywood! See her Liebster post here.

4. Underrated actress?

9. Which Hepburn, Katharine or Audrey?

1. Congratulations on your award. Who’ll be presenting it to you? And why?

9. What was your best movie-watching experience?

And finally, some questions from Leah of Cary Grant Won’t Eat You! Her Liebster post is here.

1-5. What’s your favorite movie when you’re feeling:
*Blue? The Orphanage—It’s depressing but there’s an elegance to the sadness that makes it feel all worthwhile
*Angry? I went to the first D23 Disney convention and after it was over, I was in my hotel room and needing to balance out all the positivity and sweetness, so I put on 300. I don’t even like the movie that much, but in the context, I really just needed to harness the energy of a bunch of buff, oiled men killing each other.
*Nostalgic? Ed Wood—I remember watching it, wanting to move to Los Angeles and vividly picturing what my life would be like, and now I’m here!
*Giddy? It Happened One Night—like The Orphanage, I feel like the giddy, snappiness of the dialogue is so well done that it channels my own emotions into something that feels more meaningful!
*Undercaffeinated? Fast Five—This movie pumps me up like nothing else, especially the “safe” sequence at the end!

6. What invention in your lifetime has affected you the most?

The internet—or I guess, more specifically, the “World Wide Web”—definitely made a huge impact for me! It really helped me hone my interests and writing abilities by being able to connect with people with other ideas and passions.

7. Which actor or actress (the performer/character he/she plays) would make the best superhero in your estimation? Why?

I want to see a superhero pair of Bob and Bing as their characters from the Road to… movies. I feel like they’d get into some trouble but ultimately save the day. Maybe.

8. Which classic movie character would you ask romantic advice?

Andy Hardy, because he was always landing partners way out of his league.

9. Which movie character (classic/current) would give you terrible advice about everything?

I think Tracy Lord would give particularly bad romantic advice (or really, anyone who gets as far as the aisle without entirely knowing who they’re going to marry), plus I don’t think our life experiences would line up otherwise. But I feel like she’d be fun to ask, even if I didn’t take her advice.

10. Which literary/movie character would you ask to help you with your least favorite errand?

I’d like Cinderella and her animal friends to help with my laundry!

11. Which actor/actress are you surprised you like? Why?

Before I really started watching his movies, I was fairly neutral on Bob Hope—since I knew him only vaguely as the “USO guy.” But after my first Road movie, I veered directly into obsession and haven’t looked back since.

I am doing these late enough that I’m pretty sure everyone who wanted to do one must have already been tagged… but if you haven’t, I direct this tag to you. Yes, you. Here are some questions to peruse:

1. What movies do you think should be covered in all introduction to film classes?
2. Are there any film stars where your knowledge of their personal lives sometimes makes it difficult for you to appreciate their performances?
3. What is your favorite film that is not in your native language?
4. What was the last movie you saw in a theater? How was it?
5. And which classic film stars would you cast in that film?
6. What’s your favorite book/play/opera-to-film adaptation?
7. Which movie’s set would you have loved to be on?
8. If you’re watching a movie and not enjoying it at all, will you shut it off? Or do you always try to finish?
9. Have you ever made a meal inspired by a movie? (Made spaghetti sauce while watching Goodfellas, for instance.) If not… what movie/meal combo do you think would be particularly tasty?
10. Which movie star or character’s wardrobe would you love to raid?
11. If you could make up an Oscar category and award it to any person in film history… what and who would it be?