And now for another stupendous survey by that celebrated cinematic blogger, Dennis Cozzalio, up now at Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule. Visit his site to post your answers. Mine appear after the jump.
1) What is the biggest issue for you in the digital vs. film debate?
My only issue is that whoever the digital equivalent of a projectionist is should be qualified. So many of the problems associated with digital stem from someone not knowing that the image needs a sufficient amount of light or how to resolve an issue related to the codes needed to screen a movie (Google the aborted NYFF screening of De Palma's Passion).
2) Without more than one minute’s consideration, name three great faces from the movies
Marlene Dietrich, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman
3) The movie you think could be interesting if remade as a movie musical
The Lair of the White Worm
4) The last movie you saw theatrically/on DVD, Blu-ray, streaming
Theatrical: Sinister, DVD: The Great Mouse Detective, Blu-ray: Dr. No, Streaming: Margot at the Wedding
5) Favorite movie about work
Blue Collar
6) The movie you loved as a child that did not hold up when seen through adult eyes
Jason and the Argonauts
7) Favorite "road" movie
Wild at Heart
8) Does Clint Eastwood’s appearance at the Republican National Convention change or confirm your perspective on him as a filmmaker/movie icon? Is that appearance relevant to his legacy as a filmmaker?
Not one bit. I'm liberal, but I've always appreciated his right-leaning films.
9) Longest-lasting movie or movie-related obsession
I'm ashamed to admit that I'm obsessed with the private lives of movie stars. It's a voyeuristic topic I don't like to indulge in too much in my writing (unless it's an obituary or tribute where it might feel appropriate). But it fascinates me that we can become so enthralled by their public persona only to find out how different they are in their private identities.
10) Favorite artifact of movie exploitation
I have the autographs of every member of the original Star Trek's recurring cast down to Grace Lee Whitney (Yeoman Rand).
11) Have you ever fallen asleep in a movie theater? If so, when and why?
Only when the movie is utterly without any redeeming qualities. In the case of Kuffs, after Milla Jovovich did her little dance in her panties... out like a light.
12) Favorite performance by an athlete in a movie
Roddy Piper in They Live (1988).
13) Second favorite Rainer Werner Fassbinder movie
Mortified at having to admit this is a blind spot for me. Pass.
14) Favorite film of 1931
The Public Enemy
15) Second favorite Raoul Walsh movie
I have a Blu-ray of The Big Trail (1930) sitting in my stack and the only other movie I've seen by him is White Heat (1949). Another depressing blind spot for me.
16) Favorite film of 1951
An exceedingly tough year from which to just boil it down to one, but I'll give it to A Place in the Sun.
17) Second favorite Wong Kar-wai movie
In the Mood for Love
18) Favorite film of 1971
Curse you... I can't escape copping out and answering with a three-way tie: The French Connection, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, and Walkabout.
19) Second favorite Henri-Georges Clouzot movie
I've just seen Les Diaboliques so pass.
20) Favorite film of 1991
In a rare year where I saw just about everything that was released, I'm proud to say Point Break stands head and shoulders above the rest.
21) Second favorite John Sturges movie
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) comes second only to The Great Escape (1963).
22) Favorite celebrity biopic
Corny as it it may be, I'm in love with Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993) because of Jason Scott Lee's charismatic performance. It's tough to get me to forget I'm not watching Bruce Lee, but somehow, he manages to do so.
23) Name a good script idea which was let down either by the director or circumstances of production
De Palma's The Black Dahlia (2006), or so I hear.
24) Heaven’s Gate-- yes or no?
No doubt about it... YES!
25) Favorite pairing of movie sex symbols
Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun tied with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief
26) One word that you could say which would instantly evoke images and memories of your favorite movie. (Naming the movie is optional—might be more fun to see if we can guess what it is from the word itself)
Assassination
27) Name one moment which to you demarcates a significant change, for better or worse, on the landscape of the movies over the last 20 years.
A black woman bares her breasts in Sidney Lumet's The Pawnbroker. It was the first time a woman was shown topless in an American studio feature, and she was a woman of color. All kinds of barriers broken there.
28) Favorite pre-Code talkie
Sorry to poach your answer Mr. Nellhaus, but Morocco is my favorite, too.
29) Oldest film in your personal collection (Thanks, Peter Nellhaus)
The Phantom Carriage (1921)
30) Longest film in your personal collection. (Thanks, Brian Darr)
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 (1992), 583 min.
31) Have your movie collection habits changed in the past 10 years? If so, how?
Well, now that I've started writing about films, I'm less inclined to buy any Blu-rays or DVDs because I receive so many screeners.
32) Wackiest, most unlikely "directed by" credit you can name
David Lynch helmed an actual Walt Disney Picture. Not a Touchstone release or a Hollywood Picture, but a Walt Disney Picture. And it's probably my second or third favorite of his films.
33) Best documentary you’ve seen in 2012 (made in 2012 or any other year)
It's also among my favorite films of the year, Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap, directed by Ice-T and Andy Baybutt.
34) What’s your favorite "(this star) was almost cast in (this movie)" anecdote?
Plug in any of the names considered for the part of Superman in Donner's 1978 film. Considered for the part: Warren Beatty, James Caan, Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford and Burt Reynolds (who all turned it down), plus Nick Nolte and Jon Voight, both of whom were apparently front-runners (!?).
35) Program three nights of double bills at a revival theater that might best illuminate your love of the movies
First night: The Conformist (1970) and The Godfather Part II (1974). Second Night: Morocco (1930) and The Red Shoes (1948). Third Night: The Long Goodbye (1973) and Cutter's Way (1981).
36) You have been granted permission to invite any three people, alive or dead, to your house to watch the Oscars. Who are they?
Dietrich, Sternberg and Cooper... because I love to see sparks fly.
37) Favorite Mr. Chips. (Careful...)
Pass.
Great answers, Tony.
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