Scribblings from the Mitchy Side

10. What movie most deserved the Best Film Oscar and was cruelly robbed?

No competition - "The Shawshank Redemption" was cruelly robbed by (of all movies), "Forrest Gump". FORREST GUMP! *flails* Seriously? I mean, seriously? How the heck can the finest prison/buddy movie ever made get trumped by Tom Hanks in a movie so saccharine, they had to give out insulin shots at the cinema. (Only movie worse for that than FG was "Steel Magnolias" and don't get me started on that.) And btw, it's worth looking at the three other movies nominated that year:-

Four Weddings and a Funeral
Pulp Fiction
Quiz Show

Yes, Forrest Gump beat out those too. I could forgive the Academy if any of those three movies had won, but not FG. Just..no. Please. Also had the bad side effect of making Tom Hanks one of the most over-rated actors of the decade (although I make an exception for "Sleepless in Seattle".)

Second biggest travesty? "Driving Miss Daisy" beating out "Born on the Fourth of July" "My Left Foot", "Field of Dreams" and "Dead Poet's Society" in 1989. SO MANY LEVELS OF WRONG!

(Third, just because I never miss a chance to rant about this, is "Titanic" winning anything at all. Note it beat out "L.A.Confidential", "Good Will Hunting", "The Full Monty" and "As Good As It Gets". No! Just..NO!)

9. What movie is the most over-rated? (i.e. that one movie everyone claims is a classic but you just don't get it?)

I've never seen "Citizen Kane" because I'm very afraid it won't live up to the hype, so much does everyone bang on about it being the Best! Movie! Evah! Feh.

I'm going to get glared at for this but top of my list of movies I HAVE watched is "The Princess Bride". I just can't stand it. I've watched it twice. Once in disbelief and ever growing boredom and once when pickled out of my head. The second time was nice, think I slept through some of it :P

As much as I love Tarantino, 'm going to have to mention Resevoir Dogs here too. A good film, to be sure, fantastic debut, but really, people? All that hype for that?? Pulp Fiction was way better, so was Kill Bill (I, II not so much).

Most of Kubrick's work makes me feel the same way, too, to be honest. Although in the interests of full disclosure, I don't think I've ever managed to actually sit through one of his films :P

I really must remember to post these before midnight :P

8. Comedy movie that still makes you cry with laughter?

You know, I'm not a huge watcher of comedy movies. Or rather, I've fallen out of the habit since every "comedy" these days seems to involve the crudest sort of comedy and I mean crude, not just rude. So mostly I give movies that proclaim themselves as comedies a wide berth. Thus most of my faves are from earlier eras.

I will watch practically all the Carry On movies and will giggle helplessly. (I'm not a fan of some of the very later ones or Carry On Screaming). My favourites are Carry On Up The Kyber, Carry On Spying, Carry On Cabby, Carry On Doctor and Carry On Cruising. Sure, some of their jokes are very basic but whereas today it's crude, then it was just rude - and more importantly, it was funny :) Also, Kenneth Williams has one of the best lines ever - "Infamy, Infamy - they've all got it in for me!" (From Carry On Cleo)

Also Laurel and Hardy's "The Music Box". It's not a full length movie but I think it counts, it was made for the cinema :) And I cry with laughter at that every.single.time. Priceless stuff. I must find that staircase someday and take pictures, it still exists :) The comedy isn't sophisticated but it's done so very, very well that you can't help but laugh :)

Lastly, and slightly more modern era (1973!) I have a very soft spot for "What's Up Doc?", the Barbra Streisand/Ryan O'Neal screwball comedy. There are some bits that are still comedy gold and will have me helplessly gigglefitting. Take the chase scene for instance. I defy you not to snigger at the 2 minute sequence involving the pane of glass.....

6. Preferred cinema snack?

Ice cream. It's one of the very few occasions that I'll eat ice cream because it's not the first dessert I'll go for generally. But it's a must in the cinema :) Generally I'll have chocolate, but sometimes I'll indulge in mint choc chip or strawberry. Currently my local cinema of choice has a butter pecan flavour that is just gorgeous. Nyom! Hmf. Now I actually fancy some ice cream....*has to trundle off to investigate the freezer*

7. First movie that made you cry like a baby?

I thiiiink I saw Bambi at the movies and obviously, like everyone else who ever saw that film, was deeply traumatised by the death of Bambi's mother. I know both my Mum and I used to bawl like babies at Dumbo (the bit where his Mum is in the prison car and she puts her trunk through the bars and rocks him *honks*). But I think the first live action film to really get to me was Dead Poet's Society. "Captain, my captain!" *Waaah!*

5. Favourite Disney movie?

Well now, it'd probably be easier to list the Disney movies I haven't seen or liked. Although I'm waaaaaaaaaaaay behind on the modern crop, so maybe that list would be longer after all.

I have 3 favourites, I refuse to choose between them :D

The Little Mermaid - because I am word perfect on all the songs! And I sing along. Loudly. Betcha don't wanna watch the movie with me now, do you? :D Besides, Sebastian is the coolest sidekick, with two terrific songs ("Under the Sea" is just brilliant!) and Ursula has to be one of the best villains, with one of the best self-justifying songs ever. "Now it's happened once or twice, someone couldn't pay the price, and I'm afraid I've had to rake them cross the coals. Yes, I've had the odd complaint, but on the whole I've been a saint, to those poor, unfortunate souls!"

Lady and the Tramp - Tramp was one of my favourite characters as a kid. I'm a sucker for the misunderstood hero :D I still cheer at the end when Trusty the bloodhound reappears with his leg in a cast. Oh and Peg? Sings the coolest song in Disney history.



One Hundred and One Dalmations - Oh I love this story. Again with the great Disney villain and bumbling side kicks and a kick ass plot. Have a clip that includes one of my favourite bits, the Twilight Bark. Still think this is the best thing ever :D Starts at 3.37 mins in.



"But Mitchy!" I don't hear you cry. "No Aristocats? But..but..you're a cat lover!" Yeh, but sorry, Aristocats is on my "Meh, I'll watch it if there's nothing better available" list of Disney movies. Still waiting for them to do an animated cat movie that equals L&T or 101D.

4. First movie you remember seeing at the cinema as a child?

I remember being totally and utterly terrified by the Witch/Wicked Queen in Snow White to the point my Mom had to take me outside. I seem to recall hiding behind the seats a fair bit and peeking nervously over the top :D I couldn't have been more than 4 or 5? *checks* OK, it was re-released in 1975, so I was six. Hmf. Clearly I was a wussy kid :)

Another early movie I remember is seeing Winnie The Pooh and Tigger Too with my friend Rosalyn Knott. It wasn't a full movie though, so it was bundled with a live action movie, which meant we had to sit through "Island at the Top of the World"*. Not exactly a movie to enthrall two six/seven year olds :P I think we were fairly well behaved but man, it seemed to last forever! It says something as to the level of trauma that I can remember what movie it was to this day, even though I've never seen it since! Winnie the Pooh almost made up for it though. "Ooh the wonderful thing about Tiggers is I'm the only one! *bounce-bounce*"

One of my very favourite early movie memories though is seeing Robin Hood (Disney's animated version) with my Mum. Watching it now, it's dated rather badly but it tickled our funny bones back then. In fact, it made Mum laugh so hard (it was the bit where Sir Hiss is sleeping at the end of Prince John's bed and his tongue keeps tickling Prince John's feet) that I actually disowned her and moved several seats away :D She was enjoying the movie more than the kids in the cinema!! We used to laugh about that a lot and when RH came out on video finally, we pounced on it. We were a little disappointed, it just wasn't as funny as we remembered it. But we had the memory of it anyway :)

* - just poked imdb and looked this movie up, mostly to make sure I really WAS remembering it correctly. And guess what? The screenplay was written by Joss Whedon's grandfather, John Whedon. That family owes me for movie trauma inflicted :P

3. Actress(es) you'd happily watch reading the phone book?


Like for the guys, this is in two sections. Old time i.e. ladies who were acting before I was born, and modern day.

First up has to be Lauren Bacall. Total class and such a terrific actress. Her and Bogey are one of the best love stories ever :)

Bette Davis (although she'd probably throw the phone book at me and claim she was being insulted), because, well, Bette freakin' Davis. If that isn't enough go watch Little Foxes or Now, Voyager or All About Eve. At once.

Doris Day, because she'd sing the phone book and make you feel like she was singing it for you alone.

And bridging the gap between old and new, the incomparable Angela Lansbury. Seriously, she could read the phone book, sing it, solve its murder.....

Of the new:-

Angelina Jolie - not just a pretty face (but that doesn't hurt). She'd make love to that phone book.

Helen Mirren - because dammit she'd make reading the phone book the most brilliant thing you've seen all year.

Angelina Jolie - one of the rare breed who can do action movies and romance and dramas. And would read the phone book in the style of all three.

Keira Knightley - who'd probably make the phone book the star of a costume drama. Wish she wasn't so skinny though: denial of eating disorder bedamned, being that thin isn't healthy.

Angelina Jolie. What?

Jodie Foster - First saw her in Candleshoe, a Disney thing, when she was a child star. And she outshone the entire cast of Bugsy Malone, so yeh, I've been a fan a long time :) Will always give her movies a watch. And she'd probably convince the phone book to give up secrets about the yellow pages and where it was burying the bodies. Effortlessly.

Angelina Jolie. Fiiiiine, I'll stop now.

Tracie Thoms - oh come ON! Like I wasn't going to list her :D She'd read the phone book but I prolly would be too distracted to notice :P Which is an excuse for a gratuitous picture.

( Cut to spare your bandwidth )

Edited because for some reason, the lines about Angela Lansbury got cut. Harrumph!!

2. Actor(s) you'd happily watch reading the phone book?

Oooh! My all time favourite actor is Paul Newman. Mostly because I fell deeply in love with him in "Somebody Up There Likes Me" which I watched when I was about 5 or 6. First movie that made me understand what movies could do. I can't watch Cool Hand Luke any more because I cry so hard at the end :P I was in hospital when he passed away back in 2008 which was annoying because I wanted to watch all the tributes that would have been on TV. Sniff. Unsurprisingly, I will also watch Robert Redford in practically anything. Which reminds me, MUST put some of his movies on my "I NEED these movies for my collection!" list, I have far too few.

Of the modern crop, I will watch George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Matt Damon, Russell Crowe and Leo Di Caprio in practically anything (although I'm behind a bit with George's stuff, need to catch up). And (with reservations) Tom Cruise. (Yes, I know, he's a grade A jerk but I happen to think he's a damn good actor, with the right project and director. Let's gloss over Eyes Wide Shut and Far and Away, hmm?)


Talking of films, I saw thalinoviel on Friday for dinner, movie and a good ol' gossip. The dear girl is delightfully pregnant and there may have been girly squeeing :) We saw The A Team which I'm pleased to report is thoroughly enjoyable nonsense. Bradley Cooper IS Face, and it helps that he spends a lot of the movie half-nekkid. Mmmm. There were enough nods to the past to keep the fans happy but the movie's forged its own identity and if it's the start of a franchise, it's promising, very promising. Perfect light summer movie watching :) Still not sure about Jessica Biel though.....kinda hoping her role gets recast.

In other news, the office is still blissfully quiet and as there was absolutely no-one in the office sitting behind me today, I was able to loaf in peace :D I love the summer!

So I carried out my threat and created a meme. Hee! And then promptly left the text document at work. *sigh* So the full list of meme questions will be posted tomorrow. However, I remember the first one easy enough, I figured we'd get the basics out of the way :) OH! Warning! There are spoilers here because none of these movies are recent so be warned. I'd particular suggest being careful if you've never seen The Sting - that's a movie that should never be spoiled before you watch it!!

( Day One )