Today’s survey selection has been inspired by (a.k.a. “stolen from”) Entertainment Weekly’s celebrity survey column “The Movies Of My Life” (in particular I’m copying the questions from the issue that Emma Stone answered, and answering them myself).
And so, without further ado…
MOVIES OF MY LIFE: SOVIET SCIENCE
THE FIRST MOVIE I REMEMBER WATCHING: The very first movie I can remember watching in a movie theater was Back To The Future Part III. Way back when the family was still living in California one afternoon my dad took me and my sister to see it. I remember walking into the theater and thinking how huge the room and movie screen were. I also think the three of us shared a small unbuttered popcorn and small soda. Anyway, the movie blew me away. Sometimes I wonder if that movie didn’t have a bigger impact on my interests later on in life (time travel, the Wild West, and movies of course)?
THE MOVIE THAT INSPIRED MY FASHION SENSE WHEN I WAS A KID: Admittedly, I have never had much of a fashion sense. With that in mind I confess I took a huge liking to that “Australian Style” with the side brim pinned up type hat Muldoon wore in Jurassic Park.
(An illustration of what I’m talking about)
Somehow I managed to convince my folks to buy me a hat similar to Muldoon’s and I would wear it around the house for years and years until my head grew to the size of a pumpkin and it no longer fit.
THE MOVIE CHARACTER I WANTED TO BE: Indiana Jones. I still want to be Indiana Jones. Not unlike Indy I had to go on my own personal quest to achieve unimaginable treasure. In my case I had to quite biting my fingernails long enough for them to grow out before my folks would rent the movies for me to see them for the first time. I had seen enough exciting clips of the movies on TV to know these were movies I would do anything to see. And boy, did they not disappoint! By the time Indy was running from that huge boulder in Raiders Of The Lost Ark I had decided who I wanted to be when I grew up. For a long time I wanted to be an archeologist just like Indy. To this day if I ever come across a whip in a Cracker Barrel or Renaissance Fair my first instinct is to buy that sucker!
THE FIRST R-RATED DRAMA I EVER SAW: Braveheart. One Sunday afternoon when my mom was gone for the day or something my dad rented Braveheart and we watched it together. I had heard that the movie had a topless scene somewhere in it and I fully expected my dad to boot me from the room when that scene arrived, but to my surprise he didn’t. It really made me feel good that he thought me adult enough to handle movie nudity. Of course the movie was amazing and I fell in love with it instantly (as most males are prone to do). Really, I was quite spoiled by my first R-rated movie experience. You can’t ask for a better R-rated movie than Braveheart.
MY FIRST MOVIE-STAR CRUSH: Honestly, I think the very first girl I “noticed” on screen may have been Anna Chlumsky from My Girl when I saw that when was about 10 or 11.
THE SCARIEST MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN: The Strangers. Home invasion is scary as hell…especially if it’s in the middle of the night, they are wearing masks, and they’re torturing you just “because you were home”. I think the idea of that movie scares me more than anything, although that scene where Liv Tyler is all alone in the house and you see that masked guy walk into the background creeps me out every time.
THE MOVIE THAT MADE ME WANT TO BE AN ACTOR: As a red blooded American I was born with this desire.
THE SCENE FROM MY OWN MOVIE THAT MADE ME LAUGH: Pretty much any scene in Super Dupe where I’m having to play Widgette instead of Bridgette along side A.E.B.. It’s always funny to me how Super Dupe for some reason can’t tell the two apart. By the way, I am definitely an actor.
NOTE: The movie Super Dupe may or may not actually exist.
THE MOVIE COSTUME I WOULD LOVE TO WEAR: I would kill to wear Indiana Jones’ fedora. That would be the most holy of holy when it comes to pieces of costume. To wear the whole costume including whip would be unimaginable.
THE MOVIE I BOUGHT: Recently I have been in the slow process of upgrading my movie collection from DVD to Blu-ray, and my newest upgrade was Goodfellas about a week ago. I am a huge mafia/organized crime/gangster movie lover, and you just can’t publicly say that without owning a copy of Goodfellas.
THE REMAKE I’D LOVE TO STAR IN: Once again since I’m definitely an actor I would have to say I have been itching to remake League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The original version is complete garbage. I have no idea why we in Hollywood feel the need to stray so far from what makes the source material so fantastic in the first place? Anyway, since I’m an actor I could (and would willingly) play any part in this brilliant ensemble piece.
THE MOVIE I CAN’T TURN OFF WHEN IT’S ON TV: The Wedding Singer. No matter how many times I have seen it I cannot seem to turn the channel once I’ve come across it on TV. Really, there is nothing to not like about that movie. It’s funny, it’s sweet, it has good music, and it’s not too long!
THE MOVIE I’VE SEEN MORE TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT: I would have to say my current tally of viewings of Dumb & Dumber has to be in the mid to high thousands. That movie never gets old, and I always want more. I’ve said this before in an earlier posting…there are times where I’ll watch Dumb & Dumber on TV and not change the channel when an encore viewing of it comes on right after. That movie is a true classic.
THE MOVIE MUSICAL I KNOW EVERY WORD TO: Grease (Emma Stone had the same answer for this question…which is another reason to like her). My sister, my cousin and I have been watching this movie since birth it seems. I know every line of every song and I often reference the movie in everyday conversation.
THE MOVIE I QUOTE ALL THE TIME: I tend to quote Layer Cake all the time, but my friends and loved ones don’t seem to pick up on it (I doubt most of them have seen it). As hard as it is to believe Layer Cake is actually quite quotable…and nameable too…I named my first dog after one of the characters in the film.
THE SCENE THAT REMINDS ME OF WHAT GREAT ACTING IS: There is a scene near the end of Rushmore where Jason Schwartzman’s character Max Fischer introduces his father to Bill Murray’s character Herman Blume. The subtle acting Bill Murray’s face does in that scene is absolutely brilliant. If you haven’t seen Rushmore I’m not even going to tell you what that reaction means here, it’s something you have to see for yourself. I firmly believe Bill Murray was robbed that year by not getting an Academy Award nomination for his role in Rushmore.
THE LAST MOVIE THAT MADE ME CRY: I’m not ashamed to admit this, but that scene at the end of Toy Story 3 where all the toys hold their eyes and close their eyes as the prepare for oncoming death always gets me kinda choked up. Not full out cry…but it gives me a lump in my throat.
THE MOVIE I’M ALWAYS TELLING PEOPLE TO SEE: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I only know of a handful of people who have actually seen this movie. Maybe people are turned off my the odd title? Maybe it’s just one of those movies no one has heard of? Whatever the excuse, I think many many folks are missing out on a really funny action adventure movie that stars the always likeable Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer as a gay private eye called Gay Perry! Trust me, if you haven’t seen it go watch it, you’ll thank me for it.
THE MOVIE I CAN’T WAIT FOR: Without a shadow of a doubt I am counting the days until The Dark Knight Rises is released. It looks to be epic.
