Movie Confessions Blogathon

I caught wind of this blogathon happening, and I thought it sounded fun. Here are my “movie confessions…”

1. Which classic movie don’t you like/can’t enjoy and why?

It’s a toss-up between Vertigo and Rear Window. Yes, both Hitchcock, and both very acclaimed, but I just didn’t find either of them that impressive.

2. Which ten classic movies haven’t you seen yet?

Since we’re working our way through the AFI Top 100 List, I’m going to use the first 10 movies on that list that I have not yet seen. They are: Lawrence of Arabia, The Graduate, On the Waterfront, Sunset Boulevard, Bridge on the River Kwai, Some Like it Hot, All About Eve, The African Queen, Psycho, and Chinatown. I’m most excited about Some Like it Hot!

3. Have you ever sneaked into another movie at the cinema?

I actually don’t think so. One movie at a time is usually enough for me. It’s entirely possible I’ve snuck into the tail end of something I’ve already seen, though.

4. Which actor/actress do you think is overrated?

Ooh. Ladies first: Meryl Streep. I’m not saying she’s not good, but I just don’t think she’s as much of a chameleon as, say, a Cate Blanchett.

I suppose for actor I’d have to say Tom Hanks, for very much the same reason. He’s a good actor, but I just always think he’s himself, you know?

5. From which big director have you never seen any movie (and why)?

I’ve never seen any Kurosawa. That’s not entirely true; I’ve seen a few scenes from some of his Shakespeare adaptations in a class, but I haven’t sat down to watch a full movie. I guess there’s not really any particular reason beyond the fact that I’m just not that interested. I prefer my movies fairly accessible. Having said that, though, I do plan on watching some Kurosawa at some point. I figure with the Shakespeare ones I’ll at least know what’s going on, so I’ll probably start with Throne of Blood.

6. Which movie do you love, but is generally hated?

“Hated” is a strong word. I loves me some rom-coms, particularly some that get a lot of flak from others in the movie blogosphere, like Notting Hill, and some that got bashed by critics, like A Good Year.

7. Have you ever been “one of those annoying people” at the cinema?

I hope not, but probably to someone. I grew up as a performer, so audience etiquette has always been important to me.

8. Did you ever watch a movie, which you knew in advance would be bad, just because of a specific actor/actress was in it? Which one and why?

Pretty much anything Robert Downey, Jr. made prior to the year 2000 qualifies, I think, with a few notable exceptions. The Pick-up Artist was pretty unimpressive. But I am still in the process of being inclusive when it comes to RDJ, so there you have it.

9. Did you ever not watch a specific movie because it had subtitles?

No. That’s no reason not to watch something!

10. Are there any movies in your collection that you have had for more than five years and never watched?

Does my husband’s VHS copy of Cool as Ice count? (Oh yes, that’s right, I went there.)

11. Which are the worst movies in your collection and why do you still own them?

Here’s the thing: I don’t buy a lot of movies. If I buy something, it’s because I think it’s awesome. That said, I love the movie Hocus Pocus, and I got tired of trying to track it down every Halloween when I had the urge to watch it. I also own a copy of The Silver Brumby, which is this weird, really early Russell Crowe movie involving horses, because it was part of a video store liquidation, and I felt like I couldn’t just leave it there.

12. Do you have any confessions about your movie watching setup at home?

This came up recently on Facebook: we still have a VCR. I have a lot of the classic Disney movies on VHS, and I refuse to give Disney more of my money just to “update” to DVD. That’s a total racket. Also, we watch a fair amount of older movies, some of which aren’t actually available on DVD. We don’t have a Blu-Ray player, either.

Any other confessions you want to make?

Can’t think of anything, but if you’ve got something you’re just dying to know, ask away!