Today I finally reached the landmark one whole year of blogging. I'm a quintessential Gemini, and we consistently abandon ship on a project halfway through (
another factor will be revealed below), so for me to last this long is considered an achievement. Hopefully I can keep on going.
Last week I was nominated by
Vern from
Videovanguard,
JayCluitt from
LifeVsFilm,
M.Brown from
Two Dollar Cinema, and
Andina from
Inspired Ground to receive a
Liebster Award. Suddently I was reminded about the last time I received these kind of meme blog awards. It was way, way back in MARCH when
Pete at
I Love That Film and
Andina again from
Inspired Ground nominated me for a
7x7 Award WHICH I KEPT DELAYING AND THEN COMPLETELY FORGOT TO DO! Ten gazillion apologies. So today I'll complete that long over-due award along with this new one.
********************************************
First off, the long overdue 7x7 Award. I know its past its expiry date, but I'll answer the questions anyway, especially since it fits with my anniversary theme.
Q: Tell something that no one else knows about you
A: I have a mild condition of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Basically it means I'm inattentive or lack concentration. What's sad is I didn't know about ADD until I was in my 20s. In fact if you ask 9 out of 10 Malaysians (I just made that stat up, but roughly its true), they too don't know about it. We Malaysians are lame like that. I found out about the disorder through movies and TV and explains a lot about the difficulties I had in school. Having said that, I did do pretty well. By having ADD, watching movies can at times be challenging. As an adult I've developed coping mechanisms though. One of them is, as evident frequently on this blog, is I like to hype-up future movies. When I'm excited, I'm focused.
Q: Link to one of the posts that I personally think best fits the following categories:
# Most beautiful piece: How the heck do I judge beautiful? I'll just say
The History Of Batman On Screen because it is the second longest amount of time that it took me to write. The longest is listed as the most pride-worthy piece somewhere below. I wanted different post for each categories.
# Most helpful piece: Erm, probably my
10 Favourite Pixar Shorts. Its helpful in you could just view the short-films right there. That's as helpful as it gets around here.
# Most popular piece: I'm using the integrated analysis page from Blogger here, and it lists my purely self-indulgent
Babe-O-Licious: Odette Annable as most viewed. I presume thats because people Google for the photos and nothing to do with the writing.
# Most controversial piece: I guess my negative review of
The Amazing Spider-Man [2012] because it has a very long comment from an anonymous reader and he/she even replied to my reply. As far as controversial goes for this blog, that's on a level of a scandal!
# Most surprisingly successful piece: Me And My Superhero Childhood. Surprising because:
(1) as I wrote in the post, it was originally intended as an introduction paragraph for another post but I decided to expand on it, and
(2) go read it, you'll find it was just random and crappy.
# Most underrated piece: No idea, so I'm going to close my eyes and pick one at random here. And the winner goes to
15 Favourite Female Villains.
*********************************************
Rules for Liebster Awards: (1) Each person must post 11 things about themselves (2) Answer the 11 questions the person giving the award has set you (3) Create 11 questions for the people you will be giving the award to (4) Choose 11 people to award and send them a link to your post (5) Go to their page and tell them (6) No tag backs
Sorry to be a party pooper but I'm afraid I can't continue this meme forward. People overestimate how many people actually read my site. Take a look "Followers" column at right side of this page. As of writing there's only 20 people with some not even movie blogs, a few haven't even listed their blog info (if they even have one), while the others have already received the award. How am I supposed to find 11 that actually read my blog? I know, I'm full of excuses.
11 Things about themselves:
I already revealed a lot of information in my
100 Film Facts About Me post and don't want to repeat any here, so it'll be hard to keep this segment entirely movie-related.
1) I've always had a passion for movies but for a long time it was only second place in my life. Top spot belonged to football/soccer. That sport was replaced at the pinnacle probably after I graduated and entered the work force. Naturally I played lesser and lesser as the years went by and having my own income meant I could afford to watch more movies.
2) During my student days, I actually played soccer at a competitive level. I live in Malaysia though, so that level isn't very high. I just saw The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito) [2011] and it is an awesome film. I just threw that last sentence in to make every fact film relevant. :P
3) Since we're in the middle of the Olympics, here's another sports related fact. Every time I enter an open tournament or even when playing games (online and offline) my team name is inspired by a film (much like this blog's name). For example, the name for my fantasy soccer team right now is Millennium Falcon. Go google that if you're not familiar.
4) I currently work in Network Security which also implies I'm a computer hacker. Well, basically I stop them. Kinda like the Dark Knight of the cyber world. Might sound cool, but trust me its not. I also realise by writing that I'm putting my self at risk so let me declare that I'm shit at my job and please don't hack/deface my blog.
5) I watch a lot of celebrity interviews on Youtube. I'm drawn into charismatic and colourful personalities.
6) I thought about this a lot and seriously don't remember the first film that I saw. My first trip to the cinema was only when I was 13 for a local Malaysian movie.
7) I dislike crowded, busy, and big cities. I prefer the tranquility of the suburbs or countryside.
8) I own a car but rarely use it. I get grumpy when I drive especially in the daily traffic jams here (again, like everything else I blame my ADD). I much prefer to ride my Honda CBR bike.
9) I wished they celebrated Halloween in my country. It would have been fun to have a childhood of dressing-up and going for Trick or Treat.
10) I love hearing different accents, they're like music to my ears. However, I'm terrible at doing them myself.
11) I want to learn Brazilian Jujitsu right now.
Questions From LifeVsFilm:
1) At a movie theatre, what snacks do you buy? Or do you sneak them in? If money were no object, what would be your movie theatre snack of choice?
Just the normal caramel popcorn. I actually think that people who bring hot-dogs and such are distracting with their smell.
2) What's the first movie that really scared you?
I've told this story before in my
100 Films Facts About Me list, the first horror film I saw was the original
Fright Night [
1985]. Ever since then, every creature that I encountered in my nightmares would utter the line from the movie "
You have to have faith for that to work on me". I don't remember ever waking up to a happy ending. Getting the girl really does only happen in the movies.
3) The television show/graphic novel/other thing I would really love to see adapted to film is ____
A memoirs book by Neil Strauss called The Game. Not only is the life of professional Pick-Up Artists interesting, but there are plenty of entertaining adventures, characters, and conflicts too.
4) If you like horror movies, why do you like them? If not why not?
I'm a little indifferent on horrors, but when it comes to slasher or gore movies then I'm not really fond of. There's always exceptions but generally I'm not interested. The stories doesn't excited me and I don't like gore in general, not just in movies.
5) If you could be any movie character, who would you be, and why?
Ed Bloom from Big Fish [2003]. They may be just tall tales, but his life was full of adventure. Same applies to Forrest Gump and Benjamin Button.
6) Which movie character are you most like?
Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) in Fight Club [1999] and Brandon (Michael Fassbender) in Shame [2011] for physical similarities and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in Iron Man [2008] for charisma. Okay, not true. But I've never really seen a character on screen and think that's me. I might share some traits or views but none that truly represents me.
7) What is it about films that interests you? What got you started?
Imagination or the sense of escapism. I grew up in the 80s and that was the era of the blockbuster. That's what probably got me started.
8) Why did you start blogging? What keeps you going?
See answer (1) from Two Dollar Cinema's question below
9) What movie would you like to see again for the first time with no prior knowledge?
The Sixth Sense [1999]. Some moranic movie reviewer in my local newspaper ruined it for me by revealing the twist of the movie in his very first sentence. Journalist my ass!
10) If you could have worked on any film in history, which would it be, and in what role?
Cannibal Holocaust [1980] in any production role. It is actually the most disturbing movie I've ever seen and I absolutely loathe it. But for a long time I thought it was a real-life account, so it would be interesting to see how they filmed it.
11) What song will be played over the closing credits of you life?
Err... We Are The Champions by Queen. Hopefully my life would deserve it by then.
Questions From Vern@Videovangaurd:
1) What would your dream movie theatre have, besides just what is being played?
The
Gold Class auditoriums were I live have decent features like attached lounge and toilets, great picture and sound quality, reclining seats, and table for every two seats with a service call button. Gosh, the genie grants me a wish and I screw it up by thinking small like that! Wake up Asrap!
2)
Name one movie that actually would be good to remake?
Pulp Fiction [
1994] <---- Relax, of course I'm trolling.
3) What irritates you most when blogging?
That I have to do a lot of coding to improve the look of my blog. Its just too much work and I'm fed-up from reading codings from work, so I never do it.
4) What do you like most when blogging?
Getting inspired by great posts from other bloggers
5) Do you play drinking games to movies? If so, what do you drink?
Not really, no.
6) What is the best way to save us when dolphins try to take over the world?
Save us? I'll save myself. If there's anything I've learned from the movies, its that I have better chance living by turning into a mole and offer the location of human hide-outs to the dolphins. I know they'll eventually kill me too, but while I'm on their side, I'll try to hook-up with their leader's daughter so I'll officially be one of them.
7) What movie do you flat-out refuse to watch, no matter how good people say it is?
Not many people really say its good, but I refuse to watch
Human Centipede 2 [
2011]. The same applies to its predecessor.
8) Name at least 3 movies that you still watch on other formats besides DVD and Blu-Ray.
I no longer have VHS so this must apply to TV right? I'd say the the 3 Star Wars films from the original trilogy.
9) Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?
I've even challenged him to a dance-off duel. The loser had to leave earth and go to hell. And look who's still here.
10) What is a good movie that you have a hard time convincing people to watch?
Mean Girls [
2004]. Guys think its a girly movie. It probably is, but I think its hilarious.
11) What toppings do you like on pizza?
Doesn't really matter as long as there's extra cheese.
Questions From M.Brown@Two Dollar Cinema:
1) What made you start your blog?
I realised status updates like "
The Social Network was awesome" on social media sites were too short to express myself and geek-out about things
2) Have you ever seen a movie more than once in a theatre? Explain.
I always do for movies I like. Some films that I'm really hyped for, I've even known years before its release that I'll have multiple viewings at the cinema.
The Avengers [2012] and
The Dark Knight Rises [2012] are perfect examples of this.
3) Tell me the actor/actress and the certain role they play that made them your favourite.
Favourite actor has always been Michael J. Fox. He's great at physical comedy and since he is short, his roles has always been an underdog, but with a lot of charisma.
4) If I thought the movies were a waste of time, what would you show me to change my mind?
If you thought that then I'll view you as a boring person and punish you by showing something horrible like
The Hottie & The Nottie [
2008]. You could turn out to like it of course.
5) What's the best animated film of all time?
Something by the great Pixar. Currently I'll go with
WALL-E [
2008].
6) Front row, back row, or right in the middle?
I'm one of those rare breads that prefer the front rows. Not the absolute front, but fourth or fifth from the screen. The picture is larger and there's less in view to distract you (
I'm ADD remember?). That being said, the absolute front row in THX-certified theatres isn't bad at all. If you're ever in one, try sitting down in that row while exiting during the credits.
7) Desert island time. You get one movie and one soundtrack. And hell, if you want to, you get an actor or actress, too. let's hear it.
Movie: WALL-E [
2008] because the early part is about being all alone too and the movie makes me feel good.
Soundtrack: Gonna Fly Now from
Rocky 2 [
1979] because it gets me motivated (
to escape or keep-up hope).
Actor: Quentin Tarantino. Okay, technically, he's a director, but he has acted. I chosen him because he's a good conversationalist (
have you seen the conversations in his movies?) and he's very passionate when talking. You won't get bored.
8) What's the scariest movie experience you've ever had?
Hmm, I don't know.
The Exorcist [
1973] maybe. A different kind of scary is
An Inconvenient Truth [
2006]. I'm an environmentalist.
9) You are given the power to completely erase the existence of one film. What are you picking?
Just one? How about three? The entire Star Wars prequels.
10) Who would be on the Mt. Rushmore of Action Films?
They guy who not only kick-asses, but have many memorable quotes too: Arnold Schwarzenegger.
11) And finally, have you ever clapped at the end of a movie? Really?
At the end of
The Dark Knight [
2008]. Partly because a couple of other guys did it first and partly because the film was THAT awesome! Also clapped at the end of
Captain America: The First Avenger [
2011], but only because there was an after-credit scene introducing
The Avengers [2012].
Questions From Andina@Inspired Ground
1) If you could replace one movie in the IMDB Top 250 with another, what movie is it?
I'd take out
Donnie Darko [
2001] and put in
The Social Network [
2010].
2) Do you have any TV series that you wish to be adapted to a screenplay?
MacGyver [
1985-1992]. This just has to be made for its impact on pop-culture.
3) Which superhero in a movie would you like to date and why?
There aren't many female superheroes in movies so far and that limits my choices. Barb Wire? No, either Jennifer Garner in
Elektra [
2005] or Charlize Theron in
Aeon Flux [
2005]. Why? Because they're hot. If they weren't, I don't think a normal guy would prefer to date a superhero. Its an ego thing.
4) What is your favourite 80s soundtrack?
Back To The Future [
1985]
5) What movie do you always see on a rainy day/unwell
Something laid-back and feel-good like
Garden State [
2004] or something by Cameron Crowe.
6) What is your most played soundtrack in your playlist/ipod/player?
Probably because this is my gym music,
Gonna Fly Now from
Rocky 2 [
1979]. (
See what I did there? I indirectly implied that I go to the gym frequently. That hasn't happened in a long time).
7) What 2011 movie that you thought was underrated?
Submarine and
Project Nim. Both beautiful films that I'm sure I'll be watching plenty times in the future.
8) What classic movie that you wish you could see them in the cinema?
Jaws [
1975] because how it impacted peoples lives. I hear the public were literally scared of beaches when the movie came out.
9) What is your favourite animated character?
I'll name two:
WALL-E and
EVE. Check out this video below about someone working on a real life-sized
WALL-E. Pixar should by one model. Seriously!
10) What is your least favourite animated character?
Does CGI characters count? Jar-Jar Binks. No? Then I'll go for... whoa, now this is hard... nothing pops into mind yet.
11) What movie icon (director/actor/actress) that you think he/she should have a biopic movie in the future?
Ermm... I don't know. I saw a
E! True Hollywood Story episode on Johnny Depp and his life seemed interesting. Or maybe John Lasseter because he was a revolutionary and got fired from Disney because of it. He of course came back strong.
