PROF. BRAINERD’S CHRISTMAS VACATION QUIZ

originally posted
DECEMBER 16, 2005
(old stuff from the now gone "Refined Picture Show" blogspot)


Another great quiz by Dennis Cozzalio.

1) DESCRIBE THE MOMENT WHEN 

YOU KNEW YOU LOVED 

THE MOVIES
Very early childhood.. From about 1997 onward all my 

b-day parties were movie themed. & always after a big 

blockbuster that was my favorite for the year. (Ex. 

1997: JURASSIC PARK, STARSHIP TROOPERS, 

SMALL SOLDIERS, TOY STORY 2, etc.) A big moment 

for me was my parents taking me and about 16 other 

childhood playmates to see JURASSIC PARK. Truly a 

magic CINEMA PARADISO-esque memory. It was 

pure monster movie escapism. How I imagine kids 

must have felt watching KING KONG in 1933.

2) WHAT PROP OR COSTUME FROM 

A FILM DO YOU MOST 

COVET?*
Those damn Nikes from BACK TO THE FUTURE II ('89)!

3) 

TAKE A FAMOUS ROLE & 

RECAST IT (FOR EXAMPLE, 

AUDREY HEPBURN INSTEAD 

OF ANDIE MCDOWELL IN 

FOUR WEDDINGS & A FUNERAL)
I know he didn't have star power at the time, 

but it would have been awesome to see 

Edward James Olmos play SCARFACE 

(1983) rather than Pacino.

Dennis Quaid as Joker in Tim Burton's BATMAN (1989)

Brooke Adams as Lois Lane in SUPERMAN 

(1978) instead of Margot Kidder.

Henry Silva would've been much better than 

Cliff Robertson in OBSESSION (1976).

& just for curiosity sake; Imagine a world where Pam 

Grier played Ripley in ALIEN (1979).

4) CHARLTON HESTON 

     OR GEORGE KENNEDY?
Judah Ben-Hur.

5) BEST PERFORMANCE IN 

AN OTHERWISE TERRIBLE 

MOVIE
I don't know if I'd consider these films "terrible" 

but they are less than stellar to me personally: 

James Remar is great in his segment of 

TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE: 

THE MOVIE (1990)

Anna Faris in SCARY MOVIE 1 and 2.

Tim Curry as Pennywise in IT (1990). They really 

kinda blew it with that movie.

Evan Rachel Wood in THIRTEEN (2003).

Seann William Scott in AMERICAN PIE (1999)

Dante Basco & Hoffman in HOOK

Raul Julia in STREET FIGHTER

Ian McKellan in APT PUPIL (1998).

Chris Farley was amazing in BEVERLY 

HILLS NINJA (1997) & BLACK SHEEP

6) 

WORST PERFORMANCE IN 

A FAMOUSLY REVERED OR 

OTHERWISE GREAT MOVIE
Rooney in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S ('61).

7) CHRISTOPHER LEE 

      OR PETER CUSHING?
Dracula.

8) 

FAVORITE WALTER HILL MOVIE
THE LONG RIDERS (1980)

9) FAVORITE MUSICAL 

      SCORE FROM A MOVIE
John Williams score for E.T. (1982)
>play

close 2nd would be Morricone's GOOD, THE BAD, & 

THE UGLY (1966)
>play

10) DESCRIBE THE MOST SCARED 

YOU'VE EVER BEEN IN A THEATER, 

OR THE SCARIEST MOMENT YOU 

RECALL SEEING IN A MOVIE

The scariest experience I've ever had at a cinema was 

just last month! During Kiyoshi Kurosawa's PULSE. 

I was the only one at the Dallas Magnolia seeing it at 

a midnight showing, so I was all alone in the theater. & 

let me just inform you that the film deals with the 

concept of everybody on Earth eventually vanishing. 

Entire cities become abandoned ghost towns. The 

moment where the guy is all alone in the Arcade and 

this dark silhouette starts moving around in the 

background had me paralyzed with fear in my seat.

The sound design and imagery work masterfully to 

create a unique apocalyptic atmosphere. Once again,

 it was a midnight film; So it let out around 2am and 

everyone was gone. Just like in the movie! No cars. 

No people. Dead silent.. If you've ever been to the 

Dallas Magnolia you know that you have to walk 

across a street to get to the parking garage & bus stop; 

so when the movie was over I had to walk across a 

pitch black street in eerie silence & through an 

abandoned parking garage. Every shadow became 

dark ashen figures out to get me in my imagination. 

HA! It was like everything in the film was now 

effecting my world (goosebumps).

The scariest movie experience I ever had at home was 

when I was 8 or 9. I don't know why they let us do this, 

but my folks allowed my big sister Allison and I to stay 

up late Halloween and watch the Philip Kaufman 

remake of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS 

(1978) on rental. The whole movie & just concept in 

general had us terrified to the point where we felt the 

need to hold each other, but it was the very end that 

had us screaming in terror out loud. (Just like 

Veronica Cartwright's character!).. The camera 

zoom into Sutherland's mouth that becomes the dark 

end title card. The sound of the plant breathing in the 

darkness. It chilled us to the bone.. Mom had to 

console us for an hour and let us sleep with the 

lamps on!

11) INGRID PITT 

   OR BARBARA STEELE?
Barbara Steele forever.

12) 

FAVORITE HOLIDAY MOVIE 

(DOESN'T HAVE TO BE 

CHRISTMAS ORIENTED)

GREMLINS (1984)

13) 

WORST HOLIDAY MOVIE 

(DOESN'T HAVE TO BE 

CHRISTMAS ORIENTED)
LOVE ACTUALLY (2003). 
Contrary to what you've heard, it's trite garbage. 

An empty Hallmark card

14) YOUR ALL-TIME 

   FAVORITE HAMMY ACTOR
Peter Lorre. haha.

15) 

FAVORITE FEDERICO FELLINI
LA STRADA (1954)

16) 

YOUR FAVORITE FILM CRITIC
Favourite of all time would be Kent Jones..

Fav current writer is Ed Gonzalez 

at Slant Magazine.

17) 

JASON LEE OR 

         JASON MEWES?
I feel like I personally know Jason Lee.. Like an 

old schoolhouse chum or something.

18) BEST USE OF NATURAL 

LOCATION SETTING IN A MOVIE
The Vasquez Rocks in BILL & TED'S 

BOGUS JOURNEY (1991). which in itself was 

a direct hat tip to the Gorn episode of Star Trek.

19) WORST SQUANDERING 

OF A NATURAL LOCATION SETTING 

IN A MOVIE
Malibu Creek State Park in BATTLE FOR 

THE PLANET OF THE APES (1973).

20) 

FAVORITE SONG FROM A MOVIE
I'm going to assume this means a song written 

specifically for a movie? I love Elliot Smith's 

"Miss Misery" from GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997). 

He should have won the Oscar that year.

My favourite song from a musical is "Skid Row" from 

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1986).

21) MADELINE KAHN 

           OR TERI GARR?
I find Teri more attractive but Madeline was the funniest.

22) 

FAVORITE CORMAN MOVIE

Of the few I've seen; 

ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE 

23) 

BIGGEST MOVIE-STAR CRUSH
Angela Bassett.. 
The most beautiful human to ever walk 

the Earth i.m.o.

24) DIRECTOR YOU'VE ALWAYS FELT 

DESERVED MORE ATTENTION THAN 

HE/SHE EVER GOT OR HAS GOTTEN 

UP TO THIS POINT, AND A HIGHLIGHT 

FOR YOU FROM HIS/HER CAREER
David Gordon Green!

I really feel his debut GEORGE WASHINGTON 

(2000) is one of the great American films.

25) MICHELLE YEOH 

          OR ZIYI ZHANG?
Ziyi Zhang is precious, but Michelle Yeoh 

is just one of the greatest living actresses.

26) IF THE MOVIES' WERE TO GIVE 

YOU A CHRISTMAS GIFT, OR A GIFT 

FOR 2006, WHAT WOULD IT BE? 

(I MEAN "THE MOVIES" IN THE MOST 

GENERAL SENSE--- THE FILM INDUSTRY, 

THE ACTORS, A DIRECTOR MAKING 

A CERTAIN FILM, WHATEVER)
With Chris Nolan's BATMAN BEGINS being a hit 

& Bryan Singer's upcoming Superman movie to do 

likewise, I hope Warner brothers finally makes a 

Green Lantern movie. And cast Will Smith as 

John Stewart!

Quiz courtesy of SLIFR University