PROF. KINGSFIELD’S HOLIDAY MOVIE QUIZ

aka PROFESSOR KINGSFIELD’S HAIR-RAISING, BAR-RAISING HOLIDAY MOVIE QUIZ


originally posted
DECEMBER 24, 2008
(old stuff from the now gone "Refined Picture Show" blogspot)


Another great quiz by Dennis Cozzalio.












1) WHAT WAS THE LAST MOVIE 

YOU SAW THEATRICALLY? ON 

DVD OR BLU-RAY?
Theatrically: 

CURIOUS CASE 

    OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Bluray: 

ADVENTURES 

     OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN

2) HOLIDAY MOVIES— 

DO YOU LIKE THEM NAUGHTY 

OR NICE?
Naughty!

It must be the Loki mischief 

demon within me.

3) IDA LUPINO OR

MERCEDES MCCAMBRIDGE?
Ida Lupino.

Especially as a director. She was one 

of the greatest of all time.

4) FAVORITE ACTOR /

CHARACTER FROM 

TWIN PEAKS
The Log Lady.

5) IT'S BEEN SAID THAT, RATHER 

THAN REMAKING BELOVED, 

RESPECTED FILMS, HOLLYWOOD 

SHOULD CONCENTRATE MORE 

ON RIGHTING THE WRONGS OF 

THE PAST AND TINKER MORE WITH 

FILMS THAT DIDN'T WORK SO WELL 

THE FIRST TIME. PRETENDING 

FOR A MOMENT THAT MOVIES 

ARE MADE IN AN ECONOMIC VACUUM, 

NAME A GOOD CANDIDATE 

FOR A REMAKE ON 

THIS CRITERION
The story from this old made-for-TV movie called 

GARGOYLES (1972) could make a cool movie now. 

With modern special effects and some tweaks to the 

story. Same thing goes for Frankenheimer's 

PROPHECY (1979).

6) 

FAVORITE SPIKE LEE JOINT
DO THE RIGHT THING ('89)

7) LAWRENCE TIERNEY 

      OR SCOTT BRADY?
Boss Tierney any day!!

8) 

ARE MOST MOVIES 

        TOO LONG?
If the movie is bad, I always feel like 

it's too long.

9) FAVORITE PERFORMANCE 

BY AN ACTOR PORTRAYING 

A REAL-LIFE POLITICIAN
Philip Baker Hall as Nixon 

in SECRET HONOR ('84)

10) CREATE THE MAIN EVENT 

CARD FOR THE ULTIMATE 

GIANT MOVIE MONSTER 

SMACKDOWN
The CLOVERFIELD monster 

VS Mechagodzilla

11) JEAN PETERS 

    OR SHEREE NORTH?
I prefer Sheree.

12) WHY WOULD YOU EVER WANT 

OR NEED TO SEE A MOVIE MORE 

THAN ONCE?
With a beloved film, it's just fun to revisit and 

experience it again. I like to pay attention 

to little details I missed during prior 

viewings.

Many films that aren't even that great are 

even worth repeat viewings sometimes. 

There might be a surface detail or odd quality 

about it that's just entertaining or worth 

appreciating. Like a favorite actress or 

some technical work. (Design, music, 

effects work, etc) 

13) 

FAVORITE ROAD MOVIE
TWO-LANE BLACKTOP (1971)

14) 

FAVORITE BUDD BOETTICHER
THE TALL T (1957)

15) WHO IS THE ONE PERSON, LIVING 

OR DEAD, FAMOUS OR UNKNOWN, 

WHO INFORMED OR ENCOURAGED 

YOUR APPRECIATION OF MOVIES?
Both of my parents first & foremost. They were 

always renting me whatever videos or film 

books I wanted at a young age. Also buying 

me props and camera things I needed to make 

my own movies. They understood I was 

obsessed and passionate. They both still 

talk movies with me regularly

Also in middle school Phaidon press put out 

this huge picture book about world film 

called The Movie Book. That thing blew my 

little mind when I found it!

I flipped through the pages completely glued 

to images of movies I had never seen or 

heard of. Right away I compiled a handwritten 

list of things I needed to find at the video store. 

I believe this was around 1998 or 1999. 

I didn't really know how to utilize the internet 

yet to buy these gems. I had to track down a 

lot of them manually. So the team that 

compiled & edited that book solidified my 

appreciation of movies even further

16) FAVORITE OPENING 

          CREDIT SEQUENCE
Saul Bass's credits for PSYCHO ('60)

and then THE GOOD THE BAD & THE UGLY (66) a close 2nd

17) KENNETH TOBEY 

         OR JOHN AGAR?
John Agar.

18) GODARD ONCE SUGGESTED 

THAT THE MORE POPULAR THE 

MOVIE, THE LESS LIKELY IT WAS 

THAT IT WAS A GOOD MOVIE. IS HE 

RIGHT OR JUST CRANKY? CITE 

THE BEST EVIDENCE ONE WAY 

OR THE OTHER
I think he is generally a proud & cranky elitist 

but that observation has definitely rung true 

before. Just a few years ago that DA VINCI 

CODE movie was the highest-grossing 

thing around and that's a terrible movie.

19) 

FAVORITE JONATHAN DEMME
STOP MAKING SENSE ('84)

20) TATUM O'NEAL 

      OR LINDA BLAIR?
Linda!

21) FAVORITE USE OF IRONY 

IN A MOVIE. (THIS COULD BE AN

 IDEA, MOMENT, SCENE, OR AN 

ENTIRE FILM)
Kubrick's use of music in most things but 

especially in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE 

(1971). Beethoven during the Nazi footage 

is especially on the nose.

and then the entirety of Verhoeven's 

STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997) is my 

favorite use in general.

22) 

FAVORITE CHABROL FILM
LA CEREMONIE (1995)

23) 

THE BEST MOVIE OF THE 

YEAR TO WHICH VERY LITTLE 

ATTENTION SEEMS TO HAVE 

BEEN PAID
Jeff Nichols' SHOTGUN STORIES.

24) DENNIS CHRISTOPHER 

     OR ROBBY BENSON?
Dennis.

25) FAVORITE MOVIE 

       ABOUT JOURNALISM
Ron Howard's THE PAPER (1994).

26) WHAT'S THE DVD 

COMMENTARY YOU'D 

MOST LIKE TO HEAR? 

WHO WOULD BE ON THE 

AUDIO TRACK?
Paul Thomas Anderson on his last 3 films.

27) FAVORITE MOVIE 

DIRECTED BY 

CLINT EASTWOOD
UNFORGIVEN (1992). 

I don't think he'll top it.

28) PAUL DOOLEY 

  OR KURTWOOD SMITH?
Clarence Boddicker!!

29) YOUR CLAIRVOYANT MOMENT: 

MAKE A PREDICTION ABOUT 

THE OSCAR SEASON
Pixar's WALL*E is a shoe-in for 

Animated Feature

30) 

YOUR HOPE FOR THE 

MOVIES IN 2009

I hope all the movies slated to come out in 

3D next year aren't a result of this 

post-conversion treatment. It looks like 

garbage. Like a pop up book-- flat 2D planes 

cut out into 3D space. If you're film is not 

shot for 3D (or animated) you shouldn't be 

allowed to release it that way

31) WHAT'S YOUR TOP 10 

OF 2008? (IF YOU HAVE A 

BLOG & HAVE YOUR LIST

 POSTED, PLEASE FEEL 

FREE TO LEAVE A LINK 

TO THE POST)
(See here also!)

*1) HUNGER 

dir. McQueen

2) LET THE RIGHT ONE IN 

dir. Alfredson

3) WENDY AND LUCY 

dir. Reichardt

4) THE UNFORESEEN 

dir. Laura Dunn

5) RACHEL GETTING MARRIED 

dir. Demme

6) HAPPY-GO-LUCKY 

dir. Mike Leigh

7) WALL*E 

dir. Andrew Stanton

8) WALTZ WITH BASHIR 

dir. Ari Folman

9) 

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE 

dir. Morris

10) CHE 

dir. Soderbergh

BONUS QUESTION (to be answered after Dec.25):

32) WHAT WAS YOUR 

FAVORITE MOVIE-RELATED 

CHRISTMAS GIFT THAT 

YOU RECEIVED THIS YEAR?
all year movie passport from 

Variety children's charity!