PROFESSOR WAGSTAFF’S QUIZ

aka PROFESSOR WAGSTAFF’S SUMMER OF 42 (42 QUESTIONS, THAT IS) MOVIE QUIZ


originally posted
JULY 18, 2005
(old stuff from the now gone "Refined Picture Show" blogspot)


Another great quiz by Dennis Cozzalio.









1) YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE 

GENRE, & A PRIME EXAMPLE 

OF IT

If forced to pick I choose Horror. 

           NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968).

2) YOUR LEAST FAVORITE 

MOVIE GENRE, & A PRIME 

EXAMPLE OF IT
Do 70s & 80s era Bollywood Musicals count as a genre? 

With few exceptions, I've hated about 70% of the ones 

I've seen. They're always on at the Indian restaurant I 

eat at with my friend Kerri. The songs are usually 

pretty darn good but the melodrama and action within

 their accompanying cinema strike me as laughably 

tacky. I'm sorry if that seems culturally insensitive 

or something, but the vast majority of the ones i've 

seen from that era are like soap operas broken up with 

nauseating music videos.. I also dislike BEACH 

\BLANKET BINGO-style teen party movies.

3) DONALD DUCK 

         OR DAFFY DUCK
Daffy! I love Daffy even more than Bugs.

4) 

FAVORITE HITCHCOCK MOVIE
PSYCHO (1960)

5) 

THE LONGEST YOU EVER 

WAITED IN LINE TO SEE A 

MOVIE (AND, OF COURSE, 

THE NAME OF THE MOVIE 

THAT INSPIRED SUCH 

PREPARATION & DEDICATION)
I waited in line with my Dad and two younger brothers 

for an hour & 1/2 to see STAR WARS: PHANTOM 

MENACE when it premiered in '99..

6) YOUR FAVORITE 

NATURE DOCUMENTARY
WINGED MIGRATION (2002)

7) STEVE MARTIN 

        OR JIM CARREY?
Steve is definitely more talented, but I grew up 

with Jim. Just a personal preference. It's really apples 

& oranges with those 2.

8) 

FAVORITE CONCERT MOVIE
STOP MAKING SENSE (1984). 

            Demme's Talking Heads film!

9) 

YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE 

ABOUT OR INCORPORATING 

RELIGION OR RELIGIOUS 

THEMES

The Dardenne brother's LE FILS aka THE SON (2002). 

Very moving allusions to Christ.

10) 

YOUR BEST STORY 

(LONG OR SHORT) ABOUT 

ATTENDING A DRIVE-IN MOVIE
I only have one memory of being at a Drive-in. In Fort 

Worth I believe. I was very little and it was to see one

 of the two Tim Burton BATMAN movies. What I 

remember most was the film was so dark we couldn't 

see certain shots every time a car pulled up with its 

headlights. But it's an overall good memory because 

my siblings and I loved the Batmobile and the 

Bat-boat parts.

11) 

FAVORITE BRIAN DE PALMA
UNTOUCHABLES (1987)

(I've since seen more of De Palma's filmography and would pick BLOW OUT now
- 4/17/2017)

12) 

NAME ONE MOVIE YOU 

INITIALLY LOVED, SAW AGAIN 

& ENDED UP THINKING 

SIGNIFICANTLY LESS OF
Guy Ritchie's 

LOCK STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS (1998)

13) 

NAME ONE MOVIE YOU 

INITIALLY HATED, SAW 

AGAIN, AND ENDED UP 

LIKING OR LOVING
I hated Paul Schrader's remake of CAT PEOPLE when 

I first saw it as a teenager. And I really don't know why. 

I guess I thought it was going to be a funny monster 

movie like AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON 

(1981) and was disappointed it wasn't. I've since seen 

it again and found it haunting and brilliant even.

14) VIVIEN LEIGH 

 OR OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND?
That's tough. But I choose Olivia.

15) 

FAVORITE MOVIE THEME SONG
Isaac Hayes' SHAFT (1971) theme 

is the only song you need in life.

16) THE FIRST MOVIE YOU 

REMEMBER SEEING IN 

A THEATER
I think I was taken to several movies as a toddler but 

I think the earliest I vividly remember seeing at a 

cineplex was either INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD 

or one of the HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS..

17) 

THE MOVIE YOU REMEMBER 

MOST FONDLY FROM CHILDHOOD
Jim Henson's LABYRINTH on VHS. Still captivating.

18) YOUR FAVORITE 

CLINT EASTWOOD MOVIE
UNFORGIVEN (1992). His Oscar winner.

19) 

BEST USE OF 3D IN A MOVIE
So far, I've only seen the John Wayne 

ALAMO (1960) on a 3D VHS. 

& it looked terrible..

20) 

LEAST DESERVING OSCAR 

WINNER FOR BEST PICTURE
Of what I've seen, A BEAUTIFUL MIND. 

Not one of Ron Howard's best movies. Even 

though it features great performances, it's 

narratively problematic & directed silly.

21) LEAST-DESERVING 

OSCAR WINNER FOR BEST 

ACTOR
Rex Harrison in MY FAIR LADY ('64).  

Barf!

22) 

LEAST-DESERVING OSCAR 

WINNER FOR BEST ACTRESS
Nicole Kidman in THE HOURS (2002). I love Nicole, but 

that's not one of her truly great performances. I feel 

like the nose prosthetic won the gold.

23) MICHAEL BAY --- 

    YES OR NO, AND WHY?
Nah. He should be someone's A.D. or a pyrotechnics 

man. Post-THE ROCK (1996), all his movies are 

like only choppy edits & surface gloss to me. 

Like feature length Nike or car commercials.

24) 

FAVORITE MOVIE ABOUT FOOD
TAMPOPO (1987).. 

I say Po Po to you, good sir.

25) 

FAVORITE DISASTER MOVIE
POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972) is the only 

one I've seen that I truly loved. Unless the original 

GODZILLA counts! Or is that just a monster movie?

26) STEVE MCQUEEN 
            OR LEE MARVIN?
that's tough.. They're both icons. But I guess 

I would have wanted to work with Lee Marvin 

a bit more.

27) BEST ADAPTATION OF A BOOK 

OR OTHER SOURCE MATERIAL INTO 

A MOVIE
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962) 

is almost perfect in my opinion.

28) WORST ADAPTATION OF

 A BOOK OR OTHER SOURCE 

MATERIAL INTO A MOVIE
LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN ('03). 

Makes me worry more directors are going to ruin Alan Moore.

29) TIPPI HEDREN 

           OR KIM NOVAK?
My goodness -- Kim.. Always Kim.

30) 

FAVORITE MARX BROTHER
Groucho. I know that's an unoriginal answer, 

but he's the funniest one goddammit.

31) 

THE MOST FRIGHTENING 

MOVIE YOU'VE SEEN THAT 

IS NOT STRICTLY A HORROR 

MOVIE
Cronenberg's DEAD RINGERS 

(1988) is deeply disturbing to me.

Also REQUIEM FOR A DREAM.

32) BORIS KARLOFF 

       OR BELA LUGOSI?
Lugosi.

33) FAVORITE MOVIE 

       ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL
I would say BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985), but school 

only plays a partial role in that -- so, I choose 

ELECTION (1999).

34) 

THE MOVIE YOU'D MOST 

LIKE TO BE SUBJECTED TO 

A DVD COMMENTARY, AND 

THE PERSON OR PERSONS (LIVING 

OR DEAD) WHO YOU'D LIKE TO HEAR 

TALKING ON IT

I wish Paul Thomas Anderson had done a commentary 

track for PUNCH DRUNK LOVE (2002) and 

MAGNOLIA (1999).

don't know why he stopped doing 'em after BOOGIE NIGHTS ('97).

35) 

FAVORITE ANIMATED MOVIE
The Beatles' YELLOW SUBMARINE (1968).

36) 

MOST OVERLY FAMILIAR 

DIALOGUE PHRASE USED 

IN SCREENWRITING, USUALLY TO 

CONNOTE COOLNESS OF A 

CHARACTER OR, MORE OFTEN, 

THE SCREENWRITER (EX. "DO 

THE MATH!")

Something like "We can either 

do this the easy way or the 

hard way.."

37) 

FAVORITE HOWARD HAWKS
HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940)

38) CARRIE FISHER 

    OR NATALIE PORTMAN?
Carrie. I don't even see how there's any competition.

39) 

FAVORITE KUNG FU MOVIE
IRON MONKEY (1993). 

            Woo-ping's craziest!

40) 

IN THE SPIRIT OF FREDDY VS. JASON, 

DEVISE A FANTASY SMACKDOWN 

MATCHUP BETWEEN TWO MOVIE 

CHARACTERS, FICTIONAL OR 

DRAWN FROM LIFE
I personally would like an R rated sequel to AVP (2004), 

but I think our last best hope might be 

         Robocop Vs Terminator.

   

or Chucky VS Critters perhaps.

41) 

YOUR ULTIMATE FANTASY 

DRIVE-IN DOUBLE FEATURE
Joe Dante's THE 'BURBS (1989) and 

RACE WITH THE DEVIL (1975).

42) FUNNIEST MOVIE EVER
MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975)

Quiz courtesy of SLIFR University