Matinee -- I prefer the matinee because of the cheaper price, but I don't get to too many of them. Most of my movies are seen late at night.



Empty Theater



Candy



Row Seating: Nearer the Back



Within the Row: On a Side



Romance -- although it certainly depends on any two given movies in each category. I'd take "Jefferson in Paris" over "Autumn in New York" any day. But my tastes for the genres themselves, has romance edging out biopics.



Suspense



Horror -- once again, this depends on specific options. I'd take "Star Wars" over "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," but in general, I'm not a big sci-fi movie guy.



Alfred Hitchcock -- that was a toughie



Quentin Tarantino -- although I like Lee's movies more than the average moviegoer.



Star Wars



Jimmy Stewart



Bob Hope



Ingrid Bergman -- another incredibly difficult choice.



Humphrey Bogart -- an easy one.



Abbott and Costello



The Marx Brothers



Charlie Chaplin -- not very hip of me, I know. But I honestly prefer Chaplin as a filmmaker.



Video/DVD: Widescreen



Movie Reviews



Comedies: Laugh Out Loud



Crying at Sad Movies: Okay



Clapping at the End of a Movie: Really, Really Stupid -- who are you clapping for?



Ben Affleck -- based on potential talent and natural ability, I take Affleck. Damon has certainly had the better insticts about projects though. Or a better agent. On the strength of their respective bodies of work, Damon has clearly done better. But I think Affleck's the better actor, and by that, I mean I am less conscious of the fact that he is acting when I'm watching him. Damon is a good actor, but I always know he's acting.



Tom Cruise -- although I like Hanks a lot.



Ben Stiller -- I've soured on Meyers big time.



Owen Wilson -- Not only do I think he's funnier, his writing credits give him the edge.



Stephen Spielberg -- no comparison, really. not yet, anyway.



Wes Anderson -- Solondz is a shock artist.



Scarier: Jason



Funnier: Jim Carrey -- a really tough one, but I think Carrey's off-screen presence gives him the edge. Ferrell is very funny in character, but he doesn't strike me as all that funny in "real life."



Armageddon -- the other one took itself too seriously. Of course, so did "Armageddon," but at least it knew it was an action pic and people went to it to see things blow up.



Rated G -- I'd even like to see more movies for adults rated G (a la "The Winslow Boy"). And I'd certainly like to see more for kids. My daughter can't see any of the cartoons coming out these days because the filmmakers feel like they have to throw in subtle gay jokes or unsubtle poo jokes.

Matinee (generally more convenient, but not really a matter of importance to me)



Full Theater or Empty Theater: Depends on the film (with a good geeky audience for a good geeky film, definitely a full theater)



Candy



Row Seating: Nearer the Front (but pretty much smack dab in the middle)



Within the Row: Near the Middle



Historical Biopic



Suspense



Science Fiction



Orson Welles



Quentin Tarantino



Star Wars



Jimmy Stewart



Bing Crosby



Ingrid Bergman (totally)



Humphrey Bogart



Abbott and Costello



The Marx Brothers



Buster Keaton



Video/DVD: Widescreen



Movie Reviews



Comedies: Just Smile



Crying at Sad Movies: Okay



Clapping at the End of a Movie: Okay



Matt Damon



Tom Hanks



Ben Stiller or Mike Meyers (sorry, neither. Never, never, never, never)



Luke Wilson



Stephen Spielberg



Todd Solondz or Wes Anderson (I do not know Solondz)



Scarier: Freddy Krueger



Funnier: Jim Carrey



Armageddon



Rated PG

Matinee or Late-Night Showing: Matinee=cheaper!

Full Theater or Empty Theater: Empty

Popcorn or Candy: Popcorn

Row Seating: Nearer the Front or Nearer the Back: Nearer the front

Within the Row: On a Side or Near the Middle: Near middle for viewing but often aisle is better b/c of potty breaks.

Romance or Historical Biopic: Biopic

Action or Suspense: Suspense

Science Fiction or Horror: Sci-Fi

Alfred Hitchcock or Orson Welles: Hitchcock

Quentin Tarantino or Spike Lee: Tarantino

Star Wars or Star Trek: Star Wars

Jimmy Cagney or Jimmy Stewart: Stewart

Bob Hope or Bing Crosby: Hope

Ingrid Bergman or Lauren Bacall: n/a

Humphrey Bogart or Clark Gable: Clark Gable

Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy: A&C

The Three Stooges or The Marx Brothers: Stooges

Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton: Chaplin

Video/DVD: Widescreen or Full Screen: WIDESCREEN!! You will not see the whole movie in full screen!

Movie Reviews or Word of Mouth: Reviews mostly

Comedies: Laugh Out Loud or Just Smile: LOL

Crying at Sad Movies: Okay or Not Okay: in public, not OK. At home, sniffles are fine

Clapping at the End of a Movie: Okay or Really, Really Stupid: Stupid

Matt Damon or Ben Affleck: Damon

Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks: Hanks

Ben Stiller or Mike Meyers: Stiller

Owen Wilson or Luke Wilson: Luke

Stephen Spielberg or M. Night Shyamalan: M. Night

Todd Solondz or Wes Anderson: Anderson

Scarier: Freddy Krueger or Jason: Jason

Funnier: Jim Carrey or Will Ferrell: Jim Carrey

Deep Impact or Armageddon: Deep Impact

Rated G or Rated PG: PG

Owen Wilson may be a great writer but I have two words for you: The Haunting



;-)

But he was the best thing in that movie! Ditto "Anaconda."



Two words for you Luke Wilson preferrers: "Home Fries."

Matinee or Late-Night Showing



Matinee only because it is cheaper



Full Theater or Empty Theater



Empty



Popcorn or Candy



Popcorn plan, no salt no butter



Row Seating: Nearer the Front or Nearer the Back



Nearer the back but not too much nearer



Within the Row: On a Side or Near the Middle



On the side but prefer a theater with a middle isle so that I can sit on the side and in the middle.



Romance or Historical Biopic



Historical Biopic



Action or Suspense



Suspense



Science Fiction or Horror



Sci-fiction



Alfred Hitchcock or Orson Welles



Hitchcock



Quentin Tarantino or Spike Lee



Tarantino



Star Wars or Star Trek



Star Wars but man that is tough



Jimmy Cagney or Jimmy Stewart



Jimmy Stewart no contest



Bob Hope or Bing Crosby



Bob Hope



Ingrid Bergman or Lauren Bacall



Now that is tough but I will go with Lauren Becall



Humphrey Bogart or Clark Gable



Bogart is the Man



Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy



Abbott and Costello



The Three Stooges or The Marx Brothers



Marx Brothers



Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton



Charlie Chaplin



Video/DVD: Widescreen or Full Screen



Widescreen



Movie Reviews or Word of Mouth



Both but since I have to choose Word of Mouth



Comedies: Laugh Out Loud or Just Smile



Laugh out loud



Crying at Sad Movies: Okay or Not Okay



Okay as long as nobody can see you



Clapping at the End of a Movie: Okay or Really, Really Stupid



Okay if that is your thing



Matt Damon or Ben Affleck



Matt Damon



Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks



Tom Hanks



Ben Stiller or Mike Meyers



Mike Meyers



Owen Wilson or Luke Wilson



Owen Wilson



Stephen Spielberg or M. Night Shyamalan



Spielberg easily



Todd Solondz or Wes Anderson



Solondz



Scarier: Freddy Krueger or Jason



Jason



Funnier: Jim Carrey or Will Ferrell



Jim Carrey



Deep Impact or Armageddon



Armageddon



Rated G or Rated PG



PG

Late-Night Showing

Full Theater

Candy

Row Seating: Nearer the Front

Near the Middle

Romance

Suspense

Science Fiction

Alfred Hitchcock -- just because Hitchcock produced so much, I'd never get bored.

Quentin Tarantino -- but I don't think I've watched a Spike Lee film, I'll have to remedy that I guess.

Star Trek

Jimmy Stewart -- he's such a nice guy.

Bob Hope

Ingrid Bergman if we're talking about film. If we're talking about taking her home, it's a tricky one.

Humphrey Bogart because apparrently Gable had halitosis

Laurel and Hardy

The Marx Brothers

Buster Keaton

Video/DVD: Widescreen

Word of Mouth

Comedies: Laugh Out Loud

Crying at Sad Movies: Okay

Clapping at the End of a Movie: Okay, but reserve it for the true greats

Matt Damon

Tom Hanks

Mike Meyers

Owen Wilson or Luke Wilson -- don't know either of them.

Stephen Spielberg

Wes Anderson

Scarier: Freddy Krueger

Funnier: Will Ferrell

Armageddon but man, they're both terrible.

Rated PG I guess, but I don't know what 'G' is.

don't get me wrong, I really like Owen Wilson and it was hard to choose between them. I just know that the first time I ever saw Owen was in The Haunting and, man, did that movie stink. It seems he takes roles like that so he can pay the bills and do more movies like The Royal Tenenbaums.

Well, you're right in one sense. In an interview I read with him, he said he fancies himself more a writer than an actor, but that his acting is more valuable financially than his writing. So he does do movies like that to "pay the bills."

But he also does some parts because he enjoys the people he's working with. Like the stuff he's done with Ben Stiller, for instance. And his roles in indie movies like "The Minus Man," where he played a serial killer. Spooky role and completely out of type for him, but he did a great job.



You know he co-wrote all those films with Wes Anderson, right? Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and Tenenbaums. He and Anderson met at U.T. (Texas) and became friends and writing partners. They write the movies, Anderson directs. And Owen acts in them, too, as do a small circle of friends they've had since the beginning. Luke and Andrew, Owen's brothers. The Indian dude who played Kumar in BR, Greenjeans in Rushmore, and Pagoda in Tenenbaums is a guy who worked at an Indian restaurant in Austin they used to hang out in. The guy who played the bookstore clerk in BR and the fake doctor in Tenenbaums is that Indian dude's son, another guy they've known forever.



I like that little family feel to the movies they make. It's a great, friendly spirit they share.



That has nothing to do with what we were discussing, but I just love talking about the Wilson/Anderson movies. I wish I knew those guys in real life.

Matinee (cheaper and I'm so not a late night person)

Full Theater

Popcorn or Candy (both!)

Row Seating: Nearer the Front or Nearer the Back (row 11 - it's the best spot in the theater)

Within the Row: Near the Middle

Romance

Suspense

Science Fiction

Alfred Hitchcock

Quentin Tarantino

Star Trek

Jimmy Cagney or Jimmy Stewart (evil question - both!)

Bob Hope

Lauren Bacall

Clark Gable

Abbott and Costello

The Marx Brothers

Charlie Chaplin

Video/DVD: Widescreen

Movie Reviews or Word of Mouth (depends on the movie and who's talking about it. Mostly WOM)

Comedies: Laugh Out Loud

Crying at Sad Movies: Okay

Clapping at the End of a Movie: Really, Really Stupid

Matt Damon (I like Ben, but Matt's making better career choices)

Tom Hanks

Ben Stiller

Owen Wilson

Stephen Spielberg

Wes Anderson

Scarier: Jason

Funnier: Will Ferrell

Deep Impact

Rated PG

Late-Night Showing

Empty Theater

Popcorn

Row Seating: Nearer the Back

Within the Row: Near the Middle

Historical Biopic

Action

Science Fiction

Alfred Hitchcock

Quentin Tarantino

You know, I've never seen either.

Jimmy Stewart

Bing Crosby

Ingrid Bergman

Humphrey Bogart

Abbott and Costello

The Marx Brothers

Charlie Chaplin

Video/DVD: Widescreen

Word of Mouth

Comedies: Laugh Out Loud

Crying at Sad Movies: Okay (although I don't do it myself)

Clapping at the End of a Movie: Really, Really Stupid

Matt Damon

Tom Hanks (this was HARD though)

Mike Meyers

Owen Wilson

Stephen Spielberg

I don't know.

Ditto.

Funnier: Jim Carrey

Never seen either. :-

Rated PG

I put my answers up at http://www.whatintarnation.net/blog/archives/001842.htm

Matinee or Late-Night Showing: Late night. I'm the quintessential night owl.



Full Theater or Empty Theater: Full. I think it makes the entire experience more worthwhile.



Popcorn or Candy: Popcorn. With lots of salt. I have my own personal shaker of Morton's popcorn salt that I take with me to the movies. Honestly.



Row Seating: Nearer the Front or Nearer the Back: Nearer the back, especially with stadium seating.



Within the Row: On a Side or Near the Middle: On a side, but only because once I decide what row to sit in, I just plop my keister down. I don't think that a certain location within the row adds much to my cinematic experience.



Romance or Historical Biopic: Historical Biopic. Romances give me prickly heat. :-)



Action or Suspense: Hmm. This is a toughie. Probably action, if I had the proverbial gun pointed at my head.



Science Fiction or Horror: Horror. I especially like the old Hammer films of the 60s and the old horror movies from the 30s and 40s.



Alfred Hitchcock or Orson Welles: Alfred Hitchcock



Quentin Tarantino or Spike Lee: This is a bit difficult, also. I find Spike Lee, as a person, a bit unpleasant, but as a filmmaker I have to say that he is very good. Tarantino, every time I've seen him onscreen, in character or out, he has always had this sly grin on his face like he's pulling something over on the film world, and they're eating it up. Like, "Ya know, I could take some Kangaroos, paint them purple, fit them into some leotards, throw in some blood, and you people would *still* still see it. Know why? BECAUSE I'M QUENTIN TARANTINO! BWAHAHAHA!" Or something like that.



Star Wars or Star Trek: Star Wars. I don't really dislike Star Trek, I just never really got into it.



Jimmy Cagney or Jimmy Stewart: Jimmy Stewart. He always struck me as having this "everyman" persona about him that I really liked.



Bob Hope or Bing Crosby: Bob Hope. I like that he was always so heavily involved in troop morale - much more visibly so than most actors.



Ingrid Bergman or Lauren Bacall: Hmm. Lauren Bacall.



Humphrey Bogart or Clark Gable: Bogart. I don't have much of a preference, but again, the proverbial gun makes me say Bogie.



Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy: Abbott and Costello.



The Three Stooges or The Marx Brothers: The Three Stooges, but only because I haven't seen a lot of the Marx Brothers to make an informed comparison.



Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton: Chaplin, for the same reason cited immediately above.



Video/DVD: Widescreen or Full Screen: Widescreen. There's something about the widescreen experienc that I find much more appealing.



Movie Reviews or Word of Mouth: Word of mouth. I rarely take any professional movie reviews seriously. In fact, a negative word about a movie from any our local reviewers makes me almost like it before I even see it - they're wrong *that* often. :-)



Comedies: Laugh Out Loud or Just Smile: Most of the time I'll just smile.



Crying at Sad Movies: Okay or Not Okay: It's okay. I'm actually quite softhearted and get choked up or wet-eyed, but not quite to the point of actual crying, at quite a few films.



Clapping at the End of a Movie: Okay or Really, Really Stupid: Okay if you want to do it. I don't do it myself, but at the same time I have no problem with anyone else doing it.



Matt Damon or Ben Affleck: Ben Affleck. Matt Damon, physically speaking, has always reminded me of Leonardo DiCaprio, and I've always subconsciously held that against him. I don't mean that as much of a joke. I just don't really like Leo, and the subtle comparison in my mind has made me not really care for him by default. I shouldn't be that way, but I am.



Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks: Tom Hanks. This wasn't much of a choice to me. I like Tom Cruise and all, but this comparison, to me, has the answer Jared gave about Damon and Affleck.



Ben Stiller or Mike Meyers: Ben Stiller. I just don't find Mike Myers terribly amusing.



Owen Wilson or Luke Wilson: Neither. Haven't seen anything that either of them have been in. By the way, aren't they brothers?



Stephen Spielberg or M. Night Shyamalan: I'd have to go with Spielberg.



Todd Solondz or Wes Anderson: I've never heard of either one of these guys.



Scarier: Freddy Krueger or Jason: Jason. Freddy Krueger never struck me as all that frightening.



Funnier: Jim Carrey or Will Ferrell: Will Ferrell. I don't care for Jim Carrey at _all_.



Deep Impact or Armageddon: Never saw either movie.



Rated G or Rated PG: PG, because there's a wider variety of movies to choose from.



I have to say that this was much more difficult than I expected it to be, Jared.

Matinee (it's cheaper)

Full

Popcorn

Nearer the front, but not the actual front

Middle!

Romance

Action or suspense...hard one. Prolly action. Maybe.

Science Fiction

Hitchcock

Tarantino or Lee..unable to make an educated answer, but Spike is a cooler first name

Trek, but I don't actually LIKE either

Cagney!!!! Yankee Doodle Dandy is way cool!

Bing because of White Christmas, but I like Bob too.

Ingrid or Lauren...hmm.

Humphrey Bogart. (cool name wins again!)

Abbott and Costello

The Three Stooges (nyuk, nyuk, nyuk)

Chaplin or Keaton...?

Widescreen!

Word of mouth.

Comedies: Laugh out loud (which is a good case for watching them late at night...everything's funnier then)

Other ppl can cry, but I refrain. Unless I'm at home. Then- let the tears flow!

Yes, CLAP!

Matt Damon

Ben Stiller! Starsky! And the rabbi in Leap of Faith!

Owen! Hutch!

M. Night Shyamalan

Solondz or Anderson....?

Uhh...Freddy? Jason? Me don't know.

Will Ferrell is funnier, but barely. Dragons!

AAAHHHH!

Well, all the really good movies are PG-13, but if it comes down to these two, I guess G.

As I mentioned on the Thinklings, our simultaneous either/or today was coincidental!



1. matinee

2. empty

3. popcorn (extra butter)

4. back (but not too far)

5. middle

6. historical

7. suspense

8. Hitchcock

9. Tarantino (not really but haven't seen Lee's work)

10. Star Trek

11. Jimmy Stewart (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is an all-time favorite)

12. Bob Hope

13. Lauren Bacall (very close)

14. Humphrey Bogart (can't separate Bogey & Bacall)

15. Abbott & Costello

16. The Three Stooges

17. Buster Keaton

18. widescreen

19. reviews

20. laugh out loud

21. crying okay (it has to be if I'm doing it!)

22. clapping not (cheesy)

23. Matt Damon

24. Tom Hanks

25. Mike Meyers (if I have to like one)

26. Owen Wilson

27. Spielberg

28. who?

29. who??

30. Jim Carrey

31. Deep Impact (definitely)

32. G (if I can get it)

okay, I skipped one again: sci-fi (over horror)

just worked out who the wilsons are -- definitely Luke.

Late-Night Showing - it must be dark outside when I exit a movie theater



Full Theater for comedies and Empty Theater for everything else



POPCORN!



Row Seating: Nearer the Front



Within the Row: Near the Middle



Romance when renting, but Historical Biopic when going out to the cinema



Action



Science Fiction



Alfred Hitchcock - I am on a huge Hitchcock kick right now



Quentin Tarantino - he's a bit more quirky



Star Wars - all of the episodes



Jimmy Stewart - He was awesome in Rear Window



Bob Hope - although White Christmas with both of them is an all-time fave



Lauren Bacall



Humphrey Bogart - I hear Clark had bad breath



Abbott and Costello



The Three Stooges - But I really need to see some Marx brothers



Buster Keaton - I've seen neither, but I hear Keaton did more for film



Video/DVD: Widescreen - the one area where I can be a snob



Movie Reviews - I work in student ministry - students don't know anything about film (for the most part) and taking their word of mouth is stupidity. Rottentomatoes.com is one of my favorite sites. It's latest success story for me is Collateral, a movie I wouldn't have seen had it not received such great reviews. Go see it.



Comedies: Mostly Just Smile - If a movie gets me to laugh out loud, it has done its job



Crying at Sad Movies: Totally Okay



Clapping at the End of a Movie: Really, Really REALLY Stupid



Matt Damon - Chooses better roles than Ben



Tom Hanks - but Collateral was awesome



Mike Meyers



Owen Wilson



Stephen Spielberg - no contest (IMHO)



Wes Anderson - "That car has a dent in it" (haven't seen a Solondz pic)



Scarier: seen neither



Funnier: Will Ferrell



Armageddon - but I hated both



Rated PG - I guess

Bob Hope wasn't in "White Christmas." That was Danny Kaye.

Hope and Crosby did do a bunch of "Road" movies together. I remember watching those with my mom when I was a kid. "Road to Morocco" was one of my faves.

You're right.



I'm stupid. Just a stupid pansy chick metro.

Matinee (I'm a cheapskate)

Empty theater (I'm selfish)

Candy (I like sugar)

Nearer the Front (I like it big)

Near the Middle (I like it centered)

Historical Biopic (I'm not a chick)

Action (I get enough suspense in my diet)

Science Fiction (The Greatest Of All Genres)

Alfred Hitchcock

Quentin Tarantino (He was on "Alias")

Star Trek (officially as of "Attack of the Clones")

Jimmy Stewart (one of the greatest of all time)

Bob or Bing -- never seen either. Bob.

Ingrid Bergman (her name is more fun to say)

Humphrey Bogart (he's an everyman)

Abbott and Costello

The Three Stooges (I mean, c'mon)

Charlie Chaplin

Widescreen (I mean, c'mon!)

Movie reviews (They're more consistent, even if they're really wrong when they're wrong)

Laugh Out Loud (Comedies should be funny, not just amusing)

Crying is OK. (I cry at the end of "Wrath of Khan")

Clapping is OK (if it's really, really worth it -- LOTR. Clapping for average-fare movies is stupid.)

Matt Damon (the one who can act)

Tom Hanks (though not as much recently)

Mike Meyers ("Mae! Shut it!")

Who?

Stephen Spielberg (though not as much recently)

Who?

Freddy (Just based on looks -- I've never seen a single film from either series)

Jim Carrey (though Will is getting there)

Deepageddon (never seen either)

Rated PG (G movies can be great, but there hasn't been a great one I can recall in the last decade or so)

Clapping at the End of a Movie: Really, Really Stupid -- who are you clapping for?



THE MOVIE!



Are claps only good if the person who you're clapping for can hear it?



I may post on this . . .

Matinee or Late-Night Showing: It matters not.



Full Theater or Empty Theater: Full



Popcorn or Candy: Popcorn



Row Seating: Nearer the Front or Nearer the Back: In the middle - if I have to choose, back



Within the Row: On a Side or Near the Middle: Middle



Romance or Historical Biopic: Histerical Bionic



Action or Suspense: Suspense



Science Fiction or Horror: Science Fiction



Alfred Hitchcock or Orson Welles: Hitchcock



Quentin Tarantino or Spike Lee: Tarantino. Although I've never actually seen a Tarantino or Lee movie. I did see Tarantino when he did his cameo roll on an episode of Alias. I'm a philistine.



Star Wars or Star Trek: Trek



Jimmy Cagney or Jimmy Stewart: JIMMY STEWART!!!



Bob Hope or Bing Crosby: Bob Hope



Ingrid Bergman or Lauren Bacall: Bacall



Humphrey Bogart or Clark Gable: Bogart



Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy: Laurel and Hardy



The Three Stooges or The Marx Brothers: The Stooges



Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton: Chaplin



Video/DVD: Widescreen or Full Screen: Widescreen



Movie Reviews or Word of Mouth: Neither. I hate hearing about what other people thought of a movie before I see it, other than the simple "It's good" or "It's not good". But I don't want details, or to be told what to think about it (I DO enjoy reading reviews AFTER I see the movie. My favorite movie reviewer is Jared Wilson).



Comedies: Laugh Out Loud or Just Smile: LOL!



Crying at Sad Movies: Okay or Not Okay: OK



Clapping at the End of a Movie: Okay or Really, Really Stupid: Amazingly OK. It is a way for the collective audience to express to eachother their mutual appreciation of a movie. Only reserved for the very best, like the LOTR movies or The Village ;-)



Matt Damon or Ben Affleck: Damon



Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks: Hanks, most definitely.



Ben Stiller or Mike Meyers: Stiller



Owen Wilson or Luke Wilson: Luke



Stephen Spielberg or M. Night Shyamalan: Speilberg (Shyamalan is one of my favorites, but doesn't have enough under his belt to even be compared to Speilberg)



Todd Solondz or Wes Anderson: Wes Solondz



Scarier: Freddy Krueger or Jason: They both reek



Funnier: Jim Carrey or Will Ferrell: Ferrell



Deep Impact or Armageddon: Only saw Armageddon. So - Armageddon



Rated G or Rated PG. PG

Matinee

Full Theater

Popcorn

Row Seating: Nearer the Front

Within the Row: Near the Middle

Historical Biopic

Suspense

Science Fiction

Alfred Hitchcock

Quentin Tarantino

Star Wars

Jimmy Stewart

Bing Crosby

Ingrid Bergman (oh goodness, yes, with plenty of screen time; and if you ask me why I sighed during the movie, I'll smack you.)

Clark Gable

Abbott and Costello

The Marx Brothers

Charlie Chaplin

Video/DVD: Widescreen

Movie Reviews

Comedies: Laugh Out Loud

Crying at Sad Movies: Okay

Clapping at the End of a Movie: Okay

Matt Damon

Tom Hanks

Ben Stiller

Owen Wilson

Stephen Spielberg

Todd Solondz

Scarier: Freddy Krueger

Funnier: Jim Carrey

Armageddon

Rated PG

Matinee - cheaper and less crowded

Empty Theater - choice of seating

Popcorn

Row - nearer the back

Within row - center

Historical Biopic - needs a big screen

Action - needs big screen, can watch Romance at home

Sci/Fi

Hitchcock

Lee - that's a tough one, but Tarantino loses because of violence and bad language

Star Wars - another toughie

Jimmy Stewart

Bob Hope

Ingrid Bergman, no contest

Bogart

Laurel and Hardy - no contest

Marx Brothers - NO CONTEST

Buster Keaton - what a guy!

Widescreen - I want the WHOLE movie

Word of Mouth

Laugh out loud

Okay to cry

Clap if it deserves it!

Affleck - by a nose

Tom Hanks

Ben Stiller

Luke Wilson

M. Night Shyamalan - tough call

Wes Anderson

Freddy K

Will Ferrell

Deep Impact

Rated G

Matinee



Full theatre



Popcorn



Nearer the back



On a side



Historical biopic



Suspense



Science fiction



Alfred Hitchcock



Quentin Tarantino, although I'm not really keen on either



Star Wars, although again I'm not really keen on either



Jimmy Stewart -- one of my all-time favourite actors



Bob Hope



Ingrid Bergman



Humphrey Bogart



LAUREL & HARDY -- THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO CONTEST. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the greatest comedians of all time. Abbott & Costello are fantastic in their own right but pale into insignificance when compared to this much more influential, consistently funny and groundbreaking pair. A more worthy comparison would be between Laurel & Hardy and the Marx Brothers, and even then my choice would have to be Laurel & Hardy. Laurel & Hardy do what the Marxes do -- the irony, the anarchy, the irreverence, the social commentary, the iconoclasm, the cinematic innovation, the absurdity, the non-sequiturs, the commentary on humour itself, the playing with the cinematic medium, the satire, the parody, the pricking of pomposity, the postmodernism, the deconstructionism, etc. -- but take it to an additional level with entirely new comic possibilities, by investing the characters with emotional depth, grace and charm, and employing naturalistic styles and observational humour, among other things. Every time I laugh at Laurel & Hardy (which is louder, longer and more often than at anything else), I'm laughing at a different form of humour or comedic style, and yet Laurel & Hardy still manage to retain and incorporate this within their singular comic form and essence. I'm also not so much watching a Laurel & Hardy film as spending time in their company. The vast majority of laughs that I derive from the Marx Brothers -- fantastic, hilarious and inspirational though the team is -- could be said to have been generated from the same core: irreverent horseplay. Laurel & Hardy do this too but have the additional emotional layer, with overtones and undertones of solemnity, that gives their irreverent nonsense humour a darker shadow, a tragicomic edge, a counterpoint to steely comic detachment, intellectualism and ethereal whimsy. The Marx Brothers have this solid link with reality too, but it's not as concentrated or affecting as Laurel & Hardy's. Has none of you witnessed the fantastic subtlety and warmth of this timeless duo?



THE MARX BROTHERS -- again, occasionally brilliant as the Stooges were, there's no contest



BUSTER KEATON -- the funniest and most inventive silent clown; Chaplin's better at making me cry than laugh, while Keaton can consistently do both; Chaplin's a great storyteller and actor, who's really good at comedy drama, nevertheless



Video/DVD: Widescreen



Movie reviews



Laugh Out Loud, definitely



Crying at sad movies: OK, but it's more satisfying if you haven't been overtly manipulated into crying by large amounts of sentiment, but rather by natural truth and honesty



Clapping at the end of a movie: OK, as long as it's deserved, of course



Matt Damon



Tom Hanks



Mike Myers, although Stiller's really good



Owen Wilson -- he has a more eccentric charm



Spielberg overall, although I've really enjoyed much of Shyamalan's work



Wes Anderson, definitely



Scarier: probably Jason



Funnier: Jim Carrey is unique and disarmingly multi-faceted; Will Ferrell is very funny, but so far he seems average in comparison



Deep Impact, although I wasn't that fond of either



I like more films that are rated PG, but I never really think of it as being a mark of quality; it seems, though, that many others do