It’s only 15 years old, but I think it might be considered a classic already, so I’ll go with the Normandy Beach sequence from Saving Private Ryan. Give me the recreations of the same events in The Big Red One or The Longest Day instead.

       

“He was some kind of a man. What does it matter what you say about people?” – Tanya in Touch of Evil

       

       

I think when I learned that Raiders of the Lost Ark and ET were made by the same person.

       

Truffaut’s The Films in My Life was the first real film book I ever read, so it occupies a special place, and there are so many books I love by Sarris, Rosenbaum, Wood, Richie, Bordwell, Haskell, Naremore, and so on. But for favorite, I’ll have to go with James Harvey and Movie Love in the Fifties.

6)     Diana Sands or Vonetta McGee?

     

Vonetta McGee was in Shaft in Africa. Case closed.  

       

7)     Most egregious gap in your viewing of films made in the past 10 years

I’ve only seen one Steven Soderberg film since 2001’s Ocean’s Eleven remake (which was Che).

       

8)     Favorite line of dialogue from a comedy

“We need the eggs.” – Alvy in Annie Hall

       

9)     Second favorite Lloyd Bacon film

Footlight Parade

       

10)   Richard Burton or Roger Livesey?

Richard Burton never had the good fortune to star in a Powell & Pressburger film.

       

11)   Is there a movie you staunchly refuse to consider seeing? If so, why?

Not really. There’s plenty I’d refuse to watch, but I’d consider anything.

       

12)   Favorite filmmaker collaboration

Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger were perfect.

       

13)   Most recently viewed movie on DVD/Blu-ray/theatrical?

DVD: Linger (Johnnie To, 2008)
Blu-Ray: Mad Detective (Johnnie To & Wai Ka-fai, 2007)
Theatrical: Porco Rosso (Hayao Miyazaki, 1992)

       

14)   Favorite line of dialogue from a horror movie

“We all go a little mad sometimes.” – Norman in Psycho

        

15)   Second favorite Oliver Stone film

Platoon

       

16)   Eva Mendes or Raquel Welch?

Eva Mendes in Holy Motors is greater than anything Raquel Welch has ever done (at least as far as I know). And she was also in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.

       

17)   Favorite religious satire

Life of Brian is the obvious choice, but I’m going with Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa, about an obscure writer who becomes a cult phenomenon after he’s reported dead Upon returning and seeing how lame followers are, rejects them all to wander the earth with the cute hooker who loves him.

       

18)   Best Internet movie argument? (question contributed by Tom Block)

All the arguments for The New World and Miami Vice on The House Next Door many years ago.

       

19)   Most pointless Internet movie argument? (question contributed by Tom Block)

Most of them, probably. But every time the argument over aspect ratios for late 50s movies comes up, my eyes glaze over.

       

20)   Charles McGraw or Robert Ryan?

Robert Ryan is one of my favorites. I’ve seen a number of Charles McGraw films, but still had to look him up.

         

21)   Favorite line of dialogue from a western

“You know what? If I was you, I’d go down there and give those boys a drink. Can’t imagine how happy it makes a man to see a woman like you. Just to look at her. And if one of them should pat your behind, just make believe it’s nothing. They earned it.” – Cheyenne in Once Upon a Time in the West

       

22)   Second favorite Roy Del Ruth film

Broadway Melody of 1938. Eleanor Powell’s third-best Broadway Melody movie.

23)   Relatively unknown film or filmmaker you’d most eagerly proselytize for

Johnnie To. If he’s not obscure enough, then Liu Jiayin, whose Oxhide II is one of the best films of the past 10 years.

       

24)   Ewan McGregor or Gerard Butler?

Big fan of Ewan McGregor. Not a fan of Gerard Butler.

      

25)   Is there such a thing as a perfect movie?

Oh yeah. There are tons of them.

       

26)   Favorite movie location you’ve most recently had the occasion to actually visit

I have no idea. Probably some random street in Seattle or Vancouver.

       

27)   Second favorite Delmer Daves film

Never Let Me Go

        

28)   Name the one DVD commentary you wish you could hear that, for whatever reason, doesn’t actually exist

Yasujiro Ozu on his final film, An Autumn Afternoon

       

29)   Gloria Grahame or Marie Windsor?

Crazy doesn’t get any better than Gloria Grahame

       

30)   Name a filmmaker who never really lived up to the potential suggested by their early acclaim or success

We only got about 10 years worth of great films out of Buster Keaton and Josef von Sternberg, and that should be enough, but I want more.

31)   Is there a movie-based disagreement serious enough that it might cause you to reevaluate the  basis of a romantic relationship or a friendship?

Nope.