Blogathon: Life, Love, and the Movies

This is a fun little blogathon that was started up by two amazing film blogs, Karamel Kinema and My Filmviews. It’s about the personal connections that we have with cinema, and consists of 16 questions. Some of these questions were really tough, but resulted in some interesting answers that were a bit surprising for me!

Life

1. What was the first movie you saw in the cinema and what do you remember about that visit?
The very first film I remember seeing at the movies is Blinky Bill (1992), which is a cartoon about a mischievous young koala whose peaceful outback home is threatened by a logging company, and somehow he gets displaced and has to find his mother. Could it be any more of a stereotypically Australian film? I remember feeling happy that he found his mum in the end (spoiler alert!), but freaked out by the circular saws in the logging scenes.

2. Are there any movies you have very strong memories of which are not because of the movie (for example something which happened at the time you were watching it)?
Jackass: The Movie (2002) reminds me of having a badly broken leg when I was 15-16ish. I was stuck recovering at home for ages and thought it was the funniest thing ever, so I watched it whenever I needed a laugh.

3. Which movies had a big impact on you and changed a (small) part of your view on life?
More recently, the documentary Food, Inc. (2008) has had a big impact on the way I look at food in general. The film is made from an American perspective so it might not be as relevant for Australian viewers, but it was a big wake-up call in terms of my perception of food, where it comes from, what it contains, the big businesses involved in food production, et cetera. The film definitely had a big impact on my view of food in general, which is a big part of my life!

4. Do you have any comfort movies which you return to because you are in a specific mood (for example if you are feeling down/nursing a heartbreak)?
Not a specific film, but any film by either Woody Allen or Ingmar Bergman.

5. If a movie would be made about your life, what type of movie would it be and who would you like to portray you?
Any movie made about my life would have to have a pretty awesome cinematographer, maybe Benoît Debie. I think it would probably be one of those drama/black comedy/dramedy films. I’m not sure who would play me, but Henry Cavill would have to play my partner since they kind of look alike. Diane Keaton would play an older version of myself in a time-travel scene because I love her. Also I’d like to have Bill Murray in the movie somewhere; not for any real reason, I just really like Bill Murray.

6. Which existing movie best represents you?
Even though I had a couple of reservations about it, at the moment the film that probably best represents me is Frances Ha (2013). I can relate to Frances seeking employment in her chosen field and wanting to contribute meaningfully to that field.

7. If you knew you would die tomorrow, what would be the last movie you would want to see?
On an existential level, I think The Holy Mountain (1973) would be a good film to watch before you die. It’s generally about reaching a higher plane of existence and the ending would be strangely relevant to the situation at hand. Even if you don’t believe in an afterlife (i.e. like me), it’d at least be a bit of a mindbender before it’s time to go.

8. If you can spend your life working in the film industry, what would you be and why? (you know, director, producer, actor, cinematographer, costume designer, sound designer etc?)
I’d love to try my hand at cinematography or art direction if I worked in the film industry. I don’t know if I’d be any good at it, but those are the two things I tend to love about films in general, and television as well. I’d want to work in a field that would be creatively rewarding, and would provide a challenge, and I think either of those would fit the bill for me.

Love

1. Did you ever have a first kiss with someone while at the cinema and if so which movie was playing?
No, but my partner insists that Silence of the Lambs (1991) was our first ‘date movie’ since we watched it together pretty early on.

2. What is your favorite movie relationship and why?
I think my favourite movie relationship is Boris (Woody Allen) and Sonja (Diane Keaton) from Love and Death (1975). They might not have started off in the best of ways, and they might be cousins, and they might be trying to assassinate Napoleon, but they really grow to love each other and have quite a beautiful relationship.

3. When did your love for movies start and how has it grown?
I think my love for movies started kind of late. As a young kid I always loved particular films and would watch them over and over until I was sick of them. However, when I broke my leg at age 15, I would ask my mum to go to the video shop all the time so I would have different things to watch, and she would pick really eclectic titles for me that I wouldn’t normally choose. Because I was stuck at home, I watched films all day and developed a big love for film as a form of both entertainment and art. As for how it’s grown, I like to think I’m less picky about what I’ll watch now. I’ve come to a point where I’ll pretty much watch anything and find some form of value in it (except for Fat Slags (2004), which I turned off about 10 minutes in, and Movie 43 (2013), which is just plain bad).

4. If you have to choose one film to watch with your loved one, what would it be and why?
I mentioned in my Bond ranking post that my partner is massively obsessed with the James Bond franchise, and he has been ever since he was a kid. We often watch the films together and as a result I have lots of nice memories associated with them. With that in mind, if I had to choose one film for us to watch together, it would be On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), which is his ultimate favourite Bond film, and is my second favourite.

5. If you can choose one character from a movie to be your significant other who would it be and why?
I would choose Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird (1962). First of all, Gregory Peck is really handsome. Secondly, Atticus is an amazing father and such a gentle, open-minded character. I think he would make a great husband slash committed life partner, just saying.

6. What was the first movie that made you fall in in love with film and cinema?
I officially fell in love with film and cinema after watching La Dolce Vita (1960) for the first time. It was around the time I broke my leg and was stuck in the house, or maybe it was afterwards as I was exploring new things to watch. I remember being stunned by it. To this day, it’s still one of my favourite films of all time.

7. How did your passion for movies turn you into a movie blogger?
It sort of just happened! I participate in a film podcast called Films From the Granny, and have always enjoyed talking about film with the guys in the podcast. The podcast focuses on film reviews with a bit of a gameshow element, and it’s really fun to take part in. After a while I realised that I just wanted to talk more and more about certain films that we were discussing, and I thought that a blog would probably be the more appropriate format for it. Thus, Film Grimoire was born!

8. What is your favorite date from a movie?
This is difficult question since I don’t watch too many ‘romantic’ films, but the infamous Ikea date from (500) Days of Summer (2009) comes to mind. So cute.

Tags: blogathon, film grimoire, life, life love and the movies, love, movies