There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in the masterpiece that is The Godfather II (1974). Among its many accolades, it was the first sequel to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
As it was my birthday last week, and a party on the weekend, I just had to put up a themed quiz to celebrate. Below are six films featuring highly distinctive, and let’s be honest, mostly disastrous, birthday parties. Ever been to a horrible party? How will you do?
(1960s)
(1980s)
(1990s)
(1990s)
(2000s)
(2000s)
Answers below
Rapunzel: I’ve been looking out of a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it’s not everything I dreamed it would be?
Flynn Rider: It will be.
Rapunzel: And what if it is? What do I do then?
Flynn Rider: Well,that’s the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream.
Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi in the animated retelling of Rapunzel in Tangled (2011).
Since you’ve gone I been lost without a trace
I dream at night I can only see your face
I look around but it’s you I can’t replace
I feel so cold and I long for your embrace
Taken from The Police’s most famous song, Every Breath you Take, from their fifth (and final) studio album Synchronicity (1983). The song topped the UK and US charts (the latter for eight weeks), is regularly voted in best ever songs polls and is believed to generate about a third of Sting’s music publishing income.
Elaine: Married women don’t “get together”. They have affairs.
George: Oh my God, an affair. That’s so adult. It’s like with stockings and martinis, and William Holden. On the other hand it probably wouldn’t cost me any money.
Julia Louis Dreyfus and Jason Alexander in the gloriously brilliant sitcom Seinfeld (1989 – 1998). You can find my reasons for it being the best sitcom ever here.
My fondness of cartoons will already be pretty well known I’m sure. I’ve done several posts on Calvin and Hobbes, as well as recent ones on Dilbert and Cyanide and Happiness. About time for another selection, this time from the talent that is Gary Larson and his Far Side collection. Are you a fan of comic strips in general?
I wasn’t expecting any further posts to come out of my Songs to Lighten your Mood and Make you Smile but surprises certainly come in many forms. In the comments section at the bottom of the piece I was lightheartedly discussing with awesome blogger Table9Mutant ideas for random posts, and voila. This most definitely qualifies as random. Alexs in films are undoubtedly a mixed bag of genders, genres and nationalities. How many of the 12 do you think you can work out? Are there many memorable characters with your name on the big screen?
(1970s)
(1980s)
(1980s)
(1980s)
(1990s)
(2000s)
(2000s)
(2000s)
(2000s)
(2000s)
(2000s)
(2000s)
Answers below
With the latest James Bond film Spectre being released later this year, the timing of The National Film Museum’s Bond in Motion was wonderfully timed. Quite unsurprisingly, it has been extended. After all, the films are the longest continually running and the third-highest grossing film series to date, which started in 1962 with Dr. No, starring Sean Connery as Bond.
Bond is known for many things. His immaculate appearance. The beautiful women he regularly seduces. His humorous one liners and legendary introduction. Not to mention his love of a Martini, his armed combat skills and his incorporation of gadgets. And who can forget his love of the finest sports cars and alternative getaway vehicles?
Anyway, like I was sayin’, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that’s about it.
Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue (Mykelti Williamson) in the critically and commercially acclaimed Forrest Gump (1994). Winning six Oscars, including Best Picture, in Gump it certainly has one of cinema’s most unique characters. It also led to the real life creation of Bubba Gump Shrift Company, which has over 40 restaurants.
It’s not too far from the weekend, so I thought why not do a post on songs that are always guaranteed to put a smile on my face. Is there a piece of music that can lighten you mood? A tune that’s impossible to stand still to even when you couldn’t feel less like dancing?
Alex Raphael 