Nobody puts baby in a corner.
Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) in the much loved romantic drama Dirty Dancing (1987). Made for a low budget and with modest expectations, the film was a phenomenal financial success, had a hugely popular soundtrack, featured an iconic dance lift and led to numerous spin offs on stage and TV.
Along with Tom Hanks and Leonardo di Caprio (parts 1 and 2), Denzel Washington has long been one of my favourite actors. The two-time Oscar winner has been making quality films since the 1980s and at 62, is as prolific as ever. The New York star will probably lose out to Casey Affleck in the Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards tonight, but he really was astonishing in Fences. As good a performance as you will see (and kudos to Viola Davis who is incredible too). How many of the films below can you work out?
1.(1980s)
2. (1980s)
3. (1990s)
4. (1990s)
5. (1990s)
6. (1990s)
7. (1990s)
8. (2000s)
9. (2000s)
10. (2000s)
11. (2000s)
12. (2010+)
Answers below
Saul Goodman: He’s okay? He said he was gonna break my legs. And don’t tell me he didn’t mean it, okay? ‘Cause he gave me the dead mackerel eyes. He meant it.
Walter White: Saul, Mike threatened me. He threatened Jesse. He probably threatened someone before breakfast this morning. It’s what he does. Come on. Grow a pair.
Bob Odenkirk and Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad (2008 – 2013). Considered one of the greatest shows of all time, it was a critical and commercial juggernaut that won 16 Emmys and countless other awards in its five-year run. It told of a high-school chemistry teacher who gets involved in the drug dealing world by producing crystal meth so as to raise money for his lung cancer treatment.
I just had to add this dazzling extra photo from the Winter Lights exhibition in Canary Wharf.
I wanted an unusual topic for the latest quiz, so I thought why not do one on memory loss? It would be hard to forget after all. Answers are below, with any comments, suggestions or scores welcome as always.
1. (1940s)
2. (1940s)
3. (1980s)
4. (2000s)
5. (2000s)
6. (2000s)
7. (2000s)
8. (2000s)
9. (2000s)
10. (2010+)
11. (2010+)
12. (2010+)
Answers below
There was a fantastic set of free light exhibitions in Canary Wharf, London, which ran for two weeks last month. It was a collection of indoor and outdoor, with some borrowed for the event and others specially commissioned. The advantage of having several displays was made full use of, with some themed on sound, movement, brain waves and interactive displays. The area frequently puts up different temporary exhibitions. Among others I’ve covered have been the Remembrance Art Trail and Flower Sculpture.
You can’t play God without being acquainted with the devil.
Dr Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins) in the multi-genre hit show Westworld (2016 -). With elements of sci-fi, western, drama and psychological thriller, it tells of a Wild West style theme park filled with droids but controlled by humans.
When Melhman went out into the “real world” beyond Seinfeld’s office walls, he found that everyone wanted in television wanted the “next Seinfeld”, but they didn’t want to take the risks necessary to make such a thing. They wanted Seinfeld money, but they seemed to resent Seinfeld itself for breaking the rules of television. He would go in to pitch ideas to executives and hear, over and over, “That character’s not very likeable.” He’d thought Seinfeld had done away with likeability.
An anecdote by Peter Melhman as written by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong in her book Seinfeldia (2015). The book tells of the fascinating history of how a sitcom frequently voted the best ever came to be made, its impact on popular culture and how it shook up the rules of comedy. I’ve written quite a few posts on the show including an outline of the show and some of its most memorable quotes by its eponymous protagonist, Jerry Seinfeld.
It’s a pretty cloudy day, so what better way to turn the gloominess away than by accepting a Sunshine Blogger Award, courtesy of the awesome Ruth at FlixChatter. If you’re not one of her many followers, go and do it. She’s great.
Oh no I’ve said too much
I haven’t said enough
Taken from the song Losing My Religion by REM, from their multi-award winning album Out of Time (1991). Among their other songs I’m a big fan of is Everybody Hurts.
Alex Raphael 