Month 17 Status Report/Meme Participation

I don't generally participate in movie blog memes because of how focused this blog is, but the current one is far too much fun to not join in. So, as a break from the typical status report, here are my answers to the 15 Movie Questions currently circulating.

1. Movie you love with a passion

...28 Days Later. I realize that many people dislike the third act of this, but I really like this film stem to stern. It's zombies, plus a completely new take on zombies!

2. Movie you vow never to watch

Hostel. Torture porn just doesn't swing it for me, and this seems like the most egregious example.

3. Movie that literally left you speechless

Idi i Smotri. I have never seen a better argument against war, or a more brutal lesson in the same. It not only left me speechless, I couldn't bring myself to move, and I watched the DVD menu for a good five minutes before I could turn it off.

4. Movie you always recommend

Hot Fuzz. I like it more than I liked Shaun of the Dead. It's a thorough skewering of buddy cop movies and plays all of the cliches perfectly.

5. Actor/actress you always watch, no matter how crappy the movie.

Either Audrey Tautou or Audrey Hepburn. I love them both equally. I almost said Cary Grant.

6. Actor/actress you don't get the appeal for

Renee Zellweger. When did sucking on a lemon become sexy? I don't condone abusive behavior, but seriously, she has a face that's absolutely dying for a slap. Second place, Katherine Heigl.

7. Actor/actress, living or dead, you'd love to meet.

Bruce Campbell. 'Cause he's the man.

8. Sexiest actor/actress you've ever seen (picture required!)

Salma Hayek. I did not have to think about this.

9. Dream cast

The cast of any Christopher Nolan film, but directed by Guillermo del Toro--especially if del Toro is adapting a Lovecraft story. How much fun would it be to see Joseph Gordon Levitt, Cillian Murphy, and Ken Watanabe fighting eldritch horrors from beyond space and time?

10. Favorite actor pairing

Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont. Has there ever been a better foil for a better comic? I think not.

11. Favorite movie setting

Paris. I'd live there if I could, and every movie that takes place or has a scene there makes me want to go back. Sacre Cour (in the background) is my favorite place in the world.

12. Favorite decade for movies

The '80s. Not a popular answer, I know, but it was the decade I came of age in, and the movies that were critical for my formative years all come from this decade. It was a great decade for science fiction, too.

13. Chick flick or action movie?

Action. If I'm paying $9 to see something, I want bread and circuses. I want explosions and quality kill, dammit. I have money; entertain me!

14. Hero, villain, or anti-hero?

Anti-hero. I like my movie gods to be accessible and believable. I like them bad enough to be dirty, but not so bad to be despicable. Heroes are just too perfect.

15. Black and white or color?

How can I choose? I love both. There's a part of me that loves it when a modern filmmaker chooses to use black and white, though.