film – Studio Libraries

50 Movie Tag Questions

I have just included the Movie Tag Questions on my website because I love writing these themed posts. I found the questions for this tag on the blog thebookishunderdog and decided to take part in the challenge because I am a cinephile like my grandfather, I grew up watching movies and I always enjoy writing about movies and reviewing them online.

1. How often do you watch a movie ?

When I was a teenager I used to try to watch one movie a day; over time my work schedule has increased but I generally watch between four and five movies a week. This number also varies depending on the TV series I am following.

2. What movie genre are you particularly fond of ?

I enjoy different movie genres; I don’t have a favorite. I particularly love “cinéma d’auteur” but I generally find myself watching movies across many different genres, whether a film is horror, comedy, drama, or thriller. I usually enjoy the kind of movies that critics appreciate as well.

3. What was the last movie you watched and liked ?

I watched 2 or 3 Things I Know About (1967) Her by Jean-Luc Godard a couple of nights ago and found it incredibly interesting. It’s a movie that really makes you think and it also deals with the Vietnam War and other issues that are still relevant to this day. I also watched House of Flying Daggers (2005) which was very successful when it came out and I think it is one of the best Asian movies ever made.

4. What was the last movie you watched and hated?

The horror movie Pin (1988). I didn’t hate it but found it a bit confusing and too slow at times.

5. What is your fave movie of all time?

It is often hard to choose just one favorite movie, but it will have to be Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961).

I have a deep admiration for Audrey Hepburn and have recently written an article about her.

6. Your fave guilty pleasure movie ?

I have quite a few guilty pleasure movies but my favorite one is Heathers (1988). I have already mentioned it in my article about West End musicals (Heathers The Musical, based on the eponymous film, was staged in London in 2018). It’s a great black comedy; it’s very funny but there are also a lot of dark moments in it! Plus, Winona Ryder is amazing in this movie.

7. What movie have you watched a million times already ?

I tend to rewatch the movies I fall in love with; Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992) are probably the ones I watched the most. I know the most iconic lines by heart.

8. Are you the type who watches a movie on its first day of showing?

It doesn’t happen much often, even when they are released on streaming services. Probably because I always have a ready-made list of movies to watch that take precedence over new releases. I remember watching The Twilight Saga – New Moon (2009) the day it came out in theaters in Italy; we all went to the movies together for my friend’s birthday and the multiplex had sold so many tickets that some were identical so we watched the movie sitting on the steps of the cinema hall. I still have fond memories of it, but it’s sort of sad that movie theaters don’t fill up as much as they did back then. As for new releases, I think I will watch the sixth season of Black Mirror the day it arrives on Netflix (June 15) because I really enjoyed the previous seasons.

9. Do you use Fandango or prebook movie tickets?

I don’t know what Fandango is, I only know it as an Italian film production company. I used to book tickets quite often to see a movie (multiplexes were very crowded when I was in high school), but now I book tickets earlier only if I am attending screenings during a film festival.

10. Movie House, Blu-Ray or download ?

I don’t know Movie House. Do you mean Movie House Cinemas? I don’t live in London (I lived there for a while in the past) so I don’t get to visit UK movie theaters these days. I buy Blu-Ray discs of the movies that appeal to me most (including anniversary editions of my favorite ones) and watch many movies on the different streaming platforms. I do not download movies.

11. How often do you go to the cinema to watch a movie ?

Right now about three times a year. Until before the pandemic I used to go a little more often but I hope to go at least five times a year in the future. I just found out that the Odeon Cinema in Milan is going to close its doors and it made me sad because I used to go there a lot during my high school years. Movie theaters usually provide you with a better viewing experience than home video.

12. What are the movies that made you cry ?

There are a few. Definitely Misunderstood (1966) by Luigi Comencini. I saw it several times with my maternal grandfather as a child and the ending always made me cry. I saw Marley & Me (2008) at the movies with a friend and we both cried, I know that it was very moving for a lot of people. Up (2009) and Coco (2017) are two animated films that I loved and found incredibly moving as well. I can’t forget to include Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo+Juliet (1996); I received a DVD copy for my birthday as a gift and found the film sad and beautiful at the same time. Also, please consider this a Leonardo DiCaprio Appreciation Moment (’90s DiCaprio, in this case):

Five Movies of the ’90s (My Taschen Favorites, Including Five Honorable Mentions)

In my previous article, where I reviewed Silvio Soldini’s Bread and Tulips, I also mentioned my new subscription to MUBI, a streaming platform that hosts thousands of movies from different decades, with a particular attention to cult movies; I really appreciate this because I have been watching movies since I was very little thanks to my grandfather’s video-library (he was a huge cinephile who owned plenty of movies on DVD and would also record films to VHS tapes whenever they were broadcast on the Italian television).

MUBI also includes a series of movies from the 1990s and I truly love movies from this decade because I was born in the ’90s, which was a particularly prolific period for cinema, thanks in part to the popularity of home video; Taschen’s volume on the films of the ’90s reports Scorsese’s thoughts about the potential of the VCR, which led to a renewed enthusiasm for cinema, allowing audiences to see films as often as they would like. These films are worth studying and appreciating, and nowadays they are also being rediscovered thanks to streaming (in Italy I have had difficulty finding some sought-after films on DVD, such as the iconic 1988 black comedy Heathers, which is only available on the second-hand market at high prices. I have found some of these movies on the European marketplace and I now have the chance to stream them again thanks to MUBI).

The 1990s cemented cinema’s belonging to universal culture, making it a common good. I have selected five films from this decade that I love very much; they are all included in the Taschen series curated by Jürgen Müller and I hope you will enjoy them as well:

1) Goodfellas (1990): I must have been fifteen years old when I first watched Goodfellas. It was one of my grandfather’s favorite movies and I watched it on DVD, which I once borrowed from his video-library. I fell in love with this gangster movie; as a young girl it was almost considered strange because it’s part of a genre that teenage boys generally like. I have always enjoyed watching this type of movie and am also a big fan of the 007 series. Goodfellas is a quasi-biographical chronicle of the life of Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta), an Italian-Irish gangster in New York, and it is based on Nicholas Pileggi’s 1985 bestselling book “Wiseguy – Life in a Mafia Family.” The story begins in Brooklyn in the late 1950s, when 13-year-old Henry observes the neighborhood mobsters from his apartment, all dressed in expensive suits, and longs to become like them. He then neglects school and begins to be a messenger for the boss, establishing himself in the neighborhood and also becoming “a good fella,” as the mobsters like to call each other. Over the years, he becomes inseparable friends with Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito, played by Robert de Niro and Joe Pesci respectively; however, some signs emerge later on that crumble the façade of their seemingly perfect gangster world.

The film is told like a novel thanks to Martin Scorsese’s love of detail and historical accuracy in filmmaking; the soundtrack is wonderful (I own the CD), with pieces from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s that follow the various stages of Henry’s life, from simple Brooklyn guy to mafia criminal. It is one of the finest films of the ’90s and it won many awards (including an Oscar to Joe Pesci for Best Supporting Actor). It is at once comic and brutal; truly one of Scorsese’s best.

*Image Credits: Polygram Filmed Entertainment/ Channel Four Films*

2) Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994): this is a little gem from British director Mike Newell (some of you may know him as the director of the fourth Harry Potter movie). It stars Hugh Grant as Charles, a staunch monogamist incapable of stable affection, who is invited to a wedding every week along with his friends, who one after another all get married. However, he meets Carrie (Andie MacDowell) in a love-at-first-sight situation; although it seems to end there, the two meet again at the next wedding. The series of weddings is interrupted by a funeral following the death of a close friend of Charles. Hence the title of the film, which is a satire of behavior and relationships in the British high society and shows how in the film the only couples truly in love are those who will never marry. The film has excellent writing and the screenplay was in fact edited by Richard Curtis, one of the most talented British writers. Made on a limited budget, it was probably the most successful British film of the 1990s before Notting Hill came out. A Time Magazine review wrote that: “Mike Newell’s film takes as its starting point one of the smallest realizations of modern life: exemplary of the yuppie species, the man spends most of his earnings on clothes to attend his friends’ weddings.” The director reveals very little about the characters’ daily lives, giving the viewer a chance to review these festively dressed people on their way to all these weddings and dwelling on the ones that are most interesting in terms of dialogue and mannerisms. The film is a perfect blend of comedy and melodrama to watch possibly on an evening with friends.

I love watching Christmas movies during Christmas time, and even though it is nice to discover new ones, I am very fond of the classics that I used to watch as a child. There are many Christmas movies coming out every year and it is almost impossible to pick the ones to watch; I usually see up to five movies among the are coming out or the old ones that I haven’t seen yet, but what I enjoy most is rewatching my favorite Christmas movies, which are also some of the most beloved and internationally known. I will probably rewatch a couple of the movies I am mentioning in this article and I also plan to marathon the Harry Potter series during the holidays because it is great to watch these movies in the wintertime.

Here are some of the Christmas movies I have enjoyed throughout the years:

1) How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Ron Howard, 2000): this is one of the most famous Christmas classics ever made. It is based on the eponymous children tale by Dr. Seuss which was previously adapted into an animated TV movie in 1966 . The magical land of Whoville exists inside a snowflake, where the Whos live and love to celebrate Christmas; they basically count down the entire year until Christmas day. The Grinch is a green creature who lives just outside Whoville and has despised Christmas time ever since he self-isolated on Mount Crumpit when he was still a child, after his classmates made fun of him for his hairy aspect. Cindy, a young girl who comes from a loving family, decides to befriend the Grinch and wants to involve him in the festivities, but when something goes wrong with the Whos, he plans to ruin Christmas day for everyone. The Grinch is played brilliantly by Jim Carrey, who is absolutely hilarious in this role. The story is very heartwarming and it does a great job in emphasizing the importance of spending time with loved ones during the holiday season. It is also a visually exceptional movie, with a great set design that makes everything feel really magical. It is a movie that stands the test of time and it will probably be appreciated by people of all ages.

2) Love Actually (Richard Curtis, 2003): one of the most famous romantic comedies ever made, it follows eight different couples who are managing their love lives in various interconnected plots all set in the hectic month before Christmas. These stories take place in London and the cast is terrific, as it includes many famous actors and actresses like Keira Knightley, Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson. It is a very powerful movie that is all about love and its numerous meanings; its storylines are well developed and the lives of all these people are connected by love. It is both touching and funny thanks to great performances by all the cast members; I have watched Love Actually with my family during the holiday season almost every year since it first came out because it is very intelligent and it perfectly embodies the meaning of Christmas. It is heartwarming and sweet; there is that certain something about the film that makes it a staple of the Christmas genre and one feels compelled to watch it every year in the wintertime, as it is filled with romantic moments and tender gestures we can all identify with in one way or another.

“My therapist, the beloved Dr. Gratch, says that hurt people hurt people, but I just don’t think that applies to teenage girls. I think sometimes they’re just evil.”

I first heard about Do Revenge while watching a video analysis on Youtube; I was very curious about this new Netflix movie, so I watched it a couple of days later and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It turned out to be quite different from the movie I was expecting to watch and I found the message behind it very meaningful.

Netflix introduced this movie as “a mix between Cruel Intentions and Mean Girls with a nod to Hitchcock” and I think this description perfectly fits the tone and mood of Do Revenge; the movie undoubtedly pays homage to iconic ’90s flicks (it reminded me of other movies I love from that era, such as Clueless, Heathers and Jawbreaker, and this is probably also because fashion plays a significant role in all of them).

Do Revenge belongs to the black comedy genre with a queer element in it. The story revolves around Drea, played by Camila Mendes, who is very powerful at her high school and is considered a it girl (do it girls still exist? I suggest you have a look at the video essay“Why Are There No It Girls Anymore?” by Jordan Theresa on YouTube. It probably explains why this movie is filled with ’90s nostalgia while addressing current issues as well). Things change for Drea when a private video of her gets leaked among the students and it sure looks like her boyfriend Max, who is also very popular, is responsible for it. Eleanor, played by Maya Hawke, is a new student who is rather shy and feels very uncomfortable with having to attend the same school as Clarissa, a girl who once bullied her during summer camp when they were thirteen. Drea and Eleanor form an unusual alliance/friendship, setting up a plan to take revenge on people who have mistreated them. This creates a series of unexpected twists and turns; also, there are many funny moments in the film that convey deeper themes, making the viewer wonder if revenge is really worth it after all. As the girls will find out, revenge most often comes at a price and can lead to bad consequences.

Fashion is indeed a part of the movie as well, since it is a vehicle through which the characters express their various personalities. The costumes were designed by Alana Morshead, who took inspiration from iconic teen hits like Gossip Girl when creating a look for the characters. Since they are all attending Rosehill Country Day, a private school, she designed preppy pieces like capes and sweater vests in pastel tones, especially lilac and mint.

Tag: film

50 Movie Tag Questions

Five Movies of the ’90s (My Taschen Favorites, Including Five Honorable Mentions)

Five Favorite Christmas Movies (+ Honorable Mentions)

Do Revenge – Jennifer Kaytin Robinson