11 Badass Questions

LIEBSTER AWARD

Hot damn! So there's this blogger award going around like the zombie virus and I've been bitten by not one, but three badass bloggers. They also happen to be three of my favorite peeps, so check these bad boys & girls out! We've got Two Dollar Cinema, Can You Dig It?, and Being Norma Jeane. Now, onto the award before limbs start falling off.

Here are the rules, snagged from Two Collar Cinema, who snagged then from Cinematic Corner. It's a deep, dark rabbit hole:

1. Tell us 11 things about yourself
2. Answer 11 questions the blogger who awarded you asked
3. Pass the award to 11 people
4. Give them 11 questions.
5. Tell them about the award.
6. Don't award people who are recipients already.

With that said, there are 11 things about me:

1. I have watched the Firefly series multiple times. No regrets. I also have a signed autograph from Jewel Staite after I jumped on her waited patiently in line at Comic Con. 

2. On the topic of Comic Con, I probably had my nerdiest moment talking to Nicki Clyne with a hat over my head, since she was wearing a shirt with spoilers and I had yet to finish Battlestar Galactica. 

3. If a Jason Statham movie is on TV, I will always watch it. 

4. I'm a serial procrastinator. In case that isn't already obvious. It it was the last day the earth before the earth spontaneously combusted, I'd probably still sleep in. 

5. I watch Dr. Phil on a regular basis. It started because my girlfriend likes it, but now I believe that man has the answer to everything. 

6. I'm addicted to Solitaire. 

7. The first week I moved in with my girlfriend, I decided to help around the house and do the dishes. That experiment ended with soap bubbling out of the dishwasher and pooling onto the floor, a la I Love Lucy. 

8. Everything is better with hot sauce. Everything. 

9. I grew up with Hey Arnold and I'm more excited than I should be that it's on Netflix now.

10. I've got a sister two years younger than me who trolls all movies. And it never fails to crack me up. 

11. I've just started the second Song Of Ice And Fire book, and I'm getting ready for George R. R. Martin to eat my soul.

Onto the questions! Brace yourself...

1. What made you start your blog? Everyone was sick of hearing my movie rants, so I figured I might as well invent a space to get it all out. 
2. Have you ever seen a movie more than once in the theater? Oho yeah. Generally, I try to avoid seeing the same movie in theaters more than once so my wallet doesn't yell at me. However, I do cave now and then. The last one I saw twice was The Avengers. I stand by that one. But my worst case of repeated-movie-offense was Return Of The King. I saw that one opening night with my friends, and then that same day saw it again with my family. No regrets. 
3. Tell me the actor/actress and the certain role they played that made them your favorite. My favorite actor/actress? Impossible question. I do go through obsessions, however. No other way to say it. Currently, I'm running through Jeremy Renner's filmography. It started with The Avengers, but The Hurt Locker really did me in.
4. If I thought movies were a waste of time, what would you show me to change my mind? The Matrix. I think it's physically impossible for anyone not to enjoy that movie. 
5. What's the best animated film of all time? Alright, I can probably watch The Lion King more often than any other animated film. Plus, gotta love me some Jeremy Irons. 
6. Front row, back row, or right in the middle? Front. Always. 
7. Desert Island Time. You get one movie and one soundtrack. And Hell, if you want to, you get an actor or actress, too. Let's hear it. If I'm stuck on a desert island, I'm taking Melanie Laurent with me and we're listening to anything she wants to listen to. That, or I'm taking Jurassic Park, the Trainspotting soundtrack, and Zach Galifianakis so we can get high until someone comes to save us. 
8. What's the scariest movie experience you've ever had? I'm one of those people who is always more afraid by the physiological thrillers than by the standard scary-shit-popping-at-you-for-no-reason. That said, Blood Simple scared the crap out of me. Granted, I haven't seen it in a good 5 years, but it's still on my most frightening list. 
9. You are given the power to completely erase the existence of one film. What are you picking? A Man And A Woman. I know there's probably something redeemable about it, but I just could not make it through that one. Couldn't do it. There are very few movies I turn off without watching all the way through, but that was it. 
10. Who would be on the Mt. Rushmore of Action Heroes? Alright, this one is for me. I'm there. Indiana Jones, James Bond (Sean Connery's version), The Terminator, and Bruce Lee (let's be real--he's his own character).
11. And finally, have you ever clapped at the end of a movie? Really? Guilty as charged, guilty as charged. 

1. Top 5 favourite quotes (can be in TV, film, books, comics)?
1. "I've got a drinking problem."
2. "Dawgs."
3. "I know."
4. "Say 'auf Wiedersehen' to your Nazi Balls."
5. "There's only one trilogy, you fucking morons."
2. Whose your favourite incarnation of James Bond and why? Sean Connery. He's just quintessential Bond. He's a charmer, he's a good action hero, and he delivers humor brilliantly. 
3. You're facing off a sea of highly-trained ninjas alone, who would you want as your badass back-up to make sure you don't end up digging your own grave? Thor. Because he's a fucking God and no one dies in Superhero movies. 
4. Back in your school days, if you were faced with a Battle Royale scenario where you and your class were thrown onto an island, with days to survive and no escape but to kill each other, would you go along with the game and murder your classmates, or find another way out? Damn, intense shit. I'd probably die. Not even gonna lie. I'd befriend Mitsuko and end up with a knife in my back.
5. Have you ever watched, read, or listened to anything that has completely altered your opinion on something (from drug taking, to marriage, to political parties)? Hmm...tough question. I'm sure I have. I think The Matrix fucked with my anchor to reality for a bit. Morpheus, get me out of here!
6. If you weren't blogging about what you do blog about, are there any other topics you'd like to explore outside of your chosen field? Fiction writing. I do enough of it to write about, I just have yet to publish anything. Ah, the plights of an unpublished writer. 
7. Is there a particular song, book, poem, film, episode of a TV show, comic, or anything else that you can't listen/watch/read because it is too upsetting to relive, and if so, why? Probably anything written by Sarah Palin. 
8. What is your most least-liked, popular franchise (Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Twilight, etc.) and why? Twilight, for its crusade against the English language. 
9. There are many moments I can think of, but what do you think is the worst decision made by Oscar voters in any category and why? Their lack of appreciation for Hotel Rwanda. 
10. Watching uncomfortable scenes with parents/family - fine or painfully embarrassing? Used to be painfully embarrassing, now we could care less. 
11. Would you have fought your way through Boromir's hardened grip and tried to save Gandalf when you thought he had fallen to his death? Gandalf is a BAMF, I knew he would make it through. 

1. What was in Marsellus Wallace's briefcase? My dick.
2. Who's head will you go all "Being John Malkovich" in? Quentin Tarantino. Definitely. 
3. A cinema personality whose biopic you want to see, and who would play them? There were rumors that Sacha Baron Cohen would play Freddie Mercury. I want this to happen. 
4. A film you wish you lived in. Brazil. That's some fucked up shit. 
5. What do you think of when I say Bollywood? Streets filled with dancing. 
6. Hero, villain or antihero? Also, who is your favourite from the chosen character type? Villain. I've always got a soft spot for the bad guys. 
7. Favourite supporting role of all time. I can't chose one, so I'm going to go with any snide action hero sidekicks. The more sarcastic, the better. 
8. Favourite music video. Howlin' For You.
9. Favourite cartoon show from your childhood. I named my dog after Daggett from Angry Beavers.
10. A film you wish you had made and would have been remembered for. Boogie Nights. Every time I watch it, I wish I made it. 
11. Favourite joke. So this grasshopper walked into a bar, and the bartender said, "You know, I've got a drink named after you." And the grasshopper said, "You've got a drink named Ron?"

Aaaand that's the end of the questions! Now I get to name 11 victims award recipients:

1. Criminal Movies
2. Fim Forger
3. FilmsRruss
4. The Incredible Suit
5. Melissa's Imaginarium 
6. Flights, Tights, And Movie Nights
7. The Movie Log
8. RoJo's Film Reviews
9. Let's Get Out Of Here!
10. My Film Reviews
11. Final Cut

And the questions for you all to answer:

1. 3D--yes or no?
2. Lord of the Rings or Star Wars?
3. What movie would you like to see in theaters that you never got to see?
4. What's your major draw for a movie: actors, director, or script?
5. Who is your favorite person to watch movies with?
6. Who are your top three favorite action heroes? 
7. The zombie apocalypse is upon us--what movie characters do you want in your camp to keep you alive?
8. Who is the one actor you love to hate?
9. ...And the actor you hate yourself for loving?
10. If they made a movie about your life, who would play you?
11. If you could change one movie ending, what would it be and why?

That's all! Have fun, homies!

Oh Snap, M. Did Something Right.

THE VERSATILE BLOGGER

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's The Smoking Pen's first blogger award! All the thanks for this one goes straight to the ever articulate, right on, and badass Matthew Vanacore, also known as FilmMattic. I tip my hat, good sir. Now in the words of Steve (I'm certain to get my award revoked purely for this reference), "if you two fellas are done blowing each other..."

There are four rules for Fight Club receiving this award. They are...

1. Link back to your awarder: Matthew Vanacore!
2. Unearth 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 15 recently discovered bloggers. Because movie blogging is apparently a small town, Matthew just happened to award...more than half the people I would've given this award to. However, in the spirit of avoiding repeats, I'm going to hand this bad boy out to the few I read constantly that he didn't mention.
4. Once I name you as a recipient, just come back to my blog and pick up your award (oh, and congratulations)!

And so, in no particular order, the award goes to...(drum roll please)...

1. Battle Royale With Cheese. 

2. Film Forager.

3. Film Gurl.

4. Movies Kick Ass Blog.

5. Post Mortem Depression.

6. Watching The Detectives.

7. Day Of Woman.

8. Big Thoughts From A Small Mind

9. Sorta That Guy.

10. Blog Cabins.

11. Encore's Wold Of Film.

12. Horror Digest.

13. DIY Filmmaker.

14. Phone Strumpet.

15. Acting 2.0. 

Congrats to you all--this is the award that just keeps giving, isn't it? And now for that dirty bit of personal information...

SEVEN THINGS YOU WISH YOU DIDN'T KNOW.

1. I've been in a relationship with my girlfriend for near five years now. Which is about 25 years in lesbian years. She's the actress, I'm the writer, we're both doomed to be geniuses in a cardboard box and we're quite happy with that, thank you very much. 

2. I've only fully finished one screenplay. Absolutely nothing's come of it. Yet. It's about mafia and Ancient Greek history. Think Guy Ritchie meets Frank Miller. Yeah. I went there. 

3. About the Ancient Greek thing. I'm kind of an Ancient Greek/Roman nerd? Gods who have sex with their sisters, people who eat their children, swan rapists? Count me in. The only furry thing I currently own is a hamster who's suffered the brunt of my ancient history fetish by bearing the name Virgil--the Roman who decided to fill in all of Homer's blank spaces with The Aeneid yet has been reduced to "that man who escorted Dante through hell". Or, you know. My hamster.

4. I'm looking to finish "Screenplay No. 2" pronto. I'm midstream in Script Frenzy, so here's so hoping I actually finish it. If this is your first time reading about Script Frenzy and you're interested, you can still catch up--six pages a day doesn't sound too impossible, right? 

5. When I was a child, my favorite movie was All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989). Rewatching it, I've realized it's a child's gangster movie. Carface? They weren't even trying to hide it. I feel like this explains everything about me. 

6. Politically speaking, I'm a dirty hippy: Legalize Gay Marriage, Leave Britney Planned Parenthood Alone!, Green Is Good, Legalize Pot. 

7. I walk really loudly. I've come to the conclusion that it's a defense mechanism to scare away larger predators, what with only reaching the height of a sad 5"2. 

There you have it! Now allow me to go off and do a victory dance.