I’ve been tagged by my friend Gabs. She’s a real film buff and we used to go to the cinema together at least once every week…
She stole the meme from a British blogger, a Labour MP by the name of Tom Harris (can’t say I’ve ever heard of him, but then he’s from Scotland…)
It’s about the 25 films Obama gave Prime Minister Brown on his recent visit to the White House. Have we seen them? Do we own them?
Here’s the rules: Take two points for every film you own and have seen (only one if you own it but haven’t got round to watching it yet), one point if you’ve seen it but don’t own the DVD, and no points for those you haven’t either watched, purchased or been given.
Actually, I’m not keen on owning films, since I’ve noticed that I very rarely watch them more than once or twice, so I don’t really approve of the idea that owning it is worth as much as having seen it – what if you’ve seen it many, many times, but still don’t own it? When we left Denmark we gave away quite a few films and since then we’ve only bought a few, mostly for young son.
Anyway, a rule’s a rule, so here goes:
Citizen Kane – exactly as good as it is made out to be.
The Godfather – and that goes for this one as well. Btw, if you’re a fan of the Godfather films, you’ll truly enjoy this article from Vanity Fair about the making of the first film. Truly amazing!
Casablanca – this one has become somewhat iconic, so that the iconic stands in the way of our appreciation of the film, don’t you think? But heck, I like all films with good old Humphrey in them!
Raging Bull – This one I’ve strangely managed to avoid all these years. But I will see it one day.
Singin’ in the Rain – saw it as a child, remember it quite clearly.
Gone with the Wind – this one too, and again as a young girl.
Lawrence of Arabia – great film – still good.
Schindler’s List – very touching. Pity there weren’t more good Germans around then.
Vertigo – probably my favourite Hitchcock, only surpassed by Rear Window (which I do own).
The Wizard of Oz – never saw that one.
City Lights – oh yes, still brings a tear to my eye.
The Searchers – great Western. All young people should see it. First then do they know what A Western is. You want to get a horse and ride out there with them.
Starwars: Episode IV – don’t know!? Cant’ tell one episode from the other. I’ve seen 2-3 of them??!! (just checked on ImdB – this is the first one, only later renamed Episode IV. So I have definitely seen it.)
Psycho – yes. Not a favourite.
2001: A Space Odyssey – yes. Ok. Not wild about Sci-Fi.
Sunset Boulevard – Had to check this clip from the film to see if I’d seen it. Can’t remember it, so probably haven’t.
The Graduate – well of course.
The General – not sure I ever saw this one. But since I’ve translated this brilliant book into Danish I know a lot about it – and about a lot of the other films on this list.
On the Waterfront – Shame on me. I never saw it!
It’s a Wonderful Life – If you haven’t seen it. See it. It’s just eh, just eh, hm. Rent it, buy it, whatever. See it.
Chinatown – Seen this one at least 10 times. Always good.
Some Like it Hot – saw that when I was a child. Not sure if I’ve seen it since. When MM enters the screen you know right away what made her such a superstar.
The Grapes of Wrath – yes. And read the book. Book made a huge impression on young, impressionable me.
ET: The Extra-Terristrial – quite a few times. Just said to my husband the other day that we should get it on Film on Demand for young son – he’s got just the age (7) for it.
To Kill a Mockingbird – I’m actually not sure if I’ve ever actually seen this film? It seems very familiar, but I remember the book so clearly that it may stand in the way of remembering the film – if ever I saw it. See this trailer for the film. The art of making trailers has come a long way…
Time to add up the points. I’ve seen 20 of them. So that’s 20 points. And I own On the Waterfront (which I haven’t seen, silly in’it?), Citizen Kane, Schindler’s List & Lawrence of Arabia. That’s 4. 24 points in all.
Now, who should I tag? Hm. OK:
Onesentenceafteranother – H. is a sweet New Zealand girl whom I’ve met here. Now she goes back to NZ, so I’m hoping to keep the blog-contact by harassing her like this…
And Josh Ganz – he’s also down under, an economist who writes about that (economy…) and children and has recently published a book about the combination called Parentonomics. Read his funny post about being obsesses with Amazon’s ranking.
Dorthe må lide under, at hendes blog har nyhedens interesse for mig – jeg har kun lige opdaget den og er ret begejstret. Hvorfor skriver jeg nu det her på dansk? Jamen, det er jo fordi Dorte skriver på dansk…
Kæreste Néné – Det er nu altid dejligt at læse dig og din Blog, for du finder sådan nogle fine steder! Surfede hen til Dorthe – det er en blog, jeg vil vende tilbage til! By the I found the Edgar Lee Masters Anthology! It’s been uploaded in it’s entirety right here; http://www.bartleby.com/84/
Hurray for you – again!
Hurray for the net – again!
And I’ll be bound for bed with “Mudbound” – Haven’t heard about it, but I can’t wait to read it – must be the title!
Lot’s of love & Power to the peaceful!