Thanks to chewyreviews.wordpress.com for the nomination, who will also answer the same 11 questions I have answered. Before I get started, I would like to nominate a few reviewers for the award:

Coops Movie Zone (http://coopsmoviezone.wordpress.com/)

Better Than IMDB (http://betterthanimbd.wordpress.com/)

Lendore’s Movie Blog (http://thelendoremovieblog.wordpress.com/)

The rules of the Liebster award are the following:

1. The bloggers who have been nominated must link back to the person who nominated them.
2. Nominees must answer the eleven questions given to them by the person who nominated them.
3. Those nominated must choose eleven of their favorite bloggers who have less than 200 followers to answer their own set of questions When you are nominated, you cannot nominate the person who nominated you

Without further adieu, let me answer these questions posed by Chewy:

1. Favorite TV/movie heroine? This is interesting. I don’t watch a ton of TV shows, but I am a huge aficionado of The Office, so I am going with good ol’ Pam Beesley-Halpert. Not a true heroine, but certainly had her moments, especially in the earlier seasons. I’ll keep my favorite movie heroines current in Black Widow from Captain America 2, Hit-Girl from the Kick-Ass movies, and Rita from the “underseen” Edge of Tomorrow.

2. Name one movie you thought you wouldn’t like that you did? One that comes off the top of my head is 1975’s The Stepford Wives. It has been a minute since I have seen this, and I need to rewatch again, but I remember as a teen watching with my family as my mom recommended we all watch it. Thought it would be a bore but it is very suspenseful and quite funny!

3. Name one movie you thought you were going to like but you didn’t? Gotta go with Gladiator here. This probably deserves another watch, and I won’t deny that it looks pretty good and feels like ancient Rome. Even with an awesome performance by Phoenix, I couldn’t bring myself to care about anyone in this. Sadly, even the action and renowned score were pretty “meh.” After an hour, I was waiting for this to end.

4. What’s your opinion on the recent trend of films-turned-TV-shows (ie- Parenthood, About a Boy, and Bad Teacher)? Aside from Parenthood, which I’ve seen some of, and which my mom and sister love, I feel that the trend is incredibly lazy. Seems like maybe TV is going through an original premise drought.

5. What’s your favorite and least favorite genre? I’d say well-crafted Science Fiction films have a special place in my heart. When it all comes together with the visuals and social commentary not many in other genres can top in my opinion. Least favorite is probably a tie between Romance and Horror. Both can be really cliched at times, and tons of horror nowadays appears to rely on gross out gore rather than general scares, which I would be OK with if I were a gore hound. Still, pay attention in the coming months. I wager you’ll see more horror here.

6. Name something that is technically “bad” within pop culture (like a poorly reviewed film or a short-lived TV show) that you love– like a guilty pleasure you’d defend no matter what. Not sure how guilty liking a roughly 2.3 billion franchise is, but the Fast & Furious films are in some ways like the Transformers films. The first three weren’t great, but the latter three are really entertaining and when I want over the top stunts and action with semi-interesting characters, I find myself watching them. Deep? No. Lot of fun? Yes.

7. Name an actor or actress you can’t stand even if you have no good reason for disliking them. Jaden Smith. Enough said. Still here? Let’s leave it to Dirk Nowitzki to carry us to the next question:

8. Name a cancelled TV show you’d bring back OR a movie that you think should be remade. Easy. Playmakers.

 playmakers

Somewhat like Any Given Sunday in TV form, this show didn’t so much look at the football aspects of a football team but rather who made up the team. It was received well critically, but came at a time in which ESPN desperately wanted to expand football broadcasting rights from the NFL. Playmakers was based on a fictional professional team, but it was easy to see the similarities to the NFL (often negative in nature), and the only way the NFL would allow ESPN to carry more high profile games (Monday Night Football) is if they cancelled production on the show. Only lasting 11 episodes yet featuring many engaging storylines and complex characters, it ended way too soon.

I would have loved to see this picked up by HBO or Showtime.

9. Favorite era or decade within film or pop culture at large? The 90’s were pretty solid as a kid, but I am a firm believer in that there is no time like the present, both in cinema and current pop culture. Do things sometimes move too fast? Of course, but in a way, that is sort of an appeal. You’ve always got to be on your toes. What is hot today is cold tomorrow.

10. What random or obscure pop culture thing would you love there to be a convention for or which would you want to attend, if there already exists a convention for it? It isn’t huge or permeating pop culture, but I would love for there to be Slamball courts across the nation like there are basketball courts. It looks like an awesome time. If there were random conventions a few times a year where the public could play, I would totally try to go.

slamball

11. What specific film technique or narrative trope drives you crazy when you see it? I like when different hues and filters are used in film, but only when they add to the experience or are central in a plot differentiation, character differentiation, etc. Too often there are films that use different filters or colors only because it looks cool, with there being no justifiable reason in doing so.

Thanks for reading people. You can follow the Movie Man @MovieManJackson. Until next time…