When Inspiration Doesn't Strike!!

You steal a meme!

What is your...?
1. Favorite movie:
The Shawshank Redemption. See here for why.

2. Favorite movie to come back to time and again:
The Shawshank Redemption.

3. Best movie that you never want to see again
As much as I loved Requiem for a Dream, it was intense and disturbing enough that I could probably never see it again and be perfectly OK with that.

4. Last great movie you saw in a theater
Iron Man. Indiana Jones didn't quite reach greatness for me.

5. Last great movie you saw on DVD
There Will Be Blood. Pretty sure. (Pretty sure it achieved greatness, not that I saw it). I would like to see it again (but given the number of hours left before I die in (hopefully) sixty years or so and movies I want to see, may not) to see how it plays now that I know the story is so thin.

How do you feel about...?
1. The ending of Iron Man:
Genius. No studio has ever tried what Marvel is trying here - a cohesive universe that ties together. The James Bond films, Muppet films, DC films, Spider-Man and X-Men films rarely if ever refer each other, and the big Star Wars and Lord of the Rings sets are really single epic stories. But multiple stories that will all tie together in an Avengers film? Wow.

2. Jason Segel taking control of the Muppets
I love Siegel on How I Met Your Mother but have yet to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the puppet Dracula musical within that purportedly convinced the Henson folks to give him a shot. So - cautiously optimistic.

3. Manohla Dargis' last editorial in the New York Times about women in film:
Did not read.

4. The MTV Movie Awards
Very, very unnecessary. Big-budget popcorn films don't get enough promotion?

5. Ellen Page as Jane Eyre
Doubtful, but hopeful that she can surprise all and pull it off. Winona Ryder started out as "quirky modern girl" after all, and has had much success in period pieces. After Heathers, I doubt I would have been any more doubtful that Ryder could do period than I am about Page.

"Who is your...?
1. Favorite Actor:
Morgan Freeman. He's risking becoming typecast, but dig deeper and you'll see more range than you might suspect.

2. Favorite Actress:
Julianne Moore.

3. Favorite Actor (deceased)
Jimmy Stewart. So smooth.

4. Favorite Actress (deceased)
Katherine Hepburn.

5. Favorite Director
Steven Spielberg. In popcorn or serious mode.

Which do you prefer...?
1. Sub-titles or dubbing
If I have a choice, subtitles, but dubbing doesn't bug me.

2. Kurt Russell or Bruce Campbell
Kurt Russell. I am pretty much (Spider-Man cameos aside) a Campbell virgin.

3. Buttered Popcorn or Salted Popcorn
Buttered. Because butter makes everything better.

4. Ambiguity or clarity
Usually clarity. Ambiguity can work, but it's much harder to pull off without being precious.

5. Characters or plot
In film, plot, since we get so little time with film characters. On TV, characters, since we spend so much time with them. Ideally, of course, both.

Until Whenever