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An introduction to Pretty Film Fanatic & a 33 film questions tag!

Hello. This is my first post on Pretty Film Fanatic. I’m not exactly new to blogging, but this is my first attempt at writing a film blog. I wanted to share the prettiest films I know. This is not only so that others may benefit from some recommendations but so that I have a visual collection of films I’ve watched. Creating this blog has made me absolutely euphoric and also ever so slightly nervous. With that said I thought I would do a quick film related ‘tag’ as my first post so, that you could learn some more about me, and get an inkling of what is to come. I came across this tag on: agreatmovieblog who in turn found it from thebookishunderdog. I have not been tagged, but I thought it would be great fun to do this! However, I am only going to do 33 questions to make the tag slightly shorter. 

1. How often do you watch a movie?

I try to watch films as often as possible. But lately, I have only been watching them on the weekends. I like watching films with company and I usually have someone to enjoy them with me on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon. 

2. What movie genre are you particularly fond of?

I really like period dramas, I really like weighing up historical accuracies and noticing interesting interpretations of the aesthetics of the time. I am also a fan of the social realism film, even though, I really love getting lost in films that are more fantastical than realist. 

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

The last film I watched and liked was probably a British crime thriller from 1962 called, Don’t Talk To Strange Men. A cautionary tale about a young woman who starts a relationship with a man in a phonebox and naively knows nothing about stranger danger. 

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

Probably...  2017′s Rings. The acting was really poor, and there was no plot difference to The Ring, except it incorporates more modern technology. I really liked the Japanese version of The Ring. But, these sequels are usually not very great. 

5. What is your fave movie of all time? 

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) A romantic, social realist, operetta. This film will feature on this blog within the next couple of weeks. 

6. Your fave guilty pleasure movie?

Every Christmas I rewatch Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 version of Little Women. I find it really gets me in the Christmas spirit. I’ve watched it every Christmas since I was 5. It is one of the first period dramas that I remember watching.

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

I have probably watched Devil’s Bride quite a few times, as it is on Netflix and I very almost presented a presentation on it for my English class which very much involved the portrayal and treatment of witches during the witch-hunt in europe.

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

Not really. I will if it is on at my local cinema and I am really excited about it. I prefer to buy the film later on, when the digital copy is cheaper than the cinema ticket.  

9. Do you use fandango or prebook movie tickets?

I’ve never really used fandango. I prebook movie tickets if I am really interested in seeing the film on the big screen. 

10. Movie House, Bluray or download?

Sometimes Netflix, usually I rent films in HD via Amazon Prime, and download DVD films using Cinematique. I like watching films on the channel TalkingPictures because they show some interesting films pre-1980. I was never particularly impressed with Bluray, but at the time of its popularity I did not have a Bluray player. I tend to find films to watch via MUBI and the search for the film begins from there. 

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

I go to the cinema to watch a movie perhaps once every 3 months. 

12. What are the movies that made you cry?

I do not really cry at films. But, films that elicited an emotional response from me were: The Color Purple (1985) directed by Stephen Spielberg. 

“Me and you, us never part. Makidada. Me and you, us we have one heart.” 

Honorable mentions: Nobody Knows (2004) directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, Lilya-4ever (2002) directed by Lukas Moodysson and Au Hasard Balthazar by Robert Bresson. 

13. Do you watch foreign films?

Yes. I am particularly fond of Korean thrillers, Japanese dramas, and French new wave. 

14. What are your favourite foreign films?

Anything from Jacques Demy’s ‘Romantic Triology’, I also really enjoyed Agnes Varda’s Vagabond (1985)  about the life of a girl wandering her way through French wine country. 

15. Who are your favourite directors?

I would not say I have a particular favourite director. I tend to judge individual films on their own merits rather than on the idea of the auteur. That being said I do enjoy the styles of Ozu and Wong Kar Wai. 

16. Are you particular with movie scores / soundtracks / music?

I do think a score of a film really brings the film together and can help separate the world of the film from real life. 

17. What movie soundtracks can be found in your ipod? 

I do not use an iPod anymore but you can catch me listening to Michel Legrand’s soundtrack for Umbrellas of Cherbourg on Apple Music. 

18. Have you ever watched a movie alone in the cinema?

I think I find watching movies with company far more comfortable than alone. It is always nice to share the experience with another, and have someone to talk about the film with afterwards. However, I once went to an industry day at the British Film Institute where at the end, they showed Four Weddings and A Funeral (1994) in order to showcase an example of cinema with a distinctly marketable British identity. I think my friend was running late to meet me. So, I stayed to watch it alone. Richard Curtis films are something I can take or leave though. 

19. Is there any movie that’s changed your perspective on life?

I would probably say Last Life In The Universe (2003) by Pen-ek Ratanaruang. The first time I watched it was significant to me, the 2nd time I watched it was a poignant time too. If it taught me anything, it is to be appreciative of people who connect with you in life.

20. Your favourite comic book movie?

Probably, Tekkonkinkreet (2006) in Japanese dub. I enjoyed the film despite differing art style from the manga, it was still nice visually. A good coming of age film about brotherhood. 

21. Do you read movie critic reviews before watching a film ?

Not really. I tend to take what critics say with a pinch of salt. Of course there is artistic merit in a film and that can be judged. But, generally... I’d rather decide for myself whether I enjoy a film without any influence from critic. 

22. Do you watch the movie before reading the book or vice versa ?

I’ve absolutely zero preference when it comes to this. Sometimes I may read a book that had a feel film adaptation and find extra details that were not included in the film. That is always fun.

23. Favourite Drama movie? 

The Day I Became Woman (2000) directed by Merzieh Meshkini. An Iranian film about the experiences of three different women in different stages of their womanhood and societal constraints put upon their identities. 

24. Favourite Western movie? 

 Meek’s Cut Off by Kelly Reichardt a film about a group of settlers been led down the Oregon desert, by a guide who might actually be lost. 

25. Favourite horror? 

The Tennant by Roman Polanski. 

26. Favourite Sci-Fi?

This is not really a film, but an episode of an anthology television series. Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone. But, particularly the episode Number 12, Looks Just Like You (1964

27. Favourite war movie?

I would probably have to say La Grande Illusion (1937) by Jean Renoir. A pacifist film about the futilities of war. The film concerns a small group of prisoners of war, who are of different nationalities as they attempt to escape from their imprisonment. The film celebrates the universal humanity that transcends national and racial boundaries and radical nationalism, and this in itself should prevent political division amongst humans. 

28. Your least favourite movie of all time?

I would have to say La Grande Bouffe (1973) It had a bit too much gluttony and bodily functions for my liking. I understand its satirising consumerism and bourgeois decadence... But, it made me feel squeamish. 

29. Ever made movie reviews?

I’m going to write some with this blog!

30. Favourite movie quote? 

“Give me the bat...”  - Jack Torrence from The Shining (1980) 

31. Favourite song in a musical? 

Moon River - Breakfast at Tiffanys (1961). Or, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Meet Me In St Louis (1944).

32. TV series, books, computer games or movies in order of interest?

Movies, T.V. series, books, and computer games. 

33. Lastly, if your life story was to be made into a movie, who would you like to portray you? Who should be directing it and what would be the title?

Any time someone asks me this question I never know the answer. I think I would like to be in some kind of technicolor playing some kind of beautiful, richly dressed high society girl. I’m not sure who I would want to portray me. I would want the plot to be as far from my life as possible though.

So, that is me. I’m so excited for what is to follow. I will be back soon with a review of a film. 

If you would like to do this tag go ahead. I’d love to see your answers if you do!