Life, Love and the Movies blogathon

The Life, Love and the Movies blogathon started this past Monday and I’m happy to see how many bloggers have already joined in and gave their answers. Here is my own entry.

LIFE

1. What was the first movie you saw in the cinema and what do you remember about that visit?
The first movie I saw at the cinema was a Dutch movie named “Joep Meloen”. A movie which starred one of the most famous Dutch comedians, Andre van Duijn. The cinema I saw it at was named Centraal and I have actually looked into the past of it which started my “The Lost Cinemas of Rotterdam” series. I actually can not remember much of the experience except for it being very dark and one scene where the main character was sitting next to a beautiful blond woman.

2. Are there any movies you have very strong memories of which are not because of the movie (for example something which happened at the time you were watching it)?
There was a time when I headed to the cinema with a couple of friends. We were going to see White Chicks and we had already gone to our seats before the movie started. As we had to wait a bit me and a friend of mine decided to get out of the theater for a bit. When he stood up and started walking he lost his balance. He tried grabbing onto a chair in front of him, but instead of doing that he actually grabbed the head of the woman who was sitting there. Afterwards we laughed about it a lot and I can only imagine what the woman must have thought.

3. Which movies had a big impact on you and changed a (small) part of your view on life?
To me the goal of a movie is to engage the viewer and move them emotionally. I have not changed things in my life because of a specific movie, but there have been movies which opened my eyes to specific things, especially documentaries. Collapse is the first example, which makes you realise (if all true) that life will become a lot harder this century. The Act of Killing is another documentary which makes you realise that truth is whatever the winners decide it is.

4. Do you have any comfort movies which you return to because you are in a specific mood (for example if you are feeling down/nursing a heartbreak)?
Although I would not call them comfort movies, there are quite a lot of movies I just love revisiting. It is a very long list which is impossible to list here. Some examples are Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Kung Pow, Coming to America and Falling Down.

5. If a movie would be made about your life, what type of movie would it be and who would you like to portray you?
Although this may not be realistic I would love it if a movie involving time travel would be made about my life. It can have both comedic moments and drama, but like my life these do not have to be extreme. Since I am not always a man of many words I think the best actor to portray me would probably be Ryan Gosling.

6. Which existing movie best represents you?
This was the hardest question to answer as there is no movie which is a perfect fit. I’d go for Groundhog Day. Not that I would do the things that Bill Murray does, but more with the idea that at the end of the movie he tries to get the most out of the day.

7. If you knew you would die tomorrow, what would be the last movie you would want to see?
It has to be one of my top 3 movies. Black Swan might be a bit too dark as a last movie, although I love the final line in that movie “It was perfect”, so I have to go with my second favorite movie, Mr.Nobody, which looks at the life of Nemo Nobody and the consequences of his decisions. A perfect movie to me to enjoy one last time.

8. If you can spend your life working in the film industry, what would you be and why?
I’d probably rather work behind the scenes than in front of the camera. Although payed reviewer would probably be my dream job, if it has to be directly related to movie production I would probably want to work in editing. It is something nobody notices, but which can decide the whole feel of a movie.

LOVE

1. Did you ever have a first kiss with someone while at the cinema and if so which movie was playing?
No, I never went for that at the cinema. I did meet my first girlfriend when going to see The Bodyguard with some friends. I was sitting next to this girl (who was a friend of a friend) and was talking to her when we accidentally had our heads against each other. That short moment was enough reason for me to ask her out. It was my first love and it only lasted a couple of weeks.

2. What is your favorite movie relationship and why?
The first movie relationship which I thought of was that in When Harry Met Sally. I love how a strong friendship turns into a relationship. Another favorite relationship is that of Walter Mattau and Jack Lemmon’s characters in the Grumpy Old Men movies. Although they seem to hate each other they are friends who are there for each other no matter what.

3. When did your love for movies start and how has it grown?
I used to watch a lot of movies when I was teenager so it slowly grew. It was only when I started blogging about three or four years ago that I really became passionate about them.

4. If you have to choose one film to watch with your loved one, what would it be and why?
The Notebook probably would be the movie of choice, it has both romance and drama and also tells a story about the strength of love.

5. If you can choose one character from a movie to be your significant other who would it be and why?
Such a tough decision with so many great characters/beautiful women to choose from. I would probably go for Rosario Dawson‘s character in Clerks 2, because that character just seems like a lot of fun to hang out with.

6. What was the first movie that made you fall in in love with film and cinema?
I honestly have no answer to this question. The love slowly grew and there is no single movie which I can attribute that love to.

7. How did your passion for movies turn you into a movie blogger?
I used to watch a lot of movies and started doing single line reviews on Facebook. After a while I decided to write my thoughts down on a blog and thus My Filmviews was born. Initially only in Dutch, after about a month I think I also started the blog you are reading now.

8. What is your favorite date from a movie?
Although it probably technically isn’t a date (as they just happened to meet each other), my favorite has to be the night Jesse and Celine spend together in Vienna in Before Sunrise. It feels completely natural and something I just love rewatching endlessly.