Movie Memories

Play movie trivia, win some stuff

Summertime, and the feeling is movie trivia.  It's fun.  It's easy and, this summer, it's rewarding. 

In fact, the first person who e-mails me with all five correct answers to this month's trivia will win not one, but two Movie Memories collector coffee mugs stuffed with decadent popcorn and candy.

Second place picks up one Movie Memories mug filled with sticky candy and microwave popcorn.

So get busy, and e-mail your answers to MovieMemories@verizon.net.  If you're stumped and just want to learn the answers, also e-mail MovieMemories@verizon.net and I'll gladly send them to you.

'You must remember this.' -- Movie trivia --

1.  Complete this classic movie title.  "The Long, Hot ..."

a.  Dog

b.  Summer  

c.  Lindsay Lohan

2.  One more time.  "Suddenly, Last ..."

a.  One in is a rotten egg

b. Will and testament 

c.  Summer

3.  Thing you absolutely can't do in a movie theater:

a.  Text

b.  Tweet

c.  Go to an R-rated movie without someone bringing a child.

4.  Movie concession stand treat that's not what it sounds like: 

a.  Hot Tamales

b.  Cheese nachos

c.  Popcorn 

5.  Which is not a real movie title?

a.  "Drag Me to Hell"

b.  "Exit Through the Gift Shop"

c.  "Put a lid on it" 

For Trivia Answers, or to enter this month's trivia contest (See above), e-mail MovieMemories@verizon.net.

Upcoming Movie Memories presentations

(Have you booked one for your group yet?)

July 21:  An Enrichment Presentation at Richland College, Dallas. "'Casablanca' -- My Favorite Movie of All Time." 1:45 p.m.

Aug. 2:  Richland College Emeritus Program class No. 1. "If You Can't Say Something Nice -- My Career as a Film Critic" presentation.  10 a.m.

Aug. 9:  Richland College Emeritus Program class No. 2.  "Deadline Pressure ... What Deadline Pressure" presentation. 10 a.m. 

Sept. 13:  "'Casablanca' -- My Favorite Movie of All Time" presentation at Presbyterian Village North, Dallas.  6:30 p.m.

Nov. 16:  "'Casablanca' -- My Favorite Movie of All Time" presentation at Chambrel at Club Hill, Garland.  6:30 p.m.

Hey bud, wanna buy a 'Pirate' DVD?

Back in mid-November, fresh off a screening of the nostalgic British rock 'n' roll comedy "Pirate Radio," I got a little nostalgic myself. 

"Pirate Radio," blasting away at your neighborhood DVD store beginning April 13, rekindled my love for personality rock radio, which has now faded into oblivion, I'm afraid.

"I was a closet teen rocker back then.  Theater of the mind, that exciting collision of ballsy rock music, a talented DJ's audience manipulation and anticipation of a wild, free unknown, blew my mind night after night.  I didn't just want to listen to the audacious magic, either.  I wanted to be a part of it.  And I was, sort of," I wrote in my review.

"Pirate Radio," an audacious R-rated comedy of '60s music and sexcapades, is directed by able filmmaker Richard Curtis ("Love Actually"). 

If you love classic rock 'n' roll and, especially if you appreciate the exceptional acting talents of Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Capote"), Rhys Ifans ("Greenberg") and the great Bill Nighy (Viktor in the "Underworld" franchise), pick up a copy of "Pirate Radio."

And when you get it home, CRANK IT UP!

Click here for my full review. 

(Photo courtesy:  Focus Features)

A new 'Senior Voice' for movie news & views

I have some very good news to report this month.  Beginning with the May-June issue of The Senior Voice, which hits news racks May 1, look for my movie column titled Getting Reel. 

Since The Senior Voice is primarily aimed at those 50 and older, as is Movie Memories, the column's initial installment takes a look at May and June summer movies that might appeal to that age group.

Summer movies aren't all about 3-D glasses, special effects and boisterous teen-age movie-goers, as those who read my new column will discover.  So thanks to publisher Carol Butler and all the folks at The Senior Voice for adding Getting Reel.

"You must remember this." -- Movie trivia

Got a minute for a little movie trivia to sharpen the brain?  Answer all five of this month's trivia questions correctly and you'll earn the highly coveted Movie Memories 4-jalapeño salute.  (See answers below.) 

1.  When it comes to Hollywood blockbuster movie debuts, summer begins:

a.  May 30

b.  May 7

c.  Aug. 1

2.  Finish this movie title phrase:  "Summer of ...

a.  Miley Cyrus"

b.  the City"

c.  '42"

3.  Paul Newman played a barn burning con man in ...

a.  "Pee-wee's Big Adventure"

b.  "Cool Hand Luke"

c.  "The Long Hot Summer"

4.  Donna Summer appeared in the film ... 

a.  "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"

b.  "Thank God It's Friday"

c.  "God's Little Acre"  

5.  Philip Seymour Hoffman won his Academy Award for:

a.  "Charlie Wilson's War"

b.  "Doubt"

c.  "Capote" 

(Trivia Answers:  1-b, May 7/2-c, '42/3-c, "The Long Hot Summer"/4-b "Thank God It's Friday"/5-c, "Capote")

Upcoming presentations

June 16:  "'Casablanca' -- My Favorite Movie of All Time" presentation at The Forum at Park Lane, Dallas.  6:45 p.m.

July 21:  An Enrichment Presentation at Richland College, Dallas. "'Casablanca' -- My Favorite Movie of All Time." 1:45 p.m.

Aug. 2:  Richland College Emeritus Program class No. 1. "If You Can't Say Something Nice -- My Career as a Film Critic" presentation.  10 a.m.

Aug. 9:  Richland College Emeritus Program class No. 2.  "Deadline Pressure ... What Deadline Pressure" presentation. 10 a.m. 

Sept. 13:  "'Casablanca' -- My Favorite Movie of All Time" presentation at Presbyterian Village North, Dallas.  6:30 p.m.

Nov. 16:  "'Casablanca' -- My Favorite Movie of All Time" presentation at Chambrel at Club Hill, Garland.  6:30 p.m.

 

Has a movie ever changed your life?

"Elmer Gantry," the Oscar-winning, hard-hitting religious-drama changed mine in 1960.

(Courtesy:  MGM Home Entertainment)

I was thinking about "Elmer Gantry" and the effect one movie can have on a life the other day because Jean Simmons, who co-starred with Oscar-winner Burt Lancaster in the film, passed away at the age of 80.

I was on the cusp of becoming a teenager and beginning to think about what, if any, place I might have in this world when my older brother, three years my senior, got his driver's license in 1959.  We lived in Grand Prairie (TX), a sleepy underachieving gas stop between Dallas and Fort Worth where you could buy hamburgers seven for a dollar. 

There wasn't much for a kid like me to do on weekends except walk across the railroad tracks to town, or more specifically to the Uptown Theater for a Saturday afternoon at the movies.

The long, joyous afternoon typically began with cheesy MC Jerry Silver (the owner or manager) hopping on stage and pretending to swallow a lighted cigarette.  After a newsreel, cartoons and maybe a "Flash Gordon" serial short, there'd be a double-feature.  John Wayne was usually involved, as were "bad hombres" and/or "ingins."  (The Duke's words, not mine.)

That all changed when my older brother got the keys to the car.  Looking back, it was probably a minor rite of passage for him; freedom and an introduction to the world of unchaperoned dating, etc.

A trip to the nearby Chalk Hill Drive-in, however, changed my life in 1960.  For some reason I can't recall, my brother and a couple of his buddies actually let Little Larry tag along.  I remember my mother asking what was showing.  My brother replied something about a Disney movie.

It is very likely that a Disney movie was playing in theaters (including drive-ins) back then.  The Mouse House released "The Sign of Zorro" and "Swiss Family Robinson" that year, along with "Pollyanna."  I'm pretty sure my brother didn't say we were heading out to see "Pollyanna."

Mother would have snapped that something risky and bordering on dangerous emotional territory was up.  The trip would have been canceled before my brother could back our '57 Chevy out of our two-strip, cracked driveway.

But we didn't pull up to the Chalk Hill Drive-in speaker pole and face the screen playing a Disney movie.  This carload of semi-naughty boys were "getting away with something."  I was in the back seat; not a hostage nor a willing co-hort, but just a forgotten extra kid in the backseat.

We were there to see "Elmer Gantry." And it altered my life forever.

Set in the 1920s, "Elmer Gantry" starred Jean Simmons as an angelic-looking tent evangelist named Sister Sharon Falconer.  Her life changes drastically and unexpectedly (like mine) when a loud, but charismatic traveling salesman named Elmer Gantry shows up.  He's quick with a joke and even quicker to pull out his flask of whiskey.

Lancaster, nominated for Best Actor Academy Awards for "From Here to Eternity," "Birdman of Alcatraz" and "Atlantic City," won instead for this amazing, grandiose title-role performance.  Elmer takes a shine to the saintly evangelist and pulls out all the stops -- even joining her troupe of tent preachers -- to use his gift of salesmanship to, shall we say, win her over.

I'll never forget how Lancaster emphasized the name "Sister Sharon," lifting it to such heavenly heights in his sermons that she might have been one of the original disciples.  More often, though, Elmer stoked the hell fires of the crowd by charming them before Bible-thumping the fear of everlasting damnation into them:

"I have here in my pocket - and thank heaven you can't see them - lewd, dirty, obscene, and I'm ashamed to say this: French postcards. They were sold to me in front of your own innocent high school by a man with a black beard . . . a foreigner."

If my brother or anyone in the front seat with him had turned around, they would have seen a future film critic stunned by the brute power of effective, provocative drama as the projected colors of "Elmer Gantry" danced across my frozen face.

Academy Awards an ex-family affair this year

This year's Academy Award nominations were announced before the sun came up in Hollywood on Feb. 2, and things are a little more interesting than usual this year.

For the first time in Oscar history, the best picture and best director race looks like a domestic squabble that -- if multi-million-dollar movies (or a billion in one care) weren't involved -- might be settled in family court.

And it gets better.  "Avatar," directed by "Titanic" filmmaker (and Oscar winner) James Cameron, and "The Hurt Locker," helmed by Cameron's ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow, tied with nine Academy Award nominations each to lead this year's race for the golden statuettes.

Too bad Bette Davis isn't still alive to say, "Fasten your seat-belts, it's going to be a bumpy night."  Look for the awards on ABC on March 7.

"You must remember this." -- Trivia time!

How about a little fun?  Answer all five of our trivia questions correctly and you'll earn the highly coveted Movie Memories 4-jalapeño salute.  (See answers below.) 

1.  "My Bloody Valentine" was:

     a.  My Valentine's Day card after I pricked my finger on a rose thorn.

     b.  A 1981 slasher movie (later remade)

     c.  A holiday drink made with vodka and tomato juice

2.  On Valentine's Day it's traditional to send your sweetie . . .

     a.  Flowers

     b.  Chocolates

     c.  Packing

3.  The St. Valentine's Day Massacre happened in . . .

a.  Chicago

     b.  Hico, Texas on Memorial Day

c.  Walmart during a giant-reduction sale

4.   Most dangerous movie snack food:

     a.  3-year-old Milk Duds

     b.  Walnuts in the shell  (Think about it.)

     c.  Bananas Foster

5.   The movie Jean Simmons wasn't in:

     a. "Spartacus"

     b.  "Guys and Dolls"

     c.  "My Bloody Valentine"  

(Trivia Answers:  1-b, a 1981 slasher movie/2-a, flowers/3-a, Chicago/4-c Bananas Foster/5-c, "My Bloody Valentine")

Upcoming presentations

April 13:  "'Casablanca' -- My Favorite Movie of All Time" presentation at The Village at Frisco Lakes.  7 p.m. (Residents only)

June 9:  "'Casablanca' -- My Favorite Movie of All Time" presentation at The Forum at Park Lane, Dallas.  6:45 p.m.

July 21:  An Enrichment Presentation at Richland College, Dallas. "'Casablanca' -- My Favorite Movie of All Time." 1:45 p.m.

Aug. 2:  Richland College Emeritus Program class No. 1. "If You Can't Say Something Nice -- My Career as a Film Critic" presentation.  10 a.m.

Aug. 9:  Richland College Emeritus Program class No. 2.  "Deadline Pressure ... What Deadline Pressure" presentation. 10 a.m. 

A new year, an exciting new venture

Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in "Casablanca." (Courtesy:  Warner Bros.)

I've spent almost 30 years reviewing movies for major daily newspapers, NBC-TV nationwide and local San Antonio radio and TV stations and interviewing movie stars and filmmakers all over the U.S. and in several foreign countries.

It seems like a good idea at this point to me, my wife Suellen and friends Nancy Oppenheimer-Marks and Melinda Bond over at Home Instead Senior Care to share some of the memories, adventures and brushes with Hollywood's elite I've encountered over the years.

So, the New Year begins with an exciting new venture, which will coincide with my reviews, columns about life and commentary on this Web site.

Movie Memories with Larry Ratliff is a series of fun-filled presentations designed with the 50-plus crowd in mind, but suitable for any age group.

If you have a facility, a group of film lovers, or a business, organization or club in need of a speaker, look around on this page to see how a Movie Memories presentation can enlighten and entertain your group.

I'm partial to "Casablanca," as you'll see.  My hour and a-half presentation utilizes film clips and little known facts. We'll explore what I believe is one of the most interesting movies ever made.  Other presentations will follow.  See above and to the left. 

Call 972-599-2150 to check for availability and book your group's presentation.

Oh Christmas tree, why'd you do that to me?

I knew right away when we tried to put up our Christmas tree this year that there was going to be trouble.  Without going into too much detail, just know the stupid, #&^)$#@#@ stand was malfunctioning to a point that it could not be adjusted properly.

Suellen and I, bickering all the way (not laughing as the joyous season suggests), finally achieved something that appeared to be a semi-straight Christmas tree truce.

Long story short, after all the presents were unwrapped and a house full of relatives were bravely sharing the holiday with us, the Christmas tree, Suellen's most cherished decorating prize of 2009 or any year, decided to take a bow.

"The tree's falling," I said, too stunned to jump up from my lopsided, eroding, fairly new recliner (another story for another time).

Luckily my stepson Marc, who has the quick reflexes of a former star athlete, caught the tree, saving all the family heirloom ornaments and, quite possibly, my life.

That's my bad, Suellen.  In 2010, I promise we'll start the Christmas season off with a new tree stand that can handle your strict requirements; thick, full bottom and a nice shape above.  (I'm still talking tree here, folks.) 

"You must remember this." -- Movie trivia

Ready for a little movie-related fun?  Answer all five of our trivia questions correctly and you'll earn the Movie Memories 4-jalapeño salute, a high honor indeed.  (See answers below.) 

1.  At midnight on New Year's Eve we usually sing:

    a:  "Oh my aching head."

    b:  "Auld Lang Syne"

    c:  "I can't believe I stayed up this late."

2.  It's good luck on New Year's Day to:

    a:  Eat black-eyed peas

    b:  Eat Brussels sprouts

    c:  Listen to the Black Eyed Peas sing "Boom Boom Pow"

3.  In the 1972 movie "The Poseidon Adventure," what happens to the luxury liner as revelers ring in the  New Year?

    a:  The ship hits an iceberg.

    b:  The kitchen runs out of crab legs.

    c:  A giant wave turns the Poseidon upside down.

4.  Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr share a New Year's Eve kiss in "An Affair to Remember" (1957) and vow to meet six months later at:

    a:  A Black Eyed Peas concert

    b.  The top of the Empire State Building

    c:  Walgreens pharmacy window

5.  The most common New Year's Resolution is to:

    a:  Lose weight

    b:  Deal from the top of the deck this year

    c:  Never eat another black-eyed pea

(Trivia Answers:  1-b, "Auld Lang Syne"/2-a, Eat black-eyed peas/3-c, A giant wave turns the Poseidon upside down/4-b Top of the Empire State Building/5-a Lose weight)

Upcoming presentations

June 9:  "'Casablanca' -- My Favorite Movie of All Time" presentation at The Forum at Park Lane, Dallas.  6:45 p.m.

July 21:  An Enrichment Presentation at Richland College, Dallas. "'Casablanca' -- My Favorite Movie of All Time." 1:45 p.m.

Aug. 2:  Richland College Emeritus Program class No. 1. "If You Can't Say Something Nice -- My Career as a Film Critic" presentation.  10 a.m.

Aug. 9:  Richland College Emeritus Program class No. 2.  "Deadline Pressure ... What Deadline Pressure" presentation. 10 a.m.