MOVIE QUIZ
This week’s new movie releases bring us life stories of poets (“Emily”), bigscreen spin-offs of small-screen series (“Luther: The Fallen Sun”), titles named after floor coverings (“Linoleum”) and thrillers about drugged-out wild animals on a rampage (“Cocaine Bear”).
So, let’s go with that motley assortment of themes for this week’s quiz. All of the questions below have to do with films about either poets, TV show adaptations, ones with the word “floor” in the title or ... whatever “Cocaine Bear” is.
1. Jeff Bridges played a children’s book author and artist (but not a poet) in 2004’s “The Door in the Floor,” based on one portion of John Irving ’s novel, “A Widow for One Year.” What Oscar-winning actress played his estranged wife?
2. “Cujo” is one of the ultimate crazed animal feature films, but its director, Lewis Teague, had previous experience with killer critters. Three years before its release, in 1980, he directed what underrated B-movie horror flick featuring a growth hormone-enhanced title character written by Schenectady’s own John Sayles?
3. Which Tv-turned-movie franchise has had the most theatrical installments: “Jackass,” “Sex and the City,” the original “Star Trek” or “Star Trek: The Next Generation”?
4. Julian Sands, who went missing last month during a California hiking trip, starred in 1986’s “Gothic” as English Romantic poet Percy Shelley. What Irish actor co-starred as Shelley contemporary, Lord Byron?
5. 1974’s “Phase IV,” about rapidly evolving ants taking over the world, is the only feature film directed by Saul Bass. What is Bass best known for?
6. The 1999 flop “The Thirteenth Floor” features a virtual reality simulation of 1937, as well as one of 2024. Another movie, that also came out in ‘99 and dealt with virtual worlds, was much more successful, ultimately spawning three sequels. Name it.
7. Beat poet icon Allen Ginsberg has been portrayed several times on film. Match the actor (letters) with the film (numbers):
A. David Cross; B. James Franco; C. Ron Livingston; D. Daniel Radcliffe;
I. “Beat”; II. “Howl”; III. “I’m Not There”; IV: “Kill Your Darlings”
8. The six-episode “Police Squad!” TV series famously transformed into “The Naked Gun” film franchise on the big screen. True or false: Leslie Nielsen was
The six-episode 1982 TV comedy “Police Squad!” had more success once it transferred to the big screen and changed its name to “The Naked Gun.” The Leslie Nielsen-led film franchise spanned three features and earned a combined $477 million. Unfortunately for Peter Lupus, left, and Alan North, right, they didn't make the move.
the only cast member to appear in both.
9. Janet Jackson played a hair salon worker and poet in 1993’s “Poetic Justice” who takes a road trip with postal worker Tupac Shakur, his coworker Joe Torry and her friend, played by what future Oscar winner?
10. This 2018 film based on a computer
game teamed up an albino gorilla — growing to an enormous size due to a gene mutation experiment — with one of the biggest movie stars in the world, both trying to hunt down a crocodile and a wolf in the same condition. Name it.