Hotseat! Grill a MoFo: mark f

Hey, Mark,

If you had to pick movies that most resemble the stages of your life, which would they be?

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If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise.

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For 7th:

I'm fine and I hope you and yours are likewise.

What are your favorite movies by decade? - Only one per decade please.

Uh oh. You're going to find me out now.

1900s - A Trip to the Moon
1910s - The Birth of a Nation
1920s - Metropolis
1930s - Pygmalion
1940s - Casablanca
1950s - Alice in Wonderland (Disney)
1960s - Elmer Gantry
1970s - Jaws
1980s - Raiders of the Lost Ark
1990s - Schindler's List
2000s - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

I have good backups for each decade, but mum's the word for now.

Have you ever been skydiving?

No, but Brenda went skydiving before I met her. She jumped three times and was exhilarated each time.

Do you like Flash Gordon ~ 1980?

You want an honest answer, correct? I've probably seen it three times, and it seemed a little better each time, so maybe I'm just about getting to the "like" zone. It's been a long time though, so maybe I should take the plunge and show it to Sarah.

Have you ever streaked in a public place?

I'm probably all over YouTube... But seriously, nothing as public as the Oscars. My main claim to fame in streaking was trying to race out in the buff to get the morning weekend paper. (This was a weekly occurrence, and it was after I was married.) I usually tried to scope out the neighborhood before I ran out the 40 feet or so, but since I lived near a corner, you could never be sure. All I'll say is that I've never been arrested for indecent exposure.

Name a vegetable that you will never eat and why?

I can't think of one which I haven't eaten that I wouldn't try. Then again, since I've eaten beets, you can have any channeled in my direction. I don't know what it is, but I think the main thing is I loathe the taste of them the way you usually get them. Maybe if they were prepared some other way from fresh ones, I'd give 'em another shot. Aside from that, I think I've lost my phobia of vegies, unless you want to remind me of a scary one I've forgotten.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

Hi LM, this is for you.

According to your profile you once worked as an Air Traffic Controller. Do you have any horror stories from that period?

Aside from my earlier comments, there is a certain amount of truth to the cliché about ATC that 98% of it is boredom and 2% of it is sheer terror. You can often work combined sectors and have no problems whatsoever. The reason is that planes only fly at certain times of the day, no matter where the ATC is. On the other hand, there are so many things which can go wrong. Miscommunication, loss of communication, plane malfunction, radar malfunction, sudden "pop-ups" of unknown VFR aircraft, transcription of numbers and/or letters either in the computer or by hand. I also worked the oceanic sectors where you could not see anyone because there is no radar in the ocean. Often when an aircraft went NORDO (no radio) in the middle of the South Pacific, you and everybody else would go crazy for hours until we tracked it down safe on some tarmac (or dirt field) in the middle of nowhere.

Does your family have a motto, and if not what do you think would be most fitting?

We don't really have a motto, but we do quote lots of movie dialogue which could be construed to be one. Right now, we are living in a home a little too small for us, so I believe our current motto is "You're gonna need a bigger boat."

If you could go back in time and pass on one piece of advice to your 18 year old self, what would it be?

"Hey mark, go over to some movie studios and try to get a job before you do anything in college because you are never going to be a doctor." Or, for that matter, even better is, "Apply to a college with an entry level film program which will give you lots of exposure to film and filmmaking."

If you could pick any one person to receive a lifetime achievement Oscar, who would it be and why?

Well, since they did sneak one over to Cary Grant in 1970, I guess I'd have to say either Richard Burton or Peter O'Toole. Since Sir Richard's dead, I guess that leaves Sir Peter. From what I understand, O'Toole was offered one, but he said he wanted to win a legit one first, and based on his performance last year in Venus, I'm a little surprised he didn't. The Why? How about I just list the movies he WAS nominated for and lost: Lawrence of Arabia, Becket, The Lion in Winter, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, The Ruling Class, The Stunt Man, My Favorite Year, Venus. With the exception of Mr. Chips, I'd say they were all Oscar-caliber.

Considering that in a little over three billion years the Milky Way will collide with the Andromeda galaxy and our solar system will most likely be destroyed as a result, do you prefer your potatoes mashed, baked or roasted?

Unlike the beets mentioned earlier, potatoes may tie with lettuce and corn as my fave vegie. I'm not trying to cop out here, but one of my favorite taters is Twice-Baked, so in that way, I can utilize all three types. I can bake the potato. Then once it's done, I can open it, dig out the insides, mix it together with goodies, mash it up and stuff it back into the potato skin. Then, I can "bake" it again, even though it's quite a bit like roasting it too, in that I'm trying to brown them.

I saw this one, but now I have to break my life into stages, so I'll get back to you.

Wow, now i feel i know you a little better Mark

You said you cared for your parents, what illnesses did they have?

Have you any siblings?

Who is your favourite Australian actor?

Do you like to Dance?

Are you a green voter?

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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha

Haha! Great answers, Mark. Although Peter O'Toole did already get a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2003, so I'm going to have to ask you to pick again there. Oh, and that potato recipe sounds wonderful. I suggest your try mashed potato pan-fried with diced peppers, onions, anything else you fancy and served with a tin of baked beans. I think you'd get a kick out of it.

Ok, just a few more if you would. It's rare I take this much pleasure in reading something I haven't written.

What do you think is the most significant scientific advancement of your lifetime?

In my experience everyone has at least one totally irrational prejudice, what's yours?

If you could choose one movie from the past century to be remade with modern special effects, an unlimited budget and any actors and production team you wished, which one would it be and who would you like to be involved?

Which words do you feel you overuse in day-to-day conversation?

Which Jimmy Stewart movie do you identify closest with, It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington or Rear Window?

And finally...

If you had to eat any one Hollywood star to survive, who would it be and why?

Man, this thread is less like a fiery grill, more like a tanning salon.

Questions, questions.

Mark, do you consider yourself a sentimental sort? Are there any movies that you feel are too sappy or cloying but like anyway (what's more, because of the sappyness!)?

You keep calling yourself old. What's the oldest you've ever felt? What's the youngest you've felt (since you started feeling old)? I'm thinking here about specific situations/occurences that caused you to feel old/young.

Any times in your life that you stopped liking movies/needed an extended break from watching movies?

Have you ever dreamed of a movie that doesn't in fact exist? If so, what was the movie?

For nebbit:

You said you cared for your parents, what illnesses did they have?

My pop had emphysema and then he had a heart attack about a month after he retired. Later on, he had open heart surgery. My mom was exhibiting early signs of Alzheimer's which progressively worsened. The thing was that Alzheimer's wasn't really discussed as an illness at the time.

Have you any siblings?

Discussing my family tree is a dicey situation. I'm related to all the people I grew up knowing as my mom, dad, brothers and sisters, but only after my parents died, did I find out that they were really something else and that my "real" mother, who I thought was my sister, had dated Don Drysdale and was my mom. That story is too much of a soap opera to go into, but I guess I can say that she has talked to me once on the phone since I was two, and that was to tell me that she'd had amnesia for 30 years. She hung up on me when I was dumbfounded into silence. So, yeah, I have brothers and sisters, although some of them are father and son and some are my mom. Rest assured, no incest was involved. At least, I haven't heard that one yet. And Don Drysdale...that's only a rumor, even if the time frame works and he did date my "mom". I have no idea who my biological father is. Sorry, but I couldn't possibly make this BS up.

Who is your favourite Australian actor?

I have a soft spot for Jack Thompson. He may not have been spectacular in a lot of spectacular movies, but he was always solid in solid movies. Plus, he's the Man From Snowy River.

Do you like to Dance?

My wife is a little upset that I don't dance too much. We've square danced and done a few waltzes, but she likes to dance more than I do. Probably the most memorable dance I did was at a Spanish restaurant where I was called up to dance with the flamenco dancers. Well, I didn't have on a belt or suspenders, so when I gyrated too much, my pants would start to fall down. Plus, I was ad-libbing a pogo onto my flamenco, so I was a head-bobbing, pants-dropping fool. Needless to say, the crowd loved me.

Are you a green voter?

I did vote for Ralph Nader the last two Presidential elections, mainly because I wanted to support a candidate who was alternative to our Two-Party System. I didn't feel I threw my vote away, and since Cali supported the Dem nominee both elections, I don't feel guilty for electing Bush. I have voted for other Green nominees, especially when I have no strong feelings for the major party's candidates, but I'm not a rabid, foam-at-the-mouth supporter of any party. I like to vote each election and each office independently.

Elementary School: The Sandlot
Junior High: The Warriors (1979)
High School: Rebel Without a Cause
College: The Paper Chase
Post-College: The Chicken Chronicles
Air Traffic Control: Stop Making Sense
Early Married Life: Lost in America
Early Sarah: Parenthood
Early Teaching: Blackboard Jungle
Later Sarah/Teaching: As Good As It Gets
The Future: Whose Life Is It Anyway?

Haha! Great answers, Mark. Although Peter O'Toole did already get a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2003, so I'm going to have to ask you to pick again there.

You were supposed to stay hush hush about that one! OK, I'll go with Claude Chabrol, but mostly for his earlier films, such as Le Boucher, This Man Must Die! and La Femme infidèle. He's my second fave French New Wave director and he's still breathing, so they better get quick and slip it to him.

What do you think is the most significant scientific advancement of your lifetime?

I'd probably have to defer to medicine here. I don't know if I can get too specific, but the combo of transplants, artificial organs, skin grafts, artificial insemination, vaccines, etc., has probably improved more lives than all the TVs, computers and cell phones combined. Then again, this is a tough question, so I'll try to get more specific in the near future.

In my experience everyone has at least one totally irrational prejudice, what's yours?

This is funny, based on my last answer. I don't own a cell phone. I would only want one maybe two/three times a week, and I'm willing to do with the inconvenience to keep myself from being bombarded by unwanted calls, although in my case, maybe I wouldn't get any unwanted calls. I just don't like being a slave to the phone, and I often don't answer it in the classroom just to prove to my students that I am in charge of the phone instead of the other way around, which is what they believe. Also, I prefer to take my photos with a real camera, thank you.

If you could choose one movie from the past century to be remade with modern special effects, an unlimited budget and any actors and production team you wished, which one would it be and who would you like to be involved?

This is a tough one, and I may be off-base on this one, but I enjoyed H.G. Wells' Things To Come. I realize that much of the plot and timeline are dated, but it could be updated, while still paying homage to the novel and earlier movie, and it would have some truly inspiring and awesome visuals if it could be done as both a movie-movie and a lively warning of Things to Come. My first inclination, as a fanboy, is to trust it to Spielberg, but I believe that both Chris Nolan and Darren Aranofsky could tackle it; at least if they did it without being too humorless. A major part of Wells' charm is his wit.

Which words do you feel you overuse in day-to-day conversation?

This will give me extra ******* points, but I use many of the common ones: plebian, Scythian, mongolian, utilitarian, forte (pronounced fort), torte (ha). Anyway, I probably use the words "beer" and "are you done yet?" more than all others on a daily basis. Told you I was a dick. (that one too!)

Which Jimmy Stewart movie do you identify closest with, It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington or Rear Window?

I identify with all of them, but probably Rear Window the most because I'm naturally suspicious, and I'd like to cop sexy kisses from Grace Kelly every chance I could. My students are shocked how easily I understand them, but as Steve Martin says in Grand Canyon, "All of life's riddles are answered in the movies."

And finally...
If you had to eat any one Hollywood star to survive, who would it be and why?

Well, Orson Welles is long gone. I'd normally vote for someone large enough to help me survive longer, but I'm already large enough to survive for a long time, so how about I go with this guy: The Evil Cornhead at the end of Mr. Incredible and Pals. Unfortunately, I can't find a photo, but he's this Big Ear of corn with a mouth, and his main line is, "I'll get you, Mr. Incredible!!"

I was a nurse so i understand about these things, you are a good son


Hey we all have our cross to bare in life My sister married my X from the sound of things your grandparents did a good job as your parents


I am a big fan of his also he used to live next to my girlfriends mum.

For linespalsy:

Mark, do you consider yourself a sentimental sort? Are there any movies that you feel are too sappy or cloying but like anyway (what's more, because of the sappyness!)?

That's a trick question. I might find them honestly emotional and not "sappy", but you might think they were cornball before you could even undesrtand what they were. The Young in Heart is easily one of my faves, and you may very well think it reeks with sap, but I will always love it and believe that the world would be a better place if all people agreed with me. The same would go for the final 15 minutes of Frank Capra's Lady For a Day. If you don't honestly bawl your life away at the end of that movie, I almost fear for your humanity. But that's for the average person, and I understand that there are many here who are not average. But you're still human, I bet!

You keep calling yourself old. What's the oldest you've ever felt? What's the youngest you've felt (since you started feeling old)? I'm thinking here about specific situations/occurences that caused you to feel old/young.

Maybe I should stop that now. Besides, this forum has more "mature" people than any one I've posted at. I was mostly posting the old fart crap to get across that, yes, I'm not young, but I do surround myself with the young, so if you don't know any better, maybe you should cut us old gals/guys (in general) some slack. I'm going to try to cool that. Maybe I'll mutate to Muscleman Flanders, but I wouldn't count on it. I feel about 30, unless I have to drag my body onto the basketball or racquetball courts which were my homes when I was actually 30, so physically, I am older than 30. Mentally, I feel much younger than 30, even if my daughter is reteaching me things from high school, even if I stomp her butt in "Jeopardy!"!

Any times in your life that you stopped liking movies/needed an extended break from watching movies?

That's a big no, and if anybody on here thinks they need that, I just recommend you change your viewing habits. Maybe it would be good to switch to classics or foreign flicks or indies or B&W or horror. But, don't give up on all of life's riddles! Just check out all the options, all the languages, etc. You could be in for the greatest shock in your life when you say you hate B&W foreign movies and watch the one which totally clicks.

Have you ever dreamed of a movie that doesn't in fact exist? If so, what was the movie?

I'm wondering here. Can everybody try to answer this question? I've dreamed things which I believe are cinematic and haven't been filmed yet, but there are only so many chase scenes you can recreate from Romper Stomper. I am going to think and/or dream up a better answer ASAP!

Great answers, Mark.

If your life was a movie, what songs would you have on your soundtrack?

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List 10 songs that should play during your funeral (bit dark maybe, but its a tricky question, because the songs have to say something about you, but also should be appropriate)

Youre born in 1956, so maybe a tipical post-war kid. Did WOII have any part in your life (for instance, my mum was born in 1950, and they still had to have coupons for food etc.) Even though you live in the US.. Family in war maybe..?

Favorite theme park (if you like those parks)

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I Amsterdam

And do check my "art": Deviant

Hope you don't mind if I ask a few questions...


1) If you could change one feature on your face, what would it be?

2) Did you ever talk to the monster in your closet when you were younger?

3) If you could follow one celebrity around for a month, who would it be?

4) Do you march to your own drums or someone else’s?

5) Do you like The Beatles? And if so, what is your favorite song?

6) Who do you admire more than anyone else? And why?

7) Buried or cremated?

8) If you could go back in time and witness one historical event, what would it be?

EDIT: Misused word.... Thanks Holden...

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"With God on Our Side" by Bob Dylan
"We Can Work It Out" by the Beatles
"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding
"You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones
"Purple Haze" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience
"Down on the Corner" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Mother of Pearl" by Roxy Music
"Ex Lion Tamer" by Wire
"Teenage Kicks" by the Undertones
"Crawling From the Wreckage" by Dave Edmunds
"I Will Dare" by the Replacements
"How Soon is Now?" by the Smiths
"Golden Blunders" by the Posies
"Bachelorette" by Björk
"How to Disappear Completely" by Radiohead
"This is Love" by PJ Harvey
"Dear Old Greenland" by Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire

List 10 songs that should play during your funeral (bit dark maybe, but its a tricky question, because the songs have to say something about you, but also should be appropriate)

I like this question, but I want to be sure not to repeat any songs from the other lists in here. So let me get back to that one. but one of them would be "Turkish Song of the Damned" by the Pogues.

You're born in 1956, so maybe a typical post-war kid. Did WWII have any part in your life (for instance, my mum was born in 1950, and they still had to have coupons for food etc.) Even though you live in the US.. Family in war maybe..?

My parents were obviously influenced by the war, but I wasn't affected too much by WWII. However, I was a child of the Cold War. Duck and Cover drills and the Bomb certainly can get to you, even as a little kid. I always wondered what good ducking under your desk and covering your head would do, even if it was a regular bombing attack. I mean, for an earthquake, I guess it could work, depending on how much of the ceiling/roof fell on top of you. The war that had the most impact on me was the Viet Nam War since I registered for the draft. My number was picked in the final draft the U.S. had. They picked numbers 1-366, based on your birth date. I was in the mid-200s, which meant that I wouldn't get drafted unless there was a major escalation, but since the draft ended, that made it moot.

Favorite theme park (if you like those parks)

Growing up, I enjoyed Disneyland because it seemed really futuristic. I liked Tomorrowland the best. Then, after we had our daughter, we'd take her and she loved it too. I'm pretty well past amusement parks now, but if we happened to be near a rollercoaster, I'd go for it.

Haha i just saw i typed WOII, but that's because the dutch name is 'Tweede Wereld Oorlog/ 2e Wereld Oorlog.' Nice correction .

What was your opninion on the Vietnam War?
Are you against the current war, or would you enlist if you were younger?
Who's your favorite historical hero?

If you could change one feature on your face, what would it be?

Wow. I can only pick one? I've got a lot of scars on my forehead and near my eyes, but I guess those might give me character. I've got Floppy Eyelid Syndrome, which I've already had corrected by surgery, but it appears the left eye may want to get worse again. I kinda have an uneven row of bottom teeth. I mean, it's nothing disgusting, but it keeps me from smiling as often as I should. So, of those, I guess I'll choose the teeth. Do you have a magic wand?

Did you ever talk to the monster in your closet when you were younger?

I usually just went into the closet and hung out with the monster because he was actually cool. Of course, this was only after years of running into my parents' bedroom to sleep with them. The Monster was convenient though because once everybody liked him, we all could play Pinochle or Bridge.

If you could follow one celebrity around for a month, who would it be?

So, I'm not sure if I'm a stalker, a dog, a photographer, or a fan with carte blanche, plus most of the people I'm the biggest fans of are dead, so let's see... It would probably still be fun to hang with Jack Nicholson. We'd go to some Laker games, and I'm sure he'd have a ton of stories and memorabilia to share. If I wasn't married, I could probably force myself to be with Monica Bellucci for at least a month.

Do you march to your own drums or someone else’s?

I definitely am my own drummer. I'm not sure if I march to the beat as much as I used to because I seem to have more and more responsibilities as time goes by. But those are all friend- and family-related, so I won't march to any employer's drum beat. That's already hindered my "career" a few times. Luckily for my family, it has all turned out well so far.

Do you like The Beatles? And if so, what is your favorite song?

I grew up with the Beatles. I was lucky enough to watch them on Ed Sullivan. (My dad said, "They paid those kids to scream like that!") I heard them on my little transistor radio, and I'd go the store a half block away and buy all their singles and albums as they came out. (It helped that most of my friends loved them as much as I did.) "Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out" was the first 45 I ever personally bought, and Rubber Soul was the first album. The Beatles may very well have influenced my life more than any other people, at least of those who lived when I was alive.

My favorite songs of theirs would be all of 'em! But, I usually pick two when asked to answer this type of question: "Happiness is a Warm Gun" and "You Never Give Me Your Money".

Who do you admire more than anyone else? And why?

See the above. I think that their total influence on what was happening in the '60s can never be overestimated. They were at the forefront of politics, fashion, the ant-war movement, artistic creativity, and of course, music.

However, I do admire both my current Mom and Pop (Brenda's parents), and they have worked their whole lives and helped support numerous children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. You could say that were the opposite of the Beatles in that they're conservative and still find many things which I love to be somewhat strange. But I couldn't as for any better in-laws or grandparents to Sarah.

Buried or cremated?

Cremated, and preferably with no ceremony. I'd like my loved ones to get together and remember the good times, but I don't want any ceremonies or some "monument" (headstone) to make Sarah feel guilty about not "visiting me', even if she actually likes cemeteries. What can I say? She loves Harold and Maude.

If you could go back in time and witness one historical event, what would it be?

I think I'd like to be hiding on the Grassy Knoll in Dallas on November 22, 1963 as JFK proceeded through Dealey Plaza. I just hope that I don't turn out to be a patsy.

Cornhead? Bah, way to duck the spirit of the question. I guess getting people to contemplate celebrity cannibalism is harder than I thought. Great choice in Things to Come though, I love that movie (and the book) if only because optimistic visions of the future are so thin on the ground.

A few more, if you can bear it. You're holding up so well it'd feel like surrender to stop.

As a teacher, which annoys you more? A kid with potential but a bad attitude, or one who takes pride in their ignorance?

As a third-party voter, do you feel the status quo is unsatisfactory in American politics? If you could change one thing for the better, what would it be and why?

On a related point; which do you think is more important for a government to guarantee, personal privacy or national security?

Who do you think was closer to a true understanding of the human mind, B. F. Skinner or Sigmund Freud?

Who's your favourite screen villain, and who's your least-favourite screen hero?

In your opinion, what's the most lazy, hackneyed, overused and irritating cliche in film-making?

Is there any actor you could body-double for?