Here are a few questions to warm the cockles and keep us frosty. You know, in January the fury begins anew.
1. Titanic was tops at the box office for an unbelievable 17 15 weeks. By this time it had made upwards of $500 million. What film finally dethroned it?
2. This director won four out of the five Oscars he was nominated for.
3. This film was nominated for five Oscars but didn’t win a single one, and wasn’t nominated for screenplay. Even still, there probably isn’t another that holds such a permanent place in the lives of Americans. The film that won Best Picture that year was probably better but people don’t watch it as often. Name both films and the year.
4. We say that the Academy often rewards films with strong leading male performances. That may be true but only two of the eight decades that Oscar has been around has the Oscar matched Best Actor and Picture 50% of the time (5/10). What were the two decades? Extra credit (but tedious) what were the films and who were the actors?
5. Of the films that won Best Picture without any acting nominations, most of them had one interesting thing in common. What was it?
6. Although Meryl Streep’s career has been steady, and it feels like we are in a Streep era right now, but what decade would best be defined as the “Streep era” and why?
7. Eight actor-turned-directors have been nominated for both acting and directing for the same film. No one has ever won both. But who won Best Actor but not director?
8. How many times did Katharine Hepburn, who holds the record for most Best Actress wins (4), appear at the Academy Awards?
9. Identify the following three Oscar winners who said in their acceptance speeches:
a. “A dream like this seems very ludicrous or unattainable but this moment is directly connected to those childhood imaginings, for anybody who’s on the downside of advantage and relying purely on courage, it’s possible.”
b. “Well I guess this proves that there are as many nuts in the Academy as anywhere else.”
c. “I don’t believe there is anything such thing as accidents. I think that we all manifest what we want and what we need. I don’t think there’s any difference, really, between what you feel you have to do in your heart, and success. They’re inseparable.”
Good luck!