Insert-ing Movies Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Charge of the Light Brigade

Having a brigade of lighting engineers charging their lamps to make sure your home is as illuminated as possible might not make for the most exciting movie. However, the title borrowed from the Tennyson poem of 1854 about the battle of Balaclava in the Crimean war, has been used for a number of movies about the conflict.

A 1912 silent version directed by J. Searle Dawley was a dramatic representation of the events in the poem, the ill-judged command given to the Light Cavalry Brigade that saw them charge at a heavily fortified lines of Russian cannons, leading to very heavy casualties. In 1936, Michael Curtiz directed a version as a romantic adventure movie.

A third, very different take, came in 1968 with Tony Richardson's anti-war satire. The movie focuses on the incompetence and arrogance of the British military leadership, leading to the disastrous outcome and is interspersed with animated sequences that align the historical actions with contemporary society.

Answer: Star Wars

"Staring Wars" is reminiscent of a sketch from the much missed UK TV show "Big Train", an early starring vehicle for the likes of Simon Pegg, Catherine Tate and Julia Davis.

"Star Wars" (1977) is a little bit better known. The first movie (since rebranded as "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope") became, for a time, the most successful film in box office history. It told the story of Luke Skywalker, who under the tutelage of the Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, teamed up with rebel leader, Princess Leia and mercenaries, Han Solo and Chewbacca to retrieve two service droids and the crucial information they held that would help them fight back against the Galactic Empire. The film spawned a franchise that spanned numerous movies, live action and animated TV shows, novels, toys and much more.

Answer: The Fast and the Furious

Hangry is portmanteau word, combining hungry and angry, a situation that might occur when one is fasting.

"The Fast and the Furious" (2001) is the first movie in a multi-film franchise featuring Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Paul Walker as a street racing gang in LA and the cop who infiltrates their group in order to investigate their role in a series of truck hijackings.

Answer: Dial M for Murder

Ming the Merciless was the villain-in-chief in the "Flash Gordon" series of comic books, TV shows and movies.

"Dial M for Murder" (1954) directed by Alfred Hitchcock, was an adaptation of the stage play written by English dramatist, Frederick Knott. It tells the tale of Tony, a tennis professional who hires a man to kill his wealthy wife, Margot. The plan goes awry when Margot kills her would-be assassin so Tony tries to frame her for planning the murder.

Answer: The Iron Giant

Quite honestly if there is a task for which I would happily buy a robot, it would be to do the ironing.

"The Iron Giant" (1999) is an animated movie based on Ted Hughes' novel for children, "The Iron Man". A morality tale about war and peace, the story starts with a young boy who discovers a giant alien robot who has crash-landed on Earth and befriends him. The boy teaches him about humanity and compassion. However, the US government sees the giant as a threat and sets the military to try and destroy it. Despite having the capacity to wreak great damage upon the Earth, the giant chooses to be peaceful and sacrifices himself to protect the boy and the people that live in his town.

Answer: Cast Away

Casting in fishing is when the tackle and bait are thrown across and into a body of water attached to a line.

"Cast Away" (2000) stars Tom Hanks as a man stranded on a desert island after the cargo plane he is travelling on crashes into the Pacific Ocean, leaving him as the only survivor. With the cargo that washed ashore and his faithful companion Wilson (a volleyball), Hanks makes the best of his time on the island, suspecting that he may never be rescued.

Answer: Wonder Woman

Whatever Diana Prince, aka "Wonder Woman" might have been wondering about doing instead, superhero is the role she seemed born to undertake. The DC Comics character has featured in multiple media; comics; TV shows; video games; and movies.

The first live action movie in which Wonder Woman had the central role was the 2017 eponymous film starring Gal Gadot in the titular role. The movie is mainly set in World War I when Diana, an Amazon created by the Olympian Gods, is trained as a warrior to use her superpowers to fight against the rogue god Ares, who she believes is responsible for the global conflict.

Answer: Brighton Beach Memoirs

Beaching is also known as cetacean stranding and is when whales or dolphins become stranded on land, usually a beach. Sadly, a beached whale will struggle to survive as without the bouyancy of water, they are unable to support their own weight and suffocate, if dehydration hasn't got them first. Thankfully it is not a common occurrence in the coastal resort of Brighton, England.

"Brighton Beach Memoirs" (1986) is based on the semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon. It is set in the titular neighbourhood of Brooklyn, New York and its central character is pubescent 14-year-old Eugene, who lives with his parents, brother and his widowed aunt and her two daughters. His main obsession is seeing a woman naked, whilst his family battle with bigger issues such as making ends meet during The Great Depression.

Answer: Duck Soup

Gazpacho is a cold soup from Spain made with tomato, cucumber and onion. When plates of it are flying about then ducking is a good option.

"Duck Soup" (1933) is a hilarious Marx brothers comedy set in the fictional country of Freedonia where economic turmoil has helped Rufus T. Firefly, played by Groucho Marx, become President. His unique style of leadership leads to conflict with the neighboring kingdom of Sylvania, taking them to the brink of war.

Answer: Pulp Fiction

Pulping is the process of reducing books, magazines and other printed matter to pulp to make into new paper products. JK Rowling's "Harry Potter" novels would hopefully not be the first to suffer that fate.

"Pulp Fiction" is a crime thriller set in Los Angeles. Starring John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Uma Thurman and many more, it interweaves numerous stories of robbery, hitmen, drug overdoses and a lost watch with various shared protagonists and lots of sharp and memorable dialogue. Director Quentin Tarantino received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film's script.