10 Degrees of Jason Lee Trivia Quiz

Answer: Almost Famous

"Almost Famous" is based on the experiences Cameron Crowe had in the 70s as a (teen!)reporter for "Rolling Stone" magazine. The movie, as a whole, is more an amalgam of his experiences, than a word-for-word retelling of anything that happened to him with any one particular band.

In "Almost Famous," Jason Lee plays Jeff Bebe, the singer of the fictional band Stillwater. He complains constantly because he doesn't feel like he's getting the attention he deserves as the singer of the band. Arguably, his best rant is when the band shirts come in and Billy Crudup's character, Russell Hammond, is the only distinguishable person on the shirt and the rest of the band are out of focus.

Answer: Sleepers

"Sleepers" is about a group of guys from Hell's Kitchen. When they were in their teens, one of their pranks went horribly wrong, resulting in serious injury. They were sent to a juvenile detention facility where they were physically and sexually abused. They went their separate ways, but find themselves drawn together again when Tommy Marcano (Billy Crudup) and John Reilly (Ron Eldard) shoot and kill one of their former jailers (Kevin Bacon). Michael Sullivan (Brad Pitt) is the prosecuting attorney in the case. Lorenzo Carcaterra (Jason Patric) finds himself going back and forth between Michael, people from the neighborhood, and Tommy and John as they plan to expose the people who worked at the juvenile facility, while also getting an acquittal for Tommy and John.

"Sleepers" is based on the nonfiction book by Lorenzo Carcaterra.

Answer: Snatch

"Snatch" was Guy Ritchie's second full length movie, and very much in the vein of his outstanding debut "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels". It also deals with the London underground but mostly centers around a stolen diamond and bare-knuckle fighting.

This movie marks the 2nd of three collaborations between Vinnie Jones and Jason Statham. The first two, "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," were also with Guy Ritchie. The third was a British remake of "The Longest Yard" called "Mean Machine".

Answer: Crank

"Crank" is the fast-paced tale of Chev's (seemingly) last day. He awakes to find he's been injected with a toxin that will cause his heart to stop if his adrenaline isn't constantly flowing. He accepts the fact that he's going to die, but decides to make sure that the person who did this to him will also die.

Jason Statham certainly looks poised to become the next great action star and "Crank" is just more proof of why. He is experienced in martial arts and kickboxing, and did many of his own stunts and fighting sequences in the "Transporter" films and "Crank".

Answer: Strangeland

"Strangeland" is a horror movie that centers around a character called Captain Howdy. He lures young girls into his home and then proceeds to torture them. He gets caught, and seems to be rehabilitated, but the townsfolk don't trust him, or want him around.

"Strangeland" was written by Dee Snider, lead singer of the band Twisted Sister. He also takes the role of Captain Howdy/Carleton Hendricks, and, surprisingly (to me), does a decent job. No mean feat considering the movie also had a horror legend (Robert Englund) in a supporting role.

Answer: Scooby-Doo

"Scooby-Doo" picks up where the cartoon series left off. The Mystery Inc. gang has split up and are all leading separate lives. They are individually hired to examine the spooky stuff that's been happening on an island. They end up teaming together to solve their mystery.

Did you know that velvet-voiced radio host Casey Kasem actually provided the voice of Shaggy for the "Scooby-Doo" cartoon?
Also, curiously, Frank Whelker, who has provided the voice of Scooby-Doo in the cartoon, the direct-to-video releases, and the video games, does not voice him in either of the two theatrical releases.

Answer: Scream

"Scream" is a teen horror movie that centers around Sidney Prescott. She and her friends start receiving threatening phone calls shortly before the anniversary of her mother's murder. Several of her friends end up dead. All signs point to her father being the killer, but it's never that simple.

Kevin Williamson, the writer of "Scream," ushered in a new era of horror movies with this, his first screenplay; one in which the characters were very self aware of the types of situations they were in and freely referenced other horror movies.
The movie itself has many references to other movies. The character Billy Loomis is a reference to Dr. Loomis from "Halloween". Tatum wears a football jersey with the number 10 on it, just like Johnny Depp (although, his is blue, not green) in "A Nightmare on Elm Street". Also, the scene where Billy sneaks into Sidney's room through the window mimics a scene from "A Nightmare on Elm Street". There are many more, but the best one (in my opinion) is the scene where the principal hears some strange noises and looks outside his office to investigate, and the only one there is Fred the janitor (Wes Craven cameo) dressed in brown pants and a green and red striped sweater.

Answer: The Doom Generation

"The Doom Generation" centers around two teens (Rose McGowan and James Duval) who pick up a hitchhiker and embark on a strange journey through a twisted version of suburbia, replete with machete wielding cashiers, skinheads and dominatrixes.

Keep an eye out for the number 666, which pops up several times throughout the movie. Most noticeably when they make purchases at the grocery store and at Carnoburger.

Answer: Boiler Room

"Boiler Room" centers around Seth Davis (Giovanni Ribisi). An old high school friend of his gets him a job at a brokerage firm and life starts looking up. Unfortunately, things don't stay that way once Seth realizes that the firm is selling stock in companies that don't exist. Seth's relationship with his father and the arrival of the FBI only serve to make matters worse.

This is actually the third pairing of Ben Affleck and Nicky Katt. The first was in 1993's "Dazed and Confused", where Affleck played Fred O'Bannion and Katt played Clint Bruno (definitely worth a look). Their second was 1998's "Phantoms", in which Affleck played Sherriff Hammond and Katt played Deputy Shanning.

Answer: Chasing Amy

"Chasing Amy" is about relationships. Jason Lee and Ben Affleck play a pair of best friends who have grown up together and now work together . A rift starts to open between them when one of them (Ben Affleck) starts dating a lesbian, and the other does not approve.

"Chasing Amy" is the third of Kevin Smith's "Askewniverse" movies which have overlapping characters and many references to each other. It is also the second of six(!) pairings of Jason Lee and Ben Affleck. The first was "Mallrats" in 1995, and the third was "Dogma" in 1999. The fourth was "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" in 2001, in which they both reprise their "Chasing Amy" roles (Lee also reprises his "Mallrats" role, while Affleck also parodies himself). The fifth was "Jersey Girl" in 2004, and the latest was "Clerks II" in 2006. All were films by Kevin Smith.