Fantasmo Films 2 (My Top Films 16-30) Quiz

Answer: The Cowboys

"The Cowboys" was released in 1972, and was directed by Mark Rydell. It starred John Wayne, and was the film debut of Robert Carradine. It grossed nearly $29 million domestically. Facing stiff competition, it was not nominated for any Academy Awards. Trying to keep up with 11 young boys during the filming, Wayne described this movie as the greatest experience of his life. Quote info: One of the boys loses his glasses among the herd of cattle.

While trying to retrieve them, he spooks the herd, and causes a stampede. Dan (played by Nicolas Beauvy) is killed, and Mr. Anderson (Wayne) utters these words as they bury Dan.

Answer: Apocalypse Now

"Apocalypse Now" was released in 1979, and was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It starred a myriad of great actors, including Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, and Martin Sheen. The film grossed nearly $150 million worldwide. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, but only won two Oscars.

It is known as an all-time Oscar snub, as is evident by the fact that The Director's Guild ranked it as the number six greatest movie in the history of film. Quote info: Cpt. Willard (Sheen) is being appraised of his mission to assassinate Col. Kurtz (Brando), and Gen. Corman (G.D Spradlin) says these words as a justification for the mission.

Answer: No Country For Old Men

"No Country For Old Men" was released in 2007, and was directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It starred Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, and Tommy Lee Jones. The film grossed $171.6 million worldwide. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, and took home four Oscars.

The title of the novel and film comes from the poem "Sailing to Byzantium," by William Butler Yeats. Quote info: Carson Wells (Woody Harrelson) is a hired assassin who arrives to kill Anton Chigurgh (Bardem). When meeting with the man who hired both killers, this exchange occurs.

Answer: O Brother Where Art Thou?

"O Brother Where Art Thou?" was released in 2000, and was directed by Joel Coen. It starred George Clooney, and had co-stars like John Turturro, Holly Hunter, and Charles Durning. The film grossed $72 million. It was nominated for two Academy Awards, but didn't win either.

The film was loosely based on Homer's epic poem, "The Odyssey". Ironically only actor Tim Blake Nelson was the sole person, on set, to have read the work. Quote info: Ulysses Everett McGill (Clooney) goes to a general store in a little Mississippi town.

He's trying to find a car part, and the shop keeper says he can order it. However, it will take two weeks to arrive. Everett then asks for some Dapper Dan hair grease, but this item will also take two weeks to get there.

Answer: 12 Angry Men

"12 Angry Men" was released in 1957, and was directed by Sidney Lumet. Its ensemble cast included Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, E.G Marshall, and Jack Warden. It was a box office failure. This was attributed to being shot in black and white (in an age when color came on the scene).

It was nominated for three Academy Awards, but failed to win any. Interestingly, all but three minutes of the movie were shot on a single set. Quote info: These words were part of a lengthy oration by Juror Number Eight (Fonda) after he convinced nine of the 12 jurors to vote not guilty in the murder case they oversaw.

Answer: From Here to Eternity

"From Here to Eternity" was released in 1953, and was directed by Fred Zinnemann. When inflation adjusted, the film grossed over $277 million worldwide. It starred Burt Lancaster, and co-starred Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, and Donna Reed. It was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, and took home eight Oscars.

The title of both novel and film came from a Rudyard Kipling poem with the line "they were soldiers, lost and damned from here to eternity". Quote info: Sgt. Warden (Lancaster) utters these words to a waitress (Moana Gleason) at Choy's Bar.

Answer: North by Northwest

"North by Northwest" was released in 1959, and was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It starred Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint. The film grossed over $120 million when adjusted for inflation. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, but "Ben Hur" nearly swept all the awards.

However, consensus rankings of films puts it as the 25th greatest movie of all-time. Quote info: Roger Thornhill (Grant) had been arrested for drunk driving, and was using his customary phone call. He called his mother, and was explaining his exploits.

Answer: Full Metal Jacket

"Full Metal Jacket" was released in 1987, and was directed by Stanley Kubrick. It starred Matthew Modine. The film grossed over $120 million. It was nominated for only one Academy Award, but failed to win an Oscar. Many film critics believe it to be a travesty that R. Lee Ermey (as Gunnery Sgt. Hartman) was not nominated for Best Supporting Actor at The Oscars. Quote info: During an inspection of the barracks, Sgt. Hartman (Ermey) finds Private Pyle's (Vincent D'Onofrio) footlocker unsecured. This leads to finding a jelly doughnut hidden in the locker.

This, in turn, leads to a collective punishment for the entire platoon.

Answer: Old Yeller

"Old Yeller" was released in 1957, and was directed by Robert Stevenson. It starred Tommy Kirk, and Spike (as Old Yeller). Inflation adjusted, it grossed nearly $60 million. The film was not nominated for any Academy Awards. However, much like "The Wizard of Oz", it has become a legacy in American culture. Quote info: In only about 10 minutes of screen time during the film, Jim Coates (Fess Parker) gives his son Travis (Kirk) a speech for the ages about loss and tragedy.

Answer: An Officer and a Gentleman

"An officer and a Gentleman" was released in 1982, and was directed by Taylor Hackford. It starred Richard Gere, Debra Winger, and Louis Gossett Jr. The film grossed over $190 million. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, and won two Oscars. Amazingly, John Denver was originally cast to play Zack Mayo (Gere's character). Quote info: This was Sgt. Foley's (Gossett Jr.) opening address to the naval aviator candidates of Zack Mayo's (Gere) class.

Answer: Goodfellas

"Goodfellas" was released in 1990, and was directed by Martin Scorsese. It starred Ray Liotta, and co-starred Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci. The film grossed over $42 million domestically. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, but won only one Oscar. Competing with "Dances With Wolves" cost the film many more accolades, perhaps. Quote info: These lines were narrated by Henry Hill (Liotta) after Paulie (Paul Sorvino) gave him $3,200 to basically "wash his hands" of ever associating with Liotta's character.

Answer: The Caine Mutiny

"The Caine Mutiny" was released in 1954, and was directed Edward Dmytryk. It starred an ensemble cast, featuring Humphrey Bogart, Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray, and Jose Ferrer. The film, when adjusted for inflation, grossed nearly $210 million. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, but failed to win a single Oscar. An interesting fact is the actor Michael Caine (whose given name was Michael Micklewhite) took Caine as his stage name because he was a fan of Bogart's. Quote info: These words were spoken by Lt. Greenwald (Ferrer) to Lt. Keefer (MacMurray) as he blamed Keefer for the mutiny that ensued aboard the Caine.

Answer: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" was released in 1971, and was directed by Mel Stuart. It starred Gene Wilder and Peter Ostrum (as Charlie). The film was a box office flop, only earning $4.5 million. It received no Academy Award nominations. The movie was shot, almost entirely, in West Germany.

This was done as a cost saver, as other suitable locales were much more pricey. Quote info: These are the opening lines of the song "I've Got a Golden Ticket", as sung by Charlie (Ostrum) and Grandpa Joe (Jack Albertson).

Answer: Almost Famous

"Almost Famous" was released in 2000, and was directed by Cameron Crowe. It starred Kate Hudson, Patrick Fugit, and Billy Crudup. The cast also included Frances McDormand and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The film grossed nearly $48 million. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, and took home one Oscar.

Although fictional, the movie was based on Crowe's experiences as a writer for "Rolling Stone" magazine. Quote info: This sage advice was given by Lester Bangs (Hoffman) to William Miller (Fugit) when talking about being a rock journalist.

Answer: Diner

"Diner" was released in 1982, and was the directorial debut of Barry Levinson (future Oscar winner for "Rain Man"). It starred an ensemble cast of Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Daniel Stern, Steve Guttenberg, and Tim Daly. The film only grossed $14.1 million.

It was nominated for one Academy Award, but failed to win an Oscar. Much like "Almost Famous", the movie is autobiographical of the director's life. Quote info: Billy (Daly) is being harassed by a fellow jail mate, and responds with these menacing words.