Run the Film and Cook the Popcorn! Quiz

Answer: Stephen King

"The Running Man", starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, was based on one of Stephen King's first novels which was published under his pseudonym of Richard Bachman. This was a futuristic movie that depicted the utter collapse of life as we know it. Criminals who were convicted were sentenced to become the prey of professional hunters who were hired to hunt them down. Mankind had become the hunter and the hunted. Stephen King is one of Americas most successful authors and has had numerous novels made into films.

Some of these include "Christine" (1983), "The Shining" (1980) and "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994). Over 50 of his novels have become very popular movies, short films and mini-series.

Answer: Bobsledding

This film is very loosely based on events that occurred during the 1988 winter Olympics. It told the story of the Jamaican bobsledding team and the efforts they made to get to the Olympic games. This movie did well when it was released and may have led to some of the world's smaller countries into participating in both the summer and winter Olympic games.

Answer: Roger Moore

"Cannonball Run" was a star-studded comedy that starred Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Farrah Fawcett and Roger Moore. This is just a short list of the well-known stars who had roles, both large and small, in this movie. The film was about an automobile race across the U.S. starting at the Atlantic and ending at the Pacific Ocean.

Although it got mixed reviews from the movie critics it was immensely popular with movie audience and became the sixth highest grossing film in 1981. English actor Roger Moore portrayed James Bond in seven wildly popular films.

This svelte, sexy actor also made female fans swoon with his portrayals in the television shows "The Saint" (1962-1970) and "The Persuaders" (1971-1972). Moore was a philanthropist who was active for years in UNICEF and PETA and was knighted in 2003 in recognition of his charity work.

Answer: World War II

This World War II movie told the story of an obsessed submarine commander (Glenn Ford) and his attempts to sink a Japanese aircraft carrier that had attacked Pearl Harbor. Borgnine played the second in command who tried to talk sense into his commanding officer by telling him he was taking too many risks.

In the end they were successful at sinking the Japanese ship but only at great cost to themselves and their crew. The movie was very popular and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Special Effects.

Answer: False

"Chicken Run" was a British animated film that told the story of chickens who were trying to escape from the farm where they had been living. This charming movie was very well received on both sides of the ocean and featured the voices of Mel Gibson, Julia Sawalha, and Miranda Richardson.

This was a wonderful family movie that dealt with some of the real aspects of life including death, love, happiness, kindness and family.

Answer: Nowhere to Run

"Nowhere to Run" featured Van Damme as a likable bank robber who has escaped from custody after being found guilty of murder as well as bank robbery. He fell in love with a widow he met while hiding from the law in her barn. In the end to keep his new love safe he turned himself in while promising to return to his love when he got back out of jail.

Answer: Running on Empty

"Running on Empty" was nominated for multiple awards as were the stars including River Phoenix, Christine Lahti, and Martha Plimpton. The story centered around a couple who was on the run from the FBI and their teenage son who was attempting to grow up in this dysfunctional atmosphere.

In the end, the parents realized they were ruining their son's chance at a better life and left him behind the next time the law got near them. This movie made commentaries about war, justice, love, and sacrifice and was well received by both critics and public audiences. River Phoenix was a child actor who had made the difficult transition into a successful adult movie career, and appeared in 15 movies before his early death at the age of 23. How far he could have gone will never be known because of a long-standing addiction to illegal drugs.

Answer: Bruce Dern

Bruce Dern played a botanist on a futuristic world that had become devoid of all plant life. That which survived was grown in carefully guarded geodesic domes in orbit around the planet Saturn. Dern's heroic character attempted to bring life back to Earth by reforesting it.

This was an unusual movie that exemplified early worries about the health of our planet and the possible repercussions of ignoring and abusing our home. Dern is an ardent and outspoken supporter of environmental causes. His skills as a character actor have led to roles in over 50 movies and innumerable appearances on television programs.

In 2010, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Answer: Philip K. Dick

Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer and Sean Young, this futuristic movie depicted a world in which robotic androids have come to power and are virtually indistinguishable from human beings. The title of Philip K. Dick's novel was deemed to be a little over the top and the movie title was changed to "Blade Runner".

This movie has become a cult classic with most viewers absolutely loving it or hating it with a vengeance. This is one where you need to read the novel and then see the movie to fully grasp the idiosyncratic characters.

A number of successful films have been made from Philip Dick's novels including "Total Recall" (1990), "Minority Report (2002) and "The Adjustment Bureau" in 2012. Dick is so successful and respected that by the time of his death in 1983, The Philip K. Dick Award had been established to honor the best Sci-Fi paperback published in the previous year.

Answer: False

"Run, Fatboy, Run" was a British comedy starring Simon Pegg and Thandie Newton. Simon Pegg played an overweight man trying to win back the love of a woman he left years earlier when she became pregnant. He got the idea that running a marathon will prove his love to her.

This love story comedy did well in Britain but got very mixed reviews in the States. It falls into that category often called "Chick-Flicks".