Ten Degrees of Judi Dench Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' was mainly filmed in the Indian state of Rajasthan and is based around the antics of both the Indian hotel manager and his family and the posse of British pensioners who have a decided to settle at the hotel. The film starred Dame Judi Dench as the narrator, Evelyn Greenslade - an impoverished widow who moved to the Indian hotel to escape being "cared" for by her remaining family - while Tom Wilkinson played a retired judge returning to India to seek out his former lover.

The incorrect options are all films set (or partially set) in India.

Answer: Michael Clayton

Tom Wilkinson played a troubled attorney, Arthur Edens, in the 2007 thriller 'Michael Clayton', which was directed by Tony Gilroy. He was nominated for the Best Director Academy Award for the film, while George Clooney and Tom Wilkinson received nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively.

'Michael Collins' is a 1996 film about the Irish revolutionary leader (not the American astronaut) starring Liam Neeson; 'Michael' is another 1996 film, this time featuring John Travolta as the Archangel Michael; and 'Like Mike' is comedy film from 2002 starring the rapper formerly known as Lil' Bow Wow (he's now a bit older so just called Bow Wow...)

Answer: Batman and Robin

'Batman and Robin' was O'Donnell's second outing as Batman's most famous sidekick, with the basic premise being Batman and Robin foiling Dr Freeze and Poison Ivy's plans to kill all humans and instead fill the world with mutant plants. This sequel to 'Batman Forever' (in which Val Kilmer took the lead role as the caped crusader) attempted to be less dark and more family friendly, but was panned by the critics. Plans for a further sequel were swiftly dropped and the next 'Batman' film, 'Batman Begins', started again with a fresh take on the characters and no sign of Robin at all.

'Man of Steel' (2013), 'Green Lantern' (2011) and 'Jonah Hex' (2010) are all films based on comic-book characters published by DC Comics.

Answer: In Love and War

The 1996 film 'In Love and War' told the story of Ernest Hemingway's military service in Europe during the First World War. After being injured in Italy, he was sent to a military hospital where he fell in love with his nurse, fellow American Agnes von Kurowsky. The couple planned to marry once they were both able to return home after the war - however, Agnes broke off the engagement and they never met again. Agnes is believed to have been the inspiration for Hemingway's character Catherine Barkley in 'Farewell to Arms'.

The incorrect options are all biographical films about writers: 'Pandaemonium' is about the poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge; 'Shadowlands' is about 'The Chronicles of Narnia' author, C.S. Lewis; and 'Tom and Viv' is about T.S. Eliot.

Answer: The Lake House

Although Sandra Bullock appeared in the 1997 sequel to 'Speed', her co-star, Keanu Reeves, did not return. 'The Lake House' gave them an opportunity to renew their partnership, but instead of the high octane trip through the streets of Los Angeles of 'Speed', this film gave them a gentle-paced stroll around the architectural sights of Chicago - including a lake house in which they both lived during different time periods. This has to be the only film romance dependent on communication via letters placed in a time-travelling mailbox...

Bullock starred opposite Bill Pullman in 'While You Were Sleeping' and with Nicole Kidman in 'Practical Magic'.

Answer: The Matrix Revolutions

'The Matrix' series of films all starred Keanu Reeves as the main protagonist Neo, a computer programmer who discovered in the first film that the world he thought he lived in was in fact a form of virtual reality created by sentient machines in an attempt to control the human population. Hugo Weaving's character was one of the machines tasked with ensuring the humans didn't become aware of the 'real' reality of their situation. The complicated nature of the plot means that 'The Matrix' series (and 'The Matrix Revolutions' in particular) make frequent appearances on lists of the most confusing films of all time.

'The Matrix Reloaded' is the title of the second film in the trilogy - the other two options don't exist.

Answer: The Lord of the Rings

This particular pair of actors both appeared in the three film adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' novels. Although Hugo Weaving reprised his role as the elven Lord Elrond of Rivendell in the 'The Hobbit' trilogy, Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn (a human) did not appear (the character did get a brief mention at one point though).

'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' films included characters such as dwarves, hobbits, orcs and ghosts, as well as creatures such as Gollum - whose attachment to the one ring had caused him to undergo a dramatic transformation from his original appearance as a type of hobbit. The 'Harry Potter' series is also known for featuring wizards and elves (but not Weaving or Mortensen) and 'The Chronicles of Narnia' is better known for an evil witch.

Answer: Crimson Tide

'Crimson Tide' depicts the power struggle that ensues on board a US navy submarine when they lose communication half-way through a key radio message about whether or not to attack Russia during the First Chechen War. The boat's captain (played by Gene Hackman) wants to fire the missiles while his second-in-command (played by Denzel Washington) wants to wait until communications are restored and the whole message can be read. Viggo Mortensen played a lieutenant who sided with Washington's character. The disagreement is swiftly followed by mutiny, fighting and a desperate battle to gain control of the launch key.

The incorrect options are all films set on submarines, but 'Down Periscope' is a comedy starring Kelsey Grammer while the others are all thrillers.

Answer: Power

Sidney Lumet's 'Power' focuses on the corrupting effects of power and political influence. Richard Gere's character, Pete St John, is forced to take a long hard look at himself after he finds himself working for a businessman and aspiring politician who isn't above employing shady tactics such as espionage and sabotage in his bid to get elected. Denzel Washington plays the obnoxious political candidate while Gene Hackman plays St John's former business partner who disapproved of his methods of gaining success. While Lumet achieved great success with several of his films (14 of them received Academy Award nominations), 'Power' was not one of them - another of the film's stars, Beatrice Straight, received a Golden Raspberry for Worst Supporting Actress for her contribution.

The incorrect options are all other films directed by Sidney Lumet.

Answer: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Richard Gere joined the cast of 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' for the imaginatively named sequel 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'. The plot continued the stories of the characters from the first film, but focused on the expansion of the business to create a second hotel for pensioners in India (although why anyone would want to stay in a hotel with "Second Best" in its name beats me). Gere's character, Guy Chambers, was mistaken for a representative of a potential wealthy American backer for the project. The hotel owner promptly encouraged Chambers to have a relationship with his mother in the hope of promoting the deal and was severely disgruntled when the mistake was discovered!

The incorrect options are all films that featured Judi Dench: 'Skyfall' was her seventh and final outing as James Bond's boss 'M', she had a cameo role in the fourth film in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' series, and she also appeared in the musical drama film 'Nine' based on the stage musical of the same name (there were no musicals named 'One' to 'Eight' though...).

Judi Dench's acting career started in theatre in the 1950s and she remained best known for her stage roles (being made a Dame in 1988) until she starred in the long running BBC TV sitcom 'As Time Goes By' from 1992-2005 and landed the role of M in the 'James Bond' film series in 1995. Her film career then took off with a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role as Queen Elizabeth I in 'Shakespeare in Love' (1998) along with six further Academy Award nominations (five of which were for Best Actress). The list of accolades, honours and awards she received for her acting is too long to mention here but includes BAFTAs, Golden Globes and Olivier Awards.