Saturday, February 13, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day! Best Actress Quiz

UPDATED: Now with answers at the bottom of the post

The following quiz is a random assortment of questions inspired by onscreen romances of the Best Actress nominees this year. Though not all of the questions are romantic in nature (murder, abuse and general movie questions also appear) we tried to start there. How many can you answer? The first person to answer each person gets credit when we update with the answers on Monday.

Bullock
Sandra Bullock plays adoptive mother and football fan Leanne Tuohy in The Blind Side. She's happily married to country star Tim McGraw in the film. In her other big hit this year, The Proposal her marriage with employee Ryan Reynolds is a business transaction.
  1. Which of Sandra's former co-stars is actually married to a country star. And which movie did they star in together?
  2. Which two-time co-star of Sandra's was romantically involved with the actress she was constantly compared to? Who am I talking about and what are their films together?
  3. The Proposal isn't Sandra's first romantic comedy with an inappropriate work-place relationship. Name another.
Mirren
Perpetually randy screen goddess Dame Helen Mirren tempts her would-be celibate husband with goofy bedroom games in The Last Station.
  1. Mirren has played a temptress many times. What's her most infamous film?
  2. In which film did she bear the child of her half brother?
  3. On which film did Mirren meet her husband?

Mulligan
Carey Mulligan plays Jenny, a 16 year old girl in An Education romanced by a much older man. Though most people are hearing about Carey now, she's been in the movies since 2005.
  1. In Mulligan's debut film her onscreen sister was illicitly romanced by an older man. Name the movie.
  2. Mulligan has only made 6 films but she's already co-starred with several Oscar nominees. Which of her former co-stars was also nominated for an Oscar this year?
Sidibe
Gabby Sidibe made a stellar debut in Precious. Since it's her first film she's only had two screen romances and both of them were imaginary, one with her 'light skinned boyfriend with real nice hair' and one with the math teacher she fantasizes about. Otherwise her character's sex life has been horrific. Sweet Lenny Kravitz as a male nurse is the first man to show her (chaste) affection.
  1. Her imaginary boyfriend's name in the credits to Precious is "Tom Cruise". Has the actual Tom Cruise ever co-starred with any of this year's Best Actress nominees. If so, name the film.
  2. In a sad coincidence, the actor who plays Precious's beloved math teacher has also played a child abuser. Can you name the film? His onscreen victim in that film was Golden Globe nominated just this year.
  3. Lenny Kravitz has had plenty of sexy time in videos if not on film. Which two famous 90s actresses, neither of whom had Sidibe's success with awards show voters, have sexed it up in his music videos?
Streep
Meryl Streep jokes about being "a bit of a slut" in It's Complicated but two lovers in one movie is hardly slutty. It's the norm since many romantic movies have love triangles. In her Oscar nominated role in Julie & Julia she's even less of a harlot. For decades she has only had eyes for Stanley Tucci.
  1. In which two films was Streep actually a bit of a slut? (i.e. more than two lovers)
  2. One of Streep's most passionate onscreen romances was with a very famous actor who has also played the husband of one of Streep's fellow Actress nominees. Which actor and which two films am I referring to?
Extra Credit
  1. Which of these nominees first tasted real fame by playing a role that had already taken another actress to a Best Actress nomination at the Oscars?
  2. Which of these nominees played a role that another actress received a supporting actress nomination for playing?
  3. Which two of these Actress nominees have been directed by the same man? [There's at least two correct answers]
  4. Which of these Best Actress nominees has been killed by one of this year's Best Actor nominees in another movie?
  5. Which two of these actresses both did voice work for the same animated film?
More on the Best Actress race. A shorter visual quiz if this one has stumped you: Who sent these Valentine's Day Cards? If you'd like to read previous posts on these actresses, click on the labels below.

THE ANSWERS

Bullock
  1. Nicole Kidman (Practical Magic) is married to Keith Urban
  2. Benjamin Bratt (Miss Congeniality, Demolition Man) was once Julia Roberts's man
  3. Two Weeks Notice with Hugh Grant
Mirren
  1. the X-Rated Caligula (1979)
  2. Excalibur. She plays the wicked Morgana, mother to King Arthur's bastard son Mordred
  3. White Nights with Mikhail Baryshnikov. Her husband is Taylor Hackford, who directed that film. He also directed her in the forthcoming whorehouse drama Love Ranch (2010)
Mulligan
  1. Pride and Prejudice (1995)
  2. Colin Firth (And When Did You Last See Your Father?)
Sidibe
  1. Tom Cruise co-starred with Meryl Streep in Lions for Lambs
  2. That'd be Mysterious Skin wherein the fine actor Bill Sage, who played Precious's math teacher, played the coach who abused Joseph Gordon-Levitt in his youth.
  3. Gina Gershon ("Again") and Heather Graham ("American Woman") starred in his music videos -- the first one is curious. Gershon isn't sexy enough for someone? IMPOSSIBLE!

Streep
  1. Mamma Mia! Three guys in one week? Who is Amanda Seyfried's babydaddy?
  2. Plenty. Meryl is a bonkers gal who is continually lovin and leavin' em in this post war drama. Super hot (by which I mean ice cold) sex scene with Sting. (review)
Extra Credit
  1. Pre-Speed, Sandra Bullock starred in the television series adaptation of Working Girl, playing Melanie Griffith's role.
  2. Sandra Bullock again playing Truman Capote's fellow author friend Harper Lee in Infamous. Catherine Keener was Oscar nominated for that same role in the similar Capote (2005).
  3. Barbet Schroeder directed both Bullock (Murder By Numbers) and Streep (Before and After)
    Lee Daniels directed both Mirren (Shadowboxer) and Sidibe (Precious)
    Robert Altman directed both Mirren (Gosford Park) and Streep (A Prairie Home Companion)
  4. Jeff Bridges buried Sandra Bullock in The Vanishing (1993). He wasn't a nice guy.
  5. Mirren and Bullock were part of the massively star heavy voice cast list for the animated Biblical epic The Prince of Egypt (1998).
*

42 comments:

Hayden said...

Sandra:

1) Nicole Kidman, Practical Magic
2) Julia Roberts, Benjamin Bratt
3) Two Weeks Notics

John T said...

1. If memory serves me, Meryl is a bit of a slut in Ironweed.

adelutza said...

Helen Mirren:
1) It's probably Caligula but The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover was pretty infamous as well

adelutza said...

Helen Mirren

2)Excalibur

adelutza said...

Helen Mirren

3)White Nights

adelutza said...

Streep

2)Robert Redford : Out of Africa and The Clearing - he played the husband of Helen Mirren

Jim said...

Carey Mulligan

1. Pride & Prejudice

Alex said...

Sidibe #2: Meryl Streep, Lions for Lambs

As for Sandra's 2nd question, Roberts and Kiefer Sutherland work as well.

Andrew David said...

Carey Mulligan
2) Colin Firth

Andrew David said...

Extra Credit
5) Bullock and Mirren for The Prince of Egypt

liz said...

Extra Credit #3 - Mirren and Sidibe; Mirren was in Lee Daniels' first movie, Shadowboxer.

Robert Hamer said...

Extra Credit #2:

Both Mirren and Jean Simmons played Ophelia in movie versions of Hamlet, and it netted Simmons a Best Supporting Actress nod in 1949.

The Secretary General said...

Meryl was a slut in Out of Africa. She had Baron Bror Blixen, his brother Hans and Finch Hatton.

par3182 said...

meryl was also a slut in mamma mia

sss said...

Sandra
1)Blind side with Tim Mcgraw who is married to faith hill.

emmanuel ramos barajas said...

Trivia:

Helen Mirren was going to play Mariah Carey's role in Precious.

Trey said...

Gabby Sidibe
2. The teacher in "Precious" was the coach in "Mysterious Skin"? Yeesh.

Wayne B said...

Gabby Sibide #3 - Who are Gina Gershon & Heather Graham?

NATHANIEL R said...

sss -- ooh clever twist on the guess but i'm thinking of someone else.

y'all still haven't gotten meryl's sluttiest role ;)

Wayne B said...

Bullock #2 - The two-time co-star is Benjamin Bratt like Hayden already said. The two movies are "Demolition Man" and "Miss Congeniality."

Unknown said...

Meryl's sluttiest role: Plenty.

Extra Credit #2: Sandra Bullock played Harper Lee in Infamous, a role which netted Catherine Keener an SA nod for Capote.

KTibbs617 said...

For Meryl #1.
Truth be told this could be many of her movies, she is quite the harlet*...but I'm going with Mamma Mia! & Plenty (omg w/Sting!)

*in Out of Africa, Death Becomes Her, Bridges of Madison County & Adaptation she's a married woman cheating.

Wayne B said...

Extra-Credit #4: Sandra Bullock, Jeff Bridges "The Vanishing"

Wayne B said...

E.C. #3 - Robert Altman directed Streep (A Prairie Home Companion) and Mirren (Gosford Park)

KTibbs617 said...

Extra Credit #5

Bullock & Mirren provided voice for "The Prince of Egypt"

Anonymous said...

For Sandra I would say

1.) Tim McGraw to Faith Hill
2.) Keeanu Reeves in Speed and The Lake House
3.) Murder by Numbers (except it's more of a fling than it is a relationship)

KTibbs617 said...

Extra credit #4:

Bullock was killed by Bridges in "The Vanishing". Terrible movie from what I remember. lol

Anonymous said...

Extra Credit #1

Sandra Bullock starring as Tes in the TV version of Working Girl (Melanie Griffifth was nominated for an Oscar for this role)

Dino said...

Sidibe #3

Irina Aristova - "If You Can't Say No"
Heather Graham - "American Woman"

Is Meryl considered a slut in 'Sophie's Choice'? You have Nate and Stingo, and then its suggested that she slept with one or more Nazis right? If that works, then you have 'Out of Africa' as well.

Runs Like A Gay said...

Meryl's sluttiest role has to be Postcard's from the Edge.

I don't remember how many men she hooks up with but she's sleeping with Dennis Quaid at the beginning and doesn't know his name. More affairs are certainly implied too.

The Secretary General said...

Yeah, I think Meryl's a slut in Sophie's Choice. There's Nathan, Stingo, her husband, her lover Josef, and you can count the general who took her in.

Andrew David said...

Obviously Doubt...

JL said...

I don't know if this answer is correct but Helen Mirren played Elizabeth in a miniserie and Judi Dench won an Oscar for her Elizabeth I

Colin Low said...

@Runs Like A Gay: Uh, she only sleeps with the same person twice in Postcards, and implies that she usually doesn't do that at all.

NATHANIEL R said...

i wasn't thinking of out of africa or postcards or sophie's for meryl's slut moments. Par & Ryan were correct. And Plenty is definitely the whoriest. But at least she's unapologetic about it ;)

Rodrigo said...

Extras #3
Helen Mirren (Gosford Park) & Meryl Streep (A Prairie Home Companion) - Robert Altman / Sandra Bullock (Murder by Numbers) & Meryl Streep (Before and After) – Barbet Schroeder

Rodrigo said...

Sidibe #1
Lions for Lambs (Meryl Streep)

Unknown said...

Bullock #1:
"Practical Magic" with Nicole Kidman, who's married to Keith Urban

Alex said...

I laughed out loud when Drew suggested that Doubt was Meryl's sluttiest role.

Robert Hamer said...

I love how the most discussed question of this quiz were which films Meryl Streep was a slut in.

Mark said...

I'm surprised you didn't mention She-Devil as Meryl Streep's sluttiest films. She steals Roseanne Barr's husband away from him, the male house cleaner and her definitely had something going on, and if you include the end where she probably hooks up with the guy who she signs her autograph with...

xixi said...

Someone posted a tweet referring to La Streep as "Meryl 'I am a bit of slut" Streep.

That made me laugh out loud. Almost as good as Meryl 'T-bone' Streep