The Silver Screen - "Southern-Style" Quiz

Answer: My Cousin Vinny

Can you think of a worse place to be in North America than an Alabama jailhouse? Vinny Gambini and Mona Lisa Vito, played by Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei, set out to prove that Vinny's cousin Bill and Bill's friend Stan (the two "youths") are innocent of a murder charge. Fred Gwynne, of "Herman Munster" fame, plays the judge. Vinny's daily courtroom antics are initially frustrating, but he eventually manages to present an acceptable case as a lawyer.

Answer: Black Snake Moan

"Black Snake Moan" is a very raw film about redemption and doesn't suit the tastes of many people - but there is no denying that Jackson and Ricci put in great performances.

Filming was mostly centered around Stanton, Tennessee. To more adequately portray his role, Samuel Jackson practiced for seven hours per day for six months to learn how to play blues guitar at an acceptable level of expertise. For her part, Christina Ricci ate junk food for the entire filming period to achieve that characteristic "sickly" look.

Answer: The Great Santini

The patriarch of the family, "Bull" Meecham, is an abusive "warrior without a war to fight" who is very hard to like, but Robert Duvall manages to pull this one off with superb acting. This movie received two Oscar nominations. One for Duvall as Best Actor and one for Michael O'Keefe (who played the much put-upon oldest son) for Best Supporting Actor. The time frame of this movie is prior to the U.S. involvement in Vietnam and is set in Beaufort, South Carolina. Trivia nuts might be interested to know that the home the family lived in for "The Great Santini" was also later used as the setting for "The Big Chill", released in 1983.

Answer: Cat People

Natassja plays Malcolm's sister and is unaware at first of the dark secret of their family history - that they have the ability to transform into panthers/leopards. Unfortunately the process involves killing prey (usually of the human variety).

This movie was filmed mostly in New Orleans, Louisiana. David Bowie performed his song "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" regularly on tour after the movie was released. The song was used once again in the 2009 movie "Inglorious Bastards".

Answer: The Gift

"The Gift" was directed by Sam Raimi ("Evil Dead" and "Spider-Man" 1, 2 and 3), written by Billy Bob Thornton ("Sling Blade" and "Bad Santa") and starred Cate Blanchett and Hilary Swank who both won Oscars in 2004, Cate won Best Supporting Actress and Hilary won Best Actress.
Cate Blanchett plays the clairvoyant and there is an amazing turn from Giovanni Ribisi as a slightly deranged mechanic. It also stars Keanu Reeves, Katie Holmes and Greg Kinnear. Sometimes labelled as a horror film, I'd say it was more a dark, psychological thriller.

Answer: Steel Magnolias

This group of ladies, each with their own weaknesses, combine to form a strong support system through the best and worst times in their lives. Two of my favorite quotes from this movie are "Miss Truvy, I promise that my personal tragedy will not interfere with my ability to do good hair" and "If you can't find anything good to say about anybody, come sit by me."

Answer: Sweet Home Alabama

Reese Witherspoon's character heads south to finalize her divorce and tries to break all ties to the lifestyle she was embarrassed by in order to marry the son of a prominent New York politician. While there, she reconnects with old friends and realizes that her true home was in Alabama with her first love, Jake.

Answer: The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

The opening scene is set in 1937 Louisiana and focuses on four little girls wearing homemade Indian headdresses gathered at night in the woods around a small fire. Together they go through a ritual of cutting their palms and taking the loyalty blood oath.

They are now members of a secret order they created called the "Ya-Ya Sisterhood". The secret that Vivi had been keeping from her daughter for over 20 years was the fact that she had been hospitalized for a nervous breakdown. Sidda finally understands her mother's suffering, realizing that her mother had always loved her and they restore their relationship. Vivi makes her daughter a Ya-Ya headdress, and she is inducted into the Sisterhood by the longstanding members.

Answer: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Played by Kevin Spacey, the "protagonist" of the movie was a real person (Jim Williams) who lived in a house previously owned by Johnny Mercer. Naturally, many of the songs in the movie contained lyrics written by him.

Filmed almost entirely in Savannah, Georgia, this movie is based on the novel of the same name, written by John Berendt. If you've never been to Savannah, you should go if you can. It's an intriguing place, with a beautiful city park layout and fascinating history.

Answer: O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Starring George Clooney as Everett Ulysses McGill and directed by the Coen Brothers, this comedy about an escape from a chain gang includes a river baptism, the KKK, a bank robber and a cast of weird and wonderful characters. Everett uses Dapper Dan's pomade and tins were given out as promotional items to winners of a trivia contest on a website.

The soundtrack was particularly special, doing even better than the film, winning five Grammys.