Walk the Talk Trivia Quiz

Answer: Reds

Not only does this 1981 historical drama star Warren Beatty, he also directed this multi award winning film that looks at the life of radical US journalist John Reed. Reed made a name for himself as the man who wrote the book "Ten Days That Shook the World" (1919), which chronicled the Russian Revolution and his attempts to bring that same ideal to the United States.

Nicholson plays the role of playwright Eugene O'Neill who has an affair with Reed's (to be) wife, Louise Bryant, played by Diane Keaton. The film was nominated for twelve Academy Awards, including one for Nicholson as Best Supporting Actor. "Chariots of Fire", however, was the big winner that year but "Reds" did earn awards for Best Cinematography, Best Director (Warren Beatty) and Best Supporting Actress (Maureen Stapleton). Jack missed out on this occasion with the Oscar going to John Gielgud in the comedy film "Arthur".

Answer: As Good as it Gets

Jack Nicholson walked away with the Oscar for Best Actor and Helen Hunt did likewise as the Best Actress. Nicholson plays Melvin Udall, a cranky writer who is an obsessive-compulsive and he's also a bit of a bigot. Hunt, as Carol Connelly, is a single mother who makes ends meet, working as a waitress at a local café that Melvin frequents. Melvin's life is turned on its head when his neighbour, gay artist Simon Bishop (played by Greg Kinnear), is attacked and severely beaten, to the point that he is hospitalised. Melvin is then bullied into looking after Simon's dog.

The film revolves around these three relationships, the significant impacts they have on each other's lives and how they produce positive influences.

Answer: Five Easy Pieces

This 1970 drama was directed by Bob Rafelson and it introduces us to Bobby Dupea (Jack Nicholson), who works in the oilfields of California. On the surface he looks like a bit of a waster, spending his time bowling, boozing and (without getting crass) philandering, however, what you don't see is that he comes from a privileged background and is a gifted classical pianist. When he learns that his father is dying he travels back to the family home in Washington, along with his unrefined girlfriend (Rayette) played by Karen Black.

The film has been described as a "masterpiece" and garnered four Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture. Nicholson would miss out on the Academy Award this time, losing out to George C. Scott in "Patton".

Answer: Terms of Endearment

This 1983 film, which centres on several years of the relationship between a mother and her daughter, was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and walked away with five. Amongst those were a Best Actress gong for Shirley MacLaine who plays Aurora Greenway (the mother in this equation) and a Best Supporting Actor award to Jack Nicholson. Nicholson plays Garrett Breedlove, a retired astronaut and Aurora's next door neighbour.

The scenes between Nicholson and MacLaine are the most striking engagements throughout this fascinating film.

Answer: One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

Randle McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) is a crook who's found himself in trouble one too many times. He is looking at hard labour for his last indiscretion and, in a bid to get out of it, feigns insanity and is sent of to a ward for the mentally unstable. Here he runs into Nurse Ratched (Louis Fletcher) who is a bully and a tyrant and finds power in exploiting the weaknesses of those within the ward. Randle coerces the inmates to band together and rebel against Ratched.

Milos Forman directs this stunning 1975 film and is well served by some amazing work from both Nicholson and Fletcher. The film would become the second to win all five of the Major Academy Awards - Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director for Forman, Best Actor for Nicholson and Best Actress for Fletcher.

Answer: Ironweed

Nicholson is Frances Phelan, a washed out Major League pitcher who returns to his hometown of Albany in New York on Halloween. It has been decades since he's been here, unable to face the place where he'd accidentally killed his infant son. He hooks up with Helen Archer (Streep), a failed singer and they explore each other's issues in the comfort of a gin bar until, eventually, Frances finds the nerve to find his former home and tries to make peace with his wife.

This 1987 film was based on a Pulitzer Prize winning novel by William Kennedy but they were unable to bring the same magic that is in the book to the screen. Consequently, it failed at the box office. Streep and Nicholson were both nominated for Best Actress/Actor Oscars but lost out to Cher ("Moonstruck") and Michael Douglas ("Wall Street") respectively.

Answer: The Last Detail

Billy Buddusky (Nicholson) and "Mule" Mulhall (Young) are two Navy men detailed to escort a young sailor, Larry Meadows (Quaid) to the naval prison in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Meadows is not much of a man and his crime, stealing forty dollars, is going to see him spend eight years in prison. Buddusky comes to realise that Meadows has never had drink nor been with a woman in his life and is determined to show his captive one heck of a good time before he is locked away.

This is an early film for Nicholson yet he is still able to showcase his uncommon talents as he portrays Buddusky as a man with a rough edge but one that is understanding, a man who is crude but one with compassion. Nicholson was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar but lost out to Jack Lemmon in "Save the Tiger".

Answer: Chinatown

Inspired by the California Water Wars, this 1974 film was a Roman Polanski tour-de-force that has been touted as one of the greatest films of all time and received eleven Academy Award nominations. Nicholson is Jake Gittes, a private detective, who is hired by a woman to shadow her husband, Hollis Mulwray, the chief engineer at the Department of Water. She suspects her husband is being unfaithful and needs Jake to get the dirt on him. Jake does find the man with another woman and his photographs are soon seen on the front page of the local papers. It looks like a job well done until the next morning, when the real Mrs Mulwray walks into Jakes' office and Jake learns quickly that both he and Hollis have been set up.

Nicholson delivered a stunning performance in this movie but it wasn't good enough for him to take home the Oscar, which went to Art Carney for his performance in "Harry and Tonto".

Answer: A Few Good Men

This is a stunning 1992 court room drama from the pen of Aaron Sorkin. Lieutenant (junior grade) Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) is employed to defend two Marines, on trial for murder, because he is lazy, unenthusiastic and prone to plea bargain. Sure enough, he does travel down the plea bargain course until the penny drops and he realises that, those that had employed him had expected him to go this way. When the time comes in court to deliver a plea on behalf of his clients he stands and says "not guilty". And that's when the fun really begins.

Nicholson, as Colonel Nathan R. Jessup, is the commander of the base where the incident occurred and has his own agenda. The scenes between he and Tom Cruise during the cross examination are electric and worth the price of admission on their own.

Nicholson was outstanding and commanded the screen when he was present and his performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He missed out to Gene Hackman in "Unforgiven".

Answer: Prizzi's Honor

This delightful 1985 black comedy was guided by the hand of director John Huston. It introduces Jack Nicholson as Charley Partanna and Kathleen Turner as Irene Walker. Both of them are highly skilled assassins and both of them fall in love with each other. The fun starts when both of them are hired to kill the other. To echo one of the great lines in the film... "does he ice her or does he marry her"? I will leave that for you to find out.

Nicholson oozes roguish charm all the way through this movie, but it wasn't good enough for him to charm his way into an Oscar. That honor (pun not intended) went to William Hurt in "Kiss of the Spider Woman".