IIT Kharagpur Quiz ClubQuiz of The Month - February

Yogarshi Vyas

Reverse the Polarity of the Movie Flow

• Written Round, 6 questions

• A description of how a movie would make sense if it seen from back to front

• +5 for each correct, +10 bonus.

1. It is about a really good-looking, nice man who repairs a bridge and visits Earth, then slowly turns into a douchebag

2. It is about a zombie who steals a car, gets more and more racist and almost has his car stolen by an Asian.

3. It is about a woman whose rich, asshole boyfriend forces her into prostitution.

4. It is about a bunch of zombies who like to give away jewellery and then talk about it while drinking coffee.

5. It’s about a man who gives up cocaine and crime to follow his dream of becoming a dishwasher to earn enough money so that he can visit Cuba.

6. It makes complete sense

Answers

1. Thor

2. Gran Torino

3. Pretty Woman

4. Reservoir Dogs

5. Scarface

6. Memento

To Infinity …Regular Infinite Pounce

+10/-10

• Jeffery Reddick wrote a 14-page script for an episode of “The X-Files” titled “Flight 180”. This script was ignored by the show’s creator Chris Carter and his team of writers and no episode was made from this script. However it caught the eye of two writers on the team – James Wong and Glen Morgan

• What happened to “Flight 180”?

1

It got made into the Final Destination series

• Some examples of this “phenomenon” are “Watching Ellie”, “Bob Patterson”, “Listen Up!” and “The Michael Richards Show”.

• However, “The New Adventures of Old Christine” and more recently “Veep” have proven to be strong counterexamples to this claim.

• What “phenomenon”?

2

The Seinfeld Curse

• This is the Simpsons paying tribute to somebody in January, 2014. What is the reason?

3

Hayao Miyazaki and his decision to retire from films after ‘The Wind Rises’

• Titled ‘Duck, You Sucker’ or ‘A Fistful of Dynamite’, this film is the second installment in a trilogy, the other two installments of which are frequent mentions in lists of greatest movies of all time.

• It is the last film of its kind directed by the director. The only other movie that he is credited as director of after this was the third part of the trilogy.

• Name the trilogy/the other two movies in the trilogy.

4

Once Upon A Time trilogy by Sergio Leone

• In the year 1975, author Roderick Thorp saw the film “The Towering Inferno”, which is about a skyscraper that catches fire. After seeing the film, Thorp fell asleep and had a dream of seeing a man being chased through a skyscraper by men with guns.

• He woke up and later took that idea and turned it into the sequel of a previous novel that he had written and called it “Nothing Lasts Forever”.

• This book was planned to be made into a movie that was the sequel to Arnold Schwarzenegger starrer “Commando” but it was ultimately made into something else.

• What?

5

Die Hard

• The Eisner Awards, awarded for excellence in the comic book industry, were initiated in 1988. From 1988 to 1997 (except for 1991 when it was not awarded), which two writers were awarded the Best Writer Award ( 5 and 4 times each)?

6

Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman

FUQ (W)

• Alan Moore won the award 5 times for 3 works.

• Neil Gaiman has won it 4 times for 3 works.

• Name all 6.

7

Alan Moore – Watchmen, Batman: The Killing Joke, From HellNeil Gaiman – Sandman, The Book of Magic, Miracleman/Marvelman

• Based on the premise of the film (or rather, its lead character), Sony Pictures came up with an innovative idea to market the DVDs of this film by designing their disc to resemble a consumer grade burned DVD-R. Naturally this led to a lot of confusion (and piracy) among the buyers of this DVD.

• For which movie did this happen ?

8

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

• In a recently launched book, one of the members of this band claimed that the outrageously flamboyant and glitzy costumes worn by this band were not adorned solely for the purpose of making them stand out, but also for the sake of tax efficiency.

• The laws of the country stated that they could get a tax deduction on their costumes – so long as the costumes were so outrageous that they couldn’t be worn on the street.

• Which band?

9

• “When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective _______ ______. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days—as he has done before—and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home. But as ______ investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives—meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced. When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any _____ has encountered before ...“

• A recently revealed premise of a novel called “The Silkworm” to be released on June 19, 2014. This is the sequel to what?

10

The Cuckoo Calling

• Apart from its original brand, this group runs three other brands targeted at various segments of the population. These are ‘Director’s Cut’, ‘Premiere’ and ‘Talkies’.

• Which company?

11

PVR

• Identify the two voices singing.

• [Clue available for one voice on request]12

Zeb and Alia Bhatt – The song is from Highway

• Where would you find Angmar Montes, Dolmed Montes, Doom Mons, Echoriat Montes, Erebor Mons, Gram Montes, Irensaga Montes, Merlock Montes, Mindolluin Montes, Misty Montes, Mithrim Montes, Rerir Montes, TaniquetilMontes? (complete list)

13

On Titan

• The mountains are names after mountains from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Legendarium.

• The hills are named after characters

• The low plains and impact craters are named after the planets from Frank Herbert’s Dune saga

• 3 Parts

• A) Identify the singer

• B) This song, called ‘Once Upon A Time’, is a cover of a song that was first used in a 1959 film. Name the 1959 film.

• C) This cover version, is being used in a 2014 film, that is a prequel/re-imagining to the 1959 film. Name the 2014 film.

14

A – Lana del ReyB – Sleeping Beauty

C - Maleficent

• “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket” by Edgar Allen Poe – X is a mutinous sailor on the whaling ship Grampus. After the ship capsizes in a storm, he and three other survivors draw lots upon X's suggestion to kill one of them to sustain the others. X then gets cannibalized.

• In 1846, the Francis Spaight foundered at sea. Apprentice X was among the twenty-one drowning victims of that incident, though there were no cases of cannibalism.

• In 1884, the yacht Mignonette sank. Four people survived and drifted in a life boat before one of them, the cabin boy X, was killed by the others for food. This led to the R vs Dudley and Stephens criminal case.

• Y claimed that his inspiration for X was primararily from the EAP novel, but he also thought that "So many victimized X had to mean something.”

• X and Y please.

15

X – Richard ParkerY – Yann Martel

• The video shown is a trailer of a TV show that is a sequel of a very popular TV show that was broadcast in the 1980s.

• What is the show? Who is the host/narrator of the sequel?

16

CosmosNeil Degrasse Tyson

• This performer’s stage/professional name is, contrary to popular belief, not derived from his initials. It is actually derived from an approximate English pronunciation of his original Hungarian surname, Székely.

• Who?

17

Louis C. K.

• The next video is a scene from the Clark Gable movie “It Happened One Night”. This has inspired an oft-repeated phenomenon in popular culture.

• When this was first suggested, this movie was very popular and hence it was thought that people would immediately get the reference.

• However, as time passed the original reference was forgotten and now this has evolved into a phenomenon of its own.

• What am I talking about ?

18

Poetic (I)Allusions

• Written Round, 6 questions

• All questions related to things which were inspired by poems for their titles.

• +5 for each correct, +10 bonus.

1.

• Name the song

2.“The Womb of nature and perhaps her Grave,

Of neither Sea, nor Shore, nor Air, nor Fire,

But all these in thir pregnant causes mix't

Confus'dly, and which thus must ever fight,

Unless th' Almighty Maker them ordain

___ ____ _____ to create more Worlds,

Into this wilde Abyss the warie fiend

Stood on the brink of Hell and look'd a while,

Pondering his Voyage...“

This is from Milton’s Paradise Lost and the blanks lend a very famous series its title.

• Not only that, but the title of the first installment (which was also the working title of the series), comes from the same source

“Then staid the fervid wheels, and in his hand

He took the ____ ______, prepared

In God's eternal store, to circumscribe

This universe, and all created things: “

• In fact, this whole series is said to be a retelling or an inversion of the whole of Paradise Lost.

• Name the series.

3.

“Trust me, Clara Vere de Vere,

From yon blue heavens above us bent

The gardener Adam and his wife

Smile at the claims of long descent.

Howe’er it be, it seems to me,

’Tis only noble to be good.

____ _____ are more than ______,

And simple faith than Norman blood.”

• Which movie’s title (roughly) fills up the blanks of this verse from Tennyson’s 1842 poem “Lady Clara Vere de Vere”?

4.

In memory yet green, in joy still felt,

The scenes of life rise sharply into view.

We triumph; Life's disasters are undealt,

And while all else is old, the world is new.

• This is how the story of a famous author’s (X) 2-part autobiography got named. The publisher, Doubleday, disliked the original title, so they asked X to provide another, suggesting he find a good quote from an obscure poem. X suggested this poem.

• Doubleday agreed to X's new title, but couldn't find the source of the verse he had given them. When Doubleday inquired, X confessed: "I wrote it myself“. In the end, the poem was attributed to "Anon."

5.

“Child Rowland to the ____ _____ came,

His word was still 'Fie, foh, and fum

I smell the blood of a British man.”

— King Lear, Act 3, scene 4

• The first line was used as the title of a Robert Browning poem titled “Childe Roland to the ____ _____ Came”.

• The poem might not be that well known, but it served as the inspiration for an epic series of work. Not only the title, but also the lead character and the plot surface have been taken from the poem.

• Which work?

Answers

1.

• Name the song

Invictus

2.“The Womb of nature and perhaps her Grave,

Of neither Sea, nor Shore, nor Air, nor Fire,

But all these in thir pregnant causes mix't

Confus'dly, and which thus must ever fight,

Unless th' Almighty Maker them ordain

___ ____ _____ to create more Worlds,

Into this wilde Abyss the warie fiend

Stood on the brink of Hell and look'd a while,

Pondering his Voyage...“

This is from Milton’s Paradise Lost and the blanks lend a very famous series its title.

• Not only that, but the title of the first installment (which was also the working title of the series), comes from the same source

“Then staid the fervid wheels, and in his hand

He took the ____ ______, prepared

In God's eternal store, to circumscribe

This universe, and all created things: “

• In fact, this whole series is said to be a retelling or an inversion of the whole of Paradise Lost.

• Name the series.

His Dark Materials

3.

“Trust me, Clara Vere de Vere,

From yon blue heavens above us bent

The gardener Adam and his wife

Smile at the claims of long descent.

Howe’er it be, it seems to me,

’Tis only noble to be good.

____ _____ are more than ______,

And simple faith than Norman blood.”

• Which movie’s title (roughly) fills up the blanks of this verse from Tennyson’s 1842 poem “Lady Clara Vere de Vere”?

Kind Hearts and Coronets

4.

In memory yet green, in joy still felt,

The scenes of life rise sharply into view.

We triumph; Life's disasters are undealt,

And while all else is old, the world is new.

• This is how the story of a famous author’s (X) 2-part autobiography got named. The publisher, Doubleday, disliked the original title, so they asked X to provide another, suggesting he find a good quote from an obscure poem. X suggested this poem.

• Doubleday agreed to X's new title, but couldn't find the source of the verse he had given them. When Doubleday inquired, X confessed: "I wrote it myself“. In the end, the poem was attributed to "Anon."

Isaac Asimov

5.

“Child Rowland to the ____ _____ came,

His word was still 'Fie, foh, and fum

I smell the blood of a British man.”

— King Lear, Act 3, scene 4

• The first line was used as the title of a Robert Browning poem titled “Childe Roland to the ____ _____ Came”.

• The poem might not be that well known, but it served as the inspiration for an epic series of work. Not only the title, but also the lead character and the plot surface have been taken from the poem.

• Which work?

The Dark Tower

List it - 1

• 6 Satyajit Ray movies have won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. This is the maximum for any director.

• List all 6

• +5 for each correct answer.

• +5 for 4 correct answers. +10 for all 6.

• 1955 – Pather Panchali

• 1959 – Apur Sansar

• 1964 – Charulata

• 1968 – Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne

• 1971 – Seemabaddha

• 1991 - Agantuk

• “The King in Yellow” is a book of short stories by Robert W. Chambers, first published in 1895. The book is named after a fictional play with the same title which recurs as a motif through some of the stories. It is considered to be a classic of the supernatural genre.

• In February 2014, what caused it to reach the Amazon top 10 bestsellers list?

19

• In ASOI&F series of books, House Jordayne of the Tor is a Dornish noble house. Their seat is placed on the coast of the Dornish Sea and during the books, their lord is Lord TreborJordayne.

• This is GRRM’s tribute to whom? Explain.

20

Robert Jordan, Author of Wheel of Time series

• X is an old narrative device that is often seen in Punjabi folk music/poetry.

• Literally meaning ‘Female Firefly’, it is chiefly used to denote the poet/writer who uses the pretext of X to make incisive comments about the situation being described in the song/poem.

• This device has also been widely used by mainstream Bollywood music in the last few years.

• X?

21

Jugni

• This is a popular Christian hymn that was written by Ada R. Habershon with music by Charles H. Gabriel way back in 1907. Since then it has lapsed into the public domain, giving rise to cover versions

• The song is generally played to be uplifting to the congregation, and is a frequent standard in gospel revivals

• Two of the more popular versions were used on the soundtrack of the game BioShock Infinite in 2013.

• However, why would you have heard about it in context with recent movies?

22

Will The Circle Be Unbroken

• In the AFI’s 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains list, only one character appears on both the Heroes list (#48) and the Villians list (#22) . Which character?

23

The Terminator

• A commercial for the Ipad Air. What is the source of the narration?

24

Dead Poets Society

• Comic mocking whom?25

Javert

• Identify this American author who has published three books – “Sharp Objects”, “Dark Places”, and her most famous work X.

• Movies based on “Dark Places” and X are slated for 2014 releases with.

26

Gillian Flynn, author of Gone GIrl

• What begins when military commandos Bill “Mad Dog” Rizerand Lance “Scorpion” Bean are sent on a mission to the Galuga Archipelago in 2633, to neutralize the Red Falcon, a terrorist organization that is planning to take over the Earth?

• Shady Hint – Thinking of Nicaraguan rebel groups in opposition to the Sandinista government from 1979 to 1990 might help.

27

Contras

• This method was first introduced in ancient Roman and Greek treatises such as the Rhetorica ad Herennium, Cicero's De Oratore, and Quintilian's Institutio Oratoria.

• Cicero says that this was first seen at a banquet in Thessaly which the Greek poet and sophos Simonides attended in order to present a lyric poem written in praise of the host. Simonides was called outside shortly after his performance, and during his absence the roof of the banqueting hall collapsed, crushing the other diners, and mangling many of their corpses beyond recognition. Simonides then did something to help identify the corpses.

• Hannibal Lecter (in the Hannibal series of books by Thomas Harris) and Thomas Cromwell, from Wolf Hall are other practitioners of this technique.

• What ?

28

Mind Palace / Method of Loci

• This is the image from a Kickstarter project for a boardgame.What is the inspiration?

29

Inception

• “I will miss Mr. Crere, the faith of Compa and Sir DennisC, the wisdom of Voronwe, the joy of Grammaboodawg, the support of Kangi Ska and so many, many others… I’ve developed films for years and I have shot many a movie on location… but rarely do you relocate for such massive amount of time... My commitment to the project demanded enormous sacrifices both in personal and professional terms. The consequences of which will ripple for years. I relocated my entire life and family… and first came on board in 2008… The cited delays were of sufficient complexity and severity to lead to the current situation... As stated before- a wealth of designs, animatics, boards and sculptures is left behind representing accurately my ideas…and everyone (FW, PJ, PB and myself) has the same goal in mind: to try and ensure the best possible transition of the movie to a new director. I believe these films will happen. Preproduction continues as we speak. The writing team of PJ,FW,PB and myself will keep moving the screenplays forward…….

30

• …..Perhaps even sooner than we may anticipate we will all look at the finished film and then- I will tear up whenever I recognize a set or a creature or a quirk created under my supervision. Everyone on these boards will get two movies. Me? I will be watching filmic family albums. Photos of my children from far away. I hope you will understand how delicate the subject is for me. I will drop by now and then, I will read the boards with interest and do hope to see some of you around at SDCC and many other places... Beyond that- I am simply no longer an official voice for these projects. “

• Who wrote this letter and why?

30

Guillermo Del Toro when he resigned as director of ‘The Hobbit’

• This lady (first name, Rhianna) is a video game scriptwriter and journalist, who has been the lead writer on Eidos’ Tomb Raider reboot, along with an assistant writer on other titles like Prince of Persia.

• Her father, who suffers from Alzhiemer’s, has said that he would be happy if she continues something that was begun by him in 1983, even after his death.

• What is her last name ?

31

Pratchett

• A) Name the movie.

• B) What happens next and how is it a landmark?32

A – WingsB – First same sex kiss in cinema

• Breakout is an arcade game developed and published by Atari, Inc in 1976.

• The prototype to design the game was first given to X who was promised a $750 bonus for every chip fewer than 50.

• X himself had little knowledge of circuit board design but his friend Y, who worked at HP, had developed a version of Pong (the older Atari classic) that took only 30 chips. They worked together and got the game ready using 42 TTL chips.

• X and Y?

33

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak

• This is a song by Weird Al Yankovic called “Bob”. It is a parody of Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues”.

• What’s the big deal about this song?

34

Every single line is a palindrome

• A documentary about this group released nationwide in India on 21st February, 2014. What is more surprising is that a Hindi movie about the same group is set to release next week.

• When the maker of the documentary was asked about the “other” film she said,“I don’t think a commercial movie can capture the color, nuance, immediacy, and the raw and edgy quality of the ‘real’ which you’ll see in my film.“

• The producer of the “other” movie maintains that his movie has no allusions with the source on which the documentary is based.

• Name either the documentary or the film or tell me what this is about.

35

Gulabi Gang/Gulaab Gang