The Great Lazlo Has Spoken

In an effort to resurrect some entertainment on this blog like the good ol’ days I thought it would be fun to send my sister a questionnaire to fill out for you guys, and I have to say, I found it very entertaining, especially the questions I asked her about us. I should’ve asked more of those. I hope you enjoy her answers as much as I did, but first I’ll tell you a little bit about what she’s been up to.

Lesley, aka The Great Lazlo, went to Chapman University in southern California and studied film. She graduated this spring and is working at Yosemite National Park. As you may have guessed, I ripped these photos right off her Facebook album (tweaked them a little bit for color and contrast, shhh), and am posting them all over her post. She has about 200 photos up in her Facebook album so I just chose a few of my favorites, like this one below, holy crap.

I’ve personally loved the time she’s spent at Yosemite because (1) she has time to talk to me on the phone, (2) she’s bored enough to talk to me on the phone, and (3) she has insanely hilarious stories about wildlife sneaking into her cabin and boys in platform heels chasing bears out of her camp (I was on the phone for that incident, and I thank the good Lord every day that I was).

I’ve personally hated the time she’s spent at Yosemite because (1) she’s not in Texas hanging out with me.

P.S. She uses the word “bildungsroman” in her answers. I have absolutely no clue what this means. Think I’ll just smile and nod.

Okay, that’s enough out of me! On with the program….

Name 5 movies that you think everyone should see and why.

1. Taxi Driver — My favorite film of Martin Scorsese’s, who in turn is one of my favorite directors. This film about God’s Lonely Man is potentially one of the best portrayals of the psychological effects of the Vietnam War without even directly including the war at all. I tend to appreciate movies more when I had to rewatch, analyze, research and ultimately pick them apart for papers, and that was something I did with this film. Scorsese is legend (he also makes an incredibly disturbing cameo in this film), and this is a perfect example of the brilliance that came out of the young Hollywood directors in the 60s and 70s.
2. An Education — I was the biggest supporter of Carey Mulligan winning Best Actress this spring, which I knew wasn’t going to happen but which I will continue to be upset about because she deserved it. This is simply a beautiful film in every respect, which everyone can appreciate. The production design combines my love of Mad Men and my love of London into one film, the bildungsroman narrative is an eternally interesting genre, and the performances are beautifully understated. I think this is a movie that everyone can appreciate, but for the people who can relate to it, it’s another experience entirely. It may be an understated film but it hits like a steel train emotionally. I love this movie.
3. The Awful Truth — Maybe it’s just because I have a deep-seated love of both screwball comedies and Cary Grant, but I found this movie absolutely hilarious when I saw it for the first time a couple years ago. It is definitely one of the most underrated films in this genre and is a lot more light hearted than anything else on this list. Mr. Grant and Irene Dunne are both brilliant, and there’s not really a whole lot else to say about this movie except that it’s a shame there aren’t more men like Archibald Leach.
4. In Bruges — This is easily one of the best films I’ve seen in the last few years. It can be difficult to watch at times because there is a decent amount of violence and an incredible amount of swearing, but if you can handle both those things the screenplay is brilliant. I often find that the best films are not comedies or dramas but have elements of both, and this dark comedy made me laugh and cry with astounding regularity. Martin McDonagh also got amazing performances out of his actors, which is saying something considering I usually appreciate Colin Farrell more as a pretty face than as a serious actor, and it’s even a greater accomplishment considering this was the writer/director’s first feature-length film. If nothing else, watch this film in order to see Ralph Fiennes’ character give his wife one of the best insults recorded on film.
5. A Matter of Life and Death — I almost did The Apartment because of my love for Billy Wilder, but at the last minute I decided to change it to something I feel like less people have seen. I had never even heard of this Powell & Pressburger film until my last semester of school when my professor played it in our fantasy genre class. The only word that I can think of to describe this film is charming. Powell & Pressburger are known for their beautiful colors and visuals, and this Technicolor love story between an American radio operator and an RAF pilot straddling the gap between this world and the next is a perfect example of their brilliance. There’s not much to say about this movie except go watch it.

[Editor's Note: Looks like I've got some movie renting to do. I second her review of The Education. Loved that movie and definitely related to it. So good.]

Name 5 movies that you could watch over and over again regardless of how “good” they are technically.

1. You’ve Got Mail
2. That Thing You Do! (there’s a bit of a Tom Hanks trend…in fact, all 5 of these could potentially be Tom Hanks movies)
3. Empire Records
4. The Sound of Music
5. Hook

What would you say are our most quoted movies?

Some of our most quoted movies…You’ve Got Mail, A League of Their Own, That Thing You Do! (another Tom Hanks trend), Fletch and Fletch Lives, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Father of the Bride, Groundhog Day, Clueless, It Could Happen to You…they go in cycles it seems, but those are a handful.

[Editor's note: She forgot Cool Runnings, one of our most oft quoted movies of all time. And I think we quote Father of the Bride 2 as much as we do the first one. Just had to add those in there.]

What’s a movie/TV show that I love that you hate?

The Biggest Loser. I don’t hate it but I’ve seen it a few times and I just can’t get into it, but I know you watch it a fair amount. Honestly I think it would be easier to find something that I like that you hate. I’m not too picky.

How many animals have tried or succeeded in coming into your tent cabin so far at Yosemite?

A handful of raccoons (though it’s likely that it’s the same raccoon every time…we call our neighborhood raccoon Tito and he absconded with my chocolate granola once), a few squirrels, a Steller’s Jay, a bat (which I’m sad to say I wasn’t here for), thousands of bugs, and a climbing bum friend who’s been storing his haul bag under my bed.

What do you miss most about Texas (besides family because that’s too easy)?

I miss the friendliness of the people in Texas. When I was claustrophobic in Southern California I would say that I miss how spread out everything is, but that’s not really a problem here in Yosemite where I’m 50 miles from any sizable town. I know I can’t say family but I can say that I miss my friends from both school and church, though a lot of them no longer live in Texas either. I miss Blue Bell ice cream and the kid’s pizza at Schlotzsky’s and Studio Movie Grill.

How are Californians different from Texans?

In general the most obvious difference is that Californians tend to be more liberal with pockets of conservative strongholds (i.e. Orange County and much of the agricultural community) whereas Texans tend to be more conservative with pockets of more liberal populations (i.e. Austin). I’ve noticed that people actually tend to be pretty similar, although Californians where I have lived tend to be used to having so much right at their fingertips — giant cities, beaches, clubs, theme parks, concerts, restaurants, shops, mountains, etc. And they’re okay with paying a higher premium for all the options they have. But the real question is how are Northern Californians different from the rest of California AND from Texas? And that is a long list of things which are pretty easy to guess, since they’re liberal hippies which make life so interesting.

How would you describe yourself in one word?

Wanderer.

How would you describe me in one word?

Opinionated (this is a good thing).

How are you and I different?

I am much more prone to moving around (see two questions up). I love traveling and I want to see as many places in the world as possible, and that is not you, though you’ve moved around plenty yourself. By the time you were my age you were already married and that is definitely not in the near future for me. I’m also much nerdier than you are and get singularly obsessed with bands, movies, books and people, while you’re much more normal than that. I’m a little crazier and since I’m younger I get to be more immature.

How are you and I the same?

We both love movies, TV shows and books and have enough of an overlapping taste to relate to each other and recommend things to each other on that level. I actually feel like we’ve become pretty similar when it comes to our senses of humor and the traits that we admire or dislike in ourselves and other people, which is good because it means we can vent or tell humorous stories to each other easily. Luckily we’ve grown closer instead of farther apart as we’ve gotten older. Also, neither of us cook and we both love Jess Mariano.

[Editor's note: Mmmm, Jess Mariano.]

Will you interview me next for my blog?

I would say yes, but considering it took me 2 1/2 weeks to answer questions about myself, I can’t make any promises.

Thanks so much for humoring me, Lesley! You’re the best!