Adrian suggests the most esoteric link suggestion of all time and tells us what cinematic experience reduced his whole family to tears.
You can follow him on Twitter @adrianmbentley and if you ever need to order custom-made badges, Adrian is your man.
What was the first film you saw at film club?
Brighton Rock, the Richard Attenborough tribute screening.
What's been your favourite film at film club?
Probably Stop Making Sense as it was like being at the greatest gig I'll never get to go to. It was party time at film club that night. (Honourable mention for We Are The Best!).
What's been your least favourite film at film club?
Grey Gardens was a difficult watch. I couldn't get on with it all and it was starting to feel quite exploitative.
Which film that you voted for are you most annoyed has lost the vote?
The Warriors (Lee Buers changed his mind at the last minute and it lost by one vote!) However, all is right now as it's since been screened (in its non-director's cut format thankfully).
What's a favourite film of yours you'd love to see at film club?
Mary and Max would be a fantastic film to show. It's a comedy about a girl in Melbourne and a lonely guy in New York, who end up being pen-pals, then friends. It's funny, extremely heartfelt and injected with that blunt Australian humour that is so prevalent in films like Muriel's Wedding and The Castle. Plus there haven't been that many animated films shown so it would increase that tally. A Top Five movie for me (it is currently on Amazon Prime).
Tell us a theme and three choices you'd put up for the vote.
Films featuring a character using a BIC 4-colour ballpoint pen:
Still Life - Underrated drama from 2013 with Eddie Marsan, playing a man who has spent most of his life tracking down next of kin for funeral arrangements. (He uses aforementioned pen)
What We Do In The Shadows - Sort of like a kitchen sink mockumentary about vampires living together. (The pen is in there somewhere around the 54th minute.)
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Not a top Wes Anderson, but it's definitely a crowd-pleaser. (Owen Wilson’s character hands the pen to Cate Blanchett in a key scene).
Is there a book about film that you’d recommend to other members?
In my early days of Film Club, Nigel was kind enough to gift me a copy of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. I was slightly sceptical at first as there's a lot of books like this, but it's an excellent mix of films you won't of heard of, films you're glad to see included and a few you can't fathom why they added (every list needs a bit of controversy). I think I'm on about 400 at the moment. Everyone should own a copy.
What's your earliest memory of going to the cinema?
One of my earliest memories is my mum picking me up from school and telling me we were going to the cinema. I think this might have been at the now-defunct Electra Theatre in Newport Pagnell, Milton Keynes. I threw a strop when I asked if it was a cartoon and she told me it wasn't, as for some reason that was a deciding factor on whether I would like it. What a brat! It turned out to be Labyrinth, and I loved it. I guess I found out that day that not all films need to be cartoons to be good. You can't watch Labyrinth with me as I will get annoying and say all the lines before the characters do.
What's your most memorable cinematic experience?
Christmas Eve 2015, we went as a family to the Errol Flynn Cinema (now renamed the Northampton Filmhouse) to watch It's A Wonderful Life, a film I had already seen multiple times. I don't know why, but watching it on the big screen seemed to elevate it on a whole new level. I noticed so many more things that I ever had before, it was like watching it for the first time again but even better. It all felt much more emotional (we all cried) despite knowing everything that was going to happen. I guess that's the power of cinema right there!
What was the last film you saw outside film club and would you recommend it?
It was The Wrong Missy. Ahem. Moving on... I'd recommend a Danish film called The Guilty on Netflix. The whole film is set in an emergency call centre and has a recently demoted police officer dealing with a kidnap. Twisty and tense.
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