BCE Presents: Houdini’s Magic Ticket

 I can get King Kong! We’ll have a nightmare with Freddy Krueger, have a surprise party for Adolf Hitler, Hannibal Lecter can do the catering, and then we’ll have christening for Rosemary’s Baby! All I have to do is snap my fingers and they’ll be here. They’re lining up to get here, and do you know why Jack? Should I tell you why? Hmm? Because here, in this world, the bad guys can win! ~ The Last Action Hero

Here’s a new thing to do. There are things that travel from blog to blog for each participant to weigh in on important matters like what movie world you’d like to live in. When one of these catches my writerly spirit I’ll call it BCE Presents.

This was first presented to me by the super awesome Jessica over at The Velvet Café, who describes the project thusly: Inspired by the movie Last Action Hero, the idea is that you have a magic ticket that can transport you into any film you like.

And now, BCE Presents: Houdini’s Magic Ticket.

What character would I most like to be sat next to on a plane?

Susan Vance from Bringing Up Baby. Here’s the thing, she’s probably the best person in all of cinema. She’s got a crazy energy where she just embraces everything as a potential adventure. Even though we’d only be on a plane for a few hours at most we could probably get into some fun hijinks. And maybe she’d find a way to bring Cary Grant along.

What character would I most like to enjoy a passionate romance with?

This might just be an excuse to use a picture of Jennifer Lopez, but my choice here is Karen Sisco from Out of Sight. Firstly, she’s amazing looking. That matters if we’re talking fantasy here. But she’s also caring and strong and intelligent. And she can protect me from evil people like Don Cheadle.

If I were a cop, who would I want as my partner?

He’s not a real cop, however my pick is Gay Perry from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. He’s obviously a capable investigator. He’s got a lot of fun quips about everything. And if he’s attracted to me that will be all the more reason to keep me safe and watch my back when we’re out crime solving. With our quips.

What animated feature would I love to walk around in?

I think the clear answer here is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It’s got a surreal, David Lynch-ian world where everything is made of food and Mister T has an inverted mohawk. It’s insane! But really, the best argument for this world is the Jell-o Mold Mansion. It’s even got a Jell-o swimming pool and a Jell-o piano.

What adventure based on Earth would I most like to go on?

The Fall is a movie filled with swashbuckling and a bunch of fantastic locations. Every place looks amazing and the the group of people traveling around the world is made up of a lot of cool people. Lee Pace is awesome and there’s a monkey!

What adventure based in an otherworldy, fantasy-based location would I most like to go on?

This adventure has to involve multiple planets. It’s gotta have space battles. There’s gotta be a cool group of young, attractive people. And it would help if Simon Pegg and lens flairs were involved. This leaves us only one option: Shaun of the Dead. Oh, wait, not that one. Star Trek (09). Yeah, that’s the one.

What movie gadget would I love to try out (or steal)?

I only like gadgets that have songs about them. Hence my choice of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from the film of the same name. This car isn’t just a car. It’s also a boat and a plane and the styling is out of this world. It’s a gorgeous vehicle and way better than my dumpy old Jetta. Well, a little better than my dumpy old Jetta.

What film’s plot would I alter and how would I do it?

Even though I defend the film’s third act, I’d have to change Sunshine. It really sucks that every discussion of the film ignores the greatness of the majority of the film because people don’t like how it ends. So I’d eradicate the monster guy for something a little easier to swallow. Then the discussion could be about the characters and the beauty of the film instead of how it goes “off the rails” at the end.

What film would I want to be transported into, simply to be a part of that world?

The whole point of this exercise is to pick movie’s we’d like to be a part of, so I’m going to take that a step further and enter a movie that lets you enter books! The Pagemaster was a big part of my childhood and having that library card that literally transports you to a world where books come to life would be amazing. And then I’d be in a place where Leonard Nimoy hangs out for the second time in this blog post.

Check out what other people chose for their lists over at Top 10 Films. Good stuff over there!