Imagine chain mail, but filled with joy, friendship and happiness. It’s the Liebster Award, a blogging prize shared amongst bloggers in recognition of each other’s awesomeness. Luckily enough for little ol’ me, the splendiferous folks over at Popcornography have considered Flicks and Pieces worthy of a nomination!

It is ridiculously kind of them, and very much appreciated – thank you!

Here lies a smidge more info on what exactly the Liebster Award is:

“The Liebster Award is an online award for bloggers to gain more support, recognition and just to get to know the person behind the blogger. It also helps others to discover new blogs and to build a sense of community in the blogging world.”

So there you go, a very nice gift indeed!

Each nominee is tasked with the challenge of answering eleven gruelling questions. I solemnly swear not to turn the tables on Popcornography as Quentin Tarantino once spectacularly did on Krishnan Guru-Murthy…if you haven’t seen it, it’s the best interview ever:

Let’s crack on with the questions!

1. What was the very first film you saw at the cinema and what do you remember about your visit?

When I was a young sprog, I used to go to a cinema club at the local multiplex, where they’d screen kids films from recent years. I must have seen a tonne of films during that time, but the one which really stands out for having blown my mind was, of course, The Land Before Time. I can’t say for certain if it was the first film, but my word I loved the crap out of it. Thrills, spills, tragedy, it really did have it all. There are now fourteen (!) films in the series. That scene where Littlefoot’s mother dies is just brutal….spoiler alert.

2. Which films (if any) have made you cry?

As I have no soul, the shedding of tears whilst watching films is a bit of a rarity for me. There have been a couple of cases though. The first incident was way back in 1993. The root of my angst: Free Willy. And no, they weren’t tears of happiness over Willy’s newly found freedom. It’s the scene where Willy and Jesse (Jason James Richter…what ever happened to him?) have a fall out. That’s it. That’s all it took to set me off. They are all each other has, dammit!

But then this happens and all is right with the world again:

More recently, Inside Out hit me pretty hard in the feels. That’s quite self-explanatory for anyone who’s seen it.

3. Who is your favourite movie character?

Indiana Jones. Obviously.

4. If you were only able to watch ONE movie for the rest of your life which one would it be?

Yeesh! Now there’s a question. There are so many which I return to regularly – Pan’s Labyrinth, Goodfellas, Ghostbusters, Stand By Me. But the one which I’d happily watch on repeat for the rest of eternity would be The Goonies. I discovered it at a time when I was a similar age to the characters in the film, and instantly felt an affinity towards them all. It’s not perfect, and it’s kind of goofy, but regardless of what mood I’m in it instantly cheers me up, reminds me of my childhood, and makes me laugh.

5. What’s the most important element of a film for you personally?

Throughout college and university, I always had it drilled into me that you can make a bad film from a good script, but you can’t make a good film from a bad script. The screenplay is the basis of everything yet to come – the production design, the cinematography, the performances, the editing – and without a good one, you’re onto a loser.

6. Which film would you love to see a sequel to?

I’d love to see a sequel to M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable. Patton Oswalt has this covered:

7. Which film have to seen the most and can you put a number of how many times you’ve watched it?

I would imagine it has to be X-Men (2000). I lost count of how many times I watched that film, but it came to the point where I could more or less recite the script from front to back. It was just the beginning of the wave of superhero movies that was to come, but for me it’s still one of the very best. I got a real kick out of seeing my favourite characters on the big screen, and though I haven’t watched the film for a good few years now (I’ve had my fill), the three year period between its release in 2000 and the release of X2 in 2003 saw me watch X-Men more than enough times to put it on top of the total views pile.

8. Which movie of 2016 are you most excited for?

This is like being asked to choose your favourite child. There’s Jason Bourne. X-Men: Apocalypse. Captain America: Civil War. Hail, Caesar!. Suicide Squad. 10 Cloverfield Lane. The Jungle Book. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

But I can only pick one, so I’m going to go for….Captain America: Civil War, because, why not? (Update: it was pretty great, right?).

9. If it were possible which movie universe would you like to exist in?

Middle-Earth. Epic magic and awesome pubs. Sold!

10. Where do you think cinema will be in the next 100 years?

At the bottom of the ocean with the rest of modern society. Meanwhile, the chosen humans will be rebuilding their lives on Mars. With Matt Damon, I would have to assume.

11. Do you fancy me? Would you buy me dinner and stroke my dog? (if I had one).

Who doesn’t? I would buy you a Subway made freshly by the finest sandwich artist, and would pet your dog (who I assume is named Lightning Punch, or something equally badass) to its hearts content.

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And now comes my turn to share the love with some splendid bloggers of my own choosing. First, take a look see at the Liebster Award rules:

• Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you (thanks again to Popcornography).
• Answer the 11 questions the blogger gives you.
• Nominate 11 bloggers that you think are deserving of the award.
• Let the bloggers know you nominated them.
• Give them 11 questions of your own.

Without further ado, here are my nominees:

1. Blazing Minds
2. Neels Reel Deel
3. Reflections
4. Failed Critics
5. What Not Films
6. Movie Moron
7. Let’s Go To The Movies
8. About A Girl
9. Assholes Watching Movies
10. Flick Chicks
11. Fandom 101

My questions to these delightful people are….

1. Starting simple, what is your all time favourite film?
2. What film would you never watch again under any circumstances?
3. Which one film not nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars this year do you feel deserves to have been?
4. If you could ask one director, one question, who would it be and what would you ask?
5. If you had to be stranded on a desert island with one movie character, who would it be?
6. What film has taught you the most about life, or inspired you the most?
7. If you could only watch the past and future films of one director, whose work would it be?
8. As ruler of the world you enforce a rule whereby everybody must watch and own five films of your choosing. What five films would you choose?
9. Would you rather duel with Lord Voldemort at Hogwarts, or battle with Darth Vader on the Deathstar?
10. Marvel Cinematic Universe, or DC Cinematic Universe?
11. Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?

Enjoy!