Fans Will Need To Think Like Men To Pass This Movie Quiz
- by Theo Kogod
- – on
- in Movies and TV
What makes for a manly movie experience? Is it about great action scenes and muscular heroes? Fart jokes and buddy humor? Stoic men of few words and fewer reservations. There is no one singular quality which embodies manliness in a movie, but there are definitely movies we think of as being depictions of manliness. Movies that get just what our culture(s) have taught us is a proper representation of what men aspire to be, and how men think, act, and feel. Whether this is accurate does not so much matter as whether we want it to be true since such films speak to a place of yearning deep inside us.
We quote from these movies and recount their best moments. The one-liners and punchlines get echoed through the years and turned into memes. The fights entertain us and keep us on the edge of our seats. The heroes get boatloads of sequels and spinoffs and even the occasional reboot as we return make action figures and movie posters in their likeness. So it is that we ask people to answer these questions about manliness in the movies, and by answering these questions prove once and for all that they think like a man.
What is James Bond’s secret agent code name?
James Bond is one of the manliest of all action heroes, an undercover secret agent who can talk smooth, pull off a professional business suit, and still kick some serious assassins off rooftops. He is a man of refined tastes and tasteless jokes, known for thinking with his Walther PPK and fraternizing with the enemy. His agency is frequently frustrated with his romantic pursuit, juvenile sense of humor, and collateral damage, but there’s no denying he gets results. What is this MI-6 operative’s code name?
What signature item does Indiana Jones fight with?
Indiana Jones has been one of the most iconic action heroes of all time since his debut in the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark. He is smart but hard-edged, knowledgeable of other cultures yet able to fit into a university setting. He is also one of the only archaeologists to ever sucker punch an SS officer in the jaw or stowaway aboard a submarine. When Spielberg created the character, the director drew inspiration from a lot of classic pulp heroes. But its Indie’s chosen fighting implement that makes him stand out. What is it?
Neo’s title in The Matrix Trilogy was…?
Cyberpunk is a bit of an overplayed genre these days, but once upon a time it was a rarity to see great action and great cyber-thrillers pull off their full potential outside the occasional anime film. The Matrix broke the mold in a genre-defining epic film that drew inspiration from such diverse sources as Japanese animation, 20th French philosophy, and 90s comic books. It’s protagonist, Neo, is a messianic figure who uses his mind to alter (artificial) reality. What is Neo’s title in the film?
What is Tony Stark’s superhero name?
In 2008, Tony Stark flew onto the big screen and into the popular consciousness in the first film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This billionaire genius made his film debut in an explosive success of a summer blockbuster. It was a familiar story—that of an egotistical war profiteering mad scientist born to privilege who created his own robot suit powered by a brand new form of energy reactor attached to his heart. Okay, so maybe the story isn’t that familiar. But his name should be. What is Stark’s superhero identity?
Which animal did John Wick have as a pet?
John Wick is one of the most intense breakout action movies of recent years. The reason for its success is that the movie does not rely on CGI, but rather features intense realistic fight scenes where star Keanu Reeves used his actual combat training in coordination with stunt directors to deliver a powerful performance. The movie is at its core a basic revenge story, but it opens with John Wick showing himself to be an animal lover. Which pet did he have?
What is the first rule of Fight Club?
Fight Club is one of the defining movies of the 90s. It was a genre-defying thriller which explored the meaninglessness of modern life’s constant corporate drudgery and the religious devotion to materialism, even as it challenged the limits of resistance. The story really takes off after a pair of friends start a local Fight Club to let out their repressed aggression with other men working disappointing jobs. This spirals into the group organizing to change the society around them. What is the first rule of Fight Club?
What is the family of the Godfather movies?
The Godfather films are considered some of the greatest filmic masterpieces of all time. And with good reason. These movies tell the story of an Italian family making a life for themselves in New York, and doing so with some extralegal activities attached to the family’s olive oil business. When a war breaks out between them and a rival family, lives are put on the line and the values which the family clings to are challenged. What is the main family in the Godfather series?
According to Braveheart, people “can take our lives…”
While the movie is older and less popular nowadays (as its controversial lead, Mel Gibson), Braveheart was once considered the definitive historical epic to come out of Hollywood. It does not much matter that the movie couldn’t be less historic if its hero, William Wallace, rode into battle aback a winged dragon. After all, who cares about historical fidelity when there are woad-painted Scotsmen going to battle in kilts and taking on English heavy cavalry with pikes? Finish this famous quote from the movie’s most iconic scene.
Darth Vader’s real name is…?
It is difficult to think of a more iconic villain than Darth Vader. This cyborg Sith is a living embodiment of humanity’s greatest fears: a faceless merciless militarized authoritarian who has been transformed into a literal machine, while still wielding unexplained and mysterious forces. He has an entire galaxies-spanning fleet as his command, but he can personally take down any foe with his red lightsaber. But once upon a time, this Sith commandant was a Jedi Knight from Tatooine. What was Vader’s original name?
The Fast and the Furious is about which competitive event?
The Fast and the Furious has more films than most Hollywood action franchises, and yet still seems to race ahead of newer movies in its box office wins as it continually delivers rubber-burning thrillers of high stakes adventures that take its audiences for a ride as events go spinning out of control. At the heart of these high octane movies is a story about those most human of passions: cars, thievery, and Vin Diesel. What activity do the characters in the films participate in?
What was Zoolander’s job in the movie Zoolander?
Zoolander was a movie that understood how to use dumb comedy to tell smart jokes. Named after its titular character, Derek Zoolander, a glamorous but ditzy celebrity played by Ben Stiller, the movie is one of those rare pieces that can be a parody of itself, critiquing the superficiality and lack of intelligence so common in celebrity culture. The worship of wealth and looks surpasses substance, but does not exclude good intentions, as Zoolander’s highest aspiration is to help children. What was his job in the film?
Which was the 1st sport Adam Sandler’s character played in Happy Gilmore?
Adam Sandler was a rising star in the 90s, and one of his biggest early hits was Happy Gilmore. The movie featured Sandler’s character as a golfer who was reinvigorating the sport—a sport that is seen by the public as being boring and the purview of older out of shape men. The rage and intensity Sandler brings to the sport completely knocks people’s opinions into the rough. But he was not always a golfer. What sport did he play first?
In the movie Goodfellas, which organization was portrayed?
Goodfellas is a true story. That is what makes its already compelling tale all the more enjoyable to watch. Its characters are all petty, greedy, hostile rageaholics. But the point is not about them being likeable people. Rather, this biopic is a personal first hand look inside one of the most secretive organizations in the world, as witnessed by its protagonist Henry Hill. The organization is responsible for various activities which involve profitable sales of contraband and elimination of targets. Which organization was portrayed in Goodfellas?
Where does the first Hangover movie take place?
The Hangover series is exactly what it sounds like: a movie about a group of people recovering from a long night as they cobble together missing memories amidst skull-splitting headaches. The first film involves three guys waking up to find their fourth friend missing. They also wake up to discover a baby, a tiger, and a missing tooth have become part of their new reality. Hilarity ensues as they live with the consequences of a fun night they don’t remember. What city does the first film occur in?
Which villain did Batman fight in the Dark Knight?
The Dark Knight is Christopher Nolan’s magnum opus—the middle film of his Batman trilogy where the Caped Crusader is reimagined as a realistic hero who uses wealth, intelligence, and grit to improve his city and take down the mobsters feeding off the corruption. In The Dark Knight, he encounters a foe who can’t be reasoned with or understood, an enemy that challenges Batman on an ideological level and pushes him to the limits of his own moral code. Who was this enemy?
What item must Frodo destroy in The Lord of the Rings?
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is one of the greatest filmic achievements ever made, combining classic acting and cinematography techniques with new breakthroughs in CGI. This fantasy series deals with classic themes of morality challenged by the complexities of industrialized war, and the consequences of doing the right thing despite the great costs involved. Throughout the series, Sauron, a sentient manifestation of malice, is threatens the world and must be stopped. What must the protagonist, Frodo, get rid of to stop Sauron?
Which sport did Rocky Balboa excel in?
Rocky Balboa made his knockout debut with the hard-hitting film Rocky which came out in 1976 and starred Sylvester Stallone. The movie generated five sequels and a spinoff series, Creed, about Rocky mentoring the son of his now-deceased rival. Rocky is a working class man from Philly, and many of the events of the movies deal with him struggling with money and working conditions. But at their heart, these films are sports movies. Which sport did Rocky Balboa excel at?
Black Panther is the leader of which fictional country?
Black Panther is the title of the superhero T’Challa, as it was the ceremonial title used by all of leaders of his people before him. This isolationist country is a world leader in terms of technology and raw resources, having the primary source of vibranium on the planet. It has force fields, a powerful standing army, and a culture which has not lost its religious and tribal heritage to colonization. Which fictional country does Black Panther rule in the MCU?
What is the best description of The Matrix?
The Matrix films dealt with complex philosophical issues in a tale of kung fu and science fiction action where fists flew and leather trench coats were the uniforms worn by culture warriors in their hacktivist revolution against the machines. But beyond being the title of these movies, the Matrix was a complex philosophical and technical mechanism, an all-consuming aspect of the series which was inescapable. So here is the question we’re asking about these movies. Just what is The Matrix?
Name the main character from The Big Lebowski?
Few comedies are quite as smart as The Big Lebowski. It managed to juggle multiple serious themes about high stakes and dark threats while showing the events through the perspective of a protagonist who is wholly committed to slacking and bowling, a man so apathetic that he seeks not to achieve anything but rather wants to simply achieve a zen-like state of nirvana on his couch. His apathy is something that many can relate to. What is the name that this slacker hero is known by?
What is Superman’s greatest weakness?
He has many names. Superman. Kal-El. The Man of Steel. The Man of Tomorrow. He is the strongest superhero in the DC Universe, able to bench press the Earth and see the vibrational frequency of molecules. In his time, he has defeated the Kryptonian warlord Zod, come back from beyond the grave after fighting Doomsday, and helped form the Justice League. But the Man of Steel has one weakness. What is the one substance in the universe which can make the blue boy scout go green at the gills?
Which war did Saving Private Ryan feature?
Saving Private Ryan was the historical epic that Steven Spielberg wrote and directed to show his passion for a particular era of history. Its opening sequence is one of the most gut-wrenchingly hard to watch cinematic sequences ever filmed, while its cast of characters are able to deliver a stellar performance as they trudge through the grime and mud of European battlefields while maintaining their courage and integrity despite the crimson staining their trigger fingers. Which war did this movie depict?
What is Captain America’s real name?
Captain America is one of the greatest heroes of the MCU. Powered by the Super Soldier Serum, he has abs so fit one can bounce pennies off them and biceps the size of Iron Man’s ego. He has fought Thanos to a standstill and frequently knocks out foes by throwing his star-studded shield at them (the best defense is a hard-thrown offensive maneuver, after all). He is, essentially, the conscience of the Avengers. What is his civilian name when he’s not in costume?
Name the leading boss in Pulp Fiction.
Pulp Fiction was Quentin Tarantino’s 1995 masterpiece where he took all the over-the-top and oh-so-overdone tropes of the old pulp stories and twisted them together into a brilliant drama of laughter, loss, heartache, and tragedy. The story took place in a seemingly random way as its narrative style was out of order, but the longer the film went on, the more everything fell into place. One of the main driving forces in the film was a character who ordered hitmen to retrieve his briefcase and fixed a boxing match. Name this boss.
Dumb and Dumber is about two friends who…
The movie Dumb and Dumber had a unique comedy style that combined the antics of two less than academically gifted protagonists with a lot of really stupidly bad luck (and at least one major lucky break). The film is about two best friends, neither of whom can hold down a job due to massive incompetence and one of whom recovers a mysterious suitcase full of money. These gentlemen get into various antics. How can one best describe what these friends do?
What job did Hartigan have at the start of Sin City?
Sin City is a noir film about wiseguys and wanton dames. It is an intensely macabre and yet highly sophisticated film, and it is presented as three separate stories. The first of these stories is also the last—that of an aging man named John Hartigan who is framed for actions he did not commit and who works to keep a girl safe through his silence. Hartigan spends most of the film as an old man in retirement. What was his job?
What’s Wolverine’s main tool for fighting?
Wolverine is the coolest of all the X-Men. This is just a scientific fact. From his adamantium bones to his spiky hair, there is no part of him which isn’t cool. But what really makes him stand out is his temperament. This short mutant berserker has all the rage of his namesake animal and half the manners. Still, he has had samurai training and served in military spec ops units, making him more than just an empty uniform. What is his fighting tool of choice?
Who is the founder of Fight Club?
Fight Club is more than a movie. It is a movement. In real life, there are real fight clubs where young people went to brawl and test their strength. But all of that began with the movie (or, really, with the novel, which then became further popularized through the movie). In the film, one man famously starts a local fight club, which becomes a movement based around challenging the limits society imposes on manhood. Who was it that started the Fight Club in the film?
What event was being celebrated in the first Hangover movie?
The Hangover trilogy is a comedy series with a famed legacy of having two incredibly funny films followed by one truly disappointing final chapter. The original film was a journey through the dehydrated delirium of a morning recovering from a night of heavy celebration. It involved tigers, brawls with complete strangers, a mysterious dental operation delivered by a fist, and way too much time spent on a Vegas rooftop. What was the occasion being celebrated in the first Hangover movie?
What is the main peacekeeping tool of a Jedi in Star Wars?
Jedi Knights are members of a priestly order who serve both as guardian peacekeepers of that twice-faraway galaxy and as wise spiritual mystics. Their attunement to the Force and acceptance of emotionless non-attachment allow them to perform incredible feats like Force leaps and Jedi mind tricks. Clad in their flowing robes, these space warriors travel from world to world, teaching important lessons like which droids we’re looking for. But it is their peacekeeping tool that they are best known for. What is a Jedi’s primary tool of combat?
Name the main spaceship in Star Trek.
Star Trek is a series all about going boldly to new frontiers where no one has gone before. Sometimes, that is done by challenging ideas of what is ideologically possible for humans to achieve, as is seen in the multinational coalition characters working (and loving) together on the show. Other times, it is about exploring cool scientific or philosophical concepts. On occasion, it is about phasers blasting things with lots of lights and ‘splody sound effects. What is the main ship on Star Trek?
Who was the star of the Rush Hour films?
Rush Hour technically has two stars. But, funny as the man is, audiences did not flock to the theater to see Chris Tucker. Tucker himself is well aware of this, and in the outtakes to the second Rush Hour he makes this clear. The real star of the film is a martial arts master who does all his own stunts, and who plays a Hong Kong detective in the film, able to fight with anything from a pool cue to a car’s steering wheel. Who is the real star of Rush Hour?
What were Jules and Vincent sent to retrieve at the start of Pulp Fiction?
Jules and Vincent are introduced in the first Pulp Fiction as a pair of smart-talking assassins who do whatever is needed for their boss. They have a lively conversation about Vincent’s concerns after he has returned from a trip abroad, and an upcoming date Vincent has with their boss’s wife. Then they enter the apartment of some of their boss’s former business associates who made the unfortunate (and final) life choice of stealing from their boss. What stolen item was it that these two were sent to retrieve?
Where does Batman call home?
Batman is a man of many talents. He is the world’s greatest detective, an exceptional martial artist, and an inventor who has more cool gadgets in his utility belt than most heroes will ever encounter in their lifetimes. Part of what inspired him to become a costumed vigilante was witnessing the untimely execution of his parents in a dark alley in his city. He fought to protect and reform that city over the years, even as villains like Bane, Joker, and Scarecrow threatened it. Which city is his home?
Who was Danny Trejo’s titular character in this 2010 exploitation film?
Danny Trejo is an actor of exceptional talent, but he has a face that looks like someone used his cheekbones as a cutting board. Based on the amount of time the actor spent behind bars in real life (and his extensive time as a boxer), this might not be entirely untrue. In this film, he plays an action hero who carries massive blades and who goes into battle without hesitation. Interestingly, the hero first appeared in the movie Spy Kids. What is Trejo’s character named?
What is Zoolander’s signature facial pose?
Derek Zoolander might not be an international man of mystery (or even be a man capable of figuring out the consequences of what happens when one mixes gasoline with fire) but there is one thing he can do: look really really ridiculously good. He can rock a runway like it’s nobody’s business and has a great fashion sense that somehow manages to compensate for his total lack of common sense. The most iconic part of his style is a facial expression he puts on for the cameras. Name it.
What was Jack Sparrow’s ship in The Pirates of the Caribbean?
Cap’n Jack Sparrow has sailed the seven seas and bent just about every law there is within sight of any horizon. Good times, ‘ay, matey, like that one time he impersonated a nun of the cloth, or that other he might have maybe stolen an entire bank. But he has two true love: the sea, and his magnificent ship—a huge galleon with black sails crewed by the forces of the unliving. What is the name of Jack Sparrow’s legendary ship?
How does James Bond like his favorite drink?
James Bond is a suave secret agent of refined tastes. In his expensive suits and driving expensive cars through beautiful international locales, he showcases what class looks like (then picks up dates as he combines class with lines a bit more crass). Much of his allure comes from how he spits out one liners and wields a Walther PPK with a surgeon’s precision. But a lot of it also deals with his love of a good drink. What is the way he prefers to take his drinks?
What is another name for Mad Max?
Mad Max races across the wastes of the post-apocalypse from one film to the next, blazing his way through battlegrounds on the open roads. It’s crazy how weird and wild his movies can get. The first film of his has all the clarity of diesel smoke and should have left a burnt rubber black mark over the character’s name. Despite that, he has appeared in several incredibly well made action movies since then. What is another name this high speed racer goes by?
In 300, how did Leonidas respond when told “this is madness?”
The movie 300 was a hit success upon its release, adapting the Frank Miller graphic novel of that name which portrayed the battle between 300 warriors from the Greek city-state of Sparta and the much larger forces of the Persian Empire—an empire which spanned three continents. Many quotes in the film are pulled right out of history, such as the line “come back with your shield…or on it.” One famous line from the movie comes from Leonidas being told by a Persian envoy that his actions are madness. How did he respond?
In The Matrix, Neo downloads knowledge of this martial art.
The Matrix movies have some of the best martial arts fight scenes of their day. Much of this was done with a little bit of CGI and a lot of wire-fighting, but despite that, the actors had real martial arts training. But in the original Matrix film, Neo famously downloads a martial art directly into his brain, then uses it in an incredible fight scene in a dojo. Which martial art did he learn just before showing this new knowledge to Morpheus?
Name the girl Marv obsessed over in the movie Sin City.
Sin City is one of those rare films with multiple narratives going on, and all of them converge in a back alley saloon. The first of these stories features Marv, a tough lug with fists that can break bricks and a face that looks like it’s regularly used to open locked doors. He falls for a woman, then when he wakes up and finds she is no longer among the living, he spends the rest of his arc obsessing over her in a quest for vengeance. What was her name?
What did Indiana Jones find in Raiders of the Lost Ark?
There are some movies so timeless that nothing can seem to diminish their greatness. Such is the case of the movie Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. The film is taught in script-writing classes as an exemplary masterpiece, while its main character manages to combine all the intelligence of an Ivy League professor with the hardened grit of only the most intense of action heroes. Throughout most of the film, Indiana Jones seeks an ancient relic. What is this artifact?
Ip Man was a master of this martial art style.
Ip Man was a real man—a martial arts master who lived in China during the early 20th Century and who trained Bruce Lee. The movie Ip Man shows just how skilled the man was, but also how courteous he was as he repeatedly demonstrates manners and mercy while in fights with opponents, frequently incapacitating an opponent and demonstrating strikes he could perform without following through so as not to harm the man he is fighting. What martial art did Ip Man master?
What job does Django pursue in Django Unchained?
Django Unchained was an intense western film that both showed the uncomfortable truths of the past and managed to tell an escapist power fantasy where the former slave Django was able to exact revenge upon those who wronged him. Part of his arc involves him learning to use a longarm and befriending with a man who trains him in a very specific profession, whereby Django is able to use his new skills on his enemies. What job does Django take?
James Bond’s boss as MI-6 goes by what name?
James Bond is an icon in the modern consciousness. This MI6 agent is known for his charismatic way of flirting and snarking his way across all corners of the globe. Like all secret agents, he takes assignments from an agency, and as directed by an experienced supervisor. Supposedly, author Ian Fleming who created Bond took inspiration from his own mother when creating Bond’s boss. This character has been played by Bernard Lee, Dame Judi Dench, and (most recently) Ralph Fiennes. What is Bond’s boss named?
Luke Skywalker grew up on this planet.
Star Wars is the story of two characters: Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. (At least, that is how George Lucas envisioned it, though the new films seem determined to break that mold). Luke is the great hero of the series, the last Jedi who stopped the Empire, defeated the Sith, and brought the Jedi Order back when he began training a new generation of students. However, his story began long ago, well before he took up arms against the Empire. Where did Luke grow up?
What was Clint Eastwood called in the Dollar Trilogy?
Long before superheroes dominated the cultural landscape, Western films were all the rage. While a few individual films stand out as particularly notable, the greatest series of Westerns was the Dollar Trilogy from director Sergio Leone. Clint Eastwood starred in all three of these films, the first movie being A Fistful of Dollar, an unlicensed remake of Akira Kurosawa’s samurai classic Yojimbo. In each of the films, Clint Eastwood’s character rolls into town and causes almost as much trouble as he solves. What is the name of his character?
What sport does The Dude enjoy in The Big Lebowski?
The Big Lebowski is a movie about just about everything that can go wrong in someone’s life. Made by the Coen brothers, it is perhaps their greatest film, and it is certainly their funniest. It is able to explore) and make fun of) privileged billionaires, German nihilists, free-spirited artists, lazy jobless slackers, over-militant zealots, and show dog enthusiasts. As one thing after another goes wrong, one thing at least preserves the spirit of the Dude: his favorite sport. What is it?
Identify Indiana Jones’ greatest fear.
Indiana Jones is a daring capable adventurer who has defied all the odds by braving danger across continents. He has escaped from traps in ancient temples, dodged bullets, and jumped out of airplanes with nothing but an inflatable raft for a parachute. He is perfectly at home feasting on baby snakes and eye soup, while he can communicate with the native peoples of a whole bunch of unrelated cultures, but there is one thing he absolutely cannot deal with. What is Indiana Jones’ major phobia?