The film quiz of the year: do you know the Queen’s favourite or which one inspired John Lennon?

1. Which James Bond film had its release postponed twice this year due to Covid-19?

   1. Die Another Day

   2. No Time to Die

   3. Live and Let Die

   4. Tomorrow Never Dies

2. Which actor was picked by Pablo Larraín to play Princess Diana in his upcoming film about the end of her married life?

   1. Lily James

   2. Millie Bobby Brown

   3. Kristen Stewart

   4. Vanessa Kirby

3. Which prominent couple signed a lucrative deal this year with Netflix to make TV drama, films and children’s shows?

   1. Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco

   2. Danny Dyer and Joanne Mas

   3. Elton John and David Furnish

   4. Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex

4. In August, Brian Blessed revealed that the Queen told him her favourite film is one of his. Was it?

   1. Santa’s Blotto (Blessed played Santa)

   2. Henry VIII and His Six Wives (Blessed played the Earl of Suffolk)

   3. Flash Gordon (Blessed played Prince Vultan)

   4. Much Ado About Nothing (Blessed played Antonio)

5. In the autumn, it was revealed that a baseball film inspired John Lennon to record the song Grow Old With Me a month before he was shot dead in December 1980. Was it?

   1. A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story (1978), with Blythe Danner as Eleanor and Edward Herrmann as her husband, Lou, stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

   2. Angels in the Outfield (1951), starring Paul Douglas as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ tough-talking manager Guffy McGovern, who is soothed by love

   3. The Stratton Story (1949), starring James Stewart as Monty Stratton of the Chicago White Sox

   4. The Bad News Bears (1976), with Walter Matthau as the grumpy old coach

6. This summer, which film festival moved to gender-neutral acting awards?

   1. Cannes

   2. Venice

   3. Sundance

   4. Berlin

7. In September, US congressman Ken Buck called for an investigation into what?

   1. The Netflix movie Cuties

   2. The Capitol Hill security administration’s decision in April 2015 to allow Buck to bring an AR-15 assault rifle into the building for a photo opportunity in a year in which one child had already been killed and eight injured during school shootings

   3. Twitter allowing Buck in March 2020 to post a video online boasting about the AR-15 assault rifle in his office, challenging Joe Biden to take it from him, in a year in which two children had already been killed and one injured during school shootings

   4. The NRA spending $829,377 on Buck’s congressional campaign in 2010, a year in which three children were killed and five injured during school shootings

8. This year, Matt Hancock incorrectly referred to “Daniel Rashford” when he meant Marcus Rashford, the footballer whose school meals campaign had just shamed the government into submission. Hancock later said he had been thinking of a famous movie personality. Who was it?

   1. Daniel Radcliffe

   2. Daniel Craig

   3. Daniel Day-Lewis

   4. Daniel who’s travelling tonight on a plane

9. Which movie star suffered a chainsaw accident at home during lockdown?

   1. Judi Dench

   2. Maggie Smith

   3. Cate Blanchett

   4. Sylvester Stallone

10. At the beginning of the year, producers of the period drama Little Women were embarrassed when an eagle-eyed fan spotted two modern items in the background of one shot, just behind Timothée Chalamet. Were they?

    1. A green-tea menthol e-cigarette and a tablet

    2. A portable Blu-ray player and an ultrasonic humidifier

    3. A Fitbit and a pair of Apple glasses

    4. A Hydro Flask and a plastic Poland Spring water bottle

Solutions

1:B - No Time to Die is, theoretically, coming out in the spring of 2021., 2:C - Larraín said that Stewart was “going to do something stunning and intriguing at the same time”., 3:D - Harry and Meghan announced that they were committed to “powerful storytelling through a truthful and relatable lens”., 4:C - It is rumoured that the Queen loved the fact that Queen composed the soundtrack for Flash Gordon., 5:A - This true story of dedication and love deeply moved Lennon., 6:D - Berlin’s decision to make its acting awards gender neutral was widely praised., 7:A - Buck was revolted by what he had heard about the film Cuties and wrote to the attorney general, William Barr, demanding the enforcement of “federal laws protecting children”., 8:A - Hancock said: “Maybe I had Harry Potter on my mind.”, 9:C - Blanchett suffered a minor chainsaw mishap resulting in a “nick to the head” in her garden in East Sussex., 10:D - Thirsty crew members are suspected of leaving the offending items in shot.

Scores

1. 10 and above.

   Cut! What a glorious take, carissimo. Practise your Zoom acceptance speech my darling because we're talking silverware.

2. 7 and above.

   Cut! Whoah! Not bad my love. I was really feeling it that time.

3. 0 and above.

   Cut! With a performance this bad, I regret casting you. The security guard will escort you out of the studio.

4. 4 and above.

   Cut! Mmm. Try that scene again darling, but do try to say the lines as if you haven't got a head injury.