The Great Providence Quiz 3.0

Arts & Culture

Total: 22 points

Posted

Question 1 (6 pts.)
Doug Liman (Brown ’88) directed the critically and commercially successful 2002 spy movie The Bourne Identity, along with the iconic ‘90s indie comedy Swingers and the splashy 2005 Brad Pitt/Angela Jolie vehicle Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Todd Haynes (Brown ’85) directed the 1998 glam rock drama Velvet Goldmine, which was loosely inspired by David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust. He had his greatest success with 2002’s Far From Heaven, a 1950s-set family drama that received four Oscar nominations, including Best Actress for Julianne Moore and Best Original Screenplay for Haynes. (It lost in all four categories.)

Davis Guggenheim (Brown ’86) has found great success both as a producer and director. He has directed three of 100 highest-grossing documentaries of all time: An Inconvenient Truth (2006), about former Vice President Al Gore’s campaign to educate people about climate change; It Might Get Loud (2009), a history and exploration of the electric guitar, particularly as seen through the careers of Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, U2’s The Edge and the White Stripes’ Jack White; and Waiting for “Superman” (2010), a documentary on charter schools and the public education system.

Martha Coolidge (RISD ’68) first broke out in 1983 with Valley Girl, a romantic comedy starring Nicholas Cage. Val Kilmer starred in her 1985 tech satire Real Genius.

Gus Van Sant (RISD ’75) is a critical darling, nominated for two Best Director Oscars for Good Will Hunting (1998) and Milk (2009). He’s spent a restless career dabbling in quirky indie dramas (My Own Private Idaho, 1991), dark comedy (To Die For, 1995), ill-advised remakes (Psycho, 1998), controversial dramas (2003’s Elephant, inspired by the Columbine school shootings) and puzzling character studies (2005’s Last Days, a fictionalized account of Kurt Cobain’s final days and subsequent suicide).

Charles Stone III (RISD ’88) directed 2003’s college band flick Drumline, starring Nick Cannon, but his best known and perhaps most enduring contribution to pop culture is Budweiser’s famed “Whassup?” ad campaign, which he created.

Question 2 (1 pt.)
Forbes has never cited us as one of America's Dirtiest Cities (yet). According to the magazine, however, we were only slightly less miserable than Charlotte, NC (We’re more miserable than Baltimore? Have the editors of Forbes ever watched The Wire?); we managed to drink harder Chicago (#5); we were almost as stressful as Cleveland (#4); and we were more overpriced than West Palm Beach (#6), but not nearly as much as that glittering oasis of excess McAllen, Texas (#4).

Question 3 (4 pts.)
A/4: Empire Revue delivers music, comedy, dance and more on the first Sunday of every month at AS220.

B/3: Improv Jones sets optimistic, but still realistic, expectations of “really good improv” every Thursday and Saturday night at 95 Empire.

C/1: The plucky, creative youth (and veteran performers) over at Everett Dance deliver Friday Night Live every week.

D/2: Siblings Dan and TJ Curran (one of this year’s Most Eligible Bachelors) bring Knock Down Stand Up to the Spot Underground every month.

Question 4 (5 pts.)

On the third Thursday of every month from March to November you can guide yourself or hop on the Art Bus during Gallery Night to visit dozens of galleries, shops and museums around the city, including Chazan Gallery, Peaceable Kingdom, Studio Hop, the RISD Museum and the John Brown House.

Question 5 (6 pts)
Across
3. The Providence Children’s Museum’s Boo Bash features “witch crafts,” a spooky spider web, the chance to play with monsters’ innards and more.
4. Visitors to the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo can marvel at as many as 5000 artfully carved pumpkins.
6. During the Werewolf 5K angry villagers chase down the mythical beasts who have stolen their chickens.

Down
1. If you’re ever at a bar that seems to quickly and without warning be taken over by the living dead, you accidentally stumbled upon a stop on the Zombie Pub Crawl.
2. The Providence Ghost Tour presents the haunted history of College Hill every year from May through November.
5. Though the Museum of Natural History has plenty to offer visitors, its vaults contain thousands more items and are only open to visitors on Halloween.

providence, quiz, trivia, providence monthly, john taraborelli

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