#WeAreQFT: James Stafford
30 April 2020
Patron James Stafford is next up in the #WeAreQFT hot seat. James tells us what film is daft, harmless fun, where in the cinema he always sits and why a young Brad Pitt might be just handsome enough to play him.
You are stuck at home and your favourite cinema is closed. What five films do you watch?
The Living Daylights (1987)
Phantasm II (1988)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Somewhere in Time (1980)
A Christmas Carol (1984)
What three words would you use to describe QFT?
Intimate, community, friendship.
What is your earliest cinema-going memory?
Going to see Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) with my mother.
What film do you dislike that everyone else loves?
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018). Overrated tosh with a high opinion of itself and I don't think Rami Malek deserved an Oscar. It should have gone to Christian Bale for Vice (2018).
What is your guilty pleasure film?
UHF (1989) with Weird Al Yankovic - daft harmless fun and I love the theme.
What is your favourite film soundtrack?
Too many. The Living Daylights, Mask of the Phantasm and Somewhere in Time. Flatliners (1990) OST to name but a few.
What film character would you love to meet?
Gordon Gekko. I would want style and tailoring tips from him. Stock advice would be good too.
What is the best thing about going to the cinema?
You can forget all your problems and become immersed in the story. Nothing beats the sound and comfortable seats of a cinema and the huge screen. Plus it always feels like a treat and you build lovely memories.
Do you have a special place in the cinema where you always sit?
The back row and dead centre.
Who is your favourite film villain?
Either all the villains in The Living Daylights or Gekko in Wall Street (1987).
What one thing would you change about your favourite film?
I cannot think what I would change about my favourite films. Does wanting Timothy Dalton to have made more Bond films count?
What film do you think justifies a remake?
I am not really a fan of remakes as they never seem to work. I definitely never, ever want to see a Remake of The Breakfast Club (1985) or Back to the Future (1985).
Have you ever changed your opinion on a film?
I loved The Matrix (1999) when I first saw it. Now when I watch it I see far too many shortcomings with it.
What is your favourite movie quote?
'The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA. Thank you very much.' – Wall Street.
Who would play you in a film of your life?
This is a tough one. I would probably say a young Brad Pitt or a young Robert Redford. I think they are just about handsome enough to play me!
