#WeAreQFT: Lauren McCune

You are stuck at home and your favourite cinema is closed. What five films do you watch?

This is my idea of a nightmare question. 5 films are not enough. To name a few, here you go:

Dazed and Confused (1993)

Moonstruck (1987)

True Romance (1993)

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

20th Century Women (2016)

What three words would you use to describe QFT?

Merlot or shiraz?

What is your earliest cinema-going memory?

I really don’t remember. I think it might have been Fly Away Home (1996). But my first childhood film obsession was The Wizard of Oz (1939).

What film do you dislike that everyone else loves?

The Witch (2015). I honestly hated it.

What is your guilty pleasure film?

Barb Wire (1996) Pamela Anderson in an erotic sci-fi version of Casablanca (1942). Need I say more?

What is your favourite film soundtrack?

I can’t just choose one so here are 5 of my most played:

Singles (1992)

The Crow (1994)

The Shape of Water (2017)

The Virgin Suicides (1999)

Batman (1989)

What film character would you love to meet and why?

The Big Lebowski, or The Dude, His Dudeness or El Duderino if you’re not into the whole brevity thing. He could help me pick out a rug that will tie my room together, go bowling and drink a few white Russians – what’s not to love?

What is the best thing about going to the cinema?

Isolation is now a trigger word, so I won’t use that. But I love the peace and focus I get from sitting in a cinema (hopefully empty) when I really want to be consumed by a film.

Do you have a special place in the cinema where you always sit?

I have a go-to spot that is near the front and centre left. But if loads of people are around there, I will go where its most quiet. I have serious misophonia!

Who is your favourite film villain?

Danny DeVito as Penguin in Batman Returns (1992). He holds a special place in my heart.

Have you ever changed your opinion on a film?

I saw American Hustle (2013) in the cinema and thought it was great. I watched it again recently at home and I couldn’t even get through the whole thing. It is so boring. The costumes are the best thing about it.

What is your favourite movie quote?

So, in a scene from The Departed (2006) a guy is sitting at the bar and tells Jack Nicholson’s character that his mother is ‘on her way out.’ Jack Nicholson’s character responds, ‘We all are, act accordingly.’ Its amazing how much I quote that and still laugh.

What film would you love to see at QFT when it reopens?

I was looking forward to Barbarella (1968). I hope that comes back when we reopen! I would love to see a silent film festival come to the QFT soon.

Who would play you in a film of your life?

Natasha Lyonne – if I somehow became a New Yorker with a sexy voice.