Screentime: Chris Loton, Actor, This Is Sanlitun
"Screentime" is a regular magazine column in which we ask Beijing personalities to tell us about the films and television shows that have left an indelible impression on them. This month, the Beijinger speaks to actor Chris Loton.
In the biopic of your life, which scene should be filmed as a silent movie?
The best part of my life for a silent movie would definitely be high school. Looking back on it, I would love to be able to mute everything that came out of my mouth.
What’s the finest breakout performance you can remember?
Guy Pearce in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Double-bill it with Memento or LA Confidential, and you will see what I mean.
What TV show or movie did you once love but now think is rubbish?
Every weekend, my dad would take me to the video store, and at one point, I rented out Theodore Rex, three weeks in a row. One cop is a dinosaur, the other is Whoopi Goldberg. I think they were investigating why dinosaurs went extinct or something. Anyway, I saw it again recently and feel it doesn’t hold up too well these days.
What film do you wish you could change the ending of? Describe the new ending.
I would change the ending of Se7en. There would be a cake or something nice in the box and Brad would eat it with Morgan Freeman, celebrating a case well-solved. There would then be a fade-out to “Dance Hall Days” by Wang Chung with a brief explanation of what they are up to now.
Is there a particular movie theatre that you have a sentimental attachment to?
Forrest Cinemas in Bunbury. It was run by a Jehovah’s Witness guy who only charged 2 USD per movie just so poor kids could go to the cinema. It has since been demolished and now the lot is a Nissan dealership or something, but I think about it every time I drive past.
What film do you wish would be made into a TV show?
I wish Jurassic Park was made into a TV show starring Samuel L. Jackson and that fat bloke from Seinfeld, as IT professionals having to deal with every day computer issues in a similar vein to The IT Crowd, but without the cheap laugh track.
What’s the best TV show theme song? Why?
The theme from Twin Peaks. Nothing more appropriately sets the tone for the show than this. Amazing.
Look out for the web release of This is Sanlitun in April.
