(Handing over the reins to Aurora for her self-introduction – take it away!)
My name is Aurora Bugallo, but I am known by most as @CitizenScreen on Twitter. I became a classic movie fan as soon as I arrived in this country from Cuba at age five. Relatives gave us a second-hand TV set and I gravitated to old movies although to me there were of the moment. I credit those old movies with teaching me the English language, as a matter of fact. To this day I find comfort in classic movies and they are my favorite pastime.
I’ve collected movies since I was a child and watched them with a pad in hand so I could jot down quotes I liked since about the age of eight. It’s no wonder then that I’d eventually start blogging about them at Once Upon a Screen. It was after I joined Twitter and discovered an entire community of like-minded fans that I decided to give blogging a go. Now it’s an important outlet for my obsession, which has led to new friendships that serve to feed my desire to watch more movies. It’s a vicious cycle I adore.
By day I work as an administrator in higher education and teach mass and social media as an adjunct instructor. But my love of movies spills over to most of what I do in one way or another on a daily basis.
DFNY Focus Five Questions:
Q: Which film do you love that might surprise people?
AB: I don’t know if this will come as a surprise to anyone, but I simply adore Michael Gordon’s The Impossible Years (1968). It seems the silly romp that the New York Times reviewer called “a peculiarly joyless, fumbling, dirty comedy” was constantly on TV when I was growing up and I can’t get enough of it. The cast is fairly impressive with David Niven and Lola Albright playing conservative parents to freewheeling teenager, Cristina Ferrare, but the story does lack substance. Regardless, this is a guilty pleasure that brings me joy.
Q: If you could pair up any two actors/actresses, living or dead, which two would it be & what kind of film?
AB: Marlon Brando and Judy Garland in a hard-boiled crime drama.
Q: Which film has had the biggest impact on you personally, and why?
AB: There are many, but I’ll go with the Donen/Kelly musical On the Town (1949), which played an important role in welcoming me to this country when I was five. I’ve loved it ever since. For quite some time I thought New York City streets were littered with dancing sailors and I loved that about my new country.
Q: If you could have one prop from any film what would it be?
AB: I gave this a lot of thought and have to go with the piano Judy Garland leans on during “The Man that Got Away” number in A Star is Born (1954). Perhaps the greatest exhibition of unadulterated talent to ever appear in a movie happens near that piano.
Q: Is there any subject matter which you would not make/watch a film about?
A: Not really, although my movie watching relies heavily on my mood. There are times when I avoid extremely upsetting subjects.
Citizen Screen Twitter Account
#DFNYFocus is a series from Daily Flick NY focusing on the personal film tastes of Screenwriters, Directors, Producers and other individuals working in the film industry
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