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Mattrick
08-27-2010, 12:24 PM
I know a couple years back I started up a tournament for greatest movie of all time, but I never finished due to the fact my computer broke and I didn't have a computer for a year and a half or more.

But I wouldn't mind starting one for Greatest Movie Character of all Time if people would be willing when fev's current one is done.

pathoftheturtle
08-27-2010, 12:40 PM
Not a bad idea... but it'd probably end with some lame winner like Indiana Jones. http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s12/POTT2007/smileys/giggle.gif

Mattrick
08-27-2010, 12:46 PM
perhaps. We'd just have to get some good characters in there like Leonard Shelby and Agent Smith lol

fernandito
08-27-2010, 12:56 PM
Not a bad idea... but it'd probably end with some lame winner like Indiana Jones. http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s12/POTT2007/smileys/giggle.gif

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3057/2367515373_515ff7a325.jpg


Mattrick - we already had a Best Movie character tournament, and a Best Movie of all time tournament. :)

pathoftheturtle
08-27-2010, 12:57 PM
Sorry, sai... I was only jerking your chain.
The Best Movie Character of All Time 07-17-2009 (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?t=8779)
11-25-2009 ...And the BMCOAT is .... *drumroll* (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?t=9711)

Jean
08-27-2010, 06:23 PM
Yes, I remember it well... how Juror #8, George Bailey, Elwood P. Dowd, Rick and Atticus all succumbed to Indiana Jones... not my best recollection, to tell you the truth

How about the best actor of all times?

Seymour_Glass
08-27-2010, 06:25 PM
I think bears may be on to something.

Heather19
08-27-2010, 06:34 PM
Yes, I'm all for an actor poll as well :)

Mattrick
08-27-2010, 07:10 PM
If we did actor we would have to do actresses at well; we couldn't be sexist :P

Mattrick
08-27-2010, 07:17 PM
I say we do several small contensts all at once. Instead just a general best character; a few smaller ones like Best Villain, Best Hero (indy won't be in it :P), Best Sidekick, Best Creature, Best Lunatic, Worst Rolemodel...stuff like that.

For best role model I choose Billy Bob in Bad Santa haha

candy
08-28-2010, 02:03 AM
what about doing it in an oscar style

best male in a drama? etc

alinda
08-28-2010, 04:04 AM
:excited::clap:Let the polling begin!:)

Jean
08-28-2010, 04:34 AM
let us finish off those poor survivors of the directors massacre first...

fernandito
08-28-2010, 05:43 AM
Let's wait until the director tournament is over. Then I'm going to do a clean up of End World. Then we'll see about the tournament ...

Mattrick
08-29-2010, 12:53 PM
I'll be willing to run it, since you took over the duties when I was MIA, Fev.

pathoftheturtle
08-29-2010, 02:33 PM
If we did actor we would have to do actresses at well; we couldn't be sexist :PYou mean to say we'd have to have two tournaments? Would it be less sexist to compete eveyone together, or would we all tend to vote mostly for our own gender? :orely:

Mattrick
08-29-2010, 05:40 PM
The unsexist thing to do would be to have two. The womens libertarian thing to do would have both compete against each other.

Or if like I said above, we did say best lunatic. We could have Kathy Bates up against Norman Bates. lol

BROWNINGS CHILDE
09-01-2010, 09:37 PM
I tried to start a Greatest Band of all time tournament awhile back. While there seemed to be a lot of interest at the time, the idea was shot down due to competition with an ongoing tournament. I think there would be a lot of interest in this type of tourney.

Jean
09-01-2010, 09:59 PM
I tried to start a Greatest Band of all time tournament awhile back. While there seemed to be a lot of interest at the time, the idea was shot down due to competition with an ongoing tournament. I think there would be a lot of interest in this type of tourney.
There is a lot of interest among bears. I remember I even nominated Led Zeppelin before we decided to put it off till later.

John Blaze
09-01-2010, 10:08 PM
It's not needed anyway, everyone knows Styx is the best band of all time. :evil:

BROWNINGS CHILDE
09-01-2010, 10:31 PM
What is your favorite Styx Album/Song. I personlly like Edge of the Century, but I think most people prefer eariler Styx.

John Blaze
09-01-2010, 11:19 PM
My favorite song is Renegade. Easy. I like them, but I was kidding about them being the best. Led is amazing, I think Black Dog is one of the best songs ever.

Jean
09-01-2010, 11:21 PM
precisely

John Blaze
09-01-2010, 11:27 PM
:)

BROWNINGS CHILDE
09-02-2010, 12:07 AM
I think Pink Floyd or The Eagles or Tool or DMB or The Doors or.........haha this is why we need a tourney.

John Blaze
09-02-2010, 12:18 AM
The Doors, man, GLOOOOOOORRRIAAAAAAAA!

Jean
09-02-2010, 12:24 AM
seconded

Odetta
09-02-2010, 11:21 AM
Doors would be my vote - but I am a keyboardist, so that makes sense.

(Peace Frog rules)

Mattrick
09-02-2010, 02:09 PM
I think Pink Floyd or The Eagles or Tool or DMB or The Doors or.........haha this is why we need a tourney.

Tool? :scared:


My votes would go to: Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, Beatles, Velvet Underground and The Guess Who

fernandito
09-02-2010, 02:44 PM
I tried to start a Greatest Band of all time tournament awhile back. While there seemed to be a lot of interest at the time, the idea was shot down due to competition with an ongoing tournament. I think there would be a lot of interest in this type of tourney.

Yup, I remember this. I think this would be an excellent tournament.

Mattrick
09-02-2010, 02:49 PM
The Classic Rock station in Toronto did one a month or so ago. It's the highest regarded in all of Canada I believe. It came down to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and Zeppelin won. Zeppelin took down some heavyweights, like The Beatles.

Seymour_Glass
09-02-2010, 02:50 PM
This is exciting.

BROWNINGS CHILDE
09-02-2010, 08:50 PM
Should we open a nominations thread? Here is what I had thought before: Allowing for the wide variety in tastes, and also for the extremely large number of groups that are out there, I think that there should be a large number of nominations.
What do you all think of this?
100 nominations
Round one: 10 groups of 10 - top 2 from each poll move on leaving 20
Round two: 4 groups of 5 - top 2 from each poll moving on leaving 8
Round three: 2 groups of 4 - top 2 from each poll moving on leaving 4
Semifinals: 2 groups of 2 - top 1 from each poll moving on leaving 2
Finals.

thoughts?
too many?

John Blaze
09-02-2010, 09:13 PM
I'll participate when it comes down to it, but for the planning phases....I wouldn't know shit about that, it's up to you guys.

Mattrick
09-02-2010, 09:25 PM
Is it just bands or are solo artists included? Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Paul McCartney and others definitely deserve to be in it.

BROWNINGS CHILDE
09-02-2010, 09:36 PM
I think solo artists should be included. I would definitely feel that Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix were worthy of a nomination.

Mattrick
09-02-2010, 10:42 PM
Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen...they would definitely have to be there.

John Blaze
09-03-2010, 12:04 AM
couldn't we have a solo artist tournament too? it might get hopelessly cluttered if we mixed them all up, IMO.

Jean
09-03-2010, 12:25 AM
I think solo artists should be included. I would definitely feel that Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix were worthy of a nomination.
Dylan.

You forgot Dylan.

::shocked::

mae
10-09-2014, 08:17 AM
Now that we've gone through two big genres (horror and sci-fi), we were discussing earlier the possibility of doing more genres, maybe up to 10 or so, and then having these best movies face off against one another. A popular genre to go next seemed to be comedy, to lighten things up.

This probably wouldn't start right away, I think we all would like a short break, but I wouldn't mind starting this deal back up in a couple of weeks.

I've been going though various lists, and there are just SO MANY great comedies I could potentially nominate, it's not even funny...

Just look at these great movies (some may not be pure comedies, but what is and isn't a comedy is often difficult to say):



Safety Last! (1923)
Sherlock Jr. (1924)
Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)
The Cocoanuts (1929)
The Freshman (1925)
The General (1926)
The Gold Rush (1925)
The Kid (1921)





A Day at the Races (1937)
A Night at the Opera (1935)
À Nous la Liberté (1931)
A Slight Case of Murder (1938)
After the Thin Man (1936)
Animal Crackers (1930)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
City Lights (1931)
Design for Living (1933)
Dinner at Eight (1933)
Duck Soup (1933)
Easy Living (1937)
Holiday (1938)
Horse Feathers (1932)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Le Million (1931)
Libeled Lady (1936)
Modern Times (1936)
Monkey Business (1931)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
My Man Godfrey (1936)
Nothing Sacred (1937)
Platinum Blonde (1931)
Room Service (1938)
She Done Him Wrong (1933)
Stage Door (1937)
The Awful Truth (1937)
The Thin Man (1934)
Trouble in Paradise (1932)
Under the Roofs of Paris (1930)
You Can't Take It with You (1938)





A Foreign Affair (1948)
A Night in Casablanca (1946)
Adam's Rib (1949)
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
Heaven Can Wait (1943)
His Girl Friday (1940)
I Married a Witch (1942)
Jour de Fete (1949)
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
Life with Father (1947)
Love Crazy (1941)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)
Murder, He Says (1945)
My Favorite Wife (1940)
Sullivan's Travels (1941)
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947)
The Bank Dick (1940)
The Great Dictator (1940)
The Great McGinty (1940)
The Lady Eve (1941)
The Major and the Minor (1942)
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
The Talk of the Town (1942)
To Be or Not to Be (1942)





Around the World in Eighty Days (1956)
Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958)
Born Yesterday (1950)
Desk Set (1957)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
Good Morning (1959)
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
It Should Happen to You (1954)
Love in the Afternoon (1957)
Mon Oncle (1958)
Monkey Business (1952)
Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953)
People Will Talk (1951)
Roman Holiday (1953)
Sabrina (1954)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
The Horse's Mouth (1958)
The Long, Long Trailer (1953)
The Man in the White Suit (1951)
The Seven Year Itch (1955)
The Trouble with Harry (1955)





A Shot in the Dark (1964)
A Woman Is a Woman (1961)
Charade (1963)
Closely Watched Trains (1966)
Divorce Italian Style (1961)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
How to Steal a Million (1966)
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967)
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
La Dolce Vita (1960)
One, Two, Three (1961)
Playtime (1967)
The Apartment (1960)
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)
The Graduate (1967)
The Pink Panther (1963)
The Producers (1967)





Amarcord (1973)
Animal House (1978)
Annie Hall (1977)
Bananas (1971)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Female Trouble (1974)
Harold and Maude (1971)
Life of Brian (1979)
Manhattan (1979)
MASH (1970)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Silver Streak (1976)
Sleeper (1973)
That Obscure Object of Desire (1977)
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
The Jerk (1979)
The Phantom of Liberty (1974)
The Sting (1973)
The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1972)
Trafic (1971)
Young Frankenstein (1974)





After Hours (1985)
Airplane! (1980)
Bachelor Party (1984)
Back to School (1986)
Back to the Future (1985)
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Beetlejuice (1988)
Big (1988)
Caddyshack (1980)
Coming to America (1988)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Ghostbusters (1984)
How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989)
Innerspace (1987)
Just One of the Guys (1985)
Kin-Dza-Dza! (1986)
Moscow on the Hudson (1984)
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
Police Academy (1984)
Raising Arizona (1987)
Ruthless People (1986)
See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989)
Short Circuit (1986)
Something Wild (1986)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
The Meaning of Life (1983)
The Naked Gun (1988)
The Princess Bride (1987)
The War of the Roses (1989)
Time Bandits (1981)
Tootsie (1982)
Top Secret! (1984)
Trading Places (1983)
Valley Girl (1983)
Weird Science (1985)
When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Withnail & I (1987)
Working Girl (1988)





Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
American Pie (1999)
Analyze This (1999)
As Good as It Gets (1997)
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
Babe (1995)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Black Cat, White Cat (1998)
Chasing Amy (1997)
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Dead Alive (1992)
Deconstructing Harry (1997)
Delicatessen (1991)
Dogma (1999)
Dumb & Dumber (1994)
Ed Wood (1994)
Election (1999)
Fargo (1996)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Four Rooms (1995)
Greedy (1994)
Gridlock'd (1997)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Grumpy Old Men (1993)
Home Alone (1990)
Men in Black (1997)
Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Night on Earth (1991)
Nothing to Lose (1997)
Office Space (1999)
Pleasantville (1998)
Pretty Woman (1990)
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)
Swimming with Sharks (1994)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Birdcage (1996)
The Last Supper (1995)
The Mask (1994)
The Ref (1994)
The Sandlot (1993)
The Truman Show (1998)
The Wedding Singer (1998)
There's Something About Mary (1998)
Underground (1995)





(500) Days of Summer (2009)
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Bad Santa (2003)
Burn After Reading (2008)
Cold Souls (2009)
Everything Is Illuminated (2005)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009)
Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
I Love You, Man (2009)
In Bruges (2008)
In the Loop (2009)
Juno (2007)
Meet the Parents (2000)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
School of Rock (2003)
Sideways (2004)
Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
Super Troopers (2001)
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
The Band's Visit (2007)
The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008)
The Hangover (2009)
The Misfortunates (2009)
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
The Terminal (2004)
Whatever Works (2009)
Zombieland (2009)





21 Jump Street (2012)
Barney's Version (2010)
Carnage (2011)
Four Lions (2010)
God Bless America (2011)
It's a Disaster (2012)
John Dies at the End (2012)
Kick-Ass (2010)
Lapland Odyssey (2010)
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Obvious Child (2014)
Ted (2012)
The Artist (2011)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
The Heat (2013)
The Infidel (2010)
The Intouchables (2011)
The Kids Are All Right (2010)
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
This Is the End (2013)
We're the Millers (2013)



That's 264 movies right there. And I'm sure I missed a bunch. I may have gone overboard just a tad, but most of these deserve to be nominated. So I'm hoping when we go ahead with the nominations, we'll do 200 instead of 160. I'm currently using the 200-entry system for the flags tournament in Starkblast, and it's a pretty good one if I do say so myself!

frik
10-09-2014, 08:21 AM
What are we waiting for...let's go!!
And yes, you did miss the best comedy of the 1970s.....which will be my first nomination!

sk

fernandito
10-09-2014, 08:24 AM
I'm fully on board, but I definitely do need a small break from tournaments. Completely open to the idea of revisiting this in a few weeks.

Keep in mind that the holidays are quickly approaching so we will likely see a reduced amount of traffic for the remainder of the year. Maybe this is something we should aim to get off the ground in 2015? Just a thought.

mae
10-09-2014, 08:32 AM
What are we waiting for...let's go!!
And yes, you did miss the best comedy of the 1970s.....which will be my first nomination!

Do tell :)

racerx45
10-09-2014, 08:33 AM
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3e/The_Jerk.jpg/220px-The_Jerk.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3e/Stripesposter.jpg/220px-Stripesposter.jpg

frik
10-09-2014, 09:04 AM
What are we waiting for...let's go!!
And yes, you did miss the best comedy of the 1970s.....which will be my first nomination!

Do tell :)

http://www.cable-car-guy.com/images/movies/whatsupdoc1972dvdr.jpg

Ricky
10-09-2014, 09:05 AM
Keep in mind that the holidays are quickly approaching so we will likely see a reduced amount of traffic for the remainder of the year. Maybe this is something we should aim to get off the ground in 2015? Just a thought.

Good observation. I know that if this starts up in the next few weeks I won't be participating in this one. Lots of Halloween-themed movies to watch in addition to fall TV. Plus, I'm about tournament-ed out, so starting sometime in 2015 sounds good to me.

Shannon
10-09-2014, 09:12 AM
I'm a little confused as to what your definition of comedy is. I only went through the 2010 list, didn't recognize a lot of them (which is saying something in itself) but ... Wolf of wall street, kick ass, the kids aren't alright ... they might have humor in them, but in no way would I classify them as comedies.

Heather19
10-09-2014, 09:18 AM
Keep in mind that the holidays are quickly approaching so we will likely see a reduced amount of traffic for the remainder of the year. Maybe this is something we should aim to get off the ground in 2015? Just a thought.

Good observation. I know that if this starts up in the next few weeks I won't be participating in this one. Lots of Halloween-themed movies to watch in addition to fall TV. Plus, I'm about tournament-ed out, so starting sometime in 2015 sounds good to me.

I agree, things always get really busy around this time of year. And I'm with Ricky. I'll be watching loads of scary movies over the next few weeks :)

Girlystevedave
10-09-2014, 09:18 AM
I'd love to do a comedy tournament. :thumbsup:
2015 sounds good to me.

mae
10-09-2014, 09:24 AM
I'm a little confused as to what your definition of comedy is. I only went through the 2010 list, didn't recognize a lot of them (which is saying something in itself) but ... Wolf of wall street, kick ass, the kids aren't alright ... they might have humor in them, but in no way would I classify them as comedies.

We've had this same discussion with the horror and sci-fi tournaments. A genre is sometimes hard to define. What's funny to some is not at all funny to others. The Wolf of Wall Street was one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time. The Quaalude scene alone makes it one of the best comedies.

mae
10-09-2014, 09:25 AM
So January 2015 we roll? :excited:

Mattrick
10-09-2014, 12:11 PM
I Love You, Man for the win!

Actually, I'd be surprised if Lost In Translation didn't win the whole thing.

fernandito
10-09-2014, 12:24 PM
I'd be surprised if it did.

I can see a full fledged comedy taking it all the way.

Odetta
10-09-2014, 12:36 PM
I don't see" Lost in Translation" as a comedy. Not even close. Would be in Drama

Iwritecode
10-09-2014, 12:39 PM
I'm a little confused as to what your definition of comedy is. I only went through the 2010 list, didn't recognize a lot of them (which is saying something in itself) but ... Wolf of wall street, kick ass, the kids aren't alright ... they might have humor in them, but in no way would I classify them as comedies.

I was about to post the same thing.

Mattrick
10-09-2014, 12:40 PM
It's hilarious. "He say look into the camera, and more intensity." "Is that all he said? It seemed like he said a lot more than that." "Into camera, more insensity." "Got it. For a relaxing time, make it...Santori time." "CUTO!! CUTO CUTO!"

Odetta
10-09-2014, 12:41 PM
I didn't say there weren't funny lines... I just said it's not a comedy.

(and yes, that line is great!)

Mattrick
10-09-2014, 12:45 PM
It's considered a comedy. Was nominated for golden globe in comedy. There are a few Dramedies not in Pablos list, Almost Famous, Punch Drunk Love, American Beauty, As Good As It Gets. dont see why they don't count if sci-fI/horrors were included in both tournaments.

fernandito
10-09-2014, 12:55 PM
This ain't the Golden Globes homie lol

Mattrick
10-09-2014, 12:59 PM
I edited my post there.

Odetta
10-09-2014, 01:49 PM
It's considered a comedy. Was nominated for golden globe in comedy. There are a few Dramedies not in Pablos list, Almost Famous, Punch Drunk Love, American Beauty, As Good As It Gets. dont see why they don't count if sci-fI/horrors were included in both tournaments.

American Beauty? Really? Again, I don't see it!

As Good As It Gets... sure!

webstar1000
10-09-2014, 02:12 PM
Guys come on! Dumb and Dumber! lol

Mattrick
10-09-2014, 05:38 PM
American Beauty is a black comedy. Such a funny movie. "YOU LIKE GETTING NAILED BY THE KING?!?" "I LOVE IT!!" Half the reason I love American Beauty and Lost In Translation is how funny they are. The more I watch them, the more humour I pick up on. I'll be nominating some Dramedies, and leave it to the will of the people. I'm just worried if we don't allow funny dramas into this, those movie will be overlooked in the drama tournament when we do it. Don't see how Alien can both be sci-fi and horror but American Beauty can't both be in comedy and drama. The term dramedy exists for a reason. There's no sciforror genre lol

mae
10-09-2014, 09:09 PM
I left out a bunch, sure. American Beauty, As Good As It Gets, About Schmidt, American Psycho... The list is pretty much endless, which is why I can't wait for this. And yes, dramedies and black comedies should definitely count.

Shannon
10-09-2014, 09:32 PM
American Psycho ... Comedy!? Come on ... are you and Mattrick trolling us?

mae
10-09-2014, 10:22 PM
American Psycho is hilarious satire.

Shannon
10-09-2014, 11:12 PM
And Saw was a commercial for Home Depot.

T-Dogz_AK47
10-10-2014, 12:11 AM
And Saw was a commercial for Home Depot.

LOL! Rep points, my friend! :emot-roflolmao:

pathoftheturtle
10-10-2014, 04:21 AM
Is a category having endless examples really a plus for nominating here? Seems like we're bound to be left with lots of regrets.

Girlystevedave
10-10-2014, 04:49 AM
And Saw was a commercial for Home Depot.

:lol:

Odetta
10-10-2014, 08:08 AM
And Saw was a commercial for Home Depot.

This

mae
10-10-2014, 08:17 AM
Very funny. But:

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/american-psycho

American Psycho: Bloody, gruesome black comedy that's not for kids.

Parents need to know that American Psycho is based on Bret Easton Ellis's controversial 1991 novel, which is set in the 1980s and deals with materialism, narcissism, and the amassing of great wealth to be spent on personal pleasure. It's also a story about a callous murderer, with several gruesome killings shown, and lots of blood, as well as shots of severed heads and body parts. Sex is an issue, since the main character has both a fiancée and a lover, and then participates in a threesome with a prostitute and yet another woman. Not much nudity is shown, even if sex is strongly implied, although there are some breasts and bottoms on display. Language is also strong, with many uses of "f--k" as well as many other strong words. The characters quite often drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes and cigars, and sometimes snort cocaine or take pills. These characters are clearly irredeemable, and do not learn much of anything during the course of the story. The movie is entertaining in a horrific, comical way, but is certainly not for kids under 18.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdIixUWX-UQ

If you don't think American Psycho is funny, well, sorry. It is.

fernandito
10-10-2014, 08:23 AM
How about seconding a film like we did for the sci fi tourney?

mae
10-10-2014, 08:29 AM
How about seconding a film like we did for the sci fi tourney?

Yes, I think that was agreed on. Plus, I believe, five nominations in between.

fernandito
10-10-2014, 09:22 AM
Perfect.

Iwritecode
10-10-2014, 10:21 AM
I was thinking about this last night. Is there any way we could vote on what is/isn’t a comedy as the nominations go on?

I like the idea of seconding nominations (possibly thirding as well?) but if 5 or 6 people question a nomination as being a comedy and only a couple of people think it is, should it really be included?

I’m not sure a fair way to do that though.

Iwritecode
10-10-2014, 10:24 AM
I also thought about putting a limit on the number of nomination a single poster can make per day. I know with one tourney the nominations were full before many people even knew they started.

webstar1000
10-10-2014, 10:27 AM
Did it get posted somewhere the top 25 as voted on here for the last one guys?

Girlystevedave
10-10-2014, 11:36 AM
I also thought about putting a limit on the number of nomination a single poster can make per day. I know with one tourney the nominations were full before many people even knew they started.

I agree with this. Things escalated very quickly last time before some people even had a chance to nominate one film.

Ricky
10-10-2014, 02:30 PM
I also thought about putting a limit on the number of nomination a single poster can make per day. I know with one tourney the nominations were full before many people even knew they started.

I agree with this. Things escalated very quickly last time before some people even had a chance to nominate one film.

Yes. Or even putting a limit on the number of nominations a person can make total.

Shannon
10-10-2014, 03:07 PM
How about everyone sends their top picks to one person and that one person then tallies up the top whatever?

fernandito
10-10-2014, 03:12 PM
Looks like you got your work cut out for you Pablo, lol.

Shannon
10-10-2014, 03:33 PM
I don't mind being the counter if that's the idea you wanna go with.

Still Servant
10-10-2014, 06:08 PM
Honestly, we could do a "Best Movie Credits of All Time" tournament and I'd be down.

As for comedy, it's so subjective that I think we are going to have an even bigger disagreement on the definition of comedy than we did with the other two tournaments combined.

I love comedies. They are some of the first movies I remember watching. My definition of a comedy is a little more traditional in nature. My main prerequisite is that comedy has to be the main component. Those films listed above all have comedic moments and can be considered comedies in a certain sense, but they aren't comedies for me. When I think comedy, I think Airplane, Dumb & Dumber, Blazing Saddles, etc.

The other tricky part is evaluating older films. What was considered a comedy 50 years ago, wouldn't necessarily be considered a true comedy now. Should be interesting. Is it 2015 yet?

Shannon
10-10-2014, 07:34 PM
My nominations for "Best Movie End Credits":

22 Jump Street
Slumdog Millionaire (Jai Ho!)
The Hangover

needfulthings
10-10-2014, 09:57 PM
AND THE WINNERS ARE!.................TAKE YOUR PICK.
http://imageshack.com/a/img673/6414/bIFbOh.jpg

Shannon
10-10-2014, 10:26 PM
http://www.shoelessjoeshallofshame.com/images/Abbott%20&%20Cos.jpg

Mattrick
10-10-2014, 11:05 PM
As for comedy, it's so subjective that I think we are going to have an even bigger disagreement on the definition of comedy than we did with the other two tournaments combined.



Exactly. That's why we can't limit selections to straight up comedies...some people don't find those as funny as others, or find other types of movies funnier. For me it would be laughter consistency. Some movies are dramatic or horror or whatever and have funny parts, then some that are dramatic or horror and are funny all throughout, the later would be films I would nominate.

Actually, I take back what I said about Lost In Translation. Annie Hall should win this whole thing.

Merlin1958
10-11-2014, 12:00 AM
To avoid ongoing and endless debate on what is a comedy and what isn't vote /choose a well known reference (IMDB, Wiki, etc) and utilize their classification as a reference to what is and what is not a comedy. You can also define it even further when they utilize dual categories like "Comedy/Drama". You can vote to include only the first defining category or on singular definition/category. For instance, you could say "We vote to only use pure, singular defined comedies" for instance.

Seems to me you would get much of the debate out of the way early on and then have very clear definitions of what represents a comedy in this poll. If you employ some "rules" of this type then you should be able to quantify nominations fairly easily. I'm not saying there wouldn't still be "gray" areas and hard to define entries, but they should be fewer and farther between. You could also vote to exclude secondary definers such as "Black Comedies", for instance, because they have much more underlying theme's. Then again you could vote to include them. Additionally, by choosing a reference, you can probably get a better idea of what you're looking at even identifying possible conflicts. Addionally, it may help with the nominations because folks can't just post off the top of their head. They would be obliged to do a little research before nominating or face having their nomination wasted and overturned despite seconds and/or thirds.

In hindsight, this probably should have been employed in some fashion for the prior polls. Then again, WTF do I know? LOL Merlin out!!!

P.S. IMHO you need to at least wait until the "Fun with flags" tournament is completed to avoid further clogging of the boards. Just a thought.

mae
10-11-2014, 04:15 AM
The other tricky part is evaluating older films. What was considered a comedy 50 years ago, wouldn't necessarily be considered a true comedy now. Should be interesting. Is it 2015 yet?

That's easy. Some of the funniest comedies were made in the 1920s, '30s, and '40s. Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, the Marx Brothers... My personal best comedy of all time and one of the best movies ever made is Bringing Up Baby (1938). It so should win the whole thing.

Girlystevedave
10-11-2014, 08:48 AM
I also thought about putting a limit on the number of nomination a single poster can make per day. I know with one tourney the nominations were full before many people even knew they started.

I agree with this. Things escalated very quickly last time before some people even had a chance to nominate one film.

Yes. Or even putting a limit on the number of nominations a person can make total.

Yeah, I don't know if this is too much work on the person managing the polls, but I agree with that idea.

needfulthings
10-11-2014, 09:54 AM
"NOW HEAR THIS"
http://imageshack.com/a/img742/9251/QlZUl7.jpg

Mattrick
10-11-2014, 01:49 PM
Some Like It Hot is definitely one of the best comedies ever made, with maybe the greatest closing line in any comedy. "Well, nobody's perfect."

Heather19
10-13-2014, 04:46 AM
I also thought about putting a limit on the number of nomination a single poster can make per day. I know with one tourney the nominations were full before many people even knew they started.

I agree with this. Things escalated very quickly last time before some people even had a chance to nominate one film.

Yes. Or even putting a limit on the number of nominations a person can make total.

Yeah, I don't know if this is too much work on the person managing the polls, but I agree with that idea.

I was thinking the same thing. I'd like for everyone to be able to place some nominations.

Odetta
10-13-2014, 05:41 AM
With regards to what is or isn't in a movie genre, couldn't we refer to IMDB and just use it as the source? I would think every movie would be there...

divemaster
10-13-2014, 11:36 AM
If we go with calling any movie that has a few laughs a "comedy," then you could nominate just about anything. Most directors add some sort of comic relief if just to release some tension. I mean, Aliens could be considered a comedy as much as some of the films mentioned so far. ("Game over, man! Game over!" and "Why don't you put her in charge!") I laughed quite a few times during Aliens. But I'd never consider it a "comedy." To Pablo's credit, I didn't see too many I would take issue with in his lists (but I did just skim and there are plenty I haven't seen).

I'd estimate at least 75% of dramas have some element of comedy, b/c most folks don't want to sit and watch 2 hours of drama without some sort of tension-breakers scattered throughout. Same with action and horror. Most films of those genres depend on a few laughs. Hell, Eastwood and Arnie can be funny in actioners and police dramas. Scream was funny. Freddy Kreueger is funny (well, after the first film).

I just have a sneaking suspicion that we'll see all sorts of non-comedies nominated b/c someone got struck funny while watching a movie.

Odetta
10-13-2014, 11:56 AM
I agree. Which is why I was thinking of using one resource to determine what genre a movie is.
IMDB is pretty large, I am thinking that it would be easy to check... I mean right after the title, they list the genre for the movie!
What does everyone else think?

divemaster
10-13-2014, 12:08 PM
I may be wrong abut this...but aren't IMdB data user-populated?

For example, if you go to the movie American Beauty, it says genre is "Drama" (see more).

You click on "see more" and there are 275 plot keywords, including "dark comedy," "deadpan comedy," "black comedy," and "social satire." And at the bottom, there is a click button for "Contribute to this page." So it seems any schmuck can submit something to describe a film. Or, in the case of American Beauty, 275 schmucks.

I'm not saying using IMdB is a bad idea. It might be workable. Only that it does not appear to be a dispassionate arbiter of genre designation.

Still Servant
10-13-2014, 12:47 PM
I'm fine with using IMDB. The genre of film section isn't user based. That comes from the studio or other official sources of information. At least that is my understanding. Even with IMDB, there will be some debate. Sometimes they list more than one genre. Do we take the first, or do we just take everything that's listed. Doesn't matter to me.

The Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, the Marx Brothers films are all classic comedies. Unfortunately, they haven't been seen by a lot of people and might get beaten out by more current films. I've always been an Abbott and Costello guy. I wouldn't mind seeing Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein go pretty far.

Iwritecode
10-13-2014, 12:54 PM
I'm fine with using IMDB. The genre of film section isn't user based. That comes from the studio or other official sources of information. At least that is my understanding. Even with IMDB, there will be some debate. Sometimes they list more than one genre. Do we take the first, or do we just take everything that's listed. Doesn't matter to me.

I would say go with what’s listed first. I think it’s usually pretty obvious if the main intention of the movie is to make you laugh rather than some other genre with a few funny scenes thrown in.

fernandito
10-13-2014, 01:14 PM
I'm fine with using IMDB too. I don't think we'll all agree on one ultimate authority of what or what isn't a comedy, so that site is seems to me just as good an arbiter as any.

pathoftheturtle
10-13-2014, 03:27 PM
Let's just close this forum and send everybody who's interested in REAL opinions on film to IMDb! The people behind that site sure know what they're talking about. Why bother coming here anyway?

Still Servant
10-13-2014, 03:56 PM
Let's just close this forum and send everybody who's interested in REAL opinions on film to IMDb! The people behind that site sure know what they're talking about. Why bother coming here anyway?

:lol:

I know you're just kidding, but IMDB message boards are the worst. The people there are just insane. I get what you're leading to though.

pathoftheturtle
10-13-2014, 04:29 PM
Correct -- that was sarcasm. I think we should be able to organize our own parameters and only send people with an attitude like "... but IMDb catagorizes blah-blah as hoity-toity!" to that site, where there is indeed abundant opportunity for petty squabbles.

Me, I could enjoy discussing how to define the genre. We have time. Of course there is no perfect answer, and people will have different feelings, but I like to think we all can have respect.

MHO, FWIW.

Odetta
10-13-2014, 05:59 PM
I Just think that it's going to go on and on and on and you will still have people bitching that this film was considered a comedy or this one wasn't... Blah blah blah. And really, the person who wins is typically the one who talks the most... I don't think that constant debate needs to be connected to a simple tournament.

Could we not just go with IMDB as a resource to move along the nominations and tournament and then maybe have a separate thread or place to debate/argue about different movies and whether or not they are comedies BUT KEEP IT SEPARATE TO THE TOURNAMENT?

pathoftheturtle
10-13-2014, 06:53 PM
You can do whatever you like. I just want to go on record on as personally skeptical of IMDb authority. As I understand the situation, this next tourney won't start for some time; a general discussion thread would not be in the way at least immediately. But what I would favor for effeciency's sake, not arguing endlessly, when nominations actually begin would be a preliminary voting scheme like we discussed on the central sci-fi thread, where more secondings than objectors would be needed to carry a title forward. Or not. I don't mind following the majority, even if you disagree with my different thoughts. It's all good.

Odetta
10-13-2014, 07:06 PM
If someone has a better resource, that is fine. I just suggested IMDB because I figured all of the movies will be there. I'm no movie database expert, if someone has a better resource, let's use it!

mae
10-13-2014, 07:54 PM
We can actually start the nomination process earlier than January 2015, especially if going the 200-title way with seconding or thirding and waiting for five noms in between.

Mattrick
10-13-2014, 08:53 PM
IIMDB has American Beauty listed only as drama. I can't agree with that lol

divemaster
10-14-2014, 06:29 AM
What else would you consider it?

mae
10-14-2014, 08:39 AM
It's definitely a very dark comedy.

fernandito
10-14-2014, 08:53 AM
I know you're just kidding, but IMDB message boards are the worst. The people there are just insane. I get what you're leading to though.

Not all of them. I've been a part of some very constructive, eye opening debates and discussions on that site. Unfortunately, you have to wade through the trolls to get there.



Me, I could enjoy discussing how to define the genre. We have time. Of course there is no perfect answer, and people will have different feelings, but I like to think we all can have respect.

Me too, but to be frank the last time we tried that it left me very worn out. There was nothing fun or enriching about it, just bickering.

...but! I'm not going to be the one calling the shots this time, maybe Pablo has infinitely more patience than I do lol.



I Just think that it's going to go on and on and on and you will still have people bitching that this film was considered a comedy or this one wasn't... Blah blah blah. And really, the person who wins is typically the one who talks the most... I don't think that constant debate needs to be connected to a simple tournament.

Yup.

I'd rather we spend less energy on splitting hairs and more energy on the actual tournament itself.


IIMDB has American Beauty listed only as drama. I can't agree with that lol


What else would you consider it?

I think of AB as one of those "dark comedies".

mae
10-14-2014, 09:02 AM
...but! I'm not going to be the one calling the shots this time, maybe Pablo has infinitely more patience than I do lol.

Sure, I wouldn't mind running it.

Mattrick
10-14-2014, 11:38 PM
I'd also volunteered to run/help run the next one so if you need any help pablo. I'll put my name in the hat to run the Drama tournament when we get to it.

mae
10-17-2014, 08:41 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZE2ZBKhXGc

Still Servant
10-17-2014, 04:08 PM
I know you're just kidding, but IMDB message boards are the worst. The people there are just insane. I get what you're leading to though.

Not all of them. I've been a part of some very constructive, eye opening debates and discussions on that site. Unfortunately, you have to wade through the trolls to get there.

I agree. I've had some great conversations on IMDB, I've also had some truly ridiculous discussions as well. Here is a title breakdown of almost ever message board for almost every movie on IMDB:

* THIs iZ tHE gratest MoVie EVERRRRRRRRR
* This is the worst movie of all time. Terrible
* Random title that makes no sense in the framework of the film
* So-and-so actress is so hot I would do crazy things to that body
* Same actress mentioned above is the ugliest human ever created. How does she get work?
* A title giving away the whole plot of the film
* An ambiguous question baiting people to click. Ended with an ellipsis

BROWNINGS CHILDE
10-19-2014, 06:43 AM
Hated Lost in Translation. That is all.

Still Servant
11-17-2014, 03:19 PM
I have an idea for another tournament. This tournament would be smaller and hold us over for the larger ones coming.

Anyway, I think it would be fun to do a tournament at the end of each year trying to find out the beset film of that year. If people are interested, we could start the tournament soon and let it run throughout December.

I can understand why some people might not want to do this. I know it's a lot of work and the traffic slows down this time of year. The other problem is that a lot of people haven't seen a lot of the top films of the year and that might hurt participation.

It was just an idea that popped into my head. I think it would be fun to see what we consider the best film of the year and how that jives with the Oscars.

Mattrick
11-17-2014, 03:26 PM
Think this would be best served to wait until mid-January to start this. A lot more cinemas re-release/release solid films of the year around that point so people can see them, plus it can coincide with the oscar contest. Some of the good films probably won't even be released until right around Christmas anyways.

Still Servant
11-17-2014, 03:37 PM
Think this would be best served to wait until mid-January to start this. A lot more cinemas re-release/release solid films of the year around that point so people can see them, plus it can coincide with the oscar contest. Some of the good films probably won't even be released until right around Christmas anyways.

This is true. A lot of the best films won't go wide until December. Birdman is one of them. This will also give films that were really good a chance to come on on DVD, etc. Films like Boyhood come to mind.

Mattrick
11-17-2014, 03:41 PM
I really hope Boyhood doesn't get lost in the shuffle for the Academy. What an great film.

mae
11-17-2014, 08:56 PM
Sounds like a great idea!

mae
12-05-2014, 05:17 PM
http://vimeo.com/113355414

mae
12-17-2014, 09:52 AM
So I'm assuming we could start this in early January? There have been some pretty great films out this year, and still some big ones yet to see.

I can already name quite a handful from my personal top-whatever list plus those I still need to watch:


A Most Violent Year
American Sniper
Big Eyes
Big Hero 6
Birdman
Boyhood
Calvary
Camp X-Ray
Clouds of Sils Maria
Cold in July
Dukhtar
Edge of Tomorrow
Force Majeure
Foxcatcher
Giovanni's Island
Godzilla
Gone Girl
Guardians of the Galaxy
I Origins
Inherent Vice
Interstellar
Leviathan
Love Is Strange
Magic in the Moonlight
Maleficent
Maps to the Stars
Mommy
Nightcrawler
Non-Stop
Obvious Child
Premature
Pride
Redirected
Rocks in My Pockets
Rosewater
St. Vincent
Still Alice
The Babadook
The Book of Life
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Guest
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
The Homesman
The Imitation Game
The One I Love
The Raid 2
The Rover
The Skeleton Twins
The Theory of Everything
The Treatment
Timbuktu
Tusk
Two Days, One Night
Whiplash
Wild
Wild Tales
Winter Sleep
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Zero Motivation


That's not counting movies that are officially 2013 films but really came out in 2014, like Under the Skin, Coherence, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya...

Mattrick
12-17-2014, 11:43 AM
Her was a January release too.

mae
12-17-2014, 12:19 PM
Also, Enemy... Quite a few. Stupid festivals :) How do you decide what's a 2013 film and what's a 2014 film? :panic:

Mattrick
12-17-2014, 12:35 PM
Generally it goes by wide release, I think, unless their isn't one. Then it's whatever American release date is limited. Snowpiercer is an older movie than it actually is. My friend saw it numerous times in Korea before it was released this way, that's a 2013 films too in that respect.

fernandito
12-17-2014, 01:37 PM
Holy shit man, I have so much catching up to do before this thing starts.

Still Servant
12-17-2014, 02:04 PM
I forgot to mention how much I loved that video. Especially the beginning part that included clips from a bunch of different films from the year, not just ones on the list. I wish the Academy Awards would do this more. It's great to celebrate the films nominated, but we should be celebrating the year in film. I have some problems with the list, it seems to give more weight to Indie films, and having Godzilla anywhere near a top 25 best films list is just crazy.

As for the possible tournament, it does get tricky because some films get rolled out in a limited fashion, then go wide. The way I work it for my personal list is I won't include a film like Her that got a limited release before January and received awards attention. To me, that is a 2013 film.

Mattrick
12-17-2014, 04:40 PM
I just noticed the video. It was awesome to see Budapest number one, it's a great film, but disappointed Whiplash wasn't even on it. It made The Double which I've wanted to see for a long time jump right near the top of my list. Never heard of Only Lovers Left alive but I want to see it, Mia Wasikowska AND Tilda Swinton? Sounds like a treat.

fernandito
12-17-2014, 04:57 PM
Just saw The Grand Budapest Hotel a few days ago, fucking fantastic. Best Anderson film yet.

Mattrick
12-17-2014, 05:00 PM
"You seem like a real straight man."
"I've never been accused of that before."

mae
12-18-2014, 08:00 AM
I think we could go through a nice nomination process for 100-120 titles and then vote in groups as usual but keep track of the percentages each film receives so that in the end it should give us an actual ranking from 1 to 50 or whatever.

Mattrick
12-18-2014, 10:18 AM
Something tells me Guardians of the.Galaxy will win.

mae
12-18-2014, 10:25 AM
It was fun but no way the best film of 2014.

Mattrick
12-18-2014, 11:12 AM
Like that matters lol. More people will have seen that than Whiplash or Boyhood or Grand Budapest, meaning it will probably win lol

mae
12-18-2014, 11:24 AM
I'd probably go with Boyhood as the best of 2014.

Mattrick
12-18-2014, 11:40 AM
It's hard to pick for me. Last year was a solid year but Her was far and away my favourite. This year, there's great films in every genre except Comedy.

Still Servant
12-18-2014, 04:52 PM
That's the tough thing about the tournament, some of the best films haven't even been seen by most people yet.

mae
12-27-2014, 08:29 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKlWIKRnSoo

mae
12-27-2014, 09:07 AM
Just love these year end mashups:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV9MCLS1Ji8

Still Servant
12-28-2014, 06:32 PM
Those are both great. I really think the Academy should take a page out of these books.

mae
12-30-2014, 07:24 AM
Lots of year end lists as well, as usual. Here's an interesting one:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/the-17-best-films-you-didnt-see-in-2014-20141229

It's the waning days of 2014, and we've emerged from our holiday food coma for a last few looks back at the cinematic year that was. We like to think that we've been pretty comprehensive with our year-end coverage, but there are still some movies that didn't quite get the deserved recognition, even within our orgy of features (which you can catch up on here).

After all, with more movies hitting theaters (at least in New York or Los Angeles, which often see literally dozens of films opening each weekend), many films inevitably fall through the cracks. So as we start to close off our year-end coverage, here are 17 movies that you might have missed in 2014. Check them out below, and let us know what you think deserved more love over the last twelve months.

“The Immigrant”
There is another way of looking at it: thank heavens for Harvey Weinstein! The bizarrely botched release of James Gray’s Cannes Film Festival 2013 title does at least mean a whole bunch of people have the potential pleasure of its discovery on DVD or VOD. Of course, it’s a shame not to experience the luxuriant Darius Khondji photography on the big screen, but while the backdrop may be period and epic (Ellis Island and the great untold tale of American immigration), the Gray's story is intimate, restrained and resolutely focused. Detailing the tangled love triangle between its three principals (a luminous Marion Cotillard, a morally evolving Joaquin Phoenix and a kind hearted Jeremy Renner) the film is less concerned with operatic broad strokes and more with the minute currents of love, blame, duty and forgiveness that flow between the central trio. The film pulls a terrific sleight of hand in its closing stages as to just who its lead really is and who is most profoundly affected by the events portrayed. Rich, considered and exquisitely played, “The Immigrant” may have been buried by TWC, but all the better for it to feel like treasure when you do get to see it. (Read our review here, and find a segment on its final shot here in our Best Shots of 2014 feature.)

“Force Majeure”
Ruben Östlund’s icy swipe at the fragility of our social identities within the family unit is a terrifically mordant comedy of manners that has picked up a little steam at the end of the year by figuring on several critic’s lists and landing on the Oscar Foreign Film shortlist. And deservedly so, since its dissection of the hubris of one particular picture-perfect family, and most specifically the father/husband, is precise and persuasive —it’s scalpel-like efficiency would be cruel if it weren’t so uncomfortably funny at the same time. Showing how the family dynamic changes in the aftermath of a near-miss avalanche during which the father (Johannes Kuhnke) runs for cover abandoning his wife (Lisa Loven Kongsli) and kids, Östlund’s witty script and keen eye for awkward social situations spins off into unexpected but never unbelievable directions. And Fredrik Wenzel’s undersung cinematography adds another layer of droll humor in its crisp, bold, simple IKEA-commercial lines which both reinforce and elegantly skewer the notion of effortless Scandinavian sophistication. (Read our review here and find a segment on the avalanche scene in our Best Shots of 2014 feature.)

"A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night"
It says something about the enduring power of the vampire myth that just as we're on the verge of getting bored with the genre, someone comes along to introduce some new blood. In 2014, Jim Jarmusch did it with "Only Lovers Left Alive," next year there's winning Kiwi comedy "What We Do In The Shadows," and in between is "A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night," the genre-bending debut from director Ana Lily Amirpour. The film —which follows a lonesome hijab-wearing vampire, the boy who loves her, his drug-addicted father and a prostitute in the fictional, deserted Bad City— is set in Iran, but being shot in California, it has more in common with Jarmusch than Kiarostami, thanks to a high-contrast B&W look and emphasis on woozy atmosphere. But then part of the pleasure of the film is its refusal to fit into just one box. Arthouse Western? Sure. Feminist comic-book movie blended with social realism? Why not? Tender, sexy-as-hell romance? Definitely. Somehow, the disparate parts all meld together beautifully, thanks to pitch-perfect performances from its cast and Amirpour’s immediately assured direction, resulting in one of the most striking first films in recent memory. (Read our initial review here, and find it in our End of Year pieces on the Best Music Moments, Best Soundtracks and Breakthrough Directors of 2014)

“Calvary”
John Michael McDonagh’s “The Guard” figured in our 2011 Underrated picks, and seeing the director show up on another underseen list with his followup film three years later is either a great compliment or a terrible shame. But “Calvary” is much more complex than the comparatively frothy “The Guard”; it's darker and less overtly comedic, and not so much gruffly affectionate as barely-concealing-its-rage. And yet McDonagh's trademark wit and verbal dexterity are there, perfectly delivered by a terrifically eclectic ensemble cast from “The Guard” lead Brendan Gleeson as the priest at its center, to reliable Irish comic and character actors Chris O’Dowd, Dylan Moran, Orla O’Rourke, Aidan Gillen, Pat Shortt and Killian Scott, as well as the English Kelly Reilly and a small turn from the great M. Emmet Walsh. A kind of crazy-mirror murder mystery in which an unseen person forewarns the victim of his intention to kill, the film is less successful as a thriller than as a pitch-black-hearted examination of the nature of faith and fellowship in a fundamentally fucked-up small Irish town. (Read our review here and here’s our interview with John Michael McDonagh from earlier this year.)

“Locke”
CON-CRETE! Tom Hardy’s Ivan Locke might have been the most enjoyable movie-related impression to drunkenly attempt since Daniel Plainview, but it sometimes risked overshadowing the excellence of Steven Knight’s film, especially since it didn’t connect especially well with U.S. audiences. That’s perhaps in part because the film was deliberately but incorrectly sold as a thriller, whereas in fact it’s a kind of one-man morality play, as Hardy’s construction genius drives from Birmingham to London to attend the birth of an illegitimate child conceived during a one-night stand with a colleague, imploding his career and marriage in an attempt to do what he perceives as the right thing. If you’ve avoided reading anything about it at all, the film’s entirely set within Locke’s BMW, something that could risk becoming a “Buried” style gimmick, but the excellent night-time photography, sharp editing and most of all Hardy’s magnetic performance (aided ably by the likes of Ruth Wilson, Olivia Colman and Andrew Scott on the phone) beautifully evoke the kind of long night of the soul we’ve all had to go through at some point. It might have begun as a kind of experiment, but the result is a complete portrait of a man you’ll know like a family member by the time his journey’s through. (Read our original review here, and more on Hardy’s turn in our Best Performances Of The Year feature.)

“Love is Strange”
Director Ira Sachs turned our heads with his previous film, the insightful relationship drama “Keep the Lights On,” so our expectations were already high for his next project. And yet “Love is Strange,” which details the unexpected fallout when a longtime gay couple (adorably embodied by John Lithgow and Alfred Molina) finally get married, surprised us. Anchored by the two deeply empathetic central performances, the film explores issues such as prejudice both subtle and overt, rising New York rent prices, the generation gap, familial bonds and the nature of loving relationships in their fourth decade with such sensitivity and truth that it totally overcomes the First World Problems-ish feel of its premise to become something very universal and human. Managing a similar trick as “Blue is the Warmest Color” but from the opposite end of the gender and age spectrum, “Love is Strange” is not simply a love story, but a staying-in-love story, bittersweet but ultimately life affirming for anyone who’s ever been in love, and who hopes to still be in love with the same person 39 years later. (Read our review here.)

“Frank”
As offbeat as a Soronprfbs track, rising Irish director Lenny Abrahamson’s “Frank,” written by Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan and loosely inspired by peculiar constructed Mancunian personality Frank Sidebottom, is perhaps the definition of a not-for-everyone film. Episodic, unapologetically self-indulgent and uncompromising to an almost self-defeating degree (getting fabulously good-looking movie star Michael Fassbender and sticking him in a papier mache head for the duration is a perfect metaphor), the film is thankfully such mischievous, self-aware fun that it breezes along anyway, powered by its own internal logic to an unexpectedly moving climax. As an ode or an anthem to the freaks, the misfits, the rogue element and the offcuts of the music industry, it surely has resonance for anyone who’s ever tried to be in a band or indeed any kind of creative endeavor and tried to negotiate the thorny path between commercial compromise and personal integrity. And of course Fassbender’s terrific, whether we can see his face or not, but the enviable ensemble of Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy, Francoise Civil and Carla Azar as the rest of the band spark off each other brilliantly to turn in an occasionally cacophonous but deeply satisfying whole. (Read our review here and check out its write-up as our second favorite soundtrack of 2014 here.)

“Ilo Ilo”
We don’t know a single person who saw “Ilo Ilo.” Despite picking up the Camera d’Or for the best first feature at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013, the film got only the briefest of theatrical outings in the U.S, taking barely fifty grand from the handful of theaters in which it screened. Fingers crossed that awareness spreads wider once it’s streaming, because it’s a little gem that deserves a wider audience. A rare film from Singapore, Anthony Chen’s directorial debut is an intimate story of a middle-class family who, despite dire economic straits (the film’s set during the Asian financial crisis in the 1990s), hire a Filipino nanny (Angeli Bayani) to look after their difficult son as the birth of a second child approaches. Tender and humanist in a way that’s reminiscent of the Dardennes and Asghar Farhadi, with a truly excellent screenplay that gives insight into both wider Singaporean culture and the politics and passions of this particular family, the film comes close to becoming sentimental but truly earns the emotions it stirs when they come. Full of terrific, lived-in performances (Bayani being a particular stand-out), cleanly shot and disarmingly cut, Chen barely puts a foot wrong, and we hope that he rises up the festival circuit with his next picture.

“Winter Sleep”
Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “Winter Sleep” is a polarizing work with respect to the Playlist team. Yes, the film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year, but it has divided some critics. Some, like our review from Jessica Kiang, felt the film is impenetrably dense, and others, like Nik Grozdanovic, felt it to be an utterly absorbing chamber drama. But I (Rodrigo Perez) feel like they are both right. There’s something hypnotic about this slowly unfolding film, but it also loses a lot of steam in its second half as it fails to coalesce its themes in any meaningful manner. Opening with a striking drama —a landlord is faced with evicting lifelong tenants for falling months behind on rent— the movie soon shifts focus to the wealthy, arrogant, faux-enlightened and insincere landlord and the cold war relationship he has with his younger, compliant wife. A loose adaptation of two Chekov stories merged into one (“The Wife” and “Excellent People”), Ceylan’s picture places a high premium on mood and sermon over narrative. “The ambiguous is part of life —that’s the thing it’s worth making movies for. I’m just trying to show life as I feel it,” he told the New York Times recently. Perhaps fittingly hazy, “Winter Sleep,” is a melancholy story of obdurate, stuck people caught in a wintery stasis, unable to change, connect and move beyond their various self-righteous conflicts like a den of stubborn bears. It’s arguably the most uneven film on this list, but its thick, suffocating mood lingers on far after the movie’s gone, even if it doesn’t completely satisfy. And often that persisting resonance is enough for an endorsement. (Read our review from Cannes and Nik’s inclusion of the film on his Top 20 Films of 2014).

“Night Moves”
A shivery, meticulous, almost procedural story in its first half, part of the slow genius of Kelly Reichardt’s “Night Moves” is just how believably and inexorably the wheels come off in its second. Detailing a coolly observed plan by a trio of eco-activists (Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard) to blow up a dam, it’s once the deed is done successfully that it all starts to unravel: the discovery that their supposedly altruistic act may have cost an innocent life sows guilt and fear of betrayal between all three, and each copes with it in different, increasingly unpredictable and desperate ways. Reichardt is a master of atmosphere (the tense dam explosion sequence is an exercise in suspense), and the frequent lack of dialogue lends discussion about the ethics of eco-terrorism and the effectiveness of an eco-lifestyle a certain philosophical weight. But by the end, the film becomes a character study of Eisenberg’s Josh, and it’s a role that may be better than any he’s had to date, subtly peeling back the geeky, nervy, endearingly unsure-of-himself persona the actor trades in to find something rotten and fearful beneath. A cautionary tale against those who would wear trumpet their ideals, “Night Moves” is a gripping slow burn examination of what happens when circumstances reveal one’s true colors. (Read our review here.)

"The Strange Little Cat"
With its one-theater release and south of $6,000 take, this film is likely the least seen of all these underseen films. Yet you may still be able to catch Ramon Zürcher’s tremendously odd, original, inexplicable film at an upcoming local festival. Playing the equivalent of an off-off-Broadway sidebar in Cannes in 2013, film student Zürcher’s debut is ostensibly a loose-limbed observation of a German family going about their regular Sunday in a small Berlin apartment —neighbors drop by, siblings squabble, mom (Jenny Schily) cooks. But the film’s atmosphere is just ever so slightly off, as though the whole world it views has been washed in a thin solution of surreality: small impossibilities like a malevolently spitting sausage or a constantly spinning bottle occur within the domestic routine, but no one reacts as though there’s anything amiss. The audience experiences an oddly alien viewpoint, but it’s not without a certain sense of fondness for the people we observe, albeit affection of a detached kind. Perhaps like what a cat might feel for its owners? The title is the only clue Zürcher gives us to what it all means —the family cat may in fact be the least strange member of this big ensemble, and so perhaps it is its eyes through which we are seeing. Either way, this deceptively minimalist film is one to seek out and enjoy less for its overarching philosophy and more for its charming performances and the observant details of the tiny secrets that family life can both reveal and conceal. (Read our review here.)

“Le Week-End”
Roger Michell might be best known for “Notting Hill” and some duff would-be awards-bait like “Hyde Park On Hudson.” But when he’s at home, making intimate little comedy-dramas in collaboration with writer Hanif Kureshi like “Venus” or “The Mother," it’s like he’s an entirely different filmmaker. “Le Week-End” completes the pair’s unofficial trilogy about old age with a film that at first glance looked like a sort of "Best Exotic Before Sunrise," as two academics head to Paris to recreate their honeymoon for their thirtieth wedding anniversary. There’s a certain middle-class smugness here, and it’s trafficking in the same kind of acutely bittersweet low-key relationship drama as Richard Linklater’s trilogy, but it’s far from a knock-off, with its own particular sensibility, sense of humor and a winning and sometimes cutting specificity towards its two subjects. Those subjects are portrayed by Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan, and the two (especially Duncan) give performances as good as any seen this year, especially when they get to play off Jeff Goldblum, whose extended cameo as an old frenemy of Broadbent’s continues to prove that Jeff Goldblum should be in every movie (and the moment when the trio recreate the dance from “Bande a Part” is pure joy). It’ll probably hit hardest for those of the age group portrayed, but it’s likely to age like a fine wine for the rest of us. (Read our original review here.)

“Enemy”
Delivering the second half of one of the best one-two punches in recent memory by debuting this film alongside “Prisoners” in Toronto, Canadian director Denis Villeneuve showed in one fell swoop just how wide his creative register is. “Prisoners” was the more easily categorizable and therefore more commercial work and duly was a modest success last year. However, while it shares a lead in Jake Gyllenhaal (in a performance every bit as terrific but less externally transformational than in “Nightcrawler”), “Enemy” is much trickier, a deeply unsettling film about the nature of identity that is more of an exercise in atmosphere than anything like a conventional thriller. Based on the José Saramago novel “The Double,” Villeneuve’s film is a small masterpiece of minimalist unease with a focus that, despite narrowing further as time goes on, somehow simultaneously builds to a climax that feels almost sci-fi apocalyptic in scale. Willfully ambiguous, profoundly mysterious and evoking the sense that there are monsters gliding just below the surface, the film is not simply about meeting your mirror image (in a way that perhaps Richard Ayoade’s similarly themed but utterly different “The Double” was), it’s about what happens when you stretch out your hand to him and venture right through the looking glass. (Read our review here, here’s an interview with Villeneuve and you can find write ups for the film’s penultimate shot in our Best Shots of the Year feature and its various posters in our Best Posters of the Year feature.)

“Borgman”
It’s almost two years since we discovered Dutch oddity “Borgman” at Cannes, but the film continues to subtly insinuate its way into the lives of various Playlisters after all this time, and given half a chance, it’ll do the same to you too. The latest from director Alex van Warmerdam has one of the most arresting openings of the year, as a group of men, including a priest, chase the title character (Jan Bijvoet) and his mysterious hole-dwelling cohorts through the woods. Borgman escapes, and after being beaten by the hot-tempered, well-to-do Richard (Jeroen Perceval), reinvents himself as a gardener and gradually finds his way into the family. The film draws immediate comparisons with Haneke and Yorgos Lanthimos, but by the end, it’s entirely its own beast, a curious fable (in the truest, cautionary tale sense of the word) that dangles its true meaning always just out of reach. Arrestingly shot and playful, even darkly funny in tone, we certainly didn’t see anything like “Borgman” this year. Or in many years before, to be honest. (Read Jess’ original review here, and read about its art in our Posters of the Year feature.)

“We Are The Best!”
It’s been a good few years for comebacks for Scandinavian filmmakers who’d been off their game for a while. Last year, Thomas Vinterberg returned from the wilderness with the phenomenal “The Hunt,” and in 2014, Lukas Moodysson, whose work had become increasingly unwatchable since “Lilya-4-ever” in 2002, returned to the warm and touching form of early films “Show Me Love” and “Together” with the glorious coming-of-age punk tale “We Are The Best!” Based on his wife Coco’s graphic-novel memoir, it’s the story of a duo of just-teens, Bobo and Klara, who decide to start a punk band in 1980s Stockholm, enlisting straight-laced Christian classmate Hedvig, who actually knows how to play an instrument. It’s not a wildly eventful film: there are no divorces, near-death experiences or life-changing romances. But Moodysson has here regained his touch for the interactions between teens, and the fluctuations in friendships and unrequited crushes feel as important as they did when you were afflicted with puberty yourself. The film’s directed with a lightness of touch that means it could feel slight, but its sheer warmth and sweetness, the truthfulness of its depiction of the bond formed by a band, and the importance of that to the kids who feel like outsiders, makes it into a sort of Swedish take on “Freaks & Geeks.” We can think of few higher recommendations. (Read our original review here, our interview with Moodysson here, and our discussion of a key scene in the Music Moments feature.)

“Stray Dogs”
There are many films about the forgotten living on the margins, but few are as bewitching as Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang’s “Stray Dogs.” If Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s films slowly unravel, then Ming-Liang’s hypnotic movies are like watching a faucet drip in slow motion in a loop for hours on end. Certainly not to everyone’s tastes —even the New York Times’ critic Stephen Holden described the film as “a glum, humorless exercise in Asian miserablism”— Tsai’s rigorously patient works are for the most ardent cinephiles, but if you’re willing, there are tremendous rewards to be derived. “Stray Dogs” centers on a hopeless, homeless alcoholic struggling to keep his two children sheltered and fed on the streets of Taipei. These outcasts perhaps receive a glimmer of hope in a lonely grocery store clerk that enters their lives (and in a swirling surreal move fitting to its mesmeric qualities, the character is played by three different women). Shots doggedly hold in place for up to 12 minutes at a time, often of characters standing in front of or staring at a spellbinding mural. As disorientinging as it can be, what comes into focus eventually is a strikingly humanistic and grippingly compassionate portrait of endurance, survival, and unforgettable struggle for dignity. (Read our review and find an arresting moment from the film on our Best Shots of 2014 feature)

“Goodbye To All That”
You’ve hopefully never suffered the blindsiding pain of a divorce, but you can likely still sympathize with a life dealt with a seriously cripplingly blow. The directorial debut of Angus MacLachlan (the screenwriter behind the superb dramedy “Junebug” that launched Amy Adams’ career), “Goodbye To All That” is a terrific and richly observed look at a life in collapse. Starring Paul Schneider (in probably his career-best performance) as a well-meaning, but irresponsible husband divorced by his wife (Melanie Lynskey) after one too many fuck-ups, “Goodbye To All That” watches Schneider try to clean up and move past the shards of his broken life, but does so with heart, humor, empathy and soul. All raw nerve, Schneider greets pain and confusion with a mix of fear and excitement. He grapples with post-divorce hook-ups (genuinely sexy), his wife’s infidelities (authentically aching) and the anxiety of his daughter who eventually does not want to stay the night with her dad (indisputably heartbreaking). But through it all, this comprehensively funny and humanist film is able to laugh at life’s absurdities, even sometimes through a pool of streaming tears. Definitely 2014 catch-up worthy. (Read our review.)

Honorable Mentions; Of course, if we had our way, every movie we love would be bigger than "Transformers: Age Of Extinction," but we picked out the ones that we felt were most deserving. Films like "The Rover," "The Babadook," "Blue Ruin" and "Obvious Child" should have been bigger hits than they were, but we've been shouting about them for a while, including in our year-end coverage, so we wanted to use the spotlight to shine on some darker corners.

Also in that category were "Pride," "Starred Up," "Beyond The Lights," "The Double," "Cold In July" and "The Tale Of Princess Kaguya," and "Closed Curtain," "Honeymoon," "The Homesman," "The One I Love" and "It Felt Like Love," among many others all deserve a look too.

Still Servant
12-30-2014, 07:33 AM
Indie Wire's list is always really good.

A lot of lists claim to have, "the best movies you didn't see," and then there's like Snowpiercer on there. Sure, there are some films I've seen on this list, but some of them, especially the smaller foreign ones, I've never even heard of. I have to see Frank because I've seen every film Fassbender has ever made.

Mattrick
12-30-2014, 12:42 PM
Calvary and The Immigrant are queued up and ready to go for me. Force Majeure sounds interesting but isn't a film I'm going to rush out and watch. Love Is Strange I've been dying to see for months. I can tell it's one of those excellent, excellent films that most people will never hear exists. Hopefully Molina or Lithgow get an oscar nom and give the movie at least a little shine for people.

What are people's top ten lists for films so far this year? Mine is sure to change over the coming months as I watch more and more movies...January and February are always so busy when it comes to movies I'll probably take half the spring off haha.

1. Whiplash
2. Boyhood
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. The Babadook
5. The Double
6. Snowpiercer
7. Nightcrawler
8. Only Lovers Left alive
9. Edge of Tomorrow
10. Guardians of the Galaxy

Still Servant
12-30-2014, 06:39 PM
I will be posting my top 15 tomorrow. We share a lot of the same films though.

mae
01-03-2015, 08:42 AM
More best of:

http://thefilmstage.com/features/the-film-stages-top-50-films-of-2014/

For our final year-end feature, we’re providing a cumulative look at our favorite films of 2014 here at The Film Stage. Over the last few days a variety of contributors have published their personal top 10 lists, resulting in 103 films being mentioned, and we’ve pared it down to an even 50. To calculate the list we gave 10 points to everyone’s #1 pick, 9 points to their #2 pick, and so forth, with a half a point going to honorable mentions — in the case of a tie, the film that placed higher on a respective list was given the nod. So, without further ado, check out our last rundown of 2014 below, our complete year-end coverage here, and return in the coming weeks as we look towards 2015.

50. The Rover (David Michôd)

A cold-blooded, powerful and moral thriller staring Guy Pearce and (a virtually unrecognizable) Robert Pattinson as men traversing an apocalyptic landscape in rural Australia. A bleak and compelling nightmare lensed by Natasha Braier, The Rover is a chillingly sparse picture, cementing David Michôd as a new master. – John F.

49. Mommy (Xavier Dolan)

Writer-director Xavier Dolan’s characters in Mommy rarely feel like people you’d want to spend any length of time with, which is precisely why the film is so affecting. Each have their own unique quirks that make them entirely human and draw you in. You root for them to succeed, and Dolan takes a twisted joy in breaking them in various ways. This is a richly affecting film about the notion of controlling your own life when your child, your responsibility, seems hell-bent on derailing it. Easy answers aren’t given, and there’s a key moment in the film that rings incredibly hollow — a feeling taken away just when you actually bite into the lure. Dolan’s work is moving and painfully beautiful, with astounding performances throughout. – Bill G.

48. Jauja (Lisandro Alonso)

After seeing Jauja, I believe I remarked to my cinephile compatriots that it was the first Lisandro Alonso to work thematically as well as formally — that, finally, his considerable talents went towards more than a prankster-ish slow-cinema exercise. A couple of months of later, I honestly forget what the “meaning” I derived from the film might have been, though I think it was some nonsense about lineage and the passage of time and what not. But I don’t believe that really matters, for what’s made Jauja stay with me is its pure beauty — the synchronicity of light, movement, landscape, and even the physical presence of its star. – Ethan V.

47. They Came Together (David Wain)

Five films in and with a bevy of other projects, one will certainly by now know if they click with the humor of David Wain. His latest feature, an affectionate dismantling of the romantic comedy genre, marks his most consistent and, for my money, the funniest comedy of the decade thus far. In an era where much of the spoof genre lazily repeats scenarios for cheap laughs, They Came Together is a remarkably brilliant dissection of tropes, led by two of the most likable actors in Hollywood, not to mention a gathering of exceptional (and unexpected) supporting players. – Jordan R.

46. Coherence (James Ward Byrkit)

A massively overlooked gem from 2014, Coherence is the cream of the science fiction crop whether my next two selections accompany them within the genre or not. It’s a bona fide head-scratcher bringing the Schrodinger’s Cat conundrum (popularized in The Big Bang Theory) to life before our eyes. A working knowledge of the physics definition of the title definitely helps get a foothold closer to solving its mysteries, but this puzzle of doppelgängers, coded boxes, and quasi-time travel delights in its impenetrability, too. It also proves how a great film isn’t just about A-list stars or big budgets. All you need to manufacture a suspense thriller spanning infinite dimensions is a single set. – Jared M.

45. A Most Violent Year (J.C. Chandor)

The Sidney Lumet talk is apt, as J.C. Chandor’s A Most Violent Year certainly captures the scope and pulse of the late master’s dramas. But this is a dark-side-of-the-American-dream epic with a reach all its own. Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain create the most compelling couple of the year, and by the time the credits role, the viewer feels as if they have just witnessed the most significant moments in the birth of a giant. – Chris S.

44. Wild Tales (Damián Szifron)

Damián Szifron launches a satirical and visceral dissection of the social and political currents running underneath his native Argentina, but Wild Tales is the opposite of a stuffy, calculated screed. Playing with a touch of the pulp ghoulishness of Tales of the Crypt, Tales features plenty of darkly comic surrealism that’s been subtly grafted onto modern social anxieties. Whether it’s a plane full of strangers learning of the demented connection that bonds them, a waitress at a road-side diner forced to serve the author of her family’s misery, or a demolitionist waging a war against an impound lot, Wild Tales finds a deeply entertaining catharsis in isolated fragments that begin as revenge, only to crossover to examine ideas about justice and human morality. Taken as separate stories, these vignettes are entrancing, but, most impressive for an anthology, when assembled they create a fearsome portrait of Argentina itself, one unlikely to fade from memory. – Nathan B.

43. Stranger by the Lake (Alain Guiraudie)

A hyper-erotic thriller presented as a waking dream, in which acts of love and violence — both acts of passion alike, if little else — alternate between escape-defying proximity and distances so great they can hardly be said to have been seen at all. Also the “pulpiest” title on this list, sure, but pulp that’s dictated by incredibly consistent formal dressing from first step to last is always going to be high art in my eyes, and nothing in 2014 hit that (ahem) sweet spot to such a degree. – Nick N.

42. Guardians of the Galaxy (James Gunn)

What’s so great about the big-screen adaptation of one of Marvel’s more obscure properties is that director James Gunn turned it into the kind of movie he wants to see. The often-hilarious space opera about a band of misfit heroes recalls the adventurous spirit of Lucas and Spielberg’s golden age, when Star Wars and Indiana Jones reigned supreme. Defined by thrilling battle sequences and pitch-perfect casting (see pro wrestler Dave Bautista‘s amusing turn as Drax), the work is definitely one of the most satisfying viewing experiences I’ve had in years. – Amanda W.

41. Selma (Ava DuVernay)

If 2014 is considered the “year of outrage,” the 2015 wide-release date for Selma arrives far too late. A visceral frontline examination of Martin Luther King Jr’s civil rights marches in Selma, met with extreme violence (including murder) as Alabama’s good ol’ boys fight to maintain status quo prior to President Johnson’s intervention and the passage of the Voter Rights Act. Undoubtedly this film will provoke conversations within a current context (one early moment seems eerily similar to Eric Garner’s final moments), and Ava DuVernay’s direction ads a sense of raw immediacy to Paul Webb’s script. It also presents King (David Oyelowo), George Wallace (Tim Roth), and Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) as complex, flawed men, each with their own motivations and ideals of justice. – John F.

40. John Wick (David Leitch and Chad Stahelski)

John Wick is a refreshingly streamlined action movie. There’s not an ounce of fat in David Leitch and Chad Stahelski‘s film, and Derek Kolstad‘s script gets right everything so many revenge pictures get wrong. The familial scenes in the Taken movies, for example, are an afterthought — crap you have to trudge through to get to the shootouts. Actual time and care was put into the set-up of John Wick. When Wick’s dog dies, it’s an earned moment for the character and the film. It’s a strangely heartfelt movie, and far more sincere than most pieces of Oscar bait. What follows that effective set-up is a wildly entertaining action movie, filled with a variety of set pieces, fun kills, style, and a world that begs for a sequel. – Jack G.

39. Edge of Tomorrow (Doug Liman)

We need more summer blockbusters like Edge of Tomorrow. Doug Liman‘s film doesn’t take itself terribly seriously, nor is it as light as a piece of gum wrapper — while also delivering on almost every level. It’s a fun blockbuster with the right amount of dramatic stakes. Just as exciting as the set pieces are the performances from Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Blunt is vulnerable, funny, and badass as Rita, playing the real hero of the movie — she arguably drives the narrative forward more than Cage (Tom Cruise). Cruise’s blockbuster image is initially subverted and milked for a great comedic effect. Once he’s in full action-hero mode, though, there’s still plenty of sharp humor in this ideal action movie. – Jack G.

38. The Tribe (Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy)

Devoid of any spoken words, music, voice-over or even subtitles, Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy‘s debut feature film The Tribe is communicated through sign language, for all the characters are deaf. This provides a unique challenge for any audience member not versed with how to sign, as the filmmaker provides no direct explanation of what characters are actually saying. While this may initially seem daunting, a viewer’s patience and keen observation is rewarded by a haunting cinematic experience that truly is unlike anything else this year. – Raffi A.

37. Hellion (Kat Candler)

The knocks on Candler‘s latest feature seem to stem from a place of stark drama overkill on behalf of the critics watching. Had they seen it before all those that already saturated the market, I wonder what the consensus would have been. For me it’s simply the type of film I love to watch. Emotionally powerful, I never felt manipulated once as each character progression occurs naturally until its inevitable climactic moment of nail-biting violence, stemming straight from the heart. Aaron Paul stands out as a broken father unable to let go of the love he thought would be forever and Josh Wiggins is a revelation as the wild yet sensitive son traveling a dangerous road to maturity. – Jared M.

36. Journey to the West (Tsai Ming-liang)

Remarkable for many reasons, chief among them that the shortest of any on this list — or just about any other, on any site, that’s counting down the year — is the one most open to interpretation, to say nothing of the most visually rigid and tightly controlled most encouraging a wandering, curious eye. A tortoise and the tortoise race between Lee Kang-sheng and Denis Lavant, slow cinema’s own weird game of Where’s Waldo?, a city symphony that uses screen space as well as anything in recent years, and a stealth addition to the slate of documentary-narrative hybrids. Journey was technically undistributed, but placed here because it a) was at least made available during a one-week online engagement this past spring, and b) is simply too accomplished a work to be overlooked on account of that small technicality. Here’s some good news: this wonder will be included on the Blu-ray release of Tsai’s prior feature (and TFS favorite), Stray Dogs. – Nick N.

35. The Babadook (Jennifer Kent)

Filmmaker Jennifer Kent‘s scary surprise hit packs a hell of a punch with imaginative visuals and visceral sound design. It also features two powerhouse performers in Essie Davis and child actor Noah Wiseman, who bring a jarring intensity to their roles. (When Davis’s cornered single mother unleashes a primal scream, every hair on my body stood on end.) More importantly, it’s one of the most terrifying depictions of quiet desperation ever committed to film, and therefore a welcome addition to the realm of quality horror. – Amanda W.

34. Locke (Steven Knight)

There is something thrilling about watching a person struggle against incredible odds. Lots of movies take this tact, though usually the odds and the struggle are world-shattering, like an alien invasion or a terrorist threat. In the case of Locke, Tom Hardy plays a man raging against his own poor decisions and their unexpected outcomes, and the movie is all the more thrilling because he does something rare in modern storytelling – he takes responsibility, assumes the risks and consequences, and does not shrug off the weight of what he has done or will do. In addition to being a beautiful formal exercise and a well-written character drama, this film is a flawless modern morality tale. – Brian R.

33. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (Isao Takahata)

As one of the latest (and possibly last) Studio Ghibli releases, Isao Takahata‘s vision of an ancient Japanese folktale adds to a long list of distinguished anime triumphs. While computer-generated animation strives to look real, the hand-drawn Kaguya feels alive with its minimalist sound design and painterly style, which makes it all the more affecting and beautiful. – Amanda W.

32. Mr. Turner (Mike Leigh)

A biopic doesn’t quite describe Mike Leigh’s brilliant Mr. Turner , fronted by a career-best performance from Timothy Spall as legendary British painter J.M.W. Turner. Leigh’s first digitally shot film (from longtime collaborator Dick Pope), the haunting opening scene perfectly captures a landscape painting of a mid-career Turner. Leigh, known for his improvisational style, allows the viewer to enter this space as a fly on the wall, witnessing the quirks of Turner as embodied by Spall; the performance is fascinating recalling his work in Leigh’s Life Is Sweet. Establishing and breaking rhythms, like J.M.W. Turner, the film refuses to compromise. Engrossing and immersive, it’s both beautiful and occasionally challenging. – John F.

31. Foxcatcher (Bennett Miller)

There is a distinctly Americana fascination and connection between director Bennett Miller’s Capote, Moneyball, and Foxcatcher. Centered on a struggling former Olympic wrestler and his unlikely relationship with a bizarre billionaire, the film is less about the actual details of what happened in this real-life tragedy and more about the insidious nature that is derived from excessive wealth and power. The film features a truly powerhouse trio of performances from Steve Carrell, Mark Ruffalo, and Channing Tatum. Eerily paced and unnerving at every turn, the fastidious study of these characters is both enveloping and thought-provoking. – Raffi A.

30. Citizenfour (Laura Poitras)

Perhaps the most important film of the year, Laura Poitras’ documentary captures the immediate aftermath following Edward Snowden’s leak of top-secret NSA documents to the world. For the majority of its runtime, we are placed in a Hong Kong hotel room with Poitras, reporter Glenn Greenwald, and Snowden as they sift through as much information as they can while Snowden tells you that everything you feared about our government was (and is) very much true. – Dan M.

29. Venus in Fur (Roman Polanski)

The director’s surrogate and doppelgänger, the director’s wife, a physical and mental game of one-upmanship, and the unabashedly blunt staging of a text that a toddler could point out as a direct corollary to the knotty onscreen dynamic. Shaped by a milking of every line, expression, tone of voice, gesture of body, shifting of light, angle, and cut, Polanski’s funniest film in decades, another close-quarter wonder, couldn’t be more “cinematic” if it relied on elaborate sets and high-wire formal trickery. – Nick N.

28. The Congress (Ari Folman)

A rather brilliant and exciting commentary on celebrity, youth culture, and movie-making, The Congress is also an essay on identity and persona wrapped in a sci-fi adventure. Robin Wright plays herself, an aging actress who agrees to give up her craft to sell her brand to a big studio, who scans her into a database. Some years later, when she’s invited to a futuristic congress, the film shifts modes from live action to hand-drawn animation. One of the year’s most ambitious films, The Congress is a visual and intellectual feat: entertaining and engrossing throughout, while also densely packed, it delivers on the ambition it presents in the first act, and then some. – John F.

27. Moebius (Kim Ki-duk)

This will easily rank as one of the oddest entries here, and that’s precisely why I fell in love with South Korean director Kim Ki-duk’s Moebius. The film showcases the ability that keen direction can have on even the most unusual of scripts — and oddball. disturbing, over-the-top, horrific, and frustrating are all apt adjectives for Moebius, a film that works because the acting and direction never let the viewer relax. Everyone is incredibly committed to this film, which revolves around several males being castrated, and the nature of what it means to be a man without the normal means of sexual interaction. Silence has a profound effect as none of the characters speak. It’s not a silent film, as grunts and groans are heard, but the lack of dialogue is worked around with knowing looks or onscreen text seen through a phone or computer screen. Themes revolve around dealing with trauma, mental disturbance, infidelity, and family, as well as the obvious way we interact sexually. People walked out of my screening at last year’s Fantastic Fest, but I think that, if you can stomach the wicked actions, you’ll be rewarded with one of the year’s most unique cinematic experiences. This is precisely why film is a unique art form, where both sound and image can orchestrate what would otherwise be flat-out unbearable. – Bill G.

26. Calvary (John Michael McDonagh)

Precisely funny in the darkest way, considering a plot surrounding a priest awaiting his death by a parishioner searching for retribution against the Catholic church, this understated gem is all about its characters. Each is a little off-kilter; each a prospective suspect with the means and mindset to pull the trigger. Brendan Gleeson is at his best — conflicted, introspective, ever faithful — but so is John Michael McDonagh. I enjoyed The Guard enough, but the dialogue here is so sharp that I now see what everyone else did back then. – Jared M.

25. The Guest (Adam Wingard)

I could say plenty about the latest collaboration from director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett. I could explain its fresh, contemporary spin on testosterone-fueled 80s-era action thrillers. I could elaborate on its sexy visuals, its pulsating soundtrack, and its unrelentingly cool style. I could most certainly drool over Dan Stevens‘ transformation into a hot and dangerous super solider. But mostly I just want to say, “Holy shit, this movie!” – Amanda W.

24. Horse Money (Pedro Costa)

I attempted to write about Horse Money immediately after seeing it back in September. I think I did a fine job, considering the hectic strains of festival life, yet I don’t believe that I in any way did justice to just how different the world felt coming out of it — how surreal and inappropriate the gaudy, space-themed halls of the Toronto multiplex hosting the press screening seemed after spending 100 minutes in what seemed like a mix of hell, purgatory and probably some other dimension of the afterlife not even comprehensible to man. If only I could find the right Wire lyrics to quote… – Ethan V.

23. Stray Dogs (Tsai Ming-Liang)

In Stray Dogs, three actresses play the same character, with the first of them departing after the film’s first shot and the third taking over after the film’s central ellipse. The Buñuelian tactic gives the film a narrative ambiguity that could easily feel cheap and pointless, but Tsai makes it work. Perhaps it’s because Stray Dogs qualifies unambiguously as “Slow Cinema,” with shots of eating or looking at murals taking up several minutes, making it easy for the impatient and skeptical to say that “nothing happens.” But Tsai’s style forces us to question conventions, and among those conventions is the way in which we make sense of narrative. The ambiguity is therefore not just earned, but crucial. Tsai is equally subtle and clever in a series of four non-consecutive shots in which the protagonist (Lee Kang-sheng) serves as a human billboard, where the personal and political are gradually privileged, his aesthetic decisions being central to everything the film has to say. Never is this more clear or well-done than in the stunning penultimate shot, the film’s longest, in which humans — or at least the better of us — are implicitly differentiated from stray dogs because of our ability to find solace and make sense of art. Or, at least, that’s one interpretation of it. Thanks to that narrative ambiguity, Stray Dogs is not just perfectly executed — it’s also a gift that keeps on giving. – Forrest C.

22. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour)

It might feature a skate-boarding, hijab-wearing bloodsucker, but A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is much more than a hipster horror film. Set in a mythical landscape that feels like Quentin Tarantino and Tim Burton took a gig art-directing Iran, Girl establishes a raw and seductive edge that is also dreamy and wistful, enamored of Old Hollywood’s visual legacy, inspired by a rich independent heritage, and completely in love with its characters. Turning the tropes of Universal horror films on their head — one scene features a tawdry pimp discovering he’s the classic damsel in distress — Amirpour creates a wonderful character in Sheila Vand’s nosferatu. She’s not a monster, but a convergence of several cultural insecurities, wrapped in a feral, defiantly female shell. Crafted from the familiar, Girls’ best feature is just how fearsomely original and confident it feels. Eraserhead and Bride of Frankenstein have new, welcome company in the annals of filmdom. – Nathan B.

21. Snowpiercer (Bong Joon-ho)

The best piece of entertainment this year, and with plenty of brains. A train races across the globe like a bullet, harboring the last of our species. Inside, the survivors are divided by socio-economic status: rich to the front, poor to the back. Chris Evans’ Curtis starts a revolution. We watch it unfold. Riveting. Unforgettable. – Dan M.

20. Force Majeure (Ruben Östlund)

Beautifully simple yet breathtakingly bleak, the family turmoil at the heart of Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure hits a deeply resonant emotional chord. The plot revolves around an unexpected force of nature in the Alps that plunges a Swedish family into a frigid turmoil on a holiday retreat. There is an undercurrent of darkly comedic vibes that are accentuated with minimalist cinematography that carefully uses the wintery elements, like the encompassing blindness of snow, to great effect. But it’s the deadpan stares and demeaning looks between husband Tomas (Johannes Kuhnke) and his wife Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli) that make it hard to turn away from the awkwardness of this powerful family drama. – Raffi A.

19. Manakamana (Stephanie Spray, Pacho Velez)

The year’s best documentary is also the most relatable on a global scale. While any average stranger would rightfully be alarmed if one stared at them for more than a few seconds, the latest documentary from the Harvard Sensory Ethnography Lab (responsible for the masterpieces Leviathan and Sweetgrass) provides an unprecedented yet simple viewpoint. Over the course of 11 single shots to or from a Nepalese temple, we travel with different passengers (including a trio of goats) and learn more about our fellow man, notably what it would be like to perhaps strike up a conversation with them. – Jordan R.

18. Winter Sleep (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

Nuri Burge Celyan has cemented himself as one of the most intellectually stimulating filmmakers of recent years with his austere style that has drawn comparisons to legendary auteurs of cinema — Tarkovsky, Bergman and Rohmer, to name a few. This year he earned the coveted Palme d’Or prize with Winter Sleep, a solemn drama about an existentialist hotel owner in the Turkish countryside. While some may be turned off by the slow pace, long running time, and prosaic nature of the conversations, the performances and direction are all of the highest caliber and merit attentive viewing in order to absorb all the exquisite details this remarkable film has to offer. – John F.

17. Jealousy (Philippe Garrel)

A search for unknowable romantic truths, causing a paranoia that runs deep in the heart of needing to love and be loved. Romantic follies not as great revelations, but simply the flows of life, edited without announcement. An autobiographical tale across three generations, compressed like a visit in the desert, only lasting so long before one must leave. Devastating in its subtle lightness, images and sounds like a vision of the remembered past, flashing through memory before turning off the light. – Peter L.

16. Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy)

A stunning performance can elevate an ordinary script, yet Jake Gyllenhaal shows that first-time director Dan Gilroy has been absorbing what became of his various writing projects over the years. Here, Gilroy attacks the norm with his screenplay. We aren’t so much introduced to Gyllenhaal’s Lou Bloom as he announces his presence in the world of LA at night. Bloom is the anti-hero of the film, and yet you root for him throughout. Part of that is simply because he is the character we follow, but part of it is that he also exposes the deep-rooted reality of the news media. Bloom is a nightcrawler, who arrives on the scenes of accidents to record them with his camera and sell them to the morning news. But more than a skewering of the news, I found this to be a keenly precise character study of a man who succeeds precisely because he has a lack of empathy, a trait that might win you praise in other places. Gyllenhaal rarely blinks on camera, is visibly gaunt, and gives off an intensity that makes you uncomfortable. But the film is also brilliantly filled with touches of humor, evidenced by his long-winded rants that sound like they were stripped from a self-help book or the relationship he has with Nina (Rene Russo). Nightcrawler is intense, riveting, and darkly hilarious in all of the best ways. – Bill G.

15. Birdman (Alejandro González Iñárritu)

If there’s one movie I didn’t imagine would make my top 10 this year, it’s Birdman. For one, director Alejandro González Iñárritu‘s gorgeous misery porn generally isn’t for me. Second his ambitious dramedy was an all around enjoyable movie, but little more, on a first viewing. However, the film gets better and better over time. It’s about as subtle as the superhero movies it takes aim at, but also so funny, sad and imaginative. What makes Birdman a memorable experience isn’t the long take, but the relationship between Riggan (Michael Keaton) and his daughter, Sam (Emma Stone) — that’s what makes Birdman, both the character and movie, fly. – Jack G.

14. Closed Curtain (Jafar Panahi and Kambuzia Partovi)

Perhaps it shouldn’t be such a shock that Panahi and Partovi were able to make such a remarkable work under such harsh restrictions (Panahi is currently banned from filmmaking), as Iranian artists have always found ways to innovate cinematic language in order to combat censorship, but the way Panahi and Partovi innovate here is downright revelatory. Closed Curtain is a consistently surprising and always-enjoyable film that can offer up mystery, tenderness, and intellectual provocation all at once, or at least smoothly transition among them. It is a genuinely surreal film (admittedly a critical bias) in which the dream and the imagination is equated with cinema, and it invokes digital technology to complicate the relationship between the image and the real / imaginary, seeking not just to adhere to but also converse with and update André Breton’s Surrealist Manifesto. It is a desperate, political film, a cry for help that rarely ever needs to directly address Panahi’s predicament. It is, in other words, everything cinema should be, as well as a statement about everything cinema can be. – Forrest C.

13. Listen Up Philip (Alex Ross Perry)

The slow-motion, bronze-burnished descent into personal desolation, itself suggested as some men’s only way of ascending to artistic greatness. Already-mild concerns that we’d never receive a proper adaptation of Roth are forever gone, for Listen Up Philip’s commitment to this idea — aided in no small part by Perry’s growing formal acuity — brings us as close as we’ll ever need to get. Zuckerman, Lonoff, and, at some turns, Sabbath do indeed haunt the film’s periphery, but less as a result of direct influence — more, I think, because we’ve only now confronted the wreckage they leave behind. – Nick N.

12. Gone Girl (David Fincher)

I’m not sure if Fincher taps into anything profound here regarding relationships or gender. He does, however, craft a visceral experience that pummels the viewer with its phantasmagoric narrative and images. As the noose tightens around Nick Dunne (an excellent Ben Affleck) shot by shot in the film’s first third, you realize you’re in the hands of a gifted filmmaker. Once the Gillian Flynn adaptation reveals what happened to the one and only Amazing Amy, played by Rosamund Pike, it releases some of the most unsettling and macabre sequences of 2014. – Zade C.

11. Enemy (Denis Villeneuve)

Upwards of five or six views in the past year and I still cannot speak with any real authority as to what this film is actually saying, specifically, but I know what it is saying to me. The defiance of a clear, precise, true read on the material is just one reason to love this twisty, poisonous tale. Jake Gyllenhaal (appearing for the second time on this list in a lead role) flawlessly and effortlessly fills two parts, not so much sides of the same coin as two possibilities of a single man. The images — derived from the alien aspect of the Toronto skyline — both complement the themes and distance the viewer, as though these characters inhabit a distant planet. The piss-and-smoke color of the world only adds to the strangeness, and, mixed with the engrossing story and labyrinthine thematic implications of the action, it all creates the perfect storm of a film. Not to be missed, and never to be forgotten. – Brian R.

10. Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson)

Often, my favorite film of the year creates a fully realized world in which each supporting character feels like they could lead their own film and every line of dialogue is one that can be endlessly pored over. Paul Thomas Anderson‘s Inherent Vice, like last year’s Inside Llewyn Davis, wildly succeeds on those fronts and many others. It’s a dense, keenly faithful adaptation of Thomas Pynchon‘s novel, at once sprawling in its far-reaching, paranoia-drenched plotting, and intimate, with the majority of scenes featuring prolonged, drug-laced conversations that superbly wrangle every word from the source material. With sublime casting across-the-board and unmatched direction relative to 2014′s other offerings, I look forward to endlessly revisiting this in the years to come. – Jordan R.

9. Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski)

The road ahead of Anna winds from the shielding walls of a convent to the wilderness of her previously unknown homestead, but Ida’s real journey is both spiritual and emotional, as much for the audience as the young protagonist . Pawlikowski, who established himself as a filmmaker to watch with My Summer of Love, takes his craft to another level altogether. The use of the black-and-white format is never a simple stylistic device, but an exploration of emotional history. Shadows and fog, movement and stillness, captured in starkly lovely compositions that delve into the national tragedy at the heart of Ida, making it one deeply personal to the central characters. There’s an austere patience and visual medievalism that recalls Ingmar Bergman, but Pawlikowski, the luminescent Agata Trzebuchowska as Anna / Ida and Agata Kulesza as her steely aunt, make Ida a ravishing original. Haunting and simultaneously redemptive, the film’s final shots are bitter-sweet, as they release us from such a captivating dream. – Nathan B.

8. Two Days, One Night (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)

This is not quite as physical as some of the Dardenne brothers’ earlier, more visceral work. Think, for one thing, of the blindsiding opening of Rosetta, in which the camera darts and races to follow Émilie Dequenne as she tries elude the grasp of her peeved boss (Olivier Gourmet). Even the plot, which is inherently formulaic and intensely organized, is less natural-seeming than the previous stuff. But their gifts — shrewd framing (notice how Marion Cotillard is constantly separated from her co-workers by some kind of barrier) and genuine human empathy — are still evident throughout. After witnessing the character’s agonizing, compressed cycle of naps, wake-ups, phone calls, arguments, rants, and pill-popping episodes, Cotillard’s short phone call that ends Two Days, One Night carries the weight of the world. – Danny K.

7. Only Lovers Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch)

Enduring a climate of daily takedowns, contrarian posturing, cries of yearning for decades past, and rumination on what it all really means would usually ensure that any film operating on a similar wavelength while acting in service of one of the most worn-down genre staples this popular culture can offer sounds, in so many words, like an absolute fucking nightmare. But this particular marriage of auteur and being is as logical as they come, and questions of how easy it might have been to achieve the resulting effect are easily dispelled when wallowing in something of such deep, resonant beauty. – Nick N.

6. Goodbye to Language (Jean-Luc Godard)

A vision without meaning and toward being. Two binary romances collapse, and yet there remains one frolicking individual who is more than willing to leap into nature and see things anew. Truly a new vision of translating the moving image: Bazin’s Total Realism becomes Arnheim’s Total Cinema, and, with that, a new freedom away from the totalitarianism of the 20th century. Mary Shelley’s monster, after all, was the most pure being she created. – Peter L.

5. Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)

I didn’t give many films four stars this year (the top four entries here are it) and, until catching Whiplash, none hit me with the force that demanded I do so. The fact that it would be a breakout to finally give me that visceral punch to the gut makes it all the more astounding. Damien Chazelle‘s look into the dangerously volatile world of genius ran away with the 2014 crown before the last note of its mesmerizing, edge-of-your-seat climax cut to black. J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller‘s powerhouse performances highlight the whole, but this thing is so much more than its stellar parts. – Jared M.

4. The Immigrant (James Gray)

This is the one, the other Marion Cotillard-led film that will make you cry. James Gray deconstructs America’s foundational myth by linking it to cinema, setting his film in the era of popular melodrama (both on stage and on screen) and beginning with a shot of Lady Liberty’s back turned on her admirers. What proceeds from there is nothing short of stunning, anchored by two brilliant performances (Cotillard as Ewa, the immigrant forced into prostitution, and Joaquin Phoenix as Bruno, the one who forces her) and realized by a director who has now earned the same superlative. The arbitrary social forces that victimize heroines in melodrama are here seen as deeply systemic and rooted in the offending society, and Gray can only tease this and other tropes briefly before deconstructing and perverting them. The only generic truth that he finds truth in is the face, à la Griffith before him. Never is this clearer than in one of the year’s best scenes, when Ewa goes to confess. Gray is not content merely to undercut the “American Dream”; he’s taking the entire cinematic representation of it with him. – Forrest C.

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson)

It’s easy to deliver criticism towards Wes Anderson for playing in the same self-contained sandbox time and time again, but that’s a misreading of what this continually inventive director is really up to. Anderson’s stylized, quixotic universe keeps expanding with each film, and in new ways, that then later become a part of his acknowledged bag of tricks. Very rarely is the director actually resting on his laurels, and if Moonrise Kingdom felt like it was creeping into the realm of the personal, Grand Budapest takes that sensibility and grafts it onto a vantage point that’s more literate and historical, arriving at a brand-new place. Forget all of that, though, and you have the year’s best sensory pleasure; it’s an astonishing treat to look upon this specific place, and to live in the skin of these characters. It isn’t every great film that beckons us immediately to return to it, that we feel lost the moment we leave it, but Anderson’s Budapest is such a film. You feel forlorn checking out of it, clinging to such wonderful memories. – Nathan B.

2. Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer)

I saw Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin in April and never stopped swooning over. But what is it, exactly, that makes this film come in so far ahead of any other in 2014? Perhaps it is the way Skin makes the Scottish landscape look positively, well, alien. Maybe it is the incredible performance from Scarlett Johansson, an absurdly fascinating score, and the brain-searing imagery. Or perhaps it is how those elements come together for one entrancing experience. This is the most haunting, complex film of the year, and a sad, disturbing work of art. There are scenes that continue to linger in my memory months after that first viewing — chiefly the sight of a crying baby, alone on the beach. That sequence, and others, still resonate, and they will for some time to come. Quite simply, any year in which there is an Under the Skin is a great year for cinema. – Chris S.

1. Boyhood (Richard Linklater)

A revolutionary, ambitious masterpiece that frequently resists an episodic structure. A single film that, despite the 12-year duration of production, unfolds simply as life does: there are no transitions, the only clues as to what year we have being Linklater’s subtle soundtrack choices. Haunting in its details, Boyhood is very simply the story of Mason (Ellar Coltrane) living moment to moment, often moving through Texas with his mother (Patrica Arquette) who hasn’t quite figured things out and his occasionally bratty sister (Lorelei Linklater). Ethan Hawke beautifully plays the wayward father, himself in flux as he matures from musician to actuary. Often Mason does not understand the context of each moment, which is partly why I believe the film’s impact grows more profound upon subsequent viewings. A masterpiece in any year, Boyhood represents, above all, the very best in American independent filmmaking: strong storytelling often presenting conflict or danger as Mason experiments with drugs, drinking, sex, and, ultimately, heartbreak. Leaving him on the same ambiguous note it found him some 12 years and 165 minutes prior, Boyhood is a sublime, exhilarating, and emotional cinematic experience, and a new classic. – John F.

mae
01-26-2015, 06:46 AM
So are we going with the Best of 2014 or the Best Comedy tournament?

Still Servant
01-26-2015, 06:30 PM
The 2014 tournament never really got off the ground. Many people haven't seen a lot of the films, so I think the tournament would lean towards the more popular films.

I'm assuming we will just dive into the Comedy tournament at some point.

Ricky
01-27-2015, 08:13 AM
If everyone wanted to do the comedy tournament after the Oscars, that'd be cool with me.

fernandito
01-27-2015, 09:14 AM
Comedy, for the reasons Mike mentioned.

Mattrick
01-27-2015, 06:01 PM
Another tournament where my favourite films will get trounced :'( BRING IT ON!

fernandito
01-28-2015, 09:26 AM
As long as Monty Python and the Holy Grail makes it to semis at LEAST, I'm coo.

Still Servant
01-28-2015, 02:26 PM
I can't remember if we ever hammered out the nomination process.

I think a good way to go about it is everybody compiles a list of 10, 15, 20 or, whatever number we decide, of their favorite comedies. Then, we all cast a certain amount of votes for each others lists. Or maybe some kind of weighted scoring system from 1 to whatever. The films with the most votes get voted in. We may have come up with something like this. I can't remember.

We are also going to have to palavar about what we are allowing in as Comedy. I know some people consider some films comedy that I would never even think of as a comedy. I think we were discussing using a site or two as the deciding factor. Birdman is a great film, but it's not a comedy. Not in my mind at least. Sure, it's quite funny at times, but it's not a comedy.

Mattrick
01-28-2015, 03:36 PM
I think comedies need to be consistently funny, whether or not they're comediic horrors, dramas, fantasy, action whatever. Some movies are just funny in different ways.

Still Servant
01-28-2015, 04:01 PM
I think comedies need to be consistently funny, whether or not they're comediic horrors, dramas, fantasy, action whatever. Some movies are just funny in different ways.

I'll use another recent film as an example. Whiplash is consistently funny, but I still don't consider it a comedy. In fact, I think it's funnier than Birdman.

fernandito
01-29-2015, 09:24 AM
It's going to be extremely difficult to come up with a rigid framework, especially since comedy is so subjective. Perhaps we can echo the seconding/thirding system of the previous tournament? Just a thought.

mae
01-29-2015, 10:31 AM
We had some good discussion in this thread: http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?18756-About-a-potential-next-tournament

As I wrote there, we can easily do a 200-title tournament with the nominations being seconded. There are so many comedies I'm sure the nominating process will be pretty swift, I could name 100 comedies myself probably. The structure would be the same as I used for the flags tournament in Starkblast.

fernandito
01-29-2015, 10:43 AM
Sounds good.
I'm ready when you guys are!

mae
01-29-2015, 11:54 AM
Cool. Settled. We'll start the nominating right after the Oscars.

Still Servant
01-29-2015, 04:14 PM
We had some good discussion in this thread: http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?18756-About-a-potential-next-tournament

As I wrote there, we can easily do a 200-title tournament with the nominations being seconded. There are so many comedies I'm sure the nominating process will be pretty swift, I could name 100 comedies myself probably. The structure would be the same as I used for the flags tournament in Starkblast.

Yeah, I think that will work.

I've been compiling a list of my favorite comedies for a few months now, so I'm ready to go.

mae
01-31-2015, 08:28 AM
FYI, Lost in Translation is listed as Drama on IMDB but has Comedy as a genre on RT. Same with American Psycho.

pathoftheturtle
01-31-2015, 03:59 PM
FYI, Lost in Translation is listed as Drama on IMDB but has Comedy as a genre on RT. Same with American Psycho.

Fascinating. I mean, really: What an interesting data point! I hope that type of research goes on and on here. And on and on and on! It's just so very, very fascinating to keep hearing about how these different sites happen to classify this subject which we find flatly impossible to analyze.

fernandito
02-02-2015, 12:24 PM
Like I said before, it's best if we just use the 2nd'ng process. It's impossible to set a bullet proof criteria. Our interpretation(s) are just as good as any sites.

Still Servant
02-02-2015, 02:25 PM
Like I said before, it's best if we just use the 2nd'ng process. It's impossible to set a bullet proof criteria. Our interpretation(s) are just as good as any site's.

I second this. As long was we use this process we should be okay. If multiple people agree a film belongs in a certain category, then so be it.

Mattrick
02-02-2015, 04:25 PM
I second this. As long was we use this process we should be okay. If multiple people agree a film belongs in a certain category, then so be it.

I concur. I wasn't in agreement with certain films being included in previous tournaments but majority rules. It's fine to question be we shouldn't be sticklers. I like the idea if a seconded film is contended it requires being thirded...I think we did something like for the sci-fi tournament.

Mattrick
02-02-2015, 04:29 PM
FYI, Lost in Translation is listed as Drama on IMDB but has Comedy as a genre on RT. Same with American Psycho.

I definitely consider it a Comedy. That doesn't take away from it's drama, but it's a comedy. So it American Beauty. It just depends on how much of the humour people pick up on. With some movies you have to watch them three or more times to really find all the humour in the nuances and the characters. I can tell Withnail & I is one of these types of movies which is why I'm looking forward to my second viewing. I have a deeper appreciating for movies that get funnier as you rewatch them, as opposed to movies that lose their lustre after mutliple viewings. If I had to make a list of the comedies I've seen around ten or more times:

Happy Gilmore
The Waterboy
American Beauty
Lost In Translation
Almost Famous
Royal Tenenbaums
Matchstick Men
Grandma's Boy
Grumpy Old Men
Forty Year Old Virgin
I Love You, Man
Tropic Thunder
Zoolander
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
There's Something About Mary
As Good As It Gets
Love, Actually
About A Boy
Punch Drunk Love

So many other good comedies I've only seen a handful of times. I love enough comedies that chances are I can't be dissappointed by the times the quarter finals rolls around.

divemaster
02-03-2015, 04:32 AM
If we go with calling any movie that has a few laughs a "comedy," then you could nominate just about anything. Most directors add some sort of comic relief if just to release some tension. I mean, Aliens could be considered a comedy as much as some of the films mentioned so far. ("Game over, man! Game over!" and "Why don't you put her in charge!") I laughed quite a few times during Aliens. But I'd never consider it a "comedy." To Pablo's credit, I didn't see too many I would take issue with in his lists (but I did just skim and there are plenty I haven't seen).

I'd estimate at least 75% of dramas have some element of comedy, b/c most folks don't want to sit and watch 2 hours of drama without some sort of tension-breakers scattered throughout. Same with action and horror. Most films of those genres depend on a few laughs. Hell, Eastwood and Arnie can be funny in actioners and police dramas. Scream was funny. Freddy Kreueger is funny (well, after the first film).

I just have a sneaking suspicion that we'll see all sorts of non-comedies nominated b/c someone got struck funny while watching a movie.

Just thought it bears repeating.

pathoftheturtle
02-03-2015, 05:18 AM
I have a hard time believing that something as big as Comedy can be pulled off, but I don't want my own cynicism to contribute to failure. Good luck to everyone getting behind it. I'll try to keep a low profile. Except when I think I can make fun.

Mattrick
02-03-2015, 06:33 AM
If we go with calling any movie that has a few laughs a "comedy," then you could nominate just about anything. Most directors add some sort of comic relief if just to release some tension. I mean, Aliens could be considered a comedy as much as some of the films mentioned so far. ("Game over, man! Game over!" and "Why don't you put her in charge!") I laughed quite a few times during Aliens. But I'd never consider it a "comedy." To Pablo's credit, I didn't see too many I would take issue with in his lists (but I did just skim and there are plenty I haven't seen).

I'd estimate at least 75% of dramas have some element of comedy, b/c most folks don't want to sit and watch 2 hours of drama without some sort of tension-breakers scattered throughout. Same with action and horror. Most films of those genres depend on a few laughs. Hell, Eastwood and Arnie can be funny in actioners and police dramas. Scream was funny. Freddy Kreueger is funny (well, after the first film).

I just have a sneaking suspicion that we'll see all sorts of non-comedies nominated b/c someone got struck funny while watching a movie.

Just thought it bears repeating.

Yes, some element of comedy. That is why I use the phrase consistently funny. Humour can't be an element of a movie, it has be in a part of the fabric of the movie. The Imitation Game has some good humour throughout but it's not close to a comedy. No movie in my list above has just a few laughs. I'm laughing throughout them. And Scream was meant to be funny. It's a satire.

Still Servant
02-03-2015, 03:12 PM
If we go with calling any movie that has a few laughs a "comedy," then you could nominate just about anything. Most directors add some sort of comic relief if just to release some tension. I mean, Aliens could be considered a comedy as much as some of the films mentioned so far. ("Game over, man! Game over!" and "Why don't you put her in charge!") I laughed quite a few times during Aliens. But I'd never consider it a "comedy." To Pablo's credit, I didn't see too many I would take issue with in his lists (but I did just skim and there are plenty I haven't seen).

I'd estimate at least 75% of dramas have some element of comedy, b/c most folks don't want to sit and watch 2 hours of drama without some sort of tension-breakers scattered throughout. Same with action and horror. Most films of those genres depend on a few laughs. Hell, Eastwood and Arnie can be funny in actioners and police dramas. Scream was funny. Freddy Kreueger is funny (well, after the first film).

I just have a sneaking suspicion that we'll see all sorts of non-comedies nominated b/c someone got struck funny while watching a movie.

Just thought it bears repeating.

Yes, some element of comedy. That is why I use the phrase consistently funny. Humour can't be an element of a movie, it has be in a part of the fabric of the movie. The Imitation Game has some good humour throughout but it's not close to a comedy. No movie in my list above has just a few laughs. I'm laughing throughout them. And Scream was meant to be funny. It's a satire.

I'd counter with Matchstick Men. I enjoyed the film, but I don't remember it being particularly funny.

As for "pulling off Comedy", we're just trying to pick what we feel are the funniest films. It's not like we are trying to actually make a Comedy film.

I don't predict a ton of disagreements, T-Dogz hasn't been back to the Gem Theater since the last tournament ended. :lol:

fernandito
02-03-2015, 03:39 PM
Yeah, I think we'll be fine. (famous last words)

When are we starting this?

Mattrick
02-03-2015, 04:22 PM
I don't predict a ton of disagreements, T-Dogz hasn't been back to the Gem Theater since the last tournament ended. :lol:

https://girlignited.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/seriousdontyouknow0lw.jpg

fernandito
02-03-2015, 04:30 PM
https://prodigalthought.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/wrong.jpg

Mattrick
02-03-2015, 09:14 PM
Hah, that one is my favourite, Fernando.

pathoftheturtle
02-04-2015, 12:48 PM
Yeah, ok. I had some fun last time, apart from the tension and bluster. The important thing is for everybody to have a good time and talk about movies, although it can be frustrating when rubbish gets nominated leaving no more slots for pieces worth discussing. However, hearing opinions is the point, not winning the non-existent trophy. If we can all attempt to state some kind of reasons for or against, that at least is engaging.

My other concern is that it's difficult to compare dark comedy with light comedies. I guess the stress will pay off by the end, though. Or so we can hope.

mae
02-04-2015, 12:59 PM
We can actually begin the nominating process now and start the tournament hopefully right after the Oscars. Like I said before, I'll be happy to do this one. Always a pleasure.

Still Servant
02-04-2015, 01:25 PM
Yeah, ok. I had some fun last time, apart from the tension and bluster. The important thing is for everybody to have a good time and talk about movies, although it can be frustrating when rubbish gets nominated leaving no more slots for pieces worth discussing. However, hearing opinions is the point, not winning the non-existent trophy. If we can all attempt to state some kind of reasons for or against, that at least is engaging.

My other concern is that it's difficult to compare dark comedy with light comedies. I guess the stress will pay off by the end, though. Or so we can hope.

One man's trash...

pathoftheturtle
02-04-2015, 02:50 PM
People wrote books and movies. Movies with stories, that made you care about whose ass it was and why it was farting. And I believe that time can come again!
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s12/POTT2007/smileys/Smirk_zps86895056.png (http://s148.photobucket.com/user/POTT2007/media/smileys/Smirk_zps86895056.png.html)

Mattrick
02-04-2015, 07:19 PM
My other concern is that it's difficult to compare dark comedy with light comedies. I guess the stress will pay off by the end, though. Or so we can hope.

I love dark comedies. Some very dark comedies I'd love to see nominated are The Tenant, The Double and Very Bad Things.

fernandito
02-05-2015, 09:41 AM
Seeing how subjective comedy is... I have a strong inkling that this might end up being one of our more interesting tournaments lol.

I foresee some very interesting debates.

Heather19
02-05-2015, 11:07 AM
I have a really hard time comparing dark comedies to light ones. They're two completely different types of movies to me.

fernandito
02-05-2015, 11:09 AM
What I *think* will happen is that dark comedies will get eliminated very, very quickly and the playoff rounds will be populated almost exclusively by light, "conventional" comedies.

mae
02-05-2015, 11:12 AM
What I *think* will happen is that dark comedies will get eliminated very, very quickly and the playoff rounds will be populated almost exclusively by light, "conventional" comedies.

Mainly classics, I would hope. If Bringing Up Baby is not in the Finals, I'm deleting the Internet.

Heather19
02-05-2015, 11:13 AM
What I *think* will happen is that dark comedies will get eliminated very, very quickly and the playoff rounds will be populated almost exclusively by light, "conventional" comedies.

Quite possibly. I know for myself I consider comedies to be films that are made to make you laugh, while I don't think dark ones do that. However I definitely prefer darker ones to your typical comedy but when it comes to voting, I'm not sure how I could vote for one?

fernandito
02-05-2015, 11:57 AM
What I *think* will happen is that dark comedies will get eliminated very, very quickly and the playoff rounds will be populated almost exclusively by light, "conventional" comedies.

Mainly classics, I would hope. If Bringing Up Baby is not in the Finals, I'm deleting the Internet.

I'm not really too concerned with whether or not they're classics, just so long as they make/made me laugh. I'll judge them on how hard and how consistently they made me laugh.

I haven't seen Bringing up Baby, but I'll add it to the list of films I'll watch before it starts. I just looked it up and it has a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. Impressive.

mae
02-05-2015, 12:11 PM
I haven't seen Bringing up Baby

What? It's only the funniest movie ever made.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2NZcPNaLeE

Heather19
02-05-2015, 01:55 PM
Just added it to my list as well. Looks good.

needfulthings
02-05-2015, 01:58 PM
I just have to go down to my video room & pull it off the shelf:evil:
http://imageshack.com/a/img537/4558/0KZu58.jpg

Heather19
02-05-2015, 02:01 PM
Is there a movie you don't own? :lol: Seriously though, I'd love to have a video library like yours.

needfulthings
02-05-2015, 02:19 PM
Is there a movie you don't own? :lol: Seriously though, I'd love to have a video library like yours.
YES:frown2:
http://imageshack.com/a/img537/5605/RPaRsz.jpg
at least in film form.
http://imageshack.com/a/img538/1720/KB8FhS.jpg

Still Servant
02-05-2015, 03:37 PM
What I *think* will happen is that dark comedies will get eliminated very, very quickly and the playoff rounds will be populated almost exclusively by light, "conventional" comedies.

Mainly classics, I would hope. If Bringing Up Baby is not in the Finals, I'm deleting the Internet.

Get your finger ready. Many people just haven't seen a lot of the classics. Bringing Up Baby is one of my Mom's favorite films. I remember watching it when I was a teen. I really enjoyed it, but it's not a film I would consider one of my favorites. Sure, the case could be made that I was too young to truly appreciate a film like that, especially one from a different generation of filmmaking.

As far as classics are concerned, I prefer Arsenic and Old Lace. I could watch that until the end of time.

PS: Needfullthings, I'd love for you to do a video showing your movie library. I understand why you might not want to do that, but I for one would be very interested in seeing it.

needfulthings
02-05-2015, 04:00 PM
The film I literally had tears in my eyes from laughing so the hard the 1st time I saw it was....
Dudley Moore getting FUCKED OVER by the DEVIL (EVERY TIME) was priceless:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
http://imageshack.com/a/img661/1520/HEfBBq.jpghttp://imageshack.com/a/img673/4202/HS35jB.jpg

needfulthings
02-05-2015, 04:08 PM
The ONLY thing wrong with this movie....NO KARLOFF
http://imageshack.com/a/img538/2961/ad9PAm.jpghttp://imageshack.com/a/img911/7593/cgs6s1.jpg

needfulthings
02-05-2015, 04:24 PM
What I *think* will happen is that dark comedies will get eliminated very, very quickly and the playoff rounds will be populated almost exclusively by light, "conventional" comedies.

Mainly classics, I would hope. If Bringing Up Baby is not in the Finals, I'm deleting the Internet.

Get your finger ready. Many people just haven't seen a lot of the classics. Bringing Up Baby is one of my Mom's favorite films. I remember watching it when I was a teen. I really enjoyed it, but it's not a film I would consider one of my favorites. Sure, the case could be made that I was too young to truly appreciate a film like that, especially one from a different generation of filmmaking.

As far as classics are concerned, I prefer Arsenic and Old Lace. I could watch that until the end of time.

PS: Needfullthings, I'd love for you to do a video showing your movie library. I understand why you might not want to do that, but I for one would be very interested in seeing it.
1/2 of the just T.V. section.
http://imageshack.com/a/img191/3568/t1tn.jpg
and small section of the movies. Part of A-F
http://imageshack.com/a/img823/3138/lm8b.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img210/9771/dscn6084s.jpg

Still Servant
02-05-2015, 04:40 PM
It's...it's beautiful.

I have over 250 DVD's and people keep telling me I have too many. My Godfather has over 1,000 DVD's and VHS movies. It's too bad he stores them in his basement in boxes. I wish he'd display them like yours. He said he's leaving them to me because he knows I'm the only person that appreciates his collection.

Thanks for the pics.

needfulthings
02-05-2015, 04:49 PM
http://imageshack.com/a/img15/105/k1yi.jpghttp://imageshack.com/a/img546/1456/1z2o.jpg

divemaster
02-05-2015, 05:24 PM
One of my favorite classics is Scaramouche. Comedy and swashbuckling!

mae
02-06-2015, 05:50 AM
So it looks like everyone's raring to go, so why don't we begin the nominating process. I'll post the main thread tomorrow.

fernandito
02-06-2015, 09:00 AM
My body is ready.

Heather19
02-06-2015, 11:28 AM
So for the nominating process are we going to leave it open for a set amount of time and second films to move on? That way everyone can get their nominees mentioned? I couldn't remember what was decided.

mae
02-06-2015, 11:50 AM
Yes, you can nominate as many films as you like, given five nominations in between, and second as many as you want. The first 200 seconded titles will comprise our tournament.

fernandito
02-06-2015, 12:01 PM
I like that. That's a good approach. Lotta work tho lol.

pathoftheturtle
02-06-2015, 04:10 PM
200? Wow. Broadly defined, comedy encompasses more than half of all movies.


What I *think* will happen is that dark comedies will get eliminated very, very quickly and the playoff rounds will be populated almost exclusively by light, "conventional" comedies.I'm surprised that you have such conventional expectations since I happen to know that you so much like Brazil, Stanley Kubrick, and such. I just hate to think that this contest presumes advantage for movies which make you feel life is not so bad when the ultimate joke is how the world we live in is run.

What do you folken think of this benchmark?
Gremlins: horror (with comedy)
Gremlins 2: comedy (with horror)

fernandito
02-06-2015, 04:45 PM
Well it's not that I necessarily want it to happen, it's just what I have a gut feeling will happen. If we study the trends of the recent tournaments, we're likely to see a heavy skew in favor of modern films reaching and flourishing in the knock out stages.

I'm going to do my part and watch as many comedy classics as I can before the start.

pathoftheturtle
02-06-2015, 05:47 PM
I'm going to do my part and watch as many comedy classics as I can before the start.That's cool; skew to novelty is not entirely what I was talking about, but I definitely think that an awareness of history is important. People don't know what they're missing, even on the level of straight hilarity, by skipping the classics.


... when I was a teen... the case could be made that I was too young to truly appreciate a film like (Bringing Up Baby) ...You know, there's an easy fix for that now. http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s12/POTT2007/smileys/wink.gif (http://s148.photobucket.com/user/POTT2007/media/smileys/wink.gif.html)

Here's a few of the movies about comedy in any time that I'd also like to recommend for considering its meaning:

Sullivan's Travels (1941)
Stardust Memories (1980)
My Favorite Year (1982)
Punchline (1988 )
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (2005)

Mattrick
02-07-2015, 06:05 PM
Some Like It Hot should definitely be a contender. That was a fantastic comedy. The Apartment is also excellent. Please Don't Eat The Daisies was also pretty entertaining.

Tommy
03-16-2015, 11:31 AM
I know we are knee-deep in the comedy tournament but for the next one, how about a best actor/actress or even best director tournament?

Mattrick
03-16-2015, 12:42 PM
We did best director already. I think we'd have to kind of do two separate tournies for actor/actress with the winner of both going head to head. I wouldn't mind giving screenwriter's a chance to shine, though it would be a smaller tournament I'm sure. We could probably do one for great score or composer, too.

Tommy
03-16-2015, 12:43 PM
Who won best director? was not around for that one

pathoftheturtle
03-16-2015, 01:10 PM
showthread.Alfred-Hitchcock-TDT.org-s-Greatest-Director-!&highlight=hitchcock (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?11411-Alfred-Hitchcock-TDT.org-s-The-Greatest-Director-!&highlight=hitchcock)

I like the idea of Worst Film of All Time next, really.

Tommy
03-16-2015, 01:20 PM
I wanted to suggest that too but I thought it might be a bit too contentious. I am an avid fan of mst3k and Rifftrax and have seen most of the worst movies ever, lol

Still Servant
03-16-2015, 01:31 PM
We did best director already. I think we'd have to kind of do two separate tournies for actor/actress with the winner of both going head to head. I wouldn't mind giving screenwriter's a chance to shine, though it would be a smaller tournament I'm sure. We could probably do one for great score or composer, too.

I wonder if those threads are still hanging around somewhere. I'd be interested in looking them over and I'm sure other might as well.

I have no problem sticking with the genre specific tournaments. You know me, I love my action and I'd love to see a tournament revolve around action films. I'm actually opposed to a Worst Film of All Time tournament. Think about it, one person nominates The Big Lebowski for the worst film, another person seconds that nomination. All of sudden you have The Big Lebowski considered one of the worst film of all time. That doesn't fly with me.

I just used Lebowski as an example, there are far better films that could fall victim to this. We'd have to tweak the parameters for a tournament of worst films to work. Possibly using websites and setting the bar at a certain rating or something. I don't know, but we'd have to do something.

There are two people on Earth that think Bringing Up Baby is the worst movie of all time, who knows, they could be on this website. If that's the case, I don't want to see what will happen to Pablo.

Tommy
03-16-2015, 01:38 PM
Those are some of the reasons why I felt it might be too contentious and also, not really sure how many people have seen the likes of Manos The Hands of Fate, The Room or Birdemic to really appreciate just how awful film can be. But if done properly, it could be a lot of fun

Heather19
03-16-2015, 01:42 PM
I'm all for a best worst movie of all time contest. I love those films. But I agree, I think we'd have to set some guidelines up, although I really don't know that we could all agree on some. I'm also fine with an actor/actress one, and really like the idea of a screenwriter one. Honestly I just love the contests and voting and the discussion it brings about, so I'm really up for whatever type of contest :lol:

Heather19
03-16-2015, 01:43 PM
Those are some of the reasons why I felt it might be too contentious and also, not really sure how many people have seen the likes of Manos The Hands of Fate, The Room or Birdemic to really appreciate just how awful film can be. But if done properly, it could be a lot of fun

Have you seen Shark Attack 3? And does it live up to the clips I've seen of it? I've been dying to see that one.

Still Servant
03-16-2015, 01:45 PM
I'm all for a best worst movie of all time contest. I love those films. But I agree, I think we'd have to set some guidelines up, although I really don't know that we could all agree on some. I'm also fine with an actor/actress one, and really like the idea of a screenwriter one. Honestly I just love the contests and voting and the discussion it brings about, so I'm really up for whatever type of contest :lol:

Best Key Grip of All Time Tournament?

Tommy
03-16-2015, 01:46 PM
Those are some of the reasons why I felt it might be too contentious and also, not really sure how many people have seen the likes of Manos The Hands of Fate, The Room or Birdemic to really appreciate just how awful film can be. But if done properly, it could be a lot of fun

Have you seen Shark Attack 3? And does it live up to the clips I've seen of it? I've been dying to see that one.

No I haven't but thank you for bringing it to my attention, it looks like a real POS!

Heather19
03-16-2015, 01:48 PM
I'm all for a best worst movie of all time contest. I love those films. But I agree, I think we'd have to set some guidelines up, although I really don't know that we could all agree on some. I'm also fine with an actor/actress one, and really like the idea of a screenwriter one. Honestly I just love the contests and voting and the discussion it brings about, so I'm really up for whatever type of contest :lol:

Best Key Grip of All Time Tournament?

That one I might have to sit out :lol:





Those are some of the reasons why I felt it might be too contentious and also, not really sure how many people have seen the likes of Manos The Hands of Fate, The Room or Birdemic to really appreciate just how awful film can be. But if done properly, it could be a lot of fun

Have you seen Shark Attack 3? And does it live up to the clips I've seen of it? I've been dying to see that one.

No I haven't but thank you for bringing it to my attention, it looks like a real POS!

Go to youtube and look up the clips, I die with laughter every time I watch them :lol:

Tommy
03-16-2015, 01:50 PM
the best films of various countries like a Best French Film or Best American Film could be fun. Also, was there ever a best animated film tournament? I'm not really a huge animated film fan but there are some out there I really love

Tommy
03-16-2015, 01:54 PM
I'm all for a best worst movie of all time contest. I love those films. But I agree, I think we'd have to set some guidelines up, although I really don't know that we could all agree on some. I'm also fine with an actor/actress one, and really like the idea of a screenwriter one. Honestly I just love the contests and voting and the discussion it brings about, so I'm really up for whatever type of contest :lol:

Best Key Grip of All Time Tournament?

That one I might have to sit out :lol:





Those are some of the reasons why I felt it might be too contentious and also, not really sure how many people have seen the likes of Manos The Hands of Fate, The Room or Birdemic to really appreciate just how awful film can be. But if done properly, it could be a lot of fun

Have you seen Shark Attack 3? And does it live up to the clips I've seen of it? I've been dying to see that one.

No I haven't but thank you for bringing it to my attention, it looks like a real POS!

Go to youtube and look up the clips, I die with laughter every time I watch them :lol:

Just watched a few, OMG WTF LMAO :emot-roflolmao:

Mattrick
03-16-2015, 02:48 PM
Do intentionally bad movies count haha I don't think anyone was trying to create a masterpiece with Shark Attack 3. This supreme stinker on the other hand..this is literally the WORST film I've ever seen:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UoKIMZ1_r8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qrm_-HiZJk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atR9Tssb4V8

Followed by this:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INIWPE7L6IY

And there is a special place in hell for this (and its predecessor)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlCADShkhjk

pathoftheturtle
03-16-2015, 02:51 PM
I'm actually opposed to a Worst Film of All Time tournament. Think about it, one person nominates The Big Lebowski for the worst film, another person seconds that nomination. All of sudden you have The Big Lebowski considered one of the worst film of all time. That doesn't fly with me.

I just used Lebowski as an example, there are far better films that could fall victim to this. We'd have to tweak the parameters for a tournament of worst films to work. Possibly using websites and setting the bar at a certain rating or something. I don't know, but we'd have to do something.

There are two people on Earth that think Bringing Up Baby is the worst movie of all time, who knows, they could be on this website. If that's the case, I don't want to see what will happen to Pablo.

http://media.giphy.com/media/HIMv7wbFV9kbu/giphy.gif

mae
03-16-2015, 06:28 PM
As I said before, I think I'm like most people in that I intentionally avoid bad movies. So a Worst tournament doesn't sound appealing. I'm hoping we continue with other genres. We've done horror, sci-fi and now comedy. Next we can go for action, animation (not a genre,but...), drama, thriller, mystery/suspense, war, etc. after 8 or so of these we can pit them together to pick the best genre film.

T-Dogz_AK47
03-16-2015, 09:59 PM
As I said before, I think I'm like most people in that I intentionally avoid bad movies. So a Worst tournament doesn't sound appealing. I'm hoping we continue with other genres. We've done horror, sci-fi and now comedy. Next we can go for action, animation (not a genre,but...), drama, thriller, mystery/suspense, war, etc. after 8 or so of these we can pit them together to pick the best genre film.

How do you know it's a bad movie until you have watched it? Obviously, deliberate B movies such as Shark Attack 3 are easy to spot, but you must have watched some of the following:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Batman and Robin
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Jurassic Park 2

These are the absolute true stinkers of Hollywood. Films that were supposed to be massive blockbusters but turned out to be utter shit.

Extra "shite" points can be awarded for films that effectively killed off a franchise (Batman and Robin), raped childhood memories (Indiana Jones & Crystal Skull), had characters so annoying that you wanted to gouge your own eyes out (Star Wars I Phantom Menace), were full of plot holes and continuity errors that the film became a mockery of itself (Jurassic Park 2), and where the film's production budget was over $150 million (all of the above).

I would also consider awarding special "bonus" points to films that were made by Academy Award winning Directors that are capable of so much more (Schindler's List, Jaws, Saving Private Ryan); but decided to either sell themselves out, or simply couldn't be arsed to do a proper job and effectively directed the film via fax (Indiana Jones & Crystal Skull / Jurassic Park 2).

mae
03-16-2015, 10:21 PM
I usually read reviews or watch trailers and do other research before watching a movie so if it's a known bad film I'll usually skip it. That said I've obviously seen some crap movies in my time, but I can't count amongst those the four of your examples. I've seen them all didn't mind them and actually enjoyed JP2 a lot. They may have betrayed expectations but they weren't bad in a sense of Worst Film of All Time, I think. Far from it. Where then does Scary Movie 27 rank?

T-Dogz_AK47
03-16-2015, 10:27 PM
I'm all for a best worst movie of all time contest. I love those films. But I agree, I think we'd have to set some guidelines up, although I really don't know that we could all agree on some. I'm also fine with an actor/actress one, and really like the idea of a screenwriter one. Honestly I just love the contests and voting and the discussion it brings about, so I'm really up for whatever type of contest :lol:

In order to avoid films being chosen that clearly shouldn't be, we could introduce a rule where films cannot be nominated for inclusion in The Best Worst Movie Tournament, if they fall under either of the following two clauses:

1. The movie has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Or

2. The movie won an Academy Award in any category.

Therefore, films such as Bringing Up Baby would be safe from nomination.

pathoftheturtle
03-17-2015, 03:37 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6EdLEQZBPc

cinemablend.com-5-Times-Academy-Admits-They-Got-It-Wrong (http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Oscars-Do-Over-5-Times-Academy-Admits-They-Got-It-Wrong-69871.html)

You just sound square, pablo. To state that it would not be informative if done right because it doesn't follow a normal pattern of information is just false. If there's a good reason to pass on it, it's that we can't really get things together well enough. It should be possible to block a nomination more systematically than hoping that it doesn't get a single random second without resorting to an arbitrary authority. It probably would not be fun for everybody, anyway, however. It's a roast. Some people don't care for that type of thing. I can certainly understand how it might hurt to hear something I care about put down by people whose opinions I respect. But that's already why I hang around you guys instead.

Mattrick
03-17-2015, 04:02 AM
That video path, I knew Titanic would be number one. Don't get the hate for the movie. It's so well made and it has a cast filled with character actors I love. A wicked score. Great effects both physical and computer. That's a movie that really doesn't deserve the hate it gets lol.

mae
03-17-2015, 04:08 AM
I guess I am square if it means not looking forward to watching bad movies. There are still literally thousands of great movies I still have to see. Why waste time on known crap?

Mattrick
03-17-2015, 04:09 AM
I can only watch bad movies if I'm drinking...this tournament will give me liver disease.

pathoftheturtle
03-17-2015, 04:48 AM
looking forward to watching bad movies.That's not the point. You're looking at it the same way that you've been looking at earlier contests, but it's a different idea.


The Best Worst Movie TournamentThis makes me wonder if you really get it, either. It sounded as though you do, but I don't know what "Best Worst" means. Oxymorons are by their nature undefined.


I usually read reviews or watch trailers and do other research before watching a movie so if it's a known bad film I'll usually skip it.So you're depending on people who have wasted their own time on your behalf.
But you don't want to give back.
It's square (conformist) to subordinate your own taste to professional consensus. If you're informed already as to what makes some movies bad and how a person can tell, you should be able to communicate something of those criteria.
I happen to know by now that many of the films I particularly love are popularly despised, and vice versa. If I'm going to learn something new, it might be only what exactly is wrong with people.

mae
03-17-2015, 05:17 AM
I don't just simply look at IMDB and ignore anything that's rated less than an 8. Like you and others here I've been watching movies all my life (otherwise we wouldn't be posting here so much) and have kinda acquired a way to tell whether a movie will be good or bad in advance. Sometimes it's reviews, but I've enjoyed many a film where most reviewers did not. Trailers often can be amazing but the final product will be less than that. Plus sometimes it's enough to just look at the poster. It's always different but again, I try not waste time watching a bad movie when I could be watching a good one. That's harder with a new release but for older titles usually the consensus could be trusted.

Merlin1958
03-17-2015, 05:39 PM
Personally, out of respect IMHO I think you should wait for any new tournaments until the HF is over in mid May. Nevertheless, Maybe you should have polls to vote in the nominations and restrict the nominations to 25-50 films. IMHO the current process doesn't seem to work as we all would like. If, you're going to monopolize the boards, at least do it the right way. That's JMHO though and maybe some food for thought. In the past, there has been a rush to judgement on nominations. Maybe if you slowed it down, voted on multiple possible entries you'd get more films that more people are vested in and therefore a more accurate result.

Also, here's a crazy idea, what about a tournament for "Stephen King film adaptions"???

Mattrick
03-17-2015, 07:53 PM
Also, here's a crazy idea, what about a tournament for "Stephen King film adaptions"???

Shawshank wins.

Tommy
03-17-2015, 08:39 PM
Also, here's a crazy idea, what about a tournament for "Stephen King film adaptions"???

Shawshank wins.

Or The Shining

mae
03-17-2015, 08:45 PM
This tournament will probably take us into May anyway so no worries. And any new tournament wouldn't be held right away. As far as tweaking the nominating process, I'm all for that, but I think it worked pretty well this time around, no?

Tommy
03-17-2015, 08:53 PM
This tournament will probably take us into May anyway so no worries. And any new tournament wouldn't be held right away. As far as tweaking the nominating process, I'm all for that, but I think it worked pretty well this time around, no?

I liked the process but it got a bit confusing at the end. How would everyone feel about getting one veto for a nomination? Like the nominations the veto would have to be seconded, you only get one veto but you can second as many other people's vetoes as you like. Just a thought that might save a bit of frustration once the voting process begins.

pathoftheturtle
03-17-2015, 11:12 PM
The hardest part of deciding between a contest of SK adaptations and a search for worst movie of all time would be keeping track of which is which.

T-Dogz_AK47
03-17-2015, 11:27 PM
The hardest part of deciding between a contest of SK adaptations and a search for worst movie of all time would be keeping track of which is which.

Yeah, because The Shining, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Mist, Misery, Carrie, Stand By Me, Stephen King's IT and The Dead Zone were all fucking shit, weren't they? :rolleyes: :doh:

pathoftheturtle
03-18-2015, 03:33 AM
The hardest part of deciding between a contest of SK adaptations and a search for worst movie of all time would be keeping track of which is which.

Yeah, because The Shining, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Mist, Misery, Carrie, Stand By Me, Stephen King's IT and The Dead Zone were all fucking shit, weren't they? :rolleyes: :doh:
:o No he di--

Wait, what is this?
You tryin' set me up?
:unsure:

Listen... dude! Before you take a shot like that, ask yourself, "Is this a battle I can ultimately win by any chance on this side?" Half of what you just fired off were misses, actually, (especially if we count both Carries and both The Shinings) and now you're out of ammo, flat-foot, with me armed - obviously! - like a monkey in Coconut Valley. So easy to prove I had a point that there's not even any sport in it.
In fact, I can just whisper one word; let this sink in and then we'll see how big your case still is...
Thinner.

Heather19
03-18-2015, 05:01 AM
If I'm remembering correctly, Shawshank won our best movie of all time tournament a few years ago. Also how can you say the original Shining and Carrie are misses? I do think though that while he's had a decent amount of good films made from his works, he's also had quite a number of bad ones.

pathoftheturtle
03-18-2015, 05:51 AM
how can you say the original Shining and Carrie are misses?Who says I didn't mean the remakes?


I do think though that while he's had a decent amount of good films made from his works, he's also had quite a number of bad ones.And I'd agree that while he's had a number of quite bad films made from his works, he's also had an eventually decent amount of good ones. I guess the humor I intended was, as usual, too subtle. <_< Mea culpa.

Mattrick
03-18-2015, 08:27 AM
And IT is awful. The Stand mini series was better lol.

Tommy
03-18-2015, 08:34 AM
And IT is awful. The Stand mini series was better lol.

I though IT was just amazing...when I was a kid (and before I read the book). re-watched in a while back and the adult actors are what kills it for me now, except Tim Curry of course. The grown-ups really camp it up, overact and are just plain bad while the child actors actually come across as genuine to me. Sorry, got off topic.

fernandito
03-18-2015, 08:38 AM
I think the nomination process we used for this was fine.

mae
03-18-2015, 08:47 AM
This is way way too early, but I'm really looking forward to doing a suspense/mystery tournament and a thriller tournament. Because these two genres often overlap, it will be a pretty fascinating and contentious (hopefully in a good way) process that could be real fun. But to make things easy maybe the next one should be action.

fernandito
03-18-2015, 08:59 AM
Idk... grouping those two separately will be splitting hairs. Shit, we had a hard enough time separating Horror and Sci-Fi, it might be next to impossible to extract these two.

mae
03-18-2015, 09:00 AM
Well, that's the fun part! For me, suspense is more cerebral, less actiony. Like Rear Window, probably the best suspense/mystery film. On the other hand, movies like Fight Club or Gone Girl are thrillers, in my view. So the discussions will be meaningful.

Mattrick
03-18-2015, 09:13 AM
Thriller/Suspense are the same genre.