The Great Movie Tournament - 1980s: Round 2 - Group 4 of 32

During the second round of The Great Movie Tournament, please vote for up to four films you would like to move onto the next round. The top four films will be moving on. Keep in mind that the percentage of the vote a given film receives will determine its standing going forward.

The poll will run for seven days. Discussion is greatly encouraged!

The nominees are (please let me know if any video doesn't play for you):

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...x-Die_hard.jpg
Die Hard (1988)
Directed by John McTiernan

Watch Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FbHXFLVW8Q

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ger_rabbit.jpg
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Watch Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpDaNqSXxp0

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...plash_ver2.jpg
Splash (1984)
Directed by Ron Howard

Watch Trailer

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

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...k_the_kids.jpg
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
Directed by Joe Johnston

Watch Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_av5kqcMVm4

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...tansposter.jpg
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Directed by Desmond Davis

Watch Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXODNWi1krs

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._Poster%29.png
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker

Watch Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZvM-dpchJs

Die Hard
Clash Of The Titans

How the hell did Roger Rabbit have more votes than Die Hard?

The better question is why does The Little Mermaid only have five votes?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RUBE

How the hell did Roger Rabbit have more votes than Die Hard?

---

Roger Rabbit is a great movie. It combined live action with animation. It wasn't the first to do it, but it definitely had an impact on films to come.

I'm sad there isnt more love for Clash of the Titans. Its a classic must-watch film for fantasy fans.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ladysai

I'm sad there isnt more love for Clash of the Titans. Its a classic must-watch film for fantasy fans.

---

It's a favorite and I voted for it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mae

The better question is why does The Little Mermaid only have five votes?

---

I still don't understand that. The Little Mermaid has pound for pound the best Disney songs of any of their animated films. Under the Sea, Kiss the Girl, Poor Unfortunate Souls, and one of the greatest songs of all-time, Part of your World.

The Little Mermaid isn't very good, songs or not. The final battle is pretty great. It sends some pretty messed up messages to little girls who should be beautiful, find a rich, powerful man; it's better for women to be seen than heard; `being who you are isn't good enough and you'll never be happy unless you can magically transform yourself; and, most importantly, that your selfishness will be eternally rewarded if you're an attractive, rich princess despite the fact your selfish actions got all your people enslaved. That's classic Disney morals right there! The original story is much better than this whitewashed bullcrap Disney version.

Anderson wrote the original story as a love letter to another man that had no interest in him. Not really adding to the conversation just thought it an interesting tidbit.
Another tidbit everyone probably already knows but Ariel's design/face were based off of Alyssa Milano.
The songs from TLM were a big inspiration for Lin-Manuel Miranda. We might never have gotten Hamilton without TLM.

Absolutely agreed, the messaging in The Little Mermaid is not great, granted you don't have to watch it with that mindset. Still, I appreciate it for the great animation and timeless character designs and amazing score and songs. And just as a childhood favorite. Disney is working on a live-action remake, so it will be curious to see how they adjust the message in their version of the story now.

I'd like for them to change the messaging, but they won't. It'll be a shot for shot remake like Beauty and the Beast. They know better than to change what their rabid female audience loves.

I've never liked The Little Mermaid. It had some nice animation site, but it never did it for me. Between its bad messaging, butchering a public domain story, and that it saved Disney Studios from going under, opening way for the beast Disney is now, the negatives far outweigh the positives.

I do get why people love it, especially people who were young girls when it came out. I just can't forgive the darkness this cheery, bright film brought out, ushering in the cultural domination of creative bankruptcy we live in today.

God you are so dramatic :lol:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by fernandito

God you are so dramatic :lol:

---

Maybe, but my disdain for Disney runs deep. They built up their empire by stealing old stories and the myths of other cultures, and now they are able to just buy contemporary properties like Marvel and Star Wars and re-purpose them. If it wasn't for Pixar, there would be hardly anything original or thought-provoking coming out of Disney. I value originality above all else and Disney is the enemy of originality.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mattrick

The Little Mermaid isn't very good, songs or not. The final battle is pretty great. It sends some pretty messed up messages to little girls who should be beautiful, find a rich, powerful man; it's better for women to be seen than heard; `being who you are isn't good enough and you'll never be happy unless you can magically transform yourself; and, most importantly, that your selfishness will be eternally rewarded if you're an attractive, rich princess despite the fact your selfish actions got all your people enslaved. That's classic Disney morals right there! The original story is much better than this whitewashed bullcrap Disney version.

---

I don't give a shit about all that.

It was a different time. Are we going to judge every film from the 40s and 50s for their antiquated view of female gender roles and all that shit?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Still Servant

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mattrick

The Little Mermaid isn't very good, songs or not. The final battle is pretty great. It sends some pretty messed up messages to little girls who should be beautiful, find a rich, powerful man; it's better for women to be seen than heard; `being who you are isn't good enough and you'll never be happy unless you can magically transform yourself; and, most importantly, that your selfishness will be eternally rewarded if you're an attractive, rich princess despite the fact your selfish actions got all your people enslaved. That's classic Disney morals right there! The original story is much better than this whitewashed bullcrap Disney version.

---

I don't give a shit about all that.

It was a different time. Are we going to judge every film from the 40s and 50s for their antiquated view of female gender roles and all that shit?

---

You do have a good point there, I recently watched a video where a lawyer examined a few scenes from popular/classic films and it is rather eye-opening.

For example, the Moon Room scene from Revenge of the Nerds where the guy puts on a Darth Vader mask and has sex with the other guy's girlfriend is legally considered rape by way of misrepresentation because she thinks she's having sex with her BF.

It has to be an onward and upward thing as we go along because there are several things in some of these films that offend me but what can you do? If we start banning films, someone will always find something objectionable about one that they don't like and out it goes.

The best we can do is learn and grow (and of course, critique).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Still Servant

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mattrick

The Little Mermaid isn't very good, songs or not. The final battle is pretty great. It sends some pretty messed up messages to little girls who should be beautiful, find a rich, powerful man; it's better for women to be seen than heard; `being who you are isn't good enough and you'll never be happy unless you can magically transform yourself; and, most importantly, that your selfishness will be eternally rewarded if you're an attractive, rich princess despite the fact your selfish actions got all your people enslaved. That's classic Disney morals right there! The original story is much better than this whitewashed bullcrap Disney version.

---

I don't give a shit about all that.

It was a different time. Are we going to judge every film from the 40s and 50s for their antiquated view of female gender roles and all that shit?

---

I'm sure you'll find a litany of think pieces about how all those films are racist and sexist online.



My point isn't so much the view of gender roles, the problem is Disney's aura of their films being moralistic. I just think the messages the narrative gives unintentionally are pretty horrible when you step back and look at it, and not even in terms of hindsight. The problems I have with Little Mermaid aren't based on portrayal of any gender, but in the content of the actual narrative itself. Everything I pointed out were actual plot points.

Examining fiction - especially comedy fiction - as if it had all the logical consequences and ramifications of fact is a guaranteed way to miss the point.

In other words: if a mask in Revenge Of The Nerds = rape, we're thinking too hard.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Still Servant

Are we going to judge every film from the 40s and 50s for their antiquated view of female gender roles and all that shit?

---

"Antiquated" is an interesting word, because of course, things from the 40s and 50s weren't antiques when they came into existence (movies reflected the world that actually existed, not the one yet to come).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by St. Troy

Examining fiction - especially comedy fiction - as if it had all the logical consequences and ramifications of fact is a guaranteed way to miss the point.

In other words: if a mask in Revenge Of The Nerds = rape, we're thinking too hard.

---

Rape by Deception - Rape by deception is a situation in which the perpetrator obtains the victim's agreement to engage in sexual intercourse or other sex acts, but gains it by deception or false statements or actions

Sometimes, thinking can be a good thing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tommy

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by St. Troy

Examining fiction - especially comedy fiction - as if it had all the logical consequences and ramifications of fact is a guaranteed way to miss the point.

In other words: if a mask in Revenge Of The Nerds = rape, we're thinking too hard.

---

Rape by Deception - Rape by deception is a situation in which the perpetrator obtains the victim's agreement to engage in sexual intercourse or other sex acts, but gains it by deception or false statements or actions

Sometimes, thinking can be a good thing.

---

Sometimes, but not this thinking with this movie (knowing the difference requires thought as well, but today people are quick to apply the offense filter to everything without bothering to consider whether they should).

I'm not saying RBD isn't an actual thing, just that it has no relevance when viewing the likes of Revenge Of The Nerds.

People who can laugh at cartoon characters beating the living fuck out of each other while well aware that such action doesn't fly in the real world probably get this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by St. Troy

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Still Servant

Are we going to judge every film from the 40s and 50s for their antiquated view of female gender roles and all that shit?

---

"Antiquated" is an interesting word, because of course, things from the 40s and 50s weren't antiques when they came into existence (movies reflected the world that actually existed, not the one yet to come).

---

Exactly. They were a reflection of the times, but as things progressed, times changed, making things from the 40s and 50s outdated and old fashioned. It's not a bad thing, it's just what happens. 40 years from now, things we are doing right now will seem antiquated to people as well.

Happenstance I came across this on Facebook today


https://scontent.fybz2-1.fna.fbcdn.n...a4&oe=5EBCAE7C

Ok, now I want to finally watch the movie! LOL

The poll has closed. The following four titles are moving on to the next round:

1. Die Hard (89.66%)
2. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (72.41%)
3. Splash (44.83%)
4. Clash of the Titans (41.38%)

And the following two titles have been eliminated:

1. The Little Mermaid (34.48%)
2. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (24.14%)