Best Sci Fi nominations + General updates throughout the tournament

[DoctorDodge]

No need for a tournament, Withnail & I is the best comedy by a long mile, and one of the best films ever made. But sure, tournaments are fun.

Sorry, just saw a spelling mistake that needed correcting.

[pathoftheturtle]

I also disagree with defining comedy by whether you can laugh "all the way through."

But, to be extra clear, I don't think it's a good idea anyway. Sounds like a perfect recipe for a contest of complete randomness.

[DoctorDodge]

Comedy is, in my experience, definitely a lot more subjective than a lot of other 'genres'. Denis O'Brien, producer and co-creator of Handmade Films, didn't find Withnail & I funny in the slightest. Which, considering his production company was pretty much financing the whole thing, became a bit of an issue, at times, particularly when he tried to shut down the production at one point.

[Mattrick]

You know what I mean path, a movie consistently funny. Not funny here or there with comic relief. There are obvious comedies that only work on that level like Dumb and Dumber or Grandmas Boy and films that are funny but also work on other levels, like American Beauty and Lost In Translation I.e. Dramedies. Most superhero films have humour but aren't really comedies if that makes sense.

[Still Servant]

The rule was that if it was seconded, it stayed. And it was.

Let's move on now. I'm compiling the list as we speak.

So if somebody had of seconded Schindlers List it would have stayed?

Speaking of Schindlers List, I kind of feel like the end of that film right about now. We're starting the tourney already? But I have so many more nominations I could have saved. This laptop, I could have gotten at least 3 nominations for this laptop.

[Merlin1958]

The rule was that if it was seconded, it stayed. And it was.

Let's move on now. I'm compiling the list as we speak.

So if somebody had of seconded Schindlers List it would have stayed?

Speaking of Schindlers List, I kind of feel like the end of that film right about now. We're starting the tourney already? But I have so many more nominations I could have saved. This laptop, I could have gotten at least 3 nominations for this laptop.

http://youtu.be/vOoWpTxKJGA

That's not funny, dude.

[Still Servant]

Are you being serious?

I'm just equating the ending scene of Schindler's List to the tournament and our desire to stuff it with as many great films (or in your case, horrible films, Armageddon not included because I love that one too). I'm not trying to diminish the serious subject matter that Schindler's List dealt with by comparing it to our silly tournament. I just like expressing myself through film and that's how I felt. I didn't mean to offend anybody.

Some of you guys seriously have to lighten up.

[Merlin1958]

Are you being serious?

I'm just equating the ending scene of Schindler's List to the tournament and our desire to stuff it with as many great films (or in your case, horrible films, Armageddon not included because I love that one too). I'm not trying to diminish the serious subject matter that Schindler's List dealt with by comparing it to our silly tournament. I just like expressing myself through film and that's how I felt. I didn't mean to offend anybody.

Some of you guys seriously have to lighten up.

With all due respect, I don't view the Holocaust as a venue for "Lightening up". To you younger folks it may seem like ancient history, but there are still some out there that were affected by it. I am of German descent. My Grandmother fled Germany in 1936 to escape the Nazi's and left her father, the Burgermiester of Heilbron and a brother, who joined the SS. My "Uncle's" fought for both sides, brother against brother. My namesake, 'Willie" for the U.S. and my surname "Herman" for the German's. My great grandmother, survived the bombings in Rottenburg, by hiding in the root cellar, which I later came to visit as well as Dachau. Ever been there? If you had you would not be so casual. Even a generation or 2 removed, I feel a sense of guilt for the most horrible tragedy in modern civilization. I don't mean to "call you out", you do not have a frame of reference, but the Holocaust is not something to treat lightly. Have some respect for the dead.

If you have some snippy reply in mind save it. I am not interested. Some things are best left unsaid.


Edit: BTW, you are a cool guy and I generally enjoy your thoughts and posts, but every once in awhile a subject touched on comes into question. I have learned over the years to try to temper my posts. I ain't quite all the way there yet, but I am trying. After all, it is the World Wide Web and you just never know who is listening, right?

[pathoftheturtle]

You know what I mean path, a movie consistently funny. Not funny here or there with comic relief. There are obvious comedies that only work on that level like Dumb and Dumber or Grandmas Boy and films that are funny but also work on other levels, like American Beauty and Lost In Translation I.e. Dramedies. Most superhero films have humour but aren't really comedies if that makes sense.

For real, I'm just getting more confused. Are you saying that if we had a Best Comedy tourney then dramadies SHOULD be allowed or that they should NOT be allowed?

One option would be to do a "Funniest Comedy" one instead of best. Funniness is of course still subjective, (and what would be the point of voting on something that's not in any way subjective?) but narrowing the variables would save arguments on whether black comedy is better than slapstick, at least. Do you see where I am coming from?

[Still Servant]

Are you being serious?

I'm just equating the ending scene of Schindler's List to the tournament and our desire to stuff it with as many great films (or in your case, horrible films, Armageddon not included because I love that one too). I'm not trying to diminish the serious subject matter that Schindler's List dealt with by comparing it to our silly tournament. I just like expressing myself through film and that's how I felt. I didn't mean to offend anybody.

Some of you guys seriously have to lighten up.

With all due respect, I don't view the Holocaust as a venue for "Lightening up". To you younger folks it may seem like ancient history, but there are still some out there that were affected by it. I am of German descent. My Grandmother fled Germany in 1936 to escape the Nazi's and left her father, the Burgermiester of Heilbron and a brother, who joined the SS. My "Uncle's" fought for both sides, brother against brother. My namesake, 'Willie" for the U.S. and my surname "Herman" for the German's. My great grandmother, survived the bombings in Rottenburg, by hiding in the root cellar, which I later came to visit as well as Dachau. Ever been there? If you had you would not be so casual. Even a generation or 2 removed, I feel a sense of guilt for the most horrible tragedy in modern civilization. I don't mean to "call you out", you do not have a frame of reference, but the Holocaust is not something to treat lightly. Have some respect for the dead.

If you have some snippy reply in mind save it. I am not interested. Some things are best left unsaid.

You presume to know my history, yet you know nothing about me except that I like movies and the Yankees.

The fact that I used a scene from a movie about the holocaust doesn't mean I don't respect the dead or that I don't have my own personal connection to the tragedies of the Holocaust.

For you to assume that is more unforgivable than me posting the link in the first place.

[Merlin1958]

Are you being serious?

I'm just equating the ending scene of Schindler's List to the tournament and our desire to stuff it with as many great films (or in your case, horrible films, Armageddon not included because I love that one too). I'm not trying to diminish the serious subject matter that Schindler's List dealt with by comparing it to our silly tournament. I just like expressing myself through film and that's how I felt. I didn't mean to offend anybody.

Some of you guys seriously have to lighten up.

With all due respect, I don't view the Holocaust as a venue for "Lightening up". To you younger folks it may seem like ancient history, but there are still some out there that were affected by it. I am of German descent. My Grandmother fled Germany in 1936 to escape the Nazi's and left her father, the Burgermiester of Heilbron and a brother, who joined the SS. My "Uncle's" fought for both sides, brother against brother. My namesake, 'Willie" for the U.S. and my surname "Herman" for the German's. My great grandmother, survived the bombings in Rottenburg, by hiding in the root cellar, which I later came to visit as well as Dachau. Ever been there? If you had you would not be so casual. Even a generation or 2 removed, I feel a sense of guilt for the most horrible tragedy in modern civilization. I don't mean to "call you out", you do not have a frame of reference, but the Holocaust is not something to treat lightly. Have some respect for the dead.

If you have some snippy reply in mind save it. I am not interested. Some things are best left unsaid.

You presume to know my history, yet you know nothing about me except that I like movies and the Yankees.

The fact that I used a scene from a movie about the holocaust doesn't mean I don't respect the dead or that I don't have my own personal connection to the tragedies of the Holocaust.

For you to assume that is more unforgivable than me posting the link in the first place.

You're right, I know nothing about you and you the same concerning myself, which is exactly my point. You just never know who or what is on the other side of a post and the "Holocaust" is not something to put in play lightly. Be well. I wish you no ill will. Just be a little more careful is all I suggest.

I'll withdraw from the conversation now so as to avoid any further "Off Topic" discussion or confrontation. That is not my intent. Carry on, folks.

[Mattrick]

You know what I mean path, a movie consistently funny. Not funny here or there with comic relief. There are obvious comedies that only work on that level like Dumb and Dumber or Grandmas Boy and films that are funny but also work on other levels, like American Beauty and Lost In Translation I.e. Dramedies. Most superhero films have humour but aren't really comedies if that makes sense.

For real, I'm just getting more confused. Are you saying that if we had a Best Comedy tourney then dramadies SHOULD be allowed or that they should NOT be allowed? One option would be to do a "Funniest Comedy" one instead of best. Funniness is of course still subjective, (and what would be the point of voting on something that's not in any way subjective?) but narrowing the variables would save arguments on whether black comedy is better than slapstick, at least. Do you see where I am coming from?

Dramedies are definitely included, all genres are since all genres can be funny. My point was if we're judging a movie as a comedy we're judging a film by how much and hard it makes you laugh regardless of the genre. A movie that works just as well or better as a drama might still be hilarious and worthy of consideration. I just want it to be broad so we're not just thinking of like Apatow/Sandler/Monty Python/Stiller/Allen but also thinking of films like Kubrick's Doctor Strangelove. The tournament shouldn't be about comparing one comedy to another, I agree. That would be like comparing different types of sci-fi against one another. In the end I'll always vote for the genre film with the complete package in this case, the well-written, clever comedy with strong characters and good acting. The variables would be less of an issue than with sci-fi/horror imo. But like I said, I think seconding not just one to cement a nom, but seconding as much as possible, will weed out any films we as a group don't feel are deserving. I'm just afraid it will be littered with a lot of average comedies...like most Adam Sandler films, getting in when movies that are just as funny/funnier that aren't a straight up comedy don't get a thought, that's all. There are many ways films can be funny, want people to be open minded with their selections kind of thing.

[Still Servant]

Are you being serious?

I'm just equating the ending scene of Schindler's List to the tournament and our desire to stuff it with as many great films (or in your case, horrible films, Armageddon not included because I love that one too). I'm not trying to diminish the serious subject matter that Schindler's List dealt with by comparing it to our silly tournament. I just like expressing myself through film and that's how I felt. I didn't mean to offend anybody.

Some of you guys seriously have to lighten up.

With all due respect, I don't view the Holocaust as a venue for "Lightening up". To you younger folks it may seem like ancient history, but there are still some out there that were affected by it. I am of German descent. My Grandmother fled Germany in 1936 to escape the Nazi's and left her father, the Burgermiester of Heilbron and a brother, who joined the SS. My "Uncle's" fought for both sides, brother against brother. My namesake, 'Willie" for the U.S. and my surname "Herman" for the German's. My great grandmother, survived the bombings in Rottenburg, by hiding in the root cellar, which I later came to visit as well as Dachau. Ever been there? If you had you would not be so casual. Even a generation or 2 removed, I feel a sense of guilt for the most horrible tragedy in modern civilization. I don't mean to "call you out", you do not have a frame of reference, but the Holocaust is not something to treat lightly. Have some respect for the dead.

If you have some snippy reply in mind save it. I am not interested. Some things are best left unsaid.

You presume to know my history, yet you know nothing about me except that I like movies and the Yankees.

The fact that I used a scene from a movie about the holocaust doesn't mean I don't respect the dead or that I don't have my own personal connection to the tragedies of the Holocaust.

For you to assume that is more unforgivable than me posting the link in the first place.

You're right, I know nothing about you and you the same concerning myself, which is exactly my point. You just never know who or what is on the other side of a post and the "Holocaust" is not something to put in play lightly. Be well. I wish you no ill will. Just be a little more careful is all I suggest.

I'll withdraw from the conversation now so as to avoid any further "Off Topic" discussion or confrontation. That is not my intent. Carry on, folks.

I'm perfectly aware of all that and if I felt like I was going to offend anybody, I wouldn't have posted it. It was pretty innocent, to be honest.

My problem with your reply is that you're treating me like I was making fun of the Holocaust, its victims or its survivors. I was simply referencing a scene from the film. I just feel like your reply was a little unfair. It didn't match my initial intent for posting it. I feel like my integrity was being called into question and that bums me out more than anything. Anybody who knows me (on here or in real life) knows that I strive to be respectful in all situations. I'm pretty sure you can understand why being scolded like some punk teenager (I'm not a teen by the way) would rub me the wrong way. That's essentially what it felt like to me.

I too will move on from this conversation.

[fernandito]

Bill, I've known Mike for a very long time, and I believe me when I say he would never, ever make fun of something tragic like that. He was just drawing a funny parallel to Schlinder's reaction in that scene.

Thanks for resolving this like gents, gents.

[pathoftheturtle]

You know what I mean path, a movie consistently funny. Not funny here or there with comic relief. There are obvious comedies that only work on that level like Dumb and Dumber or Grandmas Boy and films that are funny but also work on other levels, like American Beauty and Lost In Translation I.e. Dramedies. Most superhero films have humour but aren't really comedies if that makes sense.

For real, I'm just getting more confused. Are you saying that if we had a Best Comedy tourney then dramadies SHOULD be allowed or that they should NOT be allowed?

One option would be to do a "Funniest Comedy" one instead of best. Funniness is of course still subjective, (and what would be the point of voting on something that's not in any way subjective?) but narrowing the variables would save arguments on whether black comedy is better than slapstick, at least. Do you see where I am coming from?

Dramedies are definitely included, all genres are since all genres can be funny. My point was if we're judging a movie as a comedy we're judging a film by how much and hard it makes you laugh regardless of the genre. A movie that works just as well or better as a drama might still be hilarious and worthy of consideration. I just want it to be broad so we're not just thinking of like Apatow/Sandler/Monty Python/Stiller/Allen but also thinking of films like Kubrick's Doctor Strangelove. The tournament shouldn't be about comparing one comedy to another, I agree. That would be like comparing different types of sci-fi against one another. In the end I'll always vote for the genre film with the complete package in this case, the well-written, clever comedy with strong characters and good acting. The variables would be less of an issue than with sci-fi/horror imo. But like I said, I think seconding not just one to cement a nom, but seconding as much as possible, will weed out any films we as a group don't feel are deserving. I'm just afraid it will be littered with a lot of average comedies...like most Adam Sandler films, getting in when movies that are just as funny/funnier that aren't a straight up comedy don't get a thought, that's all. There are many ways films can be funny, want people to be open minded with their selections kind of thing.

Okay, well, that's interesting. I respect these concerns and your intentions, even if I'm still not sure what approach is most likely to succeed.

Really, though, this discussion is also not quite on-topic. Maybe we should just table it altogether until the present tourney is closer to its end.

[Merlin1958]

Bill, I've known Mike for a very long time, and I believe me when I say he would never, ever make fun of something tragic like that. He was just drawing a funny parallel to Schlinder's reaction in that scene.

Thanks for resolving this like gents, gents.

Schindlers' reaction was in Jewish lives saved. You're cool with that?

[Still Servant]

Let's just let it go. (I was thinking about linking the song from Frozen but I'm not even going to deal with that).

It's my fault for even posting that link. I didn't think it would lead to this. My whole life I reference scenes and quotes from movies. It's just something I do all the time in real life. When I came here at the end of a long day, I was hoping to add a few more nominations. Then I noticed the tournament had started. I instantly thought about the scene from Schindler's List and tried to express that by linking the video.

I in no way meant to diminish the Holocaust in any way.

I just don't want any more chippyness in this thread, especially because of something I did. As innocent as it was.

[mae]

For comedy nominations, the criteria should be the film's primary intent is to make you laugh. And that can include dramedies, satires, and so on. We don't need to second every nomination, but a nomination can be contested and it then needs more seconding than contesting to stay. I think that would be most fair.

[pathoftheturtle]

"More seconding than contesting" in any context sounds more fair than any nom is in if it gets one second, which is virtually the same in an open forum as it is in as soon as it's mentioned.

As for satire, I'm not so sure that making people laugh really is its primary purpose. But, again, this may not be the best time and place to get much into all that.

[Jon]

For comedy nominations, the criteria should be the film's primary intent is to make you laugh. And that can include dramedies, satires, and so on. We don't need to second every nomination, but a nomination can be contested and it then needs more seconding than contesting to stay. I think that would be most fair.

Then I contest every freakin..nomination...from...this...point..on...!! !!!



I am just kidding pablo and folken!

[mae]

Lots of my potential nominations would be from the 1930s and '40s, the golden age of film comedy. There are always great and classic films in any decade, but there were just so many excellent comedies back then.

[fernandito]

Regarding the polls:

Just wanted to point that even though you can vote for a maximum of 6 films in the polls, it doesn't necessarily mean you HAVE to vote for 6. We encourage you to vote only on those you strongly feel deserve to move on to the next round.

Thank you!

[fernandito]

Also, I should have another pair of polls open within the next half hour or so

[Still Servant]

Just got back from seeing Snowpiercer. I know it's going to be very hard for most people to see it, but I urge everybody who loves Sci-fi to watch this film when they get the chance.

I got lucky enough to have a theater near me showing the film and I couldn't be happier. Such a unique film with tons of atmosphere. It saddens me that more people won't get the chance to see this in theaters yet Transformers is in 3 theaters.

[mae]

I wanted to nominate it, but almost no one has seen it yet. Same with Under the Skin.