Moonbeam wrote:Cool lists, guys! Most of the shows I've seen are also in my list:
Spoiler:
[1] The Wonder Years (1988) [2] The Twilight Zone: The Original Series (1959) [3] Game of Thrones (2011) [4] The Walking Dead (2010) [5] Six Feet Under (2001) [6] Summer Heights High (2007) [7] Ja'mie: Private School Girl (2013) [8] American Horror Story (2011) [9] Absolutely Fabulous (1992) [10] We Can Be Heroes (2005) [11] Jericho (2006) [12] The X Files (1993) [13] Happy Days (1974) [14] The Golden Girls (1985) [15] True Blood (2008) [16] Breaking Bad (2008) [17] Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) [18] Queer as Folk (2000) [19] Dexter (2006) [20] House of Cards (2013)
Haven't updated it in awhile, but here was the last variation of my top 100 movies:
Spoiler:
[1] Edward Scissorhands (1990) [2] Aliens (1986) [3] Dancer in the Dark (2000) [4] Jaws (1975) [5] Halloween (1978) [6] American Beauty (1999) [7] The Poseidon Adventure (1972) [8] Halloween II (1981) [9] The Evil Dead (1981) [10] The Last Days of Pompeii (1984) [11] Cloverfield (2008) [12] Grease (1978) [13] Casablanca (1942) [14] Love Actually (2003) [15] The Shining (1980) [16] With Honors (1994) [17] Drag Me to Hell (2009) [18] Freeway (1996) [19] Jurassic Park (1993) [20] Nosferatu (1922) [21] May (2002) [22] Rosemary's Baby (1968) [23] The Wicker Man (1973) [24] Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) [25] The Brave Little Toaster (1987) [26] Jesus of Nazareth (1977) [27] Big Fish (2003) [28] Blade Runner (1982) [29] The Exorcist (1973) [30] The NeverEnding Story (1984) [31] Super 8 (2011) [32] Jaws 2 (1978) [33] Clue (1985) [34] 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) [35] Dawn of the Dead (1978) [36] Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) [37] Alien (1979) [38] The Blair Witch Project (1999) [39] Snow Cake (2006) [40] Black Swan (2010) [41] Prom Night (1980) [42] One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) [43] TRON (1982) [44] The Phantom Tollbooth (1970) [45] The Strangers (2008) [46] Night of the Living Dead (1968) [47] Cabaret (1972) [48] The Omen (1976) [49] V for Vendetta (2005) [50] Insidious (2010) [51] Deliverance (1972) [52] Equus (1977) [53] Boys Don't Cry (1999) [54] Dolores Claiborne (1995) [55] Stand by Me (1986) [56] Lawrence of Arabia (1962) [57] Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) [58] The Color Purple (1985) [59] 28 Days Later... (2002) [60] Awakenings (1990) [61] Apocalypse Now (1979) [62] Poltergeist (1982) [63] Never Let Me Go (2010) [64] Misery (1990) [65] What Dreams May Come (1998) [66] The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) [67] The Hills Have Eyes (1977) [68] The Breakfast Club (1985) [69] Metropolis (1927) [70] Fantasia (1940) [71] Heathers (1988) [72] The Ninth Gate (1999) [73] Blindness (2008) [74] A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) [75] Amadeus (1984) [76] Lord of the Flies (1990) [77] The Ring (2002) [78] Eraserhead (1977) [79] The Silence of the Lambs (1991) [80] Mississippi Burning (1988) [81] The Woman (2011) [82] Psycho (1960) [83] The Wasp Woman (1959) [84] Pink Flamingos (1972) [85] District 9 (2009) [86] Peacock (2010) [87] Prometheus (2012) [88] Benny & Joon (1993) [89] Children of Men (2006) [90] Dead Poets Society (1989) [91] A Raisin in the Sun (1961) [92] Amistad (1997) [93] Batman (1989) [94] Best in Show (2000) [95] Marie Antoinette (2006) [96] Under the Cherry Moon (1986) [97] Purple Rain (1984) [98] Princess Mononoke (1997) [99] Logan's Run (1976) [100] The House of Yes (1997)
That's an interesting mix. Sci-fi, bloody (and sort of campy) horror flicks, and what might be called "cult classics" are all heavily represented, interspersed with the occasional more thoughtful (and often mainstream) movie (e.g. Dead Poet's Society, Amistad, Mississippi Burning, etc).
I've thought about doing a big top 100 (or 250, or 500???) favorite movies of all-time list. That would definitely take some time. My top 10-20 would probably look (roughly) like this:
1. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 2. Band of Brothers (2001--mini series, fwiw) 3. Braveheart (1996) 4. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) 5-12. some arrangement of The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars (1977), the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03), American Beauty (1999), Black Hawk Down (2001), Schindler's List (1993). EDIT===>I forgot one, a movie that has delighted me since I was a little kid: The Wizard of Oz (1939). This absolutely is in my top 12-13, at least; very likely top 10. EDIT4: Forrest Gump (1994), is very likely a top 15 movie to me.
After that, I'm not too sure. Movies that would come into consideration would be Saving Private Ryan (1998), Gangs of New York (2002), Sense and Sensibility (1995), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Gladiator (2000), The Big Lebowski (1998), Moonstruck (1987), Wall-E (2008), The Last Samurai (2002), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Jurassic Park (1993), A Christmas Story (1983), The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)......to name a handful. EDIT3: Damn, I forgot some others that would definitely be in top 20-ish contention...my fav westerns (Unforgiven (1992), The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)). So many movies....The Shawshank Redemption comes to mind, too.
EDIT2: Some John Hughes magic probably not far behind (Planes, Trains and Automobiles; The Breakfast Club, Uncle Buck).
Moonbeam wrote:I'd have to think about video games, but my top 5 would be something like:
1. Bubble Bobble (NES) 2. Super Mario Kart (SNES) 3. The Legend of Zelda (NES) 4. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES) 5. Bubble Bobble 2 (NES)
I never got any subsequent Zelda games, but once our son is old enough, maybe I'll buy them and have a chance to play them with him.
I don't think I'm enough of a gamer to have an interesting list here (intentionally so, to a large degree; I know I have potential for video game addiction, so I've simply not kept up with the video game systems. The most recent thing I own is a PS2. To be honest I'm looking at maybe getting (or receiving for Christmas) an Atari Flashback Retro game console.
"The fact that a proposition is absurd has never hindered those who wish to believe it." -Edward Rutherfurd "Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire
Moonbeam wrote:Haven't updated it in awhile, but here was the last variation of my top 100 movies:
Spoiler:
[1] Edward Scissorhands (1990) [2] Aliens (1986) [3] Dancer in the Dark (2000) [4] Jaws (1975) [5] Halloween (1978) [6] American Beauty (1999) [7] The Poseidon Adventure (1972) [8] Halloween II (1981) [9] The Evil Dead (1981) [10] The Last Days of Pompeii (1984) [11] Cloverfield (2008) [12] Grease (1978) [13] Casablanca (1942) [14] Love Actually (2003) [15] The Shining (1980) [16] With Honors (1994) [17] Drag Me to Hell (2009) [18] Freeway (1996) [19] Jurassic Park (1993) [20] Nosferatu (1922) [21] May (2002) [22] Rosemary's Baby (1968) [23] The Wicker Man (1973) [24] Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) [25] The Brave Little Toaster (1987) [26] Jesus of Nazareth (1977) [27] Big Fish (2003) [28] Blade Runner (1982) [29] The Exorcist (1973) [30] The NeverEnding Story (1984) [31] Super 8 (2011) [32] Jaws 2 (1978) [33] Clue (1985) [34] 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) [35] Dawn of the Dead (1978) [36] Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) [37] Alien (1979) [38] The Blair Witch Project (1999) [39] Snow Cake (2006) [40] Black Swan (2010) [41] Prom Night (1980) [42] One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) [43] TRON (1982) [44] The Phantom Tollbooth (1970) [45] The Strangers (2008) [46] Night of the Living Dead (1968) [47] Cabaret (1972) [48] The Omen (1976) [49] V for Vendetta (2005) [50] Insidious (2010) [51] Deliverance (1972) [52] Equus (1977) [53] Boys Don't Cry (1999) [54] Dolores Claiborne (1995) [55] Stand by Me (1986) [56] Lawrence of Arabia (1962) [57] Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) [58] The Color Purple (1985) [59] 28 Days Later... (2002) [60] Awakenings (1990) [61] Apocalypse Now (1979) [62] Poltergeist (1982) [63] Never Let Me Go (2010) [64] Misery (1990) [65] What Dreams May Come (1998) [66] The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) [67] The Hills Have Eyes (1977) [68] The Breakfast Club (1985) [69] Metropolis (1927) [70] Fantasia (1940) [71] Heathers (1988) [72] The Ninth Gate (1999) [73] Blindness (2008) [74] A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) [75] Amadeus (1984) [76] Lord of the Flies (1990) [77] The Ring (2002) [78] Eraserhead (1977) [79] The Silence of the Lambs (1991) [80] Mississippi Burning (1988) [81] The Woman (2011) [82] Psycho (1960) [83] The Wasp Woman (1959) [84] Pink Flamingos (1972) [85] District 9 (2009) [86] Peacock (2010) [87] Prometheus (2012) [88] Benny & Joon (1993) [89] Children of Men (2006) [90] Dead Poets Society (1989) [91] A Raisin in the Sun (1961) [92] Amistad (1997) [93] Batman (1989) [94] Best in Show (2000) [95] Marie Antoinette (2006) [96] Under the Cherry Moon (1986) [97] Purple Rain (1984) [98] Princess Mononoke (1997) [99] Logan's Run (1976) [100] The House of Yes (1997)
I like you have the Wire #1 though . Seasons 3 and 4 of the Wire are (inarguably IMO) the 2 greatest seasons of TV ever produced.
The only other show I currently watch is Gotham...far too early to rank it, though I'd put it last. lol Thinking about watching Deadwood and/or True Detective.
Can't emphasize how strongly I recommend Deadwood. It's off-the-meter brilliant, best dialogue of any TV show ever hands down (if you're a shakespeare fan, you'll fall in love instantly, and if you aren't you'll be one by the time the show is done. )
True Detective is really good, but if you're into behavioral psychology at all watch Hannibal. Only network show I'll ever tell anyone to watch, but it's brilliant. It makes silence of the lambs look like an episode of [insert mediocre children's show here].
I really did love watching The Sopranos, but I watched it after Breaking Bad. They follow a similar formula, but Breaking Bad to me didn't have as much clutter. I respect The Sopranos a lot though for basically executing that formula at an elite level before anything else did. It's the Bill Russell/Wilt Chamberlain of the golden era of TV dramas.
Agreed about the Wire, especially Season 4.
That description of Deadwood is enticing. The question I have is did the show end prematurely? I'm hesitant to start a show where the vision, whatever it was, never got to conclude.
Adding Hannibal to the list. Thank you!
Pay no mind to the battles you've won It'll take a lot more than rage and muscle Open your heart and hands, my son Or you'll never make it over the river
The Sopranos might be my most dangerous drama as far as if I watch an episode or 2, i’ll want to watch the entire series over again. Just sucks you in immediately, as opposed to The Wire which was slow to start, and took a little more dedication as a viewer to fully enjoy.
Breaking Bad, Sopranos, Wire are on the same level to me and I can't fault people for picking over over the other. Wire does deserve more consideration for its realism and depiction of social issues/commentary without being PC. Only criteria where Wire *loses* points is 'rewatchability' (though that could just be me). I like slow-burn shows like BB, Sopranos, Boardwalk or even GOT but for the Wire you really had to get into it and it's not something I can binge watch like the others. I also found the Wire to be depressing at times because it shows that no matter how good people want to be (of all races) "the system" will always win and preserve itself. Real change which benefits society in actuality will always be hostage to the interests of the "system". (Hamsterdam? anyone).
JordansBulls wrote:The Warriors are basically a good college team until they meet a team with bigs in the NBA.
1. The Wire 2. Breaking Bad 3. The Sopranos 4. Battlestar Galactica 5. The X-Files 6. Carnivale 7. Game of Thrones 8. True Detective 9. The Twilight Zone 10. Twin Peaks 11. The Shield 12. Hannibal 13. Homicide: Life on the Streets 14. Boardwalk Empire 15. Firefly 16. Oz 17. Luther 18. Dexter 19. Sleeper Cell 20. Justified
1. The Wire 2. Breaking Bad 3. The Sopranos 4. Battlestar Galactica 5. The X-Files 6. Carnivale 7. Game of Thrones 8. True Defective 9. The Twilight Zone 10. Twin Peaks 11. The Shield 12. Hannibal 13. Homicide: Life on the Streets 14. Boardwalk Empire 15. Firefly 16. Oz 17. Luther 18. Dexter 19. Sleeper Cell 20. Justified
HM: Rectify, Homeland, House of Cards, Damages
I've not been quite as "into" TV dramas as some people. Some of the best ones are so dark and intense.....they actually kinda stress me out. So I can only sample them in relatively small doses. I've not seen more than half of those you listed above.
I suppose below would be my top 10 TV Dramas (roughly, don't hold me exactly to the order):
Spoiler:
1. Six Feet Under 2. Breaking Bad 3. The Sopranos 4. The Walking Dead 5. Star Trek: The Next Generation 6. Sherlock 7. Mad Men 8. Firefly 9. Deadwood 10. Lost or Justified
HM's would include: The X-Files, Downton Abbey, The Shield, Game of Thrones (but the books are so much better)
"The fact that a proposition is absurd has never hindered those who wish to believe it." -Edward Rutherfurd "Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire
1. The Wire 2. Breaking Bad 3. The Sopranos 4. Battlestar Galactica 5. The X-Files 6. Carnivale 7. Game of Thrones 8. True Defective 9. The Twilight Zone 10. Twin Peaks 11. The Shield 12. Hannibal 13. Homicide: Life on the Streets 14. Boardwalk Empire 15. Firefly 16. Oz 17. Luther 18. Dexter 19. Sleeper Cell 20. Justified
HM: Rectify, Homeland, House of Cards, Damages
I've not been quite as "into" TV dramas as some people. Some of the best ones are so dark and intense.....they actually kinda stress me out. So I can only sample them in relatively small doses. I've not seen more than half of those you listed above.
I suppose below would be my top 10 TV Dramas (roughly, don't hold me exactly to the order):
Spoiler:
1. Six Feet Under 2. Breaking Bad 3. The Sopranos 4. The Walking Dead 5. Star Trek: The Next Generation 6. Sherlock 7. Firefly 8. Deadwood 9. Lost 10. Justified
HM's would include: The X-Files, Downton Abbey, The Shield, Game of Thrones (but the books are so much better)
Yeah, the top dramas can get a bit dark. The next season of True Detective is supposed to be less dark. Was really into the first few seasons of Lost but didn't watch the entire series. Haven't seen much of Six Feet Under or Deadwood.
At the risk of throwing a non-sequitar into an interesting OT discussion . . . cour second game since we started a JV team at our school was this afternoon. Like the first, we were beaten by 50 point but some progress.
Bad Notes: Our two best scorers (not necessarily best players but certainly could be if they chose to dedicate themselves) were both unavailable because of the fathead factor. One is bright but failing a couple of courses because he doesn't do the work; the other has had meltdowns the day before each game (and 2 more in the past 2 weeks) where he was hitting other kids, calling front office staff obscene terms, etc. So, neither was eligible.
We have no offensive game plan; we haven't had a practice since the 1st game due to rains (we are scheduled to practice MW and possibly Fridays), the last two practices we did have had less than half the players there so we couldn't scrimmage. I am trying to implement a Globetrotter weave, it works off our passing drill so should be able to teach it without making them learn new concepts, but with no practice, it ends of being our guards going one on three a lot.
Good things:
Our threes finally figured out that when I say protect the paint, I don't mean chase the 3 point line. At this point we are giving up the 3 to try to stop easy layups and offensive rebounding; but we need to be on the same page. We had good effort by our starters; the other team was bigger, more athletic, and better coached . . . and got EVERY loose ball, but we were making the effort and playing in our zones (except for our best player whose frustration led him to playing hero ball on both ends leading to breakdowns).
Our most severly disabled player (we are a special ed focused school) played his spot on defense and got real PT without negatively impacting the team . . . which is good since we only had 8 players eligible.
It was a roughly equal scoreboard loss but with signs of hope. And, God willing, we might even get a couple of practices before midterms and Christmas break. January, we are playing 2 games a week so we need to get some plan through to the players by then.
KNIGHTS!
“Most people use statistics like a drunk man uses a lamppost; more for support than illumination,” Andrew Lang.
penbeast0 wrote:Watching Carnivale now. I don't have my cable connected, I just get seasons of stuff to see if it hooks me. I'm up to about episode 6 and it's good but hasn't really become must-see TV for me.
Heroes isn't on any lists yet, loved that one; got seriously into Lost too though I can see why it annoyed some people. No surprise that the Wire, Breaking Bad, Big Bang Theory, and Game of Thrones are contenders for the top and I've seen all of them that are available. . . haven't seen Sopranos for some reason.
Favorite shows growing up were Get Smart, Mission Impossible, and Star Trek.
Did you finish Heroes though? That’s the thing. The first 2-2.5 seasons of Heroes is some of the most engrossing TV I’ve ever seen, if they had just cut it there I’d probably have it in the 15-20 bracket, but the 2nd half of season 3 and all of season 4 were sooooo bad that it left a bad taste in everybody’s mouth. It was a whole lot of buildup and no payoff. It’s a shame, it had X-Men level potential before they destroyed all of the goodwill they had built up. But yeah, first 2-2.5 seasons of Heroes was excellent.
And the pacing of Carnivale is really really slow at the start and I had to the same reaction as you initially. Stick with it, it’s only 24 episodes in all. The second season moves much more quickly and it has probably the best ending of anything I've seen. Seriously, the last few episodes of the second season will blow you away.
Shows I don't like that everyone seems to were/are All in the Family, Seinfeld, and Two and a Half Men . . . don't find them funny or even neutral, they actively annoy me.
This is exactly how I feel about Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother.
ronnymac2 wrote:I really did love watching The Sopranos, but I watched it after Breaking Bad. They follow a similar formula, but Breaking Bad to me didn't have as much clutter. I respect The Sopranos a lot though for basically executing that formula at an elite level before anything else did. It's the Bill Russell/Wilt Chamberlain of the golden era of TV dramas.
I kind of disagree w/ Sops and Breaking bad following the same formula. BB was obviously derivative of Sops in some respects but Tony in episode 1 is the same person as Tony in episode 86, just a bit more “informed". Walt undergoes an unprecedented transformation in front of the viewer (it’s kind of the point of the show). Breaking Bad gets kind of cartoony by comparison. It had some more “cracky” moments in that it’s an adrenaline-booster, but The Sopranos feels far more “real.” It’s a more mature show than Breaking Bad.
That description of Deadwood is enticing. The question I have is did the show end prematurely? I'm hesitant to start a show where the vision, whatever it was, never got to conclude.
Yeah, it did. Some people will lie to you and say that the makeshift ending they used for season 3 suffices as an ending but I’m not one of those people. What makes it a much more frustrating cancelation than Carnival was that it really only needed 1 more season to be carried to it’s natural conclusion, and also had a much larger following at the time of it’s termination. If it had been allowed to end I’d probably bump it ahead of Breaking Bad, but even on the merits of what was actually produced it’s far, far too good a show to miss out on. You’ll be a little annoyed for a couple weeks after completion, but as I said, Milch at least does a good job of tying up his seasons in terms of the “immediate” conflicts that need resolution.
Adding Hannibal to the list. Thank you!
Enjoy.
SactoKingsFan wrote:Here's my top 20 TV dramas:
Spoiler:
1. The Wire 2. Breaking Bad 3. The Sopranos 4. Battlestar Galactica 5. The X-Files 6. Carnivale 7. Game of Thrones 8. True Detective 9. The Twilight Zone 10. Twin Peaks 11. The Shield 12. Hannibal 13. Homicide: Life on the Streets 14. Boardwalk Empire 15. Firefly 16. Oz 17. Luther 18. Dexter 19. Sleeper Cell 20. Justified
HM: Rectify, Homeland, House of Cards, Damages
Nice list! Other than the omissions of Mad Men and Deadwood seems like we have similar taste. I have exactly 1 college friend who I’d say is even more discerning with TV/Movies than I am and he really recommended Homicide to me but when I watched the first 4-5 episodes and it didn’t seem very special to me in any way, just another super-standard police procedural that lacks Jack McCoy to me. Maybe I’ll give it another go at some point.
If you’re a big fan of Dexter do yourself a favor and watch Profit. Much higher quality, corporate setting (only show specifically about M&A as far as I know), and only 8 episodes (it was unfortunately too far ahead of its time to gain serious traction) so it won’t take too long (although some of the “episodes” are as long as a feature-length movie).
Also judging by how high you have the X-Files and Twilight Zone (the original, I presume) I strongly recommend the Prisoner. Best televised Orwellian adaption to date - it’s basically Bond meets 1984 (the original mind you, I can’t speak to the AMC adaption but I’ve read/heard it is garbage. It’s in full color btw, in case that might have been a deal-breaker). X-Files was significantly influenced by the 1967 version of the Prisoner, and unlike the Twilight Zone and X-Files it’s a consistent story rather than an anthology, making it a stronger piece overall (IMO).
PaulieWal wrote: I also found the Wire to be depressing at times because it shows that no matter how good people want to be (of all races) "the system" will always win and preserve itself. Real change which benefits society in actuality will always be hostage to the interests of the "system". (Hamsterdam? anyone).
Tis the point. Baltimore is cyclical and it's (many) problems are systemic in nature. Anytime I want to try and pack the Wire's message into one clip I reference the scene below.
If you want to see David Simon's take on a more upbeat city watch Treme, New Orleans (and his take on it) is totally different from Baltimore. Granted, Treme lacks the the exhilaration of "cops and robbers" element of the Wire, but the music and culture carry the show. Very underrated. It's written just as well as the Wire, it just lacks the built-in excitement of the drug trade and the "WTF that was brilliant" element of how Simon shows you, rather than tells you, how the power structure of Baltimore coalesces.
OK Beam you’ve inspired me to rank the top 50 movies from my 9 GOAT directors while “watching” this Lakers Wizards game. Ranking top 100 or 150 movies all time is too impossible but at least the top 35-40 of these movies would make my top 150 all time. - Directors -
[01] The Godfather: Part II (Coppola) [02] The Godfather: Part I (Coppola) [03] 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick) [04] There Will Be Blood (PTA) [05] Taxi Driver (Scorsese) [06] Goodfellas (Scorsese) [07] Pulp Fiction (Tarentino) [08] Departed (Scorsese) [09] Reservoir Dogs (Tarentino) [10] A Clockwork Orange (Kubrick)
[11] Fight Club (Fincher) [12] The Dark Knight (Nolan) [13] Jackie Brown (Tarentino) [14] Psycho (Hitchcock) [15] The Master (PTA) [16] The Shining (Kubrick) [17] Requiem for a Dream (Aronofsky) [18] Apocalypse Now (Coppola) [19] Gangs of New York (Scorsese) [20] Kill Bill Vol. 2 (Tarentino)
[21] The Aviator (Scorsese) [22] Django Unchained (Tarentino) [23] The Prestige (Nolan) [24] Memento (Nolan) [25] The Conversation (Coppola) [26] Eyes Wide Shut (Kubrick) [27] Strangers on a Train (Hitchcock) [28] The Killing (Kubrick) [29] Casino (Scorsese) [30] Pi (Aronofsky)
[31] The Godfather: Part III [32] The Wrestler (Aronofsky) [33] Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Tarentino) [34] The Wolf of Wall Street (Scorsese) [35] The Dark Knight Rises (Nolan) [36] Following (Nolan) [37] Shutter Island (Scorsese) [38] Gone Girl (Fincher) [39] Inglorious Basterds [40] Interstellar (Nolan)
[41] The Game (Fincher [42] Full Metal Jacket (Kubrick) [43] Zodiac (Fincher) [44] Se7en (Fincher) [45] Batman Beings (Nolan) [46] The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [47] Black Swan (Aronofsky) [48] Mean Streets (Scorsese) [49] Hard Eight (PTA) [50] To Catch a Thief (Hitchcock)
Movies from these directors I still need to see: After Hours, Raging Bull, Social Network, Magnolia, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Dr. Strangelove, Barry Lyndon, and Pretty much 90% of Hitchcock’s Movies.
D Nice wrote:"WTF that was brilliant" element of how Simon shows you, rather than tells you, how the power structure of Baltimore coalesces.
I know and the reason that The Wire resonates with almost everyone that watches is that Baltimore is a microcosm of "the system" in general. Even in cities which don't have the same problems as Baltimore, the system will look to preserve itself and focus on its own power. And that's the way it goes for governments at all levels, though the government is an integral part of the "system" but not the system entirely. It doesn't matter who's in power. Men/women, black/white/brown, once people become a part of the establishment they are only looking after themselves and the establishment. As I said real change which actually helps society will always be second to the interests of the system and the people in it.
JordansBulls wrote:The Warriors are basically a good college team until they meet a team with bigs in the NBA.
Said beautifully, which is why I don't vote. I focus on being able to obtain enough power to control my own destiny. F*** leaving it up to somebody else who I know doesn't give a rats ass about me. I treat politics as a form of entertainment TBH
Even if you luck out and elect someone who genuinely "cares" there will always be too much red tape to affect any real change and they'll have to start compromising to extend their "power-window" to long enough see their vision through, oftentimes butchering said vision in the aforementioned "compromises," and on it goes.
OK Beam you’ve inspired me to rank the top 50 movies from my 9 GOAT directors while “watching” this Lakers Wizards game. Ranking top 100 or 150 movies all time is too impossible but at least the top 35-40 of these movies would make my top 150 all time. - Directors -
[01] The Godfather: Part II (Coppola) [02] The Godfather: Part I (Coppola) [03] 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick) [04] There Will Be Blood (PTA) [05] Taxi Driver (Scorsese) [06] Goodfellas (Scorsese) [07] Pulp Fiction (Tarentino) [08] Departed (Scorsese) [09] Reservoir Dogs (Tarentino) [10] A Clockwork Orange (Kubrick)
[11] Fight Club (Fincher) [12] The Dark Knight (Nolan) [13] Jackie Brown (Tarentino) [14] Psycho (Hitchcock) [15] The Master (PTA) [16] The Shining (Kubrick) [17] Requiem for a Dream (Aronofsky) [18] Apocalypse Now (Coppola) [19] Gangs of New York (Scorsese) [20] Kill Bill Vol. 2 (Tarentino)
[21] The Aviator (Scorsese) [22] Django Unchained (Tarentino) [23] The Prestige (Nolan) [24] Memento (Nolan) [25] The Conversation (Coppola) [26] Eyes Wide Shut (Kubrick) [27] Strangers on a Train (Hitchcock) [28] The Killing (Kubrick) [29] Casino (Scorsese) [30] Pi (Aronofsky)
[31] The Godfather: Part III [32] The Wrestler (Aronofsky) [33] Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Tarentino) [34] The Wolf of Wall Street (Scorsese) [35] The Dark Knight Rises (Nolan) [36] Following (Nolan) [37] Shutter Island (Scorsese) [38] Gone Girl (Fincher) [39] Inglorious Basterds [40] Interstellar (Nolan)
[41] The Game (Fincher [42] Full Metal Jacket (Kubrick) [43] Zodiac (Fincher) [44] Se7en (Fincher) [45] Batman Beings (Nolan) [46] The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [47] Black Swan (Aronofsky) [48] Mean Streets (Scorsese) [49] Hard Eight (PTA) [50] To Catch a Thief (Hitchcock)
Movies from these directors I still need to see: After Hours, Raging Bull, Social Network, Magnolia, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Dr. Strangelove, Barry Lyndon, and Pretty much 90% of Hitchcock’s Movies.
Ooo, see now you reminded me of a few other movies I forgot that would be in contention for top 20-25-ish status in my own list. In particular: There Will Be Blood (that's an amazing movie), as well as perhaps the Kill Bill franchise (I'm more fond of the first one, personally); Pulp Fiction gets an HM for me, too, as do the first two Godfather movies.
I think you maybe have the right idea, as far as getting things organized to write a thorough fav movie list: making a list for separate directors, or perhaps genres.....I think that would make it easier for me to get the candidates in order so I don't forget any relevant movies.
btw, I know it's generally not mentioned on the shortlist of his best work, but I'm not sure that Barry Lyndon isn't my favorite Kubrick movie. I was pretty mesmerized by that one. Love The Shining too, though, and 2001. Those are def my top 3 Kubrick movies; not positive of the order.
"The fact that a proposition is absurd has never hindered those who wish to believe it." -Edward Rutherfurd "Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire
1. The Wire 2. Breaking Bad 3. The Sopranos 4. Battlestar Galactica 5. The X-Files 6. Carnivale 7. Game of Thrones 8. True Detective 9. The Twilight Zone 10. Twin Peaks 11. The Shield 12. Hannibal 13. Homicide: Life on the Streets 14. Boardwalk Empire 15. Firefly 16. Oz 17. Luther 18. Dexter 19. Sleeper Cell 20. Justified
HM: Rectify, Homeland, House of Cards, Damages
Nice list! Other than the omissions of Mad Men and Deadwood seems like we have similar taste. I have exactly 1 college friend who I’d say is even more discerning with TV/Movies than I am and he really recommended Homicide to me but when I watched the first 4-5 episodes and it didn’t seem very special to me in any way, just another super-standard police procedural that lacks Jack McCoy to me. Maybe I’ll give it another go at some point.
If you’re a big fan of Dexter do yourself a favor and watch Profit. Much higher quality, corporate setting (only show specifically about M&A as far as I know), and only 8 episodes (it was unfortunately too far ahead of its time to gain serious traction) so it won’t take too long (although some of the “episodes” are as long as a feature-length movie).
Also judging by how high you have the X-Files and Twilight Zone (the original, I presume) I strongly recommend the Prisoner. Best televised Orwellian adaption to date - it’s basically Bond meets 1984 (the original mind you, I can’t speak to the AMC adaption but I’ve read/heard it is garbage. It’s in full color btw, in case that might have been a deal-breaker). X-Files was significantly influenced by the 1967 version of the Prisoner, and unlike the Twilight Zone and X-Files it’s a consistent story rather than an anthology, making it a stronger piece overall (IMO).
Don't think I've seen enough of Mad Men or Deadwood to properly rank them. I've added them to my list of shows to watch. Homicide gets better and IMO has compelling season and character arcs, great writing and acting (Andre Braugher in particular) and a dark humor that becomes an integral part of the show. Thanks for recommending Profit and the Prisoner! I'll have to check them out.
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After weeks of being so involved in the top 100 project, debating nothing but bball (sometimes in intense disagreements), it's kinda fun blowing off steam with you chaps discussing trivial non-basketball-related things.
I propose a new list category: the 10 WORST movies you've ever seen.
Watching bad movies can occasionally be a worthwhile endeavor. Although it's snide, they can be fun to ridicule (get that nasty human tendency out of your system in a socially acceptable way). Also it can be functional in providing perspective (on what a truly bad movie is); might help you better appreciate the good or even the middle-ground movies.
I know there are hundreds of terrible movies I've not seen, like these: [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyophYBP_w4[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxkr4wS7XqY[/youtube] (I love those clips, btw ).....but I can only speak to the movies I actually have seen. Of those, here are the 10 worst (with some critique/explanation):
Spoiler:
1. Glen or Glenda (1953) If you've seen Tim Burton's dark comedy Ed Wood (1994, starring Johnny Depp), then you're somewhat familiar with Ed Wood, who directed several low-budget genre films in the 1950's (subsequent directed porn, fwiw), and was posthumously (in 1980) awarded the dubious distinction as the Worst Director of All-Time. I've only seen two Ed Wood movies, but they are indeed something. This was def the worst of the two: a movie that is almost breath-taking in its awfulness. From it's "politically incorrect" depictions of certain peoples, to what could at best be called "clumsy" (at worst could be called "grossly and offensively inaccurate") interpretation of transvestite motivations, it's a movie that can be irritating to many different persons. Then there's the poor production value; there's the jarring editing/scene continuity problems (a character leaves the room, leaving the door mostly closed; cuts to the exact same shot except the door is now open); there's the completely out of place use of stock footage which Wood was somewhat famous for. There's the nightmarish dream sequences full of interpretive dance to depict human sexuality, the God-figure (played by Bela Lugosi) viewing this as well as stuff like stock footage of a bison stampede (no kidding) while he says things like "Pull the strings! PULL the strings!!" I suspect Wood felt he was metaphorically making some deep existential point with these scenes....but they're just so bizarre and awful, the only thought it leaves you with is "W_T_F??????" Terrible acting throughout, also. This is a movie that is beyond bad; it's terrible. It's terrible in every conceivable way a movie can be terrible. You could set out with the intention of making the worst movie ever, and you'd likely have a hard time out-doing this one. But I don't want to oversell it......
2. Going Overboard (1989) I believe this is Adam Sandler's first feature film. My God, I hate it. While I realize it's raunchy in the same vein as many late-night boy's comedies of the 1980's, this one is perhaps more offensive to my feminist sensibilities than most. While I like looking at women in bikinis, the women are more just prop than people in this. Beyond that, this movie is overtly obnoxious, and utterly ridiculous. idk, there just really aren't any redeeming aspects to this movie.
3. Supergirl (1984) Weird thing is, Helen Slater's actually not bad as the title character. She gives a surprisingly earnest performance to such an awful role. You also have Peter O'Toole playing a supporting role. And yet this movie is pretty terrible. The effects are awful, the villains are campy caricatures (similar to old Scooby Doo cartoons or similar), the dialogue is cringe-worthy, the premise even worse. Eesh....
4. Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach (1988)
5. Going Bersek (1983) I love John Candy, but this movie is just flat obnoxious.
6. The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (1987) Come on, you don't expect it would actually be good, right?
7. The Dark Side of the Sun (1988) Was hanging out with a female friend back in university, she had rented this. Sappy and contrived. Meh. Even she thought it was awful, despite young and sexy Brad Pitt.
8. Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) Production value and Tom Hanks.....how you go wrong? idk, but they did.
9. Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959) Another Ed Wood movie. I'll be honest, I actually enjoy some of those campy Sci-fi/horror movies from the 1940's, 50's and 60's (e.g. War of the Worlds (1953), The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), The Ape (1940), Forbidden Planet (1956), and God forgive me but Howard the Duck was an oft-watched movie in my household as a child), which is the only reason this one isn't a bit higher (lower??) on this list. This one is just a little too bad in the ways that only Ed Wood could be: terrible scene continuity (police car leaves station at night, next shot is police car driving through countryside in broad daylight, next shot is police car arriving at destination once again at night), cheesy effects---WWII stock footage of tanks and artillery firing, followed by shots of the tin plates dangling from the clearly visible strings which jiggle the plates around as firecracker type effects go off (this is the UFO's being hit by fire)---as well as terrible acting, terrible premise, and horrific dialogue.
10. Horrors of War (aka "Nazi Zombies") (2006)
"The fact that a proposition is absurd has never hindered those who wish to believe it." -Edward Rutherfurd "Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire
Moonbeam wrote:Now that I'm well-hidden in my box, I'd love to read your stories as well.
I think I posted something in here about a year ago, but I'll update (maybe make it a touch more personal).
I was born in 1978 and grew up in semi-rural Iowa (in truth, very little of Iowa isn't at least "semi-rural"). My hometown was about 6,000 people (which isn't particularly small by Iowa standards), although the house I grew up in was a farmhouse about 5 miles outside of town (though my family was not farmers). That distance lent my childhood a certain degree of isolation. My parents both worked, so before I was old enough to drive---which would allow me to go into town to hang out with friends or to go to a part-time job which was (rightfully) expected of me by age 16---well, it made for some long lazy summers, and I was awfully good at entertaining myself (still am).
Beginning around age 7 or 8, one of the things that occupied much of my time was shooting hoops in our driveway. We had a square of pavement (pretty level, too) ~22-24 ft by 22-24 ft. There were a few tricky spots on the court: a shrub on the left baseline, just a few feet left of the hoop; if you were on the left baseline or left wing more than 9-10 lateral feet from the rim, it was difficult to shoot because of the eaves/overhang from the garage. From the top of the key or from anywhere on the right wing you had to contend with a telephone wire which spanned across the court to the roof of the house. But my dad and I learned to work around these things, and spent hundreds of hours out there (individually, I probably spent thousands over the years). In all kinds of weather, too; in the winter I'd scrape/shovel the snow and ice away, and shoot around until my fingers were numb, at which time I'd go in......often only long enough to warm up, and then I'd go out again.
Like Moonbeam with his Dantley/Pistons imaginings, I'd imagine a scenario as I played. For me, the team when I was very young was the Iowa Hawkeyes. When I was a little older and getting into the NBA, it was Jordan and the Bulls. Anyway, basketball became a pretty important thing in my life. I learned a lot about work ethic through basketball. I learned a lot about teamwork and that special camaraderie that exists in a close-nit team with common goals (which I was lucky enough to be a part of). I was a decent player in high school, but not great. Unfortunately for my high school career, I really wouldn't hit my peak as a player until my mid-late 20's--->thru practicing on my own, men's leagues, etc; and also through simply gaining some self confidence and clarity of perception which (for me, at least) only comes with age. I'm 6'0" or just a shade under, have generally hovered around 160 lbs (a little under in my younger years; a bit over now), play primarily as a SG. I was a lights out marksman from the outside. That has been my specialty since I was 15 years old. I have slowly augmented my game since. Certain aspects of my game are probably the strongest they've ever been, again: to some degree just through clarity of perception, maturity, and study of game principles. Unfortunately, my athleticism is quickly slipping. Age overlooks no one.
Anyway.... Although I'm an introverted guy who grew up in semi-rural Iowa, I knew small-town Iowa was not the place for me. The world's big, and I wanted to see/experience some of it. I was tired of living in a place full of nothing but white, Christian, English-speaking people who all think the same, talk the same, dress the same, etc.....no real "culture" to speak of.
When I moved out at 18 to go to university, I never really had any intention of ever moving back....and I never have. My parents moved to Kansas City when I was 19, so at this point I have very little ties to the home of my youth. Which is sort of sad in a way, but c'est la vie.
Similar to Moonbeam, I met the love of my life at age 22, although we wouldn't start dating for nearly 2.5 years (and then wouldn't marry for about another 1.5 years). She's an awesome woman, we've been married 10 years now and have a son (sort of the 2nd love of my life) who will shortly be turning 5. So far he hasn't shown any real interest in or aptitude for basketball , but I'm not sure I did until about age 7 either.
We lived in Phoenix from 2004-2008, and would occasionally get free tickets (good seats, too) from our employer. Needless to say, that was an awesome time to be getting free Suns tickets, and a great time to become a Suns fan. My gosh that team was fun to watch!
In 2008 we moved to Canada, and likely we're here to stay.
I too like to make "favorite" lists. I like ranking things in order, generally speaking (hence my consistent involvement in the top 100 project). I think it satisfies a little OCD itch for me; creating a little order out of chaos. If I can do things (rank things) somewhat mathematically, I also enjoy creating simple formulas to do so.
Excellent post! We do seem to have followed similar paths. I also had no intention of returning to my hometown after I left for college at 18, and I loved the diversity I found as I studied in various places (Valparaiso University as an undergrad with a semester in Puebla, Mexico, and the University of Utah as a grad student).
trex_8063 wrote:That's an interesting mix. Sci-fi, bloody (and sort of campy) horror flicks, and what might be called "cult classics" are all heavily represented, interspersed with the occasional more thoughtful (and often mainstream) movie (e.g. Dead Poet's Society, Amistad, Mississippi Burning, etc).
Oh, I love camp horror! In a roundabout way, it introduced me to one of my favorite music genres in italo disco, thanks to this scene, which has been re-enacted in my family's living room more times than I can count. Hot diggity!
I've thought about doing a big top 100 (or 250, or 500???) favorite movies of all-time list. That would definitely take some time. My top 10-20 would probably look (roughly) like this:
1. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 2. Band of Brothers (2001--mini series, fwiw) 3. Braveheart (1996) 4. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) 5-12. some arrangement of The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars (1977), the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03), American Beauty (1999), Black Hawk Down (2001), Schindler's List (1993). EDIT===>I forgot one, a movie that has delighted me since I was a little kid: The Wizard of Oz (1939). This absolutely is in my top 12-13, at least; very likely top 10. EDIT4: Forrest Gump (1994), is very likely a top 15 movie to me.
After that, I'm not too sure. Movies that would come into consideration would be Saving Private Ryan (1998), Gangs of New York (2002), Sense and Sensibility (1995), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Gladiator (2000), The Big Lebowski (1998), Moonstruck (1987), Wall-E (2008), The Last Samurai (2002), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Jurassic Park (1993), A Christmas Story (1983), The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)......to name a handful. EDIT3: Damn, I forgot some others that would definitely be in top 20-ish contention...my fav westerns (Unforgiven (1992), The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)). So many movies....The Shawshank Redemption comes to mind, too.
EDIT2: Some John Hughes magic probably not far behind (Planes, Trains and Automobiles; The Breakfast Club, Uncle Buck).
I should consider including It's a Wonderful Life. When I was growing up, my mom put it on all the time during the Christmas season to the point that I grew sick of it, but I watched it as an adult for the first time many years ago and really enjoyed it. Most of the others you've listed I haven't seen (a common thread with other lists I've seen for movies and TV shows).
I don't think I'm enough of a gamer to have an interesting list here (intentionally so, to a large degree; I know I have potential for video game addiction, so I've simply not kept up with the video game systems. The most recent thing I own is a PS2. To be honest I'm looking at maybe getting (or receiving for Christmas) an Atari Flashback Retro game console.
I also have intentionally avoided video games for reasons of addiction. I stopped buying games around 1993 or so with SNES. Once games went more 3D I couldn't help but walk hopelessly against the corner of a room.
Clyde Frazier wrote:No Back to the Future?
I don't think I've seen the whole movie!
Looking at lists of TV shows, I also haven't seen The Sopranos, The Wire, Mad Men, Deadwood, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, Carnivale, Twin Peaks, The Shield, Heroes, Lost, Justified, etc. Looks like I'm missing out on a fair bit, though I tend to like things that aren't so dark unless they are in the realm of fantasy (Walking Dead, Game of Thrones). Breaking Bad was the exception, but outside of Gus Fring's character, I'm not sure it would have come close to my top 20.
I generally don't enjoy shows that revolve around hospitals, court rooms, and crime scenes. Shows that I really dislike that many seem to enjoy are Seinfeld and Friends.
penbeast0 wrote:
Spoiler:
At the risk of throwing a non-sequitar into an interesting OT discussion . . . cour second game since we started a JV team at our school was this afternoon. Like the first, we were beaten by 50 point but some progress.
Bad Notes: Our two best scorers (not necessarily best players but certainly could be if they chose to dedicate themselves) were both unavailable because of the fathead factor. One is bright but failing a couple of courses because he doesn't do the work; the other has had meltdowns the day before each game (and 2 more in the past 2 weeks) where he was hitting other kids, calling front office staff obscene terms, etc. So, neither was eligible.
We have no offensive game plan; we haven't had a practice since the 1st game due to rains (we are scheduled to practice MW and possibly Fridays), the last two practices we did have had less than half the players there so we couldn't scrimmage. I am trying to implement a Globetrotter weave, it works off our passing drill so should be able to teach it without making them learn new concepts, but with no practice, it ends of being our guards going one on three a lot.
Good things:
Our threes finally figured out that when I say protect the paint, I don't mean chase the 3 point line. At this point we are giving up the 3 to try to stop easy layups and offensive rebounding; but we need to be on the same page. We had good effort by our starters; the other team was bigger, more athletic, and better coached . . . and got EVERY loose ball, but we were making the effort and playing in our zones (except for our best player whose frustration led him to playing hero ball on both ends leading to breakdowns).
Our most severly disabled player (we are a special ed focused school) played his spot on defense and got real PT without negatively impacting the team . . . which is good since we only had 8 players eligible.
It was a roughly equal scoreboard loss but with signs of hope. And, God willing, we might even get a couple of practices before midterms and Christmas break. January, we are playing 2 games a week so we need to get some plan through to the players by then.
KNIGHTS!
I've got a whole lot of respect for you coaching a team! I would probably be a disaster at it, and it sounds like you've put in great effort with your team and getting them to focus on a cohesive plan despite deficiencies in talent and changing personnel.
D Nice wrote:OK Beam you’ve inspired me to rank the top 50 movies from my 9 GOAT directors while “watching” this Lakers Wizards game. Ranking top 100 or 150 movies all time is too impossible but at least the top 35-40 of these movies would make my top 150 all time. - Directors -
[01] The Godfather: Part II (Coppola) [02] The Godfather: Part I (Coppola) [03] 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick) [04] There Will Be Blood (PTA) [05] Taxi Driver (Scorsese) [06] Goodfellas (Scorsese) [07] Pulp Fiction (Tarentino) [08] Departed (Scorsese) [09] Reservoir Dogs (Tarentino) [10] A Clockwork Orange (Kubrick)
[11] Fight Club (Fincher) [12] The Dark Knight (Nolan) [13] Jackie Brown (Tarentino) [14] Psycho (Hitchcock) [15] The Master (PTA) [16] The Shining (Kubrick) [17] Requiem for a Dream (Aronofsky) [18] Apocalypse Now (Coppola) [19] Gangs of New York (Scorsese) [20] Kill Bill Vol. 2 (Tarentino)
[21] The Aviator (Scorsese) [22] Django Unchained (Tarentino) [23] The Prestige (Nolan) [24] Memento (Nolan) [25] The Conversation (Coppola) [26] Eyes Wide Shut (Kubrick) [27] Strangers on a Train (Hitchcock) [28] The Killing (Kubrick) [29] Casino (Scorsese) [30] Pi (Aronofsky)
[31] The Godfather: Part III [32] The Wrestler (Aronofsky) [33] Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Tarentino) [34] The Wolf of Wall Street (Scorsese) [35] The Dark Knight Rises (Nolan) [36] Following (Nolan) [37] Shutter Island (Scorsese) [38] Gone Girl (Fincher) [39] Inglorious Basterds [40] Interstellar (Nolan)
[41] The Game (Fincher [42] Full Metal Jacket (Kubrick) [43] Zodiac (Fincher) [44] Se7en (Fincher) [45] Batman Beings (Nolan) [46] The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [47] Black Swan (Aronofsky) [48] Mean Streets (Scorsese) [49] Hard Eight (PTA) [50] To Catch a Thief (Hitchcock)
Movies from these directors I still need to see: After Hours, Raging Bull, Social Network, Magnolia, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Dr. Strangelove, Barry Lyndon, and Pretty much 90% of Hitchcock’s Movies.
In addition to most of your list, would you believe I haven't seen any of the Godfather movies or Pulp Fiction? Others in your list that I've seen and would strongly consider if I updated my list are There Will Be Blood, Taxi Driver, and Requiem for a Dream. Great, great films.
trex_8063 wrote:After weeks of being so involved in the top 100 project, debating nothing but bball (sometimes in intense disagreements), it's kinda fun blowing off steam with you chaps discussing trivial non-basketball-related things.
I propose a new list category: the 10 WORST movies you've ever seen.
Watching bad movies can occasionally be a worthwhile endeavor. Although it's snide, they can be fun to ridicule (get that nasty human tendency out of your system in a socially acceptable way). Also it can be functional in providing perspective (on what a truly bad movie is); might help you better appreciate the good or even the middle-ground movies.
I know there are hundreds of terrible movies I've not seen, like these: [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyophYBP_w4[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxkr4wS7XqY[/youtube] (I love those clips, btw ).....but I can only speak to the movies I actually have seen. Of those, here are the 10 worst (with some critique/explanation):
Spoiler:
1. Glen or Glenda (1953) If you've seen Tim Burton's dark comedy Ed Wood (1994, starring Johnny Depp), then you're somewhat familiar with Ed Wood, who directed several low-budget genre films in the 1950's (subsequent directed porn, fwiw), and was posthumously (in 1980) awarded the dubious distinction as the Worst Director of All-Time. I've only seen two Ed Wood movies, but they are indeed something. This was def the worst of the two: a movie that is almost breath-taking in its awfulness. From it's "politically incorrect" depictions of certain peoples, to what could at best be called "clumsy" (at worst could be called "grossly and offensively inaccurate") interpretation of transvestite motivations, it's a movie that can be irritating to many different persons. Then there's the poor production value; there's the jarring editing/scene continuity problems (a character leaves the room, leaving the door mostly closed; cuts to the exact same shot except the door is now open); there's the completely out of place use of stock footage which Wood was somewhat famous for. There's the nightmarish dream sequences full of interpretive dance to depict human sexuality, the God-figure (played by Bela Lugosi) viewing this as well as stuff like stock footage of a bison stampede (no kidding) while he says things like "Pull the strings! PULL the strings!!" I suspect Wood felt he was metaphorically making some deep existential point with these scenes....but they're just so bizarre and awful, the only thought it leaves you with is "W_T_F??????" Terrible acting throughout, also. This is a movie that is beyond bad; it's terrible. It's terrible in every conceivable way a movie can be terrible. You could set out with the intention of making the worst movie ever, and you'd likely have a hard time out-doing this one. But I don't want to oversell it......
2. Going Overboard (1989) I believe this is Adam Sandler's first feature film. My God, I hate it. While I realize it's raunchy in the same vein as many late-night boy's comedies of the 1980's, this one is perhaps more offensive to my feminist sensibilities than most. While I like looking at women in bikinis, the women are more just prop than people in this. Beyond that, this movie is overtly obnoxious, and utterly ridiculous. idk, there just really aren't any redeeming aspects to this movie.
3. Supergirl (1984) Weird thing is, Helen Slater's actually not bad as the title character. She gives a surprisingly earnest performance to such an awful role. You also have Peter O'Toole playing a supporting role. And yet this movie is pretty terrible. The effects are awful, the villains are campy caricatures (similar to old Scooby Doo cartoons or similar), the dialogue is cringe-worthy, the premise even worse. Eesh....
4. Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach (1988)
5. Going Bersek (1983) I love John Candy, but this movie is just flat obnoxious.
6. The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (1987) Come on, you don't expect it would actually be good, right?
7. The Dark Side of the Sun (1988) Was hanging out with a female friend back in university, she had rented this. Sappy and contrived. Meh. Even she thought it was awful, despite young and sexy Brad Pitt.
8. Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) Production value and Tom Hanks.....how you go wrong? idk, but they did.
9. Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959) Another Ed Wood movie. I'll be honest, I actually enjoy some of those campy Sci-fi/horror movies from the 1940's, 50's and 60's (e.g. War of the Worlds (1953), The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), The Ape (1940), Forbidden Planet (1956), and God forgive me but Howard the Duck was an oft-watched movie in my household as a child), which is the only reason this one isn't a bit higher (lower??) on this list. This one is just a little too bad in the ways that only Ed Wood could be: terrible scene continuity (police car leaves station at night, next shot is police car driving through countryside in broad daylight, next shot is police car arriving at destination once again at night), cheesy effects---WWII stock footage of tanks and artillery firing, followed by shots of the tin plates dangling from the clearly visible strings which jiggle the plates around as firecracker type effects go off (this is the UFO's being hit by fire)---as well as terrible acting, terrible premise, and horrific dialogue.
10. Horrors of War (aka "Nazi Zombies") (2006)
Haha, love it! I haven't seen any of those films, but I might seek them out for the comedic value.
I haven't made a ranked (and I do mean rank) list of the worst films I've seen, but here are the films I've ranked a 1 on IMDB, along with my review for the most hilarious one, Shark Zone:
SharkMan (2005) Graffiti Bridge (1990) (awesome soundtrack, awful movie) The Last Horror Movie (2003) (brutally pretentious) 7eventy 5ive (2007) The Stepford Wives (2004) The Wisher (2002) Independence Day (1996) Top Gun (1986) Men in Black (1997) The Mist (2007) Shrek (2001) Dreamcatcher (2003) Grease 2 (1982) Jeepers Creepers (2001)
The first three minutes. Storm sinks ship crossing the Atlantic, then pan to San Francisco where they are going to dive over the wreck.
Ridiculous gore. What the heck was that open area of water at the top of the shark's head? And did they seriously throw chum at the side of the boat to simulate the blood loss from the attack?
This is easily the worst movie I've ever seen, but it is the kind of awful that makes it oh so worth the price of admission. I have never witnessed worse acting all around as real-life couple Brandi Sherwood and Dean Cochran (how are those for porn names?) scrape the very bottom of the acting barrel to great comedic effect.
A summary of the plot is quite unnecessary, as it is really a horrible Jaws pastiche- think greedy mayor, disgruntled but ever-hopeful hero guy trying to protect his family and add a goofy subplot involving predictably nefarious Russian diamond-hunters and you get the idea. The film is basically a composite of pre-recorded shark footage from the Discovery Channel (in fact, most of these scenes are played SEVERAL times within a few minutes) meshed with fake looking death scenes. And oh, are there a lot of death scenes. I've never seen a higher body count in a shark movie, and I have made an effort to see as many as possible. Definitely a case of quantity reigning victorious over any semblance of quality, but I digress.
A more warranted review of this movie would detail the numerously ridiculous and consequently wonderful mistakes:
Wagner, a so-called shark expert, informs the mayor that these pesky sharks are related to the Jurassic sharks of 50 million years ago. News flash: The Jurassic period ended 145 million years ago.
Sharks do not growl.
It is rare to see Great Whites together, but I'll be damned if they aren't chilling with their bros all up in this Shark Zone in about every sequence.
During several of the attack scenes, you can see the flesh of some animal used as bait tied to a fishing line. Well, gee, no wonder Wagner is only batting about .010 in terms of saving the many hapless victims. I guess all of the budget was spent on erasing the Discovery Channel logo from the footage.
The final shark scene in the pool features a SURFBOARD with a shark painted on the bottom.
How could a Spanish ship crossing the Atlantic ocean sink in the Pacific outside of San Francisco? Must have been one hell of a storm.
During Wagner's dream, his wife is dragged out of the boat by a shark that has crashed through the bottom. She is dragged into the water but somehow manages to splash and drip water from her submerged hands and arms.
Overall, my feelings about this movie are mixed. While it offers countless thrills in terms of sheer laughable entertainment, the truly scrate-awful acting and egregious errors render it nothing short of the worst movie ever made.
While we're at it, here is a list I made in 2011 or so of my 150 least favorite musical artists.
Just watched those clips in your post, trex. I definitely want to see the film in the second clip - that looks deliriously awful, and right up my alley for comedic gold!
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