Pre-60s: The Bridge on the River Kwai (HalifaxDrunk)
Best Picture: the Godfathr (Prototype)
Docu: Lawrence of Arabia (Jagger)
Foreign: Good, Bad and the Ugly (Dis)
Action: Raiders of the Lost Ark (Superflyer)
Animation: Toy Story (MattyC)
B&W: Casablanca (getbak)
Comedy: Office space (windom url)
Drama: shawshank (jagger)
Fantasy: The Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of the Ring (Flame of Liberty)
Musical: the Blues Brothers (HalifaxDrunk)
Sci-Fi: Star Wars (straybullet)
Sports: Hoosiers (Flamesguy_SJ)
Thriller: No Country for Old Men (Ro)
War: Saving Private Ryan (getbak)
Western: Unforgiven (getbak)
WC 1: Good Will Hunting (prototype)
WC 2: Grosse Pointe Blank (jerzeegirl)
WC 3: the Untouchables (windom)
WC 4: Jurassic Park (proto)
Colour me surprised at everyone picking Fellowship of the Ring as the best Fantasy pick in the draft. Nothing against it, I'm a huge LOTR fan, but I felt the other two movies were vastly superior (though I guess, on further reflection, they might be considered more 'action'-y than FOTR).
I'll have a list up sometime when I'm not writing (or avoiding writing) papers for school.
ETA: I think I should get some credit for Proto's Jurassic Park selection
Almost a no-brainer. One of the best movies of all-time, still timeless and entertaining to this day. A great pick, and great value at #12 overall.
Best Picture - The Godfather (Prototype)
IIRC, Proto- you said you hadn't seen this yet, right? Get on that my friend- it will blow you away! I watched it a couple months ago and was once again stunned by the quality of the filmmaking and the performances. A true American classic.
Documentary - Murderball (Prototype)
Almost went with Tilley's Hoop Dreams, but I found Murderball to be a little more entertaining/fascinating. Also worth noting that although I don't have a problem with picks like Private Parts or Apollo 13 in this category, I wanted to commend a true documentary.
Foreign - Amelie (Jerzee Girl)
Really tough category to judge. So many awesome movies. Again, as much as I love (LOVE!) Trainspotting and A Clockwork Orange, I don't consider them as foreign some of the other candidates. Narrowed it down to The Seven Samurai (fantastic movie, but is it even Kurosawa's best?), Oldboy (I have a huge soft spot for this one, but it's probably a little too flawed to deserve the title here), M, and the eventual winner, Amelie. How can you not love Amelie? I get a smile on my face just thinking about it.
Action - Die Hard (HalifaxDrunk)
I'm definitely all about "embracing the true spirit of the category," if you will, and Die Hard is as "action movie" as it gets. HD wins this round, although Raiders Of The Lost Ark is a very, very close second.
Animation - Finding Nemo (Displaced Flames fan)
My favorite Pixar film, and a visual treat. Would love to see this in Blu-Ray. Was #1 on my list by mile.
Black & White - Casablanca (getbak)
I really want to wimp out and make this a 5 way tie. Raging Bull, Touch Of Evil, Psycho, & 12 Angry Men deserve it just as much. But Casablanca is just "one of those films" that takes your breath away every time you see it. A stellar pick!
Comedy - Monty Python & The Search For The Holy Grail (Jagger)
Will always be on any short list of "funniest movies ever," and that's what this category is about. Honorable mention to Anchorman and Borat, which are endlessly quotable as well and have plenty of laugh out loud moments, but Monty Python and Jagger take this round.
Drama - Lost In Translation (Superflyer)
Could be an upset, but this is one movie I really wish I had on my team and had every opportunity to take it before Superflyer did. My loss, his gain. Captures the essence of feeling unfulfilled and lonely better than any movie I've ever seen, and Bill Murray is spellbindingly good. Close second to American Beauty.
Fantasy - The Princess Bride (getbak)
Again, I think Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich are far and away the two best films in this category, but aren't necessarily archtypal fantasy films. The LOTR films are so, so close, but The Princess Bride has a special, magical quality to it that seems to mesh well with the type of movie that should win in this category.
I almost shouldn't be judging this category, as I've seen maybe 4 or 5 of the 20 movies picked, and Singin' In The Rain isn't one of them. But it is the most celebrated musical chosen and is widely regarded as one of the best American films of the century, so Eastern Girl gets the nod here. Kudos to Stray Bullet for going with Purple Rain though.
Sci-Fi - Alien (octothorp)
This movie IS sci-fi to me. Like Die Hard, it almost defines the genre and is the standard against which you compare other similar movies. Eerie, convincing special effects, a feeling of paranoia throughout, fantastic set design... Alien is one kickass movie. Shout outs to Children Of Men and Terminator 2, although the latter is probably better suited for the action category. Whatever, it's also a kickass movie.
Sports - Slap Shot (WindomURL)
This is Calgarypuck. Duh.
Thriller/Horror - Se7en (Flame Of Liberty)
I love this one, and think it doesn't get mentioned enough as a great movie. Pitt and Freeman are wonderful, and the tension is still damn thick even when you've seen it a dozen times and know exactly "what's in the box." Also liked the Rear Window, Jaws, and The Exorcist picks here, but Se7en it is.
War - The Pianist (MattyC)
Another very tough category to judge. Saving Private Ryan is great, but for whatever reason it never captivated me in the way it seems to for many others. If either one of Paths Of Glory or Schindler's List were selected in this category, I'd have picked them, but no mas. So I'll take a personal fave in The Pianist with its tremendous Adrian Brody performance and some haunting Warsaw ghetto post-bombing images that remain in my head to this day.
Western - Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (Got Miikka?)
Watched this one with my Dad a handful of times growing up, so I have fond memories of this one. Although if Dis had put The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly here and not in foreign, I would've gone with that one. Still, Butch is a fun time and a worthy winner for sure.
Wildcards - Sling Blade (Displaced Flames fan) Stranger Than Fiction (octothorp) Mystic River (Flame Of Liberty) Into The Wild (doozwimp)
When I first looked at this one, I thought wow, how in the world do I judge this. I struggled at first, trying to decide how to approach it, and then looked at my wildcards- they were simply movies I loved and thought represented me and my taste in film, and just had to have on my team. The four movies above most closely resemble that kind of ideal, and would fit right in on The MacGuffins. Great movies, all 4 of them.
Pre-60s: Citizen Kane - liamenator One of the all-time classics. Broke a lot of new ground for what movies could be...and of course: "Rosebud"
Best Picture: The Godfather - Prototype Possibly the greatest movie ever made. Outstanding.
Documentary: Lawrence of Arabia - Jagger If there had been an "Epic" category, this would have been my pick. It was on my short list, I just wasn't sure of the category. I would have preferred to choose a true documentary, but unfortunately, I haven't seen enough of those that were picked.
Foreign: Lola Rennt - Eastern Girl I love everything German, except the food. Franka Potente with pink hair...
Action: The Bourne Identity - MattyC A real kick-ass action film. Franka Potente without pink hair...
Animation: Toy Story 2 - StrayBullet One of my all-time favourites, and as I said when it was chosen, along with The Godfather 2, one of the very few sequels that are superior to the original (and yes, I realize I just said that The Godfather was the best movie ever).
Black & White: Psycho - VANFLAMESFAN Hitchcock made great use of the black & white medium. Spectacular film.
Comedy: Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Jagger Classic comedy at its best.
Drama: Glengarry Glen Ross - ResAlien I love this movie. First prize is a Cadillac El Dorado. Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you're fired.
Fantasy: Big Fish - czure32 I really liked this movie.
Musical: Aladdin - Got Miikka? This was going to be my pick in the category. One of my all-time favourite Disney films.
Sci-Fi: Star Wars - StrayBullet It's Star Wars. That's it.
Sports: The Natural - REDVAN My second choice (and a hard decision) for this category.
Thiller/Horror: Se7en - Flame Of Liberty Another amazing movie. Brilliant performances all around.
War: Downfall - Ro This is the only movie in the entire draft that I felt I let get away from me. Absolutely incredible performances by everyone. Amazing that a film featuring so many horrible people can be so spectacular.
Western: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Got Miikka? Another one that was second on my list and I struggled with the decision. Great movie and great performances.
Wildcard #1: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl - Superflyer I'm a bit of a Disney park freak and this captured the fun of the ride perfectly (unlike Eddie Murphy's Haunted Mansion).
Wildcard #2: Grosse Pointe Blank - JerzeeGirl Another movie that I just enjoy.
Wildcard #3: Ferris Beuller's Day Off - octothorp Classic 80s.
Wildcard #4: Jurassic Park - Prototype Great popcorn flick.
__________________
Turn up the good, turn down the suck!
Your GM?-selected 2008 CP Movie Draft All-Stars, cont...
Science Fiction - RoboCop (WindomURL)
Well there can be plenty of debate around how exactly to define 'science' fiction - I tend to think a lot of it leans closer to fantasy - but despite being in many ways completely implausible I think RoboCop absolutely nails the dystopic-future setting that typifies a lot of sci-fi; in addition, it features some outstanding special effects (the ED-209 stop-motion miniatures look fantastic 20 years later), a compelling, theme-rich story, and of course, all kinds of thrilling, grotesque action from director Paul Verhoeven, when he was at or near his peak. Not to mention the dark humor laced throughout the script - including some fun quotables, such as "Can you fly, Bobby?", "Buddy, I think you're slime", "Think you can outsmart a bullet?" or "Sayonara, RoboCop!" Lots of good picks in this category, but RoboCop is tops for me.
Sports - Slap Shot (WindomURL)
Two in a row for Windom! I tend to agree with the "Well duh!" factor on this pick - although I can't discount 80's Kevin Costner baseball movies, Charlie "Wild Thing" Sheen, or Gene Hackman's high school basketball coach. But, when you need a little comic relief at a Flames game and the jumbotron maestros are in charge, what are you going to see? You guessed it: clips of the Hanson brothers and a guy getting hit in the head with a puck. Easy laughs.
Thriller - Se7en (Flame of Liberty)
Se7en still reigns supreme in the David Fincher filmography - among some other top-notch work in Fight Club and more recently the obsessively detailed, engrossing Zodiac (looking forward to Benjamin Button just because it's Fincher). This gritty neo-noir hits all the right notes - fine performances from Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, set effectively against a desolate, rainy nameless-city backdrop; highly stylized and evocative. The payoff in this film loses little of its punch on repeated viewings; Kevin Spacey is pitch-perfect in a small role (so is Gwyneth Paltrow, if only because she seems so porcelain by contrast to the movie she is in). Fincher draws thrills from steeping the whole thing in an overriding dread - we keep expecting for the worst... it just takes until the end to happen.
War - Apocalypse Now (octothorp)
Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket really gives Coppola's opus a run for its money - but I find Jacket top-heavy; it reaches its crescendo during its powerful opening act (which is by no means a committed indictment of the film as a whole). Apocalypse Now is truly a monumental movie event that I don't think will ever really be contested for what it achieves - the concept alone is incomparable. The odyssey the viewer undertakes here is staggering; what is amazing to me that film reaches a satisfactory level of genius before it ever thinks about bringing Marlon Brando in. The jury is out on whether the extra goodies in the Redux version enhance the experience or bog it down; nevertheless, Apocalypse Now is the apex of war movies - and indeed, a contender for overall best-ever status.
Western - Unforgiven (getbak)
Kicked myself up and down the draft for not taking this when I had a chance. Unforgiven is a perfect movie, flawless in every aspect from top to bottom. The storied Clint Eastwood has never been as good as he is here (in front of and behind the camera) - and that is saying a lot. An incredible, subverisive script, tremendous performances (Gene Hackman is just something else here), the right amount of humor ("The duck of death?" "Um - that's duke"), and a climax that is second-to-none. Bonus that the whole marvellous thing was shot in and around southern Alberta. Some good company, though: I thought 3:10 to Yuma was a very very well-done modern western, and, well, the other big name wasn't even selected in this category.
Wilcards
1 The Matador - superb hidden gem
2 Unbreakable - clever take on the superhero genre; Shama-llama's best
3 Fast Times At Ridgemont High - still one of the best R-rated comedies
4 Dumb & Dumber - Jim Carrey's/Farrely brothers' finest hour (and a half)
Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket really gives Coppola's opus a run for its money - but I find Jacket top-heavy; it reaches its crescendo during its powerful opening act (which is by no means a committed indictment of the film as a whole). Apocalypse Now is truly a monumental movie event that I don't think will ever really be contested for what it achieves - the concept alone is incomparable. The odyssey the viewer undertakes here is staggering; what is amazing to me that film reaches a satisfactory level of genius before it ever thinks about bringing Marlon Brando in. The jury is out on whether the extra goodies in the Redux version enhance the experience or bog it down; nevertheless, Apocalypse Now is the apex of war movies - and indeed, a contender for overall best-ever status.
You know what, for whatever reason I totally skipped over Apocalypse Now when judging this category. Not surprising when you're doing it at 3 in the morning, but I am stumped as to how I completely missed it. My all-star pick of The Pianist will still stand, but I must admit I think AN is the better film and probably a more deserving "all-star winner" for this category. Good mini writeup BTW GotMiikka!
I feel like I really came up with a great idea now!
Greatest draft to date!
__________________ I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love." - John Steinbeck
In lieu of recient comments, WindomURL has been suspended by the Movie Draft Thread from making any more funny, yet unoriginal comments. This suspension will cost Windom nothing, and while it prevents him from making anymore picks, there's no more picks to make...
The Thread is disapointed that Windom had to stoop as low as to quote Sean Avery in order to get laughs, as he's quite the funny personality on his own. But, the Thread also understands that he had to do to what he had to do to keep a thread containing a draft that has been completed alive.
The timeframe for Windom to be un-suspended is unclear at this time, but it is likely more harsh of a sentence than the NHL gave Mr. Avery, as a suspension really doesn't mean anything here either.
Continue about your business...
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6DTM is very pleased to select, with our third wildcard pick, Stranger than Fiction.
I just watched this last night for the first time because of this draft and I have to say that it was great. I thought that it was going to be a typical Will Farrel movie but was really suprised.
I loved his character in it and thought that the entire movie was made really well. Glad that I watched it now.
I just watched this last night for the first time because of this draft and I have to say that it was great. I thought that it was going to be a typical Will Farrel movie but was really suprised.
I loved his character in it and thought that the entire movie was made really well. Glad that I watched it now.
Thanks for the tip
Glad to hear that you liked it. As I said when I picked it, the quirky, existential story is really clever, and so well-acted by everyone, especially this wonderfully subdued and sympathetic performance by Farrell.
For what it's worth, here's the all-star voting so far. I'm listing only those movies to receive two or more votes, with leaders bolded:
pre-60s: North By Northwest (2), Bridge Over River Kwai (2), Citizen Kane (2)
Best Picture: The Godfather (3), Pulp Fiction (2)
Documentary / Non fiction: Lawrence of Arabia (3), Apollo 13 (2)
Foreign: none
Action: Raiders of the Lost Ark (4), Bourne Identity (2)
Animation: Toy Story (2), Toy Story 2 (2), Nightmare Before Christmas (2)
B&W: Casablanca (3)
Comedy: Monty Python and The Quest for the Holy Grail (3), Big Lebowski (2)
Drama: Shawshank (3), Lost in Translation (2)
Fantasy: Return of the King (2), Fellowship of the Ring (2), Neverending Story (2), Princess Bride (2)
Musical: Singing in the Rain (3), School of Rock (3), Blues Brothers (2)
Sci-Fi: Star Wars (2), Blade Runner (2)
Sports: Slap Shot (3), Hoosiers (2)
Thriller: Se7en (5), Usual Suspects (2)
War: Apocalypse Now (3), Downfall (2)
Western: Unforgiven (4), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (2)
Wildcards: Grosse Pointe Blank (3), Good Will Hunting (2), Rocky Horror Picture Show (2), The Matador (2), Stranger than Fiction (2)
I think if we do it, it's gonna happen after the holidays. People will hopefully have more time to handle it then... I'd definitely be up for it though.
__________________ I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love." - John Steinbeck
In the comedy category, TEAM Wishwedidaporndraft is happy to select the funniest movie of the last 10 years.
BORAT: Cultural Learnings of American for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Sasha Baron Cohen is a comedy genius, the guy is so bloody talented and one of his most popular characters made the seemless jump to the big screen in this 2006 mockumentary. After making an amazing 26.4 million on a miniscule 837 theatres, people took notice and pretty soon, everyone and their dog was saying, "NICE" "I LIKE, HOW MUCH??"
Here's some bits from Borat:
I like many of you have been going to movies since I can remember. I have never been in a theatre that was as off the wall as it was during the hotel scene. I couldn't believe it. People were literally crying in their seats. As disturbing as that scene is, it will go down as one of the funniest gross out scenes in history.
Trailer
I just saw this for the first time yesterday.
Honestly, I did not laugh once. I thought it was rather dumb. The accent was pseudo-Italian (maybe that's part of the joke?). I just didn't get it I guess. And as far as the mockumentary 'genre' goes, I think it pales in comparison to the Guest films.
I'm not an uptight, unfunny guy either. I adore good comedy.
Maybe I'm the only one that thought this was garbage?
I don't mean this post to slag your pick either, there are certainly picks of mine that very few people like. I'm just wondering if I'm alone in my view and really what people found funny about it.
__________________ I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love." - John Steinbeck
Last edited by Displaced Flames fan; 12-31-2008 at 11:26 PM.
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