Fight #4, Round One

Another sign that it's about time to end this blog is that it's getting harder and harder to form a list of 25 new contenders. I do have a list for you, though. It includes Wonderland, which I should point out is the 2003 film starring Val Kilmer. I've included mostly because of the inclusion this time around of Boogie Nights. Both of them are based on the porn star John Holmes, although Boogie Nights is more fictional. Dumb luck put them in the same group. I thought about cheating a little bit to put them in separate groups, but I decided to just let the random chance have its way.

There are a couple of other mini-themes in this first round, by the way. There are several war films. There are a few Steve Martin films. I'm curious to see whether or not On the Beach makes it past this round to battle On the Waterfront.

Having to specify precisely what Wonderland I'm including gives me an opportunity to remind you that, unless otherwise specified, any film discussed here in the original of that title, not a remake. Note that when you think about Rollerball and when you think about The Vanishing, which is the excellent 1988 film from the Netherlands, not the crappy 1993 American remake with the tacked-on happy ending.

By the way, The Maltese Falcon that we're talking about here is not the original film, but the 1941 version with with Humphrey Bogart. Not all remakes suck. I should also point out that After Hours is the Martin Scorsese film from 1985.

One other thing occurred to me just now. It's interesting that The Great Santini and The Sound of Music landed in the same group. They are quite different films, but I've been watching The Great Santini tonight, and there's a scene near the beginning that very much reminds me of the Von Trapp family until Julie Andrews got the father to mellow out a bit. I suspect very much that was what the director was going for.

Vote as usual in the comments section. Vote for up to three films in each group, in order of preference (best film first). If you haven't seen one of the films in a particular group, I encourage you to only vote for two films in that group. If there is more than one film you haven't seen in a particular group, you might only vote for one film in that group. You don't even have to cast votes in every group.

Group A)
The Gods Must Be Crazy
Little Miss Sunshine
Miller's Crossing
Rollerball
On the Beach

Group B)
The Maltese Falcon
The Vanishing
Trainspotting
The Killing Fields
The Sterile Cuckoo

Group C)
¡Three Amigos!
The Sound of Music
Full Metal Jacket
The Great Santini
The Snapper

Group D)
Wonderland
Amazon Women on the Moon
Boogie Nights
Platoon
Parenthood

Group E)
After Hours
The Jerk
Papillon
Paths of Glory
Suspiria

Vote soon!