I'd like to recap the results of the four Film Fights we've had. Of the 124 films that we've voted on, 20 have appeared on at least one top ten list. I've listed these 20 films below, along with the number of times each has made it to the top ten. Congratulations to the 3 films that appeared on all four top ten lists. They must be pretty good.
My intention was to make a composite top ten list. I think the 9 films that have appeared on more than one top ten list should probably be included. Originally, I was going to say that films introduced in competition 3 or 4 (indicated with an asterisk) should be given some extra consideration, but now that I see the results, I don't think either of those would be my personal choice. Actually, I don't know which I would include as #10. Quite possibly Yojimbo, but there are a few other films on that list that I might pick instead. You pick your own #10 from that list, okay?
It's been fun. As I said before, I might do Film Fight #5 some day, but it won't be any time soon.
4 2001: A Space Odyssey
4 My Life as a Dog
4 The Third Man
3 Brazil
3 Cool Hand Luke
3 The Godfather
3 Midnight Cowboy
3 Seven Samurai
2 Blade Runner
1 Casablanca*
1 Citizen Kane
1 City of God*
1 A Clockwork Orange
1 Dr. Strangelove
1 A Face in the Crowd
1 M
1 Ran
1 Run Lola Run
1 To Kill a Mockingbird
1 Yojimbo
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Results of Film Fight #4
We have winners. Escape Goat and I were each right about the group of death, in different ways. Escape Goat is right, because I've chosen to keep both of the runners-up from group D as top ten films. I'm right because, without IMDB votes, group A has a four-way tie for second place, with #1 not far ahead. Even with the IMDB votes it's a close call. By the way, I'm not officially counting IMDB votes, but I did use them to break some ties, such as the one in group A. (I do have enough votes with counting IMDB. Bill voted on paper Sunday night.)
Before I give you the results, I wish to point out that I will write one more post, sort of a recap of... well, just come back in a couple days and see.
The winners of the five final groups are
2001: A Space Odyssey
Casablanca
The Godfather
My Life as a Dog
Seven Samurai
A while back, I got an anonymous comment opining that 2001 doesn't belong on an all-time top ten list. But Anonymous never came back to vote, and 2001 keeps winning.
It was fairly easy for me to pick films 6 through 9, but number 10 was a bit tough. I finally decided to give the nod to a film that, while excellent, hasn't made it to the top ten before. Selected from the 10 runners-up, the bottom half of top ten list #4 is (in alphabetical order)
Brazil
City of God
Cool Hand Luke
Midnight Cowboy
The Third Man
There you have it. Again, please remember to come back in a couple of days to read the final post.
Before I give you the results, I wish to point out that I will write one more post, sort of a recap of... well, just come back in a couple days and see.
The winners of the five final groups are
2001: A Space Odyssey
Casablanca
The Godfather
My Life as a Dog
Seven Samurai
A while back, I got an anonymous comment opining that 2001 doesn't belong on an all-time top ten list. But Anonymous never came back to vote, and 2001 keeps winning.
It was fairly easy for me to pick films 6 through 9, but number 10 was a bit tough. I finally decided to give the nod to a film that, while excellent, hasn't made it to the top ten before. Selected from the 10 runners-up, the bottom half of top ten list #4 is (in alphabetical order)
Brazil
City of God
Cool Hand Luke
Midnight Cowboy
The Third Man
There you have it. Again, please remember to come back in a couple of days to read the final post.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Final Groups
Well, it appears that it's time for the very last round of voting. We have come to the final round of what will be the last Film Fight, at least for a while. At this point we have a top 25 list that is hard to improve. In Film Fight number 4 only 5 newcomers displaced previous winners to make it into the top 25 (Paths of Glory, The Maltese Falcon, Papillon, Trainspotting, The Gods Must Be Crazy). It would only become harder for a new contender to make the list. Sure, there are some excellent films that I've unintentionally overlooked, such as Taxi Driver, but right now I can't think of enough real contenders to make another complete Film Fight worthwhile. I will keep a list of possible contenders, and maybe someday, if the candidates look promising enough, I'll post another competition. But for now at least, this is the finale.
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)
City of God
Touch of Evil
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Maltese Falcon
2001: A Space Odyssey
Group B)
La Strada
Schindler's List
My Life as a Dog
Paths of Glory
A Clockwork Orange
Group C)
Trainspotting
Casablanca
Blade Runner
Brazil
Papillon
Group D)
Citizen Kane
Yojimbo
The Third Man
The Godfather
Midnight Cowboy
Group E)
Seven Samurai
Bombay
M
Cool Hand Luke
The Gods Must Be Crazy
Vote soon!
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)
City of God
Touch of Evil
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Maltese Falcon
2001: A Space Odyssey
Group B)
La Strada
Schindler's List
My Life as a Dog
Paths of Glory
A Clockwork Orange
Group C)
Trainspotting
Casablanca
Blade Runner
Brazil
Papillon
Group D)
Citizen Kane
Yojimbo
The Third Man
The Godfather
Midnight Cowboy
Group E)
Seven Samurai
Bombay
M
Cool Hand Luke
The Gods Must Be Crazy
Vote soon!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Results: Fight #4, Round 2
Well, a classic film has been voted out of our competition after a good run. We must say farewell to The Wizard of Oz. As a salute, I offer the following video. I recommend that you view it, even if you're not into Bobby McFerrin.
The inclusion or non-inclusion of IMDB "votes" had no real effect in this round. Officially, I am including them. I am also negating their effect. You see, in Group F, without the IMDB votes, Trainspotting makes it to the next round. With the IMDB votes, M makes it to the next round instead. But this is the round in which I get to rescue one film from the chopping block, or cutting room floor, if you prefer. So I will count the IMDB votes, but I will use my rescue vote to include Trainspotting in the final 25.
As usual, I have put the actual group winners in boldface type in my previous post. In my next post (tomorrow), I will place the final 25 films in their groups for the final competition. So come back soon.
The inclusion or non-inclusion of IMDB "votes" had no real effect in this round. Officially, I am including them. I am also negating their effect. You see, in Group F, without the IMDB votes, Trainspotting makes it to the next round. With the IMDB votes, M makes it to the next round instead. But this is the round in which I get to rescue one film from the chopping block, or cutting room floor, if you prefer. So I will count the IMDB votes, but I will use my rescue vote to include Trainspotting in the final 25.
As usual, I have put the actual group winners in boldface type in my previous post. In my next post (tomorrow), I will place the final 25 films in their groups for the final competition. So come back soon.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Round 2 of Film Fight #4
Well, looking at the results from round 1, we won't be able to have the On the Beach vs. On the Waterfront matchup I wanted to see. But I do have the new groups for round 2. Groups were chosen the same way I've done before, ensuring in each group a mix of newcomers and previous winners. Of course, one group must contain one poor newcomer against four previously established winners. I tried to limit the number of top ten films in this group to keep it balanced.
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)
Seven Samurai
The Manchurian Candidate
Paths of Glory
The Wizard of Oz
Casablanca
Group B)
Schindler's List
Boogie Nights
Bombay
¡Three Amigos!
Citizen Kane
Group C)
After Hours
A Clockwork Orange
The Third Man
Platoon
2001: A Space Odyssey
Group D)
Straw Dogs
The Maltese Falcon
Midnight Cowboy
Wonderland
Brazil
Group E)
To Kill a Mockingbird
Papillon
On the Waterfront
The Vanishing
The Godfather
Group F)
La Strada
Miller's Crossing
M
Trainspotting
Yojimbo
Group G)
Cool Hand Luke
The Snapper
City of God
Little Miss Sunshine
Blade Runner
Group H)
Touch of Evil
The Gods Must Be Crazy
Let the Right One In
Full Metal Jacket
My Life as a Dog
Vote soon!
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)
Seven Samurai
The Manchurian Candidate
Paths of Glory
The Wizard of Oz
Casablanca
Group B)
Schindler's List
Boogie Nights
Bombay
¡Three Amigos!
Citizen Kane
Group C)
After Hours
A Clockwork Orange
The Third Man
Platoon
2001: A Space Odyssey
Group D)
Straw Dogs
The Maltese Falcon
Midnight Cowboy
Wonderland
Brazil
Group E)
To Kill a Mockingbird
Papillon
On the Waterfront
The Vanishing
The Godfather
Group F)
La Strada
Miller's Crossing
M
Trainspotting
Yojimbo
Group G)
Cool Hand Luke
The Snapper
City of God
Little Miss Sunshine
Blade Runner
Group H)
Touch of Evil
The Gods Must Be Crazy
Let the Right One In
Full Metal Jacket
My Life as a Dog
Vote soon!
Results of Competition #1, Round One
I did not get any votes from Bill this time, nor any new voters, but it's time to declare winners. I'm reasonably content with the results as they are, anyway. I did compile a set of votes based on IMDB user ratings. This time it makes no difference whether these votes are included or not, the top three films in each group would be exactly the same, either way. (However, not the "votes", but the ratings themselves played a small role, as I will explain shortly.)
I was outvoted in a couple groups, but can't really argue with the outcomes. In group B, I really feel that The Killing Fields is an excellent film, but The Maltese Falcon was included instead. As I said, I can't really argue with that, as the latter film is a fine one, packed with extraordinary performances. In group E, I voted for The Jerk, which I do think is a very funny, very original classic film. But of course Paths of Glory got through instead, which is fine by me. I probably voted for The Jerk simply because I've seen it far more times and remember it better. But Paths of Glory is an excellent, important film.
I was also outvoted in group D, but that was a little more complicated. Earlier I mentioned the IMDB "votes". According to IMDB, the top three films in this group are Platoon, Boogie Nights, and Parenthood (in that order). Thus, the other two films in this group got no votes from IMDB. When I combine EscapeGoat's votes my my own (with or without the IMDB votes), the top two films are Platoon and Boogie Nights, but for third place there is a tie between Wonderland and Amazon Women on the Moon. I could break this tie by picking my own favorite, but these are two very different films, hard to compare. As I said before, neither one got any IMDB "votes", but I decided to use their IMDB ratings to break the tie. Thus Wonderland squeaks into the next round. Too bad about Amazon Women on the Moon, it is a very funny, talent-packed film. But it is interesting that Boogie Nights and Wonderland, forced into the same group, both made it to the next round. Only one Steve Martin film out of three, though.
The group winners appear in boldface type in my previous post. The next round will be posted shortly, either late tonight, or sometime tomorrow.
I was outvoted in a couple groups, but can't really argue with the outcomes. In group B, I really feel that The Killing Fields is an excellent film, but The Maltese Falcon was included instead. As I said, I can't really argue with that, as the latter film is a fine one, packed with extraordinary performances. In group E, I voted for The Jerk, which I do think is a very funny, very original classic film. But of course Paths of Glory got through instead, which is fine by me. I probably voted for The Jerk simply because I've seen it far more times and remember it better. But Paths of Glory is an excellent, important film.
I was also outvoted in group D, but that was a little more complicated. Earlier I mentioned the IMDB "votes". According to IMDB, the top three films in this group are Platoon, Boogie Nights, and Parenthood (in that order). Thus, the other two films in this group got no votes from IMDB. When I combine EscapeGoat's votes my my own (with or without the IMDB votes), the top two films are Platoon and Boogie Nights, but for third place there is a tie between Wonderland and Amazon Women on the Moon. I could break this tie by picking my own favorite, but these are two very different films, hard to compare. As I said before, neither one got any IMDB "votes", but I decided to use their IMDB ratings to break the tie. Thus Wonderland squeaks into the next round. Too bad about Amazon Women on the Moon, it is a very funny, talent-packed film. But it is interesting that Boogie Nights and Wonderland, forced into the same group, both made it to the next round. Only one Steve Martin film out of three, though.
The group winners appear in boldface type in my previous post. The next round will be posted shortly, either late tonight, or sometime tomorrow.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
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!
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!
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