MOFO Movie Tournament 2012 Bracket 4

[rauldc14]

Up until June 24th! Enjoy!

Bracket 4
1. Woman in the Dunes
16. The Assignment

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens

5. One Deadly Summer
12. 3 Women

4. Let the Right One In
13. The Shining (1980)

3. Eat, Drink, Man, Women
14. The Godfather

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

7. Psycho
10. To Be or Not to Be

2. Adaptation
15. Brick

[HitchFan97]

6 of these films are in my Top 50 (including my favorite film) but they're all in different matchups... :shrug: I should be seeing Donnie Darko pretty soon though.

[wintertriangles]

Bracket 4
1. Woman in the Dunes
16. The Assignment

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens

5. One Deadly Summer (need to see)
12. 3 Women (need to see)

4. Let the Right One In
13. The Shining (1980)

3. Eat, Drink, Man, Women
14. The Godfather

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

7. Psycho
10. To Be or Not to Be (need to see)

2. Adaptation
15. Brick

[Brodinski]

Bracket 4
1. Woman in the Dunes
16. The Assignment

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens

5. One Deadly Summer
12. 3 Women

4. Let the Right One In
13. The Shining (1980)

3. Eat, Drink, Man, Women
14. The Godfather

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

7. Psycho
10. To Be or Not to Be

2. Adaptation
15. Brick

[Harry Lime]

Bracket 4
1. Woman in the Dunes
16. The Assignment

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens

5. One Deadly Summer
12. 3 Women

4. Let the Right One In
13. The Shining (1980)

3. Eat, Drink, Man, Women
14. The Godfather

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

7. Psycho
10. To Be or Not to Be

2. Adaptation
15. Brick

Think I'll watch Brick sometime soon because I've been wanting to see it, but as for the rest I probably won't bother just to vote.

[wintertriangles]

I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to watch The Assignment

[mark f]

Horse Pucky.

[honeykid]

4. Let the Right One In
13. The Shining (1980)

3. Eat, Drink, Man, Women
14. The Godfather

7. Psycho
10. To Be or Not to Be

I can't decide between Airplane! and Donnie Darko, atm. My instinct is DD, but Airplane! really is very funny and it's not often I think that about a film.

HL, you really should take a look at Eat, Drink, Man, Woman. I think it's a film you might like. I'm assuming that that's the one you haven't seen in that match-up? :D

[mark f]

Bracket 4

Woman in the Dunes (just watched again last week)
The Assignment

Magnolia
Aliens

One Deadly Summer (no contest)
3 Women

Let the Right One In
The Shining (1980)

Very difficult. I may watch both again before I vote.

Eat, Drink, Man, Woman
The Godfather

Airplane! (tough choice)
Donnie Darko

Psycho
To Be or Not to Be (very good movie)

Adaptation (kinda boring matchup)
Brick

[Tyler1]

Bracket 4
1. Woman in the Dunes
16. The Assignment (not seen)

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens

5. One Deadly Summer (not seen)
12. 3 Women

4. Let the Right One In
13. The Shining (1980)

3. Eat, Drink, Man, Women
14. The Godfather

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

7. Psycho
10. To Be or Not to Be

2. Adaptation
15. Brick (not seen)

[stevo3001]

Bracket 4

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens

(easily)

4. Let the Right One In
13. The Shining (1980)

(not a big fan of either film, they both look very stylish but not much more)

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

(by miles)

7. Psycho
10. To Be or Not to Be

(I like Psycho and love To Be or Not To Be)

2. Adaptation
15. Brick

(Adaptation is clotted and frustrating to me, but I don't like Brick at all)

I'll try to watch The Assignment, 3 Women, One Deadly Summer and Eat Drink Man Woman soon.

[Tyler1]

Some explanations. Discussions are welcome.

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens

I love PT Anderson. There Will Be Blood and Boogie Nights are my favourites from the director. Now, Magnolia has some intense and riveting performances, but at times the movie strains to connect with the audience. I'm not a sucker for melodrama, and some scenes such as the raining frogs were totally unnecessary other than to communicate the idea of inter-relationship between the characters. Aliens is one fine shoot-them-up movie that I have watched many times, even though the tension was lacking and Newt was terribly annoying.

4. Let the Right One In
13. The Shining (1980)

I am one of the few on this site that believes The Shining to be the greatest horror movie ever made. This is a very dense Kubrick movie that can be interpreted from different angles.

3. Eat, Drink, Man, Women
14. The Godfather

Eat, Drink, Man, Women is a fine movie. It made me hungry. Even more so than watching other food-related movies such as Tampopo and Babette's Feast. But against a towering movie in American cinema, even Ang Lee's film appears so insignificant.

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

I remember laughing quite a lot while watching Airplane! Some of the gags fall flat, the bar scene with Staying Alive playing in the background was unnecessary, but still its an enjoyable ride. I refuse to take Donne Darko seriously as a movie.

7. Psycho
10. To Be or Not to Be

Simple choice. Somehow I dont consider Psycho to be a "horror" movie; thats because I wasnt as turned on by the shower scene than most other people, but its almost film-noir with an intricate story that works on so many levels as an anti-detective story, and 2 crimes crossing paths with each other that the viewer has to make his choice whether to sympathise with our beautiful main character who was killed off halfway into the movie. Psycho broke free from all conventions. This is THE hitchcock movie.

That is not to say To Be or Not to Be is a bad movie. I have seen 3 Lubitsch films (the other two being The Shop Around the Corner and Trouble In Paradise). To Be or Not to Be is the weakest of the three.

[linespalsy]

I'll try and comment on some of these later, though I still owe some comments in the other tournaments.

Bracket 4
1. Woman in the Dunes
16. The Assignment

Hey, Rebecca got bored, but I really liked The Assignment. Thanks for getting me to watch it, mark!

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens

(need to see) 5. One Deadly Summer
12. 3 Women

4. Let the Right One In
13. The Shining (1980)

I have to think about this one some more.

3. Eat, Drink, Man, Woman
14. The Godfather

Another very tough pair. I might watch Eat Drink Man Woman again just to be sure. In the past I would have picked it easily, but I've just revisited The Godfather in the last couple months (as well as Part II which isn't even close, but that's neither here nor there).

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

Am I the only one who thinks it's odd these two got paired up? I haven't seen Airplane! in ages but I've got too many others to see (/again) in this tournament to make it a priority. I don't love either of these.

7. Psycho
(need to see) 10. To Be or Not to Be

2. Adaptation
15. Brick

[Nausicaä]

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens

5. One Deadly Summer
12. 3 Women

4. Let the Right One In
13. The Shining (1980)

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

7. Psycho
10. To Be or Not to Be

2. Adaptation
15. Brick

[honeykid]

I don't know if I'll get to see Magnolia or not. But it's depressing to see Aliens kicking its arse. :(

[HitchFan97]

One Deadly Summer (no contest)
3 Women

You didn't like 3 Women?

Btw, Tyler, I'll agree with you that The Shining is the best horror movie ever.

[re93animator]

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens

4. Let the Right One In
13. The Shining (1980)

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

7. Psycho
10. To Be or Not to Be

[mark f]

You didn't like 3 Women?

Btw, Tyler, I'll agree with you that The Shining is the best horror movie ever.

I didn't really like 3 Women when I saw it at the theatre when first released, nor did I like it when it first came out on video, and I had some major problems with it last week when I watched it with friends and family. After I finished it, I started listening to Altman's commentary and eventually checked what he said about the ending and the pile of tires, and what he said made absolutely no sense. I'm sure it's a very personal film for Altman, but he shouldn't try to interpret this film because he cannot do it without sounding somewhat ludicrous.

The Shining is good but about a half hour too long. It would still be a slow buildup even at 110 minutes.

[The Rodent]

I've not voted in the others, but after the shoutbox request, I'll give my vote on Bracket 4...

Bracket 4
1. Woman in the Dunes
16. The Assignment

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens

5. One Deadly Summer
12. 3 Women

4. Let the Right One In
13. The Shining (1980)

3. Eat, Drink, Man, Women
14. The Godfather

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

7. Psycho
10. To Be or Not to Be

2. Adaptation
15. Brick

[donniedarko]

Well since you asked for more voters in the shoutbox…

1. Woman in the Dunes
16. The Assignment

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens

5. One Deadly Summer
12. 3 Women

4. Let the Right One In
13.The Shining (1980)

3. Eat, Drink, Man, Women (haven't seen, can't imagine being better then GF tho)
14. The Godfather

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

7. Psycho
10. To Be or Not to Be

2. Adaptation
15. Brick

If I see anymore films on here I'll just edit this post

[Tyler1]

Can I confirm that To Be or Not to Be is the Ernst Lubitsch film, and not the 1983 remake? It's not like it would make any difference anyway...

[mark f]

Yes, it's the 1942 original. I think this is the third time this question has been answered.

[Tyler1]

Okay thank you!

[Thursday Next]

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens

No contest.

4. Let the Right One In
13. The Shining (1980)

This is cruel - two of my favourite horror films pitted against each other. The Shining will win, but Let the Right One In deserves some recognition.

[honeykid]

If I see anymore films on here I'll just edit this post
Always make a new post, DD. It makes it easier for Dustin to see when someone's added new choices. :)

[Harry Lime]

2. Adaptation
15. Brick

Think I'll watch Brick sometime soon because I've been wanting to see it, but as for the rest I probably won't bother just to vote.
I watched Brick, and it was an interesting film, but my vote definitely goes to Adaptation.

[thracian dawg]

Simple choice. Somehow I dont consider Psycho to be a "horror" movie; thats because I wasnt as turned on by the shower scene than most other people, but its almost film-noir with an intricate story that works on so many levels as an anti-detective story, and 2 crimes crossing paths with each other that the viewer has to make his choice whether to sympathise with our beautiful main character who was killed off halfway into the movie. Psycho broke free from all conventions. This is THE Hitchcock movie.

That transfer of affection is where all the power of Psycho comes from. Although the Perkin's character is slightly off: the audience immediately transfers their sympathy to him when she's killed by Mommy dearest. The Janet Leigh character was kinda sketchy from the get go. She was floozy; she had trysts on her lunch break. She was a thief; she stole from her employer. So the audience was more than willing to jump out of her boat into his, and root for him. The shock of the reveal comes from the audience realizing they've accidentally sided with the killer.

[rauldc14]

As a thriller of course any Hitchcock in general is great, but I think Psycho is one of those true masterpieces

[honeykid]

That transfer of affection is where all the power of Psycho comes from.
It's a nice theory but, as I'd expect most people watching this for the first time now are well aware of who's who, I don't see this can be were all Psycho's power comes from.

[Tyler1]

It's a nice theory but, as I'd expect most people watching this for the first time now are well aware of who's who, I don't see this can be were all Psycho's power comes from.

But Psycho is much more than its shower scene. Was Hitchcock a misogynist? Most people who watch Psycho wouldnt care about Janet Leigh's character. What appears to be an ordinary detective/ serial killer movie was only just a back-story. In fact we were more amused with Perkin's character and his crime than Leigh's.

[rauldc14]

Perkins character was the true staple of what made the movie what it is. We were always curious to see what his next move was. Though I did feel a bit attached to Leigh's character as well.

[thracian dawg]

It's a nice theory but, as I'd expect most people watching this for the first time now are well aware of who's who, I don't see this can be were all Psycho's power comes from.

Entire sub-genres of this film have been invented in the 52 years since it's original release. So yeah, the kids watching Pyscho for the first time would be definitely more self aware of the codes and even inoculated against extreme representations of horror. Just how original this film was---after Norman is caught---the film actually takes the time to explain Norman's strange behavior to the audience.

[rauldc14]

The thing is I just saw Psycho for the first time about 2 years ago and have at least seen it 4-5 times since. It is a movie that can seem to grow on you and really is an intricate and thought-provoking film. I think it would have been a great choice for the chat discussion as well.

[Tyler1]

Like I said, Psycho was and still is a very unconventional film because of the many layers. What I like most was that all of the characters were kept in the dark till the very end, when the motives of Perkin's character came to light.

[honeykid]

But Psycho is much more than its shower scene. Was Hitchcock a misogynist? Most people who watch Psycho wouldnt care about Janet Leigh's character. What appears to be an ordinary detective/ serial killer movie was only just a back-story. In fact we were more amused with Perkin's character and his crime than Leigh's.

Entire sub-genres of this film have been invented in the 52 years since it's original release. So yeah, the kids watching Pyscho for the first time would be definitely more self aware of the codes and even inoculated against extreme representations of horror. Just how original this film was---after Norman is caught---the film actually takes the time to explain Norman's strange behavior to the audience.
This was kind of my point. The power of Psycho is far greater and more complicated than a transfer of affection, which is what Tdawg credited it to in the post I replied to.

[HitchFan97]

Are you guys having a Psycho discussion without me?? :eek: Anyways, I agree that the transfer of affection caused by the Shower Scene is just one of many genius aspects of the film. Like Rauldc, I did grow a bit fond of the Janet Leigh character (another testament to the strength of Hitch's audience manipulation) but once Perkins took over I suppose I was too enthralled by the mystery to care very much that she was gone. Such a brilliant subversion of traditional thriller narrative.

[thracian dawg]

1. Woman in the Dunes
16. The Assignment


One glaring plot hole I spotted in Aliens this rewatch was the time line, it's a little wonky. They lose contact with the shake and bake colony and the marine ship is dispatched to investigate. When they emerge from hypersleep, there's sense of urgency and being rushed into last minute service; however the implantation process has clearly been established (in Newt's case) has only being 20 or 30 minutes. But hypersleep implies months or years of space travel. The marines conveniently get to fight it out with a handful of bugs rather a whole colony of them. Magnolia wins with it's loose connection and epic disconnections and the slow character reveals.

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens


Technically the Shining should win on points, The various elements in the Shining are all top notch. Impeccable set and sound design. The dramatic compositions and camerawork. I'll just mention the scene where Jack smashes through his apartment door. The camera pulls back like a coiled spring and travels forward into the door then repeats this side to side whip pan. Gorgeous stuff. The horror in the Shining is more cerebral whereas Let the right one in's tone is much more visceral, it's also a love story. But the outright creepiness of Let the right one in takes his match-up.

There's a flurry of questions that comes with the ending. Eli's growing annoyance at the old man who can no longer adequately provide for him---he's becoming absent minded; the old man's kills are now completely opportunistic, he no longer has the patience or strength of a great hunter. So Eli has been looking for a replacement for some time now, someone with a soft spot for him and a very special skill set. The shot with the cluster of rings in the egg puzzle, suggests just how many protectors Eli has had during his life. Has he divined that Oscar will have no trouble becoming a serial killer for him? Has he divined Oscar, when he grows older, will develop special feelings for him? The story was set in 1981, so Oscar would now be around 43 now whereas Eli would still be 12. Are they still in love? Ewwww.

4. Let the Right One In
13. The Shining

[wintertriangles]

7. Psycho
10. To Be or Not to Be

Psycho will spank this anyway, but I love Lubitsch

[HitchFan97]

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

Just saw Donnie Darko today, as part of an effort to catch up on some more recent films for the MoFo Millennium Top 100. Very good film, it's probably gonna make my list, but Airplane! is the funniest movie I've ever seen.

[wintertriangles]

5. One Deadly Summer
12. 3 Women

My gut goes against my tendency here

[Tyler1]

Bracket 4
1. Woman in the Dunes
16. The Assignment
No contest. Woman in the dunes is a totally unique and imaginative film. A minimalist masterpiece stripped down to perfection.

[Sexy Celebrity]

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

2. Adaptation
15. Brick

[HitchFan97]

5. One Deadly Summer
12. 3 Women

My gut goes against my tendency here

3 WOMEN MUST WIN THIS. Maybe I should actually watch One Deadly Summer... ;)

[rauldc14]

I like 2 Women better, in all honesty.

[wintertriangles]

3 Women is still great, and like I said more aligned with the things I like

[linespalsy]

7. Psycho
10. To Be or Not to Be

[Thursday Next]

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

[mark f]

Let the Right One In
The Shining (Kubrick)

It's still incredibly close to me, but after watching both in the last three days, I'm giving the nod to the newer, more-original movie. Let the Right One In is even colder and whiter than The Shining, and I certainly care a helluva lot more for the main characters. I'll admit that it maybe has too many supporting characters, but it's less than two hours at least. The more I watch The Shining, the more I don't even consider it a horror film. It's gotta be a black comedy, and looking at it that way, it works. Is it scary? Hell, no. Is it bizarre and weird? Hell, yes, but it most reminds me of Kubrick's finale, Eyes Wide Shut. That's another film about a mismatched couple which plays out a little better as a dark comedy. If you don't believe me, what about the last line in Wide? Actually, you could say that Lolita, Strangelove, Clockwork, Shining, Jacket and Wide are all black comedies. Anyway, as entertaining as The Shining is, it's still way too long. Incidentally, my rating for both movies in this matchup is 3.5.

[Thursday Next]

Is it scary? Hell, no. Is it bizarre and weird? Hell, yes,

A lot of King's books are like that. I don't think horror always has to mean scary.

As for Eyes Wide Shut, how could that be considered anything other than a black comedy?

[DexterRiley]

1. Woman in the Dunes
16.The Assignment

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens

5. One Deadly Summer
12. 3 Women

4. Let the Right One In
13. The Shining (1980)

3. Eat, Drink, Man, Women
14. The Godfather

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

7. Psycho
10. To Be or Not to Be

2. Adaptation
15. Brick

[linespalsy]

On second thought, I'm not going to get to re-watch anything from this bracket before the 24th (especially since after seeing Il divo I now need to re-watch Rosencrantz & Guildenstern). I've seen Eat Drink Man Woman recently enough that I can be pretty confident in my choice without in any way meaning to slight The Godfather, which is surely a classic. And I'll admit that Let the Right One In is more subtle and disturbing than The Shining but this time around I'm going with the more outrageous film between two that I though were decent.

4. Let the Right One In
13. The Shining (1980)

3. Eat, Drink, Man, Women
14. The Godfather

[rauldc14]

up until tomorrow wow how times flies.

[HitchFan97]

8. Magnolia
9. Aliens

I saw Magnolia last night- just in time it seems! I do love Aliens, but even one of the best action movies of all time really can't compare to the epic beauty of PTA's film.

[honeykid]

6. Airplane!
11. Donnie Darko

I've not watched either recently, but if I had to watch one of them right now, I'd pick Airplane!, so that's what I'm going with.

[rauldc14]

Here's the final results, luckily no ties:

Bracket 4
1. Woman in the Dunes 5
16. The Assignment 2

8. Magnolia 5
9. Aliens 10

5. One Deadly Summer 3
12. 3 Women 2

4. Let the Right One In 4
13. The Shining (1980) 9

3. Eat, Drink, Man, Women 2
14. The Godfather 5

6. Airplane! 9
11. Donnie Darko 7

7. Psycho 10
10. To Be or Not to Be 2

2. Adaptation 6
15. Brick 4

Appreciate the participation in this one.

[Thursday Next]

I'm so happy Aliens beat Magnolia.

[honeykid]

Boo The Shining!

[HitchFan97]

Hooray for The Shining! (and The Godfather, Airplane!, and Psycho). That's too bad about 3 Women and Magnolia, but at least Aliens gets to move on. This is definitely the most interesting bracket for me, I've seen more than one of the films :D