The MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s Countdown

[Thief]

In the meantime, here's a fun, simple game about The Dark Knight, courtesy of Sporcle

Can you identify each character from 'The Dark Knight' who spoke the given quote? (https://www.sporcle.com/games/I-Am-Batman/im-gonna-make-this-pencil-disappear)

[PHOENIX74]

10. The Dark Knight : I went through a period where I'd watch The Dark Knight a lot - and it was this installment of the Nolan Batman trilogy alone - I've seen the other two only a couple of times. It was more than just The Joker and Heath Ledger's performance - this film was simply an excellent crime movie in which nihilism faced off against existentialism instead of a heist or assassination. Everything in this film is writ large, to an overwhelming extent - and The Dark Knight Rises tried to even outdo that, but the focus of this film was tighter and there were no loose ends to tie up. Ledger's Joker was a great trump card on top of all of that, and was what left the largest impression once the credits started to roll. This film would have got votes from me, but there were other films that my list simply couldn't do without, so unfortunately The Dark Knight was cut. If I'd had of been compiling my list a few years ago, this might have come in near the top of it.

Seen 78/91

[Thief]

Mulholland Drive

https://media.giphy.com/media/Qb7invSPHungedj3Fk/giphy.gif

[SpelingError]

https://media.giphy.com/media/Qb7invSPHungedj3Fk/giphy.gif

I don't know if that means I'm right or wrong, but if it's the latter, I'm going to guess Mulholland Drive every time for the rest of the game. That way, I'll ensure that I'll be right at least once.

[pahaK]

No hint again, but start throwing your guesses for #9. See who nails it.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop

[SpelingError]

Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Nah, man. We all know that movie is going to be #1.

[pahaK]

Nah, man. We all know that movie is going to be #1.

Maybe, but I'm always rooting for the underdogs and wishing for a surprise.

[Holden Pike]

I'll stick with Fincher's Zodiac as my guess for numero niner.

[Thief]

Not that it would help with the guess, but just one of those useless countdown trivia facts... the point gap between #10 and #9 is of 26 points, which is another of the biggest five gaps in all the countdown (previous one was 23 points between #18 and #19).

[MovieBuffering]

The luster has worn just a tad on TDK. It fell out of my top 10 movies when I did my count down. If I were in my 20s it would probably be top 5. It came out when I was 21 so it was basically my generations blockbuster. I still love it but over time my taste has matured.I tell you what the movie has it's flaws but chances are the people who give it any hate on here probably didn't experience it in the theaters. It's still probably my favorite theater going experience. My sphincter tighten every time Heath was on screen and that semi they flipped legitimately took my breath away. Whatever you think of the movie seeing Nolan and Heath deliver that grand spectacle on a big screen was an unforgettable experience for me. Big entertaining cinema done right like that is the reason the theater going experience is worth saving. That makes it worthy of top 10 on this countdown alone. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[dadgumblah]

All right! Cracking the Top Ten with my favorite Batman movie. Actually I love all three of Nolan's Batman films, but this one gets the edge. Time for a re-watch!

#3. The Dark Knight 10
#4. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 15
#5. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 63
#8. Unbreakable 62
#10. Million Dollar Baby 57
#15. Shaun of the Dead 20
#18. The Royal Tenenbaums 35
#20. Iron Man 83
#21. Finding Nemo 44
#22. Fantastic Mr. Fox 70
#23. The Descent 80
#25. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 76

[gbgoodies]

I saw The Dark Knight in the theater when it was first released, and I rewatched it for this countdown, but it's just too dark for my taste. I like many of the superhero movies, but I'm more of a Marvel fan than a DC fan. I thought the movie was worth watching for Heath Ledger's performance, but I don't care for Christian Bale as Batman. I prefer Michael Keaton, or even the campy Adam West version of Batman over the Nolan trilogy.

[John-Connor]

Most hated never duplicated, of course I voted for The Dark Knight, my #19.
Batman Begins was in contention as well but because of TDK’s opening scene and Ledger's performance it was an easy choice.

Mofos with the most ballot similarities I’ve noticed so far; TUS, donniedarko (6), Ed (5).
And since TUS brought it up, Kung Fu Hustle is a real kick a5s and fun martial arts comedy. Could’ve easily made my ballot but I went with a more serious kick a5s martial arts flick this time.

Seen: 71/91
Ballot: 18/25

25. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
24. Snatch
23. 100%
22. In the Mood for Love
21. DNP
20. Inglourious Bastardos
19. The Dark Knight
18. Sin City
17. DNP
16. DNP
15. Lost in Translation
14. DNP
13. DNP
12. The Pianist
11. Downfall
10. Master and Commander
09. Casino Royale
08. Kill Bill: Vol. 1
07. Ocean’s Eleven
06. 100%
05. City of God
04. Donnie Darko
03. Collateral
02. Gladiator
01. The Two Towers

[Thief]

Some interesting articles about The Dark Knight...

‘The Dark Knight’: How Christopher Nolan Shows Societies Are Built on Comforting Lies (https://collider.com/the-dark-knight-explained-christopher-nolan/)

"Nolan constantly returns to his fascination with lies and how they can be both benevolent and malevolent. They’re a primal force that can delight and destroy. In Memento, we’ve seen that Leonard Shelby, a man with no short-term memory, has built his existence on lies so he can keep moving forward. In Insomnia, Will Dormer built his reputation on a lie and tries to stay ahead of his lies because he believes the end justifies the means until the truth finally catches up with him. In The Prestige, Angier and Borden are both magicians—professional liars—but the lies Angier tells himself creates a cycle of endless death whereas Borden’s lie allows for his liberation and reunification with his daughter. Lies are tools, and in The Dark Knight, they allow for self-deception not just on a personal level, but a societal level."


The Dark Knight Revisited: A Thematic, Critical and Historical Analysis (https://talkiesnetwork.wordpress.com/2018/01/02/the-dark-knight-revisited-a-thematic-critical-and-historical-analysis/)

"While Batman Begins has its share of action, it is more of a character driven story, focusing on Bruce Wayne and his journey to becoming a superhero. The Dark Knight, while still a character driven story, nearly triples the action sequences and not just for the hero. The Joker has his share of the action, from robbing banks to blowing up the police precinct. The action in both films is integral to the plot as it shows that no matter the threat, Batman will always protect Gotham. The Joker and Ra’s display how Gotham is beyond saving but Batman is not fazed by this. He fights with both men because he believes that there is hope for his lost city."

[rauldc14]

I'm feeling Zodiac today for whatever reason

[Yoda]

Some interesting articles about The Dark Knight...

‘The Dark Knight’: How Christopher Nolan Shows Societies Are Built on Comforting Lies (https://collider.com/the-dark-knight-explained-christopher-nolan/)
Nice. Gonna use this as an excuse to pimp my first ever essay on this site: Christopher Nolan's Useful Lies (https://www.movieforums.com/essays/christopher-nolans-useful-lies.html) (discussion thread here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=26927)).

[Captain Terror]

No hint again, but start throwing your guesses for #9. See who nails it.

I feel like this is a clue.
9 + nails = Trent Reznor (?)

[John W Constantine]

I'm feeling Zodiac today for whatever reason

too low

[Sedai]

Pan's Labyrinth at #9

[Thief]

Reveal in a few...

[rauldc14]

too low

Maybe it will miss altogether. We seem to have forgotten about Mall Cop.

[Thief]

414 points, 27 listsZodiac (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/1949-zodiac.html)Director
David Fincher, 2007

Starring
Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards

[Thief]

I'll stick with Fincher's Zodiac as my guess for numero niner.

You're on a roll, sir!

https://media.giphy.com/media/9uoYC7cjcU6w8/giphy.gif

[Thief]

BTW, this was a hint :laugh:

https://media.giphy.com/media/Qb7invSPHungedj3Fk/giphy.gif

Ted Cruz and the Zodiac Killer, explained (https://www.vox.com/2016/3/8/11179492/ted-cruz-zodiac-killer)

[Thief]

Zodiac was my #10.

If I had voted 10 years ago, it would probably be my #1 or #2, but even though my enthusiasm for it has waned a little bit, I still think it's a masterpiece. To be fair, I haven't seen it in a good while, but it's a film that really stuck with me, especially that freakin' lake scene. But anyway, I love how the film goes beyond the mystery of the killer to explore the obsession around it and how it affects these three very different people in very different ways. Some superb performances from everybody, including the supporting cast and some excellent craftsmanship from Fincher.


As we approach to the end...

Seen: 75/92


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Memento (#11)
7. Synecdoche, New York (#46)
8.
9. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (#14)
10. Zodiac (#9)
11. Requiem for a Dream (#26)
12.
13. The Prestige (#38)
14.
15.
16.
17. Once (#103)
18.
19.
20.
21. Before Sunset (#42)
22.
23. Mother (#96)
24.
25.

[ScarletLion]

9. Zodiac (414 points) - A really well made film, as most Fincher's are, but I feel it was slightly hanging on the coattails of the better 'Memories of Murder' which came about 4 years before. Similar themes and told from the same angle. Therefore didn't make my list.

[Iroquois]

Zodiac was my #20. I did most of a Fincher rewatch last year but somehow missed out on Zodiac. Even so, I remain confident that it is a solid pick - I might have to rewatch it sometime soon (picked up the director's cut on Blu-Ray, which I have not seen) but even so it's as fine a work to demonstrate Fincher's methodical talents by matching him with similarly methodical source material.

[Thief]

Nice. Gonna use this as an excuse to pimp my first ever essay on this site: Christopher Nolan's Useful Lies (https://www.movieforums.com/essays/christopher-nolans-useful-lies.html) (discussion thread here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=26927)).

Nice! Bookmarked for later

[Holden Pike]

84617

David Fincher’s Zodiac was #16 on the MoFo Top 100 of the Millennium List.

[Yoda]

Maybe it will miss altogether. We seem to have forgotten about Mall Cop.
Forgetting about Mall Cop is a travesty. A crime. A crime that must be prosecuted.

In food court.

[Miss Vicky]

Zodiac is great. It’s got wonderful performances and a really tense atmosphere. It’s one of my favorite movies and possibly my favorite Fincher. It didn’t get my vote, but it was one of the last movies I cut and I’m happy to see it here.

[ueno_station54]

i think i saw Zodiac once??

[MovieFan1988]

Have seen so far: 32 - Zodiac - The movie was alright, the outcome to the ending was predictable, if he got caught in real life it would of made the movie better imo.

[Chypmunk]

Zodiac is excellent, excellent enough to have made the upper echelon of my personal ballot.

Seen: 64/92 (Own: 44/92)

1. WALL·E (2008) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910970/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#13]
2. Zodiac (2007) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443706/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#9]
3. Madeo [Mother] (2009) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216496/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_9) [#96]
5. Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain [Amélie] (2001) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#16]
6. Moon (2009) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182345/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_9) [#48]
8. Der Untergang [Downfall] (2004) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363163/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#28]
10. Fa yeung nin wah [In The Mood For Love] (2000) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118694/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#12]
11. Oldeuboi [Oldboy] (2003) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364569/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3) [#22]
12. The Departed (2006) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#19]
15. Låt den rätte komma in [Let The Right One In] (2008) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139797/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#29]
16. The Descent (2005) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435625/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#80]
24. Control (2007) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421082/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6) - dnp
25. The Pool (2007) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0911024/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_6) [1-ptr]



Faildictions (millennial edition v1.01):
26. Superbad (2007)
25. Memento (2000) [11]
24. Road To Perdition (2002)
23. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) [15]
22. Shrek (2001)
21. Requiem For A Dream (2000) [26]
20. Oldboy (2003) [22]
19. Inglourious Basterds (2009) [18]
18. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)
17. City Of God (2002) [25]
16. In The Mood For Love (2000) [12]
15. O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000) [21]
14. Children Of Men (2006) [17]
13. Amélie (2001) [16]
12. Zodiac (2007) [9]
11. WALL·E (2008) [13]
10. The Departed (2006) [19]
9. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)
8. Shaun Of The Dead (2004) [20]
7. Mulholland Drive (2001)
6. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
5. There Will Be Blood (2007)
4. The Dark Knight (2008) [10]
3. Spirited Away (2001)
2. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)
1. No Country For Old Men (2007)

Twenty down, six to go...

[MovieMeditation]

I think Fincher is extremely talented and I love many of his films and his particular style too...

But somehow Zodiac has left me cold each time. Obviously, in a way, that is also the point. It is clearly a movie that's not trying to be nice and comfy. It's deliberately made the way it is and I understand the choice and respect the route that Fincher went to make a very refreshing take on the crime drama.

But for me, there's just something about the movie that never quite clicked. I really wish it would though because overall the movie is still well made, as one would expect.

So yeah, not on my list unfortunately.

[The Rodent]

My #7...
Zodiac also became one of my go-to movies for a while when I needed background noise.

1. Moon (2009) - 48th
.
6. Shaun of the Dead (2004) - 20th
7. Zodiac (2007) - 9th
.
8. Sin City (2005) - 47th
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - 15th
.
11. Million Dollar Baby (2004) - 57th
.
13. Cast Away (2000) - 69th
14. WALL·E (2008) - 13th
.
18. The Dark Knight (2008) - 10th
.
20. Unbreakable (2000) - 62nd
21. Gladiator (2000) - 40th
.
22. Watchmen (2009) - 87th
23. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - 63rd
.
25. Inglourious Basterds (2009) - 18th

[John-Connor]

84618

My love for Fight Club has toned down a bit, but my love and appreciation for Zodiac has only increased since my last re-watch, had it at #6. Fincher is just a master in the psychological thriller department.

Seen: 72/92
Ballot: 19/25

25. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
24. Snatch
23. 100%
22. In the Mood for Love
21. DNP
20. Inglourious Bastardos
19. The Dark Knight
18. Sin City
17. DNP
16. DNP
15. Lost in Translation
14. DNP
13. DNP
12. The Pianist
11. Downfall
10. Master and Commander
09. Casino Royale
08. Kill Bill: Vol. 1
07. Ocean’s Eleven
06. Zodiac
05. City of God
04. Donnie Darko
03. Collateral
02. Gladiator
01. The Two Towers

[seanc]

Zodiac was my #8, and I might have had it too low. Had my third watch last year and it’s just the perfect procedural in every way.

[Rockatansky]

I'm not a Fincher fan (I find a lot of his work smug and performatively nihilistic), but Zodiac is his best.

[Deschain]

I was a little disappointed the first time I watched Zodiac, I think I was expecting another Seven. But I liked it more on rewatch, not enough to put it on my list but still.

[TheUsualSuspect]

9. Zodiac (2007)

Love me some Zodiac. That lake stabbing....oh my God. I was shook when that sequence happened and Fincher nails the atmosphere perfectly. While being a little long, it uses its time wisely.

Top 3 Fincher for me.

[CosmicRunaway]

Zodiac is a film that whenever I see someone praise it, I think I should definitely rewatch it. But then I forget about it entirely until it happens to come up again. I always say "This time, I won't forget!", but I do. The cycle never ends.

I only saw it once when it was new, and thought it was alright. I was only vaguely aware of the Zodiac Killer though, and didn't know if the case had been solved or not. When the film ended without any real resolution, I thought yeah, that's fair, but I was still a little disappointed. I do think I'd appreciate the film more if I watched it again... if I ever manage to do that, haha.

Seen: 59/92

My List:
02. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - #15
05. The Lives of Others (2006) - #41
06. Millennium Actress (2001) - DNP
08. Mother (2009) - #96
09. Shaun of the Dead (2004) - #20
10. Iron Man (2008) - #83
11. Paprika (2006) - #64
12. Memories of Murder (2003) - #27
16. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) - #76
17. Hot Fuzz (2007) - #30
20. Moon (2009) - #48
25. Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006) - 1-pointer

[Jabs]

I haven't seen 19 so far, which puts me at around the same number of gaps as the previous list. Not surprising as most of them are overlapping.

[Citizen Rules]

I watched Zodiac recently for the Personal Recommendation IV.
I wrote this:


Zodiac (David Fincher 2007)

For me, watching innocent, helpless victims being tied up and stabbed to death is not what I enjoy watching.

Both Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. blew in this. Downey was the same off the wall, nutty druggie/drunk character that he's played in so many other of his films. He's like a caricature, good in a comedy-drama but silly in such a serious film.

Gyllenhaal is just a boring actor. I've never really liked him. He had no handle on how to be the odd, cartoonist guy. I was painful aware of his attempts at doing a 'character' and he failed. It was only towards the end of the film when he became obsessed with finding the identity of the Zodiac that his performance rang true. Mark Ruffalo and his cop partner were good in this and I did like whoever played Melvin Belli too.

The story itself was lagging, did this really need to be 2 hours and 45 minutes? Zodiac has the same lack luster quality as another disappointing news investigative movie, The Post (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6294822/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_12).

A really good investigative, true crime movie was Spotlight (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1895587/)...about child abuse by pedophile Catholic priest...and that film didn't need to show children being horribly abused for shock value. BTW I didn't care for The Social Network and I don't like David Fincher style of direction.

[mark f]

Zodiac is told in pseudodocumentary fashion a la All the President's Men. Great performances, great suspense. Definitely worthy of my list and this list, but I supported loser films, some bolded below.

My List

1. The Incredibles
5. Ratatouille
7. Downfall
8. Up
9. The Dark Knight
10. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
11. Everything Will Be OK
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
15. WALL·E
16. Children of Men
19. The Pianist
20. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
21. Pride & Prejudice
22. Hotel Rwanda
25. City of Life and Death

[KeyserCorleone]

Wow. Did not see Zodiac getting this high. I mean, it's a very realistic outlook on the true murder investigation with excellent characterization, but wow. Didn't vote for it.

[kgaard]

Zodiac is on my list for a rewatch--I've seen it once and appreciated it, but not enough to vote for it. I do have to acknowledge a certain queasiness I feel about the true crime genre and the suffering of real people being laundered as a form of entertainment, but I also have to acknowledge my own inconsistencies about this (Memories of Murder was on my list!). Anyway, that's really a me problem, and maybe I'll push through it on rewatching.

[Holden Pike]

84623

Fincher is right up there with Wes Anderson as my favorite of the filmmakers who emerged in the '90s and early 2000s. His masterful technical skills, affinity for Noir-ish plots and sensibilities, and his modern mastery of suspense has him an amalgam of Stanley Kubrick, Robert Siodmak, and Alfred Hitchcock in this film lover's book. Though he could crank out thriller after thriller and be a very wealthy and successful fella, I do appreciate and love that he has filmic interests beyond genre. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button would have been in my next ten choices were my ballot extended and The Social Network will most certainly be near the top of my 2010-2019 list. Adapting Graysmith's book is the perfect vehicle to balance his thriller precision with both police and newspaper procedurals wrapped in an infamously unsolved case doggedly pursued by an obsessive who has to finish the puzzle. Terror, paranoia, frustration, and intelligence. Great stuff. I had Zodiac as my thirteenth pick. Those thirteen points might not seem like much but helped propel it over The Dark Knight, anyway.

HOLDEN’S BALLOT
1. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (#86)
2. Dancer in the Dark (#49)
7. Children of Men (#17)
8. Amélie (#16)
9. The Lives of Others (#41)
10. The Pianist (#31)
13. Zodiac (#9)
14. Synecdoche, New York (#46)
15. Moon (#48)
16. Fantastic Mr. Fox (#70)
17. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (#92)
18. A Serious Man (#66)
19. Adaptation. (#43)
20. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (#51)
21. Downfall (#28)
24. Memento (#11)

[SpelingError]

Zodiac was #24 on my ballot. Here's what I wrote on it a while back:

Zodiac is is a suspenseful and thoroughly intriguing tale on obsession. Through a mixture of clues and details surfacing as more information is revealed, various suspects and leads resulting in nothing but dead ends, and some truly unnerving and rather disturbing encounters with the Zodiac killer, Fincher cleverly wraps you up into the film's conflict as you become just as determined to discover who the killer is as the main character Robert Graysmith, a San Francisco cartoonist whose determination takes up over a decade of his life and often leads to him putting himself in danger to accomplish his goal (conveyed most strongly by the famous basement scene). This characterization makes him act as our proxy who we eagerly follow throughout the film, hoping for him to satisfy the obsession which steadily builds up throughout the film's 2 1/2 hour run time. Those who feel unsatisfied by the ending's lack of closure are feeling the full extent of what Fincher intended as the feeling of unsatisfied obsession hits you quite immensely and lingers with you long afterwards. Overall, while this film certainly has the potential to be great, I'm still sort of hanging in the very good camp as, while I enjoyed the first half quite a bit and was by no means bored with it, it wasn't until the second half that I was truly invested into the film, in which the obsession angle went into full effect (although, I don't mean to imply that the film which came before it was unnecessary by any means). Regardless, the masterfully executed obsession angle and other charms such as some strong performances (Gyllenhaal, Downey, Ruffalo), some occasional bits of humor, and some well-executed sequences of violence makes this movie one of the most powerful crime films of the 21st century.

1. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (#78)
2.
3.
4. Children of Men (#17)
5.
6.
7. A Serious Man (#66)
8.
9. 28 Days Later (#45)
10.
11. Memento (#11)
12.
13. Shaun of the Dead (#20)
14.
15. In the Mood for Love (#12)
16. Requiem For a Dream (#16)
17.
18. The Pianist (#31)
19.
20. Moon (#48)
21.
22.
23. Sunshine (#88)
24. Zodiac (#9)
25. The New World (#99)

[Deschain]

And for anyone unaware, if you like Fincher and Zodiac, Mindhunter on Netflix is phenomenal.

[Thief]

And for anyone unaware, if you like Fincher and Zodiac, Mindhunter on Netflix is phenomenal.

Oh yeah. Let's hope they can figure out how to make season 3.

[Thief]

Nice. Gonna use this as an excuse to pimp my first ever essay on this site: Christopher Nolan's Useful Lies (https://www.movieforums.com/essays/christopher-nolans-useful-lies.html) (discussion thread here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=26927)).

Bravo, brother! This was a very, very good read.

[honeykid]

It's been too long since I last commented to really go into detail or write much about films I've either not seen or didn't like, so I'll just say that it's lovely to see Amelie as high as it was. I've not seen Memento since around the time it came out but I saw it few times back then because Guy Pierce is Neighbours alumni and I used to always try and catch those. I remember it really being very different back then and showing, once again, how good an actor Guy is. Zodiac I've only seen the once but I really liked it and wanted to see it again. I'm sure I've got it somewhere.

The list is so bad we let Hedwig get on it.
I would post a reaction to this but I think it'd be deleted pretty quickly.

Bad mouth the list all you want... Just pick your targets better. :D

[cricket]

Just like Oldboy, I've seen it once, was surprised I didn't like it more, and therefore need to see it again.

[Sedai]

Zodiac was #3 on my list. Perhaps one of the best period pieces ever filmed, I have seen this film many, many times. I am a massive Fincher fan, and this is near the top of the list for me as far as his catalog is concerned. The more I watch it, the more I realize I am watching a master at the top of his game. Sure, it's dark, and my wife leaves the room every time the lake scene appears, but I just keep watching it...

https://www.baltimoresun.com/resizer/2k1y4IGKSCvBSzCzZX0VLykFDkg=/1200x0/top/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6675LHKAUZC6XDRWJUQSUR7ZJY.jpg

[mrblond]

#9 Zodiac - I heard this movie title about two years ago and that's all. Still don't plan watching.

[pahaK]

I've seen Zodiac once. I'm like a few others above, that it felt just OK but maybe I need to rewatch it. Who knows, maybe I was expecting another Se7en, too.

Seen: 49/92

My Ballot:
1. Let the Right One In (2008) [#29]
5. Watchmen (2009) [#87]
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) [#15]
8. The Descent (2005) [#80]
13. The Children (2008) [DNP]
16. Tideland (2005)[DNP]
18. Battle Royale (2000) [#77]
19. Chocolate (2008) [DNP]
22. Noroi (2005) [DNP]
25. Harry Brown (2009) [1-pointer]

[Miss Vicky]

Zodiac was #3 on my list. Perhaps one of the best period pieces ever filmed, I have seen this film many, many times. I am a massive Fincher fan, and this is near the top of the list for me as far as his catalog is concerned. The more I watch it, the more I realize I am watching a master at the top of his game. Sure, it's dark, and my wife leaves the room every time the lake scene appears, but I just keep watching it...

https://www.baltimoresun.com/resizer/2k1y4IGKSCvBSzCzZX0VLykFDkg=/1200x0/top/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6675LHKAUZC6XDRWJUQSUR7ZJY.jpg

That lake scene is disturbing AF. It makes me really glad these killings were before my time. I’ve been to Berryessa so many times.

[ApexPredator]

Hadn't seen Zodiac even though I'm a fan of Fincher and some of the actors.

Also, Observe and Report > Paul Blart: Mall Cop

[Wyldesyde19]

I finally watched Zodiac for this countdown and was impressed, as I usually am, with Fincher’s deft craftsmanship. It’s more than a story on the mysterious serial killer, but rather a study on how it effected those who were involved in his case, and how to changed their lives, even if some of it were dramatized (RDJ’s portrayal especially).

But I don’t come for a history lesson, so the facts can be played around with, within reason, of course.

Regardless, I did end up cutting it off of my ballot.

[Sedai]

That lake scene is disturbing AF. It makes me really glad these killings were before my time. I’ve been to Berryessa so many times.

Seriously harsh, that scene. The first time we saw it, we were both talking about it for days afterward.

[PHOENIX74]

9. Zodiac : This never really had a chance of making my ballot, but I think it's certainly a solid film - I gave it a rating of : 4 when I reviewed it (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2244085#post2244085) late last year. If I'd been submitting a top 50 it definitely would have had a better chance. Did anyone notice recently that the Zodiac's last cipher, which had gone unsolved for close to 50 years, was solved just recently? Anyway, the film very much piqued my interest in the case, and I wouldn't mind getting a hold of Robert Graysmith's book and reading it. I really thought opinions were divided on this film, but I guess even so, it could garner enough votes to crack the top 10 - with those who like it really holding it in high esteem. I agree that it's one of those films that has a 'rewatch' factor. I've seen it a few times, and admire Fincher's ability to imbue his movies with atmosphere and dread. The real Zodiac must be dead by now, and it's very probable that we'll never know who it really was.

Seen : 79/92

[dadgumblah]

Zodiac is my favorite Fincher film but I didn't put it on my list even as much as I like it. Still it's very deserving of its Top Ten placing.

#3. The Dark Knight 10
#4. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 15
#5. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 63
#8. Unbreakable 62
#10. Million Dollar Baby 57
#15. Shaun of the Dead 20
#18. The Royal Tenenbaums 35
#20. Iron Man 83
#21. Finding Nemo 44
#22. Fantastic Mr. Fox 70
#23. The Descent 80
#25. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 76

[Thief]

Critics

-

Critics thoughts on our #9, Zodiac...

https://i.imgur.com/pGHzWg8.png

It currently has an 89% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 7.7/10 score on IMDb (with 511,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★★ and said:

"The film is a police procedural crossed with a newspaper movie, but free of most of the cliches of either. Its most impressive accomplishment is to gather a bewildering labyrinth of facts and suspicions over a period of years, and make the journey through this maze frightening and suspenseful."

Meanwhile Bruce Westbrook, of Houston Chronicle, gave it ★★ and said:

"The most perverse thing about Zodiac isn't that its Hollywood's umpteenth serial-killer flick, when such crimes are rare in reality. It's that Zodiac, though based on actual crimes, is one of the dullest of these films to date."

As for our MoFo reviewers, TylerDurden99 said:

"I can't praise this film enough, and I can't decide what I like most about it. And that's why I think it's the perfect film. Everything is near-perfect, from the acting to the cinematography to the writing. But it's Fincher, who deserves most credit, as he provides a haunting character study that resonates long after the first viewing, and all the viewings after that."

And John McClane said:

"Zodiac is an unconventional thriller because not only do we know the outcome, but it does not rack our nerves with gruesome scenes or scary twists. The director and cast keep us on the edge of our seat with a story of facts and reality which might very well bore some fans of the genre. The movie is still an amazing piece of cinema and should be seen by extreme movie buffs and casual people alike. It is exciting to see that Fincher is still making amazing features to satisfy our eyes and movie taste buds."

[Thief]

Busy day so catching up with all the work

[Thief]

Trailers

-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNncHPl1UXg

[Thief]

Awards

-

Now to the awards received by Zodiac...



Dublin Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director (David Fincher)
Golden Train Award Grand Jury Prize (Fincher)
International Film Music Critics Award for Best Original Score for a Horror/Thriller (David Shire)



Personally, I think it is insane that these are the only awards this film won. I mean, I've skimmed the list of awards won by pretty much every single film in this countdown for this posts and in almost 100% of the cases, I've only picked a handful to highlight while dismissing others. But for this film? this is ALL that it won. It's crazy, IMO.

[Thief]

Trivia

-

Zodiac

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/resizer/GqeWVTqDDNCtXIUSp0X5_TcqpiU=/1200x0/top/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/7XFFVVIO3NBNTL2LMEJNMSJCGA.jpg

Did you know that...


director David Fincher has cited All the President's Men as the template for the film?
when casting the film, Fincher had a conversation with Jennifer Aniston and asked her what actors she had enjoyed working with? She mentioned Jake Gyllenhaal (The Good Girl) and Mark Ruffalo (Rumor Has It)
Fincher initially wanted to cast Brad Pitt for the role of Paul Avery before settling on Robert Downey, Jr?
Gyllenhaal became extremely frustrated with Fincher's methods and his penchant for numerous takes?
director Bong Joon-ho called the film a "masterpiece"? He said "there was really nothing to find fault with about it, down to the cinematography, art direction, and action."
the Zodiac case was re-opened after the release of the film?


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Zodiac-Killer.jpg

[Thief]

Meanwhile, can we get some guesses on tomorrow's entry?

https://i.imgur.com/9Q5wwE2.jpg

[Holden Pike]

I'm stickin' with the ten in the order I predicted. Until the streak is broken. Which should be today.

I am guessing Pan's Labyrinth is eighth.

[rauldc14]

Meanwhile, can we get some guesses on tomorrow's entry?

https://i.imgur.com/9Q5wwE2.jpg

I got 9 right at least.

I'm thinking 8 is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind all of the sudden. Just another hunch.

[pahaK]

Meanwhile, can we get some guesses on tomorrow's entry?

https://i.imgur.com/9Q5wwE2.jpg

I thought Dumb and Dumber was 90s :D

[Thief]

Before we head into today's reveal, here is an interesting article that breaks down most of the technical elements behind Zodiac...

Zodiac and Obsession: An Analysis of Fincher’s Greatest Film (https://haaniyah.medium.com/zodiac-and-obsession-an-analysis-of-finchers-greatest-film-3686c93f281e)

"One particular part of Fincher’s filmography is his obsession with obsession, it’s something that has popped up time and time again. This is no surprise when we remember that Fincher is a man that is well known for his obsession with perfection, specifically on his sets. On Zodiac (2007), Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr and Jake Gyllenhaal redid multiple takes around 50- 70 times, while Ruffalo and Downey were much more understanding of the process, Gyllenhaal has said that Fincher was tough to work with as he has more experience with ‘freer’ directors."

[Thief]

And if anybody's up for a game, here is a quick trivia game about the Zodiac Killer courtesy of Sporcle!

Can you choose the correct answers as they relate to the Zodiac Killer? (https://www.sporcle.com/games/robtkoch/the-life-and-crimes-of-the-zodiac-killer)

[Thief]

And an interview with Jake Gyllenhaal from back in the day...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TCaXERAXQo&t=2s

[Chypmunk]

And if anybody's up for a game, here is a quick trivia game about the Zodiac Killer courtesy of Sporcle!

Can you choose the correct answers as they relate to the Zodiac Killer? (https://www.sporcle.com/games/robtkoch/the-life-and-crimes-of-the-zodiac-killer)

Yeah, not doing that in case it's a trap to try and finally unmask the perp :shifty:

[Thief]

And finally, I leave you with this...

https://www.zinzin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/1950s-end-titles-comp-1016x1350.jpg

[Thief]

:shifty: that's actually a hint

[Chypmunk]

Is the answer: you finally got fed up with Raul's antics and are just gonna cut and run leaving numbers 8 through 1 a mystery? :eek:

[Captain Terror]

If it's what I think it is, that's pretty funny. :)

[Thief]

Is the answer: you finally got fed up with Raul's antics and are just gonna cut and run leaving numbers 8 through 1 a mystery? :eek:

https://c.tenor.com/VrdGFaSgbdQAAAAC/dave-chappelle-slap.gif

[rauldc14]

He's just mad at how many times Ive been right.

At least this countdown wasn't as bad as that 90s list.

[The Rodent]

And finally, I leave you with this...

https://www.zinzin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/1950s-end-titles-comp-1016x1350.jpg

I know what this is :D

[Chypmunk]

It's clearly an Anglo-Italian collaboration with a tiny portion set in France. Which automatically makes me think it might be The Italian Job (the proper one with Michael Caine) .... though I don't particularly recall any French scenes...

Can't possibly be that, far too low :facepalm:

[Wooley]

Gotta say it's been particularly painful to see my No.1 go at No.53 and The Dark Knight, a film that would not make the consideration list for me, go No.10.
I feel so alone.

[Holden Pike]

With that many endings, you know it's gotta be ROTK.

[rauldc14]

Wonder now if it's Return of the King

[rauldc14]

With that many endings, you know it's gotta be ROTK.

I'm not sure if there's seconds timestamps, but that had to be close

[Iroquois]

It's clearly an Anglo-Italian collaboration with a tiny portion set in France. Which automatically makes me think it might be The Italian Job (the proper one with Michael Caine) .... though I don't particularly recall any French scenes...

Can't possibly be that, far too low :facepalm:

Maybe you can try recalling what year it came out while you're at it.

[ApexPredator]

Return of the King is calling for some reason.

[KeyserCorleone]

I'm not sure if there's seconds timestamps, but that had to be close


Anyone who was ACTUALLY surprised thatat least two LOTR movies would make the top ten wins a brand new car.

[Chypmunk]

Maybe you can try recalling what year it came out while you're at it.
Maybe my sense of humour just doesn't travel well :shrug:

[Harry Lime]

Zodiac is an excellent film that would have made my top 50 of the decade. I rewatched it in the last couple years and it played even better on the repeat viewing.

On another note, I was thinking about how A.I., Minority Report, and Munich didn't make the list. Sure I didn't vote for them but a couple would make a top 100 These are all very good to great movies. All better than Catch Me If You Can.

Then I looked at the old Millennium list and none of them made that one either so guess it's just par for the course. Maybe 00s Spielberg has a lot of competition from 70s, 80s, and 90s Spielbergs.

Also no A History of Violence or Eastern Promises. I thought at least the former was guaranteed. Any other surprises or snubs?

[rauldc14]

Zodiac is an excellent film that would have made my top 50 of the decade. I rewatched it in the last couple years and it played even better on the repeat viewing.

On another note, I was thinking about how A.I., Minority Report, and Munich didn't make the list. Sure I didn't vote for them but a couple would make a top 100 These are all very good to great movies. All better than Catch Me If You Can.

Then I looked at the old Millennium list and none of them made that one either so guess it's just par for the course. Maybe 00s Spielberg has a lot of competition from 70s, 80s, and 90s Spielbergs.

Also no A History of Violence or Eastern Promises. I thought at least the former was guaranteed. Any other surprises or snubs?

Not on my list, but I think 21 Grams was snubbed personally.

[Chypmunk]

Everything on my list that didn't appear was snubbed imo ;)
Wasn't on my list so I have to be more disappointed than surprised about Mary And Max not showing.

[Iroquois]

Damn, I totally forgot about A History of Violence even though I definitely rewatched it at some point in the past year and found it to be very good. That being said, I'm not exactly surprised that it didn't show up here.

[rauldc14]

Thief it's bedtime now. Chop chop.

[Thief]

Thief it's bedtime now. Chop chop.

https://images.complex.com/images/fl_lossy/egicdgxkawdm2zu3ulx6/fans-react-to-icarly-revival-embracing-interesting-meme

[KeyserCorleone]

@Thief (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109353) it's bedtime now. Chop chop.

Reading this while drinking coffee.

[Thief]

Damn, I totally forgot about A History of Violence even though I definitely rewatched it at some point in the past year and found it to be very good. That being said, I'm not exactly surprised that it didn't show up here.

Great film. It almost made my list.

[Holden Pike]

84648

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was #14 on the MoFo Top 100 of the Millennium List and #28 on the MoFo Top 100 Refresh.

[Thief]

417 points, 24 listsThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/122-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-return-of-the-king.html)Director
Peter Jackson, 2003

Starring
Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen

[Thief]

With that many endings, you know it's gotta be ROTK.

The reign continues!!

Wonder now if it's Return of the King

Second place is for losers. Kneel before Holden! :D

[Thief]

Obviously seen ROTK, but no vote from me.

That said, I love it. Like I said after The Two Towers popped up, I love all three films. I think they're not only a remarkable achievement in cinema, but extremely well made and entertaining films. I also think this is the film where both Elijah Wood and Sean Astin get a chance to truly shine in their performances.

My very minor nitpick with this one is that it goes on for a bit too long; even if I'm not sure what "ending" I would've cut, I feel like they could've find a way to work around that. Still, I find the bit with Aragorn and the hobbits, and the bit where Frodo sails off to be wonderfully moving.

Finally, the film is notable for giving me one of the best theater experiences I've had. I'm sure I've shared this before, at least on RT/Corrie, but the bit where...


Eowyn reveals herself to the Witch King and kills him got the most enthusiastic reaction I've seen from a crowd ever.

https://64.media.tumblr.com/fa24ded40f45a21c2407f7140af05676/tumblr_ppkeaq7luf1rsgw6y_400.gifv

As cliché as it might sound, everybody stood up, cheered, clapped, and hollered.


It was a great moment, and it's a scene that still gives me goosebumps when I see it! But as much as I love this, my LOTR vote went to *the other one* so that's how it is.


The road to the finish line continues...

Seen: 76/93


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Memento (#11)
7. Synecdoche, New York (#46)
8.
9. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (#14)
10. Zodiac (#9)
11. Requiem for a Dream (#26)
12.
13. The Prestige (#38)
14.
15.
16.
17. Once (#103)
18.
19.
20.
21. Before Sunset (#42)
22.
23. Mother (#96)
24.
25.

[Thief]

84648

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was #14 on the MoFo Top 100 of the Millennium List and #28 on the MoFo Top 100 Refresh.

Wow, I would've expected this kind of desperation from raul, but you? *tsk, tsk, tsk*

[Iroquois]

As good as it is, I decided to only vote for one LOTR film (which should be obvious by now). I would consider this a close second, at least. Now I've got to get around to watching the extended edition.

[rauldc14]

Wow, I would've expected this kind of desperation from raul, but you? *tsk, tsk, tsk*

He's taking over for me.

[The Rodent]

Knew it was from that multiple endings clue :D
Had it as my #10, just behind Towers in 9th.

1. Moon (2009) - 48th
.
6. Shaun of the Dead (2004) - 20th
7. Zodiac (2007) - 9th
.
8. Sin City (2005) - 47th
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - 15th
10. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - 8th
11. Million Dollar Baby (2004) - 57th
.
13. Cast Away (2000) - 69th
14. WALL·E (2008) - 13th
.
18. The Dark Knight (2008) - 10th
.
20. Unbreakable (2000) - 62nd
21. Gladiator (2000) - 40th
22. Watchmen (2009) - 87th
23. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - 63rd
.
25. Inglourious Basterds (2009) - 18th

[Miss Vicky]

This is the last of the trilogy, right? If so, this is the one that I haven’t seen and I aim to keep it that way.

[Thief]

This is the last of the trilogy, right? If so, this is the one that I haven’t seen and I aim to keep it that way.

B-b-b-but... don't you wanna know how it enddsss???

[Miss Vicky]

B-b-b-but... don't you wanna know how it enddsss???

Not even a little bit.

[Harry Lime]

How is Holden's post about Return of the King's previous list rankings before the countdown post? Is he psychic (isaac)? Does he have inside access? Wait a sec. Holden is Thief? Thief is Holden. Finkle? Einhorn?

[rauldc14]

I have a pretty big appreciation for the trilogy, and for me Return of the King has for whatever reason been my favorite of the 3. It was in contention for my list but didn't make it. Obvious knew it didn't need the points either.

[rauldc14]

How is Holden's post about Return of the King's previous list rankings before the countdown post? Is he psychic (isaac)? Does he have inside access? Wait a sec. Holden is Thief? Thief is Holden. Finkle? Einhorn?

Captain Obvious AKA Thief gave it away.

[rauldc14]

Not even a little bit.

Your movie taste is almost as strange as mine.

[Harry Lime]

The Return of the King is great. What can be said about it? I guess the debate about which is the best will take place again, and maybe one more time before the countdown is done. As I already confirmed, it's all one very long movie. Like Lav Diaz.

[KeyserCorleone]

ROTK was a fantastic ending to the trilogy in every way. I loved the character dynamics they gave Pippin and Gandalf, really becoming close to each other. And none of the action felt ham-fisted (save the elephant scene which was still awesome), which I found to be impressive in its own right. The thing about LOTR is that it's more character-driven than anything, even when it's shoving SFX in your face. ROTK was my number 19.

Sent-In Ballot:

#2. Oldboy (22)
#3. Sin City (47)
#5. Requiem for a Dream (26)
#6. Memento (11)
#7. Yi Yi (49)
#8. The Departed (19)
#9. The Dark Knight (10)
#10. Casino Royale (37)
#13. Million Dollar Baby (57)
#15. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (53)
#16. Let the Right One In (29)
#19. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (8)
#20. Iron Man (83)
#21. Inglourious Basterds (18)
#22. Pirates of the Caribbean (63)
#25. Hot Fuzz (30)

Post-Ballot:

#2. Oldboy (22)
#3. Sin City (47)
#5. Requiem for a Dream (26)
#6. Memento (11)
#7. Yi Yi (49)
#8. The Departed (19)
#9. The Dark Knight (10)
#10. Casino Royale (37)
#12. Snatch (71)
#14. Million Dollar Baby (57)
#16. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (53)
#17. Let the Right One In (29)
#18. Slumdog Millionaire (not placed but it made my new 25)
#19. Monsters, Inc. (74)
#21. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (8)
#22. Iron Man (83)
#23. Fantastic Mr. Fox (70)
#24. Inglourious Basterds (18)
#25. Pirates of the Caribbean (63)

Seen 53/91

[Thief]

How is Holden's post about Return of the King's previous list rankings before the countdown post? Is he psychic (isaac)? Does he have inside access? Wait a sec. Holden is Thief? Thief is Holden. Finkle? Einhorn?

Equal doses of confidence and impatience, I guess. Maybe I should take a break tomorrow and let Holden and Raul run the show.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e2/3d/c4/e23dc47a24f29f5021a1e3929e8c9d6f.gif

[Chypmunk]

Quite enjoy The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King but not enough to vote for it as it reminds me far too much of the day I scaled Ben Nevis and all the false summits.

Seen: 65/93 (Own: 45/93)

1. WALL·E (2008) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910970/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#13]
2. Zodiac (2007) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443706/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#9]
3. Madeo [Mother] (2009) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216496/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_9) [#96]
5. Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain [Amélie] (2001) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#16]
6. Moon (2009) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182345/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_9) [#48]
8. Der Untergang [Downfall] (2004) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363163/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#28]
10. Fa yeung nin wah [In The Mood For Love] (2000) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118694/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#12]
11. Oldeuboi [Oldboy] (2003) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364569/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3) [#22]
12. The Departed (2006) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#19]
15. Låt den rätte komma in [Let The Right One In] (2008) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139797/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#29]
16. The Descent (2005) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435625/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#80]
23. Hak se wui: Yi woo wai kwai [Election 2] (2006) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491244/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) - dnp
24. Control (2007) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421082/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6) - dnp
25. The Pool (2007) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0911024/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_6) [1-ptr]



Faildictions (millennial edition v1.01):
26. Superbad (2007)
25. Memento (2000) [11]
24. Road To Perdition (2002)
23. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) [15]
22. Shrek (2001)
21. Requiem For A Dream (2000) [26]
20. Oldboy (2003) [22]
19. Inglourious Basterds (2009) [18]
18. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)
17. City Of God (2002) [25]
16. In The Mood For Love (2000) [12]
15. O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000) [21]
14. Children Of Men (2006) [17]
13. Amélie (2001) [16]
12. Zodiac (2007) [9]
11. WALL·E (2008) [13]
10. The Departed (2006) [19]
9. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)
8. Shaun Of The Dead (2004) [20]
7. Mulholland Drive (2001)
6. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
5. There Will Be Blood (2007)
4. The Dark Knight (2008) [10]
3. Spirited Away (2001)
2. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003) [8]
1. No Country For Old Men (2007)

Twenty-one down, five to go....

[rauldc14]

So the top 7 has 2 great films, 3 good films, and two highly overrated films. I guess I can live with that.

[John-Connor]

No vote..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYajv8xsgIk&list=WL&index=363
:rotfl:

[Thief]

Critics

-

Critics thoughts on our #8, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King...

https://i.imgur.com/bG4Qh1J.png

It currently has a 93% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 8.9/10 score on IMDb (with 1,700,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★½ and said:

"At last the full arc is visible, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy comes into final focus. I admire it more as a whole than in its parts. The second film was inconclusive, and lost its way in the midst of spectacle. But Return of the King dispatches its characters to their destinies with a grand and eloquent confidence. This is the best of the three, redeems the earlier meandering, and certifies the Ring trilogy as a work of bold ambition at a time of cinematic timidity."

Meanwhile Sean Nelson, of The Stranger, said:

"Ultimately, the chief difference between this film and its two predecessors is the presence of resolution. The story ends, just like we all knew it would. And there's something inherently disappointing about that."

As for our MoFo reviewers, The Rodent said:

"a fitting and satisfactory end to Jackson's trilogy (I say Jackson's trilogy, as it is Jackson's, not Tolkien's). Again though, various changes in character and plot mark it down for me... but it's still an absolutely spell binding movie, a touch more improved than the second movie too and still well deserving of LOTR's title."

And Yoda said:

"Ultimately, flaws are more than forgivable in light of the tremendous depth of the story, and the unrivaled skill which went into bringing it to life. The praises of 'greatest trilogy of all time' may be premature, but they are by no means ridiculous. [I]The Return of the King may also be the return of the unbridled Hollywood epic."

[Thief]

Trailers

-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5X-hFf6Bwo

[Miss Vicky]

Your movie taste is almost as strange as mine.

I don’t like heavy fantasy. The only reason why I saw the other two is because my best friend wanted me to watch them with her. She’s also the reason why I have seen a couple of the Harry Potter movies. A different friend is to be blamed for me having seen two of the Twilight movies. I hated all of those movies and have no desire to finish any of those series.

[CosmicRunaway]

Despite RotK being high on my list, I actually have a few bones to pick with it. The theatrical cut included too many scenes at the end than it needed to, but cut earlier scenes it really shouldn't have. Certain story threads remain incomplete because of that, which is pretty funny when you consider how long the film spends wrapping everything else up at the end. While the Extended Edition does fill in those gaps, it also manages to ruin the tension certain scenes had in theatres.

Tl;dr: There's no perfect cut of RotK.

Seen: 60/93

[mark f]

Since so many people have already announced how lousy The Return of the King is, I have to say it's my #2. Unlike others who say the F/X suck and the ending goes on way too long, what I actually see and feel are exciting, suspenseful sights and deeply affecting ones throughout and especially during the admittedly drawn-out ending which make me cry over and over. It may be the exact opposite of Jackson's low-budget beginnings but not of his creative decisions to put out this heartfelt epic in a very brief amount of time.

It's probably a good time (or not) to tell you my #3 is King Kong.

I know we have a few MoFos who don't especially care for the newest King Kong, but I'm a big fan of the film. Jackson found the right balance between crafting a loving homage to the 1933 original (his favorite film growing up) and retooling it for the CGI era. I admit that I'm usually not a fan of remakes, but I find this one to be the best version of the classic story. Although Jackson can be accused of making this Kong "too-everything" (too long, too bloated, too much CGI, too much emotion, etc.), he does accomplish quite a bit in the way of suspense, action, spectacle and a believable Beauty and the Beast story with terrific performances as the couple by Naomi Watts and Andy Serkis, the latter aided by the effects team. Jackson's production designers also got to create the spectacular New York City of the '30s and the exotic, otherworldly Skull Island where Kong and the other huge creatures from the past still roam in the wild.

The film is basically divided into three parts. Part One (52 minutes) begins in Depression-era NYC where comic actress Ann Darrow (Watts) has just lost her gig and is contemplating going to work at the burlesque house to earn enough to eat. At the same time, movie producer/director Carl Denham (Jack Black) has just learned that the studio heads hate the rushes from his latest "wildlife" picture and are going to fire him, so, escorted by his assistant Preston (Colin Hanks), he gathers together what he can and hightails it towards the ship waiting to transport him across the ocean to the mysterious location where he wants to finish up his project without the studios' help. His primary problem is that he's lost his leading lady, and Fay Wray isn't available since she's off working with Merian C. Cooper. (A nice in-joke since Wray played Ann in the '33 King Kong and Cooper co-directed it. There are several such references throughout the film.) Luckily for Carl, he comes across Ann and entices her to join him when he mentions that his film is being scripted by playwright Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody), an author with whom Ann would like to work. They get to the ship just before the studio execs and are introduced to Capt. Engelhorn (Thomas Kretschmann) and his crew which includes First Mate Hayes (Evan Parke), teenage former stowaway Jimmie (Jamie Bell) and Lumpy the cook (Serkis). Jack is also aboard ship, even if it originally isn't his idea. During the voyage, Denham gets plenty of footage with Ann and her leading man, prima donna Bruce Baxter (Kyle Chandler), but the captain isn't happy that he's sailing for an uncharted island, and then he learns that Denham has a warrant out for his arrest. Just when it looks like they'll divert to Singapore to hand Denham over to the authorities, the ship enters a fog bank and eventually reaches Skull Island.

All the supporting characters seem to have some back stories going on. For example, the Captain seems to be a very soft-spoken guy but you can tell that he's at sea hiding from some haunted past. However, the most affecting relationship of the lesser characters is the father-son one between Hayes and Jimmie. Hayes is trying to teach Jimmie life lessons, and Jimmie has just begun reading Conrad's Heart of Darkness, so their discussions of that book seem to be playing out in their true life adventure on the sea and at Skull Island. A relevant line is when Hayes tells Jimmie that the novel "isn't an adventure". After the setup and intro, Part Two (84 minutes) gets into the rock 'em, sock 'em action and creepy suspense, and this is where Jackson both pays faithful adulation to his fave film and deliberately tries to go into overdrive with a series of pumped action scenes which recreate but go well beyond the source. The original had one T. Rex; this one has three. [Note: Kong's battle with the three is both hilarious and has some startling 3-D looking shots, mostly involving the dinosaurs trying to eat Ann. I've heard some viewers complain that this fight scene is ludicrous and defies the laws of physics. Well, if you really think about that while watching a movie about a giant ape fighting three dinosaurs in 1933, then you probably shouldn't be watching this movie (and most fantasy) in the first place.] The original had one mad stampeding dinosaur; this one has dozens. The original had to cut out the gross-out scene with giant bugs and headsuckers; this one includes it using the original's storyboards.

The other thing which separates this Kong from the original is the emotional empathy between Kong and Ann. In the original, Ann was terrified of Kong throughout the movie and showed no other emotions toward him. Kong was interested in the way Ann smelled. In fact, he pokes her with his finger a few times and then raises it to his nose to get a good smell of her. He's obviously fascinated with Ann, but she just wants to get away from the "Monster". In the 1976 remake, which was also updated to the '70s, Jessica Lange doesn't even play Ann. Instead, she plays Dwan and she's terrified initially by Kong, but later when they spend some quiet time alone and she finds Kong to be her protector against even worse beasts, Dwan even gets turned on by what Kong can do to her body! She does feel some love for Kong though, however it's nothing like the attachment which develops between this version's Ann and Kong. Eventually, Ann holds on tight to Kong when she sees that he's the one who can save her from Skull Island's scary fauna. She also introduces Kong to the concepts of humor and beauty. There is a deep, mutual bond between the two characters which I find totally natural, no matter how many times I've heard somebody call it weird or stupid. So, even if some find this movie redundant or a vulgar waste of money, I find it a good, old-fashioned entertainment, but with a lot more heart and soul than the other versions.

Dehnam and the crewmembers are able to capture Kong and take him back to NYC where he displays the Ape as the Eighth Wonder of the World. Denham is really depicted as a weasly guy who'd probably sell his mother to get a hit in the entertainment business. Jack turns out to be a decent heroic figure. [Note: the original Kong has Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot) as the First Mate on the ship who was a heroic figure and Ann's human love interest. This film seems to turn that character into three characters: Brody's playwright, Parke's first mate, and Chandler's vain actor who, not so coincidentally, is named Bruce.] Part Three (40 minutes) is what happens when Kong is in NYC, leading up to the climax at the Empire State Building. We are witness to another array of spectacle and action made all the more fun by it occurring in a meticulously-recreated 1930's Times Square and environs. I don't think I need to go into any details about these scenes, but they don't disappoint me at all. Kong himself remains dignified right up to the very end.

I want to add that I grew up with the 1933 King Kong, and it was instrumental in my falling in love with the movies. The fact that you could see such things which were impossible has a big effect on a youngster. I think it's a classic and that everyone should watch it. My rating for it is 3.5. However, I don't lionize it as others do. Willis O'Brien's stop-motion effects are incredible and a lot of fun, but the acting in the film isn't really A-quality. I mean, Fay Wray is beautiful and can scream with the best of them, but her co-stars aren't all that hot. Armstrong can play a big producer OK, but it's superficial, and Bruce Cabot is on the wooden side as the hero. Another thing is that the beginning is a little slow-moving. Yes, I realize that many viewers complain that Part One of the 2005 version is slow and irrelevant, but I actually enjoyed the added time to get to know the characters. Even if many of the characters and their relationships don't "pay off" in the context of the plot, they do add depth and mystery to the film. I realize that some people today will just find the acting and FX of the original too hokey, but it's a real movie-movie, and I keep finding plenty of hokey acting and FX in today's films.

I'll even give the 1976 update a break and recommend that one too. Although it's more sexually aware than the original, it actually isn't as sexy, but Jeff Bridges brings some seriousness to his role as an animal rights activist to help balance out Charles Grodin's broad, but amusing, turn as a Snidely Whiplash-ish oil tycoon. Jessica Lange's screen debut is worth seeing even if the FX are laughably bad. So, all-in-all, a mixed bag, but still entertaining enough for me to give it a low 3.

My List

1. The Incredibles
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
3. King Kong
5. Ratatouille
7. Downfall
8. Up
9. The Dark Knight
10. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
11. Everything Will Be OK
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
15. WALL·E
16. Children of Men
19. The Pianist
20. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
21. Pride & Prejudice
22. Hotel Rwanda
25. City of Life and Death

[John Dumbear]

A couple of reveals that had no shot, but still considered my favorites of the decade.



1. 100%
2. City of God
3. Children of Men
4. Let the Right One In
5. Requiem for a Dream
6. 5%
7. Sideways
8. In Bruges
9. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
10. 80%
11. 0%
12. The Last King of Scotland
13. Quills
14. 5%
15. Old Boy
16. The Wrestler
17. 28 Days Later
18. 20%
19. Shaun of the Dead
20. 0%
21. 5%
22. Sherrybaby
23. 0%
24. American Psycho
25. The OH in Ohio 1-ptr



Have seen so far: 54/ 94
Put on list for future viewing: 13
My list that ended up on the cutting room floor (dammit!): 6
Put on "meh" list : 22
Zero chance of ever watching: 14
1 Ptrs: seen 8

[SpelingError]

As I said when the last LOTR film was mentioned in this countdown, my memory of the trilogy is too poor to say anything substantial about it. I'll have to rewatch the trilogy someday.

[SpelingError]

Gotta say it's been particularly painful to see my No.1 go at No.53 and The Dark Knight, a film that would not make the consideration list for me, go No.10.
I feel so alone.

My #1 was at 78 so you got me beat.

[Yoda]

Meant to reply to this days ago, and replying "fully" would derail the countdown, which is no good, so I'll cut it in half and focus on the key points and if anyone wants to go more in depth, I'll save the rest of what I wrote for awhile just in case:

I don't expect people to like the films I like.
I think this sentiment is clearly inconsistent with the act of replying and expressing disappointment over and over. And that's the thing--not the desire itself, when properly articulated--that people bristle over.

I think you'll find expressing a sentiment positively, as an aspiration, lands very differently than the exact same concept expressed as disappointment or disdain. Which is why when someone chooses the latter, it's hard not to think their real goal is, in fact, the disdain (and concomitant expression of superiority).

Mercifully, it can still be saved by write-ups with details on why they find these films personal.
I agree...and that's what we're seeing all over this thread. The list itself is almost secondary to the outpouring of personal testimonials that show up almost every day, when something someone loves shows up. If you're just skimming the titles you're obviously not going to see that, even though you're right here, talking about how it can make ostensibly "bad" lists still meaningful and interesting.

That's a ranking of popularity rather than quality.
I've touched on this before, but I think this is a false dichotomy. I think appealing to large numbers of people--breadth rather than depth, to put it simply--is a form of quality in and of itself.

There's a weird blind spot here for some cinephiles, I think, where they agree quality is subjective, but still think of "quality" as only existing along that one axis. It's kind of like agreeing everyone has different taste in food, but still using taste as the only measure of judgment and disregarding how much it costs, how long it takes to make, or what kind of nutritional content it has. It's not just the worth of the thing itself that's subjective, it's also which things to use to measure worth in the first place.

A film is not better by the sheer virtue of being less known. But it's often much more interesting because of that. And a more interesting film is more interesting to check out. And by checking out more films, the possibility of discovering new favorites increases. But then you stumble upon a top of films that only contains the most tedious set of films you see everywhere. And what's there to get from it? Totally nothing.
It's long been my belief that getting very deep into an art form is not a purely positive thing. There are upsides, most of which are obvious and which you've already described: you gain a better appreciation for the form. You become more discerning. You understand influences, homages, allusions. It's great! I am 100% for it.

But it also has downsides. One of them is boredom. If you absorb enough film, I think it's very difficult not to be become jaded, to the point where it's exciting (titillating, even) to see anything extreme or unusual even if it's not good. You kind of say as much when you talk about "bad" lists that are still interesting because they're weird.

I'm not sure that's a good thing. I think, in a sense, it is just as exploitable as people mindlessly consuming cookie cutter entertainment. Liking something just because it's different is basically liking something for what it's not, which is a reactionary posture towards art that, if not checked, drives us towards the extreme and away from even the most basic storytelling principles.

So, unless, in the aforementioned world, we all had equal access to all works of art there are and unlimited time to experience literally all of them (or rather could experience them all just like that, in a second), then yes, it'd be cool.
Aye, but the thought is more like: would we like the same things? It seems clear to me that we would not. Your average moviegoer would probably like more weird things, as you want them to...but you would probably like more mainstream things, as well.

We're all human. There's no way for us to listen to a song or watch a film, or hell, even see a film's marketing without immediately thinking of what kind of person it's "supposed" to appeal to, and if we don't think of ourselves as that kind of person, it will influence our reaction to it.

[MovieFan1988]

Have seen so far: 33 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - A good movie to end the trilogy and loved the battle scenes in this one.
Have not seen so far: 65

My Ballots so far
#1 - The Departed (2006)
#9 - Spider Man 2 (2004)
#15 - The Dark Knight (2008)
#20 - Hot Fuzz (2007)
#21 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
One Pointer - #25 - Anger Management (2003)

[MovieMeditation]

Return of the King was my #5.

It is my personal favorite of the three and the only one from the trilogy, which I haven't pulled down even a little bit in my rating and opinion of it.

I still love the trilogy as a whole and as one long journey and obviously I very much enjoy the first one and how that sets up the world and introduces us to everything. It's my second favorite. Two Towers is a difficult middle piece but it has some amazing sequences as well.

But somehow the conclusive finale of Return of the King and how everything that was set up comes together simply works amazing for me. And with such big epic films you often find yourself waiting for those moments or scenes that you really love - and the third film has many of my favorite sequences in the entire trilogy. The opening flashback that shows us more of Smeagol becoming Gollum, the sequence of Pippin lighting the beacon, the song Pippin sings to the King while his son rides to his death, the spider sequence, the "you bow to no one", I mean... I could go on and on.

Indeed, it's big and very long. It's also the most effects heavy. But I just can't help but see this as one of the greatest examples of a movie done on such scale. Again, the whole trilogy deserves that praise but when this list forces you to pick I'm on team Return of the King.

[Yoda]

Not about ROTK but just about the LOTR trilogy in general:

One of the most significant anecdotes, for me, is how often I hear people say that they never watch fantasy, but for some reason they liked this. I've heard that from or about maybe a half-dozen people just offline.

[Harry Lime]

Remember those three years when we got a new LOTR film every Christmas. That was great.

[honeykid]

I don’t like heavy fantasy. The only reason why I saw the other two is because my best friend wanted me to watch them with her. She’s also the reason why I have seen a couple of the Harry Potter movies. A different friend is to be blamed for me having seen two of the Twilight movies. I hated all of those movies and have no desire to finish any of those series.

Yeah, I've got a friend like this too. Which is why I've seen all the LotR films and 3 HP (though I've completely blanked one of them to the point I couldn't tell you which one it was) but she was also the reason I saw Sin City, so you take the rough with the smooth, I guess.

Ah, the King of the Edgers. Long before all but the darkest corners of the internet knew what it was this film was spreading the word... And **** me, it's dull. Actually, I don't know that because I remember all but nothing of it, apart from a couple of the 'endings', but I remember being bored and thinking it dull, so I'm going with that. I knew that mark f will be shaking his head as he reads that even before I read his post, but that's OK. One, because he's used to me and two, because for all our differences, we'll always have Jaws. :)

[Yoda]

The stuff about hating fantasy actually ties in perfectly to the cross-current discussion I'm having about what our tastes would look like without other people (and our preconceptions about them) around to influence them.

In theory there's nothing less plausible (or sillier, or dorkier, or whatever) about fantasy (IE: dwarves and elves and magic) than a lot of sci-fi films, or talking toys and animals, or what have you, but there's still this "I like all music except country and rap" thing about it that hurts it coming right out of the gate, for reasons that are confusing and difficult to unpack, but which I suspect are at least sometimes tied into latent ideas about what kinds of people like it.

Anyway, they're exceptional films because they use a remarkable setting to tell essentially human stories, like any good film does. The stuff surrounding that is, while sometimes pretty cool, mostly immaterial. The genre is not the person, it's just the clothes they're wearing.

[Chypmunk]

The genre is not the person, it's just the clothes they're wearing.
In that case my genre today is definitely 'respectable slob' :)

[CosmicRunaway]

Not about ROTK but just about the LOTR trilogy in general:

One of the most significant anecdotes, for me, is how often I hear people say that they never watch fantasy, but for some reason they liked this. I've heard that from or about maybe a half-dozen people just offline.
My room mate is one of these people. He has no interest in typical high fantasy elements, but finds the story and characters very compelling. He even watched the extended editions! Sometimes good films can transcend genre barriers.

[gandalf26]

Preparing my points about why ROTK is the weakest of the trilogy like I do everytime it shows up on a countdown:)

[Deschain]

Rotk made my list. Despite my interest in LOTR waning in the last few years I can’t deny what a stellar trilogy it is all around. I already knew I wanted a career in film when these movies came out but I’ve heard from countless folks slightly younger than me how influential the special features on the DVDs were to them in pursuing a career in filmmaking. To inspire a generation of filmmakers is something LOTR should be more recognized for as well.

[Mr Minio]

I think this sentiment is clearly inconsistent with the act of replying and expressing disappointment over and over. Isn't life disappointing?

I think you'll find expressing a sentiment positively, as an aspiration, lands very differently than the exact same concept expressed as disappointment or disdain Because people hate when others do not agree with them. And it's true for both herd mentality and individuals. That's how most people are conditioned to operate - in information bubbles that in no way challenge their views. Also, people usually mistake the tone with the content, often discarding value only because it's been brought to them in a coarse way.

I agree...and that's what we're seeing all over this thread. The list itself is almost secondary to the outpouring of personal testimonials that show up almost every day, when something someone loves shows up For the most part, people are talking about why they like a film, not why it's personal to them. But as I've said, I'm not expecting them to bare themselves on a public forum.

I've touched on this before, but I think this is a false dichotomy. I think appealing to large numbers of people--breadth rather than depth, to put it simply--is a form of quality in and of itself. Communism does that, ya know. I think you need to allow some exceptions in. :P But yeah, I have nothing against popular cinema, as long as it is good.

There's a weird blind spot here for some cinephiles, I think, where they agree quality is subjective, but still think of "quality" as only existing along that one axis. Please, let's not get into the "taste is subjective" kinda discussion again.

which things to use to measure worth in the first place. You can do this in several ways, and most people will inevitably use the worst way with films made by parachuters, as Jean-Marie Straub calls them.

One of them is boredom. If you absorb enough film, I think it's very difficult not to be become jaded, to the point where it's exciting (titillating, even) to see anything extreme or unusual even if it's not good. You kind of say as much when you talk about "bad" lists that are still interesting because they're weird. That's ludicrous. You can do better than that.

Liking something just because it's different is basically liking something for what it's not, which is a reactionary posture towards art that, if not checked, drives us towards the extreme and away from even the most basic storytelling principles. That's ludicrous. x2 But yeah, for your convenience and to confirm what you wrote: "Cinema is dead. No more films are possible.".

Aye, but the thought is more like: would we like the same things? It seems clear to me that we would not. Your average moviegoer would probably like more weird things, as you want them to...but you would probably like more mainstream things, as well.

We're all human. There's no way for us to listen to a song or watch a film, or hell, even see a film's marketing without immediately thinking of what kind of person it's "supposed" to appeal to, and if we don't think of ourselves as that kind of person, it will influence our reaction to it.

I'm quite sure we'd all like more mainstream things, with less known works having it even harder than now. Incidentally, to anyone whom this applies to, I love lots of mainstream things so implying I don't or that my approach is "elitist" is simply uninformed.

[John W Constantine]

Return of the King got my LotR vote. It's just epic in every sense. One of the few super long movies I watched many times but the runtime didn't seem to bother me because what was happening didn't make it feel that way. Like Nolan's Batman movies we probably won't ever see them made like this ever again for better or for worse.

[Miss Vicky]

In theory there's nothing less plausible (or sillier, or dorkier, or whatever) about fantasy (IE: dwarves and elves and magic) than a lot of sci-fi films, or talking toys and animals, or what have you, but there's still this "I like all music except country and rap" thing about it that hurts it coming right out of the gate, for reasons that are confusing and difficult to unpack, but which I suspect are at least sometimes tied into latent ideas about what kinds of people like it.

I dislike most live-action Sci-Fi for the same reason I dislike live-action Fantasy and live-action Musicals: it puts too much strain on my ability to suspend disbelief. Animated movies get more of a pass from me on account of the fact that absolutely nothing on the screen is real.

As to preconceived notions as to who watches them: Given the extreme popularity of LOTR, Harry Potter, GOT (which even I watched all of), super hero stuff, etc. my perception is that practically everyone watches them. Also I already know I’m a dork. I attend the Renaissance Faire in costume. But I still hate the vast majority of live-action fantasy.

[Thief]

Awards

-

Now to the awards received by The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King...



Swept the Academy Awards with 11, including Best Picture and Director (Peter Jackson)
BAFTA Film Award for Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects
SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast
Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film, Best Actor (Elijah Wood), Best Supporting Actor (Sean Astin), Best Director (Jackson), and 4 more.
AFI Award for Movie of the Year
Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Picture of the Decade and Best Directing of the Decade (Jackson)
Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement (Jackson)
Empire Award for Best Film, Best British Actor (Andy Serkis), and Scene of the Year (ride of the Rohirrim)
Golden Globe Award for Best Director (Jackson), Best Score (Howard Shore), Best Song, and Best Picture
Grammy Award for Best Score and Best Song ("Into the West")
Jupiter Award for Best International Film and Best International Director (Jackson)
Golden Satellite Award for Best Overall DVD


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoKFtf4A_mc

[Thief]

With this latest entry, Peter Jackson joins the list of directors that have multiple films in the countdown; both parts of his LOTR trilogy (The Two Towers at #15, and now The Return of the King at #8).

[John W Constantine]

With this latest entry, Peter Jackson joins the list of directors that have multiple films in the countdown; both parts of his LOTR trilogy (The Two Towers at #15, and now The Return of the King at #8).

Yeah it's a shame he won't get another one :rolleyes:

[Yoda]

Isn't life disappointing?
Disappointment is the result of two distinct things: reality, and our expectations. We control one of those things.

Because people hate when others do not agree with them. And it's true for both herd mentality and individuals. That's how most people are conditioned to operate - in information bubbles that in no way challenge their views. Also, people usually mistake the tone with the content, often discarding value only because it's been brought to them in a coarse way.
Right, but all of this applies in both directions: you express your disdain because you "hate when others do not agree with [you]." Yes, even "outsiders" are in bubbles, they're just inverted.

None of this is germane to the point, though, which is ultimately about what your goal is. Is it to help people expand their horizons, or is it to express superiority and/or anger towards them? If it's the latter, then by all means, continue to express disdain towards popular films. But if it's actually the former, you can express the same idea as a positive, via advocacy for other things. If you don't, you can see how it would naturally lead someone to wonder whether the expression of disdain is, in fact, the actual goal.

For the most part, people are talking about why they like a film, not why it's personal to them.
I don't think this is actually accurate, and to the degree it is I think it'll require that "personal" be quite narrow, to the point where I'd have to question its value as a measure. But I can't really disagree without knowing a lot more about what you mean here.

I have nothing against popular cinema, as long as it is good.
Well, yeah, but the whole point is that I think "good" is being measured along an insufficient number of metrics. I think there's an unexamined assumption here that quality is based on the depth with which a work of art can touch someone, and not the number of people it can touch. There's a lot of "it's popular BUT it's not..." which implies that popularity is completely unrelated to value, and I don't think that's actually true. That's what I mean when I say quality is only being measured on one axis.

That's ludicrous. You can do better than that.
And I'm sure you can do better than just saying something is ludicrous without explaining yourself, but here we are. ;)

But yeah, I don't think it's a coincidence that people who absorb a lot of any kind of art tend to value novelty and experimentation more. There's some degree to which that's good, but it's not magic. It's not suddenly immune to all the same kinds of human failings as any other posture. Of course people become jaded and bored when they experience a lot of something. How could they not? How could they really think that their preference for extreme things over time is just their real/pure taste (as if there even is such a thing!), and not the result of that experience?

I'm quite sure we'd all like more mainstream things, with less known works having it even harder than now. Incidentally, to anyone whom this applies to, I love lots of mainstream things so implying I don't or that my approach is "elitist" is simply uninformed.
"Some of my best friends are Marvel movies!" ;)

[Yoda]

I dislike most live-action Sci-Fi for the same reason I dislike live-action Fantasy and live-action Musicals: it puts too much strain on my ability to suspend disbelief. Animated movies get more of a pass from me on account of the fact that absolutely nothing on the screen is real.
I'm not really sure how to address that last bit (which is obviously key, since a rat controlling a dude through his hair is way crazier than elves existing). I guess I can see why that might be true as a sort of first blush reaction, but it also suggests the evaluation is happening on a level totally disconnected from the story itself. Hell, a lot of the overtly fantasy stuff is CGI, anyway, which isn't meaningfully different from animation. I doubt we can draw a line here that encapsulates live action fantasy without including lots of other things that don't prompt the same reaction.

I think pretty much everybody (myself included), at least occasionally, has a gut level reaction to something and can't always craft a series of rules or principles that really explain it, since there's almost always exceptions to those rules. Really knowing why we react the way do to things is pretty hard, but I also think it's a crucial part of developing a deeper appreciation for any art form.

As to preconceived notions as to who watches them: Given the extreme popularity of LOTR, Harry Potter, GOT (which even I watched all of), super hero stuff, etc. my perception is that practically everyone watches them. Also I already know I’m a dork. I attend the Renaissance Faire in costume. But I still hate the vast majority of live-action fantasy.
Fair, though it's definitely been my experience that a) most people have something dorky they like but b) they still find other people's dorky things to be particularly dorky. :laugh: I've seen Star Wars fans make fun of Harry Potter fans in ways that really lack any self-awareness, and vice-versa. Being a big ol' nerd for something doesn't have any social detriment any more.

[John McClane]

Gotta say it's been particularly painful to see my No.1 go at No.53 and The Dark Knight, a film that would not make the consideration list for me, go No.10.
I feel so alone.None of my top 5 even gonna make this list at all. It’s cold out here ;)

[Miss Vicky]

Hell, a lot of the overtly fantasy stuff is CGI, anyway, which isn't meaningfully different from animation. I doubt we can draw a line here that encapsulates live action fantasy without including lots of other things that don't prompt the same reaction.

Yeah but the CGI in fantasy movies is attempting to look real. In animation, nothing on the screen is real and I’m not expected to believe otherwise.

Peter Jackson wants me to believe that this hideous and obnoxious thing is real and is really interacting with humans (or hobbits or whatever):

84653

[Wyldesyde19]

I love lots of mainstream things so implying I don't or that my approach is "elitist" is simply uninformed.

This is the most disingenuous response yet, as your posts have always come from an elitist approach. You even brag about the amount of films you’ve watched compared to others, and brag even more about the obscure films you’ve watched.
You’ve made comments about this site being for “movie buffs, not for cinephiles”. It can exist for both, obviously.
You made a snide post about Holden’s top 100 of the past decade not being of any interest to you at all.
You constantly present your view as if it’s it is the only view that matters.
In fact, it’s almost like you just hang around just to drop these little Minio opinions just to remind everyone of this.

These are the posts of an elitist frame of mind.

[Yoda]

Yeah but the CGI in fantasy movies is attempting to look real. In animation, nothing on the screen is real and I’m not expected to believe otherwise.
I think the word "real" is probably obscuring whatever the underlying logic is here. It's not attempting to look photorealistic, but it's trying to look "real" even more than most fantasy, since it's depicting real things. For example, we can use your example:

Peter Jackson wants me to believe that this hideous and obnoxious thing is real and is really interacting with humans (or hobbits or whatever):

84653
Gollum is not real, and not even based on a real thing, so there's no gap between reality and fantasy to bridge. He can't fail to look like the thing he is the only example of. Remy in Ratatouille, on the other hand, is depicting a real thing. In that sense it seems to require more suspension of disbelief, not less, since you're being shown a thing that you know exists and doesn't actually look like that, versus being shown a completely invented thing.

Films that take place in the real world have to match the rules and nuances and subtleties of a reality we know extremely well, but the fantasy world is teaching us those things. To whatever degree we see it as unrealistic is, by definition, the degree to which we have smuggled reality and our expectations of it into the film.

I also feel compelled to note that Gollum is supposed to be hideous. I get why someone might not want to experience that, but that's not really about the fantasy aspect of the film, since it has obvious non-fantasy analogues (like drug addiction). That uneasy coexistence of disgust and pity is difficult and unpleasant, to be sure, but it's totally inseparable from the story.

I wonder if the introduction of the word "interacting" is getting at the real fulcrum of all this, though. That kinda suggests it's not about suspension of disbelief for any fantasy concepts, or even just CGI (since most films have some now), but really just about the relatively narrow case of animated beings interacting with non-animated ones.

[Citizen Rules]

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King...I've not seen it. I did watch the first two and that was enough for me.

[MovieFan1988]

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King...I've not seen it. I did watch the first two and that was enough for me.

I think the only gripe that I have about the trilogy that it was too damn long, when rewatching the LOTR films for my favorite 2000's list, I only re-watched the first and 3rd film, felt like I didn't need to rewatch the 2nd film since it was my least favorite one.

I see why you had enough though because it was too long, I assume

[Miss Vicky]

Gollum is not real, and not even based on a real thing, so there's no gap between reality and fantasy to bridge.

All the more reason why I fail to suspend disbelief. You have this really annoying thing that isn’t even based on anything real that you’re expecting me to believe is real in the context of the film’s world - which also includes elves, ents, hobbits, orcs, trolls, etc - and you’re doing so within a trilogy of epic films that take themselves too damn seriously.

Remy in Ratatouille, on the other hand, is depicting a real thing. In that sense it seems to require more suspension of disbelief, not less, since you're being shown a thing that you know exists and doesn't actually look like that, versus being shown a completely invented thing.

Remy may not be an especially realistic looking rat, but he is recognizably rat-like in both appearance and movement. The animators at Pixar studied the behaviors of real rats and as someone who has spent over 20 years living with rats I can say they did a damn good job with their stylized representation of them, just like they did a damn fine job with their stylized representation of people. Also, Ratatouille is maybe not the best choice for argument since it has the unfair advantage of having a rat protagonist and I love rats and don’t love whatever TF Smeagol is supposed to be.

[KeyserCorleone]

All the more reason why I fail to suspend disbelief.


You just look at how that world's supposed to work and see if the movie completely matches that plausibility. If there are dragons, don't think of it as a movie that's bad because it's impossible. Such is essentially comparing LOTR to Mickey Mouse. LOTR works because all the characters do what they can with the world, setting and magic given them, and it perfectly fits without going too far out of what you'd expect the world to be like. But the reality itself comes from how you, as the audience, would handle that reality. Another example of a realistic movie would be a horror movie where the characters are making smart decisions, like The Descent which had strange humanoid monsters as opposed to a more plausible slasher where the characters do something dumber than hell before they're killed. Basically, the Ring drove Smeagol mad, and Smeagol did nothing to fight it, so for hundreds of years he became more insane. Multiple personality disorder was the least of his worries.

[Yoda]

that you’re expecting me to believe is real in the context of the film’s world
What, to you could, could be hypothetically done to make him more "real in the context of the film's world"?

So far you've said that he's ​"hideous," "obnoxious," and "annoying," but those don't have anything to do with suspension of disbelief. They're more like reasons not to wanna hang out with him, and I'm with ya' there.

and you’re doing so within a trilogy of epic films that take themselves too damn seriously.
Taking itself seriously is literally how you make an invented world feel realistic. This feels like a "heads I win, tails you lose" scenario.

Remy may not be an especially realistic looking rat, but he is recognizably rat-like in both appearance and movement.
Exactly: it's not about what you're depicting, it's about how you depict it. Genre has almost nothing to do with it.

So what would the equivalent be for Gollum? Would you be persuaded if I told you they studied apes for the movement, or drug addicts for the eyes? I get why you don't like him personally (you're not supposed to), but not what about his depiction is unrealistic, except the fact that he's technically fictional.

Also, Ratatouille is maybe not the best choice for argument since it has the unfair advantage of having a rat protagonist and I love rats
That's kinda what I'm getting at, though: that there's a lot of stuff here influencing these reactions that aren't really about the films or how they're made.

I love dogs, but a movie that's just two hours of dogs being cute would not be a good movie. I also wouldn't watch a sci-fi film and say "terrible, 0/5, not enough puppies." Because if I did that, I'd just be talking about myself, not the movie.

and don’t love whatever TF Smeagol is supposed to be.
He's a person who's been corrupted over time by the ring. What do you think that should look like?

[KeyserCorleone]

Taking itself seriously is literally how you make an invented world feel realistic. This feels like a "heads I win, tails you lose" scenario.

He's a person who's been corrupted over time by the ring. What do you think that should look like?


A; Exactly. An audience member sometimes pictures him/herself in the scenario, so judging what could logically happen within the given rule and science is essentially what makes a good movie work. Without understanding the plausibility of its designated plot, it caves in on itself, much like the apparent time-travel rule breaking of About Time.


B: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d9/88/2f/d9882f20e31b73221dc56dda6f1a8ce0.jpg



I think most women would rather date Gurgi.

[Miss Vicky]

I also wouldn't watch a sci-fi film and say "terrible, 0/5, not enough puppies." Because if I did that, I'd just be talking about myself, not the movie.

Okay, but when I talk about movies, I’m not really ever talking about the movies themselves, I’m talking about my experiences watching them. So I’m not really seeing what you’re trying to argue here.


He's a person who's been corrupted over time by the ring. What do you think that should look like?

A person, for starters….

[Yoda]

Okay, but when I talk about movies, I’m not really ever talking about the movies themselves, I’m talking about my experiences watching them. So I’m not really seeing what you’re trying to argue here.
I'm arguing that the problem is not really suspension of disbelief. I can't come up with a series of principles, from these answers, that would neatly encompass fantasy and sci-fi films but exclude a lot of other personal favorites, at least not without lots of ad hoc exceptions.

This is not really unusual: I think pretty much everyone has gut level reactions to things, and while it's possible (and very good, and very rewarding) to try to parse those out from our judgments about art, I admit it's never entirely possible. Sometimes we think "I just don't like X," and then we see film Y which has X, and we like it anyway. Sometimes we can figure out what we like and why, and sometimes it's a mystery even to us. I think it's pretty important to at least try, though.

A person, for starters….
The premise is that the ring corrupts people so that they are physically transformed over time. So you're just saying...the ring shouldn't do that? It's just inherently bad that there's a fictional story where that's possible?

[Miss Vicky]

The premise is that the ring corrupts people so that they are physically transformed over time. So you're just saying...the ring shouldn't do that? It's just inherently bad that there's a fictional story where that's possible?

I never said it was bad. I said I don’t like it. There is a difference. Also a person can be physically transformed by something yet still remain recognizably human, rather than looking like some weird alien/treasure troll hybrid with alopecia.

[cricket]

Have not seen Return of the King. I'd be willing to try the first movie again and watch the whole trilogy if I could get into the right frame of mind and I had the time.

[edarsenal]

Two films I've seen though neither made my list.


https://static01.nyt.com/images/2008/01/02/arts/06darg-600.jpg

I was very impressed by the in-depth procedural aspect of Zodiac. Bypassing the hype of the murders, they place us on the investigative side of things and the obsession of said investigation and how it continued long past the case itself.


https://c.tenor.com/A5i9TK3Mz30AAAAd/king-of-the-dead-return-ofthe-king.gif

The movie that REFUSED to end!
I am a Tolkien fan, and I DO love the epic grandness that Peter Jackson created. I tolerate the extremeness of it all as well as respect the massive endeavor it took, not only to recreate J.R.R Tolkien's Middle Earth but to win over us quibbling, nit-picking Fantasy Geeks in the process. Which is an amazing feat all on its own.
So I will accept the faults as I applaud the accomplishments because it draws me in and amazes this lover of Fantasy Worlds whenever I sit through Jackson's grandiose representation.



Films Watched 68 out of 93 (73.11%)
1. Amélie (#16)
2. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (#21)
3. Ratatouille (#23)
4.
5. Gladiator (#40)
6.
7.
8. The Incredibles (#36)
9. V for Vendetta (#58)
10. The Dark Knight (#10)
11. WALL·E (#13)
12.
13. Memories of Murder (#27)
14. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (#76)
15.
16.
17. Mother (#96)
18. The Departed (#19)
19.
20. Memento (#11)
21. In the Mood for Love
22. Downfall (#28)
23. Quills (#67)
24. Oldboy (#22)
25. A Bittersweet Life (One Pointer)


One Pointers: 10 out of 38 (26.31%)

[pahaK]

The Return of the King was the only LoTR movie that didn't make my ballot. It's still good, but it's so much weaker than the first two parts. The liberties it takes with the story don't fit, and the endings take far too long.

Seen: 50/93

My Ballot:
1. Let the Right One In (2008) [#29]
5. Watchmen (2009) [#87]
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) [#15]
7. Rambo (2008)[DNP]
8. The Descent (2005) [#80]
13. The Children (2008) [DNP]
16. Tideland (2005)[DNP]
18. Battle Royale (2000) [#77]
19. Chocolate (2008) [DNP]
22. Noroi (2005) [DNP]
25. Harry Brown (2009) [1-pointer]

[rauldc14]

Here's my list. There's only one more of mine to show yet. I included a few that didn't make it since others are doing that. I'll have ended up with 14/25, which is around the norm for me with these things.

Crash is a very hated film, but it's among my favorites. Really like how the film is constructed and love the entanglement of all the characters.

Inside Man has always been a favorite. The cat and mouse between Owen and Washington is great. Plummer and Foster do well too. Probably Lees favorite for me.

1.
2. Mystic River (2003)
3. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
4. Gladiator (2000)
5.
6.
7.
8. Iron Man (2008)
9. Casino Royale (2006)
10. Finding Nemo (2003)
11. Gran Torino (2008)
12. Crash (2004)
13. Lost in Translation (2003)
14. Inside Man (2006)
15. The Prestige (2006)
16. Up (2009)
17.
18. WALL·E (2008)
19.
20. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
21. The Dark Knight (2008)
22.
23. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
24. Sideways (2004)
25.

[Thief]

People, there's still about a week to go. No rush in revealing lists yet

https://c.tenor.com/PX68ehfBs-YAAAAC/patience-singer.gif

[rauldc14]

People, there's still about a week to go. No rush in revealing lists yet

https://c.tenor.com/PX68ehfBs-YAAAAC/patience-singer.gif

The suspense is over, Alfred Hitchcock.

[ueno_station54]

gonna post list anyway <3

01. Visitor Q (2001)
02.
03. Vital (2004)
04. I-Be Area (2007)
05. Noroi: The Curse (2005)
06. Noriko's Dinner Table (2005)
07. 3-Iron (2004)
08. Hana and Alice (2004)
09. Inland Empire (2006)
10. Tekkonkinkreet (2006)
11. Blue Spring (2001)
12. Cremaster 3 (2002)
13. Waking Life (2001)
14. Love Exposure (2009)
15. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)
16.
17. Dogtooth (2009)
18. Trash Humpers (2009)
19. Rehearsals for Retirement (2007)
20. Big Bang Love, Juvenile A (2006)
21. The Fountain (2006)
22. Dancer in the Dark (2000)
23. I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (2006)
24. Speed Racer (2008)
25. Funky Forest: The First Contact (2005)

[Miss Vicky]

1. Amélie (#16)
2. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (#21)
3. Ratatouille (#23)
4.
5. Gladiator (#40)
6.
7.
8. The Incredibles (#36)
9. V for Vendetta (#58)
10. The Dark Knight (#10)
11. WALL·E (#13)
12.
13. Memories of Murder (#27)
14. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (#76)
15.
16.
17. Mother (#96)
18. The Departed (#19)
19.
20. Memento (#11)
21. In the Mood for Love
22. Downfall
23. Quills (#67)
24. Oldboy (#22)
25. A Bittersweet Life (One Pointer)


Holy s***! How did I not realize until just now that you were the sixth Quills voter?! I love you, Ed!

[Thief]

Trivia

-

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

https://data.whicdn.com/images/163710657/original.jpg

Did you know that...


Peter Jackson gave both Andy Serkis and Elijah Wood a prop ring used on the film? The thing is that he didn't tell one another, and both actors thought they had the only one.
Jackson shot one brief scene months after the film's release and weeks after it won the Oscar? It was a shot done exclusively for the Extended Cut.
according to an interview, Jackson hated the Army of the Dead? He kept it in because he didn't want to disappoint fans of the book.
when Frodo is writing in the book towards the end, you can read that Sam was elected mayor of Hobbiton?
this is only the second time a third film from a franchise is nominated for a Best Picture Oscar? The other was The Godfather Part III, which lost.


https://www.paramountmovies.com/uploads/movies/null/godfathercoda-hero-900x400.jpg

[edarsenal]

Holy s***! How did I not realize until just now that you were the sixth Quills voter?! I love you, Ed!
That's because I didn't know until my most recent post when I was going through my list after missing some twenty entries.
I had originally posted that I didn't have it and was very much mistaken.

And I love you too, darlin.

[Thief]

Here is an interesting breakdown of the multiple "endings" from Return of the King...

Here at the End of All Things: In Defense of The Return of the King’s Five Separate Endings (https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2019/04/17/return-of-the-king-2003/)

[Thief]

So... any guesses for tomorrow?

[rauldc14]

So... any guesses for tomorrow?

I guess Holden unveil his stats post before you post again

[rauldc14]

That's because I didn't know until my most recent post when I was going through my list after missing some twenty entries.
I had originally posted that I didn't have it and was very much mistaken.

And I love you too, darlin.

Now we are giving pity points to Miss Vicky? For shame, Ed :p

[edarsenal]

now, now, jealousy is unbecoming.

;)

[Citizen Rules]

gonna post list anyway <3

01. Visitor Q (2001)
02.
03. Vital (2004)
04. I-Be Area (2007)
05. Noroi: The Curse (2005)
06. Noriko's Dinner Table (2005)
07. 3-Iron (2004)
08. Hana and Alice (2004)
09. Inland Empire (2006)
10. Tekkonkinkreet (2006)
11. Blue Spring (2001)
12. Cremaster 3 (2002)
13. Waking Life (2001)
14. Love Exposure (2009)
15. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)
16.
17. Dogtooth (2009)
18. Trash Humpers (2009)
19. Rehearsals for Retirement (2007)
20. Big Bang Love, Juvenile A (2006)
21. The Fountain (2006)
22. Dancer in the Dark (2000)
23. I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (2006)
24. Speed Racer (2008)
25. Funky Forest: The First Contact (2005)I could be down with Speed Racer...and I'm curious what your 2 & 16 are.

[ueno_station54]

I could be down with Speed Racer...and I'm curious what your 2 & 16 are.
well there's only seven options it shouldn't be too tough to guess :p

[ynwtf]

Yeah, Speed Racer was actually in my original list probably around 18 or lower (score wise). I kinda hated this movie when it came out but it has grown considerably on me over the years. It's goofy as hell, but those effects are absolutely mesmerizing and nearly survived the cuts for them.

[Wyldesyde19]

gonna post list anyway <3

01. Visitor Q (2001)
02.
03. Vital (2004)
04. I-Be Area (2007)
05. Noroi: The Curse (2005)
06. Noriko's Dinner Table (2005)
07. 3-Iron (2004)
08. Hana and Alice (2004)
09. Inland Empire (2006)
10. Tekkonkinkreet (2006)
11. Blue Spring (2001)
12. Cremaster 3 (2002)
13. Waking Life (2001)
14. Love Exposure (2009)
15. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)
16.
17. Dogtooth (2009)
18. Trash Humpers (2009)
19. Rehearsals for Retirement (2007)
20. Big Bang Love, Juvenile A (2006)
21. The Fountain (2006)
22. Dancer in the Dark (2000)
23. I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (2006)
24. Speed Racer (2008)
25. Funky Forest: The First Contact (2005)
3-iron and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and spring again are great.

[TheUsualSuspect]

Love Return of the King, but I only put one LOTR film on my list and it wasn't this one either.

[pahaK]

05. Noroi: The Curse (2005)
06. Noriko's Dinner Table (2005)
14. Love Exposure (2009)


I wonder if we were the only ones who voted Noroi? I had it quite low on my ballot, but I can see it getting better on a rewatch. And those two Sonos have been on my watchlist for a while now, but I never seem to get around and actually watch them.

[gbgoodies]

I rewatched Zodiac for this countdown, and it's a great movie with great performances, but it didn't make my list.

I watched the LOTR trilogy for the Fantasy HoF, and while I enjoyed the whole trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was my least favorite of the three LOTR movies.

[dadgumblah]

Love The Lord of the Rings trilogy, being a reader of the books long ago in the 70s and never daring to hope for a decent film version until Peter Jackson came along. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is pure cinematic awesomeness and sets at #2 on my list.

#2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 8
#3. The Dark Knight 10
#4. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 15
#5. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 63
#8. Unbreakable 62
#10. Million Dollar Baby 57
#15. Shaun of the Dead 20
#18. The Royal Tenenbaums 35
#20. Iron Man 83
#21. Finding Nemo 44
#22. Fantastic Mr. Fox 70
#23. The Descent 80
#25. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 76

[gandalf26]

The Return of the King was the only LoTR movie that didn't make my ballot. It's still good, but it's so much weaker than the first two parts. The liberties it takes with the story don't fit, and the endings take far too long.

Amen!

ROTK

The Good;

-Frod/Sam/Gollum ring conclusion, that's some epic death star throne room level stuff for sure.
-Theoden's speech and ride of the Rohirrim, rivals William Wallace speech!
-Lighting of the Beacons, if that isn't one of my favourite scenes of all time.
-Gandalf vs the Nazgul, the way it's filmed is spectacular, the way Gandalf turns to merge into the horse pack. Really the whole trilogy filmed horses on the move better than anyone before or since. Honourable mention for Gandalf's ride to Gondor!

The Bad.

-Having no characters in Gondor to help focus the battle, Faramir is wounded, Denethor is up in his tower being mad, which leaves us Gandalf and Pippin.
-Gondor being so weak, half the city is taken over. In the book only the witch king walks through the gates, and has to withdraw as Rohan shows up.
-Ending is a little drawn out.
-Little bit too much crammed in as a result of including the end of the 2nd book in the 3rd movie, especially with Sam and Frodo who breeze through Mordor.

The Ugly

-Battle of the Pelennor Fields being concluded by ghosts. Not how it happens in the book. It's a continual theme that the writers feel they have to make everything hopeless before a deux ex machina moment. I'd much rather see a hard fought battle with Mordor caught between Gondor Rohan and Aragorn's surprise ship force, than a "oh no it's so hopeless, then ghosts steamroll the whole thing"
-Gandalf's face off with the Witch King, one of the most amazing moments in the books, reduced to an embarrassing extended edition scene.

Now a lot of my complaints are essentially book reader criticism, and obviously any movie adaptation of something like this is going to bring many changes, and they don't get it all wrong, in fact they make many inspired changes and exclusions, but some of the ROTK changes fall very flat and seem so unnecessary.

7/10

[CosmicRunaway]

The Good;

-Frod/Sam/Gollum ring conclusion, that's some epic death star throne room level stuff for sure.
-Theoden's speech and ride of the Rohirrim, rivals William Wallace speech!
-Lighting of the Beacons, if that isn't one of my favourite scenes of all time.
-Gandalf vs the Nazgul, the way it's filmed is spectacular, the way Gandalf turns to merge into the horse pack. Really the whole trilogy filmed horses on the move better than anyone before or since. Honourable mention for Gandalf's ride to Gondor!
If you're taking submissions, I'd like to append the scene where Pippin sings to Denethor to the good list.

The beauty and sorrow of the song, coupled with the imagery of the doomed ride into Osgiliath is heartbreaking. It also highlights how little Denethor cares about his son and other the men of Gondor, as he dispassionately and disgustingly shovels food into his mouth. It's my favourite scene in the entire trilogy.

[Thief]

I guess Holden unveil his stats post before you post again


Aww, so you're giving up in guesses already? :(

[Chypmunk]

I'm gonna guess Seven is next :)

[rauldc14]

Aww, so you're giving up in guesses already? :(

I'll go with Pans Labyrinth

[Thief]

In the meantime, see if you can guess the order of the events in Return of the King, in this game courtesy of Sporcle!

Can you choose the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in order? (https://www.sporcle.com/games/Thebiguglyalien/lotr-start-to-finish-iii)

[CosmicRunaway]

In the meantime, see if you can guess the order of the events in Return of the King, in this game courtesy of Sporcle!

Can you choose the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in order? (https://www.sporcle.com/games/Thebiguglyalien/lotr-start-to-finish-iii)
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=84674
Too bad I didn't do this well on my last University exam. :lol:

[John McClane]

My problem with ROTK is that it was LOTR.

[Thief]

423 points, 29 listsPan's Labyrinth (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/1417-pans-labyrinth.html)Director
Guillermo del Toro, 2006

Starring
Ivana Baquero, Maribel Verdú, Sergi López, Doug Jones

[Thief]

I'll go with Pans Labyrinth

https://c.tenor.com/5lLcKZgmIhgAAAAC/american-psycho-patrick-bateman.gif

[Thief]

Pan's Labyrinth was my #20.

Saw it in theaters back in the day and I was blown away by it. I really loved the way GDT mixed the harsh realities of war with this mythical world of fantasy and magic. All the technical aspects (costume, set, production, makeup) are top-notch, but also the whole cast is great. Kudos to Sergi Lopez for playing a truly despicable villain. I admit I haven't seen it in a while, and maybe if I had rewatched it recently it would've fared better on my list, but even with time between us, it has stuck on me.


Here we are...

Seen: 77/94


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Memento (#11)
7. Synecdoche, New York (#46)
8.
9. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (#14)
10. Zodiac (#9)
11. Requiem for a Dream (#26)
12.
13. The Prestige (#38)
14.
15.
16.
17. Once (#103)
18.
19.
20. Pan's Labyrinth (#7)
21. Before Sunset (#42)
22.
23. Mother (#96)
24.
25.

[CosmicRunaway]

Pan's Labyrinth has some great cinematography, and I appreciate how the design of the fantasy world is both beautiful and sinister at the same time. It has some striking visuals and truly unforgettable moments. The Pale Man doesn't even have any dialogue, but his sequence is incredibly memorable nonetheless.

Despite this praise, I don't love the film. I've seen it a couple times, but there's just something about it that puts me off, and I can't quite explain why. I definitely like the concept more than its execution. It wasn't on my list.

Seen: 61/94

[pahaK]

Pan's Labyrinth was my #20.

Mine too. I've still seen this only once (but meant to rewatch it for two countdowns now). Could possibly deserve a higher place on my ballot, but I gave the advantage to films I've seen more recently.

Seen: 51/94


1. Let the Right One In (2008) [#29]
5. Watchmen (2009) [#87]
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) [#15]
7. Rambo (2008)[DNP]
8. The Descent (2005) [#80]
9. Suicide Club (2001)[DNP]
13. The Children (2008) [DNP]
16. Tideland (2005)[DNP]
18. Battle Royale (2000) [#77]
19. Chocolate (2008) [DNP]
20. Pan's Labyrinth (2006) [#7]
22. Noroi (2005) [DNP]
25. Harry Brown (2009) [1-pointer]

[Chypmunk]

I'm gonna guess Seven is next :)
Yassssss - nailed it!!!
https://c.tenor.com/AZdWIW_F0McAAAAC/confetti-celebration.gif



Pan's Labyrinth was another that didn't quite make my FL ballot so was delighted to be able to include it on my ballot here, I was initially somewhat lukewarm on it but it's really grown on me with each subsequent viewing.

Seen: 66/94 (Own: 46/94)

1. WALL·E (2008) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910970/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#13]
2. Zodiac (2007) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443706/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#9]
3. Madeo [Mother] (2009) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216496/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_9) [#96]
5. Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain [Amélie] (2001) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#16]
6. Moon (2009) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182345/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_9) [#48]
7. El laberinto del fauno [Pan's Labyrinth] (2006) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457430/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#7]
8. Der Untergang [Downfall] (2004) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363163/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#28]
10. Fa yeung nin wah [In The Mood For Love] (2000) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118694/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#12]
11. Oldeuboi [Oldboy] (2003) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364569/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3) [#22]
12. The Departed (2006) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#19]
15. Låt den rätte komma in [Let The Right One In] (2008) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139797/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#29]
16. The Descent (2005) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435625/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) [#80]
22. Bin-jip [3-Iron] (2004) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0423866/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) - dnp
23. Hak se wui: Yi woo wai kwai [Election 2] (2006) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491244/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) - dnp
24. Control (2007) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421082/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6) - dnp
25. The Pool (2007) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0911024/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_6) [1-ptr]



Faildictions (millennial edition v1.01):
26. Superbad (2007)
25. Memento (2000) [11]
24. Road To Perdition (2002)
23. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) [15]
22. Shrek (2001)
21. Requiem For A Dream (2000) [26]
20. Oldboy (2003) [22]
19. Inglourious Basterds (2009) [18]
18. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)
17. City Of God (2002) [25]
16. In The Mood For Love (2000) [12]
15. O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000) [21]
14. Children Of Men (2006) [17]
13. Amélie (2001) [16]
12. Zodiac (2007) [9]
11. WALL·E (2008) [13]
10. The Departed (2006) [19]
9. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)
8. Shaun Of The Dead (2004) [20]
7. Mulholland Drive (2001)
6. Pan's Labyrinth (2006) [7]
5. There Will Be Blood (2007)
4. The Dark Knight (2008) [10]
3. Spirited Away (2001)
2. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003) [8]
1. No Country For Old Men (2007)

Twenty-three down, just the three to go now....

[ueno_station54]

Pan's Labyrinth was cool

[seanc]

Good movie that desperately needs a rewatch. Bought the 4K like six moths ago too, and still haven’t popped it in.

[cricket]

Pan's Labyrinth was a late cut from my ballot. I forget her name but I love the female character.

[MovieMeditation]

Pan's Labyrinth has some great cinematography, and I appreciate how the design of the fantasy world is both beautiful and sinister at the same time. It has some striking visuals and truly unforgettable moments. The Pale Man doesn't even have any dialogue, but his sequence is incredibly memorable nonetheless.

Despite this praise, I don't love the film. I've seen it a couple times, but there's just something about it that puts me off, and I can't quite explain why. I definitely like the concept more than its execution. It wasn't on my list.

Seen: 61/94
I’ll be lazy this time and simply quote someone that already said exactly how I feel about this film. :up:

[Yoda]

I never said it was bad. I said I don’t like it. There is a difference.
Certainly; I wasn't implying otherwise. By "bad" there I did, in fact, mean just that you don't like it.

Also a person can be physically transformed by something yet still remain recognizably human, rather than looking like some weird alien/treasure troll hybrid with alopecia.
Sure, but the question is meant to establish whether you inherently dislike the premise, because there's a huge difference between "I didn't like this because they didn't do it well" and "I automatically dislike this because I never want to see someone hideous."

The premise is that the ring makes people look hideous. You don't like looking at him because he's hideous. Therefore, it sounds like you don't like the premise itself.

[Tugg]

Pan's Labyrinth was #8 on my ballot.

[John Dumbear]

"Pan's Labyrinth" was my #1 favorite film since seeing it in the theater. After numerous viewings it still remains my favorite. The blend of war and fantasy is both striking and memorable. Captain Vidal is a villain for the ages

This is my third countdown and this film has been my #1 each time. So for the next countdown topic, PLEASE pick a genre where this isn't my number one.

:D

[mrblond]

I've barely heard the Pan's Labyrinth.

[rauldc14]

Pans was pretty good. Only saw once though.

[John W Constantine]

I didn't realize but this wound up as a back-to-back two piece on my ballot with The Devil's Backbone. Not intentional, totally random. Haven't watched it in years but it has stuck with me enough to put my ballot.

[John Dumbear]

Also, who could forget that haunting theme playing throughout.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19bBGxf5k6k

[rauldc14]

So if I can get the last 6 right, it would be an impressive 8 movie streak to end it.

1. Fellowship
2. No Country
3. There will be blood
4. Eternal Sunshine
5. Spirited Away
6. Mulholland

[Iroquois]

It's good and all, but I don't have particularly strong feelings about it and thus didn't vote for it.

[Thief]

Critics

-

Critics thoughts on our #7, Pan's Labyrinth...

https://i.imgur.com/vwsHW9h.png

It currently has a 95% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 8.2/10 score on IMDb (with 648,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★★ and said:

"What makes Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth so powerful, I think, is that it brings together two kinds of material, obviously not compatible, and insists on playing true to both, right to the end. Because there is no compromise there is no escape route, and the dangers in each world are always present in the other. "

Meanwhile Ryan Gilbey, of New Statesman, said:

"We are never allowed to get truly lost in Pan's Labyrinth. The fantasy sequences are fetching when they should be intoxicating, while the scenes above ground are largely prosaic."

As for our MoFo reviewers, MovieMad16 said:

"It really is in all honesty a foreign modern masterpiece. Not many fantasy films are as this emotional , this entertaining and this mystical as this. Del Toro is a directorial genius and its this film that has put him on the map , if not already."

And mark f said:

"I'm not really sure how anyone could watch this violent film and think it's a kid's movie, but, as I say, the film is open to intrepretation. I interpret it to be an enthralling work of art, both heartbreaking and life-affirming"

[Thief]

Trailer

-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcHasH-nLhU

[Miss Vicky]

Still haven’t seen Pan’s Labyrinth

[Deschain]

Pan’s Labyrinth is fine, I’m not quite as in love with it as others.

[mark f]

My #17, Pan's Labyrinth, begs the question, "How does one differentiate between a fairy tale and a historical tragedy?" Are fairy tales just tragic historical stories which have been passed down through the ages to serve as warnings/object lessons for the young? Or do historical tragedies just lend themselves to becoming "fairy tales"? This film has fairies, history and tragedy, yet it's also uplifting, depending on your perspective and what you believe to be real. I think one of the great things about this film is your interpretation of whether you believe that evil can actually accomplish a good thing or if a child's innocence can see true evil and still interpret it as something which can be overcome, even through tragedy.

Set during the Spanish Civil War, the film tells the story of a terrifically scary and violent Captain (Sergi López) who brings his pregnant wife (Ariadna Gil) and stepdaughter Ofelia (the beguiling Ivana Barquero) to his remote war compound where he and his men try to quash the nearby rebels. One of the Captain's servants, Maribel (Maribel Verdú) becomes a surrogate mother to Ofelia as her real mother approaches childbirth.

Ofelia loves to read and is even reading a fairy tale at the beginning of the film which seems to tell and foretell her own life's story. Actually, this scene occurs just after the actual beginning of the film, which, coincidentally, is also the ending of the movie. Afterwards, Ofelia immediately becomes involved with fairies, a mystical faun, a labyrinth, and a series of quests she must accomplish to be able to reunite with her King and Queen parents and take her rightful place as a Princess loved by all.

The girl's inner life (or is it?) is contrasted with the Captain's world where torture, violence and oppression rule. I may be making this film sound deadly serious and oppressive, but actually it's full of life. The cinematography and editing are VERY alive and place you right in the middle of the story. I can appreciate the Wow! logistics and results of the photography of the wonderful Children of Men the same year, but even though it cost me a point in my annual Oscar voting contest, the cinematography of Pan's Labyrinth seems borderline 3-D and is truly spectacular, especially seen on a BIG screen.

Ultimately, it's up to each viewer to decide whether this film is realistic, a fairy tale, or a combination. It's also up to you to decide if the ending is sad or happy. Additionally, you have to decide if this film comments truthfully on the subject of the Spanish Civil War or does it actually "whitewash" it in the name of a kid's movie. I'm not really sure how anyone could watch this violent film and think it's a kid's movie, but, as I say, the film is open to interpretation. I interpret it to be an enthralling work of art, both heartbreaking and life-affirming.

My List

1. The Incredibles
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
3. King Kong
5. Ratatouille
7. Downfall
8. Up
9. The Dark Knight
10. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
11. Everything Will Be OK
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
15. WALL·E
16. Children of Men
17. Pan's Labyrinth
19. The Pianist
20. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
21. Pride & Prejudice
22. Hotel Rwanda
25. City of Life and Death

[KeyserCorleone]

Gollum always just looked like one ugly ****er to me. This is the first time I heard him called an "alien-looking thing." When I hear Alien, I think Xenomorph. When I hear ugly-ass, I think Gollum.


I didn't vote for Pan's Labyrinth, but I liked what I saw. It was deeply invested in its characters, even though I was hoping to see more of its fantasy world.

[Harry Lime]

I haven't seen Pan's Labyrinth since its original release but had high praise for it at the time. Guesses...

1. The Fellowship of the Ring
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
4. No Country for Old Men
5. Mulholland Drive
6. Spirited Away

[gandalf26]

If you're taking submissions, I'd like to append the scene where Pippin sings to Denethor to the good list.

The beauty and sorrow of the song, coupled with the imagery of the doomed ride into Osgiliath is heartbreaking. It also highlights how little Denethor cares about his son and other the men of Gondor, as he dispassionately and disgustingly shovels food into his mouth. It's my favourite scene in the entire trilogy.

Yea there's a lot I've forgotten, I don't think I've watched ROTK in over 10 years.

[gandalf26]

So if I can get the last 6 right, it would be an impressive 8 movie streak to end it.

1. Fellowship
2. No Country
3. There will be blood
4. Eternal Sunshine
5. Spirited Away
6. Mulholland

1. Mulholland Drive
2. Fellowship
3. There Will Be Blood
4. No Country
5. Eternal Sunshine
6. Spirited Away

[SpelingError]

Pan's Labyrinth was #2 on my ballot. When I first watched it several years ago, I was really mixed on it, but a few years later, I rewatched it to stream to some of my Discord friends. I had a feeling I would enjoy it more, but what I wasn't expecting was for it to blow me away. This is the kind of film which nails so many aspects. The main soundtrack, in spite of its simplicity, is excellent, the performances are great, the blending of reality and magic realism is phenomenal, the ambiguity of whether the fantasy world is real or not opens up some interesting questions, the horror sequences are super memorable (especially the iconic Pale Man scene), and the ending is perfect. I definitely didn't expect this film to rank so high on my ballot, but I'm glad to see that my #2 ranking paid off.

1. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (#78)
2. Pan's Labyrinth (#7)
3.
4. Children of Men (#17)
5.
6.
7. A Serious Man (#66)
8.
9. 28 Days Later (#45)
10.
11. Memento (#11)
12.
13. Shaun of the Dead (#20)
14.
15. In the Mood for Love (#12)
16. Requiem For a Dream (#16)
17.
18. The Pianist (#31)
19.
20. Moon (#48)
21.
22.
23. Sunshine (#88)
24. Zodiac (#9)
25. The New World (#99)

[Citizen Rules]

Obviously people love Pan's Labyrinth, so congrats on making the list so high.

Myself I wasn't a fan, which I guess proves just how differently my movie taste is from most everyone else's...which is fine with me🙂

[edarsenal]

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/images/7674-c3396612190c802e00d32fd995ba0324/current_28948id_017_medium.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/18/1c/ca/181cca552cefe163db71568fec088e1c.jpg

My last film to appear on The Countdown at #6, is Pan's Labyrinth.

As stated multiple times previously, I am a fanboy of Guillermo del Toro; his love and admiration for creatures and the supernatural is a beautiful thing to behold and this movie is one of his best.
A dark sojourn like any true Grimm-like fairy tale, we see the cruel dangers of both our reality and the reality of the underworld via a young girl's extremely difficult travel through the labyrinth of both of them.
Del Toro does not hold back either, especially when it comes to the violence inflicted by the Captain and the imaginative creation of the creatures that inhabit the quests young Ofelia must face.
The tension never really lets up, especially when it comes to the rebellion forces inhabiting the woods looking to remove the tyrant and excessively volatile Captain.
On first watch, these two extreme worlds may seem a bit jarring. I know on my original watch I had wished for more of the fantastical than the war story. But in retrospect, and in continual re-viewings, I see the delicate balance of the two and the flawless blending that creates this excellent story and film.
The filming and composition are rather exquisite with the use of shadowing that adds a kind of dark life all its own on many of the interior shots and even the woodland shots have this old forest feel to it.
Everything works exceedingly well in this movie, including the pacing that grips you and holds you to the very last moments.



Films Watched 69 out of 94 (73.4%)
1. Amélie (#16)
2. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (#21)
3. Ratatouille (#23)
4.
5. Gladiator (#40)
6. Pan's Labyrinth (#7)
7.
8. The Incredibles (#36)
9. V for Vendetta (#58)
10. The Dark Knight (#10)
11. WALL·E (#13)
12.
13. Memories of Murder (#27)
14. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (#76)
15.
16.
17. Mother (#96)
18. The Departed (#19)
19.
20. Memento (#11)
21. In the Mood for Love (#12)
22. Downfall (#28)
23. Quills (#67)
24. Oldboy (#22)
25. A Bittersweet Life (One Pointer)


One Pointers: 10 out of 38 (26.31%)

[Thief]

Awards

-

Now to the awards received by Pan's Labyrinth...



Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Guillermo Navarro)
Academy Award for Best Art Direction (Eugenio Caballero & Pilar Revuelta)
Academy Award for Best Makeup (David Martí & Montse Ribé)
BAFTA Film Award for Best Foreign Film
BAFTA Film Award for Best Costume Design (Lala Huete)
BAFTA Film Award for Best Make-up & Hair (José Quetglás & Blanca Sánchez)
Saturn Award for Best International Film
Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor (Ivana Baquero)
EDA Award for Best Picture
Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Foreign Language Film of the Decade
Chlotrudis Award for Best Visual Design (tied with Paprika)
Empire Award for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Golden Schmoes Award for Trippiest Movie of the Year
Imagen Foundation Award for Best Actress (Vaquero)
Imagen Foundation Award for Best Director (Del Toro)
Imagen Foundation Award for Best Picture
Satellite Award for Best Motion Picture


Among many, many others.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJUq_GAvK5A

[Thief]

With Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro joins the group of directors with multiple entries on the countdown. He had previously placed The Devil's Backbone at #75.

Other eligible films of his were Blade II (that made the One-Pointers), Hellboy, and Hellboy II.

[Kaplan]

This is the kind of treatment of fantasy I like a lot more than the epic high fantasy of LOTR. Pan's Labyrinth was my #21, but I should note when I did my own list of favorites from the decade, I had it at #2. Sadly, while I watched it several times when it came out, I haven't seen it in probably over a decade and figured it wouldn't have the same level of impact. But it's definitely a great film and deserves to be in the top ten.

My List:
3. Synecdoche, New York (#46)
4. Inglourious Basterds (#18)
5. The Dark Knight (#10)
6. Let the Right One In (#29)
8. Sin City (#47)
13. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (#53)
14. The Lives of Others (#41)
16. The Royal Tenenbaums (#35)
17. Memento (#11)
18. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (#86)
19. The Incredibles (#36)
20. Lost in Translation (#32)
21. Pan's Labyrinth (#7)
22. The Man Who Wasn’t There (#84)
24. Moon (#48)

[The Rodent]

First time I watched Pan's Labyrinth I think I turned it off after about 15 minutes, but something about it made me go back... glad I did.
Del Toro's finest movie I think.
---
1. Moon (2009) - 48th
.
4. Pan's Labyrinth (2006) - 7th
.
6. Shaun of the Dead (2004) - 20th
7. Zodiac (2007) - 9th
.
8. Sin City (2005) - 47th
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - 15th
10. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - 8th
11. Million Dollar Baby (2004) - 57th
.
13. Cast Away (2000) - 69th
14. WALL·E (2008) - 13th
.
18. The Dark Knight (2008) - 10th
.
20. Unbreakable (2000) - 62nd
21. Gladiator (2000) - 40th
22. Watchmen (2009) - 87th
23. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - 63rd
.
25. Inglourious Basterds (2009) - 18th

[dadgumblah]

Pan's Labyrinth was a movie that I've only seen once, but it's certainly stuck with me after all these years. It's mixture of fantasy with the horrors of war is fascinating and truly plays with your emotions. I loved it but since I haven't seen it but once so I felt it unfair to include on my list. Glad to see it place so high on the list.

#2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 8
#3. The Dark Knight 10
#4. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 15
#5. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 63
#8. Unbreakable 62
#10. Million Dollar Baby 57
#15. Shaun of the Dead 20
#18. The Royal Tenenbaums 35
#20. Iron Man 83
#21. Finding Nemo 44
#22. Fantastic Mr. Fox 70
#23. The Descent 80
#25. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 76

[Holden Pike]

84695

Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth was #18 on the MoFo Top 100 of the Millennium List, #68 on the MoFo Top 100 Refresh, and #10 on the MoFo Top 100 Foreign Language Films List.

[Thief]

Trivia

-

Pan's Labyrinth

https://www.wired.com/wp-content/uploads/images_blogs/photos/uncategorized/panslabyrinth.png

Did you know that...


Guillermo del Toro started to work on ideas for the project in 1993?
part of the story was inspired by a dream del Toro had when he was a child, where a faun would step out from behind a grandfather clock?
Doug Jones was the only one on set that didn't speak Spanish?
GDT has hinted that there are many connections between this film and his previous one, The Devil's Backbone?
Björk wrote the song "Pneumonia" after being so affected by this film?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjphPNThy84

[Thief]

A couple of nice interviews with Guillermo del Toro, regarding Pan's Labyrinth...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-G8pKiuG8Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5oxIARPSHw

[The Rodent]

Did you know that...

[LIST]
Doug Jones was the only one on set that didn't speak Spanish?


What I like about this bit of trivia, is that Doug Jones was given the option to just move his mouth and mime as best as he could, and they could maybe touch up with CGI afterward.
Jones refused though, and learned the lines properly, studying Spanish with help from the cast and crew, so that his mouth would match what was being said, and then spoke them himself on set.
Afterward they dubbed him with another actor so that the pronunciations were better, but Jones' hard work made it believable because his mouth was moving correctly.

Another bit of trivia though... and this goes back to something I said about that incident with Baldwin.
Almost all of the guns on set were fake.
Fake as in, none of them even fired blanks.
The main part of this was safety, and also the fact that they were filming in a national protected forest... which means muzzle flashes, loud bangs, and placing squibs everywhere, was simply not allowed in the area...
They CGI'd the muzzle flashes and the bullet holes in the trees and stuff... and the actors mimed the kick of the gun, with a little help with CGI to enhance the kick. Basically on the day, they were running around silently clicking plastic guns at each other.

[PHOENIX74]

Well, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Pan's Labyrinth are fine enough movies, but I voted for neither. I pretty much said all I had to say about the former when Two Towers showed up. I think I've seen Return of the King once in it's entirety - but I've caught bits and pieces since then. I'm just not a fantasy film kind of person - though I can see the film's greatness. I tended not to vote for foreign language films after the last countdown, but In the Mood for Love was certainly worth it, along with The Secret in Their Eyes and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu. The Lives of Others would have been in with a shot if I'd seen it in time. I should be glad my upper-tier films haven't appeared yet - and I'm really hoping one of them will claim top spot over the most popular Rings trilogy blockbuster.

As for those on my list that surely aren't going to show up, I'll take my cue from others and start revealing. My #11 was Broken Flowers - my favourite Jim Jarmusch film featuring another superb performance from Bill Murray as a Don Juan type character who receives an anonymous letter from a former lover telling him he has a kid. This prompts a trip to visit all the former lovers he can think of, with all the resultant fall-out you'd expect for such a character. Jarmusch always seems to get the most out of Murray, and the film as a whole has a perfect balance of humour and pathos. It also serves as something of a mystery film, with various clues as to who this mystery letter-writer might be, and who Murray's offspring really is. I've always enjoyed watching Broken Flowers down through the years, and it's longevity is what led me to include it in this list of my favourite films of the decade.

Seen : 81/94

[The Rodent]

OH!
I forgot another funny bit of trivia... I watched the movie with Del Toro's commentary.
He said this movie is the reason he will never work with horses ever again.

The scene where they chase Mercedes up the hill, they used a stunt woman.
Maribel Verdú runs toward camera, with the horses behind her, and as she passes the camera, they spin the camera around and watch a stunt woman dressed as Mercedes from behind running up the hill while the horses close in.
The reason they sneakily cut to s stunt woman, was once the horses got close, they wouldn't stop, meaning whoever was in front of them would simply get trampled because the horses they had to use were almost completely uncontrollable.

The horses on Pan's Labyrinth were apparently the nastiest, meanest and most dangerous animals he'd ever worked with and he absolutely hated every minute of it.

[gbgoodies]

I saw Pan's Labyrinth many years ago, but I don't remember much about it except that I don't think I understood it. I don't really have any desire to rewatch it, but I might someday if the opportunity presents itself.

[gbgoodies]

Obviously people love Pan's Labyrinth, so congrats on making the list so high.

Myself I wasn't a fan, which I guess proves just how differently my movie taste is from most everyone else's...which is fine with me🙂


I know how you feel. I think my taste is even more different from everyone else's than yours. I think of all the countdowns that I've participated in, this is the least amount of movies from my list to make the countdown. I've only had three movies from my list make the countdown so far, and only one more coming up.

[Thief]

What I like about this bit of trivia, is that Doug Jones was given the option to just move his mouth and mime as best as he could, and they could maybe touch up with CGI afterward.
Jones refused though, and learned the lines properly, studying Spanish with help from the cast and crew, so that his mouth would match what was being said, and then spoke them himself on set.
Afterward they dubbed him with another actor so that the pronunciations were better, but Jones' hard work made it believable because his mouth was moving correctly.

Another bit of trivia though... and this goes back to something I said about that incident with Baldwin.
Almost all of the guns on set were fake.
Fake as in, none of them even fired blanks.
The main part of this was safety, and also the fact that they were filming in a national protected forest... which means muzzle flashes, loud bangs, and placing squibs everywhere, was simply not allowed in the area...
They CGI'd the muzzle flashes and the bullet holes in the trees and stuff... and the actors mimed the kick of the gun, with a little help with CGI to enhance the kick. Basically on the day, they were running around silently clicking plastic guns at each other.

OH!
I forgot another funny bit of trivia... I watched the movie with Del Toro's commentary.
He said this movie is the reason he will never work with horses ever again.

The scene where they chase Mercedes up the hill, they used a stunt woman.
Maribel Verdú runs toward camera, with the horses behind her, and as she passes the camera, they spin the camera around and watch a stunt woman dressed as Mercedes from behind running up the hill while the horses close in.
The reason they sneakily cut to s stunt woman, was once the horses got close, they wouldn't stop, meaning whoever was in front of them would simply get trampled because the horses they had to use were almost completely uncontrollable.

The horses on Pan's Labyrinth were apparently the nastiest, meanest and most dangerous animals he'd ever worked with and he absolutely hated every minute of it.

Love it! Thanks for sharing

[Thief]

Shoot your guesses for tomorrow, people. See you tomorrow morning.

[John Dumbear]

Shoot your guesses for tomorrow, people. See you tomorrow morning.

What the hey, No Country For Old Men...

[Deschain]

What the hey, No Country For Old Men...

Yeah he said “shoot” No Country confirmed.

[ScarletLion]

8. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (417 points) - 👎 Just don't get the love for these films.

7. Pan's Labyrinth (423 points) - I can see why people like this film, it is very well made, and piggybacks on the likes of Erice's masterpiece 'Spirit of the Beehive'. But not my favourite del Toro.

No votes.

[Thief]

What the hey, No Country For Old Men...

Yeah he said “shoot” No Country confirmed.

You guys are obsessed

[Thief]

Here's another game courtesy of Sporcle (I swear I'm not getting dividends. I just love the site!), this time about Pan's Labyrinth!

Can you pick the events of Pan's Labyrinth from start to finish? (https://www.sporcle.com/games/MrSaturn64/pans-labyrinth)

[Thief]

And two great articles and interviews about Pan's Labyrinth...

‘Pan’s Labyrinth’: A Richly Imagined, Dreamlike Voyage of Self-Discovery and Character Formation (https://cinephiliabeyond.org/guillermo-del-toros-pans-labyrinth/)

"I follow a principle that I got from studying theatrical design: each set has to make one statement. If you go to the pit and the Faun in Pan’s Labyrinth, the whole statement of that set is the circular pit with one monolith in the center. If you go to the Pale Man, the statement is the chimney and the table. Sometimes the point of a set is complexity, but each set has to have a hero angle and make the statement quickly."

Pan's Labyrinth: The Real Meaning Of Guillermo Del Toro's Dark Fairytale (https://screenrant.com/pan-labyrinth-movie-themes-explained/)

"Del Toro has stated that the themes of Pan Labyrinth can be traced throughout the narrative due to the symbolic repetition, a common trait of fairytales. The faun gives Ofelia three tasks to complete in order to help her return to her place as queen of the underworld, but she often disobeys instructions and makes choices based on her own conscience."

[The Rodent]

Shoot your guesses for tomorrow, people. See you tomorrow morning.
I still have this pic :D
https://i.imgur.com/QgwB8Is.jpg

[Sedai]

Guessing Mulholland Drive for today!

[rauldc14]

Guessing Mulholland Drive for today!

We are right.

[The Rodent]

Nah, it's definitely No Land For Old Man.

Or Paul Blart 3: Blart In Space.

[Sedai]

Pan's Labyrinth was my #16. I find a scene or two in this to be almost unwatchable in their brutality, and I remember sitting stunned during my first viewing. I also found the end to be extremely moving, and I needed to collect myself for a few minutes when the film was finished. Easily Del Toro's best film, IMO.

https://theoddapple.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/pans-labyrinth-ofelia-kingdom.jpg

[Thief]

439 points, 29 listsEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/38-eternal-sunshine-of-the-spotless-mind.html)Director
Michel Gondry, 2004

Starring
Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo