The Top of the Bleeping Obstacle: MoFo Top 100 War Movies Prelims!

[KeyserCorleone]

https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/0fb29129-5392-43c6-bd56-0a35f4699d2d/dfrfonj-424077e9-5e3b-4327-bfab-d0720adf7f1a.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQz NzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6 W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzBmYjI5MTI5LTUzOTItNDNjNi1iZDU2LTBhMzVmNDY5OWQyZFwvZGZyZm9uai00MjQwNzdlOS01ZTNi LTQzMjctYmZhYi1kMDcyMGFkZjdmMWEucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.UVOcFqgy U9KTisY2PkLp_eNTWftx64XvDHITbnP_D50

It's finally here, everyone! The Movieforums Top 100 War Movies Preliminary Thread! As you can see, I named it after a quote from Full Metal Jacket. The name was gonna be different, but a Vietnamese friend really didn't want me naming it "Me So Horny."

This is my first ever hosting job on Movieforums, and I plan to do as good of a job as possible. However, there will be a War Movies Group Watch that I won't be very active in, so I'm asking SpelingError to do the job. Once that thread is up and running I'll link it here.

YOU KNOW DA ROOLZ


Submit a list of your top 25 war movies ranked from #1-#25. Top to bottom, best to worst, etc.
Only movies that are tagged as a war movie on one of these three websites: Imdb, Letterboxd and Rotten Tomatoes, can be voted for. Each top 25 will be monitored for ineligible films, and only the lists filled with eligible movies will be counted, so BE CAREFUL. If you have an ineligible movie, I'll PM you about a replacement ballot.
Scoring for each movie will, like usual, be 1-25 points with the highest amount (25) going to your #1, and the second highest (24) going to your #2 all the way down to the lowest (1) going to your number 25. In other words, it's like some games I played with myself as a kid.
If you submit less that 25 films on your ballot, the highest amount of points will match the number of films. I.e. on a ten-film list, your #1 will get ten points. But do not submit less than 10 entries.
No TV shows or mini-series like Band of Brothers. TV movies, however, are fine, as well as short films.
The movies in any given series gotta be individualized. So don't vote for the entire Human Condition trilogy or the War and Peace series from the 60's in one entry. You can still have all three or four separate on your ballot. Some will vote for either/or and have only seen one or more parts of the War and Peace series, so I'm going to count them as individualized.
Don't reveal your ballot to the public!
Don't send more than one list. Treat your lists like this quote from The Examination by Malcolm Bosse: “My first draft is my final draft.” I'm not making edits.
The deadline for submitting your ballots will be extended to July 26th so that you can have enough time to see Oppenheimer in theaters!
One more thing: You gotta be a MoFo user here for a month before you're allowed to vote so we can weed out spam accounts.

Further eligibility rules can be debated politely, but it remains the host's decision in the end. So think about your votes before just posting them as soon as possible.

Speaking of new users, for those of you not in the know, this is where you submit your ballot: https://www.movieforums.com/ballot.php

HOW TO USE IT


The human who's name is wri- I mean, type the movie's name and select it from the search list.
If the name ain't showin', which happens, clink on that link on the upper right that says "movie you want not showing up" and copy/paste that same movie's IMDb or TMDb address. It'll show.
Double check the names and years of your ballots entries as much as possible.
You can submit up to 25 entries, but don't submit any less than ten.
After submitting the ballot, details concerning the death of- I mean, you'll get a copy of the ballot in you message box.

This might be a war movie thread, but this is in fact a game. So play... nice. No nasty comments, no rulebreaking and no ball-kicking. So, without further ado, have fun with your war games, kiddies!

https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best/newscms/2019_27/2919421/190702-china-military-parade-al-1436.jpg


The Voters:

Allaby
Beelzebubble
Chypmunk
Cobpyth
Dadgumblah
Deschain
Diehl40
Donniedarko
Holden Pike
John-Connor
John W Constantine
Kaplan
Kgaard
Matt72582
Miss Vicky
MovieFan1988
Mrblond
PHOENIX74
Seanc
SpelingError
TheUsualSuspect
Thursday Next
Torgo
Wigram

[ScarletLion]

Thank you for hosting KC!!!

[SpelingError]

Looking forward to this :up:

[Harry Lime]

Awesome thanks for hosting, Keyser.


Regarding The Human Condition Trilogy, I hereby propose that we use the first film as representative of the entire trilogy. What do you all think?

[Citizen Rules]

:up: Glad to start this....One question about the rules: You say, "Only movies that are tagged as a war movie on these thee websites: Imdb, Letterboxd and Rotten Tomatoes, can be voted for." Does that mean a movie has to be tagged war on all three of those sites....or....only needs to be tagged war on 1 of those sites?

[seanc]

Awesome thanks for hosting, Keyser.


Regarding The Human Condition Trilogy, I hereby propose that we use the first film as representative of the entire trilogy. What do you all think?

Totally agree. I was going to ask how people were going to approach this.

[KeyserCorleone]

Totally agree. I was going to ask how people were going to approach this.

The three films can be listed separately, and not as a whole. The same goes for the four War and Peace movies, since some of us have only seen parts and may not be able to see the rest.

[KeyserCorleone]

:up: Glad to start this....One question about the rules: You say, Does that mean a movie has to be tagged war on all three of those sites....or....only needs to be tagged war on 1 of those sites?

Just one of them. I'll fix it when I have computer access again.

[Allaby]

I wonder what director will make the most appearances on the war countdown? My prediction would be Kubrick.

[Yoda]

Small tech thing: ballot submissions can't be accepted quite yet. I need to do a little tech work for that, but it won't be much. But some of you who like to submit immediately might have to wait a few days, tops. ;)

[honeykid]

Can Charlie's Angels:Full Throttle still be eligible despite this not being noir? I mean, tbf, it's more of a war film than it is noir. :D

[mrblond]

Deadline July 11th?!?! Shouldn't this be June 11th?

[KeyserCorleone]

Deadline July 11th?!?! Shouldn't this be June 11th?

I decided to increase the time by one month. That way those who are busier can have some extra time, too.

[Allaby]

Going based on imdb's genre tags, I have seen 190 war films. I have at least 21 other war films on dvd or blu ray that I have not seen yet.

[MovieFan1988]

I wonder what director will make the most appearances on the war countdown? My prediction would be Kubrick.

Dr. Strangelove will probably be either #1 or #2 :D:D

[WrinkledMind]

Goodluck hosting this KeyserCorleone

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91971&d=1678650126

I hope this movie makes it. IMDb says it's eligible.

[seanc]

The three films can be listed separately, and not as a whole. The same goes for the four War and Peace movies, since some of us have only seen parts and may not be able to see the rest.

Totally get that. I think me and Harry are talking about a wee bit of collusion.

[Allaby]

I wonder if Salo will make the countdown? It is a war film according to Letterboxd so it is eligible.

[cricket]

Going based on imdb's genre tags, I have seen 190 war films. I have at least 21 other war films on dvd or blu ray that I have not seen yet.

I see you don't have Forbidden Games crossed off the Ebert list. You might like that one.

[Allaby]

I see you don't have Forbidden Games crossed off the Ebert list. You might like that one.

Yeah, it sounds interesting. I will have to check it out.

[Citizen Rules]

Yeah, it sounds interesting. I will have to check it out.I think you'd like it.

[SpelingError]

Also, Keyser gave me permission to host the Group Watch thread for this countdown. I'll put it up once I get back from work this evening.

[Frightened Inmate No. 2]

to any war and peace heads out to there, lemme know which chapter is your favorite *wink wink*. personally i like the second the best but there’s hardly any war in it, so i might go with the first.

(i also think it makes more sense to just count them as one entry but i will abide by the rules)

[cricket]

The three films can be listed separately, and not as a whole. The same goes for the four War and Peace movies, since some of us have only seen parts and may not be able to see the rest.

to any war and peace heads out to there, lemme know which chapter is your favorite *wink wink*. personally i like the second the best but there’s hardly any war in it, so i might go with the first.

(i also think it makes more sense to just count them as one entry but i will abide by the rules)

Are you guys talking about War and Peace that IMDb lists as 1965? I thought that was considered 1 film.

[John W Constantine]

I also thought War and Peace was a single film

[cricket]

I'm pretty sure is was counted as a single film for the 60's countdown

[KeyserCorleone]

Are you guys talking about War and Peace that IMDb lists as 1965? I thought that was considered 1 film.


Imdb isn't always correct about these things. The truth is that only the first two parts were finished in 1965 and premiered in a festival before the release, and the other two parts were released in 1967. I might have forgiven it if the parts weren't released in separate years. It's a bit unfair to call it a '65 movie if only half of it was finished. Besides, most people won't have time for a ten hour movie, anyway, and I'm certainly not forcing that on them.

[SpelingError]

Imdb isn't always correct about these things. The truth is that only the first two parts were finished in 1965 and premiered in a festival before the release, and the other two parts were released in 1967. I might have forgiven it if the parts weren't released in separate years. It's a bit unfair to call it a '65 movie if only half of it was finished. Besides, most people won't have time for a ten hour movie, anyway, and I'm certainly not forcing that on them.
To be fair, the same applies for It's Such a Beautiful Day from the 2010s countdown, and it was accepted as one entry for that list.

[KeyserCorleone]

To be fair, the same applies for It's Such a Beautiful Day from the 2010s countdown, and it was accepted as one entry for that list.

I don't remember the film being directed in parts. If you mean combining the short and the feature, the entry on the list states that the film is 2012, not the 2011 short. And if others treated it that wayy, I wasn't aware.


EDIT: So that was released in parts. However, the problem here is that we're comparing an hour-long movie to one that's way too long for new users who may wanna partake in this once they have the ability. It's basically asking too much of them at this point.


I know the War and Peace films are typically released as one dvd set. However, many won't be able to find the DVD, and the parts are already online in separate entries. If you have time for all of them, great. If you don't, then don't be shy about including the parts you have seen. But I won't allow separate entries for the whole film and the separate parts, so it's best to pick the most convenient one. I trust all users here will be able to pick their favorite part of the series.

Besides, I really wasn't fond of how the whole series was listed as one entry on a MoFo list already when I've only seen the first part, and I had plenty of other movies that I needed to watch over the course of the time I watched it and now. In fact, it even felt like I got ripped off. Sorry, but if the different parts have different release years, I'm going to count them as different movies.

[cricket]

Imdb isn't always correct about these things. The truth is that only the first two parts were finished in 1965 and premiered in a festival before the release, and the other two parts were released in 1967. I might have forgiven it if the parts weren't released in separate years. It's a bit unfair to call it a '65 movie if only half of it was finished. Besides, most people won't have time for a ten hour movie, anyway, and I'm certainly not forcing that on them.

Yea I trust what you say, was just making sure we were talking about the same film.

[rauldc14]

I would count War and Peace as a single film

[KeyserCorleone]

I would count War and Peace as a single film


I'm sure many would. However, there are many who wouldn't. And I need to think of the effect that this will have on new users when it appears on the top 100 countdown, aside from logistically being different by the historical merit of separate release dates, as well as being counted as a series as much as a singular release on various websites, even sometimes both at once (ridiculous).

Now Shoah is eligible due to Imdb, as well as Napoleon, and both were originally released in one part. It's one thing for a single overlong movie to appear on the list on top of a five-hour one. But if I also include War and Peace, some will want The Human Condition listed because "the experience isn't the same unless you do it all at once." But time wise, it's impractical. Many won't be able to watch the whole series. If I love the series, I'd rather someone watches at least one part if possible than none of it. If there are three eight-to-ten hour movies on that list, new users will be drawn away from completing that list. I'm not looking forward to the first list I curate having that effect, especially since I personally love this genre that much.

I understand that this may upset some. But I need to go over the logical points rather than a purely emotional experience which is subjective despite its commonness among moviegoers. I've thought about this for months in the event that my volunteering from so long ago is granted, and I've considered both options. But my result is final, and I'm humbly asking the community to see the good in this:

A. Multiple parts calls for a lot of discussion, which I want to emphasize considering that I personally loved the novel back when I read it.

B. If new users see more than one War and Peace or more than one Human Condition, they'll be more drawn to watch a whole series of good movies. Let's be honest: sequelitis is a problem in the movie industry, and for two series not to have it will send good signals.

I feel more people will be drawn to watch those movies if they are treated as a series. So I do apologize if this is uncomfortable to some, but I am personally looking forward to the discussions of the movie series itself, especially since I may not have time to finish the series before the countdown begins but I've experienced the story anyway and loved it.

[Iroquois]

I think the fact that The Human Condition I made the 1950s countdown while III made the 1960s countdown should confirm that they must be treated as separate films.

[rauldc14]

I've only seen Human Condition 1 but I'll be watching 2 soon.

[Holden Pike]

91988

Here is a list of some of the War Films that have appeared on previous MoFo Lists...

The Birth of a Nation (1915)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Wings (1927)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Hell’s Angels (1930)
Duck Soup (1933)
The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
Grand Illusion (1937)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
The Great Dictator (1940)
Waterloo Bridge (1940)
Sergeant York (1941)
Casablanca (1942)
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
Lifeboat (1944)
Rome, Open City (1945)
A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
The African Queen (1951)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
Stalag 17 (1953)
The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Night & Fog (1956)
A Man Escaped (1956)
The Cranes are Flying (1957)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Paths of Glory (1957)
The Human Condition: No Greater Love (1959)
Spartacus (1960)
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
The Human Condition: A Soldier’s Prayer (1961)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
The Great Escape (1963)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Fail Safe (1964)
The Battle of Algiers (1966)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Army of Shadows (1969)
MASH (1970)
Cabaret (1972)
The Ascent (1977)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Das Boot (1981)
RAN (1985)
Come and See (1985)
Shoah (1985)
Platoon (1986)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Au Revoir les Enfants (1987)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Glory (1989)
Europa Europa (1990)
Schindler’s List (1993)
Braveheart (1995)
Life is Beautiful (1997)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
The Thin Red Line (1998)
The Pianist (2002)
Downfall (2004)
Waltz with Bashir (2007)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Inglorious Basterds (2009)
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
1917 (2019)

[KeyserCorleone]

91988

Here is a list of some of the War Films that have appeared on previous MoFo Lists...

The Birth of a Nation (1915)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Wings (1927)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Hell’s Angels (1930)
Duck Soup (1933)
The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
Grand Illusion (1937)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
The Great Dictator (1940)
Waterloo Bridge (1940)
Sergeant York (1941)
Casablanca (1942)
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
Lifeboat (1944)
Rome, Open City (1945)
A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
The African Queen (1951)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
Stalag 17 (1953)
The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Night & Fog (1956)
A Man Escaped (1956)
The Cranes are Flying (1957)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Paths of Glory (1957)
The Human Condition: No Greater Love (1959)
Spartacus (1960)
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
The Human Condition: A Soldier’s Prayer (1961)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
The Great Escape (1963)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Fail Safe (1964)
The Battle of Algiers (1966)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Army of Shadows (1969)
MASH (1970)
Cabaret (1972)
The Ascent (1977)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Das Boot (1981)
RAN (1985)
Come and See (1985)
Shoah (1985)
Platoon (1986)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Au Revoir les Enfants (1987)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Glory (1989)
Europa Europa (1990)
Schindler’s List (1993)
Braveheart (1995)
Life is Beautiful (1997)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
The Thin Red Line (1998)
The Pianist (2002)
Downfall (2004)
Waltz with Bashir (2007)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Inglorious Basterds (2009)
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
1917 (2019)

Special thanks for putting this together, Holden!

[KeyserCorleone]

Who here will be participating in the group watch? I won't be able to since I'm also working on personal crap outside MoFo.

[Allaby]

Who here will be participating in the group watch? I won't be able to since I'm also working on personal crap outside MoFo.

I will be participating in the group watch.

[SpelingError]

I'll be participating as well.

[Citizen Rules]

Who here will be participating in the group watch? I won't be able to since I'm also working on personal crap outside MoFo.I will.

[John Dumbear]

Some how, Paul Blart must be added.

[Thief]

Ok, according to Letterboxd, I've seen 112 "war" films, so here are the ones I've ranked 4+ stars...

Conspiracy
Night and Fog
Grave of the Fireflies
Jojo Rabbit
Paths of Glory
Foreign Correspondent
Full Metal Jacket
Apocalypse Now
Inglourious Basterds
Pan's Labyrinth
Downfall
Sometimes in April
Hotel Rwanda
The Pianist
Braveheart
Letters from Iwo Jima
Rambo: First Blood
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Duck Soup
Shame
Da 5 Bloods
A Man Escaped
Incendies
Anthropoid
Lawrence of Arabia
Come and See
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Casualties of War
'71
Sarah's Key
Three Kings
Valkyrie
The Dirty Dozen
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Barry Lyndon
Dr. Strangelove
Flags of Our Fathers
Saving Private Ryan

Take from that what you may. I think that the "war" classification in some of these is a bit iffy, but I'll deal with that when I'm making my list.

Also, I have a good bunch (like 40) that are not ranked, like Platoon, Empire of the Sun, and others, so this is not like a strict ranking of my favorites.

[Allaby]

Ok, according to Letterboxd, I've seen 112 "war" films, so here are the ones I've ranked 4+ stars...

Conspiracy
Night and Fog
Grave of the Fireflies
Jojo Rabbit
Paths of Glory
Foreign Correspondent
Full Metal Jacket
Apocalypse Now
Inglourious Basterds
Pan's Labyrinth
Downfall
Sometimes in April
Hotel Rwanda
The Pianist
Braveheart
Letters from Iwo Jima
Rambo: First Blood
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Duck Soup
Shame
Da 5 Bloods
A Man Escaped
Incendies
Anthropoid
Lawrence of Arabia
Come and See
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Casualties of War
'71
Sarah's Key
Three Kings
Valkyrie
The Dirty Dozen
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Barry Lyndon
Dr. Strangelove
Flags of Our Fathers
Saving Private Ryan

Take from that what you may. I think that the "war" classification in some of these is a bit iffy, but I'll deal with that when I'm making my list.

Also, I have a good bunch (like 40) that are not ranked, like Platoon, Empire of the Sun, and others, so this is not like a strict ranking of my favorites.

Good list. Out of the ones you mentioned I have seen all, except for Conspiracy, Sometimes in April, and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. At least a few of the ones you listed are locks for my ballot.

[Citizen Rules]

Count me as a big fan of Conspiracy. I've seen it twice.

[Thief]

Count me as a big fan of Conspiracy. I've seen it twice.

https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExNGRkNTEyYWUxOTlhNjk2OWVlNThhNDY4YjBjYWQwNjA2ZGE0MjgwMSZjdD1n/Ae7SI3LoPYj8Q/giphy.gif

[Thief]

But seriously, as much as I adore Conspiracy, I'm not sure if I'm going to vote for it, or any other "war" film that is set away from the actual battle. I still haven't decided but just for the sake of narrowing my own list, I might decide to set that boundary. I'll think it over.

[rauldc14]

I'd like to think most of mine will be battle war movies. We will see though.

[Citizen Rules]

But seriously, as much as I adore Conspiracy, I'm not sure if I'm going to vote for it, or any other "war" film that is set away from the actual battle. I still haven't decided but just for the sake of narrowing my own list, I might decide to set that boundary. I'll think it over.That's cool. For me my ballot choices will be weighted towards war related films that deal with historic events.

[Allaby]

Mine are all going to be dance war films with lots of singing.

[SpelingError]

Mine will be about wars between various members of this forum:

Raul vs. the Countdown Hosts
The Hall of Fame War

[KeyserCorleone]

Mine are all going to be dance war films with lots of singing.

Mine will be full of war movies about the age of Aquarius.

[rauldc14]

Mine will be about wars between various members of this forum:

Raul vs. the Countdown Hosts
The Hall of Fame War

I have good vibes about Keyser hosting, but he definitely won't be exempt from the wrath of Raul.

[KeyserCorleone]

I have good vibes about Keyser hosting, but he definitely won't be exempt from the wrath of Raul.


Then perhaps it's time to temporarily remove the baby vayilon avatar and put on the Rexorcist boxing gloves.

[Wyldesyde19]

Starting up Breaker Morant, then Following it up with Kanal.

[honeykid]

Mine are all going to be dance war films with lots of singing.

Mine will be about wars between various members of this forum:

Raul vs. the Countdown Hosts
The Hall of Fame War

Mine will be full of war movies about the age of Aquarius.

Mine will be full of female private detectives who are given their orders via a speaker box. :bashful:

[KeyserCorleone]

I helped Yoda test the ballot link yesterday, and now the code has been properly written. The link is on the OP, and I'm posting it here too: https://www.movieforums.com/ballot.php


Remember to check each movie for eligibility. I repeat: it must be voted as a war movie on any one of these sites: Imdb, Rotten Tomatoes or Letterboxd.

[KeyserCorleone]

Currently watching The Imitation Game, declared "war" on Letterboxd.

And yes, instead of using the word "tagged..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfIuSUvJ4jw

[KeyserCorleone]

AND NOW A MOFO NEWS FLASH!!!

The Imitation Game is leaving Netflix in America on March 28. So if you have Netflix and need to watch this, you have almost two weeks. This news may or may not apply internationally.

[KeyserCorleone]

AND NOW A MOFO NEWS FLASH!!!

The Imitation Game is leaving Netflix in America on March 28. So if you have Netflix and need to watch this, you have almost two weeks. This news may or may not apply internationally.


One more thing about Netflix. It's the only place you can watch Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods. I'm gonna watch that tonight.

[John W Constantine]

Submitted. **War face scream**

[KeyserCorleone]

Submitted. **War face scream**


And the movies check out. Thanks for being the first to vote!

[edarsenal]

THANK YOU!! KeyserCorleone for Hosting - VERY sure you'll do a truly DAMN FINE job!!

I
AM
PSYCHED

https://media.tenor.com/y4nZmXz-xrgAAAAC/glory-charge.gif

gonna check out that group watch too

[KeyserCorleone]

THANK YOU!! KeyserCorleone for Hosting - VERY sure you'll do a truly DAMN FINE job!!

I
AM
PSYCHED

https://media.tenor.com/y4nZmXz-xrgAAAAC/glory-charge.gif

gonna check out that group watch too

No problem!

[Thief]

Just to start shaking the tree :D

https://twitter.com/moviecritic_m/status/1638228514976718849

[KeyserCorleone]

Just to start shaking the tree :D

https://twitter.com/moviecritic_m/status/1638228514976718849

I still need to find the Final Cut before I vote.

[Wyldesyde19]

Just to start shaking the tree :D

https://twitter.com/moviecritic_m/status/1638228514976718849
Platoon says hello

[thracian dawg]

Unlike other countdowns, most of the top films in this category have been canonized, so I don’t think there will be any suspense on whether the following films will appear, just where they will place on the list.

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) [#10 on the list]
Paths of Glory (1957) [#4]
Bridge over the river Kwai (1957) [#3]
The Human Condition: No greater love (1959) [#27]
Doctor Strangelove or How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb.(1964) [#6]
The Battle of Algiers (1966) [#24]
Catch 22 (1970)
Apocalypse Now (1979) [#1]
Das Boot (1981) [#9]
Come and See (1985) [#2]
Glory (1986) [#38]
Platoon (1986) [#16]
Full Metal Jacket (1987) [#7]
Empire of the Sun (1987) [#41]
The Thin Red line (1998) [#17]
The Grave of the fireflies (1998) [#12]
Saving Private Ryan (1998) [#8]
We were soldiers (2002)
Downfall (2004) [#13]
Incendies (2010)
Dunkirk (2017) [#47]
1917 (2019) [#31]

[Deschain]

Looking forward to participating. This is going to be an interesting countdown since I feel like most war movies (rightfully) have the message “War is bad.” So we gonna get 100 movies with the same theme?

[SpelingError]

Just to start shaking the tree :D

https://twitter.com/moviecritic_m/status/1638228514976718849
Eh, I wouldn't argue against that, tbh. I mean, at least they didn't say Saving Private Ryan.

[Wyldesyde19]

Eh, I wouldn't argue against that, tbh. I mean, at least they didn't say Saving Private Ryan.
SPR is amazing.

[SpelingError]

SVP is amazing.
I love the opening, but the rest of the film doesn't do much for me and is rather bland.

[Thief]

Platoon says hello

I love Platoon, and I would still put Apocalypse Now a couple of notches above it.

[Thief]

Re: Saving Private Ryan, I love it. It's probably a lock on my ballot.

[ScarletLion]

How do you quantify what a 'Hollywood' war film is?

Is Paths of Glory a Hollywood war film? It has a Hollywood icon in the leading role.

[ScarletLion]

'Casualties of War' (1989)

https://resizing.flixster.com/0J_zgFuDbDIoHgG0YZfdABAVOFc=/300x300/v2/https://flxt.tmsimg.com/assets/p11783_p_v8_al.jpg

First time I’ve watched this for about 30 years. I remember enjoying it as a young teen. I’ve since been to the bridge were the infamous POW death scene was filmed (Thailand) so it’s quite poignant to see it now.

It still has some great scenes and de Palma directs pretty well. But there are some real corny moments of dialogue that I felt were unnecessary - Shooting the enemy out of a tree while shouting “Get some mother****ers” seems more in tune with a Schwarzenegger action film than a serious war film, and the ending was really quite dreadful in a saccharine, dreamy, god bless multi-cultural America type of way.

That said it’s not a bad film, just a slightly dated one.

6.9/10

3.5

[Thief]

Just like you, I hadn't seen Casualties of War in a very long time. I revisited it about a year or two ago and although it uncovered a bit more flaws than I remembered, I still think it holds up pretty well. It has a possibility of sneaking into my ballot. Who knows.

My review of Casualties of War (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2254856-casualties_of_war.html)

I do agree with your two points, which I think I bring up on my review... the corny dialogue, which I think gets a bit worse in the last act, and the closing scene which I think is pretty bad.

[SpelingError]

Out of curiosity, which film's inevitable placement on this list will you be dreading the most?

[ScarletLion]

Out of curiosity, which film's inevitable placement on this list will you be dreading the most?

Hacksaw Ridge.

One of the most dreadful films ever made.

[Thief]

That's one I haven't gotten too, but also Dunkirk and 1917. I feel like I should watch those before setting up my ballot.


As for the original question, my gut response would probably be... The Thin Red Line? I don't know. I didn't like it back then, but that was 25 years ago and my first Malick. Who knows how it would fare now.

[Holden Pike]

Out of curiosity, which film's inevitable placement on this list will you be dreading the most?
I don't know how many voters will actually have Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor or John Woo's Windtalkers on their ballots, but I pity any who do.

[Thief]

I don't know how many voters will actually have Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor or John Woo's Windtalkers on their ballots, but I pity any who do.

I never saw Windtalkers, but Pearl Harbor is indeed dreadful.

[John-Connor]

I’ve seen the following films in preparation for the countdown. Although some were definitely top 100 material, my current ballot (top 25) remains exactly the same.

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/pTZY4fWGh4noXdPXEKOcnOycKp5.jpghttps://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/t95LZvgq0Kc5nInbOWfyBDjswFp.jpghttps://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/1820u7eyr3yeztNa5M5ZCjnXGo0.jpghttps://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/8LZhiBracSdKabs1BJo1n7k6Lkp.jpghttps://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/sDrHR5OjmnJhXOnIifyrhT8ud1M.jpg

Winter in Wartime 2008 Martin Koolhoven 3.5-
Lifeboat 1944 Alfred Hitchcock 3.5+
The Silence of the Sea 1949 Jean-Pierre Melville 3.5+
Flags of Our Fathers 2006 Clint Eastwood 3.5+
Twelve O’Clock High 1949 Henry King 4

[Citizen Rules]

Looking forward to participating. This is going to be an interesting countdown since I feel like most war movies (rightfully) have the message “War is bad.” So we gonna get 100 movies with the same theme?Oh I don't know about that, I can think of a lot of war films with the message "War is hell." Sort of the same thing but different.

[Saving Private Ryan] I love the opening, but the rest of the film doesn't do much for me and is rather bland.I use to think that until I recently rewatched SPR a few months ago. Now I like the opening but I think the film shines during the urban warfare scenes with brutal and realistic street fighting. It's a huge plus to me to see the German infantry be just as tough and just as determined to live as the Americans. In SPR both sides during the fighting in the city are evenly matched. Compare that to the atrocious Fury where the German soldiers are so stupid they just stand there so they can be mowed down by the heroes...and that's a problem I have with a lot of war movies the opposition are presented as only 'clay pigeons'.

How do you quantify what a 'Hollywood' war film is?

Is Paths of Glory a Hollywood war film? It has a Hollywood icon in the leading role.Why should it matter? Either a movie is good or it's not.

Hacksaw Ridge.

One of the most dreadful films ever made.Yeah that one sucked, except the opening scenes at bootcamp were decent.

[ScarletLion]

Why should it matter? Either a movie is good or it's not.

Absolutely, but that is what was being discussed in the poll.

[Citizen Rules]

Absolutely, but that is what was being discussed in the poll.I meant that rhetorically, I probably should've made that more clear.

[Thief]

I’ve seen the following films in preparation for the countdown. Although some were definitely top 100 material, my current ballot (top 25) remains exactly the same.

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/pTZY4fWGh4noXdPXEKOcnOycKp5.jpghttps://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/t95LZvgq0Kc5nInbOWfyBDjswFp.jpghttps://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/1820u7eyr3yeztNa5M5ZCjnXGo0.jpghttps://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/8LZhiBracSdKabs1BJo1n7k6Lkp.jpghttps://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/sDrHR5OjmnJhXOnIifyrhT8ud1M.jpg

Winter in Wartime 2008 Martin Koolhoven 3.5-
Lifeboat 1944 Alfred Hitchcock 3.5+
The Silence of the Sea 1949 Jean-Pierre Melville 3.5+
Flags of Our Fathers 2006 Clint Eastwood 3.5+
Twelve O’Clock High 1949 Henry King 4

Have you seen Letters from Iwo Jima? It's the "film partner" of Flags of Our Fathers, and it works really well to watch them back-to-back. Iwo Jima is better, but I think that the context of seeing both actually elevated Flags a bit for me.

Also, Le Silence de la Mer is a film that a friend recommended to me a while ago and, although it sound very interesting and intriguing, I just haven't gotten around to it. Need to get on that.

[John-Connor]

Have you seen Letters from Iwo Jima? It's the "film partner" of Flags of Our Fathers, and it works really well to watch them back-to-back. Iwo Jima is better, but I think that the context of seeing both actually elevated Flags a bit for me.

Also, Le Silence de la Mer is a film that a friend recommended to me a while ago and, although it sound very interesting and intriguing, I just haven't gotten around to it. Need to get on that.
Regarding Iwo Jima and Flags we're in total agreement, they would work perfectly in a back-to-back watch. And yes Iwo is clearly the better film of the two.

Of all the War related films Le Silence de la Mer is among the unique ones for me. It speaks for things that 'die' in Wartime that can't speak for themselves like art, paintings, poetry, books, thoughts, architecture and infrastructures etc. In short your friend is right and I would consider it a 'must see'.

[ScarletLion]

I meant that rhetorically, I probably should've made that more clear.

My guess is that some people only watch Hollywood type films so get annoyed when someone suggests a film they've never heard of.

[Deschain]

As for the original question, my gut response would probably be... The Thin Red Line? I don't know. I didn't like it back then, but that was 25 years ago and my first Malick. Who knows how it would fare now.

Yeah I’m with ya. I also don’t like Thin Red Line. And I know it’s beloved in film communities.

[Harry Lime]

Speaking of Pearl Harbor I saw it at the cinema and I remember there was a woman a couple rows back from me crying for a lot of it. I wanted to turn around and yell, "Hey you're ruining this awful movie for me!"

[cricket]

Out of curiosity, which film's inevitable placement on this list will you be dreading the most?

Strangelove.

I'm not a fan, it has already shown up big on other countdowns, and I personally don't view it as a war film.

[Citizen Rules]

Strangelove.

I'm not a fan, it has already shown up big on other countdowns, and I personally don't view it as a war film.I agree with that. If I recall it's about a fictional war not a real war. Am I right? Anyone?

[cricket]

I agree with that. If I recall it's about a fictional war not a real war. Am I right? Anyone?

For me a fictional war is just fine, but Strangelove is more about a potential war starting during a cold war. I just consider it a satire/comedy, as in that is it's central purpose.

[Citizen Rules]

For me a fictional war is just fine, but Strangelove is more about a potential war starting during a cold war. I just consider it a satire/comedy, as in that is it's central purpose.That's cool. I've been working on my ballot, going through a ton of movies I've seen at IMDB...What I did was skip any fictional war films, skip comedy war films even if I like them and I do like Strangelove though I don't love it like some...but not even in consideration for me.

[Thief]

I agree with that. If I recall it's about a fictional war not a real war. Am I right? Anyone?

It's set during the Cold War, with a crazy general ordering an attack on the Soviet Union. So obviously it's a fictional situation, but set during a real-life time. Whether we consider the Cold War a war itself is another whole issue.


EDIT: cricket had already answered. Sorry.

[Citizen Rules]

It's set during the Cold War, with a crazy general ordering an attack on the Soviet Union. So obviously it's a fictional situation, but set during a real-life time. Whether we consider the Cold War a war itself is another whole issue.


EDIT: cricket had already answered. Sorry.Thanks Thief...

I'm more than OK with the rules for the countdown of course and don't care how other people do their ballots...but personally I don't consider the 'cold war' a war, it's a political situation.

[Wyldesyde19]

The Cold War wasn’t an actual war, although there plenty of Conflicts/War that transpired during it including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, The Soviet-China Border Conflict, and the Soviet-Afghanistan War.

Generally, many films that dealt with the Cold War tended to be Spy films anyways, such as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.

[KeyserCorleone]

It's set during the Cold War, with a crazy general ordering an attack on the Soviet Union. So obviously it's a fictional situation, but set during a real-life time. Whether we consider the Cold War a war itself is another whole issue.


EDIT: cricket had already answered. Sorry.

Perhaps this educational piece will help, starting at 25:45.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMWO1PotmAA

[Citizen Rules]

The Cold War wasn’t an actual war, although there plenty of Conflicts/War that transpired during it including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, The Soviet-China Border Conflict, and the Soviet-Afghanistan War.

Generally, many films that dealt with the Cold War tended to be Spy films anyways, such as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.and to that list of cold war spy films we can add Bridge of Spies (2015). I checked IMDB, RT and Letterboxd and it wasn't tagged war at any of them so not eligible. Great film though.

[SpelingError]

I forget if it was already mentioned, but when's the deadline to submit our ballots?

[LAMb EELYAK]

I forget if it was already mentioned, but when's the deadline to submit our ballots?


July 11... so no Oppenheimer.

[LAMb EELYAK]

and to that list of cold war spy films we can add Bridge of Spies (2015). I checked IMDB, RT and Letterboxd and it wasn't tagged war at any of them so not eligible. Great film though.


It's war on IMDb.

[Citizen Rules]

It's war on IMDb.Yes you're right, if one scrolls down the page there's another Genre list and it's there. That's good to know, thanks.

[KeyserCorleone]

July 11... so no Oppenheimer.


I admit, that was an oversight. But Oppenheimer's gonna take a while to reach streaming, so until it has more wide-access to the people of MoFo, the rest of the options will have an unfair (albeit reasonable) advantage over it in terms of how many people could even watch it. We'd have to pay for it. However, if the situation changes, such as being available for streaming early, then if the community wants to further increase the time of the preliminary thread, I'm more than willing to do so.


I'm actually a bit excited about the possibility of adding Oppenheimer to the top 100, as this countdown now gives me a legitimate reason to go spend some of the little money I have. I guess in the end, starting the prelims right after the theme votes may have been the oversight.

[LAMb EELYAK]

I admit, that was an oversight. But Oppenheimer's gonna take a while to reach streaming, so until it has more wide-access to the people of MoFo, the rest of the options will have an unfair (albeit reasonable) advantage over it in terms of how many people could even watch it. We'd have to pay for it. However, if the situation changes, such as being available for streaming early, then if the community wants to further increase the time of the preliminary thread, I'm more than willing to do so.


I'm actually a bit excited about the possibility of adding Oppenheimer to the top 100, as this countdown now gives me a legitimate reason to go spend some of the little money I have. I guess in the end, starting the prelims right after the theme votes may have been the oversight.


I was mostly being cheeky. We can't wait for every movie that will ever be made to come out.

[KeyserCorleone]

I was mostly being cheeky. We can't wait for every movie that will ever be made to come out.


True, but it's literally only ten days away from the end of our prelims. It would feel like a rip off considering that most people expect this movie to set a high bar. I mean, it's just the one movie. I never would've done this if it was another Michael Bay war movie.

[Citizen Rules]

Have you guys seen this?
https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=67807
We could use some of the countdown people to pop in from time to time and participant. It's easy peasy!

[KeyserCorleone]

Have you guys seen this?
https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=67807
We could use some of the countdown people to pop in from time to time and participant. It's easy peasy!


Unfortunately I've got a couple other movie-related things to take care of first, notably blowing through the Rocky movies on Tubi before they're taken off in a couple days. Almost halfway through IV right now. I'm halfway though reviewing them, too, but internet troubles are getting in the way.

[TheUsualSuspect]

Submitted.

[KeyserCorleone]

Two voters down.

[John W Constantine]

Thought I'd be the only one

[Miss Vicky]

No shorts, TV shows or mini-series like Band of Brothers. TV movies, however, are fine.


How are you defining a short? Is there a minimum number of minutes a film must be in order to qualify?

[KeyserCorleone]

How are you defining a short? Is there a minimum number of minutes a film must be in order to qualify?

The general consensus for a "short" is less than 40 minutes. So, not this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L90smU0SOcQ

[John Dumbear]

It's set during the Cold War, with a crazy general ordering an attack on the Soviet Union. So obviously it's a fictional situation, but set during a real-life time. Whether we consider the Cold War a war itself is another whole issue.


To narrow the list down, don't think I'll include "Cold War" films. Along with:
- Futuristic War ( Star Wars, Starship Troopers, etc.)
- Gang Wars ( The Warriors, City of God, etc.)
- Nuclear War ( Testament, Threads, etc.)
- Fictional War (The Andromeda Strain, Lord of the Rings, etc)

But will consider "Conflict Wars" like Korean, Vietnam, Middle East, etc.

[Citizen Rules]

To narrow the list down, don't think I'll include "Cold War" films. Along with:
- Futuristic War ( Star Wars, Starship Troopers, etc.)
- Gang Wars ( The Warriors, City of God, etc.)
- Nuclear War ( Testament, Threads, etc.)
- Fictional War (The Andromeda Strain, Lord of the Rings, etc)

But will consider "Conflict Wars" like Korean, Vietnam, Middle East, etc.Yuppers, me too.

[KeyserCorleone]

^ I expect a lot of users to vote on similar standards.


Btw, who ants to see a terrible Jess Franco war movie with Mark Hamill and Christopher Lee?


https://tubitv.com/movies/561611/night-of-the-eagles?start=true&tracking=google-feed&utm_source=google-feed

[Thief]

To narrow the list down, don't think I'll include "Cold War" films. Along with:
- Futuristic War ( Star Wars, Starship Troopers, etc.)
- Gang Wars ( The Warriors, City of God, etc.)
- Nuclear War ( Testament, Threads, etc.)
- Fictional War (The Andromeda Strain, Lord of the Rings, etc)

But will consider "Conflict Wars" like Korean, Vietnam, Middle East, etc.

I think I will take you up on that. It's a huge pool anyway, so I'll take any chances to narrow it down.

[mrblond]

Recommendation:

The Hill (1965)

Directed by Sidney Lumet
Starring Sean Connery and Harry Andrews

No front battles. A Film in the scope of the special regime war-camps (prisons).

A cult performance by Andrews in the role of the antagonist (a strong commander).

92325

[Kaplan]

I'd like to recommend an excellent movie, No Man's Land, set during the Bosnian War.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypsnv50Af_I

[Thursday Next]

I liked No Man's Land.


I would be interested in recommendations from other wars, like this. I feel like the majority are WWI or WWII and it would be interesting to see some about different wars from throughout history and around the world.

[John-Connor]

Campaigning for First Blood 1982..

Colonel Trautman: It's over Johnny. It's over!
Rambo: Nothing is over! Nothing!

https://media.tenor.com/6p1uCeg-aWgAAAAC/rambo-nothing.gif


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfBuvRk1thQ

[Holden Pike]

92421

This is a movie I have voted for on the MoFo 1950s list and the Top 100 Foreign Films. It made neither. I believe maybe only one other MoFo voted for it on their '50s ballot. But I'll try one last time to rally the troops here as a War Flick...


27360
Kon Ichikawa's 野火 - Fires on the Plain (1959) is one of the most brutal and haunting war films ever made. Set in the Philippines in the closing days of WWII as the island is being liberated by U.S. forces, we follow one Japanese soldier, weak and dying from TB, who is left behind and ordered to commit suicide. He can't do it, and so wanders through the Hellscape of that war and its aftermath. It's practically a horror movie as the desperation and death are palpable. It doesn't have the kind of brand name recognition that other Japanese cinema from this period enjoys today, but it is a must-see. Mizoguchi, Kobayashi, Ozu, and of course Kurosawa all made the countdown, but no room for Kon Ichiwa? This is my favorite of his, but also check out The Burmese Harp (1956), another movie about the closing days of the war and some of its horrors though seen through a soldier who becomes a Buddhist monk. Both are part of The Criterion Collection.


Here is the entire movie, a great print, subtitled and free on YouTube...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0wv79C0zqc


Fires on the Plain was also remade in 2015 by Shinya Tsukamoto.

[KeyserCorleone]

Here's a recommendation for everyone. I'm keeping most of the war movies I'm watching secret for now, but I found a rare classic on YouTube I think the people should see: Trial on the Road, a Russian film originally released in 1971 and banned from Russia for over a decade.

[cricket]

Here's a recommendation for everyone. I'm keeping most of the war movies I'm watching secret for now, but I found a rare classic on YouTube I think the people should see: Trial on the Road, a Russian film originally released in 1971 and banned from Russia for over a decade.

Sounds very good, I put it on my watchlist.

[rauldc14]

92421

This is a movie I have voted for on the MoFo 1950s list and the Top 100 Foreign Films. It made neither. I believe maybe only one other MoFo voted for it on their '50s ballot. But I'll try one last time to rally the troops here as a War Flick...




Here is the entire movie, a great print, subtitled and free on YouTube...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0wv79C0zqc


Fires on the Plain was also remade in 2015 by Shinya Tsukamoto.

I saw this for the first time this year. Definitely a great one

[Yoda]

OneTwo month(s) left!

[SpelingError]

I guess I'll start preparing my ballot then.

[KeyserCorleone]

One month left!


It was July 11, not June.

[Yoda]

I'm so smart.

I thought that seemed quick but I decided to just press ahead without thinking of checking anything.

[KeyserCorleone]

I'm so smart.

I thought that seemed quick but I decided to just press ahead without thinking of checking anything.


Welcome to forums. Want some coffee?

[KeyserCorleone]

OneTwo month(s) left!


On this subject, I've been keeping the possibility of another extension due to Oppenheimer's release in mind. We don't have to, but if anyone wants to potentially add Oppenheimer to their list, I wouldn't blame them. The biggest reason for the original extension was the longer films like Shoah and Dances With Wolves, as well as to finish the War and Peace series. I'm aware that 4.5 - 5 months feels a bit extreme, so we don't have to. I don't know about you, but I'm considering going to Oppenheimer on oppenhing day.

[Citizen Rules]

I guess I'll start preparing my ballot then. I should probably watch a war film or two;)

I'm so smart.

I thought that seemed quick but I decided to just press ahead without thinking of checking anything. Ah, welcome to the Citizen Rule's way of posting:D

On this subject, I've been keeping the possibility of another extension due to Oppenheimer's release in mind. We don't have to, but if anyone wants to potentially add Oppenheimer to their list, I wouldn't blame them. The biggest reason for the original extension was the longer films like Shoah and Dances With Wolves, as well as to finish the War and Peace series. I'm aware that 4.5 - 5 months feels a bit extreme, so we don't have to. I don't know about you, but I'm considering going to Oppenheimer on oppenhing day.How long would it extended it? I don't mind as I'm watching a war film just about every single night. And you know what I haven't even made a dent in them yet.

[SpelingError]

I guess I'll start preparing my ballot then.

I guess I'll return to procrastinating then.

[KeyserCorleone]

How long would it extended it? I don't mind as I'm watching a war film just about every single night. And you know what I haven't even made a dent in them yet.


I'm thinking exactly one week into Oppenheimer's run, making the deadline July 28th. I don't expect everyone here to see it, but I don't expect everyone here to watch all the same war movies either. Obviously the exact deadline is up for debate.

[John W Constantine]

Longest....deadline....ever..........

[John McClane]

I only got one question: Starship Troopers counts, right?

[KeyserCorleone]

I only got one question: Starship Troopers counts, right?

Nnnerp.

[Citizen Rules]

Longest....deadline....ever..........Not at all. The war deadline is 4.5 months long. There's been 9 countdowns that were longer.
https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=63339

[John McClane]

Nnnerp.Hmm, i’m out then. y’all enjoy the fun!

[KeyserCorleone]

Not at all. The war deadline is 4.5 months long. There's been 9 countdowns that were longer.
https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=63339

Oh yeah. We had a couple of them last 6 months. Since so many war movies last so long, 4.5 should be fine. Some of these entries definitely have to be watched in parts. I'm in support of extending it to July 26th. That's exactly 4.5 months to watch the movies and gives the MoFo's another 15 days to watch Oppenheimer.

So if you have plans to watch Oppenheimer, don't submit your ballot just yet!

[KeyserCorleone]

Hmm, i’m out then. y’all enjoy the fun!

It actually qualifies as a war movie on Ratetourmusic (which also has a movie database). You could probably request a genre appeal for IMDb or Letterboxed/tmdb, but RT gets their genre info from a third party they didn't disclose to me, so they might not change anything at all.

[John McClane]

This list’s rules is too convoluted for my tastes. As absurd as it sounds, if someone says something is a war movie that’s good enough for me. If we just go based on how it’s genreified then we’ll be excluding movies that even have War in the title; War of the Worlds and War for the Planet of the Apes for instance.

So yeah, definitely sitting this one out.

[KeyserCorleone]

This list’s rules is too convoluted for my tastes. As absurd as it sounds, if someone says something is a war movie that’s good enough for me. If we just go based on how it’s genreified then we’ll be excluding movies that even have War in the title; War of the Worlds and War for the Planet of the Apes for instance.

So yeah, definitely sitting this one out.


Star Wars? Bride Wars? War of the Buttons? No thanks. Even if these movies end up being eligible (I haven't checked them all), most vocal members have made it perfectly clear that they're going to vote based on what feels more appropriate for a war movie (as long as the movies are still eligible), so the chances that we'll get anything that really doesn't belong there is minimal, and may even make it to the bottom 20 if they do. This place is quite reliable in the sense that we take this ind of thing seriously enough not to go crazy like last.fm did by jokingly tagging Bieber as black metal, a controversial topic among many other music forums. We've got nothing to worry about here. But chances are many movies you would vote for personally are still eligible.


Why not give us an example top 15 for us and we'll see how eligible it is? Bear with me so I can prove a point. We definitely don't want to exclude anybody, and I'm personally really curios as to what you would vote for anyway if Starship Troopers is there anyway.

[John McClane]

If we’re going to be restrictive we should at least codify a definition ourselves. I’m not one that likes to be beholden to the oversized trousers of IMDb and company. I’m not willing to make a list to be told half the choices don’t count because some cheese and cracker eating critic genrefied them differently.

I feel like most users are already going to be restrictive in what they pick, so it’s not like we’re going to get multiple users arguing that Brave Little Toaster or Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a war movie.

And because I don’t care what anyone says; Starship Troopers is a war movie.

[seanc]

So I’m not out either way but I do have a question. Starship Troopers has fictional war in its sub-genres, why is it out? i’m asking because Shame is the same.

[KeyserCorleone]

If we’re going to be restrictive we should at least codify a definition ourselves. I’m not one that likes to be beholden to the oversized trousers of IMDb and company. I’m not willing to make a list to be told half the choices don’t count because some cheese and cracker eating critic genrefied them differently.

I feel like most users are already going to be restrictive in what they pick, so it’s not like we’re going to get multiple users arguing that Brave Little Toaster or Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a war movie.

And because I don’t care what anyone says; Starship Troopers is a war movie.

And I don't doubt you're right about Starship Troopers. I haven't seen it myself, but from what I've heard about it, I wouldn't blame you. But I included three different websites so we could be more inclusive, and traditionally, using other sites as criteria has been done in the past. I don't agree with it all to the fullest extent myself, but I don't want to completely rewrite the rules at anytime during the preliminary stages, because there's the chance that I'll have to do it again once another complaint comes in, and by that point more people will have already voted.

But keep in mind, while it's completely unrealistic to assume Brave Little Toaster would make it, a very important purpose of the ruleset is to minimize putting on movies that just so happen to take place during a war. Then there is an ongoing discussion on exactly how much war has to be there or whether or not the plot has to revolve around a figure who contributed to the war, etc. etc. Then the discussions will take longer and the deadline would have to be increased again. Not a risk I'm willing to take on my first countdown hosting attempt. I've hosted stuff on other websites before over the last few years, and I can guarantee you that it's best to have an eligibility ruleset prepared before posting.

Of course, I always wanted to include Rateyourmusic in the eligibility. I was against it as others on other websites have said, "but that's a music website. What do they know about movies," and then get confused when I tell them they included a movies section. I fully trust that the users there are seriously against mistagging as I spent years on it before I had a second falling out with the stuffy developer of the site. The biggest compromise I can offer you is the inclusion of RYM if other users are willing to accept, in which case Starship Troopers is good to go. I mean, I need the practice in using an eligibility factor if I'm going to run this countdown and other future ones, and I don't want to give that up as it makes for good practice.

[Citizen Rules]

So I’m not out either way but I do have a question. Starship Troopers has fictional war in its sub-genres, why is it out? i’m asking because Shame is the same.I believe Keyser wisely went with genre tags as the least path of resistances.
From his countdown rules 1st post:
Only movies that are tagged as a war movie on one of these three websites: Imdb, Letterboxd and Rotten Tomatoes, can be voted for.I can see logically that there's movies not allowed that are about war and movies allowed that aren't. But no methodically is perfect and compared to the other two method I think Keyser choice wisely.

[KeyserCorleone]

I can see logically there's movies not allowed that are about war and movies allowed that aren't. But no methodically is perfect and compared to the other two method I think Keyser choice wisely.


https://y.yarn.co/b5af33a9-3f6c-4956-a69b-1ffb50f34707_text.gif


So I’m not out either way but I do have a question. Starship Troopers has fictional war in its sub-genres, why is it out? i’m asking because Shame is the same.


Unfortunately, that's a question that can only be answered on the websites that tagged them. But since the Letterboxd page has "topical" tags involving war, one should be able to send a request to Tmdb to change the information on the page. I won't be doing it myself since I haven't seen it. We've still got a couple months so there's plenty of time.

[seanc]

Got ya. Thought sub-genres was fine. Glad it came up.

[seanc]

Shame is in thanks to Letterboxd. Vote for Shame everybody.

[SpelingError]

I'm fine with having no restrictions. If a film truly is a gigantic stretch as to whether or not it qualifies as a war film, it likely won't make the countdown, so I don't see it causing any issues. On the other hand, I think Keyser's idea is fine as well. If a film isn't tagged as war on IMDb, RT, or Letterboxd, then it's likely a huge stretch to classify it as a war film and, therefore, it shouldn't be that big of an ask to nominate a different film in its place.

[Citizen Rules]

Why are we even talking about all of this now??? The host has already made his decision on how to determine war movie qualification at the very start of this countdown.

If someone is going to boycott the countdown because Starship Troopers isn't eligible then they really weren't that much into the countdown in the first place. We need to get behind Keyser and support him, he's the host and the one doing all the hard work for our benefit.

[Little Ash]

Huh. On letterboxd, Duck Soup has War as a genre, but Starship Troopers does not. The best reason I could hope for is, Starship Troopers just has so many genres compared to the only two genres Duck Soup is tagged with.


Because calling Duck Soup a war movie seems like a stretch, where-as Starship Troopers seems actively engaged with the idea of war movies and propaganda.


I'd say, "weird." But, but really, genre classifications on sites were known already to be questionable.

ETA: No strong opinion on the list countdown or rules clarifications. Just, couldn't help but notice the odd comparison between the two movies.

[KeyserCorleone]

Why are we even talking about all of this now??? The host has already made his decision on how to determine war movie qualification at the very start of this countdown.

If someone is going to boycott the countdown because Starship Troopers isn't eligible then they really weren't that much into the countdown in the first place. We need to get behind Keyser and support him, he's the host and the one doing all the hard work for our benefit.

Thanks for supporting me, Citizen.

On that note, my suggestion for sending an appeal to one of the two sites is still on the table.
I'm not against a couple users taking matters into their own hands on the other sites.

[KeyserCorleone]

RECOMMENDATION: If you're into The Big Red One (1980), then you may be interested in another war movie he directed 29 years earlier: The Steel Helmet. It's a lesser known Korean war movie with great reviews on both Imsb and Letterboxd. And it's quick and easy at only 84 minutes. You can find it on Ok.ru.

[crumbsroom]

I don't personally care that much, but isn't the easiest way to do these lists NOT to have these requirements on genre?


The reality is if someone votes for something that isn't generally considered a war movie, no one else will either, so it isn't going to rank.


And if enough people do vote for a movie that it does rank....shouldn't we trust the opinions of members that it probably is one?


Like, I know people like guide lines and rules, but isn't this a completely unnecessary one?


Did our comedy list completely fall apart because it was extremely open ended in it's requirements? My feeling is no, and I think that one had way more likelihood to have shockingly random entries make it.


But whatever. You do you. It just seems a lot less headaches if you don't try and unnecessarily regulate these things.

[KeyserCorleone]

It just seems a lot less headaches if you don't try and unnecessarily regulate these things.


I have a list of 2400 movies ranked from best to worst, a list of 11000 albums ranked from best to worst, and am making other lists revolving around those lists. There are no headaches.

[crumbsroom]

I have a list of 2400 movies ranked from best to worst, a list of 11000 albums ranked from best to worst, and am making other lists revolving around those lists. There are no headaches.
Not sure what that has to do with what I said but okay.

[Allaby]

I'm completely fine with the existing rules and 100 percent in support of our fine commander's guidance.

[KeyserCorleone]

It seems to me that there will be conflict regarding the rules with practically any MoFo countdown. Maybe we should focus more on exchanging recommendations at this point.

[Citizen Rules]

I'm completely fine with the existing rules and 100 percent in support of our fine commander's guidance.A big hug for Allaby!:D

[Allaby]

Here's an underrated recommendation that doesn't get mentioned often; 1969 (1988). The cast includes Robert Downey Jr, Kiefer Sutherland, Bruce Dern and Winona Ryder. Also, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944) is an entertaining war comedy that I would recommend. And The Littlest Rebel (1935) is an enjoyable Shirley Temple family war film that is worth checking out.

[Allaby]

A big hug for Allaby!:D

Thanks. I appreciate hugs (and cookies).

[Citizen Rules]

Thanks. I appreciate hugs (and cookies).I make gooooood chocolate chip cookies!

[Allaby]

I make gooooood chocolate chip cookies!

Yummy!

[KeyserCorleone]

Here's an underrated recommendation that doesn't get mentioned often; 1969 (1988). The cast includes Robert Downey Jr, Kiefer Sutherland, Bruce Dern and Winona Ryder.


That's one good cast.

[Allaby]

I've seen 210 war films, according to my imbd ratings. 166 of them I rated a 7 or higher. Eleven of them I have rated a 10/10. Ten of them I rated a 5/10 and three of them I rated a 4/10.

[Holden Pike]

Question: do different cuts of the same movie get counted together, I hope? I noticed for example that Samuel Fuller's The Big Red One is listed as both the 1980 original release and the 2005 The Big Red One: The Reconstruction. I think if you get votes for both (not on the same ballot, obviously) they should be added together. Not sure why the database the ballot draws from makes that distinction between versions for The Big Red One but not for Apocalypse Now and Apocalypse Now: Redux or between Blade Runner, Blade Runner: The Director's Cut, and Blade Runner: The Final Cut?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1BZbHXuTEY

[Holden Pike]

And I submitted my ballot. :)

[KeyserCorleone]

Question: do different cuts of the same movie get counted together, I hope? I noticed for example that Samuel Fuller's The Big Red One is listed as both the 1980 original release and the 2005 The Big Red One: The Reconstruction. I think if you get votes for both (not on the same ballot, obviously) they should be added together. Not sure why the database the ballot draws from makes that distinction between versions for The Big Red One but not for Apocalypse Now and Apocalypse Now: Redux or between Blade Runner, Blade Runner: The Director's Cut, and Blade Runner: The Final Cut?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1BZbHXuTEY


You can vote based one any one cut you want, and they all get counted for the same entry.

[Yoda]

If they're separate in the system they'll be tabulated separately. The code treats every distinct entry as a distinct film.


I could make a point to combine them before the countdown starts but I would need to know ahead of time and we'd need to know which would be the "real" one.

[KeyserCorleone]

If they're separate in the system they'll be tabulated separately. The code treats every distinct entry as a distinct film.


I could make a point to combine them before the countdown starts but I would need to know ahead of time and we'd need to know which would be the "real" one.

I think "the real one" would be subjective based on which user thinks which editing n best represents the director's attempted direction or some other criteria. It might be best just to combine them.

[Yoda]

By "real" I just meant the one that's going to represent both in the list. I put it in quotes to try to indicate that obviously there's not necessarily a "real" one.

As for combining: as the host, that's up to you. The system has no way of knowing what to combine (to the code they're all just unique ID numbers), so if you want to combine them I'll just need a short of list of what's being combined and in what direction after the voting's over, at which point I'll have to combine them manually in the database.

[KeyserCorleone]

By "real" I just meant the one that's going to represent both in the list. I put it in quotes to try to indicate that obviously there's not necessarily a "real" one.

As for combining: as the host, that's up to you. The system has no way of knowing what to combine (to the code they're all just unique ID numbers), so if you want to combine them I'll just need a short of list of what's being combined and in what direction after the voting's over, at which point I'll have to combine them manually in the database.


If the database has two different versions, like The Big Red One does, then with the rule that people are not allowed to vote for two versions of the same film, then half the job of combining the two or more editions is already done. All that's left is a little Ctrl + F, combine the points of the editions and presto bingo, problem solved.

[KeyserCorleone]

RECOMMENDATION: The Thin Red Line is on Ok.ru. I've got an hour left to go, and I'm seriously considering watching it again tomorrow. I feel like I missed some things about it; that's usually the feeling I get when people say a specific movie needs to be seen more than once to fully grasp. It might be a bit slow for me right now, but I'll likely improve my rating tomorrow if I catch some new details.

[Allaby]

RECOMMENDATION: The Thin Red Line is on Ok.ru. I've got an hour left to go, and I'm seriously considering watching it again tomorrow. I feel like I missed some things about it; that's usually the feeling I get when people say a specific movie needs to be seen more than once to fully grasp. It might be a bit slow for me right now, but I'll likely improve my rating tomorrow if I catch some new details.

Love The Thin Red Line. I have the Criterion blu ray. It's a masterpiece and one of the greatest films of all time.

[KeyserCorleone]

Love The Thin Red Line. I have the Criterion blu ray. It's a masterpiece and one of the greatest films of all time.


I have one question. Does the character development improve on the second viewing?

[Allaby]

I have one question. Does the character development improve on the second viewing?

For me, it stays the same, but I loved the film from the first viewing.

[Yoda]

If the database has two different versions, like The Big Red One does, then with the rule that people are not allowed to vote for two versions of the same film, then half the job of combining the two or more editions is already done. All that's left is a little Ctrl + F, combine the points of the editions and presto bingo, problem solved.
Unfortunately databases don't work exactly like text files (that's also why they're better, of course! :)), and the system has more moving parts than the old spreadsheet did, which for all its faults was easier to make these sorts of ad hoc changes to.

But yes, as mentioned, I can make the changes. Just assuming/hoping it's only a handful of them so it doesn't add to the rest of the setup work too much.

[ScarletLion]

Who mentioned 'Sophie Scholl: The Final Days' (2005) ?

Thanks for bringing that to my attention. Good film and heart breaking true story.

[John-Connor]

Maybe we should focus more on exchanging recommendations at this point.

REC # 2:

When the Wind Blows 1986

https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/fm539aXAan7UU8tdkpUgIdek5Ne.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pJKdTqYijY

[Citizen Rules]

Who mentioned 'Sophie Scholl: The Final Days' (2005) ?

Thanks for bringing that to my attention. Good film and heart breaking true story.Maybe you read what I wrote about it?
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500_and_h282_face/95dbkRSL3rQ3Ciik29Hezz5l1bL.jpg
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005)

A German language film based on the Nazi transcripts of a 21 year old college woman who along with her brother was caught distributing anti-Nazi literature at the University of Munich. What follows is her arrest, interrogation and imprisonment. During this time she steadfastly maintains her composure in the face of an oppressive regime. Ultimately she's brought before the People's Court to stand trail for treason. It's a hard hitting film when you realize that Sophie was a real person and what you're seeing really happened to her.
rating_4

[ScarletLion]

Maybe you read what I wrote about it?

Thanks. I enjoyed it. Heart-breaking story. A true heroine.

[Citizen Rules]

Thanks. I enjoyed it. Heart-breaking story. A true heroine.I'd never heard of it until I did some deep research for war movies and ran into it. It won't make the countdown which is sad, not enough people have seen it.

[Harry Lime]

I haven't posted in a while and haven't watched any war movies (terrible!) but I'm still here and ready to submit a list. There are two films I must rewatch for this. If not now, when!

[Citizen Rules]

I haven't posted in a while and haven't watched any war movies (terrible!) but I'm still here and ready to submit a list. There are two films I must rewatch for this. If not now, when!Which ones?

[KeyserCorleone]

OK, everybody. Get ready for a real plot twist for this thread, one that will either really please or displease the users, We got an eligibilitiy update. And while I can confirm right now that this won't make my ballot, I'm eager to see if it makes it here:


https://ak1.ostkcdn.com/images/products/is/images/direct/4b7861009fee536ace762365c9b4ff2bb246e3e5/%22Mulan-%281998%29%22-Poster-Print.jpg

[rauldc14]

It won't make my list. I enjoy the film but I also don't consider it war either.

[KeyserCorleone]

It won't make my list. I enjoy the film but I also don't consider it war either.


It is a kid's movie I admit, but what I appreciate about it is how it transitions a plot about soldiers preparing for battles in the third act into a kid's movie in general, simultaneously transitioning the fear of loss of family subplot we often see in war movies as well. But I'm certain all my entries will end up being 9.5 at the bare minimum, and Mulan is a 9 at the max for me.

[KeyserCorleone]

Shame is in thanks to Letterboxd. Vote for Shame everybody.


I'd like to thank Seanc for bringing this understated Bergman film to my attention. I'm finished it just a couple minutes ago, and am largely certain of what I'll rate it.

[seanc]

I'd like to thank Seanc for bringing this understated Bergman film to my attention. I'm finished it just a couple minutes ago, and am largely certain of what I'll rate it.

Awesome! I think it’s fantastic, and certainly doesn’t feel like a fictional war.

[Allaby]

I'm going to buy a digital war movie. Should I buy The Charge of the Light Brigade or Twelve O'Clock High or The Big Red One or Waterloo Bridge or The Hill? What do you folks recommend?

[Citizen Rules]

I'm going to buy a digital war movie. Should I buy The Charge of the Light Brigade or Twelve O'Clock High or The Big Red One or Waterloo Bridge or The Hill? What do you folks recommend?Twelve O'Clock High & Waterloo Bridge (with Vivian Leigh) are two of my all time favorite movies. You should buy both!:p

[Allaby]

Twelve O'Clock High & Waterloo Bridge (with Vivian Leigh) are two of my all time favorite movies. You should buy both!:p

Thanks for the suggestion. I will consider it.

[KeyserCorleone]

I'm going to buy a digital war movie. Should I buy The Charge of the Light Brigade or Twelve O'Clock High or The Big Red One or Waterloo Bridge or The Hill? What do you folks recommend?


The Big Red One is on Tubi. You should watch it before they take it down.

[Allaby]

The Big Red One is on Tubi. You should watch it before they take it down.

I can't find it on Tubi. Maybe it is only on Tubi US. I'm in Canada.

[Allaby]

Twelve O'Clock High & Waterloo Bridge (with Vivian Leigh) are two of my all time favorite movies. You should buy both!:p

I decided to take your advice and bought both. I also bought The Fighting Seabess and Murphy's War. I watched Waterloo Bridge and liked it. It won't make my ballot, but I would recommend Waterloo Bridge to anyone who hasn't seen it

[Citizen Rules]

I decided to take your advice and bought both. I also bought The Fighting Seabess and Murphy's War. I watched Waterloo Bridge and liked it. It won't make my ballot, but I would recommend Waterloo Bridge to anyone who hasn't seen itOh cool, was it Waterloo Bridge from 1940? of 1931? Both were my previous noms in HoFs. The Fighting Seabees is interesting, I liked it. And I've had Murphy's War on my watch list for the war countdown, one of these days I'll get to it.

[Allaby]

Oh cool, was it Waterloo Bridge from 1940? of 1931? Both were my previous noms in HoFs. The Fighting Seabees is interesting, I liked it. And I've had Murphy's War on my watch list for the war countdown, one of these days I'll get to it.

It was the 1940 version.

[mrblond]

I don't see someone to pay much attention at recommendations but anyway:

Ice Cold in Alex (1958)

Directed by J. Lee Thompson

Thrilling adventure in Sahara desert during WWII.

92853
92854

[Citizen Rules]

I don't see someone to pay much attention at recommendations but anyway:

Ice Cold in Alex (1958)Directed by J. Lee Thompson.

Thrilling adventure in Sahara desert during WWII.
I'm going to watch that one tonight. Thanks for the recommendation!

[Citizen Rules]

....Ice Cold in Alex (1958) Directed by J. Lee Thompson...Thrilling adventure in Sahara desert during WWII.


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=92854
I just watched that last night thanks to your recommendation. One of the best war films I've seen recently. Shot in Libya and available in HD it looked great and was very well done. I enjoyed it!

[Allaby]

Any one have any guesses as to which directors will have the most films on the list?

[beelzebubble]

Any one have any guesses as to which directors will have the most films on the list?
David Lean comes to mind.

[KeyserCorleone]

Since we sometimes theorize as to which directors will appear the most often in countdowns, lemme remind the people here of some directors who are quite prominent in the war genre.




Abel Gance (Napoleon, The battle of Austerlitz, J'Accuse)
David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago, The Bridge on the River Kwai)
Gillo Pontecorvo (The Battle of Algiers, Kapo, Burn)
Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front, Edge of Darkness, Halls of Montezuma, Pork Chop Hill, A Walk in the Sun)
Masaki Kobayashi (Human Condition trilogy, Tokyo Trial)
Roberto Rossellini (Rome Opern City, Paisan, Germany Year Zero,
Samuel Fuller (The Big Red One, Fixed Bayonettes, The Steel Helmet)
Sergai Bondarchuk (War and Peace 1-4, Fate of a Man, Waterloo
Stanley Kubrick (Full Metal Jacket, Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove, Spartacus, Barry Lyndon, Fear and Desire)
Steven Spielberg (Schindler's List, Empire of the Sun, Saving Private Ryan, 1941, War Horse)

[Allaby]

David Lean comes to mind.

Good guess. He might have 3-4 on the list. Kubrick and Spielberg will likely have a few on the list too.

[Allaby]

Since we sometimes theorize as to which directors will appear the most often in countdowns, lemme remind the people here of some directors who are quite prominent in the war genre.




Abel Gance (Napoleon, The battle of Austerlitz, J'Accuse)
David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago, The Bridge on the River Kwai)
Gillo Pontecorvo (The Battle of Algiers, Kapo, Burn)
Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front, Edge of Darkness, Halls of Montezuma, Pork Chop Hill, A Walk in the Sun)
Masaki Kobayashi (Human Condition trilogy, Tokyo Trial)
Roberto Rossellini (Rome Opern City, Paisan, Germany Year Zero,
Samuel Fuller (The Big Red One, Fixed Bayonettes, The Steel Helmet)
Sergai Bondarchuk (War and Peace 1-4, Fate of a Man, Waterloo
Stanley Kubrick (Full Metal Jacket, Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove, Spartacus, Barry Lyndon, Fear and Desire)
Steven Spielberg (Schindler's List, Empire of the Sun, Saving Private Ryan, 1941, War Horse)


Good list. For Spielberg, Bridge of Spies and Lincoln are also eligible. So there could be two directors with 6-7 films on the list!

[beelzebubble]

Good guess. He might have 3-4 on the list. Kubrick and Spielberg will likely have a few on the list too.
Yes I'm sure Paths of Glory Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan will be on it. I wonder how many of the war pictures that were filmed during WWII will be on the list?

[Citizen Rules]

Yes I'm sure Paths of Glory Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan will be on it. Yup for sure.


wonder how many of the war pictures that were filmed during WWII will be on the list?Not many I think, but I have 9 that were made during WWII in contention for my ballot. Any guesses as to that those 9 are?

[Holden Pike]

I have 9 that were made during WWII in contention for my ballot. Any guesses as to that those 9 are?

Casablanca and eight others. 😀

[rauldc14]

Casablanca and eight others. 😀

Waterloo Bridge, Casablanca, and 7 others

[Holden Pike]

Other than the peerless Casablanca here are some of the other great flicks made during the war, for my taste...

Chaplin's The Great Dictator
Lubitsch's To Be or Not To Be
Hitchcock's Saboteur and Lifeboat
Powell & Pressburger's The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp
Rossellini's Rome, Open City
Preston Sturges' Hail the Conquering Hero
John Huston's Across the Pacific
William Wyler's Mrs. Miniver

[KeyserCorleone]

I'm not gonna vote for Casablanca personally, but I expect it to make the countdown and deserves respect for whatever WWII commentary it provides.

[mrblond]

Something pre-20th century (to diversify things)...

...please don't forget this Shakespeare style classic:

Henry V (1989)

Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Starring Kenneth Branagh, Paul Scofield, Derek Jacobi, Ian Holm, Emma Thompson, Judi Dench and still young Christian Bale.

This was absolute cult for all cinema admiers back then more than three decades ago.
Brilliant casting, acting and all of the rest...

What a high culture war film creation!

92887

[KeyserCorleone]

On the subject of Shakespeare, don't forget that Kurosawa's Ran is eligible.

[Allaby]

Here's an interesting recommendation: Shadow in the Cloud (2020). I watched this on Netflix. Chloe Grace Moretz stars in this World War II drama about a female pilot on board a plane with top secret cargo...and a gremlin! This is an unusual blend of B movie, creature feature, sci-fi horror and war aerial adventure. I thought it was pretty fun. I enjoyed Moretz's performance and the gremlin looks cool. Check it out...

[KeyserCorleone]

Here's an interesting recommendation: Shadow in the Cloud (2020). I watched this on Netflix. Chloe Grace Moretz stars in this World War II drama about a female pilot on board a plane with top secret cargo...and a gremlin! This is an unusual blend of B movie, creature feature, sci-fi horror and war aerial adventure. I thought it was pretty fun. I enjoyed Moretz's performance and the gremlin looks cool. Check it out...


I would totally be watching that ASAP if I wasn't trying to lower the percentage of horror in my movies log by focusing on other genres.

[Allaby]

So what actor do people think will make the most appearances on the countdown? Humphrey Bogart? John Wayne? Kirk Douglas? Clint Eastwood? Someone else?

[KeyserCorleone]

Something pre-20th century (to diversify things)...

...please don't forget this Shakespeare style classic:

Henry V (1989)

Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Starring Kenneth Branagh, Paul Scofield, Derek Jacobi, Ian Holm, Emma Thompson, Judi Dench and still young Christian Bale.

This was absolute cult for all cinema admiers back then more than three decades ago.
Brilliant casting, acting and all of the rest...

What a high culture war film creation!

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=92887


On another Shakespearean note, I'd like to mention that the 1944 Henry V directed by Laurence Olivier is also eligible. I'm going to watch both.

[cricket]

So what actor do people think will make the most appearances on the countdown? Humphrey Bogart? John Wayne? Kirk Douglas? Clint Eastwood? Someone else?

Without thinking about it too much, I'll guess Tatsuya Nakadai.

[KeyserCorleone]

For anyone interested, the Clint Eastwood / Don Siegel collab The Beguiled is leaving Tubi in America at the end of the month. I'm starting it right now.

On a side note, I didn't know it had Mrs. Brisby herself.


EDIT: I'm inches away from loving this.

[seanc]

EDIT: I'm inches away from loving this.

92944

[Deschain]

I just rewatched Dunkirk because I was listening to an old Blank Check about it. Only saw it once before back when it first opened in IMAX. I know all the cool kids are hating on Nolan these days but it’s still a helluva picture. The sound design alone is worth it.

[KeyserCorleone]

I just rewatched Dunkirk because I was listening to an old Blank Check about it. Only saw it once before back when it first opened in IMAX. I know all the cool kids are hating on Nolan these days but it’s still a helluva picture. The sound design alone is worth it.


Thanks for the reminder; I need to see that before I see Oppenheimer.


On that subject, Dunkirk is one of the movies that doesn't have a list spot yet.

[Yoda]

One month left!
Okay, now this is right. I was just ahead of my time.

[KeyserCorleone]

Okay, now this is right. I was just ahead of my time.


July 26th. Allowing a few days for Oppenheimer, and repeating my intention of ensuring enough people have enough time for the longer movies, especially the entire War and Peace series and Shoah.

[Citizen Rules]

July 26th. Allowing a few days for Oppenheimer, and repeating my intention of ensuring enough people have enough time for the longer movies, especially the entire War and Peace series and Shoah.I'm still watching war films every night, except for the occasional 31st HoF film. And I'd started watching war films right after the poll looked like our next countdown was War. Having a blast watching these movies too!

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia1.tenor.com%2Fimages%2F74fc99975ee02be99088eb8e08a18db7%2Ftenor.gif%3Fitemid%3 D16951024&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=1937886de507199f8b11bb4aa8e692e2eb210912d4041d0caf5a2ced906a31bb&ipo=images

*and no I'm not voting for that movie!

[Harry Lime]

Which ones?
Geez I'm really slacking on the forum action lately. Come and See and MASH are two that I wanted to watch since it's been a long time.

[Citizen Rules]

Geez I'm really slacking on the forum action lately. Come and See and MASH are two that I wanted to watch since it's been a long time.You still got time, like 6 weeks or so. I'm sure those both will be locks on the countdown.

[mrblond]

Hope, you don't forget about the Billy Wilder's

Five Graves to Cairo (1943)

Starring Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter and Erich von Stroheim

One more war-thriller in Africa.

87537

[KeyserCorleone]

Here's a comprehensive list of war movies appearing in all our current lists. I spent the week putting this together for anyone who may want to work on completing other lists while going through this. Btw, I believe the list with the most war movies is the Foreign Language Oscar Winners.

1917 (2019)
A Man Escaped (1956)
A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
A Year of the Quiet Sun (1984)
The Act of Killing (2012)
The African Queen (1951)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Anne Frank Remembered (1995)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Army of Shadows (1969)
The Ascent (1977)
The Assault (1986)
Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987)
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Battleship Potempkin (1925)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
The Battle of Algiers (1966)
The Beguiled (1971)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
The Big Red One (1980)
The Birth of a Nation (1915)
The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)
Black and White in Color (1976)
Black Hawk Down (2001)
Braveheart (1995)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Burnt by the Sun (1994)
Cabiria (1914)
The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Casablanca (1942)
Cavalcade (1933)
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
Chronicle of the Years of Fire (1975)
Closely Watched Trains (1966)
Come and See (1985)
Coming Home (1978)
The Counterfeiters (2007)
The Cranes Are Fling (1957)
The Cruel Sea (1953)
The Dam Busters (1955)
Das Boot (1981)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Der Verlorene (1951)
The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Downfall (2004)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Dr. Zhivago (1965)
Duck Soup (1933)
Duck You Sucker (1971)
Education for Death (1943)
The English Patient (1996)
Europa Europa (1990)
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Fail Safe (1964)
Fires Were Started (1943)
Forbidden Games (1952)
Friendly Persuasion (1956)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970)
The General (1926)
Glory (1989)
Gone With the Wind (1939)
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
The Great Dictator (1940)
The Great Escape (1963)
The Grey Zone (2001)
Gunga Din (1939)
The Guns of Navarone (1961)
Hearts and Minds (1974)
Hell's Angels (1930)
Henry V (1944)
Hope and Glory (1987)
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
The Human Condition 1 (1959)
The Human Condition 3 (1961)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
In Which We Serve (1942)
Incendies (2010)
Indochine (1992)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
Kagemusha (1980)
The Killing Fields (1984)
The Last Chance (1945)
The Last Command (1928)
The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Léon Morin, Priest (1961)
Lifeboat (1944)
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
Life Is Beautiful (1997)
Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997)
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
Major Dundee (1965)
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
MASH (1970)
Master and Commander (2003)
Mediterraneo (1991)
Men Without Wings (1946)
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Mudbound (2017)
Mulan (1998)
Night and Fog (1956)
No Man's Land (2001)
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Paths of Glory (1957)
Patton (1970)
Persepolis (2007)
The Pianist (2002)
Platoon (1986)
Private Benjamin (1980)
Ran (1985)
Red Meadows (1945)
Religulous (2008)
Restrepo (2010)
Richard III (1955)
Rio Conchos (1964)
Rome, Open City (1945)
Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Schindler's List (1993)
Senso (1954)
Sergeant York (1941)
Shoah (1985)
The Shop on Main Street (1965)
Son of Saul (2015)
Sophie's Choice (1982)
Spartacus (1960)
Stalag 17 (1953)
Stripes (1981)
The Thin Red Line (1998)
Things to Come (1936)
The Tin Drum (1979)
To Be or Not To Be (1942)
To Have and Have Not (1944)
Triumph of the Will (1935)
Tropic Thunder (2008)
The Turning Point (1945)
Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970)
Ugetsu (1953)
Underground (1995)
Waltz with Bashir (2007)
War and Peace Pt. 1 (1965)
War and Peace Pt. 2 (1965)
War and Peace Pt. 3 (1967)
War and Peace Pt. 4 (1967)
Waterloo Bridge (1940)
When the Wind Blows (1986)
The Wind That Shakes The Barley (2006)
The Wind Rises (2013)
Wings (1927)
Wonder Woman (2017)
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Zulu (1964)

[Citizen Rules]

Thanks Keyser! That list is really helpfully. I can see alot on that list I need to watch or rewatch.

[John W Constantine]

Hope, you don't forget about the Billy Wilder's

Five Graves to Cairo (1943)

Starring Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter and Erich von Stroheim

One more war-thriller in Africa.

87537
Anyone have a link to this? I was searching for it somewhile ago and couldn't locate

[KeyserCorleone]

For anyone who may be interested, Crimson Tide is eligible and has no current list positions. I know it's currently available on Tubi in America. Be sure to check Justwatch, Decider or Plex for streaming war movies in your location.

[KeyserCorleone]

I'm also reposting this list of directors who often make war movies, with a couple of new additions.


Abel Gance (Napoleon, The battle of Austerlitz, J'Accuse)
Akira Kurosawa (Ran, Kagemusha, The Most Beautiful)
Andrzej Wajda (Ashes and Diamonds, Kanal, A Generation, Katyn, Korczak)
Claude Lanzmann (Shoah, Sobibor, The Karski Report)
Clint Eastwood (Letters from Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers, American Sniper, Heartbreak Ridge)
David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago, The Bridge on the River Kwai)
Edward Zwick (Legends of the Fall, Glory, The Last Samurai, Defiance, Courage Under Fire
Gillo Pontecorvo (The Battle of Algiers, Kapo, Burn)
Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front, Edge of Darkness, Halls of Montezuma, Pork Chop Hill, A Walk in the Sun)
Masaki Kobayashi (Human Condition trilogy, Tokyo Trial)
Oliver Stone (Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Alexander)
Ridley Scott (Black Hawk Down, The Duellists, Kingdom of Heaven)
Roberto Rossellini (Rome Opern City, Paisan, Germany Year Zero,
Samuel Fuller (The Big Red One, Fixed Bayonettes, The Steel Helmet)
Sergai Bondarchuk (War and Peace 1-4, Fate of a Man, Waterloo)
Stanley Kubrick (Full Metal Jacket, Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove, Spartacus, Barry Lyndon, Fear and Desire)
Steven Spielberg (Schindler's List, Empire of the Sun, Saving Private Ryan, 1941, War Horse)

[KeyserCorleone]

After more than 30 war movies, I finally found one that changes my ballot. Not revealing, but I'm still gonna post about it. And there are still so many I have to watch.

[Allaby]

I rewatched War Witch (also known as Rebelle, 2012) today. This powerful Oscar-nominated Canadian film is about an African girl who was abducted by the rebel army at the age of 12 and forced to be a child soldier. In her debut performance, young Rachel Mwanza is extraordinary. Prior to being cast in the film, Mwanza was living on the streets. She won the Silver Bear award for best actress at the Berlin International film festival, as well as the Canadian Screen Award for best actress. War Witch is definitely in strong contention for my ballot and I hope it makes the countdown. It is currently available to stream on CBC Gem or Hoopla in Canada or on Tubi, Pluto tv, or Kanopy in the US. I recommend everyone check out War Witch. 4.5

[KeyserCorleone]

Ummm... guys? ... Tropic Thunder is on our favorite Russian streaming service. In English. What luck. If you want the link, I'll PM you.

[mrblond]

Treat Williams recently passed away...

...hope enough people know and like this Miloš Forman's Hippie Anti-war Musical which was grand hit back in the day.
Kind of eligible for this show according to Letterboxd.

Hair (1979)

Directed by Miloš Forman
Starring John Savage, Treat Williams and Beverly D'Angelo

Great melodies are featured here...
93184

[Wyldesyde19]

If it hasn’t been mentioned yet, The Last of the Mohicans is a war film, as it depicts The French-Indian War, and should be merit consideration for your ballots.

[Allaby]

If it hasn’t been mentioned yet, The Last of the Mohicans is a war film, as it depicts The French-Indian War, and should be merit consideration for your ballots.

In addition to the 1992 version, there is also a 1920 version of The Last of the Mohicans, which is also eligible. Anyone who liked the 1992 film should also check out the 1920 version, which I personally think is actually a better film. Perhaps both versions of The Last of the Mohicans will make the countdown.

[KeyserCorleone]

In addition to the 1992 version, there is also a 1920 version of The Last of the Mohicans, which is also eligible. Anyone who liked the 1992 film should also check out the 1920 version, which I personally think is actually a better film. Perhaps both versions of The Last of the Mohicans will make the countdown.


The 1936 one is also eligible.

[rauldc14]

Pretty sure this will be my lowest percent watched countdown at least since the Western one

[John W Constantine]

I'm generally curious what shows up outside the normal genre this time.

[John W Constantine]

July 26th. Allowing a few days for Oppenheimer, and repeating my intention of ensuring enough people have enough time for the longer movies
So......29 days? Final answer?

[KeyserCorleone]

So......29 days? Final answer?

I was waiting for Yoda to say it.

[John-Connor]

I'm sure many would. However, there are many who wouldn't. And I need to think of the effect that this will have on new users when it appears on the top 100 countdown, aside from logistically being different by the historical merit of separate release dates, as well as being counted as a series as much as a singular release on various websites, even sometimes both at once (ridiculous).

Now Shoah is eligible due to Imdb, as well as Napoleon, and both were originally released in one part. It's one thing for a single overlong movie to appear on the list on top of a five-hour one. But if I also include War and Peace, some will want The Human Condition listed because "the experience isn't the same unless you do it all at once." But time wise, it's impractical. Many won't be able to watch the whole series. If I love the series, I'd rather someone watches at least one part if possible than none of it. If there are three eight-to-ten hour movies on that list, new users will be drawn away from completing that list. I'm not looking forward to the first list I curate having that effect, especially since I personally love this genre that much.

I understand that this may upset some. But I need to go over the logical points rather than a purely emotional experience which is subjective despite its commonness among moviegoers. I've thought about this for months in the event that my volunteering from so long ago is granted, and I've considered both options. But my result is final, and I'm humbly asking the community to see the good in this:

A. Multiple parts calls for a lot of discussion, which I want to emphasize considering that I personally loved the novel back when I read it.

B. If new users see more than one War and Peace or more than one Human Condition, they'll be more drawn to watch a whole series of good movies. Let's be honest: sequelitis is a problem in the movie industry, and for two series not to have it will send good signals.

I feel more people will be drawn to watch those movies if they are treated as a series. So I do apologize if this is uncomfortable to some, but I am personally looking forward to the discussions of the movie series itself, especially since I may not have time to finish the series before the countdown begins but I've experienced the story anyway and loved it.
So if someone wants to vote for the entire masterpiece of War and Peace because no part should be excluded (A masterpiece with a piece missing, ceases to be a masterpiece) it would cost them four spots on the ballot??

[KeyserCorleone]

So if someone wants to vote for the entire masterpiece of War and Peace because no part should be excluded (A masterpiece with a piece missing, ceases to be a masterpiece) it would cost them four spots on the ballot??


I've already been over this. The idea of "no part SHOULD be excluded" is completely subjective and not everyone will see eye to eye on that. I just listed every reason why it should not happen. It's not "costing" anything. And I repeat: not everyone will have time for all four parts. To dictate that you have to watch all six hours is unfair to everyone.

[John Dumbear]

To narrow the list down, don't think I'll include "Cold War" films. Along with:
- Futuristic War ( Star Wars, Starship Troopers, etc.)
- Gang Wars ( The Warriors, City of God, etc.)
- Nuclear War ( Testament, Threads, etc.)
- Fictional War (The Andromeda Strain, Lord of the Rings, etc)

But will consider "Conflict Wars" like Korean, Vietnam, Middle East, etc.

Since we are so close, I'm adhering to what I posted last March.

[Citizen Rules]

Is anybody besides me watching war films in prep for submitting a voting ballot? I am, and if you want me to watch a war movie tell me the title and I might just watch it.

Who knows I might even end up loving it! It doesn't have to be obscure as there are a whole lot of well known war films I've never seen or haven't seen in years.