Tropical Island Video Vault Draft - ROUND 20 - FINAL ROUND
- Thread starter Jespher
- Start date
I’ve sort of run out of must have picks at this point, so I’m going to be kind of experimenting with picks from here on. Sort of like taking a high risk/high reward prospect in a real draft.
With this pick, I take A Clockwork Orange. This is a strange and polarizing film but it’s Kubrick and just about anything Kubrick did had an element of greatness in it. The first time I saw it, I thought it was awful. But that was mostly because I’d never seen anything like it (there is nothing else like it) and didn’t know what to make of it. On repeat viewings though, I liked it more. It’s twisted, and often disturbing and morbidly funny at the same time. But It’s darn entertaining once you’ve acquired a taste for it. It’s central theme, freewill and the good/bad of human nature also makes you think.
Oh, and on top of all that, it’s visually spectacular as well.
With this pick, I take A Clockwork Orange. This is a strange and polarizing film but it’s Kubrick and just about anything Kubrick did had an element of greatness in it. The first time I saw it, I thought it was awful. But that was mostly because I’d never seen anything like it (there is nothing else like it) and didn’t know what to make of it. On repeat viewings though, I liked it more. It’s twisted, and often disturbing and morbidly funny at the same time. But It’s darn entertaining once you’ve acquired a taste for it. It’s central theme, freewill and the good/bad of human nature also makes you think.
Oh, and on top of all that, it’s visually spectacular as well.
I’ve sort of run out of must have picks at this point, so I’m going to be kind of experimenting with picks from here on. Sort of like taking a high risk/high reward prospect in a real draft.
With this pick, I take A Clockwork Orange. This is a strange and polarizing film but it’s Kubrick and just about anything Kubrick did had an element of greatness in it. The first time I saw it, I thought it was awful. But that was mostly because I’d never seen anything like it (there is nothing else like it) and didn’t know what to make of it. On repeat viewings though, I liked it more. It’s twisted, and often disturbing and morbidly funny at the same time. But It’s darn entertaining once you’ve acquired a taste for it. It’s central theme, freewill and the good/bad of human nature also makes you think.
Oh, and on top of all that, it’s visually spectacular as well.
With this pick, I take A Clockwork Orange. This is a strange and polarizing film but it’s Kubrick and just about anything Kubrick did had an element of greatness in it. The first time I saw it, I thought it was awful. But that was mostly because I’d never seen anything like it (there is nothing else like it) and didn’t know what to make of it. On repeat viewings though, I liked it more. It’s twisted, and often disturbing and morbidly funny at the same time. But It’s darn entertaining once you’ve acquired a taste for it. It’s central theme, freewill and the good/bad of human nature also makes you think.
Oh, and on top of all that, it’s visually spectacular as well.
"You don't butt in line! You don't steal! You don't molest little children! You don't deal drugs! The rules haven't changed!"
Ok, while I've deliberately been avoiding picking newer flicks, I've decided that this one fits my overall feel better than the 2 or 3 other flicks I was considering here, and also makes up for my disappointment in losing Kick-***.
Super - 2010
Rainn Wilson stars as sad-sack Frank D'Arbo, a man with exactly 2 good memories in his lifetime - the day he married Sarah (Liv Tyler) and the time he helped a cop. Soon after commemorating these two memories in crayon for his daily affirmation, Sarah leaves him for Jacques, a strip club owner and drug dealer (Kevin Bacon). After his break down, he has visions of being touched by the hand of God and ultimately decides to become a crime fighter. No job is too small as he even stoops so far as to take out a man who cuts in line at the theater. He soon joins up with Ellen Page, the foul mouthed clerk at the comic book store as his kid sidekick.
Hilarity ensues, right? Well not quite. The result is something more akin to what would happen in the real world for those who pursue masked vigilantism. And ultimately I think it becomes a stronger movie for it. I don't know that it is the best super-hero without powers movie, but it is a very good one. Well acted with a strong cast (who worked at scale for this small budget IFC production) and a pretty solid soundtrack as well. Happy to have it on my island collection.
Ok, while I've deliberately been avoiding picking newer flicks, I've decided that this one fits my overall feel better than the 2 or 3 other flicks I was considering here, and also makes up for my disappointment in losing Kick-***.
Super - 2010
Rainn Wilson stars as sad-sack Frank D'Arbo, a man with exactly 2 good memories in his lifetime - the day he married Sarah (Liv Tyler) and the time he helped a cop. Soon after commemorating these two memories in crayon for his daily affirmation, Sarah leaves him for Jacques, a strip club owner and drug dealer (Kevin Bacon). After his break down, he has visions of being touched by the hand of God and ultimately decides to become a crime fighter. No job is too small as he even stoops so far as to take out a man who cuts in line at the theater. He soon joins up with Ellen Page, the foul mouthed clerk at the comic book store as his kid sidekick.
Hilarity ensues, right? Well not quite. The result is something more akin to what would happen in the real world for those who pursue masked vigilantism. And ultimately I think it becomes a stronger movie for it. I don't know that it is the best super-hero without powers movie, but it is a very good one. Well acted with a strong cast (who worked at scale for this small budget IFC production) and a pretty solid soundtrack as well. Happy to have it on my island collection.
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I don't remember this as a brilliant film but I'm always a sucker for social commentary and a clear good versus evil story. I don't want all my movies to be so obvious but there's always room for a few...
Philadelphia (1993)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107818
Philadelphia (1993)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107818
And I would like now to acknowledge the incredible inspirational power of Roseanne Barr naked:
pdx, time from previous pick until pdx pick: 17hr 45min
pdx, time from naked Roseanne Barr warning to pdx apology and pick: 50min
Spike, time from previous pick until Spike pick: 13hrs 49min
Spike, time from naked Roseanne Barr warning to Spike apology and pick: 24min
We should make that lady a mod -- she just flat out gets **** done.
pdx, time from previous pick until pdx pick: 17hr 45min
pdx, time from naked Roseanne Barr warning to pdx apology and pick: 50min
Spike, time from previous pick until Spike pick: 13hrs 49min
Spike, time from naked Roseanne Barr warning to Spike apology and pick: 24min
We should make that lady a mod -- she just flat out gets **** done.
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With my next pick, I am going to become the only drafter to have the word "real" appear in two movie titles (in fact, nobody else has even one!) - Real Genius (1985, PG).
One of the early Val Kilmer comedies, and an '80s movie that I really think stands the test of time. Sure, a bit of it is cheesy, but not too much, and the plot is less important than the non-stop string of one-liners, like "I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said 'I drank WHAT?' " Too much fun to pass up this late in the draft!
Below the spoiler, antagonist Kent talks to the voices in his head...
One of the early Val Kilmer comedies, and an '80s movie that I really think stands the test of time. Sure, a bit of it is cheesy, but not too much, and the plot is less important than the non-stop string of one-liners, like "I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said 'I drank WHAT?' " Too much fun to pass up this late in the draft!
Below the spoiler, antagonist Kent talks to the voices in his head...
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For this pick, I am Warhawk!
You all may remember before the draft, when we were discussing rules on movies put out this summer. I was concerned that somebody (not me, it turns out) might try to delay the draft to snag a just-released movie on its release date, and both Bricky and Warhawk wanted to know what that could possibly be...
...Well, the one film I was thinking of has just been picked. By Warhawk.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (2011, PG-13)
Warhawk had a few quick words: "A good finale to an entertaining movie series. The series was geared for a slightly younger crowd perhaps, but the last movie was pretty entertaining."
You all may remember before the draft, when we were discussing rules on movies put out this summer. I was concerned that somebody (not me, it turns out) might try to delay the draft to snag a just-released movie on its release date, and both Bricky and Warhawk wanted to know what that could possibly be...
...Well, the one film I was thinking of has just been picked. By Warhawk.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (2011, PG-13)
Warhawk had a few quick words: "A good finale to an entertaining movie series. The series was geared for a slightly younger crowd perhaps, but the last movie was pretty entertaining."
A Streetcar Named Desire - 1951
When I first saw this movie, I hated it. Granted, I was only about 17 at the time so I can be excused for not appreciating the raw power and subtle tension of a plot stripped down to its frame allowing, if not forcing, the drama to be entirely character driven.
[Non-essential personal anecdote]
I believe my exact critique was "2 hours and nothing happened. Just a bunch of people walking around the same apartment yelling at each other". Oh the feeble-minded youth 
Years later I picked up Streetcar as part of a compilation DVD with 3 other classic films for $10 (!) and absent-mindedly started it up to play in the background as I did some housework. I didn't get a thing done.
I became completely engrossed, sitting there with my mouth agape wondering how the hell I missed all this the first time - like after only ever watching the Wizard of Oz on a black-and-white TV finding out years later that most of it is in color.
Years later I picked up Streetcar as part of a compilation DVD with 3 other classic films for $10 (!) and absent-mindedly started it up to play in the background as I did some housework. I didn't get a thing done.
I became completely engrossed, sitting there with my mouth agape wondering how the hell I missed all this the first time - like after only ever watching the Wizard of Oz on a black-and-white TV finding out years later that most of it is in color.
And what an ensemble it is. The cast won 3 out of 4 academy awards for acting, with only the man pictured above, whose "animal, star-making performance" is synonymous with Streetcar, getting snubbed.
And as fine as Streetcar is as a complete piece, it also works as a microcosm for a direct clash between differing acting styles - with Vivien Leigh of Gone with the Wind stardom performing a pitch perfect classical theatrical approach and Brando, famously, introducing a wider audience to method acting. They are both utterly flawless at their respective styles with each approach being ideal for their respective characters.
Oh and "Stellaaaaaa!"
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A Streetcar Named Desire - 1951
When I first saw this movie, I hated it. Granted, I was only about 17 at the time so I can be excused for not appreciating the raw power and subtle tension of a plot stripped down to its frame allowing, if not forcing, the drama to be entirely character driven.
[Non-essential personal anecdote]
I believe my exact critique was "2 hours and nothing happened. Just a bunch of people walking around the same apartment yelling at each other". Oh the feeble-minded youth
Years later I picked up Streetcar as part of a compilation DVD with 3 other classic films for $10 (!) and absent-mindedly started it up to play in the background as I did some housework. I didn't get a thing done.
I became completely engrossed, sitting there with my mouth agape wondering how the hell I missed all this the first time - like after only ever watching the Wizard of Oz on a black-and-white TV finding out years later that most of it is in color.
Years later I picked up Streetcar as part of a compilation DVD with 3 other classic films for $10 (!) and absent-mindedly started it up to play in the background as I did some housework. I didn't get a thing done.
I became completely engrossed, sitting there with my mouth agape wondering how the hell I missed all this the first time - like after only ever watching the Wizard of Oz on a black-and-white TV finding out years later that most of it is in color.
And what an ensemble it is. The cast won 3 out of 4 academy awards for acting, with only the man pictured above, whose "animal, star-making performance" is synonymous with Streetcar, getting snubbed.
And as fine as Streetcar is as a complete piece, it also works as a microcosm for a direct clash between differing acting styles - with Vivien Leigh of Gone with the Wind stardom performing a pitch perfect classical theatrical approach and Brando, famously, introducing a wider audience to method acting. They are both utterly flawless at their respective styles with each approach being ideal for their respective characters.
Oh and "Stellaaaaaa!"
A Streetcar Named Desire - 1951
Road to Perdition (2002) R
Dislaimer:
Alright, this was the toughest pick of the draft for me. It is also maybe my first overconscious one. Every other movie I have drafted I find very entertaining and have rewatched multiple (and in some cases many) times. But here I was struggling because I wanted a movie to fill a niche. Several niches really. I wanted a 30s-40s warm glow of nostalgia flick, and I wanted a mob related flick -- and I generally have little use for mob movies and find them and their characters fundamentally uninteresting. I went so far as to rewatch/audition several older movies I remember with respect trying to fill this niche, thought about spinning off to pick up some of it via more comedies, which I already have tons of, and intend to add more of...
Another inspiring true story.. this one is very relatable for me since I work in the public school system. Great reminder that every kid has great potential...
Freedom Writers
Freedom Writers
I think it's time for some noir.
Touch of Evil (1958) -- And it doesn't hurt to pick up an Orson Welles film while I'm at it. Considering this movie is one of the most written about examples of a studio egregiously ****ing with a director, it's somewhat shocking that the final project isn't a huge mess. The decision to cast a painted up Charlton Heston in the lead as a Mexican border cop was apparently not too popular with the director, and after being very hands on during the filming process the studio eventually took the film away from Welles entirely, cutting some footage, adding other scenes, and releasing the film as a B-movie stuck on the back end of a double bill, all of which prompted Welles to scrawl a 58-page letter detailing exactly what he wanted the movie to be. In time for the 40th anniversary, this letter was used as the basis to re-cut the movie and release a version as close to a director's cut as possible. I've seen both versions and, frankly, I like them both. Which I think is a testament to Welles' talents as a filmmaker. In a genre known for its visual qualities as much as its character and narrative tropes, this is probably one of my favorite looking of the noirs. Welles went fairly experimental (for the time) with this one, using low angles, claustrophobic compositions, several long takes, and one of the most famous tracking shots ever as the film's open (it lasts over three minutes, sets up the plot, introduces major characters, has clearly inspired everyone from Paul Thomas Anderson to Robert Altman, and is in the spoiler tag below). Just love this movie and strongly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it.
Touch of Evil (1958) -- And it doesn't hurt to pick up an Orson Welles film while I'm at it. Considering this movie is one of the most written about examples of a studio egregiously ****ing with a director, it's somewhat shocking that the final project isn't a huge mess. The decision to cast a painted up Charlton Heston in the lead as a Mexican border cop was apparently not too popular with the director, and after being very hands on during the filming process the studio eventually took the film away from Welles entirely, cutting some footage, adding other scenes, and releasing the film as a B-movie stuck on the back end of a double bill, all of which prompted Welles to scrawl a 58-page letter detailing exactly what he wanted the movie to be. In time for the 40th anniversary, this letter was used as the basis to re-cut the movie and release a version as close to a director's cut as possible. I've seen both versions and, frankly, I like them both. Which I think is a testament to Welles' talents as a filmmaker. In a genre known for its visual qualities as much as its character and narrative tropes, this is probably one of my favorite looking of the noirs. Welles went fairly experimental (for the time) with this one, using low angles, claustrophobic compositions, several long takes, and one of the most famous tracking shots ever as the film's open (it lasts over three minutes, sets up the plot, introduces major characters, has clearly inspired everyone from Paul Thomas Anderson to Robert Altman, and is in the spoiler tag below). Just love this movie and strongly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it.
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I have NoBonus's prelist, but he said he would be returning this evening. Therefore, I think I'll wait a little (with ample fear of a Rosanne related PM) and see if he appears/checks in.
On another note, I am waiting to update the draft board due to some technical difficulties with space. Expect this problem to be ameliorated soon. Once I get some mod assistance things will be up and running as usual (ahem...Bricklayer/Warhawk please check your PMs...). Great picks so far this round guys.
We're nearing playoff time, so it's never too early to start pondering rankings. [Reminder of standard protocol] Playoff seeding will be determined by compiled rankings of the draft participants for one another. ONCE THE DRAFT IS COMPLETED, please send your rankings 1-15 (excluding yourself) to Jespher (me) via PM. I will use this to determine seeding, with ties broken by highest number of #1 overall rankings, followed by highest # of #2s, etc... All members of the Kingsfans community will have a 3+ day window to vote on their favorite lists [via individual threads in the Lounge) each round until a final list is chosen, and the trophy is awarded with appropriate glory bestowed on the worthy victor. [/Reminder of standard protocol]. Ideally the ranking process will take less than 1 week and we'll get going on the playoffs promptly once the draft is complete. It's been great fun so far, keep up the nice selections everyone.
On another note, I am waiting to update the draft board due to some technical difficulties with space. Expect this problem to be ameliorated soon. Once I get some mod assistance things will be up and running as usual (ahem...Bricklayer/Warhawk please check your PMs...). Great picks so far this round guys.
We're nearing playoff time, so it's never too early to start pondering rankings. [Reminder of standard protocol] Playoff seeding will be determined by compiled rankings of the draft participants for one another. ONCE THE DRAFT IS COMPLETED, please send your rankings 1-15 (excluding yourself) to Jespher (me) via PM. I will use this to determine seeding, with ties broken by highest number of #1 overall rankings, followed by highest # of #2s, etc... All members of the Kingsfans community will have a 3+ day window to vote on their favorite lists [via individual threads in the Lounge) each round until a final list is chosen, and the trophy is awarded with appropriate glory bestowed on the worthy victor. [/Reminder of standard protocol]. Ideally the ranking process will take less than 1 week and we'll get going on the playoffs promptly once the draft is complete. It's been great fun so far, keep up the nice selections everyone
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