Tropical Island Video Vault Draft - ROUND 20 - FINAL ROUND
- Thread starter Jespher
- Start date
I know that the Tropical Island theme is a bit of a device, but I'm not sure there's a big difference between a favorite movie, and one I'm able to watch over and over and over again. The funny thing is that, while I own this DVD, I may not ever have actually watched it due to the frequency at which the film pops up on TV. Still, I can't imagine not having access to it at will. It's a comfort just having it on the shelf, and I'm happy to grab it here first.
The Princess Bride (1987)
The Princess Bride (1987)
OK, my turn. Not sure where to start. Comedy? Action? Comic book hero?
Think I might start with......possibly the only western I will choose in this draft. And hope choosing this now doesn't bite me in the a** on a couple other picks I want as well. But with Brick coming up soon, unfortunately I think it might.
Tombstone
I missed out on this last time and didn't want to go without again. Love this movie. 'nuff said.
Think I might start with......possibly the only western I will choose in this draft. And hope choosing this now doesn't bite me in the a** on a couple other picks I want as well. But with Brick coming up soon, unfortunately I think it might.
Tombstone
I missed out on this last time and didn't want to go without again. Love this movie. 'nuff said.
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Ran - 1985
Whenever someone asked legendary director Akira Kurosawa which of his movies was his favorite, he would always respond "My next one."
... until he made Ran.
The master auteur's last great epic is partially plotted out as, if you can believe it, a darker retelling of Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear set in feudal Japan.
The subtle difference is rather than naivety and pride being the source of the Lear character in Ran's (Lord Hidetora) downfall, we find out Hidetora was a ruthless, blood-lusting murderer himself in his quest for power and the nuts don't fall far from the oak tree. Oh, and his daughters are now sons.
It's bleak, it's bloody, it's brutal ... and my God, it's beautiful.
Particularly of note: stunning, chaotic battle scenes devoid of ambient noise with only the haunting minimalist score accenting the action. Hidetora's daughter-in-law, Lady Kaede - a victim of Hidetora's past cruelty - plotting out and facilitating the clan's collapse with the precision of a surgeon. Really, there are just too many accolades to list in this space.
Yes, I can already hear Brick's snarky retort to the merits of picking a film this dark to watch for eternity alone on an island. I don't care - it's like a masterfully done oil painting that's simultaneously so breathtaking and disturbing you just can't look away.
Oh, and speaking of paintings, not that it makes the film itself better, but the entire storyboard was hand-made paintings by Kurosawa himself done over the course of a decade as he let the script '"sleep" before committing to make it. I want one of those too.
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I was looking through the movies I drafted last time and I liked that list. A lot of my favorite movies on it. But a number I missed as well, which I will now try to correct:
Aliens (1986)
One of the advantages of picking a movie this famous is I don't have to sell it. Do I think its the best movie of all time? Not in the strict sense. But 25 years later and I think it may still be the best movie of its type ever made. Which is kind of sad for modern moviemakers. But some of it may just be the concept itself. Giant insect/lizard like predators that incubate their young inside your body before they chew their way out? How are you going to top that? So I get me some action, I get me some sci-fi, get me some horror, and I get me one of my favorite movies I missed the last time around.
Aliens (1986)
One of the advantages of picking a movie this famous is I don't have to sell it. Do I think its the best movie of all time? Not in the strict sense. But 25 years later and I think it may still be the best movie of its type ever made. Which is kind of sad for modern moviemakers. But some of it may just be the concept itself. Giant insect/lizard like predators that incubate their young inside your body before they chew their way out? How are you going to top that? So I get me some action, I get me some sci-fi, get me some horror, and I get me one of my favorite movies I missed the last time around.
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I was looking through the movies I drafted last time and I liked that list. A lot of my favorite movies on it. But a number I missed as well, which I will now try to correct:
Aliens (1986)
One of the advantages of picking a movie this famous is I don't have to sell it. Do I think its the best movie of all time? Not in the strict sense. But 25 years later and I think it may still be the best movie of its type ever made. Which is kind of sad for modern moviemakers. But some of it may just be the concept itself. Giant insect/lizard like predators that incubate their young inside your body before they chew their way out? How are you going to top that? So I get me some action, I get me some horror, and I get me one of my favorite movies I missed the last time around.
Aliens (1986)
One of the advantages of picking a movie this famous is I don't have to sell it. Do I think its the best movie of all time? Not in the strict sense. But 25 years later and I think it may still be the best movie of its type ever made. Which is kind of sad for modern moviemakers. But some of it may just be the concept itself. Giant insect/lizard like predators that incubate their young inside your body before they chew their way out? How are you going to top that? So I get me some action, I get me some horror, and I get me one of my favorite movies I missed the last time around.
Man there are so many ways to go in this draft.. my absolute favorite of all time can definitely wait since I don't think it is very popular... but this one is very high on my list and I'm not certain it would last long...
I Am Legend - 2007
IMO one of the most suspenseful movies of all time as well as superb acting from Will Smith.. this is definitely one movie I can't do without.
I Am Legend - 2007
IMO one of the most suspenseful movies of all time as well as superb acting from Will Smith.. this is definitely one movie I can't do without.
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I know we're into the draft already but I was just thinking that to avoid what happened the last time we had this draft we ought to consider tweaking rule #3 to read that all picks must be movies that had opened by this weekend, just so everyone has a fair crack at all eligible movies and so people don't deliberately drag out their picks to fall on a Friday release date.
Normally not a fan of rule changes but since we just started it would be more like a clarification at this point
Normally not a fan of rule changes but since we just started it would be more like a clarification at this point
I know we're into the draft already but I was just thinking that to avoid what happened the last time we had this draft we ought to consider tweaking rule #3 to read that all picks must be movies that had opened by this weekend, just so everyone has a fair crack at all eligible movies and so people don't deliberately drag out their picks to fall on a Friday release date.
Normally not a fan of rule changes but since we just started it would be more like a clarification at this point
Normally not a fan of rule changes but since we just started it would be more like a clarification at this point
I know we're into the draft already but I was just thinking that to avoid what happened the last time we had this draft we ought to consider tweaking rule #3 to read that all picks must be movies that had opened by this weekend, just so everyone has a fair crack at all eligible movies and so people don't deliberately drag out their picks to fall on a Friday release date.
Normally not a fan of rule changes but since we just started it would be more like a clarification at this point
Normally not a fan of rule changes but since we just started it would be more like a clarification at this point
Are people really going to be taking movies that no one has seen? Enough people to make such a rule necessary, I mean?
In any case, sorry for the delay -- been helping my mom out after knee surgery the last few days, so computer time has been limited when it's time for dog feeding, coffee pouring, and breakfast making. My pick will be up shortly.
In any case, sorry for the delay -- been helping my mom out after knee surgery the last few days, so computer time has been limited when it's time for dog feeding, coffee pouring, and breakfast making. My pick will be up shortly.
Had a different number one planned, here, but after the advice that I could probably wait a few rounds to nab it I have moved it down to pick #2. Instead, my first pick is one that was somewhat shockingly absent from the last draft (slipped my mind until the very end, and presumably everyone else's as well):
GATTACA (1997) -- How I managed to forget it, I still haven't figured out. My list of favorite movies is forever changing after the number five spot, but this one is probably pretty safely in my personal top ten. Beautifully written, acted, and directed. And absolutely gorgeous to look at (for the record, icky genetics aside, I would happily live in a not too distant future in which the architecture was by Frank Lloyd Wright and the electric cars all looked like 1960s Citroens). This is one of those movies that I instantly loved, but somehow still manage to appreciate more and more with each viewing. Further, it is my go-to example of how good science fiction CAN be, despite a total lack of both robots and aliens.
GATTACA (1997) -- How I managed to forget it, I still haven't figured out. My list of favorite movies is forever changing after the number five spot, but this one is probably pretty safely in my personal top ten. Beautifully written, acted, and directed. And absolutely gorgeous to look at (for the record, icky genetics aside, I would happily live in a not too distant future in which the architecture was by Frank Lloyd Wright and the electric cars all looked like 1960s Citroens). This is one of those movies that I instantly loved, but somehow still manage to appreciate more and more with each viewing. Further, it is my go-to example of how good science fiction CAN be, despite a total lack of both robots and aliens.
