There was one kid in my class (the typical emo/goth kid) who I was in jazz band with. He kept trying to start up a Fight Club and tried to get me to join. It never took, no surprise there.

Brian Earl Spilner said:

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Round 2:

Match #1:

1. Goodfellas


vs

4. Dr. Strangelove

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Of course my two favorites from the two are matched up early.

2-2

I've only seen 5 movies of the 16, so no voting for me this time. Interested to see what the board decides. A little surprised Shutter Island didn't make the Scorcese list, but I don't know his full body of work very well, obviously.

Both 2/3 matchups are very close.

It came down to Shutter Island, Gangs of NY, and Casino for the final spot, and I just went with gut feeling.

I feel like Casino is the most watched and the most relevant of the three today, although all three are good movies.

I have nothing to add to this discussion, other than I'm eagerly awaiting next director matchup.

I'd be curious to see Coen Brothers v Steven Soderbergh.

Or maybe Coen Bros vs PT Anderson would be a better matchup of weird artistic directors.

Does Wes Anderson have enough great movies to make a tournament? Ron Howard would be another good one, not very top heavy, but he consistently makes entertaining movies. I think Howard's 3-8 would be a lot stronger than a lot of other "great" directors.

How about a comedy tournament with leading actors instead of directors? Will Ferrell vs. Jim Carey? So many opportunities.

Yes! Coen Brothers vs Paul Thomas Anderson would be a great match up

Obviously the 8 needs to be expanded.....suggestions:


classic: Welles vs Hitchcock

classic foreign: Fellini vs. Kurosawa

enigmas: John Ford vs Howard Hughes (as producer)

comedy: Judd Apatow vs Farrelly bros

quirky: Paul Thomas Anderson vs Coen bros.

odd: David Lynch vs Wes Anderson

just because: Clint Eastwood vs. Francis Ford Coppola

just because II: Peter Jackson vs. Steven Soderbergh

battle of the Lees: Spike Lee vs Ang Lee

International: Alfonso Cuaron vs. Guillermo del Toro

wild card: Tim Burton vs Woody Allen

controversy: Roman Polanski vs Mel Gibson



That would make 32 total and 16 to the next round.

In a bit of a surprise, Taxi Driver gets knocked out by A Clockwork Orange.

Round 2 Results:

Match #1:
1. Goodfellas (65%)
vs
4. Dr. Strangelove (35%)

Match #2:
2. Taxi Driver (45.5%)
vs
3. A Clockwork Orange (54.5%)

Match #3:
3. The Departed (44.8%)
vs
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (55.2%)

Match #4:
4. Raging Bull (29.6%)
vs
1. The Shining (70.4%)


We have 3 Kubrick / 1 Scorsese in the Final Four.

Goodfellas is gonna have a hell of a time winning this, but if any Scorsese movie has a shot, it's Goodfellas.

I'll never understand this board. Three Kubrick films advance and not one of them is Dr. Strangelove. Yeah, yeah, I know it was against Goodfellas but it is also the most watchable of the four Kubrick films in that round.

Blame Brian and his rankings

Final Four:

Semifinal #1:

1. Goodfellas


vs

2. 2001: A Space Odyssey



Semifinal #2:

1. The Shining


vs

3. A Clockwork Orange



Vote now!

jkag89 said:

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I'll never understand this board. Three Kubrick films advance and not one of them is Dr. Strangelove. Yeah, yeah, I know it was against Goodfellas but it is also the most watchable of the four Kubrick films in that round.

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Did you see the 3 Kubrick movies that advanced?

You're talking about one of the best and most revered directors of all time. All three movies are iconic.

Bunk Moreland said:

---

Blame Brian and his rankings

---

I personally enjoy Strangelove more than A Clockwork Orange. But my guess is more people on this board have seen the latter.

If it makes y'all feel better, if it had been ranked #3 and taken out Taxi Driver, it would've likely ended up going against Goodfellas anyway.

Brian Earl Spilner said:

---

jkag89 said:

---

I'll never understand this board. Three Kubrick films advance and not one of them is Dr. Strangelove. Yeah, yeah, I know it was against Goodfellas but it is also the most watchable of the four Kubrick films in that round.

---

Did you see the 3 Kubrick movies that advanced?

You're talking about one of the best and most revered directors of all time. All three movies are iconic.

---

:Yes, I have watched most of his movie multiple times. I'll stand by what I said earlier, of the four in that round Dr. Strangelove is easily the most watchable.

A movie which inspired the likes of George Lucas, Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, etc.

I've never understood how some people hate it so much. I agree that it's the best sci-fi film ever made.

jkag89 said:

---

Brian Earl Spilner said:

---

jkag89 said:

---

I'll never understand this board. Three Kubrick films advance and not one of them is Dr. Strangelove. Yeah, yeah, I know it was against Goodfellas but it is also the most watchable of the four Kubrick films in that round.

---

Did you see the 3 Kubrick movies that advanced?

You're talking about one of the best and most revered directors of all time. All three movies are iconic.

---

:Yes, I have watched most of his movie multiple times. I'll stand by what I said earlier, of the four in that round Dr. Strangelove is easily the most watchable.

---

I get what you're saying - it is the most "watchable" but part of that is the nature of being a comedy and an accessible subject (cold war, bombs, politics, etc.). And I say that as a huge DSL fan - I'd put it over any of the 70s-00s comedies we had in that super poll (Animal House, Hangover, Ghostbusters, Office Space).

It is even fairly groundbreaking in some cinematic elements.

Those other three films though - while difficult to understand and thus not as accessible - are much more groundbreaking in their filmmaking and their impact on movies that followed in those genre.


2001 - a landmark epic sci-fi movie that was difficult tot follow. But the impact on special effects, the depiction of space flight and even weightlessness,, the use of ambiguous imagery, the use of classical music, etc...were all huge impacts on later sci-fi movies and directors.

A Clockwork Orange - a dystopian future crime drama that arguably has much to say about social, economic, and political thought in relation to government overreach and control as 1984 did in book form.

The Shining - while initially not well received it has grown and now has quite a reputation as a psychological thriller. But it's actual cinematic elements are now textbook example of the horror/psych film genre. It had a huge impact on those types of films.

So anyway... are we talking about best as "most watchable" or biggest impact? Scorsese certainly has his own imprint on filmmaking particularly in the crime/mob genre and some methods and styles that are also copied and just accepted as status quo for the genre. But you cannot discount Kubricks impact on many many genres - I've heard so many directors that reference Kubrick more than any other as an influence.

just my two cents.

That's a whole lot of words to say 'blame Brian for his rankings.'

On a more serious note... It's a bracket tournament. Of course tough choices have to be made in individual match ups. I love DSL too but if it's up against goodfellas it's going to lose.

Not to mention that 7 movies in the elite 8 (The Departed is too recent) are easily in the top 100 movies of all time. I'm guessing that all 7 are in the National Film Registry.

I wish I had gone to the theater for this. For the life of me, I don't recall why I didn't go. It might have been during the time I was moving down to Florida and got lost in the whirlwind.

I was simply expressing some frustration. If you just listed the four Kubrick films in that round and three would advance without the matchups (Goodfellas was a tough draw) I would simply assume Dr. Strangelove would be one of them. I'll admit not being a fan of The Shining but am not at all surprised it advanced since Raging Bull is not an easy film to watch. Of the other two, I find both to be excellent films and deserving of the praise they receive, particularly 2001.

Rick Dalton said:

---

Brian Earl Spilner said:

---

2. 2001: A Space Odyssey

---

The greatest science fiction movie of all time. Definitely should've been the top seed.

---

My favorite movie of all time. I can understand why people don't necessarily feel it, but it's also why I love it - it's unapologetically sparse and cold. Yet, I think that only sharpens the moments that are supposed to hit you hard. Would Frank and Dave's conversation in the pod right before the intermission or HAL's final scene have been as impactful if the movie was a generic action-adventure flick? I don't think so...

I'm afraid, Dave.

Gets me every time

It's early, but we've got a 50/50 tie.

is this still going??

The final four hasn't had a full workday morning on the board, so I'm giving it some time.

For those of you who haven't voted...
Vote now!

Guess this round is just getting a lower voter turnout.

Final Four Results:

1. Goodfellas (56.8%)
vs
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (43.2%)

1. The Shining (60.5%)
vs
3. A Clockwork Orange (39.5%)

2001 was actually doing really well on Saturday night, at one point even taking the lead by a vote or two. Alas, it was inevitable it would lose to Goodfellas. Still a great showing.

Final:
1. Goodfellas vs 1. The Shining

Consolation:
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey vs 3. A Clockwork Orange

Vote now!

well it was always gonna be Goodfellas I suppose.

Deserving as a great movie and directorial effort. But overall Kubrick is better. His impact on movies and other filmmakers is probably unparalleled. there isn't a modern day director who doesn't indicate Kubrick as a major influence. Including every single one of the other 7 in this contest.


From wiki but all true and cited:

Quote:

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He is frequently cited as one of the greatest and most influential directors in the history of cinema.
Leading directors, including Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Wes Anderson, George Lucas, James Cameron, Terry Gilliam, the Coen brothers, Ridley Scott and George A. Romero, have cited Kubrick as a source of inspiration, and additionally in the case of Spielberg and Scott, collaboration.

On the DVD of Eyes Wide Shut, Steven Spielberg comments that the way Kubrick "tells a story is antithetical to the way we are accustomed to receiving stories" and that "nobody could shoot a picture better in history".

Orson Welles, one of Kubrick's greatest personal influences and all-time favorite directors, said that: "Among those whom I would call 'younger generation', Kubrick appears to me to be a giant."

Akira Kurosawa, another director Kubrick admired, remarked, "He made many masterpieces."

Kubrick continues to be cited as a major influence by many directors, including Christopher Nolan, Todd Field, David Fincher, Guillermo del Toro, David Lynch, Tim Burton, and Michael Mann.

Many filmmakers imitate Kubrick's inventive and unique use of camera movement and framing, as well as his use of music, including Frank Darabont.

Paul Thomas Anderson, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, stated, "it's so hard to do anything that doesn't owe some kind of debt to what Stanley Kubrick did with music in movies. Inevitably, you're going to end up doing something that he's probably already done before. It can all seem like we're falling behind whatever he came up with."

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I don't even think most people realize when they see something spectacular or interesting that often it's a Kubrick method. It's throughout almost al of sci-fi, thrillers, psychological films, war films, etc. He pioneered so much. A true visionary.

I will accept his defeat as a sign of simply people being unaware and his films being "less accessible". Personally I'm obsessed with his movies like no other director. Once I discovered Kubrick in 79-81 with first DSL and then The Shining I made sure to rent everything he made back when we used to rent VHS tapes.