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TOP TEN Lists - This Week: "Blank Check" Media Projects.

NIGHTBRINGER said:
Topic #3 - Top Ten Drama movies.

Same rules as before:

Genres will always have a bit of wiggle room. Many movies will fall into multiple genres. You can google the genre of a movie as a quick guide (it is okay to deviate from this if you feel the movie belongs in a different genre). This is what I did for the most part, and then slotted the movie into the genre that felt best for me. Use your best judgment and a remember that is your subjective list. The only hard fast rule is that if you list a movie under one genre, don't list that movie under a different genre in a future weeks list. For example, if you put Rocky in your Action list, don't also list it in your Drama list a few weeks down the line. Choose the genre for the movie that feels right for you.

You can condense a movie series into one single selection if you want to (i.e. Rocky series or Rocky I-IV, etc) or choose a specific movie out of a series (i.e. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ) as you see fit. It's your choice for each of your entries.

  1. The Shawshank Redemption - I don't typically like prison movies, but this movie is my third favourite movie of all time (overall... across all genres). It's about as close to being a flawless film as possible. Everything about it is top notch. It has so many memorable lines and moments. The story is sharp and the characters are equally as good. I don't want to say more out of fear of spoiling it. For anyone who hasn't seen it, go watch it!
  2. Rocky (I-II) - very different to the sequels that followed it. Much more grounded and serious films. I don't think it needs much explanation, most people have seen it. In many ways a film about a loser who gets a chance and fights for it.
  3. Rounders - manages to make card playing exciting. Matt Damon, Ed Norton, John Malkovich and others bring us a set of highly entertaining characters. I believe it single-handedly brought interest to the "sport" (it's really a game) of poker. The ups and downs of the protagonist is a fun ride... and the big showdown is simply perfect.
  4. Amadeus - another movie that typically isn't my type. However, right from the onset I was hooked (one of the very best intros to a movie). Really shows the genius and tragedy of the man. The music is of course sublime... no surprises there.
  5. The Martian - this movie is pure fun. It's funny and exciting in equal measure. I love all things space and Mars is a fascinating backdrop for a survival story. Gives a glimpse at the harsh reality of life outside of earth but is able to do so while maintaining a jovial mood
  6. Arrival - this movie is different. Watching the trailer, you don't know what to expect. It's a smart film with some mind-bending flair. The ending, which I won't spoil, is top notch.
  7. Fight Club - another movie that is different. An interesting social commentary that does an exceptional job at leading and misleading. Lots of great easter eggs sprinkled throughout and a film that best deserves multiple viewings.
  8. The Godfather - another movie that is not typically my type. It's an absolute classic and is consistently rated as one of the top fan rated movies of all times on movie websites. It's been a while since I watched, I should probably give it another go.
  9. Faster - Yes... a Rock movie. I just simply like it. Very different from his usual types of movies. Love the assassin/killer character. The Samoan scene is epic. Billy Bob Thornton is solid throughout. Vengence... redemption... what's not to love?
  10. Titanic - I think this movie gets unfairly treated. A victim of its own success. People often forget just how special it was when it came out. The dedication to the recreation of the Titanic really pays off and it is obvious that it is a labor of love. Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are great, as is the supporting cast. I even like the character Caledon played by Billy Zane (even though you're not supposed to). The soundtrack is one of the best ever.

Honourable mention: Cast Away - this one is a funny entry. I absolutely love the first two thirds of the film and absolutely hate the last third. When I watch the movie, I always turn it off at about two thirds of the way through
when he gets off the island and is picked up by the ship
. Wilson!!!!
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Some good ones on there @NIGHTBRINGER. I'll have to give it some thought, because this is another genre where LOTS of movies could fit.
 
Drama. Not my favorite genre but hey.
Time to punch hard, we don't play around here.

Mission
Gorillas in the mist
Grave of the fireflies
Garage Olimpo
Schindler's list
One flew over the cockoo's nest
The Killing Fields
Hotel Rwanda
Land of mine
Sophie's choice


Hororable mention:
UP (the first 10 minutes)
Dead poets society
Gallipoli
 
We tend to think of comedy as something funny, but I'm stuck on the academic classical definition of a comedy in that a comedy is anything where the protagonist starts out in a bad position and ends up in a good position.

A classical tragedy is anything where the protagonist starts out in a good position and ends up in a bad position.

But tragedies have fallen out of favor over the last hundred and fifty years and there are certainly very few movies that qualify as tragedies.

Part of the reasons tragedies have fallen out of favor is that originally they were morality tales where a tragic hero essentially brings their problems on themselves but now tragic heroes are often the victim of circumstances outside their control which makes tragic heroes more sympathetic now than they were in yesteryear.

Drama is a child of tragedy but it is difficult for me to find a concrete definition of a drama. While some of my favorite movies are multiple genres EVERY movie I like that can be called a "drama" is clearly also something else.

Fight Club is a psychological thriller and a drama. The Truman Show is a romantic comedy and a drama. Shawshank Redemption is a psychological thriller and a purgatory movie and a drama. Everything on this list will need an asterisk. It will take me a while to come up with ten. For me to get on a top ten list, I need to at the very least be willing to watch it again someday.

I am not that hard to please with movies. I can derive enjoyment from a mediocre movie. There are lots of movies I find moderately entertaining and worth the watch, but I don't want to watch again.
 
Scalenex said:
For me to get on a top ten list, I need to at the very least be willing to watch it again someday.

I am not that hard to please with movies. I can derive enjoyment from a mediocre movie. There are lots of movies I find moderately entertaining and worth the watch, but I don't want to watch again.
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This is very much the case with me. I pretty much judge a movie on whether I would want to watch it again.
 
Just A Skink said:
Some good ones on there @NIGHTBRINGER. I'll have to give it some thought, because this is another genre where LOTS of movies could fit.
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Thank you! I look forward to reading your list!

Killer Angel said:
Drama. Not my favorite genre but hey.
Time to punch hard, we don't play around here.

Mission
Gorillas in the mist
Grave of the fireflies
Garage Olimpo
Schindler's list
One flew over the cockoo's nest
The Killing Fields
Hotel Rwanda
Land of mine
Sophie's choice


Hororable mention:
UP (the first 10 minutes)
Dead poets society
Gallipoli
Click to expand...
We have none in common this time! :p
 
NIGHTBRINGER said:
Not even The Shawshank Redemption! :wideyed:
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well, nothing to say here, that movie is a masterpiece.
But i left it out on a specific reasoning.

Is dramatic? well, of course yes... but in the end the bad guys all get what they deserve, and the good guys will have their earned peace.
There's no such consolation in a movie as Mission.
That's the main reason i left out TSR.

Let's say that all the movies i listed are damn good... but the great majority of them i saw just once, and no thanks i have no intention to enjoy them again, i recall the sense of bitterness, unjustice and the almost phisical pain they left me with.
i have no problem in watching multiple times Shawshank Redemption... to be fair, i've also watched multiple times Schindler's list, but that's basically the only exception in my list.
 
Killer Angel said:
Let's say that all the movies i listed are damn good... but the great majority of them i saw just once, and no thanks i have no intention to enjoy them again, i recall the sense of bitterness, unjustice and the almost phisical pain they left me with.
Click to expand...
My mother loves those kinds of movies. Not really my cup of tea though. I suppose I don't like "true" dramas.

That's what makes these lists interesting. Seeing the different approaches people take with them!
 
I'm not a fan of drama particularly. The main thing I'm going for in watching a movie is some good escapism. Something completely different.

Dramas that I can think of that I really liked is:

Shawshank Redemption
Pursuit of Happiness
A Few Good Men
Jerry Maguire
Usual Suspects
The Game (Michael Douglas)
Blind Side

Meh, those are the ones that spring to mind. I don't usually go for these (as above).

I'm sure lots will disagree with what I consider to be drama. And some of these may recur on my other lists.

Sue me.

(Just kidding ;) )
 
Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl said:
What an absolute stinker of a category this week.
Click to expand...

Killer Angel said:
Drama. Not my favorite genre but hey.
Click to expand...

Lizards of Renown said:
I'm not a fan of drama particularly.
Click to expand...

I'm sensing a growing trend (one that I agree with).

Collectively we seem to be of the mindset of...

no-drama-llama-drama-llama.gif


Don't worry, next week's genre will make up for it!
 
This has been a toughie, but after so much humming and hawing, here's my best shot:
  1. The 300 Spartans (1962) - Given that a lot of older historical films focused on pageantry and spectacle rather than action, a fair few of these are going to appear in my Drama lineup. The top pick of these I definitely think has to be what is still the only retelling of Thermopylae with some semblance of historical accuracy (and even then it was made in the early 60s, so is not in touch with much of the more recent archaeological evidence).
  2. Helen of Troy (1956): Probably one of the most fitting for the 'Drama' category, this one places more emphasis upon the romance between Paris and Helen that sparks the fires of Troy's doom, and the grand spectacle of the battles between the city and the Greek armies sent to recapture Menelaus' queen, compared to the more carnal lust and cut-and-thrust fighting depicted in the early 2000s remake. They certainly knew how to write a courtly, chivalrous romance on par with medieval poetry in those days.
  3. Cromwell (1970): In more recent times one Oliver Cromwell has largely been demonised by layers of royalist and Irish nationalist propaganda as a miserable killjoy, a megalomaniac and a mass-murderer. This film, starring Richard Harris in the lead role, portrays him in a more respectful light, as a family man and a minor MP who ultimately did what he could to protect England from the dictatorial aspirations of Charles I (Alec Guinness) and was hurriedly propelled by his followers into ever greater power and responsibility (he was not the leader of Parliamentary forces in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, at least not to begin with - he was merely a cavalry commander who later took the place of the original leader, Thomas 'Black Tom' Fairfax, upon withdrawal of the latter from the fighting). While it skips a fair amount of the Civil Wars themselves and includes a bit of artistic licence in places, it nevertheless captures the key political scenes of the conflict that reveal how a troublemaking monarch can commit treason against their own country, how difficult it was to maintain the balance between sovereignty and democracy in those days, and essentially how Britain was able to avoid joining in with the genocidal madness that was the French Revolution a hundred years later.
  4. Ben-Hur (1959): The chariot race has plenty of drama in it. That's enough to give it fourth place on this list without even considering the rest.
  5. Spartacus (1960): "I'm Spartacus!" "No, I'm Spartacus!" "I'm Spartacus!" Another iconic sword-and-sandal drama, and still the definitive version of this story for family viewing. Currently I'm watching the far more brutal Starz TV series, but once I've finished that I'm definitely going to rewatch this one.
  6. Scrooge (1951): Even though it's still three months yet until the right time to watch it, I wanted to include this on my list. Regularly (and rightly) considered the definitive adaptation of A Christmas Carol, and one of my personal favourites (alongside the Muppet and Mickey versions :p), with some seriously eerie and ghostly chorals that can send a shiver down your spine and the ability to watch it in period black-and-white adding to the atmosphere. Alistair Sim was excellent as the eponymous miser and Michael Hordern (who would funnily enough go on to play Scrooge in an 80s TV adaptation) played a particularly mournful and unnerving Jacob Marley.
  7. Oliver Twist (1948): One of David Lean's Dickens adaptations, that shaped the plot of the later 60s musical that went on to achieve even greater success. Despite missing out a whole chunk of the novel and the real 'big bad' of the story, it is an undeniable classic.
  8. Great Expectations (1946): Do you sense a pattern here? The late, great Sir John Mills plays Phillip 'Pip' Pirrip in his adult years, and does so excellently.
  9. A Man for All Seasons (1966): A biopic of Thomas More, Henry VIII's original advisor, that includes his tragic betrayal by the king determined to get his son and heir. Look out for a young John Hurt in the role that kick-started his acting career, the slimy Richard Rich.
  10. A Night to Remember (1958): If you're more interested in the cold hard facts of the sinking of the Titanic, the blunders that led to it happening and the effect it had on the survivors, this is the version you should watch.
Honourable Mention: The Bounty (1984)
 
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Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl said:
Cromwell (1970): In more recent times one Oliver Cromwell has largely been demonised by layers of royalist and Irish nationalist propaganda as a miserable killjoy, a megalomaniac and a mass-murderer. This film, starring Richard Harris in the lead role, portrays him in a more respectful light, as a family man and a minor MP who ultimately did what he could to protect England from the dictatorial aspirations of Charles I (Alec Guinness) and was hurriedly propelled by his followers into ever greater power and responsibility (he was not the leader of Parliamentary forces in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, at least not to begin with - he was merely a cavalry commander who later took the place of the original leader, Thomas 'Black Tom' Fairfax, upon withdrawal of the latter from the fighting). While it skips a fair amount of the Civil Wars themselves and includes a bit of artistic licence in places, it nevertheless captures the key political scenes of the conflict that reveal how a troublemaking monarch can commit treason against their own country, how difficult it was to maintain the balance between sovereignty and democracy in those days, and essentially how Britain was able to avoid joining in with the genocidal madness that was the French Revolution a hundred years later.
Click to expand...

a so great movie...
 
Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl said:
This has been a toughie, but after so much humming and hawing, here's my best shot:
  1. The 300 Spartans (1962) - Given that a lot of older historical films focused on pageantry and spectacle rather than action, a fair few of these are going to appear in my Drama lineup. The top pick of these I definitely think has to be what is still the only retelling of Thermopylae with some semblance of historical accuracy (and even then it was made in the early 60s, so is not in touch with much of the more recent archaeological evidence).
  2. Helen of Troy (1956): Probably one of the most fitting for the 'Drama' category, this one places more emphasis upon the romance between Paris and Helen that sparks the fires of Troy's doom, and the grand spectacle of the battles between the city and the Greek armies sent to recapture Menelaus' queen, compared to the more carnal lust and cut-and-thrust fighting depicted in the early 2000s remake. They certainly knew how to write a courtly, chivalrous romance on par with medieval poetry in those days.
  3. Cromwell (1970): In more recent times one Oliver Cromwell has largely been demonised by layers of royalist and Irish nationalist propaganda as a miserable killjoy, a megalomaniac and a mass-murderer. This film, starring Richard Harris in the lead role, portrays him in a more respectful light, as a family man and a minor MP who ultimately did what he could to protect England from the dictatorial aspirations of Charles I (Alec Guinness) and was hurriedly propelled by his followers into ever greater power and responsibility (he was not the leader of Parliamentary forces in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, at least not to begin with - he was merely a cavalry commander who later took the place of the original leader, Thomas 'Black Tom' Fairfax, upon withdrawal of the latter from the fighting). While it skips a fair amount of the Civil Wars themselves and includes a bit of artistic licence in places, it nevertheless captures the key political scenes of the conflict that reveal how a troublemaking monarch can commit treason against their own country, how difficult it was to maintain the balance between sovereignty and democracy in those days, and essentially how Britain was able to avoid joining in with the genocidal madness that was the French Revolution a hundred years later.
  4. Ben-Hur (1959): The chariot race has plenty of drama in it. That's enough to give it fourth place on this list without even considering the rest.
  5. Spartacus (1960): "I'm Spartacus!" "No, I'm Spartacus!" "I'm Spartacus!" Another iconic sword-and-sandal drama, and still the definitive version of this story for family viewing. Currently I'm watching the far more brutal Starz TV series, but once I've finished that I'm definitely going to rewatch this one.
  6. Scrooge (1951): Even though it's still three months yet until the right time to watch it, I wanted to include this on my list. Regularly (and rightly) considered the definitive adaptation of A Christmas Carol, and one of my personal favourites (alongside the Muppet and Mickey versions :p), with some seriously eerie and ghostly chorals that can send a shiver down your spine and the ability to watch it in period black-and-white adding to the atmosphere. Alistair Sim was excellent as the eponymous miser and Michael Hordern (who would funnily enough go on to play Scrooge in an 80s TV adaptation) played a particularly mournful and unnerving Jacob Marley.
  7. Oliver Twist (1948): One of David Lean's Dickens adaptations, that shaped the plot of the later 60s musical that went on to achieve even greater success. Despite missing out a whole chunk of the novel and the real 'big bad' of the story, it is an undeniable classic.
  8. Great Expectations (1946): Do you sense a pattern here? The late, great Sir John Mills plays Phillip 'Pip' Pirrip in his adult years, and does so excellently.
  9. A Man for All Seasons (1966): A biopic of Thomas More, Henry VIII's original advisor, that includes his tragic betrayal by the king determined to get his son and heir. Look out for a young John Hurt in the role that kick-started his acting career, the slimy Richard Rich.
  10. A Night to Remember (1958): If you're more interested in the cold hard facts of the sinking of the Titanic, the blunders that led to it happening and the effect it had on the survivors, this is the version you should watch.
Click to expand...
I don't think I've seen a single one of those.

I noticed that the most recent film on your list is from 1970. How did you get into old time classic movies?
 
NIGHTBRINGER said:
I don't think I've seen a single one of those.
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I'm very surprised you haven't seen the likes of Ben-Hur, Spartacus, Scrooge and Oliver Twist, those are definitely the most famous of the ones I've listed and are widely regarded as classics even to this day.

NIGHTBRINGER said:
I noticed that the most recent film on your list is from 1970. How did you get into old time classic movies?
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My parents are the ones to thank for that.

I am an oddity in that I am a late 90s-2000s child born to parents who themselves were born in the late 50s and early 60s, and thus either grew up with most of these old films being shown at the pictures (not to mention the multitudes of war films and westerns), or watched them later when looking for more old films to watch. They then showed me these in my later childhood and teenage years to broaden my film knowledge and satisfy my interest in history, and have not looked back. It's rare to meet someone of my generation who knows names like John Mills, Cecil Hardwicke and Michael Hordern (and arguably even rarer to meet someone my age who despises Friends, the Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother but laughs like anything at and makes mental memes of Ealing Comedies and 1960s-90s British sitcoms), but here I am :D.

I certainly recommend them to you, not least because the spectacle of some of these is all the more inspiring when you consider every person in a parade or battle scene was a real, paid extra rather than added with CGI (though CGI armies are impressive to look upon and much cheaper to create nowadays). I will warn you though, some of these are long - epics like Ben-Hur and also the renowned Cleopatra rival the Middle-Earth films in their duration, so if you fancy seeing some of those then be prepared for a long haul. The better ones, like Ben-Hur and Spartacus are, of course, the ones with the most action in to offset the film length.
 
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