TOP TEN Lists - This Week: Arnold Schwarzenegger movies

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by NIGHTBRINGER, Sep 5, 2022.

  1. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

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    Topic #8 - Top Ten Animated movies.

    New rules:
    • Unlike before, feel free to include any (animated) movie that you may have listed in a previous genre list
    • feel free to include a mix of classically animated and/or computer generated animated films

    Without further ado, here is my list. A fun combination of Disney movies and animated comic book movies...


    1. The Dark Knight Returns
    2. The Little Mermaid
    3. Lion King
    4. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
    5. Aladdin
    6. Superman Batman Apocalypse
    7. Hulk vs. Thor
    8. The Ultimate Avengers
    9. 101 Dalmatians
    10. Jungle Book
    Honorable mentions: Superman vs. The Elite, Beauty and the Beast, Finding Nemo, Cars, Monsters Inc., Hercules, Robin Hood, The Land Before Time



    Looking forward to seeing your lists! :)
     
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  2. Killer Angel
    Slann

    Killer Angel Prophet of the Stars Staff Member

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    Ouch, so many movies to choose from....
     
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  3. Imrahil
    Slann

    Imrahil Thirtheenth Spawning

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    I already had a feeling this theme was coming, I am a couple of lists behind... so it might take some time until I got to this one.

    Grrr, !mrahil
     
  4. Killer Angel
    Slann

    Killer Angel Prophet of the Stars Staff Member

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    Oh yes, this wan was well expected... even if i was weirdly convinced this round would have been the time for "war movies"
     
  5. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    Still haven't made either my fantasy or sci-fi list, but here are my ideas for animated movies:

    1. The Lego Movie
    2. Kung-Fu Panda
    3. Spiderman- Into the Multiverse- only saw this one recently; best spiderman movie I have seen, narrowly beating out Spidermand Far From Home.
    4. Porko Rosso- a studio ghibli movie, great if you love WWI
    5. Incredibles
    6. Mulan- the original disney movie of course, not the more recent one... :shifty:
    7. Toy Story
    8. Robin Hood- the original animated disney movie was great, loved this one along with the 1939 one with Errol Flynn as a kid.
    9. Finding Nemo- the underwater coral reef
    10. Bolt- hilarious movie, mostly for the hamster in a ball
    Honorable Mentions:
    • Castle in the Sky- studio ghibli
    • Kiki's Delivery Service- studio ghibli
    • Wall-E
    • Rescuers Down Under
    • Rango
    • Road to El Dorado
    • Disney's Hercules
     
  6. Killer Angel
    Slann

    Killer Angel Prophet of the Stars Staff Member

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    Well in this case i'm gonna really insert them in a random order.

    Fantasia. A classic masterpiece.
    Shrek. (I and II)
    Kung Fu Panda (I and II)
    How to train your dragon (the trilogy)
    Inside Out. surprisingly deep and heart touching
    The Lego movie. it perfectly captures the 2 souls of the hobby, in a very well made film
    Monsters inc. The first one is incredible
    The Incredibles.. a superheroes movie better than so many superheroes movies
    Spirited away. probabl my fav. miyazaki's movie
    The Nightmare before Christmas. this is not in the 10th place, i assure you..

    not going into honorable mentions, because i should insert a ton of them
     
  7. Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl
    Slann

    Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl Eleventh Spawning

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    [​IMG]
    1. Kung Fu Panda 2 - For me, Kung Fu Panda is the prime example of a film series where the sequel is better than the original, even when the original itself is fantastic. While Tai Lung is an all-round great villain, Lord Shen was even better, and remains to this day one of my favourite villains of all time, and one of the villains I most identify with. Gary Oldman's voice acting for him proved to be perfect. As you know, I like a bit of darkness in films nowadays, and Kung Fu Panda 2 definitely injected a significant amount of darkness into the story, what with Shen's increasing megalomania and his genocide(!) of pandas, which ultimately turned out to trigger Po's first steps toward his journey of becoming the Dragon Warrior. I definitely consider Kung Fu Panda 2 a prime example of the bar being raised in terms of the amount of darkness a family-oriented animated film can portray without turning away its audience. Add to that the trademark comedy of Jack Black as Po and the excellent music of Hans Zimmer, and you have what I call a flawless animated classic.
    2. Shrek 2 - Shrek 2 took all that was great about the first one and made it all the better. The Fairy Godmother, voiced (and sung) by Jennifer Saunders makes a worthy villainess, and Rupert Everett did well at making Prince Charming dually both the dashing hero he was always made out to be, and other times a wimpy mummy's boy desperate to win at something no matter what it takes. It's particularly amusing to see two intrinsically 'good' fairytale characters turned particularly bad, and John Cleese's King Harold has a good villain-to-hero arc as he sacrifices his human self to stop them. Not to mention the powerful rendition of 'I need a Hero' coupled with Shrek's siege of the king's castle - if Kung Fu Panda 2 hadn't had such good music and new characters, it's likely this would have reached first place.
    3. Toy Story 2 - This is easily my favourite of the Toy Story films, because the animation still looks solid (compared to the first one which is starting to show some age), Al 'The Chicken-Man' McWhiggin is a gleefully slobbish and obnoxious secondary villain, and Stinky Pete is actually quite a tragic primary villain (the fact he was never bought because he was a side character and left to rot on a dollar store shelf prompted him to despise all children as despoilers of toys, because he had never experienced the love that Jessie and Woody had from Emily and Andy respectively). Also the video game intro is inventive, the duel between Buzz and Zurg on the lift is a favourite scene of mine (it introduced the 'I am your father' line long before I ever saw Star Wars Episode V, and in my opinion did it better), and it was clever how they had reworked the story from the first one so that Buzz had to remind Woody what Woody had tried to convey to him in the original - that they were toys to be loved by children, not actual Wild West TV icons or Space Rangers.
    4. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - Like most Britons, I'm a big fan of Nick Park's claymated cheese-obsessed inventor and his faithful dog, and their one big-screen outing thoroughly deserves a high place on this list. With a thrilling score, parodies of werewolf films, cute claymated bunnies, vegetable devastation, a WWI dogfight in aeroplane-shaped dodgems, British jokes that folk from other countries wouldn't get and even some visual double-entendres for the adults, this one deserves every bit of the acclaim it received on its release.
    5. Robin Hood - In no way an accurate retelling of the Robin Hood legends, and never intended or claimed to be, this is a fun, light-hearted family classic from Disney that has I think been unfairly maligned in more recent times. Brian Bedford voices a charismatic Robin Hood, Phil Harris is back as a bear, Peter Ustinov and Terry Thomas comically bicker with each other as Prince John and Sir Hiss, and if you don't laugh at the utter mayhem that results from the aftermath of the Archery Tournament and the castle raid then you surely have no soul.
    6. The Jungle Book - Infinitely more likeable than the dull 2016 live action Disney version, and still moderately faithful to Kipling's story, how could anyone not like Phil Harris' laid-back Baloo, Sebastian Cabot's stern but fatherly Bagheera, George Sanders' menacing Shere Khan and all the other classic characters that Mowgli encounters in his life in the jungle.
    7. Kung Fu Panda - Though I without a doubt enjoy both the original Toy Story and Shrek, I enjoy the original Kung Fu Panda a lot more, which is why it's the only one of those three first films to have a place on this list.
    8. Over the Hedge - An often underrated gem which has a moral element to it and regularly pokes at the modern human lifestyle. Bruce Willis, the late Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, William Shatner, Wanda Sykes and Omid Djallili play the standout characters in a hilarious and madcap adventure.
    9. Hercules - As per with Robin Hood, I don't think it ever intended or claimed to be an accurate take on the Greek myths, and given how dark they are, it's unlikely an accurate version could ever be made as a Disney movie. The 1997 film is fun, even with cheesy 90s slang, and James Woods steals the show as Hades.
    10. The Twelve Tasks of Asterix - When I was a child, my favourite of the Asterix films was Asterix and Cleopatra, because of its faithfulness to the story and because it was one of my favourite Asterix stories at the time, but in more recent times I've come to appreciate Twelve Tasks a lot more, because it is one of only two Asterix stories to have been created specifically for a cartoon film (alongside the much more recent The Secret of the Magic Potion which I have not seen), and it's the only one of those two to have been created by Messrs Goscinny and Uderzo as one of two films made by their short-lived animation company, Idefix Studios (the other being a film of Lucky Luke, if you've heard of him). Twelve Tasks obviously gives an Asterix-themed twist to the Twelve Labours of Heracles, but it does so with a surreal flair to it, with parodies of more recent developments like Judo, an underground railway station for Alesia, a TV advert for 'The Gods' Detergent' and Continental European bureaucracy. The outcomes of these Twelve Tasks are not predictable, with some of them being feats that only Asterix could achieve, some being only feats Obelix could achieve, some requiring them to work in tandem and the last requiring the entire village to participate, resulting in a carefully-planned Roman 'Circus' descending into a more familiar modern equivalent. It also boasts I would say some of the best music I've ever heard in an Asterix film, from the eerie yet beautiful singing of sirens to the creepy chorals that accompany the marching of a ghostly Roman legion.

    Honourable Mentions: Shrek, Shrek the Third, Toy Story, Toy Story 3, The Black Cauldron, Basil the Great Mouse Detective, Kung Fu Panda 3, Ice Age 1-4, Asterix the Gaul, Asterix and Cleopatra, Asterix in Britain, Asterix and Caesar, Chicken Run, Flushed Away, The Prince of Egypt, Puss in Boots, Finding Nemo, Wall-E, Ratatouille, Dumbo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Zootropolis, A Bug's Life, A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave, A Matter of Loaf and Death, The Emperor's New Groove, Watership Down
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2023
  8. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

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    The Jungle Book contains some of the very best voice acting you'll find in an animated movie.
     
  9. Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl
    Slann

    Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl Eleventh Spawning

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    I agree the voice acting and characters are all solid, my 'how could anyone not like' line was intended toward any who favour the 2016 remake over the original for whatever reason.
     
  10. Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl
    Slann

    Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl Eleventh Spawning

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    And my delayed answer to this, I reckon this was because we have discussed fantasy films so many times before that there is not much more that needs to be said, whereas Westerns we have discussed very little, so we still have a fair amount to say about that subject.


    Anyway, I wonder where @Lizards of Renown has vanished to? He's missed the past couple of lists at least.
     
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  11. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

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    A fair point!

    Alas, real life commitments have reduced @Lizards of Renown 's involvement on the forum. His presence is greatly missed.
     
  12. Just A Skink
    Skink Chief

    Just A Skink Well-Known Member

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    Naturally, classic Disney and Pixar take most of the spots for my animated favorites. Liberal bending of rules with this list.

    Fantasia: A beautiful combination of animation and music. It captivated and moved me as a young person and it still does today. I know it's a long film, and I have to be in the right mood, but I love it. To me, Fantasia is about as artful an animated movie as you can get. I always feel a little sad when it's over and yet like I've also experienced something great.
    Finding Nemo: A gorgeous undersea movie. The story is endearing, exciting and moving. The voice acting is terrific. Brooks and Degeneres as Marlin and Dori are hilarious. I can drop into this movie anywhere and watch it, only lamenting that I missed this scene or that. One thing I like about it is that the story is kind of a coming of age, but for adults. A nice shift in perspective.
    The Incredibles: Man what an awesome movie! Incredibles & Nemo go back and forth for which is better to me. Pixar, and Brad Bird specifically, really created something special with this one. A superhero movie, a spy thriller, and family movie wrapped into one. Story, characters, voice acting, and animation are all fantastic.
    Kung Fu Panda: Another exciting and touching movie. A little more of a personal story that's about believing in yourself and the value of your abilities. It has a great nod to geeks geeking out about their geekdom, only to become that thing they geek out about. I love how the side heroes are all based on popular Shaolin styles and the townsfolk are either a part of the Chinese calendar or as part of Chinese dishes. Plus, I still joke that the movie has a better "Anakin's fall to the Dark Side" story, in just a few scenes. Jack Black, Hoffman, James Hong, and Ian McShane are the voice standouts to me.
    Toy Story 1-3: What an excellent trio of movies. Not only did it help advance 3D computer animation, but the stories REALLY tap into the childhood love of toys and imagination. Every movie touched on an honest and different aspect of that love. Toy Story 2 is probably the best all around movie. Classics.
    A Bug's Life/Monsters Inc.: A bit of a cheat to get in more movies. More great Pixar movies. Pixar really jumped out of the gate with some very clever and fun stories. Bug's Life is an expansion on the Ant & the Grasshopper fable. Neat characters and fun world of big human objects used from a bug's perspective. Monsters is such a smart story and the monster world was a blast to see. Crystal and Goodman are terrific together.
    The Little Mermaid/Beauty and the Beast/Aladdin/The Lion King: I know, I know. I'm cheating again. Disney's big animation comeback in the 90's (that I think still carries them all the way into today) was launched on the backs of these movies, and it's not hard to see why.
    • I don't know if Little Mermaid is considered more of a "girl's movie," but I love it. The animation is beautiful, the story is sweet, the supporting characters are cute and funny, the villain is big and bad, and the music is some of Disney's best. Jodi Benson imparts so much yearning just through the song "Part of Your World." An instant classic.
    • Beast is another classic fairy tale story with great characters, animation, and musical numbers. Belle gets an upgrade for being a bit more fleshed out as a character and for having more agency. Robby Benson's Beast is terrific. Gaston isn't my favorite villain, but he's played up great.
    • Aladdin has two of my favorite characters in Jafar and the Genie. Obviously, this was Robin Williams's movie and his energy is all through his performance of the Genie. But Jonathan Freeman delivers an elegantly evil voice as Jafar, and from his first line, I knew he was going to be a wicked villain. I miss evil bad guys. One very minor criticism is that this might have been the Disney movie that started the casting of bigger celebs for voices as opposed to good voice actors earning those roles. I don't know, just an observation.
    • Lion King was a spectacle from the first scene, and what a first scene. If you haven't watched the musical intro from Lion King, go find it on YouTube now. I think it's that good. Darth Va...err, James Earl Jones is powerful and wise as Mufasa and Jeremy Irons is sinister and manipulative as Scar. Rowan Atkinson is funny in everything. And, I like young Simba. If I have a criticism it's that it's a movie of two parts and I'm not as crazy about the second half. Plus, I'm just not blown away by Matthew Broderick's performance. I think this was a perfect movie for Disney to cast talented black actors in the roles.
    Shrek series: Another fun series of movies. Myers and Murphy are excellent as Shrek and Donkey. I love the twist and message in the first movie. Two is probably the better all around movie, continuing a great story with better animation and supporting characters. I'm not as big a fan of Shrek the Third, but I actually do enjoy Shrek Forever After.
    Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: Wow, this was a great Spider-Man movie. I didn't know much about Miles Morales other than he was a new Spider-Man(boy?) from an alternate dimension. The story is clever and the animation is sharp and contemporary.

    Wow! There are SO many more movies that need to be on my list.
    Disney animated movies (1939 - 20teens): Walt Disney had a desire to make animation more than just silly cartoons. To prove that animation could move an audience to relate to the characters and to feel emotion just like live action films. I think Walt Disney was right. Pick a Disney movie from the last century. If you haven't seen it, go watch it. Some of the newer ones don't wow me as much, but there are a few. My favorites in this category are Snow White (Artistically, it's just beautiful), Dumbo (So sweet), Peter Pan (Fun), Sleeping Beauty (I love the art style and it's worth it for Maleficent, probably my favorite Disney villain), The Sword in the Stone, Mary Poppins (I apologize to all Brits for Dick Van Dyke's accent, but this is a delightful movie. Julie Andrews is a beauty with a beautiful voice), The Jungle Book (great voices & music), Robin Hood (SO good), Winnie the Pooh, Pete's Dragon (I have fond memories of watching this on HBO), The Fox and the Hound (heartbreaking), Oliver and Company (A bit underrated), Hercules (Hades steals the movie), Mulan, Tarzan, Bolt (Surprised me b/c I wasn't a big Travolta or Miley Cyrus fan. I agree that the hamster steals his scenes), Wreck-It Ralph, and Zootopia (another surprise). Whew! that's a lot.
    Pixar moves: Pixar practically took over the best Disney movies in the late 90's & 2000's and has kind of carried Disney since. Pick a Pixar movie and it's probably great. I like almost all of them. Some of the newest ones haven't wowed me and I haven't seen Lightyear.

    How to Train Your Dragon 1-3 (I love the setting and coming of age story. Plus, I dig the art style and the look of the dragons.), The Lego Movie (a fun and imaginative movie with a nice twist to the story), Puss in Boots (Fun), The Iron Giant (I cried), Prince of Egypt (like an animated stage musical), The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Hobbit, The Last Unicorn, Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Wererabbit, Watership Down (This was a surprisingly "grown up" cartoon I saw as a kid), Secret of Nihm

    EDIT: Transformers (80s animated movie)
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2022
  13. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

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    Topic #9 - Top Ten TV shows.

    Having gone through the main movie genres (we tackle some sub-genres in the future), it's time to spice things up.

    Rules:
    This one is pretty open ended. Your favourite TV shows of all time. Feel free to mix and match all sorts of TV shows, regardless of genre or type. Note that "TV" show includes streaming shows (Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.). You are welcome to include things like game shows, reality TV shows alongside of fictional shows. Just make sure that it has episodes and is not a "one off".

    Things to avoid: movies, sports events, news, shopping channel, music videos, etc.



    Anyways, here is my list:

    1. Avatar: The Last Airbender - perfection (or as close to perfection as is physically possible). Outside of the rare "okay" (but still good) episode or two, the series is flawless. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Everyone I've shown it to has loved it and it works across a wide range of age groups, from children to adults. It has everything, from humour to action to story to fabulous characters... and all of it set in a beautiful story world. Best of all, each season (there are three of them) is better than the last. The animation is excellent with a brilliant use of colour to accentuate the different nations of the show, while the characters are extremely well written and go through meaningful and rewarding story arcs. I am genuinely curious as to how many of you have seen it. (p.s. the live action movie is garbage, save yourself the time and avoid it)
    2. Samurai Jack - Anyone who has spent significant time on this forum, must have known that this would make my list. Samurai Jack is, simply put... different. Minimal dialogue, exceptional use of sounds, clever incorporation of split screens, top notch action and the most beautiful hand painted backgrounds. It is a feast for the eyes and ears. The first four seasons have a similar tone and rarely take themselves too seriously. The fifth and final season (released over a decade later) takes on a darker tone, while still staying true to the series as a whole. It also manages to masterfully wrap up the series. The voice acting is top notch, especially Aku. Jack and Aku are the main characters of the series, but there are several amazing reoccurring or single episode characters that leave a lasting impression. The Scotsman is a personal favourite of mine. There are also a bunch of Star Wars references thrown in for good measure.
    3. Star Trek: The Next Generation - I feel we've discussed this enough across several threads so there isn't much to say here. Easily my favorite of all the Star Trek shows.
    4. Seinfield - I just re-watched the series recently and I still love it. Even after all these years it remains so relatable. So many times in my life I've come across a situation and said: "this is sort of like Seinfeld". I enjoy all the characters, with George being my favourite, followed by Kramer, then Elaine and finally Jerry. My pick for the best comedic TV series of all time.
    5. Castlevania - this is the newest entry on my list. The animation is extremely slick, but the characters and dialogue are just as good. I'm not a huge fan of the video game series so I can't comment on how true it is to the original lore, but what I do know is that it is one wild ride. There are quite a few twists and turns throughout and some bold story decisions that really pay off well. Did I mention the action?
    6. X-men: The Animated Series - a series that was far ahead of its time. When I think of X-men, this is the first thing that comes to mind. For a kids show, it tackled some surprisingly deep topics. It also features one of my favourite villains of all time, Apocalypse (who has a whole slew of killer lines that are delivered with top notch voice acting). Please note that I am not including the final season in this review. The last season was produced and animated by a different group and is horrible. The rest though... amazing!
    7. Married... with Children - Al Bundy!!! As funny today as it was when it was released... maybe even more so because of how politically incorrect it is (judge for yourself if you consider that to be a positive or a negative). To be fair though, the show targets everybody and doesn't pull any punches, so its fair game in my books. I enjoy all the characters, but Al Bundy is by far the best of the bunch. His facial expressions alone are enough to keep me chuckling.
    8. Gargoyles - another one of my childhood favourites. As with X-men, I'm not counting the final season (for the same reasons). A pretty solid story, especially for its time. The Demona - Macbeth arc is particularly deep. Those of you that are fans will likely know that several actors from Star Trek TNG provide their voices to the show. That said, Keith David's voicing acting for Goliath is by far my favourite... I love it when he gets angry!! I wonder if this show will make @Scalenex 's list?
    9. Firefly - what a gem. While it has a very loyal cult following, it isn't as well known as some of the others. Don't let that dissuade you though, because the show is full of charm. The ragtag crew are so endearing and each has their purpose and place. While the show is primarily humorous in tone, it doesn't shy away from deeply emotional moments. It's such a shame that we only got one season, although, by fan demand (pestering) they did give us a pretty awesome follow-up movie.
    10. Batman the animated series - another series that we've discussed extensively on the forum. For many this is the epitome of Batman... and most definitely of the Joker (exquisitely voiced by Mark Hamill). A features a fairly dark tone (for a kids show), especially considering that it was released in the early to mid nineties. It also featured the premier of the Harley Quinn character has become an absolute A-list character in her own right.

    Honourable Mentions: Star Gate: SG1, Battlestar Galactica, Battlebots, Terra Nova, Lost, Sparticus, Conan the Adventurer, Black Mirror


    I am extremely curious what you guys come up with. I've been waiting for this category since we started this thread.

    Also, who has seen Avatar: The Last Airbender? (I ask, because if enough of you have, then we may have list based on it in the future, but if not, I'll skip it).
     
  14. Scalenex
    Slann

    Scalenex Keeper of the Indexes Staff Member

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    I suppose it would make my hypothetical list but I believe I am now three or four "Top Ten Lists" behind. I cannot keep up.

    I'm not sure if animated and live action TV shows should be separate. The vast majority of the TV shows I like to watch over and over again are animated.

    Batman TAS, Gargoyles, Young Justice (which was created by a partnership of the creators of Batman TAS and Gargoyles), Archer, Futurama, Gravity Falls, Phineas and Ferb, the first ten or eleven seasons of Simpsons among others.
     
  15. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

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    Just do a straight list then... without a write-up. That shouldn't take too long.

    It's a free-for-all! If the majority of your list happens to be animated (60% of mine is) then that is an interesting data point. It will be fun to see how the live action versus animated dynamic pans out.
     
  16. Killer Angel
    Slann

    Killer Angel Prophet of the Stars Staff Member

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    Do you believe war movies is a sub-genre?
     
  17. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

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    Potentially anything can be a sub-genre. It would be a tough one to pin down as what constitutes a war movie (what percentage of the film must revolve around war)? Many movies contain scenes of battle/war. LOTR could count. Gladiator has a battle at the onset. Braveheart most definitely.

    I think many of the movies would be poached from Action, Fantasy and Drama genres.
     
  18. Killer Angel
    Slann

    Killer Angel Prophet of the Stars Staff Member

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    Fair enough
     
  19. Just A Skink
    Skink Chief

    Just A Skink Well-Known Member

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    Ranking TV shows is tough for me b/c there's a bit of recency bias. When I was a kid, these shows would have been very different. Ask my in another decade, they might be different again. Plus, there are some shows my wife and I watch on repeat, and they're like "comfort food." Others I've seen only once through, and to go back would require some commitment, but they made an impact on me.

    Somewhat influenced by @NIGHTBRINGER, I gave the top spot to a certain animated show...

    Avatar: The Last Airbender: What a show! A compelling story with some of the best character development in any cartoon, or maybe any show. The animation is excellent and the story has exciting action, great humor and real heart. The story arc for Zuko alone is worth it. It's a real shame that Mako passed away during the production b/c Uncle Iroh is an anchor for this show's heart. I agree that if you haven't seen it, I think you should give it view.
    Parks & Rec: Some great characters and good writing. Funny and sweet. Last season (or last couple?) are not as strong. Give me ALL the bacon & eggs you have. Do you understand?
    Batman the Animated Series: THE quintessential Batman for me (sorry Adam West). I know more "realistic" Batman movies are all the rage, but this captured a just gritty enough Batman with the classic comic book flair. Kevin Conroy & Mark Hamill are Batman & the Joker to me. I think virtually every episode is great, but "Heart of Ice" blew me away (it's kind of the "go to" episode for many).
    Firefly: What a terrific one season show. The classic ragtag group of adventurers in a really interesting world. It sparked such a huge fan response that a pretty good movie was made. The fact that this show only had one season is wreckin' my calm.
    King of the Hill: I'm just drawn to animated shows, I guess. Like most shows, this one really hits its stride then sort of gets old by the end. Regardless, I still enjoy the stories and King's cast of wacky Texans. Bobby is the best.
    Breaking Bad: Such a well-written and directed drama. Bryan Cranston is riveting as Walter White and Aaron Paul is great as Jesse (they are interesting foils for each other). But the whole cast is terrific. The drama and tension are real in several episodes.
    Mad Men: Another excellent drama. I'm not sure how much I like Jon Hamm in later movies, but his performance as Don Draper is captivating. So much nuance and nostalgia in this show. The rest of the cast is just as complex. The world of sex, booze, success, failure, and lies all to sell you something really sells this show.
    Samurai Jack: Such a unique animated show. Jack & the evil Aku (excellently voiced by Mako) are the main hero and villain. Beautiful backgrounds, a bizarre cast of characters (both villain and ally), exciting action and slick animation are all hallmarks of the show (I enjoy the angular art style). But the sound design and often the lack of, or even the need for, dialogue in several episodes really adds to the allure of the show. Those episodes make you watch (no phone surfing) and reflect Jack's introspective bushido nature.
    Cowboy Bebop (animated): Man, I love this anime. I saw it on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim years ago, but it's a triumph of just one season. Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed, and Ein (the corgi) are all interesting. Each alone in there own way, but alone together on the Bebop. Kind of like Firefly, I'm sad it is only one season and a movie, but maybe that works in it's favor. Bang!
    X-Files/Seinfeld/Star Trek TNG: Once again, I try to cheat. These shows aren't necessarily interchangeable, but they all are long-running episodic shows that are terrific and made an impact on me. I was late to the game with Seinfeld, but I've caught many on reruns. SO many episodes are just classic and classically quotable. All of the characters are hilarious and just terrible to each other in a comedic way. George is the best... he did win a contest. Even now, the X-Files music makes the hairs on my neck stand up. It played into our love of conspiracy theories, aliens, myth, and cryptozoology. Star Trek: TNG is hands down my favorite Star Trek and the ruler by which I judge other Trek (sorry). Great characters and stories. I thought it really carried on the spirit of the original Star Trek in an updated era (for the time).

    TV show honorable mentions (or at least shows that I love to remember):
    Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, Electric Company, Reading Rainbow, He-Man & the Master of the Universe, GI Joe, Transformers, Voltron, Thundercats, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Fraggle Rock, Super Friends, Knight Rider, Family Ties, Growing Pains, Who's the Boss, Quantum Leap, The Wonder Years, Friends, The Simpsons, Dexter's Lab, Gargoyles (What a great concept and storyline for a Disney kids show), Farscape, Brisco County Jr., Lost (Man, those early seasons were great. Curse you final season!), Big Bang Theory, Castle, The Middle, Heroes, Archer, Dexter, Good Eats, Game of Thrones (Curse you final season! Plus, I thought the books were better), Great British Baking Show, Brooklyn 99, Ted Lasso

    Whew!... there are just too many to list, but apparently I tried to list them all anyway. Ha ha ha.
     
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2022
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  20. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

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    That is an amazing episode. What a "villain"!!! You really feel sorry for the Mr. Freeze. What would you sacrifice to save the one that you love?

    I should really give this a watch someday. I like Chris Pratt! Does he play a main character?

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    Another show that I haven't seen, but I've heard positive things about it.

    Talk about cheating. Those shows aren't even similar to each other... especially Seinfeld! :p

    In the finale, he admits to cheating in the contest! Classic George.
     

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