Official Great Works Draft (3 Viewers)

[Uncle Humuna]

Songs - 7 Points

Baba O'Reilly - Now we're getting good. How do I feel about The Who you ask? (Actually, not only did you not ask, you probably don't give a rat's ###, but I like to pretend.) I used a full 1/3 of my precious Album draft slots on one of their offerings. nufced. It pains me to put this song this low, but there are at least 4 other songs ON THE SAME ALBUM that are better. Speaking of which, talk about ur traveshemockery. Who's Next not getting drafted is just plain silly. I almost had to take 2 Who albums out of principle. THEY'RE ALL WASTED!!!

Kashmir - I'm a Zep fiend. All the albums. All the boots. All the vids. (And the posters and the books many moons ago). Awesome material not withstanding, Physical Graffiti always bugged me. There's something about the production that always kept me from putting it on the top pedestal with II, IV & HotH. Kashmir is definitely Zep at their Eastern tinged, hippy trippy infused with the hammer of the gods swinging brachiosaurus best. It is also near the top of my list of songs that, given the ability, I'd go back in time and have it re-recorded with a different producer/engineer and/or different recording equipment.

Unchained Melody - Ol' Dougger convinced me to go back and give this well worn classic another listen. (I also did my research - didn't realize it has been recorded over 500 times!) It is an unbelievably beautiful song with a superb melody, and as Señor B so aptly put it, Bobby Hatfield knocked it out of the freakin' park. I definitely should have given perfomance more of a consideration in my judging.

 

[Uncle Humuna]

Seriously, I actually think you ranked The Alphabet Song far too high; it deserves a 1, IMO. This draft is supposed to be about the greatest human achievements. This category is designed to be a compilation of the greatest achievements in popular music, in the form of the popular song. The Alphabet Song is the least sophisticated song drafted, in terms of melody and lyrics. It has no depth or real musicality. Not trying to rip on Tides of War here; I just think that nearly every other song drafted is about a thousand times more of an achievement.

I don't know what I was thinking.This was definitely the worst pick of the draft.I give it a score of negative eleventy-five bajillion.

 

[Uncle Humuna]

Songs - 8 Points

American Pie - Even though this is in the running for most over-played song evah, it is still a great song. I recently gave it a close listen and realized that there is some pretty killer pie-anna work going on throughout (I have begun to discover that this is true for many of the songs that I gravitate toward. Fascinating. Zzzzzzz.) We all know the story. We all know the metaphors (or are they analogies? or similes? or anecdotes? or parables? or allegories? or henways?) It's the history of the 60's music scene wrapped up into a neat, um, er, uh, little, 8 minute and 33 second package. Big deal. Pete Townshend did the same for the 70s in 1 line . . . THEY'RE ALL WASTED!!!

Superstition - It may sound zany, but Stevie Wonder may be the most under-appreciated musical genius (/eddiemurphy) of the latter half of the 20th Century. Part funk. Part Motown. Part rock. Part evil. All awesome.

Sympathy for the Devil - Speaking of evil, Jagger finally dives off the deep end and decides to take on the persona of the prince of darkness himself. Meanwhile, Keith Richards performs an exorcism on himself through his gee-tar, backed by latin percussion and Nicky Hopkins' shredding (the real evil was the Stones' gradual replacement of Stu behind the ivories.) Top it off with the happiest of background vocal hooks, and you get an epic rock song. Probably should be ranked higher. Yeah. They all should.

 

[wikkidpissah]

Superstition - It may sound zany, but Stevie Wonder may be the most under-appreciated musical genius (/eddiemurphy) of the latter half of the 20th Century. Part funk. Part Motown. Part rock. Part evil. All awesome.

the very sound of joy. i play his 1st 5 tamla records while i play poker. my poor, tired heart does not allow me to process adrenaline well any more, but when i'm singing along with stevie, my nerves jangle not a bit. i finished 2nd out of 3500+ in a tourney tonite when, since i started playin online a coupla months ago, i couldnt get thru an hr's play without palpatations. i know there's the kind of godly science to that which Pythagoras addressed so long ago & is proved out in folks with Williams Syndrome today. we will be nearer to god than we've ever been when we figure that out. nufced

 

[simey]

Oh Pretty Woman - This one takes over the spot as song I most would have liked to give a higher ranking to. No one could top Royo's tiger growl (mer-say), but this song is so good, that polar opposite takes on it are both deliciously awesome (Van Halen & Al Green).

Al Green covers are a thing of beauty (see also: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart, The Letter, I Can't Get Next To You, My Girl, I Wanna Hold Your Hand etc).

My personal favorite is For The Good Times (Kris Kristofferson).

One of the greatest freaking break-up songs of all time.

I love this song. I like Ray Price's version best. Kris Kristofferson, in my opinion, has never had that great of a voice, but he is a fantastic songwriter.

 

[krista4]

Will Krista be ranking MfB's three compositions?

Carmina Burana - Carl Orff

Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd

Romeo and Juliet - Tchaikovsky

I think Krista is off for the long weekend...if that's the case, someone else can rank them. I'm fairly confident where one of them will end up.

I'm here; was just gone last night for a bit of drinking and celebrating.I agree with everyone else that these rankings were very well done.

Yeah, I have to put the Pink Floyd with the bottom group, just because I can't see ranking it higher than anything in that grouping. So I guess that means 2 points there.

Carmina Burana is a fantastic piece but really hard to compare to most of the others. Seems nicely slotted in with the other 13 point-ers.

Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet was an excellent late-round pick. It has to go behind Swan Lake, though, so the most I can give it is 4 points.

 

[simey]

Seriously, I actually think you ranked The Alphabet Song far too high; it deserves a 1, IMO. This draft is supposed to be about the greatest human achievements. This category is designed to be a compilation of the greatest achievements in popular music, in the form of the popular song. The Alphabet Song is the least sophisticated song drafted, in terms of melody and lyrics. It has no depth or real musicality. Not trying to rip on Tides of War here; I just think that nearly every other song drafted is about a thousand times more of an achievement.

A song doesn't have to be sophisticated in melody and lyric to be a great achievement. The ABC Song has a huge impact and influence on a child's learning process, and it's taught every single day. It has been taught for generations and is basically the foundation for learning the alphabet. It's so popular that toys and children's games have been made based on the song. My 3 year old nephew was singing it while doing a jig last week. He was beaming with proudness at being able to recite the whole tune. I think it's ranked just fine.

 

[timschochet]

Seriously, I actually think you ranked The Alphabet Song far too high; it deserves a 1, IMO. This draft is supposed to be about the greatest human achievements. This category is designed to be a compilation of the greatest achievements in popular music, in the form of the popular song. The Alphabet Song is the least sophisticated song drafted, in terms of melody and lyrics. It has no depth or real musicality. Not trying to rip on Tides of War here; I just think that nearly every other song drafted is about a thousand times more of an achievement.

A song doesn't have to be sophisticated in melody and lyric to be a great achievement. The ABC Song has a huge impact and influence on a child's learning process, and it's taught every single day. It has been taught for generations and is basically the foundation for learning the alphabet. It's so popular that toys and children's games have been made based on the song. My 3 year old nephew was singing it while doing a jig last week. He was beaming with proudness at being able to recite the whole tune. I think it's ranked just fine.

You have a point in terms of impact. My reaction last night was in response to an argument that the song should be ranked higher.Still, it's difficult for me to look at the 12 songs ranked below The Alphabet Song (none of which were my picks, to be clear) and say, those are lesser achievements.

 

[TidesofWar]

Seriously, I actually think you ranked The Alphabet Song far too high; it deserves a 1, IMO. This draft is supposed to be about the greatest human achievements. This category is designed to be a compilation of the greatest achievements in popular music, in the form of the popular song. The Alphabet Song is the least sophisticated song drafted, in terms of melody and lyrics. It has no depth or real musicality. Not trying to rip on Tides of War here; I just think that nearly every other song drafted is about a thousand times more of an achievement.

A song doesn't have to be sophisticated in melody and lyric to be a great achievement. The ABC Song has a huge impact and influence on a child's learning process, and it's taught every single day. It has been taught for generations and is basically the foundation for learning the alphabet. It's so popular that toys and children's games have been made based on the song. My 3 year old nephew was singing it while doing a jig last week. He was beaming with proudness at being able to recite the whole tune. I think it's ranked just fine.

You have a point in terms of impact. My reaction last night was in response to an argument that the song should be ranked higher.Still, it's difficult for me to look at the 12 songs ranked below The Alphabet Song (none of which were my picks, to be clear) and say, those are lesser achievements.

Simey understands my madness.............. er, genius

 

[Postradamus]

Seriously, I actually think you ranked The Alphabet Song far too high; it deserves a 1, IMO. This draft is supposed to be about the greatest human achievements. This category is designed to be a compilation of the greatest achievements in popular music, in the form of the popular song. The Alphabet Song is the least sophisticated song drafted, in terms of melody and lyrics. It has no depth or real musicality. Not trying to rip on Tides of War here; I just think that nearly every other song drafted is about a thousand times more of an achievement.

A song doesn't have to be sophisticated in melody and lyric to be a great achievement. The ABC Song has a huge impact and influence on a child's learning process, and it's taught every single day. It has been taught for generations and is basically the foundation for learning the alphabet. It's so popular that toys and children's games have been made based on the song. My 3 year old nephew was singing it while doing a jig last week. He was beaming with proudness at being able to recite the whole tune. I think it's ranked just fine.

You have a point in terms of impact. My reaction last night was in response to an argument that the song should be ranked higher.Still, it's difficult for me to look at the 12 songs ranked below The Alphabet Song (none of which were my picks, to be clear) and say, those are lesser achievements.

Simey understands my madness.............. er, genius

I have the Alphabet Song by the Kidz Bop Kroo on repeat right now. I'm winning poker tournies, I'm getting smarter, and I'm extremely proud that I can sing along with the entire song and not even mess up once.

 

[krista4]

I'm doing the movie rankings right now, and no one took Taxi Driver?

 

[Postradamus]

I'm doing the movie rankings right now, and no one took Taxi Driver?

Please give Taxi Driver to tides. Thanks.

 

[krista4]

I'm doing the movie rankings right now, and no one took Taxi Driver?

Please give Taxi Driver to tides. Thanks.

I think it would have ended up with at least 15 points. Let's just add another 15 points to his score.

 

[krista4]

A little something to chew on for movie rankings...I've added the directors' and critics' votes from the 2002 Sight and Sound polls for each movie that was selected (the poll only comes out every ten years) and put them in order. I think you'll see that my initial tiers were awfully close to where this most respected poll came out, with the exceptions that (1) Lawrence of Arabia and Raging Bull, which I moved to the first tier, should have been there to begin with, and Schindler's List, which I moved to the second, should have been there at best, and (2) I underrated Godfather Part II, Psycho and Ikiru and probably overrated Rear Window, The Wizard of Oz, and The Silence of the Lambs. I don't know what to think of Snow White, as it received no votes, but I think it still needs to be recognized with a good number of points for innovation.

Here are the movies in order:

Citizen Kane - 88 votes (46 critics, 42 directors)

Vertigo - 54 (41, 13)

The Rules of the Game - 42 (30, 12)

8-1/2 - 37 (18, 19) (I am not suggesting ratings on my four films; just giving the information from Sight and Sound)

2001: A Space Odyssey - 32 (21, 11)

Singin' in the Rain - 29 (19, 10)

The Godfather, Part II - 29 (14, 15)

Seven Samurai - 27 (15, 12)

Rashomon - 26 (14, 12)

The Battleship Potemkin - 25 (19, 6)

The Searchers - 22 (15, 7)

Lawrence of Arabia - 21 (5, 16)

The Godfather - 20 (8, 12)

Bicycle Thieves - 18 (5, 13)

Raging Bull - 16 (3, 13)

Dr. Strangelove - 16 (2, 14)

Psycho - 15 (6, 9)

Sunset Boulevard - 15 (4, 11)

Some Like It Hot - 14 (7, 7)

City Lights - 13 (5, 8)

Apocalypse Now - 12 (4, 8)

Au hasard Balthazar - 12 (10, 2)

Casablanca - 11 (3, 8)

The Third Man - 11 (6, 5)

Chinatown - 11 (4, 7)

M - 9 (8, 1)

Modern Times - 8 (6, 2)

North by Northwest - 8 (4, 4)

On the Waterfront - 8 (2, 6)

Rear Window - 7 (4, 3)

The Wizard of Oz - 7 (2, 5)

The Battle of Algiers - 7 (3, 4)

Blade Runner - 7 (5, 2)

Pulp Fiction - 7 (3, 4)

The Gold Rush - 7 (3, 4)

Ikiru - 6 (4, 2)

Gone with the Wind - 5 (2, 3)

It's a Wonderful Life - 5 (4, 1)

Notorious - 5 (4, 1)

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - 5 (0, 5)

Throne of Blood - 4 (1, 3)

The Exorcist - 4 (1, 3)

Aguirre, The Wrath of God - 3 (2, 1)

Star Wars - 3 (1, 2)

Unforgiven - 3 (2, 1)

ET - 3 (0, 3)

Jaws - 3 (0, 3)

Schindler's List - 2 (1, 1)

The Last Picture Show - 2 (1, 1)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - 2 (0, 2)

The Maltese Falcon - 2 (1, 1)

Rocky - 1 (0, 1)

The Graduate - 1 (1, 0)

The Deer Hunter - 1 (0, 1)

Cinema Paradiso - 1 (0, 1)

The Outlaw Josey Wales - 1 (1, 0)

Reservoir Dogs - 1 (0, 1)

The Usual Suspects - 1 (1, 0)

Wings of Desire - 1 (1, 0)

Zero-point movies:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

The Silence of the Lambs

The Shawshank Redemption

Ben-Hur

The Empire Strikes Back

Through a Glass Darkly

Midnight Express

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

12 Angry Men

Castle in the Sky

Gettysburg

The Longest Day

Scarface

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (though Life of Brian did receive a vote)

Alien

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (had not been released at the time of the polls)

The Jazz Singer

The Sting

Die Hard

Pinocchio

Patton

 

[Uncle Humuna]

Songs - 9 Points

The House of the Rising Son - A song about a brothel in Nawlins. Sweet. Had actually been around for a quite a long time and been covered by numerous artists (including a very young Bobby Dylan) before those British boys made it famous. To their credit, no one had ever done it like The Aneemawls did it, and they did it awesome. Paved the way for the tsunami of uber-electrified remakes of blues classics that came to dominate much of the non-Liverpudlian late 60's.

Layla - God meets God. How do you do. How do you do. I played on a Beatles' song. I played on songs by Wilson Pickett, Clarence Carter, Aretha Franklin, Otis Rush, & Percy Sledge. I'm in love with a Beatles' wife. Wanna arm wrestle? :clashofthetitans: Of course the great irony is that the gorgeous pie-anna driven coda written by a Domino of a much smaller number (Jim Gordon) is what makes this song such a classic.

My Generation - The lyrics are what gets all the press (I'm sure the 60-something Townshend rues the day he wrote his infamous line. Oh wait, that line made him a gazillion English pounds. Nevermind), but it's The Mayor of Ealing's (aka: The Ox) atomic bomb drops that set this one apart (not to mention Moonie's Krupa-on-meth freakshow parade and Petey's rythm-as-lead finger-shredding crunch . . . hmm . . . those would make good Ben & Jerry's flavors). Put it all together and you get the epitome of teen-age angst released as pure N R G. THEY'RE ALL WASTED!!!

 

[Uncle Humuna]

Songs - 10 Points

Folsom Prison Blues - Contains the meanest (pre-gangsta rap) line ever delivered in popular song. I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die. Whoa. If you've never heard Live at Folsom, or Live at San Quentin, quit reading this and go download both now. Johnny Cash, as much as any (pre-gangsta rap) performer I've ever heard, no matter how mean, or how nasty or how criminal, was able to identify with these men as if he were one of them. He IS one of them. He carried that through into his song-writing. In the process, he makes them human. He makes them empathetic personas. He makes them part of us. Sympathy for the devil indeed. Cash was the man. This was his song.

Take Five - Personal taste aside, this is a land-mark song. It successfully infused post-bop jazz with classical elements and a 5/4 time sig, and in the process, brought said jazz to the mainstream.

What a Wonderful World - A flower in the middle of a mine field. A snippit of hope in the middle of upheaval and chaos. A non-political and beautiful perpective on what's RIGHT with the world, when the focus was on what's wrong with it. The fact that it's the curtain call for the most important musical figure of the 20th century doesn't hurt.

 

[Uncle Humuna]

Songs - 11 Points

Cross Road Blues - More debbil music. In this case, some of the earliest recorded. Robert Johnson sings us the story of how he went down to where the roads meet, and sold his soul to Opie's Aunt Bee L. Z. Bub. What did he get in exchange? We're still talking about this song.

eta -> Learned while reading up on this song, that what in fact this song was about, was infinitely more frightening than a story about the story-book devil selling fame in exchange for souls. It is about an insidious evil that is a very bleak chapter in the history of our great country (and that still casts a shadow on it's darkest corners):

While the idea of Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil may be fascinating and evocative, the song itself plainly describes the very real, harrowing situation feared by Johnson and other African Americans in the Deep South in the early 20th century. Historian Leon Litwack has suggested that the song refers to the common fear felt by blacks who were discovered out alone after dark. As late as 1960s in parts of the South, the well-known expression, "######, don't let the sun go down on you here," was, according to Litwack, "understood and vigorously enforced." In an era when lynchings were still common, Johnson was likely singing about the desperation of finding his way home from an unfamiliar place as quickly as possible because, as the song says, "the sun goin' down, boy/ dark gon' catch me here." This interpretation also makes sense of the closing line "You can run/ tell my friend poor Willie Brown/ that I'm standing at the crossroads" as Johnson's appeal for help from a real-life fellow musician." Furthermore, it is said that Johnson requested that Willie Brown be informed in the event of his death.

"As late as the 1960s"I was born in the 60's.

This was during MY lifetime.



More to follow . . .

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot - A (~150 year-old) song with deep religious overtones. Others claim it was about the Underground Railroad. Either way, it's a very powerful message and a very powerful song. Listen to it done by a top notch acapella group with either or both of these perspectives in mind. It'll rattle your soul.

This Land is Your Land - Ignorance is a terrible thing. I've disliked this song for a long time. To my credit, it's because, like many songs with messages about America (Fortunate Son, Born in the USA, etc.), it had been twisted from it's original intent, and presented to me (as a child) as a flag-waving sing-a-long, sung through plastic smiles. Only after reading up on it for this little excercise, did I realize that this was in fact, written in disgust and in response to a ridiculously uber-popular song that also made our list (hint: the original working title for TLIYL, was God Blessed America for Me). I learned a lot in this tier. Thank you fellow GWD piclers.

 

[timschochet]

UH, great write ups. Keep it up.

 

[TidesofWar]

UH, great write ups. Keep it up.

Do you ever sleep?

 

[krista4]

This Land is Your Land - Ignorance is a terrible thing. I've disliked this song for a long time. To my credit, it's because, like many songs with messages about America (Fortunate Son, Born in the USA, etc.), it had been twisted from it's original intent, and presented to me (as a child) as a flag-waving sing-a-long, sung through plastic smiles. Only after reading up on it for this little excercise, did I realize that this was in fact, written in disgust and in response to a ridiculously uber-popular song that also made our list (hint: the original working title for TLIYL, was God Blessed America for Me). I learned a lot in this tier. Thank you fellow GWD piclers.

I was about to ridicule you mercilessly for not knowing this was a political protest song, Marxist in nature, but I just read a bunch of stuff indicating that a lot of other people don't get it either--for instance, when he was awarded the Dept of the Interior's Conservation Service Award "in recognition of his life-long efforts to make the American people aware of their heritage and the land."

 

[Uncle Humuna]

Songs - 12 Points

God Bless America - This song was so popular and moved so many people, that there was a movement to have it become our national anthem (move over Star Spangled Banner). It moved Woodie Guthrie in a different way. On a musical note, it only had one movement.

God Bless the Child - Many people don't realize that Billie Holiday wasn't just one of the top-2 female jazz singers of all time, she was also a very talented song writer. This was arguably her finest offering. Incredible lyrics. Incredible music. Incredible melody. Incredible song. And of course, no one could sing the blues like Lady Day. You could just hear her soul weeping through her voice.

God Only Knows - I have a terrible bias when it comes to recordings from the mid-60's onward. I mentioned it earlier, but poor production of recordings tend to leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. It's probably pretty stupid of me, but it's not a conscious decision, it's just a reaction. Anyway, the point is, Pet Sounds is another one of those albums that I desperately wish had been recorded by George Martin (Tommy is another one). Just recently, I've made a serious attempt to put my bias aside and give PS a fair shake and a close listen. All I can say is, there's a reason its regularly near the top of most Greatest Albums Evah lists, and this song is the creme de la creme. God Only Knows is stunningly beautiful. The melody. The lyrics. The arrangement. The performance. (I see a theme developing in the rankings from here on out). Just gorgeous. Now listen to Revolver and imagine GOK sounding that crystal clear. It's probably a good thing it didn't happen. It probably would have been too much beauty for our minds to handle and we'd have all ended up playing nekkid pinochle in the looney bin with Brian Wilson.

 

[timschochet]

UH, great write ups. Keep it up.

Do you ever sleep?

I had a stomach ache. Couldn't sleep last night.

 

[Genedoc]

Songs - 11 Points

Cross Road Blues - More debbil music. In this case, some of the earliest recorded. Robert Johnson sings us the story of how he went down to where the roads meet, and sold his soul to Opie's Aunt Bee L. Z. Bub. What did he get in exchange? We're still talking about this song.

eta -> Learned while reading up on this song, that what in fact this song was about, was infinitely more frightening than a story about the story-book devil selling fame in exchange for souls. It is about an insidious evil that is a very bleak chapter in the history of our great country (and that still casts a shadow on it's darkest corners):

While the idea of Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil may be fascinating and evocative, the song itself plainly describes the very real, harrowing situation feared by Johnson and other African Americans in the Deep South in the early 20th century. Historian Leon Litwack has suggested that the song refers to the common fear felt by blacks who were discovered out alone after dark. As late as 1960s in parts of the South, the well-known expression, "######, don't let the sun go down on you here," was, according to Litwack, "understood and vigorously enforced." In an era when lynchings were still common, Johnson was likely singing about the desperation of finding his way home from an unfamiliar place as quickly as possible because, as the song says, "the sun goin' down, boy/ dark gon' catch me here." This interpretation also makes sense of the closing line "You can run/ tell my friend poor Willie Brown/ that I'm standing at the crossroads" as Johnson's appeal for help from a real-life fellow musician." Furthermore, it is said that Johnson requested that Willie Brown be informed in the event of his death.

"As late as the 1960s"I was born in the 60's.

This was during MY lifetime.



More to follow . . .

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot - A (~150 year-old) song with deep religious overtones. Others claim it was about the Underground Railroad. Either way, it's a very powerful message and a very powerful song. Listen to it done by a top notch acapella group with either or both of these perspectives in mind. It'll rattle your soul.

This Land is Your Land - Ignorance is a terrible thing. I've disliked this song for a long time. To my credit, it's because, like many songs with messages about America (Fortunate Son, Born in the USA, etc.), it had been twisted from it's original intent, and presented to me (as a child) as a flag-waving sing-a-long, sung through plastic smiles. Only after reading up on it for this little excercise, did I realize that this was in fact, written in disgust and in response to a ridiculously uber-popular song that also made our list (hint: the original working title for TLIYL, was God Blessed America for Me). I learned a lot in this tier. Thank you fellow GWD piclers.

In case anyone cares, it isn't a coincident that there are similarities between Born in the USA and This Land is Your Land. Springsteen is a HUGE Woody Guthrie fan. Springsteen doing "

" 25 years ago.

 

[Fennis]

I learned a lot in this tier. Thank you fellow GWD piclers.

Considering two of the three picks were mine... You're welcome. I will be assigning homework.

 

[Fennis]

In case anyone cares, it isn't a coincident that there are similarities between Born in the USA and This Land is Your Land. Springsteen is a HUGE Woody Guthrie fan.

Springsteen doing "

 

[TidesofWar]

UH, great write ups. Keep it up.

Do you ever sleep?

I had a stomach ache. Couldn't sleep last night.

Tim doesn't sleep - he waits

 

[TidesofWar]

This Land is Your Land - Ignorance is a terrible thing. I've disliked this song for a long time. To my credit, it's because, like many songs with messages about America (Fortunate Son, Born in the USA, etc.), it had been twisted from it's original intent, and presented to me (as a child) as a flag-waving sing-a-long, sung through plastic smiles. Only after reading up on it for this little excercise, did I realize that this was in fact, written in disgust and in response to a ridiculously uber-popular song that also made our list (hint: the original working title for TLIYL, was God Blessed America for Me). I learned a lot in this tier. Thank you fellow GWD piclers.

I was about to ridicule you mercilessly for not knowing this was a political protest song, Marxist in nature, but I just read a bunch of stuff indicating that a lot of other people don't get it either--for instance, when he was awarded the Dept of the Interior's Conservation Service Award "in recognition of his life-long efforts to make the American people aware of their heritage and the land."

Sometimes, those who would do evil, produce unintended good.

 

[rodg12]

UH, great write ups. Keep it up.

Do you ever sleep?

I had a stomach ache. Couldn't sleep last night.

Tim doesn't sleep - he waits

 

[krista4]

I'm going to start interspersing some movie rankings in with Hummus's song rankings; hope he doesn't mind.

Starting with the 2-point movies:

Gettysburg: I'm glad Yankee took this as it gave me an opportunity to watch it, and despite all the warnings from others, I rather enjoyed it. I had seen the prequel, Gods and Generals, and this is definitely a better film. Good cast (though a bit of overacting here and there) and stunning recreations of the battle, done at actual sites. A bit confused and could have been much tighter, but overall a pretty good movie. Unfortunately suffers just by virtue of the better movies above it; if I were to be able to do free-form ranking, I would give this 12 of 20.



The Longest Day: Very similar to Gettysburg in that it is a recreation of war events, using an all-star cast, and similar in that it is a good movie that deserves a better ranking, but can't top those above it. As an aside, it's a little funny to see what appears to be a mid-50s John Wayne as a paratrooper.

Alien: Great movie, but not even the best of the series--Aliens is. Would be a 13 pointer on a regular scale.

Scarface: I loved this movie when I first saw it--although I thought Pacino's performance was comic--but it suffers a lot as time goes by. Rewatched it two nights ago, and it is not holding up, to the point where it is actually laughable.

 

[krista4]

3-point movies:

Pinocchio: Who doesn't love this movie? Also, an iconic song came out of it. Really beautiful and magical.

The Jazz Singer: Being first unfortunately doesn't equate to being best. Having a few songs doesn't really equate to being the first talkie in my mind, though technically I guess it is. The movie is a bit unfocused but important. The blackface is somewhat disconcerting at this point in time.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Another movie that's not really standing the test of time very well. If you watch it now, it suffers in comparison to The Sting, which is a more well-crafted movie.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: I have to admit that I don't "get" this series of movies, which to me seemed like one long, boring chase scene with some nice special effects and not particularly good acting. I'd put it in the bottom tier but must be missing something, so I moved it up one tier. To me this is the weakest movie on the list, though.

 

[Uncle Humuna]

I was about to ridicule you mercilessly

I will be assigning homework.

Mom?Dad?What the . . . ?Team Fennis are my parents?!?!?!?

 

[Uncle Humuna]

I'm going to start interspersing some movie rankings in with Hummus's song rankings; hope he doesn't mind.

Not at all.Had mentioned previous that I'm doing this at a leisurely pace.Glad to have yours interspersed.Oh, and

 

[Fennis]

I was about to ridicule you mercilessly

I will be assigning homework.

Mom?Dad?What the . . . ?Team Fennis are my parents?!?!?!?

 

[krista4]

4-point movies:

Now we're getting into the area where some really great movies are going to get shafted by the competition. Each of the following movies would rate at least a 15 on a "normal" 20-point scale:

The Sting: Totally fun, great movie with terrific acting and one of the best "con" movies of all time. Newman/Redford at their best. And I still know how to play that damn theme song after learning it on the piano when I was six years old.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Could have rated more highly if there weren't a lot of question as to whether it's even the best Monty Python movie (Life of Brian gets more of the love in polls). Still, one of the best "my sides hurt from laughing so much" movies of all time.

Die Hard: Is Alan Rickman the best action-movie villain ever? I think so. This movie is great no matter how many times you watch it.

Midnight Express: Have you ever been in a Turkish prison?

 

[Abrantes]

All of the 4-point movies are awesome. Shame the competition is so fierce.

I wish people still made movies as cool and seemingly effortless as The Sting.

 

[krista4]

I was about to ridicule you mercilessly

I will be assigning homework.

Mom?Dad?What the . . . ?Team Fennis are my parents?!?!?!?

 

[krista4]

All of the 4-point movies are awesome. Shame the competition is so fierce.

I wish people still made movies as cool and seemingly effortless as The Sting.

That was the hardest one to have on that list. :(

 

[krista4]

By the way, I'm watching Glory right now and still sad no one took Denzel Washington's or Morgan Freeman's performance.

 

[krista4]

5-point movies:

12 Angry Men: Kind of amazing that such tension can be built when the entire film basically takes place in one room. Fonda's performance is outstanding. Love this movie, though I mostly see it as a play set onscreen.

Castle in the Sky: I want to recognize this genre and wish I could give it more points. Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, or Princess Mononoke would have rated a little higher, but these are all worthy of the list and I'm glad someone took this.



The Outlaw Josey Wales: Mr. krista4 says this is a great movie just based on the fact that Clint Eastwood didn't even have a name in the movie. There's probably much more to it than that. I wish Clint stuck to Westerns like this and Unforgiven.



The Usual Suspects: Speaking of names: Keyser Soze. Fantastic movie based on a great script and equally phenomenal acting. Hasn't had the staying power of some of the movies listed above it, which is the only reason it can't rate more highly.

 

[krista4]

6-point movies:

Through a Glass Darkly: Only one Bergman gets taken, and this is it? Don't get me wrong--it's a great movie--but no Seventh Seal, no Scenes from a Marriage, no Persona, no Wild Strawberries...

Ben-Hur: Can't say I really enjoy this one, and Heston is way over-the-top for me, but just recognizing its iconic status here.

Patton: George C. Scott is masterful. The movie is a bit campy. Still, an American classic.



Reservoir Dogs: Can never listen to Stuck in the Middle with You the same way again.

 

[krista4]

I'm tired of write-ups already. Going to post the lists and make small comments where I feel like it. Hummus is a much better judge than I.

7 Points:

Rocky

The Deer Hunter

Cinema Paradiso

The Maltese Falcon

 

[krista4]

8 Points:

The Exorcist

The Empire Strikes Back

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Throne of Blood

 

[krista4]

9 Points:

E.T.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

The Shawshank Redemption

Notorious

 

[krista4]

Last one for now.

10 Points:

The Silence of the Lambs

Blade Runner

The Last Picture Show

The Graduate

 

[timschochet]

8 1/2 I watched this in college expecting to be bored off my ###. I was not a fan of foreign films at the time. I still am not a fan of Italian films. I tend not to be a fan of "art films". Just like a good song should have a melody, a good movie (or novel) should have a plot- that is the essential factor.

This film served to permanently change my perspective, from the opening amazing scene with all the cars moving by- the main character is at once both claustrophobic and part of the bigger world. This whole movie has to be looked at as a work of art like a painting on screen, rather than as a story put to screen, as I tend to view most films. I watched it spellbound, and I have never changed my opinion. 8 1/2 is generally regarded by most film critics as the greatest movie ever made. 20 points.

Au Hasard Balthazar The few minutes I saw reminded me of The Seventh Seal. Not saying I don't get it (I don't, though) just that it's not for me. Still, I have to recognize the incredibly high ranking this film gets from most critics. It has to be in the first tier. 16 points.

Rashomon I have always wanted to see this, and haven't had the chance. From what I understand, it should be required watching for all trial attorneys, as it deals with the matter of different perspectives in a masterful way. (I should note that I drafted the novel A Passage To India for a similar reason. Again, based on the opinions of critics, it's impossible to keep this film out of the first tier. 17 points.

Wings of Desire I actually had a Wim Wenders class in college. (Took it because it was at night, and I was working during the day, and looking for extra credits. Except for some film whose title I can't remember in which the main character mumbles "A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall" all throughout the movie) this was the only film in the class I enjoyed. Of course, for anyone who has seen this, the presence of Peter Falk in such in an atypical role is odd indeed. Compared to the other films chosen by Krista/Fennis and the others on this list, it doesn't belong near the top, however. 8 points.

 

[krista4]

Meh, forget it; I'm tired of staring at these and moving things around. Let's go ahead and make this my final answer.

20 Points:

Citizen Kane

The Godfather

Seven Samurai

Vertigo

19 Points:

The Rules of the Game

Lawrence of Arabia

Bicycle Thieves

Casablanca

18 Points:

City Lights

The Battleship Potemkin

Dr Strangelove

The Godfather, Part II

17 Points:

Singin’ in the Rain

The Searchers

The Wizard of Oz

Raging Bull



16 Points:

Some Like It Hot

Chinatown

The Third Man

Apocalypse Now



15 Points:

M

Modern Times

Psycho

2001: A Space Odyssey



14 Points:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Pulp Fiction

The Gold Rush

Schindler’s List

13 Points:

Rear Window

On the Waterfront

It’s a Wonderful Life

Star Wars



12 Points:

Aguirre, The Wrath of God

Jaws

The Battle of Algiers

North by Northwest



11 Points:

Unforgiven

Ikiru

Gone with the Wind

Sunset Boulevard

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

which movies did ToW pick?

 

[krista4]

8 1/2 I watched this in college expecting to be bored off my ###. I was not a fan of foreign films at the time. I still am not a fan of Italian films. I tend not to be a fan of "art films". Just like a good song should have a melody, a good movie (or novel) should have a plot- that is the essential factor.

This film served to permanently change my perspective, from the opening amazing scene with all the cars moving by- the main character is at once both claustrophobic and part of the bigger world. This whole movie has to be looked at as a work of art like a painting on screen, rather than as a story put to screen, as I tend to view most films. I watched it spellbound, and I have never changed my opinion. 8 1/2 is generally regarded by most film critics as the greatest movie ever made. 20 points.

Au Hasard Balthazar The few minutes I saw reminded me of The Seventh Seal. Not saying I don't get it (I don't, though) just that it's not for me. Still, I have to recognize the incredibly high ranking this film gets from most critics. It has to be in the first tier. 16 points.

Rashomon I have always wanted to see this, and haven't had the chance. From what I understand, it should be required watching for all trial attorneys, as it deals with the matter of different perspectives in a masterful way. (I should note that I drafted the novel A Passage To India for a similar reason. Again, based on the opinions of critics, it's impossible to keep this film out of the first tier. 17 points.

Wings of Desire I actually had a Wim Wenders class in college. (Took it because it was at night, and I was working during the day, and looking for extra credits. Except for some film whose title I can't remember in which the main character mumbles "A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall" all throughout the movie) this was the only film in the class I enjoyed. Of course, for anyone who has seen this, the presence of Peter Falk in such in an atypical role is odd indeed. Compared to the other films chosen by Krista/Fennis and the others on this list, it doesn't belong near the top, however. 8 points.

Agreed; Wings of Desire doesn't have the heft of the others--just a movie I love, and that Peter Falk role is outstanding.

 

[krista4]

which movies did ToW pick?

Good question. BRB.

 

[krista4]

which movies did ToW pick?

Good question. BRB.

Citizen Kane (20 points); Singin' in the Rain (17 points); Through a Glass Darkly (6 points); and The Maltese Falcon (7 points).