News:

UFL Schedule comes out 2-5-2024

Main Menu

The Top 5 Thread

Started by TheNorm, July 30, 2017, 07:57:25 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 8 Guests are viewing this topic.

BojackHorsefella

Quote from: Crewe on November 01, 2018, 10:58:59 AM
Quote from: TheNorm on November 01, 2018, 12:24:42 AM
Movies:

Scott Pilgrim v. the World
Big Hero 6
Inception
Inside Out
North by Northwest

...and since I never answered my own question about musical tastes:

Prince
Michael Jackson
NWA
Dave Brubeck Quartet
The Eagles

Like Crewe, you could ask me this tomorrow and something might change.

the Dude would like a word....


At least no one said The Doors

TheNorm

From a tweet I'd seen a few days ago, what is your favorite movie from each year of the 2010s? Here, I'll start:

2010 - Inception
2011 - Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (anyone that says Sucker Punch here is getting punched in the neck)
2012 - The Dark Knight Rises
2013 - 42
2014 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2015 - Creed
2016 - Captain America: Civil War
2017 - Dunkirk
2018 - Black Panther

2013 was a really weak year for movies (or at least movies I wanted to see anyway), but 2014 and onward had some tough choices for me.
2010 came down to Inception and Scott Pilgrim.
"But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity." - Martin Luther King, Jr

thaima1shu

Ooh interesting.

2010: Inception
2011: Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
2012: The Cabin in the Woods
2013: Pacific Rim
2014: Guardians of the Galaxy
2015: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2016: The Nice Guys
2017: Get Out
2018: Mission Impossible: Fallout

2014 is tough, because I loved Interstellar too. 2015 was an absolute monster year for movies I loved. Inside Out, Creed, Mission Impossible, The Martian, Paddington, Sicario, Kingsman...whew! 2018 was a tossup between MI and Black Panther. Also shoutout to Crazy Rich Asians just because..y'know, Asians haha.

BojackHorsefella

It is not an easy thing that we do, but it is a necessary thing. I'll even be good and only include a couple honorable mentions. (using Wiki's "2010 in films", etc pages for the yearly lists).

2010 - The Social Network (rough year, but had some competition).

2011 - Kung Fu Panda 2 (good lord what a year though).

2012- Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (boy, this was an even tougher year).

2013 - The World's End (so, I know I said I'd keep honorable mentions to the honorable mentions, but I used the "if both were on TV, which would I watch" method and The World's End won, but, The Way, Way Back was it's competition and I was THIS close to just flipping a coin. Both are amazing movies that I love so much).

2014 -  Grand Budapest Hotel

2015 - Spotlight (Michael Keaton, in a movie about journalists? Sold.)

2016 - The Founder (Michael Keaton, in a true story about Ray Kroc? Honestly, I've watched this movie more times than I care to admit, and I love everything about it, even its flaws).

2017 - Mother! (many, if not all of you, will likely hate this movie. I love every second of it. It's one of those you either love it, or hate it, nobody falls in between).

2018 - Blindspotting (this was easier because I have my Letterboxd list to consult. This was easily the movie of the year for me, so far, and I don't think anything coming out is going to top it).




Honorable Mentions: I know it's not the best movie, but shout-out to Tron: Legacy for 2010 and, as much as I love Toy Story 3, Social Network is just so good.

2011, shout-out to Winnie the Pooh, my favorite Disney character.

2012 - too many good movies to highlight, so shout-outs to Cabin in the Woods and, of course, The Avengers.

2013 - Actually going to highlight two films I did not see, that may have been selected had I seen them, based on reviews. One is Fruitvale Station which, I just couldn't bring myself to watch. The other is Short Term 12, which I simply never made time for but is supposed to be really, really good.

2014 - WTF happened, there's literally 8 I could've chosen including my actual pick. Huge, tremendous shoutout to Whiplash, John Wick and Paddington as well. And It Follows (I promise I'm not trying to have my cake and eat it too, but I need at least one horror film mentioned in here).

2015- HUGE shout to The Final Girls, Inside Out, and the surprisingly funny and great Magic Mike XXL.

2016 - The Nice Guys, Popstar which, somehow, is still as funny as its first viewing, Green Room for being incredibly intense, and The Blair Witch for literally having me on the edge of my seat the whole movie. Man, I wanted to choose either of those last two, but I can't lie to myself about my love for Michael Keaton and The Founder.

2017 - Obvious ones: Last Jedi, Get Out, John Wick 2, Dunkirk. Let me also shout out a couple of A24 films, such as Lady Bird and The Florida Project.

2018- Honorable mentions to the rest of my Top 5 on Letterboxd: Eighth Grade, Mid90s (both A24), M:I Fallout and Won't You Be My Neighbor.

Crewe

man, I have to watch more movies lol

Hold the phone! There was another Blair Witch?

BojackHorsefella

Quote from: Crewe on November 28, 2018, 02:01:52 PM
man, I have to watch more movies lol

Hold the phone! There was another Blair Witch?

Oh yes. Admittedly, it was not well reviewed, but I LOVED it. I felt like it did a great job of recapturing what made the first great while also expanding on it.

Crewe

huh
Ill have to give it a look. Regardless of how BW1 is perceived now, I was always impressed with the filmmakers that orchestrated such a media obsession no to mention it wasn't such a bad film.

BojackHorsefella

Quote from: Bucfever on January 10, 2018, 02:41:20 PM
Oh god, I'm so not smart enough to do this, but here goes:

1. The Patriots will not represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

2. The Seattle Mariners will make the playoffs for the first time in, what, a decade?

3. Aaron Judge will hit more home runs next season than Giancarlo Stanton (I don't even believe this, just seems like the kind of ballsy prediction threads like these are for, although it can't hurt having Stanton behind him).

4. Ummmmmm.......Kentucky basketball will win March Madness, I suppose.

5. The Jets won't draft a QB in the first round.



SWINGS AND MISSES 0 for 5

BojackHorsefella

Top 5 Favorite Books You've Read

Doesn't have to be "the best" book (hey, if To Kill A Mockingbird is one of your favorites, that's swell too, but don't feel obligated to list it if not).

1. The Dark Tower - Going with the first book here. I love #7, it's great, but this is the one that kick-started it all. King later released a "revised" edition to clean up some inconsistencies between this book, and the sequel books which came out about 30 years later. The introduction to Roland and Mid-World is near perfect, and sets the table for everything else to come. Easily one of his best works.

2. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August - I heard about this novel and had to read it, because the premise was excellent. It's written by Claire North, an amazing, young and very talented author (I think her ACTUAL name is Kate Webb or something along those lines, although she has quite a few books under the Claire North name). The novel concerns a man who, upon reaching his death, re-awakens on the day he was born. In addition to that, he's able to retain memories from his previous lives. It turns out he's not the only one (although, those who can remember are very rare among his kind). One day, on his death bed, he's told the world will end and it's getting closer with every rebirth. The journey that follows is smart, heartbreaking, and truly incredible. I enjoy her other books too, they're good, but none as good as Harry August.

3. The Forever War - Joe Haldeman's The Forever War is a slightly older book (well, I started with Dark Tower, but, whatever). Written after he served in Vietnam, the book is an allegory as much as it is a fully fleshed out story: a man, recruited into military service for an intergalactic war that no one can remember why it began. Not only that, each time he comes home, due to the nature of interstellar travel, it's more and more unrecognizable, until the final point where he's not really sure what he's fighting to preserve. Insightful, melancholy, truly an amazing work of fiction influenced by truth.

4. They Both Die at the End - For some time, I was on Twitter and following many, many, many authors, publishers, editors, literary agents, etc from the book industry. I could tell you about a lot of different genres, but I saw a lot of praise going to 3 young authors: Angie Thomas, who wrote The Hate U Give (which was an incredible book and a decent movie), Becky Albertalli, author of Simon vs The Homosapiens Agenda (adapted for film as Love, Simon, also an amazing novel) and a third, Adam Silvera. All three apparently came up in the industry together, they were all friends from the same writing group and all wrote in the YA category. For years, I'd been dismissive of YA but there are some AMAZING stories being told in that genre that shouldn't be ignored. This is one of them.

Oh, also, if you remember Love, Simon then you may already know, but Albertalli and Silvera write LGBTQ YA. That's what this book is.

Through whatever circumstances (it doesn't actually matter), there is a service that alerts you the morning of your death that today is the day you die. Not a week, or a month before. It tells you that morning. You get a phone call.

Rufus and Mateo grew up in different areas, in different ways, but they meet up through an app that pairs Deathcast (the service that tells you you're going to die) together, so they can have an enjoyable last day. What transpires is an amazingly emotional tale, full of life despite the gloom, laughter and, of course, heartbreak. And, despite it being right there in the title, by the time you get there, you won't be ready for it. I was honestly in tears when I closed this one.

5. The Console Wars - How about a non-fiction book! The Console Wars is probably the DEFINITIVE novel about the Sega vs Nintendo console wars back in the 90s. Starting with the Genesis and focusing on new Sega of America president Tom Kalinske, Sega was able to challenge Nintendo's throne and even take over a majority share of the market at one point, something no analyst would have ever predicted. However, hamstrung by his superiors overseas and by an ever-evolving Nintendo who seem to be able to just roll with the punches, Kalinske can only do so much to keep Sega above water until the inevitable conclusion. FULL of interviews, photos, and just incredibly detailed retellings of what transpired all those years ago, this book is absolutely captivating and a must-read for any video game fan during that era.

Never forget: Sega does what Nintendon't.

Rigg44

Top 5 Favorite Books You've Read - this list is ever changing and if you ask me tomorrow the list could be completely different, I like a lot of books.

1) The Dark Tower-  I agree with everything stated in the post above.  I read this the first time as a 16 year old in London and it was good enough to be remembered on equal footing with the trip. Roland and his gang deserve a movie trilogy not the bastardized movie the tried to pass of as the dark tower recently.

2) Battlefield earth- I know L Ron Hubbard is a nut that created a religion from science fiction but this book was great. Following the tale of a post invasion earth years after it has been subjugated with a population that doesn't even remember a time that they were not dominated by aliens.  The movie they made of this book is one of the worst adaptations ever made so don't judge it by that piece of garbage.

3) Ceasar- Written by Colleen McCullough this is one in a series of historical fiction books based on the letters and writings of the time with the blank spots filled with fiction.  The series follows the rise and fall of Ceasar and is one hell of a good read if you like historical fiction.

4) The great divorce- Written by CS Lewis is the shortest book on my list but one of my favorites.  It is a story about the after life and the fact that the hell is a creation of our own making and inability to let go of our hang ups even after death.  I really enjoyed it and liked the implications and allegories throughout. 

5) The Stand- Stephen King makes his second appearance on my list. This book is more a tale of the two sides of man than it is a post apocalyptic world but it does a good job of telling that tale as well.  If you don't know the book takes place in a world post "super flu".  Most the population is dead and gone and only those that are immune are left. Great book, a very long book but still a great read.   

BojackHorsefella

Quote from: Rigg44 on December 13, 2018, 05:38:57 PM

1) The Dark Tower

2) Battlefield earth

5) The Stand

Just, 0 for 3 on the movie adaptations, right? I don't know how you mess up Dark Tower THAT badly (hopefully the Amazon show or wherever they're doing it is better) but holy heck. Same for The Stand remake they're doing, hopefully it's a little better now.

I haven't read the Caesar series, but I did read a book recently that's the same type of "using what facts we know and filling the rest in with fiction" type of book. Now, I've never read the Bible myself, but this book was written by Ann Wroe and it's simply titled "Pontius Pilate." I guess there's really not very much at all known about him? So, it uses a lot of speculation and what factual evidence there is (and some myth) to try to piece together his life. It acknowledges different ideas, interpretations, and possibilities, it doesn't ever try to present itself as the definitive story but tries to find the truth amongst multiple stories regarding him. It truly was fascinating and was such an incredibly vivid picture of the times he lived in, I have no idea how a person has such a clear vision but she really knocked it out of the park. I bet you'd enjoy it.

TheNorm

Good topic, I'll play.

Top 5 Favorite Books You've Read

In no particular order...

1. World War Z, Max Brooks - Presented in the style of firsthand accounts of the zombie apocalypse, aftermath, and recovery, the style just works here. Provides assessments of how the zombies spread (including missteps along the way), and how various countries fought back against it. Was a very hard book for me to put down, and don't bother with the movie.

2. The Sum of All Fears, Tom Clancy - one of the best books in the Jack Ryan series, it combines all the political intrigue and issues that Clancy had built up in the previous novels for Ryan and throws in a plot that puts the two biggest superpowers on a collision course for war. Clancy always had a way to weave a narrative throughout his books; in this book he even made the mechanics of a nuclear device detonation compelling reading.

3. Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton - Made the mistake of picking up this book right before one of my finals my freshman year in college. Ever have one of those books that you just can't put down? Yeah, it was about 5am before I noticed that I had a final in three hours. Whoops...but the book was that enjoyable for me. Took the final then came back and continued to read instead of going to sleep. Anyway, you know the plot of the book.

4. Brilliance Marcus Sakey - Set in an alternate reality where people born with gifts (think mutants) constitute 1% of humans born on earth. Of course, those born without powers end up growing to resent those that do have it and work to make sure they can't be overpowered by them. It's the first of three books in the trilogy, and the plot and character development are well done. Great combination political/terrorist thriller.

5. Station Eleven Emily St. John Mandel - I love dystopian future novels with a twist, and Mandel does a terrific job of drawing you into the characters. The novel jumps between the start of the flu that ends up wiping out 99% of the population and almost 20 years after the outbreak.  I won't say much else because I don't want to spoil any of it for you that might want (you should) check it out.


Just started reading Console Wars and I'm really finding the book enjoyable.
"But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity." - Martin Luther King, Jr

BojackHorsefella

Quote from: TheNorm on December 14, 2018, 12:09:04 AM
1. World War Z, Max Brooks

3. Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton

4. Brilliance Marcus Sakey

5. Station Eleven Emily St. John Mandel

I almost went with World War Z. Such an amazing book. And Jurassic Park is of course a classic.

Brilliance and Station Eleven are two I hadn't heard of before but have already added them to my Goodreads list. Thanks for the recommendations!

Crewe

#253
I can see I have distinctively different preferences from everyone else, but here you go anyway...


1 Five Families
Selwy Raab
Called the Bible of the mafia, Raab covers the mafia from Italy to Jersey and everything in between.
It is a fascinating read that discusses and examines the effect of the mob on society, the law on the mob and the weight of omertà.
Walking through the creation of the RICO statute from the 50's to the fall of the mob in the 90's, Hoover's FBI rejecting the evidence the mob exists, how law enforcement used technology, Joe Pistone, Goodfellas, Gotti, The Godfather, all covered in such a fastidious manner, your head will be swimming with intrigue.


Beach Road
James Patterson
This is still one that I recall that bested me with a turn I didn't see coming, at all.
I was still relatively new to Patterson's works so perhaps that helped, but still, this is one book that got me.

11/22/63
Stephen King
If's ands buts, c Andy and nuts.

Wyatt Earp: The Life behind the Legend
Casey Tefertiller
The Earp book to end all Earp books. meticulously researched and structured to give an in depth unflinching look at one of the West's greatest legends.
Why were the Earps called pimps in the Tombstone film? Was Stillwill executed by the Earps? What happened to Johnny Ringo. Oh yea and that thing at the OK Corral, it's all here. Forget what you think you know. Tefertiller examines the legend put forth by other researchers, dime novelists and films and breaks down what we really know.

Blackhawk Down: A Story of Modern Warfare
Mark Bowden
This book evolved out of an in depth series Mark was writing for the Philadelphia Enquirer regarding the US involvement in Somalia in 93.
As one of the first (I think he was actually the first to have such unfettered access) to gain insight directly from archives and soldiers from the Rangers and Delta forces, Bowden built a timeline of harrowing, gut wrenching and heroic events involving the US military in its involvement of a civil war in Somalia.
While reading this book, you see how easily good intentions go bad and humanitarian efforts turn in to revenge and how needlessly lives are lost and changed for ever. Mark demonstrates how the goalposts move during time of war and what a soldier faces in dire situations asking the question, how would you react?
The film adaptation was well done, but do your self a favor and read the book.
And not for nothing but while I think of it, read Bowdens book on Pablo Escobar too, just as mesmerizing and exhaustive.

Is that five? lol
Like but noted, and most things in this thread, this would be different if you asked me tomorrow.

BojackHorsefella

Quote from: Crewe on December 14, 2018, 02:03:22 PM

1 Five Families
Selwy Raab
Called the Bible of the mafia, Raab covers the mafia from Italy to Jersey and everything in between.
It is a fascinating read that discusses and examines the effect of the mob on society, the law on the mob and the weight of omertà.
Walking through the creation of the RICO statute from the 50's to the fall of the mob in the 90's, Hoover's FBI rejecting the evidence the mob exists, how law enforcement used technology, Joe Pistone, Goodfellas, Gotti, The Godfather, all covered in such a fastidious manner, your head will be swimming with intrigue.

I am going to have to check this out myself and recommend it to my father.