Today's post will blaze through half of the first round matchups in the movie madness tournament. Tomorrow we'll finish off the first round and you can see how the second round stacks up.
Drama
(1) Shawshank Redemption
(16) For Love of the Game
Winner: Shawshank Redemption
This was an easy pick. I love For Love of the Game, and it hasn't gotten the love it deserves. It's a very good movie -- and this from a guy who doesn't particularly like Kevin Costner. Still, does anyone really want to argue that it should have beaten Shawshank? I haven't looked any further than this round so far, but I think Shawshank is a legitimate #1 seed, and has a definite shot at the championship.
(3) Se7en
(14) The Terminal
Winner: The Terminal
This was a much closer matchup. Se7en is probably my favorite Brad Pitt movie ever. It's very well acted, and it has a wonderful, interesting, twisted plot that makes it very cool. I think The Terminal gets the "W" here, pulling our tournament's first upset, because of the phenomenal acting of Tom Hanks, and the great sense of humor it carries with it.
(5) Good Will Hunting
(12) Apollo 13
Winner: Good Will Hunting
I love history. Apollo 13 tells the true story of the amazing astronauts who made it through a pretty scary ordeal. It features Kevin Bacon, Tom Hanks, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise, and other fantastic actors, who are definitely part of why it's one of the best. Unfortunately it drew a killer first round opponent. Good Will Hunting has a couple of the best monologues in movies, and it's definitely not going down in the first round.
(7) Glory
(10) A Beautiful Mind
Winner: Glory
Another tough call here. It really could have gone either way. I think it really came down to Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman being very tough to beat together.
Family
(2) Finding Nemo
(15) Newsies
Winner: Newsies
This looks like a huge upset on paper (a 15 seed defeating a 2 seed), but it really wasn't even that close. I love Nemo. I think it's hilarious and fun. But Newsies has a marvelous musical score, along with fantastic choreography, and it's all based on a true story. Plus, Robert Duvall's Joseph Pulitzer is simply classic. And it's fun to see the pre-Batman, pre-heartthrob Christian Bale.
(4) Beauty and the Beast
(13) Anastasia
Winner: Beauty and the Beast
As far as Disney musicals go, Beauty and the Beast can't be beat. And given that Anastasia is, in my opinion, the best non-Disney animated musical out there, it's just too bad that it still doesn't quite stack up. Why doesn't Disney make animated musicals anymore? I miss them.(6) Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
(11) Simon Birch
Winner: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Simon Birch is a great family flick, but it didn't stand a chance against Wonka. Gene Wilder makes an amazing Willy Wonka, and the movie is jam-packed full of little one-line jokes that seem to multiply every time I see it. Hilarious.
(8) Remember the Titans
(9) Rudy
Winner: Rudy
This was a truly close duke-it-out matchup between probably the two greatest football movies ever made. I can watch both of these movies over and over. I've got to go with Rudy because to me it's more epic. It's on a bigger scale (Notre Dame vs. T.C. Williams High), and it draws me in a little more because it's very much focused on one player. I dunno. Argue with me if you want.
Comedy
(2) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(15) Arthur
Winner: Arthur
Don't get me wrong. Monty Python is a classic, iconic comedy. It's hilarious. It's whole sense of humor is ridiculous. I just think that at some point, while I still continue to appreciate it, I've grown out of it a little bit. I still like to watch it every once in a while. The problem with Arthur is that it's absolutely hilarious for about the first thirty minutes and then it slows down dramatically. It still takes round one, though.
(4) The Princess Bride
(13) My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Winner: The Princess Bride
This barely needs an explanation. Probably the biggest blowout of round one. It was like Yeshiva University's football team playing against the Dallas Cowboys (anyone catch the West Wing reference?). I do like Greek Wedding, but it's not in the same league as Princess Bride.
(6) Secondhand Lions
(11) Elf
Winner: Elf
A fairly close match here, but Elf gets props because it's the cleanest, funniest movie Will Ferrell's ever done. Secondhand Lions, however, provides a great picture of how I want to be when I'm retired (old, grouchy, shooting shotguns at salesmen who trespass).
(8) Dumb & Dumber
(9) Marley & Me
Winner: Marley & Me
I'll admit, this one was very close for me. Dumb & Dumber is the epitome of a stupid-humor comedy. I love it. Marley & Me is also fantastic. It was a combination of a super cute dog and the fact that my wife would kill me if I didn't pick it that Marley took this one.
Action
(1) The Dark Knight
(16) The Saint
Winner: The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight certainly wouldn't be a number one seed in my book. Nevertheless, it won its first rounder due to the fact that it's still very good, and Heath Ledger's Joker is enormously impressive. I've read that The Saint was supposed to be just the first in a series of movies staring Val Kilmer as that character, but others never materialized. That's too bad, because it's quite an intriguing movie. It just got edged.
(3) Braveheart
(14) Tears of the Sun
Winner: Tears of the Sun
A lot of people will consider this to be a huge upset. The truth is, even though I love Braveheart, I don't list it up there with the best action movies ever made. It would probably rank in the bottom half of the 16 action movies in this contest if I seeded the movies. On the flip side, Tears of the Sun has never, to my knowledge, been that terribly popular of a movie, but it's amazing. And it's one of the reasons I'm not a pacifist.
(5) V for Vendetta
(12) The Patriot
Winner: The Patriot
I think it's my ethnocentrism, but I love The Patriot. Mel Gibson's great. It's emotional. It's not entirely historically accurate, but if we threw a fit over all of the movies that aren't that accurate, we'd end up having to watch a bunch of boring movies. History, in movie form, wouldn't be that interesting (except for things like the U.S. 1980 olympic hockey victory over the Soviets).
(7) Bourne Trilogy
(10) The Count of Monte Cristo
Winner: The Bourne Trilogy
If you've never seen the three Jason Bourne movies, you should come over to my place and we'll knock 'em all out in a night or two. They're really great. I have a friend who has read the books on which they're based, and he tells me all the time that the movies aren't that good because the books are so much better. I usually tell him to shut up. I haven't read the books. And since, as I'm told, the movies are quite different from the books, I don't know why there has to be that comparison made anyway. If you prefer the books to the movies, that's fine. But don't act all disappointed in me for thinking the movies are great -- because they are.
That does it for Round 1 Part 1. Check back tomorrow to see who the other Round 1 winners are, and who will face off in Round 2!
I'm going to have to argue Rudy vs. Remember the Titans. Obviously, it doesn't matter what I say, because this is YOUR top movies, but I think it's more than TC Williams. It's about integration and the battles that had to be fought. It's not just a story about a high school football team that went undefeated. It's a high school football team that united a town that would otherwise have remained hostile towards blacks. Also, Denzel Washington plays one of the best coaches in any movie ever.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing. Big bummer that The
ReplyDeleteCount of Monte Cristo had to face the Bourne Trilogy in the first round. I think it would've made it pretty far. But, I agree with your assessment that the Bourne Trilogy is better.
Jase, I think it's more than TC Williams too, which is why I mentioned it as one of the two best football movies ever. I agree with everything you said, including Denzel's Coach Boone, but I stand by my decision. I still think "epic" is a good word to describe Rudy because of the hugeness of Notre Dame football. Anyway, it's absolutely true that it's a tough call. You should really do something like this (maybe AFTER you get back from China). I'd be interested in your picks.
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