Match Cut Madness 3: Best of the 00s

[Ezee E]

We need a YiYi banner.

[Ezee E]

No Country for Old Men vs. Moon
Brick vs. Requiem for a Dream
Pan’s Labyrinth vs. Dogtooth
Kill Bill Vol. 1 vs. Irreversible
The Royal Tenenbaums vs. 25th Hour
Almost Famous vs. Tropic Thunder
Spirited Away vs. The Descent
Punch-Drunk Love vs. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind vs. Primer
Brokeback Mountain vs. Finding Nemo
Lost In Translation vs. I’m Not There
Shaun of the Dead vs. The Life Aquatic
Mulholland Drive vs. Donnie Darko
Spider-Man 2 vs. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Before Sunset vs. Adaptation
Fantastic Mr. Fox vs. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring

There Will Be Blood vs. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
The New World vs. Amelie
In the Mood for Love vs. Still Walking
Memento vs. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Zodiac vs. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Prestige vs. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Children of Men vs. Battle Royale
Ratatouille vs. In Bruges

The Dark Knight vs. Paprika
A Serious Man vs. Unbreakable
Wall-E vs. Kung Fu Hustle
The Departed vs. Y Tu Mama Tambien
Inglourious Basterds vs. A History of Violence
Minority Report vs. Oldboy
LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring vs. City of God
The Incredibles vs. Yi Yi

[quido8_5]

I agree it is a weak match-up, especially when compared to something like Fellowship vs. City of God or even There Will Be Blood vs. A.I. But I've found The Prestige to be a Nolan underdog that doesn't get much discussion but people quietly love, and Pirates is just all-around solid blockbuster entertainment. Who knows how far Hot Fuzz would've gotten, but Shaun of the Dead's presence made it less necessary.

I was so happy to see The Prestige make it in. Really a gem with some great acting and nice, twisty story. Probably most understated direction of Nolan's career, by Nolan standards. It can still be pretty extra in places, but shows that he can make a good movie without making it over the top.

[Idioteque Stalker]

We've received about half the votes I expect to be cast in this round. Here are some key match-ups to keep your eye on as voting continues through the week:

The Royal Tenenbaums vs. 25th Hour -- With three movies in the tournament, Wes Anderson had high hopes. Tenenbaums should be his best chance for a late-round push, but 25th Hour has a nice lead and The Life Aquatic and Fantastic Mr. Fox aren't doing so hot either.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind vs. Primer -- In Filmspotting's tournament from 2019 Eternal Sunshine was the overall runner-up, but Skitch's replacement for Elephant isn't making things easy for the 1 seed.

There Will Be Blood vs. A.I. Artificial Intelligence -- Baby Doll's replacement for Atonement is currently leading Filmspotting's overall champion. If There Will Be Blood loses in the first round to a play-in submission, it would be the biggest upset in MC Madness history.

LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring vs. City of God -- Maybe the week's premier match-up, expect these two heavy hitters to be neck and neck down to the wire.

[StuSmallz]

Spider-Man 2 vs. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
There Will Be Blood vs. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
The Prestige vs. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Children of Men vs. Battle Royale
Wall-E vs. Kung Fu Hustle
Inglourious Basterds vs. A History of Violence
Minority Report vs. Oldboy
LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring vs. City of God

[quido8_5]

We need a YiYi banner.

How about...

[

Show Spoiler

]

Or

[

Show Spoiler

]

[transmogrifier]

No Country for Old Men vs. Moon
Brick vs. Requiem for a Dream
Pan’s Labyrinth vs. Dogtooth
Kill Bill Vol. 1 vs. Irreversible
The Royal Tenenbaums vs. 25th Hour
Almost Famous vs. Tropic Thunder
Spirited Away vs. The Descent
Punch-Drunk Love vs. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind vs. Primer
Brokeback Mountain vs. Finding Nemo
Lost In Translation vs. I’m Not There
Shaun of the Dead vs. The Life Aquatic
Mulholland Drive vs. Donnie Darko
Spider-Man 2 vs. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Before Sunset vs. Adaptation
Fantastic Mr. Fox vs. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring

There Will Be Blood vs. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
The New World vs. Amelie (don't care - both are boring)
In the Mood for Love vs. Still Walking
Memento vs. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Zodiac vs. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Prestige vs. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (what the hell is this doing here?)
Children of Men vs. Battle Royale
Ratatouille vs. In Bruges

The Dark Knight vs. Paprika
A Serious Man vs. Unbreakable
Wall-E vs. Kung Fu Hustle
The Departed vs. Y Tu Mama Tambien
Inglourious Basterds vs. A History of Violence
Minority Report vs. Oldboy
LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring vs. City of God
The Incredibles vs. Yi Yi

[Skitch]

I'll work on that quido

[Peng]

No Country for Old Men vs. Moon
Brick vs. Requiem for a Dream
Pan’s Labyrinth vs. Dogtooth
Kill Bill Vol. 1 vs. Irreversible
The Royal Tenenbaums vs. 25th Hour
Almost Famous vs. Tropic Thunder
Spirited Away vs. The Descent
Punch-Drunk Love vs. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind vs. Primer
Brokeback Mountain vs. Finding Nemo
Lost In Translation vs. I’m Not There
Shaun of the Dead vs. The Life Aquatic
Mulholland Drive vs. Donnie Darko
Spider-Man 2 vs. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Before Sunset vs. Adaptation
Fantastic Mr. Fox vs. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (dammit for this match-up)

There Will Be Blood vs. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
The New World vs. Amelie
In the Mood for Love vs. Still Walking (dammit x 2)
Memento vs. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Zodiac vs. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Prestige vs. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Children of Men vs. Battle Royale
Ratatouille vs. In Bruges

The Dark Knight vs. Paprika
A Serious Man vs. Unbreakable
Wall-E vs. Kung Fu Hustle
The Departed vs. Y Tu Mama Tambien
Inglourious Basterds vs. A History of Violence
Minority Report vs. Oldboy
LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring vs. City of God
The Incredibles vs. Yi Yi

Four I haven't seen this round: Almost Famous, I'm Not There, Donnie Darko, Yi Yi

[Ezee E]

With our junkfood talk, that top banner would work great with better quality

[baby doll]

I'm not sure which of these you haven't seen, but your really should, I bet you would find them interesting at least. With the Descent, make sure its the original ending cut. Most of it plays Hollywood until the last act then its like oh damn this is a bit more

The ones I've not seen are The Descent, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and Ratatouille.

[baby doll]

Now let's see if Baby Doll is invested enough in Yi Yi to actually sit down and watch The Incredibles.

It's not on any of the streaming services I subscribe to, which means I'd have to track down a DVD somewhere.

[StuSmallz]

Even granting that the films update the novels' sexual politics to bring them more in line with contemporary attitudes (and even without having read any Tolkien, I have little doubt the films do this), Jackson's trilogy does not seem to me very revealing as a site of ideological tension in which contradictory attitudes towards femininity (or any other issue) are negotiated on the screen, as happens in studio-era melodramas about unruly women (and, as I've argued elsewhere on this forum, in Verhoeven's Basic Instinct and Showgirls). As far as the films seem concerned, the issue is basically settled.

I haven't seen it.

But it's that updating of the series' gender dynamics that demonstrate the way it challenged traditional roles when it comes to female characters, which is exactly the aspect that you tried to deny in your original post on the matter.

[Paranoid Android]

No Country for Old Men vs. Moon
Brick vs. Requiem for a Dream
Kill Bill Vol. 1 vs. Irreversible
The Royal Tenenbaums vs. 25th Hour
Almost Famous vs. Tropic Thunder
Spirited Away vs. The Descent
Punch-Drunk Lovevs. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind vs. Primer
Brokeback Mountain vs. Finding Nemo
Lost In Translation vs. I’m Not There
Shaun of the Dead vs. The Life Aquatic
Mulholland Drive vs. Donnie Darko
Spider-Man 2 vs. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Before Sunset vs. Adaptation
Fantastic Mr. Fox vs. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring

There Will Be Blood vs. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
The New World vs. Amelie
Memento vs. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Zodiac vs. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Prestige vs. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Children of Men vs. Battle Royale
Ratatouille vs. In Bruges

A Serious Man vs. Unbreakable
Wall-E vs. Kung Fu Hustle
The Departed vs. Y Tu Mama Tambien
Inglourious Basterds vs. A History of Violence
Minority Report vs. Oldboy
LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring vs. City of God

[DFA1979]

I guess I should probably see YiYi at some point. I'm surprised I've viewed at least 40 something of the flicks listed.

Big Wes Anderson fan here and I might marathon all of his movies at some point since I own all of them except for Isle of Dogs. Seen em all even his short movies and I'm still waiting for his new one.

[baby doll]

But it's that updating of the series' gender dynamics that demonstrate the way it challenged traditional roles when it comes to female characters, which is exactly the aspect that you tried to deny in your original post on the matter.

That's not what I said in my original post, or at least not what I meant to say. I did say that films of the studio era were just ahead of the culture in their representation of gender roles, depicting women who were slightly more independent and modern than was socially acceptable for the period, but I didn't mean to imply that such films (and their latter day successors) were unambiguously progressive. Rather, part of their fascination lies in their ambivalence, which reflects broader ideological tensions within American society during this period. By the time Jackson made his trilogy, however, attitudes toward women had shifted considerably, so while his female characters are doubtlessly more active than their counterparts in Tolkien's novels, they are not transgressive women and the films' attitude toward them is unambiguously positive.

[Idioteque Stalker]

25th Hour -- not my favorite Spike Lee joint. Loved Berry Pepper's arc, didn't care for Philip Seymour Hoffman's. Loved Lee's electric direction, didn't care for the overall look of the film. Loved the "fuck rant," didn't care for Brian Cox's closing flight of fancy. A good film, but not among the best of the decade imo.

[Yxklyx]

The Incredibles is kind of pedestrian as animated films go. Doesn't really try anything new like some of the others this decade. Rewatched Yi Yi last night, a good solid film but I couldn't connect to it as much as I would have liked.

[Idioteque Stalker]

The Incredibles is kind of pedestrian as animated films go. Doesn't really try anything new like some of the others this decade.

It's ludicrously entertaining, but I've always found the elitist themes discomforting. If Yi Yi takes it out in the first round then somewhere Watashi will feel a disturbance in the force.

[Ivan Drago]

That's a good week. Now let's see if Baby Doll is invested enough in Yi Yi to actually sit down and watch The Incredibles.

I just learned Yi Yi is close to three hours long. Might be planning my Sunday around it or just watching it over two nights.

[baby doll]

25th Hour -- not my favorite Spike Lee joint. Loved Berry Pepper's arc, didn't care for Philip Seymour Hoffman's. Loved Lee's electric direction, didn't care for the overall look of the film. Loved the "fuck rant," didn't care for Brian Cox's closing flight of fancy. A good film, but not among the best of the decade imo.

The Hoffman subplot felt a lot fresher in early 2003 before Anna Paquin was in six other movies where she sleeps with her teacher.

[Yxklyx]

I just learned Yi Yi is close to three hours long. Might be planning my Sunday around it or just watching it over two nights.

I watched it last night while I was dead tired. It's an epic film that's never boring. Not as flashy overall as something like Magnolia (at times it is) but well worth the watch.

[Idioteque Stalker]

Developing: Unlikely Play-In Round survivor A History of Violence -- originally in the tournament line-up, then replaced for Ghost World by Yxklyx, and then saved when Ezee E blocked the replacement -- is now surging in what has become a nail-biter match-up with Inglourious Basterds.

Inglourious Basterds vs. A History of Violence is one of three match-ups in which everyone has voted so far, along with There Will Be Blood vs. A.I. and Fellowship of the Ring vs. City of God. The match-up with the fewest votes? You guessed it: The Incredibles vs. Yi Yi.

________________


The match-ups with the most combined LB views:
1. The Dark Knight vs. Paprika (1.2m + 137k = 1.337m)
2. Brokeback Mountain vs. Finding Nemo (343k + 911k = 1.254m)
3. The Prestige vs. Pirates of the Caribbean (550k + 651k = 1.201m)

The match-ups with the least combined LB views:
30. Before Sunset vs. Adaptation (245k + 175k = 420k)
31. The Royal Tenenbaums vs. 25th Hour (353k + 62k = 415k)
32. In the Mood for Love vs. Still Walking (218k + 26k = 244k)

You'll notice that neither the most nor least popular match-ups according to LB reflect what is actually happening here in MC Madness. We are truly a community of insufferable edgelords!

[Skitch]

I love the Incredibles. But I haven't seen YiYi sooo...

[Yxklyx]

I love the Incredibles. But I haven't seen YiYi sooo...

...you risk having The Incredibles lose if you don't watch Yi Yi