The PG Cooper List Thread: Gamer Days

Damn right, Psycho!

No, not you. The other one.

I was just thinking about this. Obviously Halloween had me busy, but also grad school work. I should be back on it soon.

If it’s not done by next Friday then I’m going to finish it.

And you don’t want me to finish it.

You'd be surprised just how much Adam Sandler is in Doomsday's top 40.

Buzzfeed: Doomsday's top 40 movies; where Adam Sandler lands will surprise you!

Can't wait to see where the 1993 classic Rookie of the Year will wind up.

You chose the wrong Man of the House



(Nice touch using a shot from The Third Man for Kane)

I mean, there's so many good ones.

Let's finish this...


40. Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata, 1988)



1988 was a pretty massive year for anime. Akira was the international breakthrough - a sci-fi epic of such ambition and incredible animation that helped open the doors for anime in the West. In stark contrast to Akira's hyper-violence and action was My Neighbor Totoro, a gentle, wondrous fantasy that would become one of Hayao Miyazaki's most beloved works. And finally, there was Isao Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies. Takahata's film didn't redefine anime for Western audiences like the former, nor did it create cultural icon like the latter, but it has nonetheless established a legacy of extreme reverence and respect. And with good reason; Grave of the Fireflies is one of the greatest films ever made. The film takes a simple look at two children, a brother and sister, trying to survive in Japan during the second world war. The film has been rightfully praised as one of the best works of anti-war put to cinema, but it's true power is more simply rooted in its emotional impact. Few movies are quite as emotionally hard-hitting as Grave of the Fireflies, with movies of beauty and joy giving way to intense pain and sorrow. Grave of the Fireflies is not only an exceptional piece from the anime power trio of 1988, and it's also the greatest animated film ever made.


39. Once Upon A Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968)



The Good, the Bad and the Ugly will almost certainly go down as Sergio Leone's most famous film, but for a small handful of us, Once Upon a Time in the West is the legendary filmmaker's true masterpiece. Leone pushes his sensibilities to operatic heights and the results are simply awe-inspiring. The storyline is also a lot more complex than Leone's prior works, incorporating not just gunslingers seeking vengeance, but also illicit land dealings and shady business details. Early on it's actually kind of hard to imagine how all of these elements are going to come together, but it's very satisfying when they finally do. Stylistically, the film sees Leone at his absolute peak, and it results in some astounding set-pieces. All of the cinematic elements are really on fire here, but it's probably the editing that most stands out, with Leone very willing to push tension to absurd breaking points, which gives us some fantastic set-pieces. Ennio Morricone's score is less iconic than his work on the Dollars Trilogy, but it's just as good, and the film also offers a thoughtful look at death and violence. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly may be the cooler and more accessible work, but Once Upon a Time in the West is a truly transcendent Western epic.


38. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001)



Wes Anderson has become such a staple of modern indie cinema that he's almost a cliche, and indeed, there are times when he feels a slave to his own style. And yet, when he's at his best, Anderson can make some of the most inspired and engaging of modern cinema. For my money, The Royal Tenenbaums is Wes Anderson's masterpiece - a film that finds a perfect sweetspot between the idiosyncratic worlds Anderson loves to craft while simultaneously rooting the characters and their problems in very tangible aspects of the human experience. Beneath all their quirks and idiosyncrasies, the Tenenbaum family are remarkably well-drawn characters dealing with very relatable issues and anxieties. Each of the characters have their own distinct arc, but the core of each is how we deal with failure. It's easy to invest in this family, and the emotional journey they go through turns out to be quite harrowing. Of course, it'd be wrong of me to imply the film is a dour and relentless tragedy because it's certainly isn't. The Royal Tenenbaums is a comedy, and quite frankly a hilarious one, but one which uses humour to explore some painful subject matter. Anderson may have developed his visual style much further since 2001, but his comic instincts have never been sharper, and the witty as hell screenplay certainly helps. Crucial to both the comedy and drama is a pitch-perfect ensemble cast, anchored by a fantastic turn from the great Gene Hackman in what was probably his last great performance.

I didn't realize you liked Unforgiven that much.