ruderrocket

I loved The Leftovers, especially season 3, and am glad it got this high on the strength of a few votes. Easily on the short list for my favorite shows of all time. The way it got its characters from Point A to Point Z was so satisfying and sooo fucking earned. It took these characters who were broken (with good reason), almost irreparably so, and got them to the point where by the end of it all, we could say that even if all their shit wasn't fixed, some sort of corner had been turned. The first season was bleak to the point that it got hard to watch, and even though the succeeding seasons never let go of the despair and anguish at the core of the show and its premise, the show was able to expand its emotional palette and show us the good, the joy, the sheer fucking hope that can come with trying to be resilient in an incredibly fucked up world. And it did this without sentiment or token attempts at making us feel nice and fuzzy inside. This is incredibly corny, but The Leftovers is one of those pieces of pop culture that made me want to try harder to come to terms with my own shit, so yeah, definitely my number one show of the year haha. Also, it had some of the funniest, most surreal, most entertaining TV moments of the year (w/ scenes featuring the Wu Tang Clan, lion cult sex orgies, and spy adventure fantasy lands), and for my money, one of the best TV love stories of all time. Yeah, I really liked this show.

1. The Leftovers 2. Better Call Saul 3. Bojack Horseman 4. The Handmaid's Tale 5. The Americans 6. Better Things 7. The Good Place 8. The Deuce 9. Rick and Morty 10. GLOW 11. Catastrophe 12. Master of None 13. Nathan for You 14. Review with Forrest Macneil 15. Boku No Hero Academia __

September 24-30: 147. 25th Hour (2002) 148. The Tree of Life (2011) 149. A Ghost Story (2017) 150. Kingsman: Golden Circle (2017) 151. Infernal Affairs (2002) 152. Rear Window (1954) 153. Enchanted (2007) 154. Okja (2017)

Started a 365 movies challenge at the start of the year, but haven't really been able to keep at it. I'm at 147 right now. I have a soft goal of hitting 200 before the year ends, but at this point, I'm not all too fussed about reaching that number. ____ List of movies I've watched so far:

I want to commit to writing my thoughts on the movies I watch, so I'll try to use this thread for that. Don't expect much in the way of coherence or insight, I tend to just vomit out my thoughts and impressions. ___ Movies I've watched this week: 142. Logan Lucky (Steven Soderbergh, 2017) -Not much to say about this one. There were fun moments, and Channing Tatum and Adam Driver make a convincing pair of siblings. It didn't really make that big of an impression on me, even though I did dig the working class take on Ocean's 11. 143. His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940) -I am a sucker for snappy, tit-for-tat dialogue, so I loved this movie. Cary Grant is delightful as the cut-throat scallywag asshole of a news editor, and he and Rosalind Russell have a great rapport. 144. Punch Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002) -My favorite PTA film. Best known as the "Adam Sandler deconstruction movie", for good reason, but even with all that metatextual stuff aside, it works as an incredibly sweet, moving story of a lonely, anxious, overall sadsack being able to connect and fall in love with another person. Everything in this movie works, from the creepy, dissonant score, to the use of colors and lens flare, and especially Adam Sandler's lead performance. He's so good in this. In particular, I'm thinking of the mini-anxiety attack after his first encounter with Emily Watson, and the moment where he stands up to his overbearing sister over the phone. Speaking of Emily Watson, it's fair to say that her character was drawn a bit thinly, and that we weren't really made to understand why exactly she was attracted to him, but for me, it works. Mainly because it's hinted all throughout that she's just as lonely, and sad, and fucked up as Adam Sandler's character (the stalking, the wearing the same red dress, the note about her being an only child and wishing she had a big family like Barry's). Anyways, I love this movie. 145. mother! (Darren Aronofsky, 2017) -This movie is a ride, and I really liked it. The biblical parallels are not at all subtle, but I don't think they were trying to be. It's an over-the-top mess of a movie, which I would say is part of the appeal. And for all the (valid) critique of the script and the anvil-on-the-head approach to symbolism, I don't think its an empty movie. It works as a black comedy bastardizing the Bible, but it's also fun to read as Aronofsky reflecting on his own creative process, even if that reflection was inadvertent. I don't want to say too much about the plot, but the fact that this movie is so clearly a vanity project is actually really interesting when put side by side with what happens in the story. What kept me from loving this was the lead performance by Jennifer Lawrence. I am not a hater of Lawrence, but she never reached the level of "unhinged" that the material called for, and given how central she is to everything that happens, it's a big handicap. But all in all, I enjoyed mother!, and wish that this kind of insane, narcissistic auteur-driven type work is rewarded. 146. Respeto (Treb Monteras, 2017) -This is a local film (I'm from the Philippines), so unless an online copy is released somewhere, this probably won't be accessible to anyone not in the country. Which is a shame because it's great. The movie is set in one of the slums in Metro Manila and is focused on a group of friends who are into fliptop (a Filipino appropriation of freestyle hip hop and rap battles). Basically, they're a bunch of degenerates who come from troubled families and like to rap. The main character, Hendrix, delivers drugs for his sister's boyfriend, and ends up losing some of the money. In order to get the money back, they try to rob this old man (a former activist during our country's time under martial law), get caught, and end up having to do community service for the old man. What elevates this movie is the way it comments on our current situation here in the Philippines (our President is currently implementing a war on drugs which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of Filipinos, mostly members of the urban poor) and does it through a very small-scale story of a teenager trying to use free-style rap to win the respect of his peers. I'm sorry if this commentary was incoherent, there really is a lot going on in the movie, and some knowledge of the socio-political and cultural context is probably necessary to really understand it. Still, it's an angry film for angry times, and I think that's something people can relate to across cultures.

Watched Silence last week and loved it (probably in part because of my own experience having grown up around Jesuits and ignatian spirituality.) If I had watched it before making my ballot, it probably would've taken my number 10 slot (sorry 20th Century Women). Certain Women got high on my ballot mainly on the strength of the third act w/ Kristen Stewart and Lily Gladstone. I would've wanted The Handmaiden to place higher, but I'm just glad it made it at all. Probably my favorite Park Chan-Wook movie, although I've only watched 3, so take that with a grain of salt.

All-time (no particular order): 1. Deadwood 2. The Office (US) 3. Freaks and Geeks 4. Neon Genesis Evangelion 5. The Wire Current: Better Call Saul The Good Place Game of Thrones The Americans Rick and Morty

1. Moonlight 2. Arrival 3. Certain Women 4. Manchester by the Sea 5. Kimi no Na wa (Your Name) 6. La La Land 7. Hail, Caesar! 8. Hell or High Water 9. The Handmaiden 10. 20th Century Women

1. Dragon Ball (keep in mind, not Dragonball Z) 2. Rugrats 3. Adventures of Pete and Pete 4. Hey Arnold! 5. Johnny Bravo 6. Teen Titans 7. Powerpuff Girls 8. Samurai Jack 9. Justice League 10. Boy Meets World

Scrubs. Season 7 especially was pretty bad. But season 8 was a good end to the series.

Embedding isn't really working for me right now, so i'll just post links to videos. Gun to my head, I'd have to choose between the openings of Freaks and Geeks ( ), Cowboy Bebop ( ) and Cheers ( ). Cheers is in there mainly on the strength of nostalgia. Some of my most vivid memories from when I was younger involve watching Cheers on VCR with my mom (I'm just guessing that it was on VCR, not really sure). I remember I memorizing the lyrics of the song, and always trying to copy the face of the kid in the last picture of the credits.

I really love Scrubs, but why do you think Louie is a pile of shit?

Hmm, at this point, is the "vote for everything rule" still necessarily? If the purpose of the rule was to make sure that all match-ups had some votes, you don't really need it anymore, since at this point, almost all of these shows have a good amount of supporters. It'd be a shame if a really close match-up ended up being decided by a "didn't watch either, flipped a coin" vote. It's your tourney though. Votes sent!

EASTERN BRACKET 1) Community vs. 4) The Office (U.S) 3) The Walking Dead vs. 2) Seinfeld CENTRAL BRACKET 9) Game of Thrones vs. 4) Breaking Bad 3) South Park vs. 15) Sons of Anarchy MOUNTAIN BRACKET 1) The Simpsons vs. 4) The Sopranos 14) Louie vs. 2) Scrubs PACIFIC BRACKET 1) Arrested Development vs. 13) The A-Team 6) Futurama vs. 2) The Wire From the votes so far, looks like The Wire isn't making it to the next round Well, if it goes out here, at least it's to Futurama, another show which I love.

MOUNTAIN BRACKET 1) The Simpsons vs. 8) House 5) It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia vs. The Sopranos 6) Firefly vs. 14) Louie 7) 24 vs. 2) Scrubs PACIFIC BRACKET 1) Arrested Development vs. 8) Mystery Science Theater 3000 5) Parks & Recreation vs. 13) The A-Team 6) Futurama vs. 3) Friends 7) Twin Peaks vs. 2) The Wire

Hmm, this is where things start getting hard. Eastern Bracket Community vs. West Wing How I Met Your Mother vs. The Office (US)- This one was kinda tough, and both shows have had their ups and downs, but in the end, I have to go with the Office here. Right now, I'm enjoying HIMYM more, but overall, The Office wins out. Blackadder vs. The Walking Dead Frasier vs. Seinfeld Central Bracket Lost vs. Game of Thrones- There was a stretch of time a few years ago when I was addicted to Lost, and even now, it still holds a special place in my heart. Game of Thrones is really good too, but one season of quality TV isn't enough for me to vote it over Lost. Monty Python's Flying Circus vs. Breaking Bad Fawlty Towers vs. South Park Freaks and Geeks vs. Sons of Anarchy- Please please please don't let Freaks and Geeks go out here. It wasn't a show that changed the face of television or pop culture. All it did was depict high school life better than any other piece of pop culture I know, with all the humor and all the awkwardness that comes in that stage of life. F&G could be hilarious one second, poignant the next, and then back to hilarious in an instant. I've only seen season 1, and the first episode of season 2 of SoA, and I liked what I watched, but for me, F&G deserves to go to the next round.

Pacific Bracket Arrested Development vs. The IT Crowd- I caught a few episodes of the IT Crowd on an airplane before, and I enjoyed it, but it's not beating Arrested Development for me. Mystery Science Theater 3000 vs. Chuck- I love the characters of Chuck too much to vote against them this early. MST3000 is really funny (my impression from the clips I've seen), but when Chuck is firing on all cylinders, it's as good as any TV show around. Parks and Recreations vs. Curb Your Enthusiasm- I can see why so many people like Curb so much, but wasn't really my thing. I'm not averse to awkward humor, but didn't like it that much, although I only watched the first half of the first season, so maybe it gets better. P&R on the other hand is great, and the cast is just so damn lovable. Also, RON SWANSON. Angel vs. The A-Team- First match-up where I have never seen an episode of either show. I'm a Joss Whedon fanboy though, and Angel is on the list of shows that I really want to watch, so my vote goes to that. Futurama vs. Red Dwarf- Hopefully this doesn't end with me getting lynched, but I have to say it. I like Futurama more than Simpsons. Simpsons is wonderful and hilarious and is a pillar of quality television, but I don't have the same sentimental attachment to it that I do with Futurama. And I don't have any attachment with Red Dwarf at all. Friends vs. The OC- The OC gets lumped in with a lot of other bland (imo), "teen drama" type shows like 90210 and One Tree Hill, and not without good reason. It does have a lot in common with those kind of shows, but I thought that The OC had more heart than most of them. I would vote The OC over Friends on the strength of its first season alone. I like Friends enough, but not enough to vote for it here. Twin Peaks vs. Six Feet Under- Six Feet Under is one of the more underrated HBO dramas I think, not really getting the acclaim I feel it deserves. It's probably one of the best shows ever when it comes to talking about death, as it should be, since it's about a family in the death business. I haven't watched Twin Peaks yet , from what I've read it seems like something I'd like though. The Wire vs. The Prison Break- I was addicted to Prison Break when it first started, but it really should've ended after season 2 I think. After that, I just lost interest. The Wire on the other hand, was 5 seasons of perfection. It's insane, it went on for five seasons, and as far as I remember, there was never a bad episode. Not to say that it didn't have it's missteps (there were, but few and far between), but nothing that really brought the show down. It's one of the best pieces of pop culture ever, and should go all the way to at least the final four.

I didn't determine the bracketing, the nominations did! If I did determine the bracketing, The Tick would have gone up against something besides current ratings juggernaut, Zombies Zombies Zombies. Also, wow, the rare septuple post from ruderrocket. You having some formatting trouble? Yessir, sorry. I'll keep my formatting simple next time.

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