All Things "Top 5" Thread (Movies, TV Shows, Cities, Countries, Actors, Beers, Restaurants, Athletes, Sporting Events etc.)

Donate To GopherHole
top 5 american novels

1.moby dick
2.grapes of wrath
3.blood meridian
4.to kill a mockingbird
5.confederacy of dunces
 



mplarson7 said:
Only one I would argue that could belong is Wrath of Khan.
Click to expand...
My opinion: a typical Harve Bennett production, i.e. a good Six Million Dollar Man episode. Artistically derivative of and inferior to the TV episode on which it was based. Entertaining but superficial.
 

bigtenchamps1899 said:
top 5 american novels

1.moby dick
2.grapes of wrath
3.blood meridian
4.to kill a mockingbird
5.confederacy of dunces
Click to expand...
My favorite American novels.
1. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas-Hunter S. Thompson
2. Catcher in the Rye-Salinger
3. McTeague-Frank Norris
4. Jitterbug Perfume- Tom Robbins
5. Ham on Rye-Charles Bukowski

Honorary mention. Fast Times at Ridgemount High -Cameron Crowe (yes, it was a book before the movie=blew me away as a middle schooler)
 


short ornery norwegian said:
Two posts on Python sketches and nobody mentioned these yet
1. The Lumberjack sketch
2. The Dead Parrot sketch. (pining for the fjords......)
3. Vocational guidance counselor
4. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink
5. and of course, No One Expects the Spanish Inquisition.
Click to expand...

I had Dead Parrot in there and switched at the last minute. :) We'll put it at the top of the next 5, followed by Tudor Porn Merchants, The Ding Ding Ding Good Night job interview, Woody vs Tinny Words and The Mollusk sketch. Ask me another day this may change.

Gave myself a nice pick me up by watching Holy Grail last night. My girlfriend got me copies of that, Life of Brian and Meaning of Life for Xmas.
 
Last edited:

Top Five local radio stations

1. RadioK - U of M station. DJ's are so bad they rule. Best music by far.
2. KFAN - Now that they actually care about the Gophers...
3. WDGY - Out of Hudson. Classic rock from the 50's to the 70's.
4. The Current - Getting worse every year but still good.
5. Tie between KQRS and KFAI - Couldn't be more different. Both rarely get a chance from me anymore.
 

My least favorite Best Picture Oscar winners (limited to the ones I've seen of course) - in no particular order.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (like the author Ken Kesey, I felt the movie strayed way too far from the spirit of a great book and I also felt Jack Nicholson was miscast)

What should have won that year: Jaws (one of the greatest adventure movies of all time from one of the greatest (in my view, the greatest) directors of all time)

Kramer vs. Kramer

What should have won that year: Apocalypse Now (this is a no-brainer)

The Unforgiven (The darkest, ugliest Western I've ever seen and not very entertaining either. Clint Eastwood has made more deserving movies)

What should have won that year: not the strongest set of contenders (The Crying Game, Howard's End, A Few Good Men, and Scent of a Woman) but almost any one of them would have been better.

Titanic (big budget, big snooze)

What should have won that year: again, not the strongest set of contenders (As Good as it Gets, The Full Monty, Good Will Hunting, and LA Confidential ) but I would have taken any one of them over the winner.

No Country for Old Men (hat well known film fan, Charles Barkley, called this Oscar a travesty and I agree)

What should have won that year: this is a tough one. I didn't see Atonement. Michael Clayton was "meh." I could never watch "There Will Be Blood" again. Juno was at least a lovable little movie so I guess I'll have to go with that.
 

cjbfbp said:
My least favorite Best Picture Oscar winners (limited to the ones I've seen of course) - in no particular order.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (like the author Ken Kesey, I felt the movie strayed way too far from the spirit of a great book and I also felt Jack Nicholson was miscast)

What should have won that year: Jaws (one of the greatest adventure movies of all time from one of the greatest (in my view, the greatest) directors of all time)

Kramer vs. Kramer

What should have won that year: Apocalypse Now (this is a no-brainer)

The Unforgiven (The darkest, ugliest Western I've ever seen and not very entertaining either. Clint Eastwood has made more deserving movies)

What should have won that year: not the strongest set of contenders (The Crying Game, Howard's End, A Few Good Men, and Scent of a Woman) but almost any one of them would have been better.

Titanic (big budget, big snooze)

What should have won that year: again, not the strongest set of contenders (As Good as it Gets, The Full Monty, Good Will Hunting, and LA Confidential ) but I would have taken any one of them over the winner.

No Country for Old Men (hat well known film fan, Charles Barkley, called this Oscar a travesty and I agree)

What should have won that year: this is a tough one. I didn't see Atonement. Michael Clayton was "meh." I could never watch "There Will Be Blood" again. Juno was at least a lovable little movie so I guess I'll have to go with that.
Click to expand...
Good points, Kramer vs Kramer especially. It was a critics' darling from the get go, but it was nowhere near as ambitious and timeless as Apocalypse Now.

One where I disagree vehemently: Titanic. It's one of the great films of all time, not just the best of that year. It gets better each time I see it. One amazing and underappreciated aspect is its historical accuracy. So many of the events depicted actually happened exactly as filmed--including the men who dressed in their dinner jackets and top hats to go down with the ship in a dignified manner. The list of true-to-life characters dwarfs the list of fictional characters.
 



Bad Gopher said:
Good points, Kramer vs Kramer especially. It was a critics' darling from the get go, but it was nowhere near as ambitious and timeless as Apocalypse Now.

One where I disagree vehemently: Titanic. It's one of the great films of all time, not just the best of that year. It gets better each time I see it. One amazing and underappreciated aspect is its historical accuracy. So many of the events depicted actually happened exactly as filmed--including the men who dressed in their dinner jackets and top hats to go down with the ship in a dignified manner. The list of true-to-life characters dwarfs the list of fictional characters.
Click to expand...
The best part of Titanic was when some of the passengers ping-ponged down the ship into the ocean. That was cool. The rest...I just didn't like it all that much. Rose was selfish. Plenty of room for Jack.
 

cjbfbp said:
My least favorite Best Picture Oscar winners (limited to the ones I've seen of course) - in no particular order.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (like the author Ken Kesey, I felt the movie strayed way too far from the spirit of a great book and I also felt Jack Nicholson was miscast)

What should have won that year: Jaws (one of the greatest adventure movies of all time from one of the greatest (in my view, the greatest) directors of all time)

Kramer vs. Kramer

What should have won that year: Apocalypse Now (this is a no-brainer)

Titanic (big budget, big snooze)

What should have won that year: again, not the strongest set of contenders (As Good as it Gets, The Full Monty, Good Will Hunting, and LA Confidential ) but I would have taken any one of them over the winner.
Click to expand...
I agree with the above. As good as Cuckoo's Nest was, it pales in comparison to the book by a long shot.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Good points, Kramer vs Kramer especially. It was a critics' darling from the get go, but it was nowhere near as ambitious and timeless as Apocalypse Now.

One where I disagree vehemently: Titanic. It's one of the great films of all time, not just the best of that year. It gets better each time I see it. One amazing and underappreciated aspect is its historical accuracy. So many of the events depicted actually happened exactly as filmed--including the men who dressed in their dinner jackets and top hats to go down with the ship in a dignified manner. The list of true-to-life characters dwarfs the list of fictional characters.
Click to expand...

I can believe that about Titanic. I will confess to watching it only once all the way through. That's the thing about lists of movies that people think are overrated. Chances are that the list makers didn't like them enough to give them another chance.
 

tikited said:
I agree with the above. As good as Cuckoo's Nest was, it pales in comparison to the book by a long shot.
Click to expand...

Thanks. As I mentioned, being a fan of the book I also had some reservations about Jack Nicholson as McMurphy. He was supposed to be some strapping Irish American redheaded tough guy - not a short, wisecracking dude who speaks in a drawl.
 




Top FIve Jean Claude Van Damme Movies

1. Bloodsport
2. Kickboxer
3. Lionheart
4. Universal Soldier
5. Death Warrant
 

Top Five Rocky/Creed Movies

1. Rocky
2. Creed
3. Rocky 4
4. Rocky 2
5. Rocky 3
 

cjbfbp said:
My least favorite Best Picture Oscar winners (limited to the ones I've seen of course) - in no particular order.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (like the author Ken Kesey, I felt the movie strayed way too far from the spirit of a great book and I also felt Jack Nicholson was miscast)

What should have won that year: Jaws (one of the greatest adventure movies of all time from one of the greatest (in my view, the greatest) directors of all time)

Kramer vs. Kramer

What should have won that year: Apocalypse Now (this is a no-brainer)

The Unforgiven (The darkest, ugliest Western I've ever seen and not very entertaining either. Clint Eastwood has made more deserving movies)

What should have won that year: not the strongest set of contenders (The Crying Game, Howard's End, A Few Good Men, and Scent of a Woman) but almost any one of them would have been better.

Titanic (big budget, big snooze)

What should have won that year: again, not the strongest set of contenders (As Good as it Gets, The Full Monty, Good Will Hunting, and LA Confidential ) but I would have taken any one of them over the winner.

No Country for Old Men (hat well known film fan, Charles Barkley, called this Oscar a travesty and I agree)

What should have won that year: this is a tough one. I didn't see Atonement. Michael Clayton was "meh." I could never watch "There Will Be Blood" again. Juno was at least a lovable little movie so I guess I'll have to go with that.
Click to expand...

Completely agree with the first two. Jaws over Cuckoo. And Apocalypse Now is a no-brainer. I don't consider it a masterpiece, but it's a great film.

Disagree on The Unforgiven. Could see Scent of a Women overtaking it. Titanic winning doesn't bother me. But I would have given it to Good Will Hunting or LA Confidential.

Completely disagree about No Country for Old Men. Great movie. There Will Be Blood could make a case for the Oscar. But NCOM absolutely deserves it.
 

cjbfbp said:
Thanks. As I mentioned, being a fan of the book I also had some reservations about Jack Nicholson as McMurphy. He was supposed to be some strapping Irish American redheaded tough guy - not a short, wisecracking dude who speaks in a drawl.
Click to expand...
I saw Milos Forman speak many years ago and one of the stories he told was about how he got the gig directing Cuckoo's Nest.

Kirk Dougles owned the screen rights and really, really wanted Forman to work on a movie version of the book/play. Trouble was...Forman was working/living in communist run Czechoslovakia. All of the letters that Douglas sent to him were never received by Forman. They all were either burned or are still in possession by some Russian Govt. worker.

Kirk Douglas couldn't seem to find the right studio/director and eventually gave up. When the rights were up for grabs (his son) Michael stepped in and wanted a crack at it.

Michael had just started to discover the brilliance of Milos Forman and thought he would be perfect for the job. He contacted Milos and got through to him. Milos was now on board and made it to America.

Kirk found out and was a bit upset that Milos had spurned him but was cool with Michael. That is when he found out that the commies had intercepted his attempts to get Milos to agree to direct.

Like father like son. What are the chances of all of that?
 

Top 5 Movie Series:

1. Lord of the Rings
2. The Avengers
3. Harry Potter
4. Star Wars
5. Austin Powers
 

Im watching "War of the Worlds", a kinda made for TV thing offered on Comcast-Xfinity. It sucks--way too much interpersonal angst, not enough aliens-- but its better than staring at the walls.
 

OldBob53 said:
Im watching "War of the Worlds", a kinda made for TV thing offered on Comcast-Xfinity. It sucks--way too much interpersonal angst, not enough aliens-- but its better than staring at the walls.
Click to expand...

Try the ceiling. There is a lot going on up there.
 



Bad Gopher said:
Good points, Kramer vs Kramer especially. It was a critics' darling from the get go, but it was nowhere near as ambitious and timeless as Apocalypse Now.

One where I disagree vehemently: Titanic. It's one of the great films of all time, not just the best of that year. It gets better each time I see it. One amazing and underappreciated aspect is its historical accuracy. So many of the events depicted actually happened exactly as filmed--including the men who dressed in their dinner jackets and top hats to go down with the ship in a dignified manner. The list of true-to-life characters dwarfs the list of fictional characters.
Click to expand...
I agree; everything post-iceberg is really good. I like the back & forth focus from individuals to ship-wide. Occasionally it's on tv, and I'll watch the sinking.

I'm not a movie buff so can't comment on the others on the list, though I did like both No Country & There Will Be Blood.
 

MNGopher23 said:
Top 5 Movie Series:

1. Lord of the Rings
2. The Avengers
3. Harry Potter
4. Star Wars
5. Austin Powers
Click to expand...
Top 5 Nokomis family movie series. My kids are the perfect age for these.
1. Harry Potter (by a LONG shot)
2. Star Wars
3. Chronicles of Narnia (though I HATE these)
4. Sandlot
5. Lord of the Rings
 

stocker08 said:
Completely agree with the first two. Jaws over Cuckoo. And Apocalypse Now is a no-brainer. I don't consider it a masterpiece, but it's a great film.

Disagree on The Unforgiven. Could see Scent of a Women overtaking it. Titanic winning doesn't bother me. But I would have given it to Good Will Hunting or LA Confidential.

Completely disagree about No Country for Old Men. Great movie. There Will Be Blood could make a case for the Oscar. But NCOM absolutely deserves it.
Click to expand...

I guess you have a better appreciation for unmitigatedly dark movies than me. I will admit to needing something uplifting most of the time (which is one of the reasons I like Stephen Spielberg so much). That's probably the #1 reason that I rank No Country for Old Men and the Unforgiven relatively low. Plus I don't understand how a film focusing on a psycho killer who likes murdering people with a captive bolt stunner can find such favor.
 

tikited said:
I saw Milos Forman speak many years ago and one of the stories he told was about how he got the gig directing Cuckoo's Nest.

Kirk Dougles owned the screen rights and really, really wanted Forman to work on a movie version of the book/play. Trouble was...Forman was working/living in communist run Czechoslovakia. All of the letters that Douglas sent to him were never received by Forman. They all were either burned or are still in possession by some Russian Govt. worker.

Kirk Douglas couldn't seem to find the right studio/director and eventually gave up. When the rights were up for grabs (his son) Michael stepped in and wanted a crack at it.

Michael had just started to discover the brilliance of Milos Forman and thought he would be perfect for the job. He contacted Milos and got through to him. Milos was now on board and made it to America.

Kirk found out and was a bit upset that Milos had spurned him but was cool with Michael. That is when he found out that the commies had intercepted his attempts to get Milos to agree to direct.

Like father like son. What are the chances of all of that?
Click to expand...

Good story! I remember reading years ago that Kirk Douglass starred in the Broadway play version of the novel but I didn't know that he had a long history with the story.
 

Nokomis said:
I agree; everything post-iceberg is really good. I like the back & forth focus from individuals to ship-wide. Occasionally it's on tv, and I'll watch the sinking.

I'm not a movie buff so can't comment on the others on the list, though I did like both No Country & There Will Be Blood.
Click to expand...
There will be Blood is a stone cold masterpiece. I loved Titanic too, but LA Confidential is another great one that could have should have won.
 

Top 5 Twilight Zone episodes (I could easily make this a top 10)
1. Time Enough at last. A bookworm survives a nuclear war and thinks he will have time to read.
2. Eye of the Beholder. A disfigured woman undergoes a final operation to make her look 'normal.'
3. The Invader. An elderly woman, alone in her house, battles strange alien creatures.
4. Little Girl Lost. A young girl becomes lost inside the walls of her house. (basic idea borrowed for
the movie Poltergeist.)
5. The Howling Man. A man visits a monastery where a prisoner pleads to be released.
(honorable mention)
6. Nightmare at 20,000 Feet. William Shatner freaks out when he thinks he sees a gremlin on the wing
of an airplane.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Top 5 Twilight Zone episodes (I could easily make this a top 10)
1. Time Enough at last. A bookworm survives a nuclear war and thinks he will have time to read.
2. Eye of the Beholder. A disfigured woman undergoes a final operation to make her look 'normal.'
3. The Invader. An elderly woman, alone in her house, battles strange alien creatures.
4. Little Girl Lost. A young girl becomes lost inside the walls of her house. (basic idea borrowed for
the movie Poltergeist.)
5. The Howling Man. A man visits a monastery where a prisoner pleads to be released.
(honorable mention)
6. Nightmare at 20,000 Feet. William Shatner freaks out when he thinks he sees a gremlin on the wing
of an airplane.
Click to expand...
1. The Midnight Sun. The earth is getting closer to the sun...or is it?
2. Two. Only two people left on earth. Plus, Elizabeth Montgomery.
3. It's a Good Life. Horrible child with mental powers.
4. Five Characters in Search of an Exit. Toys are trapped in a bucket.
5. A Game of Pool. Minnesota Fats vs. Quincy.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom