JBond's Top Ten Thread

[JBond]

Too slow, Cracked:

http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-10-m...l-to-outsider/

[MasterChief117]

The Football terminology ones are pretty lame, but some of the other ones I can agree on (Redskins and Fantasy Football, although I do play Fantasy Football just not to the extreme some do).

[JBond]

Top 10 Planetary Destructions in Film

To celebrate the end of the world on December 21st, 2012, I thought it'd be fun to look back at the best planet explosions. It's mostly ranked on special effects and its "awesome factor," but in some cases the specifics of the scene in the movie come into play.


10. Vulcan - Star Trek (2009)

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

It's brief, but a planet going down by a black hole is pretty cool.


9. Earth – Armageddon (1998)

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

I'm cheating a little bit with this one since the planet isn't being destroyed. However, almost all life is being destroyed and frankly, the image is such a huge exageration (and Michael Bay usually shows such restraint) that it looks like the planet's being destroyed, anyway. Also, despite being a crappy movie, I really like this opening and speech done by Charlton Heston. (I wonder if he believed half of what they made him say.)


8. Krypton – Superman (1978)

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

Poor quality and a bit long, but it's pretty dramatic.


7. Earth – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

There's a bit of a parody of planet destructions in this one: The high pitched sound effects go on way too long. But the final result is actually pretty cool. Poof.

[PG Cooper]

Great idea.

[JBond]

6. Veridian III – Star Trek: Generations (1994)

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

(Fast-forward to 1:50)

That blow'd up real good.


5. Earth – Titan A.E. (2000)



http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/60...vieid=60000523

(I couldn't find a shot of it on Youtube, so if you'd like to see it, it's available on Instant Netflix. Fast-forward to 5:00)

It's animated, but it's still pretty cool. And it gets great bonus points for taking out the moon, as well.


4. Earth – Knowing (2009)

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

Dopey movie, but the incineration of Earth (or half of it) is pretty awesome and gives "Terminator 2" a run for its money.

[Neverending]

Is Star Wars #1?

[JBond]

Close.

[JBond]

3. Jupiter – 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

Perhaps it doesn't compare to the special effects of many on this list, but "2010" gets a special place for it's significant science fiction impact. This isn't just Jupiter blowing up, it's a process put forth by a higher power to implode Jupiter into a second sun. That's pretty damn awesome.


2. Alderaan – Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

Naturally Alderaan was going to be on the list. There's nothing that interesting about the explosion itself (I'm pretty sure the above video is a fan edit, it's the best I could find), but what makes this one so amazing is how blasé General Tarkin is about blowing up an entire planet.


1. Earth/Melancholia – Melancholia (2011)

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

To me, this was a no-brainer. Besides being an amazing scene with so many emotions going into it, it also has a unique perspective from Earth as Melancholia collides with it. (Apparently I remembered the scene wrong and thought there were also shots of the planets colliding from outer space. I now think that was during just the opening scene. I've included both videos.)

[Knerys]

Titan AE. Awesome.

[Dracula]

Great choice at number one btw

[JBond]

Bottom 10 TV Shows I Still Watch (For Some Reason)

Inspired by Dracula's "Top 10 Shows of 2012," I'm going to go with my strengths and make a lists about shows I don't like. As I'm sure many of you know, I LOVE watching TV, so much so, that I'll often stick with a show through the end if it gives me at least one good full season (and sometimes not even that). If you find yourself still asking why I watch these shows, it might help to know I have minor OCD.

They are ranked from least worst to worst shows.


Honorable Mention - New Girl (2011 - ?)

I've never even really liked this show, but I just watch it. It makes me laugh on occasion and it hasn't been around for that long, so I put it in the honorable mentions.

10. Parks and Recreation (2009 - ?)



This was very good for about 3 seasons, then the fourth lost some steam and now it's pretty boring.


9. Fringe (2008 - 2013)



Again, Fringe was brilliant for 3 seasons, the fourth was awful and the fifth isn't much better. I'd certainly like to see how it all ends soon, though.


8. How I Met Your Mother (2005 - 2014?)



This is a very underrated show (as it's on CBS) and has been great for a long time. But now it's being stretched and stretched which is not only dragging out a show that's not very funny anymore and has run out of ideas for episodes, but it's killing the main storyline of "finding the mother." Like many others, I'm in it to see how it ends now.


7. 30 Rock (2006 - 2013?)



Again, just not that funny anymore. It's humor used to be so zany and hilarious in its silliness, now it's just weird and awkward, as if that's the same thing.


6. Grey's Anatomy (2005 - ?)



Yes, I watch Grey's Anatomy. My sister watched the first couple of seasons on DVD with me long ago and I picked it up as a show. It hasn't been interesting for years. I just miss ER and this is my medical show fix.


5. The Office (2005 - ?)



The sad thing about The Office is that it became unfunny around season 4 and now that that was so long ago, this show's going to be remembered as an average show and not the biggest show on TV like it was for its first few years. It's just so dull now.


4. Dexter (2006 - 2013?)



Dexter was awesome for 4 years and then completely tanked; Season 6 was embarassing. The last season had some highlights, but it's never going to be great again. The best we can do now is to hope they end it well.


3. Big Bang Theory (2007 - ?)



I originally watched this show because it had geeky science and math references and was actually pretty funny in its first season...that was 5 years ago. Not only has this been a crappy sitcom for all this time, but it's everything I hate in sitcoms. It follows all of the cliche storylines for relationships that include both the main male/female lead, but also the "established" relationships that friends have. There's also absolutely no character development. I don't know if anyone watches this show, but take Raj, for example. Here's a character who is too shy to speak in front of women unless he's drunk. They had some good fun with this at first, but after 6 years he hasn't gotten over it. See, I think that would make a pretty cool episode where he can overcome this. Instead, this has become a burden for them with screenwriting, so what do they do? Shove a beer in his hand every time he needs to talk with a female character. That's right...instead of allowing a character to grow, they made him an alcoholic. I could go on (like with Sheldon and Amy, good GOD, could I go on...), but instead I'll move on.


2. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005 - ?)



I seem to recall this show being hilarious at first, but it's hard to believe now. Now it's just vulgar and disgusting. I've come to hate almost all of the characters, and yet I keep watching it, hoping it will end soon.


1. Futurama (1999 - ?)



At first I thought I only put this in the #1 spot because it used to be my favorite show, so I moved it to the #2 spot...then I thought about it some more and decided, no, it really has become that bad. Like, I want to vomit because they've destroyed the dearest thing to me, bad. It's not funny anymore, it's certainly not smart any more (just about all the writers are new), and more often than not the ending gets very, very close to actually having a character say "this is our ending, it doesn't make any sense, isn't it cool that we're pointing it out, though? Do you forgive us now? F**k you." Then it kicks me in the nuts.

[Neverending]

Originally Posted by JBond

they've destroyed the dearest thing to me

I've said it before and I'll say it again. People love to talk s--t about Family Guy, but Futurama has shown what a horribly revived show truly looks like. Even more embarrassing, Mike Judge successfully revived Beavis and Butt-Head without seamingly any effort whatsoever. There used to be a time when I would have argued that Futurama was better than The Simpsons. But now, no way would I say such a thing. The Simpsons, at their worst, is better than Futurama at its lowest.

[JBond]

Shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy could easily have been on this list, but I don't watch them anymore. I can understand stupid writers not understanding Futurama, but how do the creators of it explain or rationalize this? I cant WAIT to buy the newest season and listen to the commentaries. I want a f**king explination from David X Cohen or Matt Groening.

[Neverending]

Originally Posted by JBond

Shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy could easily have been on this list, but I don't watch them anymore.

The Stewie & Brian episodes of Family Guy have become increasingly science-fiction based and they're better than Futurama. If you have Hulu, sample "Road to the Multiverse" and "Back to the Pilot." You might like it.

how do the creators of it explain or rationalize this? I cant WAIT to buy the newest season and listen to the commentaries. I want a f**king explination from David X Cohen or Matt Groening.

Matt Groening doesn't care. This is the same guy who says "The Simpsons are better now." As long as the paychecks come in, he's happy. As for David Cohen, I highly doubt he's a showrunner these days.

[Dracula]

I can definitely relate to the act of watch shows long after you start to dislike them. I agree with all those choices except the ones I don't watch (HIMYM, Grey's, and Big Bang Theory) and Fringe. Even with Fringe I can relate because I definitely had that feeling last year.

[Ramplate]

I still like 1,3, and 4

[IanTheCool]

I still watch The Office out of loyalty. I agree that Met Mother is being stretched too far considering the premise of the show, but I have still found it enjoyable. Mind you, that's one I caught up with on reruns and haven't watched the whole way through, so that's one reason I may feel that way I suppose.

[Dogbert0228]

Two other ideas to throw out there just to hear people's opinions:

- Infield fly rule
- Stadium dimensions

[Neverending]

I've had my issues with this season of How I Met Your Mother, but the last episode, before the holiday break, where Barney proposes to Robin is one of the best. So the show still has some juice left in it.

[FranklinTard]

one episode doesn't mean the show is turning around. you could point to one episode where it was terrible and use your same logic. and every time futurama is brought up, you bring up family guy. beat that dead horse some more.


i agree with parks n rec though, it really has just lost steam and now everyone is turning into a charicature. like ben's nerd blackface all the time... we get it.

[JBond]

Steven Spielberg



I've been working on these for a while. This is the start of three lists I'm going to do devoted to Steven Spielberg. First, a gallery of my favorite shots from his movies, which I thought would be fun, then a list of about 30 of the best scenes from his movies, and then a final list of his 28 movies ranked.

(I realize this would have been a good time to rank the John Williams scores, but as I mentioned during my Star Trek lists, I'm not very good at commenting on scores.)

[JBond]

Top 50 Favorite Spielberg Shots

This is a pretty bias category, but I thought everyone could enjoy a gallery like this. This is actually somethign I've wanted to do for a long time and was the inspiration to make any of these lists.

The criteria for this list is MOSTLY the aesthetics of the shot itself, as in, they're mostly ranked by what someone mightly think of them had they never seen the movie or known of the context. However, in some cases the context or scene comes into it. I'll try to mention when I caved on that point on the shots in question.

In some cases, I will provide an alternate when I couldn't decide between two or more similar freeze frames. (Although consider the first one to be the "real" ranked one.)


50. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)




49. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)




48. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)




47. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)




46. Minority Report (2002)



This is the prison.


45. War of the Worlds (2005)



Something about the mix of advanced technology and brick is really cool here. Also, we're so used to shots like these in the dark, it's great to see something so fierce on a nice, sunny day. This is because the war is pretty much over at this point; the "night" is over.


44. Amistad (1997)



This is following the opening mutiny before he kills the captain. Or maybe right after. Taking a freeze frame of this is cheating a bit since you can only see him when the lightning is striking. It takes away some of the ferociousness.


43. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)



Unfortunately, the spaceship in these shots are a bit ruined by some poor matte work, but you can hardly tell in a freeze frame.


42. War of the Worlds (2005)



The tripod bursts through both water and fire in this film. But over the ferry was much cooler.


41. War of the Worlds (2005)

[Justin]

Cool idea for a list. I forgot how good the photography was in War of the Worlds.

[JBond]

Yeah, there's going to be a lot from that movie. Even after I took some out.

[Neverending]

Interesting list. People don't often think of Steven Spielberg as a visionary filmmaker since he isn't flashy or have a signature style per say but he is master executioner of images. In some cases, he made groundbreaking work. Saving Private Ryan set the standards for how war films are shot. And although Minority Report wasn't the first movie to feature digital color filters, it showcased the most effective way of using it.

My personal favorites of his visual works are Jaws, E.T., Empire of the Sun, Hook, and Schindler's List.