I always thought it would be cool to do a new round up and just post the results. Doing a whole new thread would be a bit much. Although it's stressful enough for a lot of people to compile lists for the current Top 50s, much less redo their lists from years ago. That's why I though this thread would be good, as anyone who wants to post a revised 25 for a given contest could do so here. I'll probably do a couple myself before I'm done.
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30 for 50: Celebrating Five Years of Listings
- Thread starter Issun
- Start date
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- list memory lane top 50
#6: Here’s your chance, do your dance, it’s the… TOP 50 ANIMATED FILMS!!!
Ran from December 12th, 2015 to December 30th, 2015
Host: Double Dracula
Top Anime: Wall-E
Selected (by me) Entry:
Ran from December 12th, 2015 to December 30th, 2015
Host: Double Dracula
Top Anime: Wall-E
Selected (by me) Entry:
233 points
Well, maybe it's true that nobody likes Fantasia. But if that's the case, then we all, at least, hold a grudging respect for it. Regardless of how you feel about Fantasia, though, you have to admit, it stands the test of time as an incredible artistic achievement. As much as we might say this about all of the early Disney films, I find it really hard to believe that this one came out in 1940. And, of course, it's considered by many historians to be one of the greatest films of all time, animated or otherwise.
I was thinking about ranking the seven short films contained within Fantasia, but it turns out, the chronological order in which they appear is pretty much in line with how cool they all are. Toccata and Fugue in D Minor starts things off, and it's a nice enough amuse-bouche (I guess, amuse-oreille, in this case), all abstract colours and shapes. It fires up the imagination. The Nutcracker Suite is pleasant and doesn't overstay its welcome. Then comes the Sorcerer's Apprentice, which is basically the proof of concept. We don't need no stinkin' dialogue!, it says. Also the wizard's name is Yen Sid, and that's boss. From there, we're treated to quite a wide array, everything from the dinosaurs going extinct, to ballet dancing hippos, to adorable little baby unicorns. Then the grand finale, when a chilling vision of the devil Chernabog summons a bunch of demons up a mountain, and the film closes with Ave Maria. Like many of us, I'm sure, Fantasia was a real slog for me to get through as a kid, but watching it now, it's kind of astounding.
About the film, Rotten Tomatoes 'super reviewer' Christian C says, "This is a pretty boring film, and not an effective vehicle for getting kids interested in classical music. There's no coherent story. It's just not interesting." He gives it only two stars. Oh. Well then. Shows what I know.
Choice quote: "The symphony that Beethoven called the "Pastoral", his sixth, is one of the few pieces of music he ever wrote that tells something like a definite story. He was a great nature lover, and in this symphony, he paints a musical picture of a day in the country. Of course, the country that Beethoven described was the countryside with which he was familiar. But his music covers a much wider field than that, and so Walt Disney has given the "Pastoral Symphony" a mythological setting, and the setting is of Mount Olympus, the abode of the gods. And here, first of all, we meet a group of fabulous creatures of the field and forest: unicorns, fawns, Pegasus the flying horse and his entire family, the centaurs, those strange creatures that are half man and half horse, and their girlfriends, the centaurettes. Later on, we meet our old friend Bacchus, the god of wine, presiding over a bacchanal. The party is interrupted by a storm, and now we see Vulcan forging thunderbolts and handing them over to the king of all the gods, Zeus, who plays darts with them. As the storm clears, we see Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, and Apollo, driving his sun chariot across the sky. And then Morpheus, the god of sleep, covers everything with his cloak of night as Diana, using the new moon as a bow, shoots an arrow of fire that spangles the sky with stars." - Narrator
I would have had Spirited Away at #1 (it was in the top 5, I believe), but when I looked at the full list on this one, I realized that, if I'd participated, Secret of NIMH would have cracked the Top 50, as I would have had it at #2.
As it is, the only Bluth film to make the list was, strangely, Anastasia (and that just barely).
As it is, the only Bluth film to make the list was, strangely, Anastasia (and that just barely).
I've heard this kind of take before, and I've never understood it. You know how kids of a certain age have that one Disney movie they watch over and over and over? Once I discovered it, Fantasia was that movie for me, unseating The Rescuers Down Under as my rewatch of choice for many years. The Rite of Spring, Pastoral Symphony, and Night on Bald Mountain segments were my everything, man. I was even more baffled when I learned, later in life, that Fantasia was a gigantic box office failure and forced the studio to pinch pennies on its following film, Dumbo. How could anyone dislike Fantasia??? Yeah, I dunno either.
conchobhar
What's Shenmue?
Big ups. Fantasia wasn't at the "rewatch forever" level for me, but it's always something that fascinated and enchanted me as a child. My appreciation of Fantasia has definitely grown over the years, but I've always counted it among my favourites. There's just nothing else like it!
There's definitely a few lists I wish I could take another stab at.
#7: This is Fine - Top 50 Fantasy Novels
Ran from January 18th, 2016 to March 27th, 2016
Host: Lokii (feat. Falsemomgic)
Top Nerd Book: The Hobbit
Along with Lokii's writeups for each entry, this list also featured Falselogic showing the front and back covers of each book to his mother, who offered her often blistering insights (Taran Wanderer was probably her only real miss). My criteria for choosing the entry for this list was best Falsemomgic quote, but there was such a cornucopia that I settled for her pretty much summing up the HP series.
Selected (by me) Entry:
Ran from January 18th, 2016 to March 27th, 2016
Host: Lokii (feat. Falsemomgic)
Top Nerd Book: The Hobbit
Along with Lokii's writeups for each entry, this list also featured Falselogic showing the front and back covers of each book to his mother, who offered her often blistering insights (Taran Wanderer was probably her only real miss). My criteria for choosing the entry for this list was best Falsemomgic quote, but there was such a cornucopia that I settled for her pretty much summing up the HP series.
Selected (by me) Entry:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling (2003) - 74 points (Taeryn, Yimothy, TKFlash, Jayson (Ding Dong))
Halfway through and finally an appearance from that boy. You know that boy, the one who was living? In this book he gets really sad and SCREAMS A LOT. I like how weird this one gets at the end here's a song:
“Accio Brain!”
FalseMomgic sayz:
[front cover]I know the Harry Potter books Jonathon. But which one is this? Remind me. (I tell her I don’t remember because I didn't read this one and I saw the movie a long time ago, but I think it is when things get real) Oh, yeah! Voldemort is back! And They have to start organizing to fight him. The Order is like a secret society, those are bad, but in the book they’re good! Or this one is. Death Eaters are bad.
[back cover]I don’t really remember much of this one. Sorry. I know I like it. But I don’t remember any details. Harry and Ron probably ruin something and Hermione has to fix it. That’s all the books though! *laughter*
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One other thing about the Fantasy Novels contest: I think we all remember Ample Vigour (or most of us do), and he definitely had his own style when he would post on the 2.0 boards. Most of his posts were no better or worse than any others, but his best were something special, and my favorite thing he ever posted was in this list, when conversation about The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe eventually turned to Susan's place in The Last Battle.
Ample Vigour said:
Guilty as charged. (My top three were Nausicaa, Cagliostro, and Laputa, and there were three more in the top half of my list.)
I also had Phantom Tollbooth on there, though.
Oh man! That fantasy novel thread. I can't believe I got my mom to do that! It was fun though.
I loved the Fantasy Novel top 50, and I loved reading Momlogic's takes, but that thread is notable to me for two reasons that have nothing to do with Fantasy novels:
1) It's when I first decided to take a stupid picture for a joke post.
2) It was where a meme was born:
The only reason I remember either of these is because my SO recently asked "what's the deal with the olive oil thing" and wouldn't take "I can't really remember" for an answer.
1) It's when I first decided to take a stupid picture for a joke post.
JBear said:Isrieri said:
I dunno man, this seems fine to me.Johnny Unusual said:
2) It was where a meme was born:
Loki said:
Falselogic said:
Solitayre said:
Gerad said:
Johnny Unusual said:
Karzac said:
Johnny Unusual said:
JBear said:I fixed it.
The only reason I remember either of these is because my SO recently asked "what's the deal with the olive oil thing" and wouldn't take "I can't really remember" for an answer.
I wanted to insert your hilarious pic strings for this and the next contest, but this already turned out to be more work than I'd anticipated.
Also the posts following where someone asks why you have all those frozen burgers and someone else, I think it was Johnny, says people mistake your house for a drive thru and you do your best to accomodate them.
Also the posts following where someone asks why you have all those frozen burgers and someone else, I think it was Johnny, says people mistake your house for a drive thru and you do your best to accomodate them.
#8: Just one more: The top 51 snack foods
Ran from March 28th, 2016 to June 1st, 2016
Host: Mogri
Top Yum-Yum: Popcorn
Selected Entry:
Ran from March 28th, 2016 to June 1st, 2016
Host: Mogri
Top Yum-Yum: Popcorn
Selected Entry:
Cheetos
97 points from 7 votes
Highest score: 25 points (Gerad)
Popular variants: crunchy (29 points), craving these all the time (25 points), Paws (18 points), Flamin' Hot (17 points)
I honestly can't say I've sat down for a bag of Cheetos since I was a kid. The fact that they rank so highly baffles me, but I can't really criticize the decision in any sort of fairness unless I go downstairs and finish off the bag that I gave to the kids, and that's not the kind of unbiased reporting you're paying me to do here.
While crunchy Cheetos officially scored only a third of the votes, I have to imagine that everyone but Mr. Paws intended their vote for the crunchy variety. Cheetos do indeed come in cheese puff variety (see #28: cheese balls), but our voters have strongly indicated that there are better brands out there if that's the product you're seeking.
As with so many products, the interesting Cheetos flavors are all in Asia. Japan has Pepsi Cheetos, Mountain Dew Cheetos, and Strawberry Cheetos -- think Pocky, but it's an uncheesed Cheeto inside instead -- while China has Savory Japanese Steak Cheetos (I don't know how this makes sense, but they did their focus testing). Meanwhile, in Australia, the only Cheetos product available is Cheetos Cheese & Bacon Balls. Somewhere, Gerad is mentally crossing Australia off his list of places to maybe live someday.
In North America, you generally have to content yourself with texture, shape, and spiciness variants on the original cheese stick, but 2015 did give us "Sweetos," a cinnamon-sugar flavor variant. (They were short-lived.)
Judges say:
So your house is still full of olive oil!
I haven't seen those on shelves in quite awhile. They still in production?
He cheated anyway. Those are clearly Chips Ahoy Chewy not Chips Away (aka tear your mouth aparts)
They seem to wax and wane. I think we're due for a resurgence.
TIL Mr. Paws was Daikaiju all along!
This was the first contest I actually posted in. At first it was to bide my time while I waited for the next one to be up and running (Like WildcatJF, that one was the first I submitted a list to), but I ended up very much enjoying the tail end of the Snack Food contest.
A surprising number of people said they didn't expect to enjoy Snack Foods as much as they did (which makes me wonder how it won the nomination). I think we're overdue for another topic in this vein, focused on something mundane that people nonetheless end up forming strong opinions around.
Sodas?