SHERDOG MOVIE CLUB: Let's pick the Week 16 movie!

[MusterX]

what I've learned from these polls is that, one the one hand, if you want a specific movie to win then you can engineer the poll in a way that the movie you want to win has a great chance, on the other hand, if you want a good clean vote where all movies are considered then you cannot put a movie in that obviously will trump the other films you have included.

I hope I'm ready when its my week.

 

[Guestx]

what I've learned from these polls is that, one the one hand, if you want a specific movie to win then you can engineer the poll in a way that the movie you want to win has a great chance, on the other hand, if you want a good clean vote where all movies are considered then you cannot put a movie in that obviously will trump the other films you have included.

I hope I'm ready when its my week.

There have been a lot of votes where I thought I knew what film would dominate going into it and then it ended up losing. This shit is really hard to predict.

BTW, you're up week after next so you don't have long to go.

 

[Guestx]

We have a winner!​

Pi wins! It took the lead early and never lost it. And I think I'm noticing a trend: Figure which one is the weirdest fucking movie on the list and it stands a really good chance of coming out on top.

Well @HUNTERMANIA, you've got your Aronfsky week so I hope enjoy it!


Attn: @shadow_priest_x @europe1 @Luke Rockhard @TheRuthlessOne @EL CORINTHIAN @mb23100 @HUNTERMANIA @iThrillhouse @Zer @DaDamn @chickenluver @gorgonon @jeicex @MusterX @Scott Parker 27 @BeardotheWeirdo @Caveat @method115

 

[JayPettryMMA]

Ah, Pi. Let's get weird, I suppose. Out of all five on the list, I was almost dreading going over Pi again. Maybe I'll come into it with a fresh perspective, who knows. I didn't hate it the first time I saw it, and actually it was the only time I watched it. Probably been about...eight years or so. It got out to an early lead and I was surprised, lately we've had a lot of parity between films including two ties.

I will agree with you that weird wins more often than not. Speaking of weird, I decided to watch Eraserhead again tonight. Boy oh boy. I want to talk about it, since it's been so long, but I'm not sure if I want to make a thread about it.

 

[MusterX]

There have been a lot of votes where I thought I knew what film would dominate going into it and then it ended up losing. This shit is really hard to predict.

BTW, you're up week after next so you don't have long to go.

All I have to do is narrow it down. I have a list of about 20-25 films. The thing is, I don't want to pick artsy flicks, we have enough of that already. I don't want to throw up 5 versions of Tarkovsky's, Stalker. I want to nominate 5 things that are good watching and maybe a bit obscure so there is at least 1 you have not seen. I don't know if I will succeed but I'm telling you I've put some thought into it, my choices have been mulled over for weeks.

 

[JayPettryMMA]

All I have to do is narrow it down. I have a list of about 20-25 films. The thing is, I don't want to pick artsy flicks, we have enough of that already. I don't want to throw up 5 versions of Tarkovsky's, Stalker. I want to nominate 5 things that are good watching and maybe a bit obscure so there is at least 1 you have not seen. I don't know if I will succeed but I'm telling you I've put some thought into it, my choices have been mulled over for weeks.

What I did to narrow my picks for next week down was to make categories, themes if you will. It made the breaking down easier, because I started with a crazy amount of categories to go through as well. Any sort of way you can lump films together to make a five list will make it smoother.

But that's just me.

 

[Guestx]

Ah, Pi. Let's get weird, I suppose. Out of all five on the list, I was almost dreading going over Pi again. Maybe I'll come into it with a fresh perspective, who knows. I didn't hate it the first time I saw it, and actually it was the only time I watched it. Probably been about...eight years or so. It got out to an early lead and I was surprised, lately we've had a lot of parity between films including two ties.

The first, and only, time I saw it was about 10 years ago. I blind bought a DVD combo pack that had Requiem for a Dream and Pi. Requiem depressed the shit out of me and Pi I just thought was fucking weird. So I echo your thoughts. But maybe a re-watch now that I'm older and wiser will change my perspective on it.

I will agree with you that weird wins more often than not.

It's a double-edged sword, but I have noticed that the Club as a unit tends to lean toward the least mainstream entries on a regular basis.

 

[Guestx]

All I have to do is narrow it down. I have a list of about 20-25 films. The thing is, I don't want to pick artsy flicks, we have enough of that already. I don't want to throw up 5 versions of Tarkovsky's, Stalker. I want to nominate 5 things that are good watching and maybe a bit obscure so there is at least 1 you have not seen. I don't know if I will succeed but I'm telling you I've put some thought into it, my choices have been mulled over for weeks.

That sounds good. I appreciate your dedication. Sometimes it's nice to get out of the art house and just watch a conventional film. I wanted to do that with Jumper but the rest of the club crushed that dream.

 

[Guestx]

Have you ever seen it or will this be a new experience for you?

 

[JayPettryMMA]

The first, and only, time I saw it was about 10 years ago. I blind bought a DVD combo pack that had Requiem for a Dream and Pi. Requiem depressed the shit out of me and Pi I just thought was fucking weird. So I echo your thoughts. But maybe a re-watch now that I'm older and wiser will change my perspective on it. It's a double-edged sword, but I have noticed that the Club as a unit tends to lean toward the least mainstream entries on a regular basis.

I bought the same two-pack. Requiem is another one I don't know if I'll go back to, it's just too dark and depressing. Not that I require a happy ending in film, but I felt like crap after watching it.

I'm fine with anti-mainstream, it's actually why I figured Black Swan wouldn't win because I figured out of all five, people had more likely seen that one. It's how I was able to watch American Pop for the first time. All hail film education!

 

[Guestx]

I bought the same two-pack. Requiem is another one I don't know if I'll go back to, it's just too dark and depressing. Not that I require a happy ending in film, but I felt like crap after watching it.

Yeah, you just walk away feeling dirty and gross and blah.

I'm fine with anti-mainstream, it's actually why I figured Black Swan wouldn't win because I figured out of all five, people had more likely seen that one. It's how I was able to watch American Pop for the first time. All hail film education!

Yeah, don't get me wrong, I like expanding my horizons and being pushed in directions I usually wouldn't go in. I think it's good to have a variety, though. I don't really want to super mainstream movies that I've already seen a hundred times before, but I remember thinking The Rookie was a nice break from the usual grind.

 

[MusterX]

What I did to narrow my picks for next week down was to make categories, themes if you will. It made the breaking down easier, because I started with a crazy amount of categories to go through as well. Any sort of way you can lump films together to make a five list will make it smoother.

But that's just me.

My first time up to bat I probably will not use a theme. My 5 will be all over the road but I do have something in mind for my 2nd set that is more themed, that is if we make it that long.

My thinking is, you could make a list of 5 blockbusters like,

Exorcist
Jaws
The Shining
The Thing
Alien

Problem is, we have all seen those awesome films so I wanted to stay away from that sort of list. As I posted before, we have had quite a few thinker based, highbrowed films as well with directors such as Herzog, so I wanted to try to stay away from that. Also, at the same time, I need for the selections to be good watching, and a bit obscure so that not everyone has seen them.

So I dunno man, you may look at my poll and say wtf bruh? It won't be for lack of putting thought into it though lol.

 

[JayPettryMMA]

@shadow_priest_x It can be a grind with films like Primer and Pi, but they're movies that we generally would not have watched ever again were it not for the club. I was able to get a fresh set of eyes on Primer, for example, knowing what I knew after seeing it once and trying to figure it out again.

@MusterX Your theme could be that you don't have a theme, and that's totally fine too. Some themes so far have been "super obscure", "this one director I like", and even a few favorite movies to see if we like them as much as the week's host did. I thought about putting up my own top five but I wouldn't want someone to hate the one picked and totally tear it to shreds and I realize it's not as good as I always thought because I didn't look at it a certain way. So, I'm not going that way. Chances are, though, for my upcoming list, everyone has seen at least three of the five if not more. It may not be new to them, so that may bring a different conversation.

 

[chickenluver]

Yeah, you just walk away feeling dirty and gross and blah.

Yeah it's great isn't it?

 

[Guestx]

Yeah it's great isn't it?

Can't tell if this is sarcasm.

 

[MusterX]

Have you ever seen it or will this be a new experience for you?

Yea I've seen it, rewatching it right now though. There are some interesting topics you could pluck out of that movie to talk about.

 

[Guestx]

Yea I've seen it, rewatching it right now though. There are some interesting topics you could pluck out of that movie to talk about.

It strikes me as the kind of movie that you would like. Honestly, I'm a little disappointed that you've seen it before.

 

[Guestx]

@shadow_priest_x It can be a grind with films like Primer and Pi, but they're movies that we generally would not have watched ever again were it not for the club. I was able to get a fresh set of eyes on Primer, for example, knowing what I knew after seeing it once and trying to figure it out again.

I just mean grind in the sense that it's something we do every week on a schedule.

But I do think variety is good. If you're going to have something like Primer one week, which mostly engages the intellect, then it's good to have something that engages the emotions the next week. If you're going to have a depressing movie one week, then something upbeat the next helps to bring some levity to the proceedings. Etc.

 

[JayPettryMMA]

I just mean grind in the sense that it's something we do every week on a schedule.

But I do think variety is good. If you're going to have something like Primer one week, which mostly engages the intellect, then it's good to have something that engages the week emotions the next. If you're going to have a depressing movie one week, then something upbeat the next helps to bring some levity to the proceedings. Etc.

Well then without giving anything away, any of my five will be the antithesis of Pi.

 

[HUNTERMANIA]

@shadow_priest_x I'll drop some stuff on Pi that might give you a different perspective on it. It's a very good film. I'm actually excited it got picked. It would be awkward for me to write up a report on Black Swan because honestly that film has been with me since I saw it in theater 5 years ago and it's imprinted on my life through all the different stages of thought I've been through and I left 'coherence' behind a long-time ago, lmao, so I doubt I could break down my feelings on it in an all-encompassing way that made sense. I was going to respond to what other people wrote and pose ideas if it got picked... but with Pi I think I'll do an actual stream of consciousness write up.

I'm gonna try to do Blood Simple tonight.