BOT in the Multi-Verse of Madness: Countdown of the DEFINITIVE Top 250 Movies of All-Time (2022 Edition)

[Cap]

51 minutes ago, Potiki said:

Infernal Affairs > The Departed 

 

I also think The Departed is one of the weaker Scorsese films. 

 

29 minutes ago, Plain Old Tele said:

It’s kinda like his version of Fincher’s Dragon Tattoo. A remake of a foreign film so squarely in his pre-existing wheelhouse it doesn’t feel like it really brings anything new or fresh. Not that it’s bad, just… there are better alternatives. 

Me, quietly nodding cause I know better than to start trouble, but thinking “Get her, Jade.”

[The Panda]

fuck we have to end with a sad one today.

 

Number 81

 

 

"September 21, 1945... that was the night I died."

 

About the Film

 

Synopsis

 

"In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive."

 

Its Legacy

 

"Based on Akiyuki Nosaka's 1967 novel and directed by the legendary Japanese animator Isao Takahata who died earlier this month, it tells the story of two orphans and their desperate struggle to survive the final months of World War Two. The show's ending is foreshadowed from the start. All alone, a young boy Seita succumbs to starvation and dies at the Sannomiya Railway Station. Among his possessions discovered by a janitor: a sweet tin containing ashes and some bone fragments. The seemingly innocuous container is discarded in a nearby field, releasing his spirit which rises up and reunites with the ghost of his four-year-old sister Setsuko.

 

 

Grave of the Fireflies may bear the Ghibli name but it is by no means a conventional children's movie. It is harrowing and distinct from its feel-good predecessors, which may have deterred many viewers. But the late film critic and historian Roger Ebert proclaimed it to be "one of the greatest war films ever made". "Since the earliest days, animated films have been 'cartoons' for children and families," he said in a review back in 2000. "But these films exist within safe confines, inspiring tears but not grief. Grave of the Fireflies is an emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation."

 

Today, the film remains not only relevant but more important than ever, according to Lim Beng Choo, an associate professor in Japanese studies. "Grave of the Fireflies is an important film because it emphasises (among other things) the value of life. While it depicts the irreversible tragedies and sufferings that Japanese people had to endure during the war, viewers should also actively be asking why and how World War Two was allowed to happen," Ms Lim said. "Knowing Japan's historical military past will also give the audience a better understanding of events and will cultivate a generic humanistic sentiment towards all war, which would prove to be a more effective way of preventing future wars.""

- Heather Chen, The BBC

 

From the Filmmaker

 

"[An excerpt from a Takahata interview about Omihide Poroporo, in which he mentioned Grave of the Fireflies.]

 

Takahata: It wasn't my intention to give people the catharsis of crying. Yet, many people say "I cried so much," and some even say "I cried so much, and I don't want to see it again." I tell them, "it would be more fun if you watch it one more time." -laughs-

 

[The interviewer suggested that maybe people thought that the movie was just about the past and it just inspired their nostalgia.]

 

Takahata: That was regrettable. I intended to depict the boy in Grave as a contemporary boy, rather than a boy in that time. He doesn't bear with hardships. When the aunt threatens him by saying "OK, let's have meals separately," he is rather relieved. He thinks that it's easier to eat by themselves than to bear with the discrimination from his aunt. As a result, his life becomes harder. Such a feeling is closer to the one held by today's kids. I made the movie by thinking what would happen if a kid today was suddenly sent to that time through time machine. So, I didn't intend it to be retrospective or nostalgic, but mI didn't express it well enough..."

- Animage Vol 151, January 1991

 

 

Why It's Great

 

Critic Opinion

 

"Dudok de Wit argues that the “artificiality of animation” allows for greater artistic freedom in portraying this kind of heavy subject matter, pointing to the less convincing live-action adaptations of Nosaka’s story that would later follow. The author finds parallels with My Neighbor Totoro, the origin of Ghibli’s logo and arguably its most iconic film. Readers may be surprised to learn that both were released on the same day in Japan – as a double feature, with the studio president Toshiro Suzuki believing a rivalry between Isao Takahata and the notoriously perfectionist Hayao Miyazaki would result in good work.

 

But higher-ups weren’t convinced. They believed that producing two films at the same time would be too much for the fledgling studio, while the content was potentially ill-suited for a wide audience. It took “impassioned lobbying” from distributor Tokuma Shoten’s president for the pair of projects to be approved. Story author Nosaka gave his blessing after seeing the concept art. Dudok de Wit takes the time to compare My Neighbor Totoro with Grave of the Fireflies. He points out that, while both works are set in Japan, it’s a Japan of bygone times. While Grave of the Fireflies takes place during wartime, My Neighbor Totoro depicts the mid-1950s when the country was experiencing rapid economic growth. Young viewers in the late 1980s, who were enjoying the excesses of Japan’s “bubble economy,” would have been unfamiliar with either period."

- Oliver Jia, Asia Times

 

Public Opinion

 

"I NEVER thought I'd see the day when an animated film could bring me to my knee's with gut wrenching, crippling emotion!

One of the greatest war films ever to grace the screen! Yes it is animated but it is NOT! I repeat.. it is NOT for young children!

My heart aches for Akiyuki Nosaka the author of the devastating semi autobiographical novel the film is based upon!

Naughty Approved!" - Naughty AKA Julia Norwood, Letterboxd

 

The AI's Poetic Opinion

 

grave of the fireflies

"A field of graves,
all lit up by fireflies.
Summer nights."

- dA vInci

 

 

Factoids

 

Previous Rankings

 

UNRANKED (2020), #99 (2018), UNRANKED (2016, 2014, 2013, 2012)

 

Director Count

 

Paul Thomas Anderson (1), John G. Avildsen (1), James Cameron (1), Charlie Chaplin (1), Joel Coen (1), Wes Craven (1), Clint Eastwood (1), William Friedkin (1), Spike Lee (1), Katia Lund (1), Fernando Meirelles (1), Christopher Nolan (1), Katsuhiro Otomo (1), The Russos (1), Martin Scorsese (1), Ridley Scott (1), Vittorio de Sica (1), Isao Takahata (1), Gore Verbinski (1), Peter Weir (1), Robert Zemeckis (1)

 

Decade Count

 

1930s (1), 1940s (1), 1970s (2), 1980s (3), 1990s (5), 2000s (5), 2010s (2)

 

Franchise Count

 

Avatar (1), Blade Runner (1), The Exorcist (1), The MCU (1), Pirates of the Caribbean (1), Rocky (1), Scream (1)

 

Re-Weighted Placements

 

#76 Fanboy Ranking, #91 Cinema Ranking

#133 Old Farts Ranking, #80 Damn Kids Ranking

#50 Ambassador Ranking, #95 All-American Ranking

#41 Cartoon Ranking, #96 Damn Boomers Ranking

 

 

[Potiki]

So happy for Grave of the Fireflies, yes it is very emotional but also one of the best Ghibli has to offer and often doesn't get as much love as the rest of the top tier. 

[4815162342]

For years I kept being told to watch Grave of the Fireflies, it would devastate me, it was the best, it was a masterpiece. (Akira kept also being similarly recommended)

 

 

Both were fine, well-made, but hardly that remarkable.

[WrathOfHan]

Departed, Fargo, and Scream all made my list; Fireflies just missed. Good stuff

[The Panda]

just so y'all end angry instead of depressed here are 10 more of the 'misses'

 

Number 210

Kiki's Delivery Service (1989, Hayao Miyazaki)

 

 

Number 209

The Martian (2015, Ridley Scott)

 

Number 208

Pinocchio (1940, Ferguson, Hee, and Jackson)

 

Number 207

Hard Boiled (1992, John Woo)

 

Number 206

Ferris Beuller's Day Off (1986, John Hughes)

 

Number 205

Once Upon a Time in America (1984, Sergio Leone)

 

Number 204

All That Jazz (1979, Bob Fosse)

 

Number 203

Paper Moon (1973, Peter Bogdanovich)

 

Number 202

Slumdog Millionaire (2008, Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan)

 

Number 201

Belle (2021, Mamoru Hosoda)

 

[The Panda]

Some teases for tomorrow. The next 10 films will bring

• Some movies that have never made the list before
• Some movies that have only made the list once
• Some top 50 staples falling off!
• Some animation
• Some romance
• Some thrills
• Some meltdowns

[Cap]

19 minutes ago, The Panda said:

just so y'all end angry instead of depressed here are 10 more of the 'misses'

 

**sees Hard Boiled, Ferris, and All That Jazz**
 

GOSHdarnit all people. 

[4815162342]

12 minutes ago, The Panda said:

Some teases for tomorrow. The next 10 films will bring

• Some movies that have never made the list before
• Some movies that have only made the list once
• Some top 50 staples falling off!
• Some animation
• Some romance
• Some thrills
• Some meltdowns

 

 

[DAR]

Grave is in the  great movie, that I never want to watch again category.

[Blankments]

all that jazz ROBBED

[4815162342]

3 minutes ago, Cap said:

 

 

**sees Hard Boiled

 

 

Imagine not including on your list a movie with stuff like this

 

 

 

 

[YM!]

Kiki got fucked over.

[Ethan Hunt]

Why is Slumdog Millionaire so absurdly high lmao 

[cannastop]

1 hour ago, The Panda said:

the legendary Japanese animator Isao Takahata

The funny thing is that Takahata was NOT an animator, and he was mostly self-taught as a drawer.

 

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/anime/seven-things-i-learned-while-writing-a-book-on-studio-ghiblis-grave-of-the-fireflies-204582.html

 

Seven Things I Learned While Writing A Book On Studio Ghibli’s ‘Grave Of The Fireflies’

 

Quote

Takahata drew more than I’d thought.

Takahata was a director from the start — he was never trained in any aspect of the visual production of animation — and he often downplayed his graphic skills. I knew he drew a little, but during my research I came across thumbnail storyboards he’d sketched on his script for Fireflies. Though basic, they provide clear blueprints for the framing and blocking of shots, which his team then elaborated into the fully-fledged storyboards and layouts. Which brings me onto my next point …

 

[cannastop]

1 hour ago, The Panda said:

Number 201

Belle (2021, Mamoru Hosoda)

Holy crap

[titanic2187]

Why do we have so many previously unranked movie made it to the list this year? Do we receive more votes from members this year? 

[cannastop]

Just now, titanic2187 said:

Why do we have so many previously unranked movie made it to the list this year? Do we receive more votes from members this year? 

It's because of Panda's system where you could choose how many points each movie can get.

[Daxtreme]

Wes Craven's NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET doesn't even get to #200 and yet Wes Craven's SCREAM makes the top 100?

 

Jesus guys c'mon. This isn't a simulation     

[SchumacherFTW]

2 hours ago, Daxtreme said:

Wes Craven's NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET doesn't even get to #200 and yet Wes Craven's SCREAM makes the top 100?

 

Jesus guys c'mon. This isn't a simulation     

SCREAM > Nightmare. Pretty simple really