BOT Top 250 Films of All-Time: or How We Learned to Start Shitposting and Love the Countdown!

[The Panda]

Number 92

 

 

"You don't want the truth. You make up your own truth."

 

Synopsis

 

"Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why." - The Movie Database

 

 

From the Scholar

 

"Perhaps it is possible to start with memory. With memories that are placed before the eye. What has been remembered here? In Christopher Nolan's film Memento (2000), although the recognisable becomes far distanced from the describable, it never becomes totally separable. The increasing frailty of reference the more tenuous those links, the more that becomes the subject matter itself. Reverberations, the chaos of multiplying associations (conscious and subconscious), memories of an already-known, especially an already-narrated the traces of a describable, all conspire towards the instability of what is assumed to be perceived. Memory thus not as a pleasant reverie but as anarchic.  In an unstable creation where fugitive chains of associations undermine a hold on perception, repetitions of all kinds are a provisional order. Interruptions, shifts and collapsings of endless recurrence move considerations from the spatial to an unfolding of time. Repetition is itself a metaphor since nothing can be repeated. Some thing is always surrogate for something else. Temporarily speaking, actions extend backwards in memory and forwards in expectation. They can never coincide. So repetition automatically engages with duration, and more particularly duration attended to -- time that makes itself not invisible. Time structures via repetition in a one plus one sense, a molecular sense, hence its form making capacity. Repetition's simultaneous capacity to order and disorder, neither less anarchic, its attendant meaning no less so. The narrative is structured in a one plus one molecular way, but a form -- that which is differentiated, knows where to stop. Some other process or event limits or changes that multiplication. It differentiates the undifferentiated or deconstructs that form that limits. "

- Gargett, Adrian. "Nolan's Memento, Memory, and Recognition." CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 4.3 (2002)

 

From the Filmmaker

 

 

From the Critic

 

"The reason to go on watching ''Memento,'' which begins with a killing and its aftermath shown in reverse (an instant photograph fades to white, a bullet flies out of a man's head and back into the chamber of a gun), is for the disorienting pleasure of its unusual narrative technique. The audience is plunged into a condition analogous to Leonard's, but also, logically speaking, the opposite.

 

He lacks all recollection of the past, and so in compensation we are given memories of his near future. The story is told in a lurching backward motion: Each scene jumps back in time, and ends where the previous one -- in narrative time, the next one -- began. Before too long you get the hang of looking for causes that follow from effects. If you notice a scar or a bruise on a character's face, before long you'll see the punch that put it there."

- A. O. Scott, The New York Times

 

 

From the Public

 

"Nolan da god." - Jay Salahai

 

"this is what finding dory should have been" - tru, Letterboxd

 

Factoids

 

Previous Year's Rankings

2012 - #25, 2013 - #51, 2014 - #32, 2016 - #75, 2018 - #70, 2020 - #58, 2022 – #71

 

Director Count

C.T. Dreyer (1), M. Forman (1), W. Friedkin (1), M. Kobayashi (1), A. Kurosawa (1), S. Leone (1), L. McCarey (1), C. Nolan (1), M.N. Shyamalan (1)

 

Decade Count

1960s (2), 1920s (1), 1930s (1), 1950s (1), 1970s (1), 1980s (1), 1990s (1), 2000s (1)

 

International Film Count

Japan (2), France (1), Italy (1)

 

Franchise Count

Exorcist (1), Man With No Name (1)

 

 

A Recipe

Pimento Cheese

 

INGREDIENTS
2 cups freshly grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1” cubes and softened at room temperature*
4 ounces pimento peppers**, well drained and chopped if in strips
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (Duke’s is traditional but I also like Sir Kensington’s)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (decrease or omit if sensitive to spice)
½ medium jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed, and minced (about 1 tablespoon; omit if sensitive to spice)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the cheddar, cream cheese, pimento peppers, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and jalapeño (if using), and several twists of black pepper.
2. Beat the mixture together with a hand mixer, your stand mixer, or by hand with a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula. Beat until the mixture is thoroughly combined.
3. Taste, and add more black pepper if desired, and/or salt for more overall flavor (I usually add a pinch of two). If you’d like your pimento cheese to have more of a kick, add another pinch of cayenne. Blend again.
4. Transfer the mixture to a smaller serving bowl. Serve your pimento cheese immediately, or chill it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Pimento cheese hardens as it cools; let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature to soften.

 

From: https://cookieandkate.com/best-pimento-cheese-recipe/

 

 

 

[The Panda]

 

231.    Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (dir. Paul Schrader, 1985)
232.    Memories of Murder (dir. Bong Joon Ho, 2003)
233.    The Thin Red Line (dir.Terrence Malick, 1997)
234.    Ocean's Eleven (dir. Steven Soderbergh, 2001)
235.    The Dark Knight Rises (dir. Christopher Nolan, 2012)

[Jake Gittes]

17 minutes ago, The Panda said:

Number 92

 

 

"You don't want the truth. You make up your own truth."

 

Synopsis

 

"Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why." - The Movie Database

 

It's somehow very BOT that Nolan's best film is the only one that gets ranked too *low* on these things

Edited July 23 by Jake Gittes

[4815162342]

26 minutes ago, The Panda said:

Number 92

 

 

"You don't want the truth. You make up your own truth."

 

Synopsis

 

"Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why." - The Movie Database

 

 

From the Scholar

 

"Perhaps it is possible to start with memory. With memories that are placed before the eye. What has been remembered here? In Christopher Nolan's film Memento (2000), although the recognisable becomes far distanced from the describable, it never becomes totally separable. The increasing frailty of reference the more tenuous those links, the more that becomes the subject matter itself. Reverberations, the chaos of multiplying associations (conscious and subconscious), memories of an already-known, especially an already-narrated the traces of a describable, all conspire towards the instability of what is assumed to be perceived. Memory thus not as a pleasant reverie but as anarchic.  In an unstable creation where fugitive chains of associations undermine a hold on perception, repetitions of all kinds are a provisional order. Interruptions, shifts and collapsings of endless recurrence move considerations from the spatial to an unfolding of time. Repetition is itself a metaphor since nothing can be repeated. Some thing is always surrogate for something else. Temporarily speaking, actions extend backwards in memory and forwards in expectation. They can never coincide. So repetition automatically engages with duration, and more particularly duration attended to -- time that makes itself not invisible. Time structures via repetition in a one plus one sense, a molecular sense, hence its form making capacity. Repetition's simultaneous capacity to order and disorder, neither less anarchic, its attendant meaning no less so. The narrative is structured in a one plus one molecular way, but a form -- that which is differentiated, knows where to stop. Some other process or event limits or changes that multiplication. It differentiates the undifferentiated or deconstructs that form that limits. "

- Gargett, Adrian. "Nolan's Memento, Memory, and Recognition." CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 4.3 (2002)

 

From the Filmmaker

 

 

From the Critic

 

"The reason to go on watching ''Memento,'' which begins with a killing and its aftermath shown in reverse (an instant photograph fades to white, a bullet flies out of a man's head and back into the chamber of a gun), is for the disorienting pleasure of its unusual narrative technique. The audience is plunged into a condition analogous to Leonard's, but also, logically speaking, the opposite.

 

He lacks all recollection of the past, and so in compensation we are given memories of his near future. The story is told in a lurching backward motion: Each scene jumps back in time, and ends where the previous one -- in narrative time, the next one -- began. Before too long you get the hang of looking for causes that follow from effects. If you notice a scar or a bruise on a character's face, before long you'll see the punch that put it there."

- A. O. Scott, The New York Times

 

 

From the Public

 

"Nolan da god." - Jay Salahai

 

"this is what finding dory should have been" - tru, Letterboxd

 

Factoids

 

Previous Year's Rankings

2012 - #25, 2013 - #51, 2014 - #32, 2016 - #75, 2018 - #70, 2020 - #58, 2022 – #71

 

Director Count

C.T. Dreyer (1), M. Forman (1), W. Friedkin (1), M. Kobayashi (1), A. Kurosawa (1), S. Leone (1), L. McCarey (1), C. Nolan (1), M.N. Shyamalan (1)

 

Decade Count

1960s (2), 1920s (1), 1930s (1), 1950s (1), 1970s (1), 1980s (1), 1990s (1), 2000s (1)

 

International Film Count

Japan (2), France (1), Italy (1)

 

Franchise Count

Exorcist (1), Man With No Name (1)

 

 

A Recipe

Pimento Cheese

 

INGREDIENTS
2 cups freshly grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1” cubes and softened at room temperature*
4 ounces pimento peppers**, well drained and chopped if in strips
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (Duke’s is traditional but I also like Sir Kensington’s)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (decrease or omit if sensitive to spice)
½ medium jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed, and minced (about 1 tablespoon; omit if sensitive to spice)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the cheddar, cream cheese, pimento peppers, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and jalapeño (if using), and several twists of black pepper.
2. Beat the mixture together with a hand mixer, your stand mixer, or by hand with a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula. Beat until the mixture is thoroughly combined.
3. Taste, and add more black pepper if desired, and/or salt for more overall flavor (I usually add a pinch of two). If you’d like your pimento cheese to have more of a kick, add another pinch of cayenne. Blend again.
4. Transfer the mixture to a smaller serving bowl. Serve your pimento cheese immediately, or chill it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Pimento cheese hardens as it cools; let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature to soften.

 

From: https://cookieandkate.com/best-pimento-cheese-recipe/

 

 

 

 

Begun, the Fanboy Wars have

[The Panda]

Another first timer on the list!

Number 91

 

 

"Now, if we don't -- we don't live peaceful, there's gonna be nothin' left in our graves except Clorox bottles and plastic fly swatters with red dots on 'em."

 

Synopsis

 

"This cornerstone of 1970s American moviemaking from Robert Altman is a panoramic view of the country’s political and cultural landscapes, set in the nation’s music capital. Nashville weaves the stories of twenty-four characters—from country star to wannabe to reporter to waitress—into a cinematic tapestry that is equal parts comedy, tragedy, and musical. Many members of the astonishing cast wrote their own songs and performed them live on location, which lends another layer to the film’s quirky authenticity. Altman’s ability to get to the heart of American life via its eccentric byways was never put to better use than in this grand, rollicking triumph, which barrels forward to an unforgettable conclusion." - The Criterion Collection

 

 

From the Scholar

 

"With Nashville Altman has expanded his own personal
style (Henry Gibson calls it Altmanscope), and at the
same time he has pushed the concept of collective
film-making far beyond traditional limits (we're talking
about Hollywood movies). His actors write dialogue; they
re-form characters, incorporating aspects of their own
lives; they are encouraged to discuss, alter, challenge,
and explore their personae with the director and the
company; they are plagued as little as possible with tiny
scenes shot out of sequence or with pick-up cover inserts;
and they are generally provided with a non-rigid creative
environment which promotes spontaneity and growth
and which results in a number of remarkably convincing
performances often made even more exciting by the
evident intimacy between the actor, the character, and
the director.

Because Altman does not Freudianize on the reasons
"why" his characters get into certain situations, and
because much of "how" they get there lies on the
cutting-room floor, the fact that the actors convey any
sense of characterization at all is fairly impressive.
Scenes From a Marriage or A Woman Under the
Influence seem to probe deeper into the human
condition through the exploration of characters' back-
grounds, the detailing of idiosyncracies, and the discus-
sion of events as they happen (the dialogue is often the
event itself); Nashville avoids these tendencies. Nashville
does not involve so much the exposition of character
transformations as it involves the observation of its
consistently transparent characters as they circulate
through a powerfully transformative environment."

- Connie Byrne, William O. Lopez
Film Quarterly, Vol. 29, No. 2 (Winter, 1975-1976), pp. 13-25 (13 pages)

 

From the Filmmaker

 

 

From the Critic

 

"If you were to ask the question, “what is Robert Altman’s ‘Nashville’ really about?” a not-so-bad answer might be “America.” While “Nashville” is set against the country music scene of Tennessee’s capital city, the films is really about the tangled web of strivers, crackpots, artists, mystics and blue-collar folks that make up the fabric of the country itself. It’s very much the archetypal “Altman” film as we’ve come to define it recently: a bustling ensemble piece with dozens of lead players, shot with his signature wandering camera, including poetic bursts of overlapping dialogue and a general outsider, rebellious sensibility. The movie is also possibly Altman’s most influential work —certainly younger directors like Paul Thomas Anderson and David Gordon Green owe a considerable degree of their own aesthetic to it. Yet above all, “Nashville” is a snapshot of a forgotten time in our country, and the people who once inhabited it. Whether it’s Keith Carradine’s sneering, sinuous rock star, the shattered Vietnam vet played by a young Scott Glenn, Lily Tomlin’s gospel-singing mother of two or just Elliott Gould being Elliott Gould, “Nashville” boasts some of the director’s most memorable and emotionally multifaceted characters —not to mention a first-class soundtrack of country, blues and gospel hits." - Jessica Kiang and Oliver Lyttleton, The Playlist

 

 

From the Public

 

"Just so packed with humanity and hope, humor and sorrow, and yet it flows from character to character with seemingly impossible ease. Blakley, Chaplin, Gibson and Wynn stand out from an ensemble that would be an easy contender for one of the greatest of all time. But it's Altman's direction and Tewkesbury's script that keep the heart of this beating, and such a phenomenal watch. Technically, the sound design and cinematography are excellent too, but what I will keep thinking about with Nashville is nothing technical. The gutting nature of it mixed with the funny humor of life, when everything seems to lead to loneliness despite the hope against that. The desire to be loved only giving way to being used. Nashville feels like a microcosm of the dream to become famous and all its messiness, how everything is ultimately connected with that singular desire to have attention and be loved. Simply put, this is a masterpiece, and one I cannot wait to revisit for years to come. For now though, I'm simply blown away. Just... wow." - @Blankments

 

 

Factoids

 

Previous Year's Rankings

2012 - Unranked, 2013 - Unranked, 2014 - Unranked, 2016 -Unranked, 2018 - Unranked, 2020 - Unranked, 2022 – Unranked

 

Director Count

R. Altman (1), C.T. Dreyer (1), M. Forman (1), W. Friedkin (1), M. Kobayashi (1), A. Kurosawa (1), S. Leone (1), L. McCarey (1), C. Nolan (1), M.N. Shyamalan (1)

 

Decade Count

1960s (2), 1970s (2), 1920s (1), 1930s (1), 1950s (1), 1980s (1), 1990s (1), 2000s (1)

 

International Film Count

Japan (2), France (1), Italy (1)

 

Franchise Count

Exorcist (1), Man With No Name (1)

 

Genre Count

Historical Fiction (3), Comedy (2), Horror (2), Tragedy (2), Musical (1), Noir (1), Jidaigeki (1), Thriller (1), Western (1)

 

 

A Recipe

 

Air Fryer Nashville Hot Chicken

 

Ingredients

 

Chicken
3 Chicken Breasts cut into 4 strips each
2 tablespoons 
1 tablespoon Frank's hot sauce
1 cup buttermilk divided
1¼ cup 
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon 
Sweet Pickles and White Bread for serving

Hot Sauce
4 tablespoons salted butter
1 tablespoon light brown sugar optional to reduce heat if desired

1 teaspoon 
2 teaspoons 
1 teaspoon 
1 teaspoon 
⅛ teaspoon salt

Instructions
Combine chicken strips, pickle juice, hot sauce, and ½ cup buttermilk in a medium bowl. Allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Add the remaining ½ cup of buttermilk to another bowl.

Dip chicken in seasoned flour then buttermilk and then dredge in flour once more. Set the chicken strip on a plate and continue with the remaining strips. Mist or brush chicken with olive oil.

Preheat the Air Fryer to 380°F and spray the air fryer basket with olive oil or coconut oil or brush with vegetable oil – do not use regular nonstick cooking spray.

Place 6 chicken strips in the air fryer basket in a single layer making sure not to overlap. Cook for 6 minutes, turn the strips and cook for an additional 6 minutes until an instant-read thermometer reaches 165°F. Repeat with the second batch.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the hot sauce. In a small saucepan on medium heat combine all sauce ingredients. Stir and cook until the mixture has melted. Serve the sauce brushed over hot chicken strips with a side of pickles and white bread and crinkle cut fries if you like.

Be sure to shake excess buttermilk from chicken to avoid a soggy coating. Also do not skip preheating the air fryer for the best possible texture.

Keep cooked chicken tenders warm in a 200°F oven while preparing the second batch.

Start with 1 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper at a time to ensure it’s not too spicy. Add brown sugar to balance heat if desired. If you choose to add the brown sugar, keep the heat on medium-low, or the sugar will caramelize and turn to a taffy texture and will not coat the chicken properly. Coleslaw is also a nice accompaniment to this chicken to cool down the heat as well.
If you would like to fry the chicken instead, bring 2 cups of vegetable oil to 350°F, fry chicken strips for about 5 to 6 minutes turning halfway through cooking time until it registers 165F° on an instant-read thermometer and is a golden brown color. Drain on paper towels before brushing with spicy sauce.

 

From: https://www.sugarandsoul.co/air-fryer-nashville-hot-chicken/

 

 

 

[Dementeleus]

Looking at the thread title: my dear sir, *start* shitposting? I have had a long and varied career in that field. 

[Ethan Hunt]

27 minutes ago, The Panda said:

Another first timer on the list!

Number 91

 

 

"Now, if we don't -- we don't live peaceful, there's gonna be nothin' left in our graves except Clorox bottles and plastic fly swatters with red dots on 'em."

 

Synopsis

 

"This cornerstone of 1970s American moviemaking from Robert Altman is a panoramic view of the country’s political and cultural landscapes, set in the nation’s music capital. Nashville weaves the stories of twenty-four characters—from country star to wannabe to reporter to waitress—into a cinematic tapestry that is equal parts comedy, tragedy, and musical. Many members of the astonishing cast wrote their own songs and performed them live on location, which lends another layer to the film’s quirky authenticity. Altman’s ability to get to the heart of American life via its eccentric byways was never put to better use than in this grand, rollicking triumph, which barrels forward to an unforgettable conclusion." - The Criterion Collection

 

 

From the Scholar

 

"With Nashville Altman has expanded his own personal
style (Henry Gibson calls it Altmanscope), and at the
same time he has pushed the concept of collective
film-making far beyond traditional limits (we're talking
about Hollywood movies). His actors write dialogue; they
re-form characters, incorporating aspects of their own
lives; they are encouraged to discuss, alter, challenge,
and explore their personae with the director and the
company; they are plagued as little as possible with tiny
scenes shot out of sequence or with pick-up cover inserts;
and they are generally provided with a non-rigid creative
environment which promotes spontaneity and growth
and which results in a number of remarkably convincing
performances often made even more exciting by the
evident intimacy between the actor, the character, and
the director.

Because Altman does not Freudianize on the reasons
"why" his characters get into certain situations, and
because much of "how" they get there lies on the
cutting-room floor, the fact that the actors convey any
sense of characterization at all is fairly impressive.
Scenes From a Marriage or A Woman Under the
Influence seem to probe deeper into the human
condition through the exploration of characters' back-
grounds, the detailing of idiosyncracies, and the discus-
sion of events as they happen (the dialogue is often the
event itself); Nashville avoids these tendencies. Nashville
does not involve so much the exposition of character
transformations as it involves the observation of its
consistently transparent characters as they circulate
through a powerfully transformative environment."

- Connie Byrne, William O. Lopez
Film Quarterly, Vol. 29, No. 2 (Winter, 1975-1976), pp. 13-25 (13 pages)

 

From the Filmmaker

 

 

From the Critic

 

"If you were to ask the question, “what is Robert Altman’s ‘Nashville’ really about?” a not-so-bad answer might be “America.” While “Nashville” is set against the country music scene of Tennessee’s capital city, the films is really about the tangled web of strivers, crackpots, artists, mystics and blue-collar folks that make up the fabric of the country itself. It’s very much the archetypal “Altman” film as we’ve come to define it recently: a bustling ensemble piece with dozens of lead players, shot with his signature wandering camera, including poetic bursts of overlapping dialogue and a general outsider, rebellious sensibility. The movie is also possibly Altman’s most influential work —certainly younger directors like Paul Thomas Anderson and David Gordon Green owe a considerable degree of their own aesthetic to it. Yet above all, “Nashville” is a snapshot of a forgotten time in our country, and the people who once inhabited it. Whether it’s Keith Carradine’s sneering, sinuous rock star, the shattered Vietnam vet played by a young Scott Glenn, Lily Tomlin’s gospel-singing mother of two or just Elliott Gould being Elliott Gould, “Nashville” boasts some of the director’s most memorable and emotionally multifaceted characters —not to mention a first-class soundtrack of country, blues and gospel hits." - Jessica Kiang and Oliver Lyttleton, The Playlist

 

 

From the Public

 

"Just so packed with humanity and hope, humor and sorrow, and yet it flows from character to character with seemingly impossible ease. Blakley, Chaplin, Gibson and Wynn stand out from an ensemble that would be an easy contender for one of the greatest of all time. But it's Altman's direction and Tewkesbury's script that keep the heart of this beating, and such a phenomenal watch. Technically, the sound design and cinematography are excellent too, but what I will keep thinking about with Nashville is nothing technical. The gutting nature of it mixed with the funny humor of life, when everything seems to lead to loneliness despite the hope against that. The desire to be loved only giving way to being used. Nashville feels like a microcosm of the dream to become famous and all its messiness, how everything is ultimately connected with that singular desire to have attention and be loved. Simply put, this is a masterpiece, and one I cannot wait to revisit for years to come. For now though, I'm simply blown away. Just... wow." - @Blankments

 

 

Factoids

 

Previous Year's Rankings

2012 - Unranked, 2013 - Unranked, 2014 - Unranked, 2016 -Unranked, 2018 - Unranked, 2020 - Unranked, 2022 – Unranked

 

Director Count

R. Altman (1), C.T. Dreyer (1), M. Forman (1), W. Friedkin (1), M. Kobayashi (1), A. Kurosawa (1), S. Leone (1), L. McCarey (1), C. Nolan (1), M.N. Shyamalan (1)

 

Decade Count

1960s (2), 1970s (2), 1920s (1), 1930s (1), 1950s (1), 1980s (1), 1990s (1), 2000s (1)

 

International Film Count

Japan (2), France (1), Italy (1)

 

Franchise Count

Exorcist (1), Man With No Name (1)

 

Genre Count

Historical Fiction (3), Comedy (2), Horror (2), Tragedy (2), Musical (1), Noir (1), Jidaigeki (1), Thriller (1), Western (1)

 

 

A Recipe

 

Air Fryer Nashville Hot Chicken

 

Ingredients

 

Chicken
3 Chicken Breasts cut into 4 strips each
2 tablespoons 
1 tablespoon Frank's hot sauce
1 cup buttermilk divided
1¼ cup 
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon 
Sweet Pickles and White Bread for serving

Hot Sauce
4 tablespoons salted butter
1 tablespoon light brown sugar optional to reduce heat if desired

1 teaspoon 
2 teaspoons 
1 teaspoon 
1 teaspoon 
⅛ teaspoon salt

Instructions
Combine chicken strips, pickle juice, hot sauce, and ½ cup buttermilk in a medium bowl. Allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Add the remaining ½ cup of buttermilk to another bowl.

Dip chicken in seasoned flour then buttermilk and then dredge in flour once more. Set the chicken strip on a plate and continue with the remaining strips. Mist or brush chicken with olive oil.

Preheat the Air Fryer to 380°F and spray the air fryer basket with olive oil or coconut oil or brush with vegetable oil – do not use regular nonstick cooking spray.

Place 6 chicken strips in the air fryer basket in a single layer making sure not to overlap. Cook for 6 minutes, turn the strips and cook for an additional 6 minutes until an instant-read thermometer reaches 165°F. Repeat with the second batch.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the hot sauce. In a small saucepan on medium heat combine all sauce ingredients. Stir and cook until the mixture has melted. Serve the sauce brushed over hot chicken strips with a side of pickles and white bread and crinkle cut fries if you like.

Be sure to shake excess buttermilk from chicken to avoid a soggy coating. Also do not skip preheating the air fryer for the best possible texture.

Keep cooked chicken tenders warm in a 200°F oven while preparing the second batch.

Start with 1 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper at a time to ensure it’s not too spicy. Add brown sugar to balance heat if desired. If you choose to add the brown sugar, keep the heat on medium-low, or the sugar will caramelize and turn to a taffy texture and will not coat the chicken properly. Coleslaw is also a nice accompaniment to this chicken to cool down the heat as well.
If you would like to fry the chicken instead, bring 2 cups of vegetable oil to 350°F, fry chicken strips for about 5 to 6 minutes turning halfway through cooking time until it registers 165F° on an instant-read thermometer and is a golden brown color. Drain on paper towels before brushing with spicy sauce.

 

From: https://www.sugarandsoul.co/air-fryer-nashville-hot-chicken/

 

 

 

Wow 

[The Panda]

Number 90

 

 

"I must steer clear of dreary bourgeoisie art, I must be avant-garde and paint what's in my heart."

 

Synopsis

 

"Jacques Demy followed up The Umbrellas of Cherbourg with another musical about missed connections and second chances, this one a more effervescent confection. Twins Delphine and Solange, a dance instructor and a music teacher (played by real-life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac), long for big-city life; when a fair comes through their quiet port town, so does the possibility of escape. With its jazzy Michel Legrand score, pastel paradise of costumes, and divine supporting cast (George Chakiris, Grover Dale, Danielle Darrieux, Michel Piccoli, and Gene Kelly), The Young Girls of Rochefort is a tribute to Hollywood optimism from sixties French cinema’s preeminent dreamer." - The Criterion Collection

 

 

From the Scholar

 

"Perhaps no other element in Rochefort has attracted more
critical dismissal than its dancing. Scores of contemporaneous
reviews ridiculed the film’s perceived “amateurish” style owing
to the lack of finesse in its dance routines. Andrew Sarris of
The Village Voice wrote that the film “too often gets tangled
up in its fancy footwork,” suggesting that a need for a perfect,
choreographic cohesiveness trumps the artist’ s desire to convey
happiness through imperfection. [2] Gary Carey in the late 70s
writes that “[Les Demoiselles] falls to pieces whenever anyone
begins to dance.” [3] In addition, influential critic Pauline Kael
dismisses the film entirely in her most influential piece “Trash,
Art and the Movies,” calling it “a movie [that] demonstrates
how even a gifted Frenchman who adores American musicals
misunderstands their conventions.” [4] Kael’s suggestion—
namely, that films in the American musical style should best be
left to the Americans—is not only a reductive way of looking
at a foreign film (which is not beholden to “understanding the
conventions” of the genre from which they are drawing), it fails
to appreciate the singular eccentricity of Demy’s film, which goes
beyond mere aping of American musicals or lousy footwork. It is
self-consciously a disruption of normal movie musicals, and thus
cannot be criticized in the traditional fashion (i.e., comparing it
to other movie musicals of its kind). It demands of the viewer
something more unusual and less intuitive: a rethinking of one’s
normal definitions of beauty and, above all, sublimity."

- Valladares, Carlos. "Dance and the Postmodern Sublime in Jacques Demy’s The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)." Dear Reader: 79.

 

From the Filmmaker

 

(not for the right movie, but it's what I could find)

 

 

From the Critic

 

"Young Girls is, of course, a French musical, not simply an effort to duplicate a Hollywood one. It was shot on location in Rochefort, is intricately and beautifully scored by Michel Legrand (with lyrics by Demy), and features many of the key players in French cinema at the time: Catherine Deneuve costars as Delphine, playing a twin to her real-life older sister, Françoise Dorléac (as Solange), in what would be their only film together (Dorléac died in a car accident a few months after the movie opened); Danielle Darrieux (the star of The Earrings of Madame de . . .) is the twins’ mother, Yvonne, and the only cast member who does her own singing; Michel Piccoli, the hero of Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt, plays Yvonne’s long-lost lover, the unfortunately named Simon Dame (which would have made her “Madame Dame”); and Jacques Perrin—who subsequently became an important French producer as well as a writer and director—is cast as Maxence, a sailor and artist whose imagined and painted “feminine ideal” is in fact Delphine, a woman he’s never met but who lives only a few blocks away.

 

One could even call this film quintessentially French—in its cozy, interactive sense of community, played out at a glassed-in café located at the center of the town’s enormous square; in its characters’ unapologetic and intense love of art (both high and low), without any hint of the American association of art with class, from Maxence’s painting to Solange’s kitschy classical music to Delphine’s ballet classes to Yvonne’s fondness for poetry; and in its giddy, indefatigable élan, crossed with the bittersweet premise that we live according to dreams whose fulfillment lies just beyond our reach." - Jonathan Rosenbaum, The Criterion Collection

 

From the Public

 

"friend: how are y–
me: NOUS SOMMES DEUX SOEURS JUMELLES NÉES SOUS LE SIGNE DES GÉMEAUX"

 - iana, Letterboxd

 

"i would like to eat this movie, it probably tastes great" - carston, Letterboxd

 

 

Factoids

 

Previous Year's Rankings

2012 - Unranked, 2013 - Unranked, 2014 - Unranked, 2016 - Unranked, 2018 - Unranked, 2020 - Unranked, 2022 – Unranked

 

Director Count

R. Altman (1), J. Demy (1), C.T. Dreyer (1), M. Forman (1), W. Friedkin (1), M. Kobayashi (1), A. Kurosawa (1), S. Leone (1), L. McCarey (1), C. Nolan (1), M.N. Shyamalan (1)

 

Decade Count

1960s (3), 1970s (2), 1920s (1), 1930s (1), 1950s (1), 1980s (1), 1990s (1), 2000s (1)

 

International Film Count

France (2), Japan (2), Italy (1)

 

Franchise Count

Exorcist (1), Man With No Name (1)

 

Genre Count

Comedy (3), Historical Fiction (3), Horror (2), Musical (2), Tragedy (2), Noir (1), Jidaigeki (1), Thriller (1), Western (1)

 

 

A Recipe

Dr. Oetker Pastel Macarons

 

Recipe Ingredients

FOR THE MACARONS
90 g
Icing Sugar
90 g
Ground Almonds
2
Dr. Oetker Free Range Egg White Powder Sachets (x2 sachets)
0.5 tsp
Dr. Oetker Cream of Tartar
65 g
Caster Sugar
Dr. Oetker Pink Food Colour Gel
Dr. Oetker Blue Food Colour Gel
Dr. Oetker Yellow Food Colour Gel

FOR THE FILLING
about 250 g
Dr. Oetker Vanilla Buttercream Style Icing

 

Steps in the recipe link: https://www.oetker.co.uk/recipes/r/pastel-macarons

 

 

(Sorry cant embed anything from this movie, click below to enjoy the scene)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znlKuELSGXM&ab_channel=fschnell

Edited July 23 by The Panda

[The Panda]

Number 89

 

 

"Fuck you, you fucking fuck!"

 

Synopsis

 

"Home from college, Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) makes an unsettling discovery: a severed human ear, lying in a field. In the mystery that follows, by turns terrifying and darkly funny, writer-director David Lynch burrows deep beneath the picturesque surfaces of small-town life. Driven to investigate, Jeffrey finds himself drawing closer to his fellow amateur sleuth, Sandy Williams (Laura Dern), as well as their person of interest, lounge singer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini)—and facing the fury of Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper), a psychopath who will stop at nothing to keep Dorothy in his grasp. With intense performances and hauntingly powerful scenes and images, Blue Velvet is an unforgettable vision of innocence lost, and one of the most influential American films of the late twentieth century." - The Criterion Collection

 

 

From the Scholar

 

"Postmodern cultural texts, like Blue Velvet echo and reproduce the
tensions and contradictions that define the late 1980s. These texts
locate strange, eclectic, violent, timeless worlds in the present.
They make fun of the past as they keep it alive. They search for new
ways to present the unpresentable, so as to break down the barriers
that keep the profa,ne out of the everyday. However, they take
conservative political stances, while they valorize, and exploit the
radical social margins of society. Nothing escapes the postmodern
eye. But this eye, its visions and its voices, is unrelenting in its
unwillingness to give up the past in the name of the future. The
p~stmodern eye looks fearfully into the future and it sees technology,
uncontrolled sexual violence, universally corrupt political systems.
Confronting this vision, it attempts to find safe regions of
escape in the fantasies and nostalgia of the past. Dreams are the
postmodern solution to life in the present.

More than the future is looked into. It is the everyday that has
become the subject matter of these postmodern nostalgia films.
Small-town, any-town, USA is no longer safe. The fantasies of the
past have become realities in the present. These realities are now
everywhere. By showing this, these films make the global village
even smaller. It is now called Lumberton. 'The world that dreams
are made of. Our town' (Corliss, 1986: 17). Our town is filled with
good people like Jeffrey Baumount and Sandy. In Lumberton their
dreams, good and bad, come true. And in this fairytale town individuals
meet and confront problems that old-fashioned law and
order policemen still help them resolve"

- Denzin, N. K. (1988). Blue Velvet: Postmodern Contradictions. Theory, Culture & Society, 5(2-3), 461-473.

 

From the Filmmaker

 

 

From the Critic

 

"OTHER directors labor long and hard to achieve the fevered perversity that comes so naturally to David Lynch, whose ''Blue Velvet'' is an instant cult classic. With ''Eraserhead,'' ''The Elephant Man'' and ''Dune'' to his credit, Mr. Lynch had already established his beachhead inside the realm of the bizarre, but this latest venture takes him a lot further. Kinkiness is its salient quality, but ''Blue Velvet'' has deadpan humor too, as well as a straight-arrow side that makes its eccentricity all the crazier. There's no mistaking the exhilarating fact that it's one of a kind.

 

''Blue Velvet,'' which opens today at the Baronet and other theaters, has a brilliant introductory sequence that sets the tone for the best of what will follow, and goes a long way toward excusing the worst of it. The place is Anywhere, U.S.A., or actually a place called Lumberton, where the local radio station devotes a lot of energy to log-related humor. (It is, among other things, ''the town that knows how much wood a woodchuck chucks,'' and a place where the sound of the falling timber tells you the time.) With Bobby Vinton on the soundtrack, Mr. Lynch presents the blue skies, trim flowerbeds and sweet little houses of a suburbia so perfect that it looks surreal. It is surreal, but its surface is hardly impermeable. Mr. Lynch makes that clear almost immediately, by letting the camera dip down through a neat, weedless lawn, past a homeowner who has just had an apparent seizure, to observe the teeming hordes of insects living in the dirt." - Janet Maslin, The New York Times

 

 

From the Public

 

"Drugs are bad, kids." - @WrathOfHan

 

"Plays like a Hitchcock film, if Hitchcock was possessed by a demonic incubus." - Colin the Dude, LetterBoxd

 

Factoids

 

Previous Year's Rankings

2012 - Unranked, 2013 - Unranked, 2014 - Unranked, 2016 - Unranked, 2018 - Unranked, 2020 - Unranked, 2022 – Unranked

 

Director Count

R. Altman (1), J. Demy (1), C.T. Dreyer (1), M. Forman (1), W. Friedkin (1), M. Kobayashi (1), A. Kurosawa (1), S. Leone (1), D. Lynch (1), L. McCarey (1), C. Nolan (1), M.N. Shyamalan (1)

 

Decade Count

1960s (3), 1970s (2), 1980s (2), 1920s (1), 1930s (1), 1950s (1), 1990s (1), 2000s (1)

 

International Film Count

France (2), Japan (2), Italy (1)

 

Franchise Count

Exorcist (1), Man With No Name (1)

 

Genre Count

Comedy (3), Historical Fiction (3), Horror (2), Musical (2), Noir (2), Thriller (2), Tragedy (2), Jidaigeki (1), Western (1)

 

 

A Recipe

Blue Velvet Cake

 

Ingredients
▢2½ cups (300g) sifted cake flour
▢½ teaspoon (3.5g) salt
▢2 tablespoons (15g) cocoa powder (regular or Dutch-processed)
▢½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
▢1½ cup (300g) granulated sugar
▢½ cup (120g) sour cream
▢¾ cup (180g) oil
▢3 large eggs
▢½ cup (120ml) buttermilk
▢1 tablespoon (15ml) vinegar
▢2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract
▢2 tablespoons (30ml) royal blue food coloring
▢½ teaspoon (2.5ml) violet food coloring
▢1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder
▢1 teaspoon (6g) baking soda
▢2 teaspoons (10ml) water
▢10 tablespoons (142g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
▢10 ounces (285g) cream cheese
▢1½ teaspoons (7ml) vanilla extract
▢6 cups (720g) powdered sugar

 

Instructions in the link: https://www.africanbites.com/blue-velvet-cake/

 

 

 

[Jake Gittes]

Why do I get the feeling this is the best stretch of 12 films we're gonna get here

[The Panda]

 

226.    West Side Story (dir. Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, 1961)
227.    King Kong (dir. Peter Jackson, 2005)
228.    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (dir. James Gunn, 2017)
229.    L'Avventura (dir. Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960)
230.    Soul (dir. Pete Docter, 2020)
 

Edited July 23 by The Panda

[cannastop]

2 hours ago, The Panda said:

230.    Soul (dir. Pete Docter, 2020)

Actually a little surprised this is here in the top 250 at all tbh. Higher than Docter's actual masterpiece Monsters, Inc.

[Ethan Hunt]

7 minutes ago, cannastop said:

Actually a little surprised this is here in the top 250 at all tbh. Higher than Docter's actual masterpiece Monsters, Inc.

The Pixar hive is dedicated 

[baumer]

Pretty terrible start to the list, in my opinion of course

[4815162342]

1 hour ago, baumer said:

Pretty terrible start to the list, in my opinion of course

 

Any particular inclusion you find that substantially objectionable?

[Ethan Hunt]

17 hours ago, Jake Gittes said:

Why do I get the feeling this is the best stretch of 12 films we're gonna get here

No other stretch has Nashville and the Young Girls of Rochefoet 

[baumer]

1 hour ago, 4815162342 said:

 

Any particular inclusion you find that substantially objectionable?

 

I'm kind of just kidding around. I haven't seen half of the movies that have been listed so far. But I love the job that Panda is doing, I love reading these lists even if I don't agree with most of them. 

 

I definitely have never even heard of Young girls of Rochefort.

 

Blue velvet and memento are good entries in my opinion.

[The Panda]

Number 88

 

 

"What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula?"

 

Synopsis

 

"Disney’s epic adventure follows the story of Simba, a feisty lion cub who “just can’t wait to be king.” Led astray by his ambitious Uncle Scar, Simba adopts a carefree lifestyle with his hilarious companions, Timon and Pumbaa, and forgets his regal responsibilities. But destiny calls and he must decide when the time is right to return to the Pride Lands and reclaim his place in the “Circle of Life.”" - Disney+

 

 

From the Scholar

 

"It is this link to the sacred myths in particular that I wish to explore. For many of the myths that The Lion King draws from are religious, taken from biblical stories. They include the stories of Paradise, the Fall, the reign of Satan, the need for a savior, the cataclysmic destruction of the earth, and the return of the savior who restores peace and begins his reign as rightful king. Even the creators at Disney admit that they were trying to do something “allegorical” in this film, and many critics see that. For example, Cochran states that Disney’s story was “virtually mythological. A King and a King’s Son. An Evil Uncle. Death and Rebirth. Plus the all-too relevant undercurrents of the decay of civilization” (36). Critic Pem Klass observes that The Lion King “is an interesting mix of Hamlet, Bambi, and The Jungle Book, all shot through with some contemporary sensibility about men who can’t grow up.” I believe, however, that the creators’ desire to add depth to the film is reflected in their use of biblical myths, which contribute to its ability to act as a moral teacher by raising spiritual consciousness. In most instances this consciousness relates to traditional Christian spirituality, but as Mass notes, “New Age” messages also are included. Director Rob Minkoff is quoted by Jamie Bernard regarding its spirituality: “the movie attempts ‘a level of spirituality, something slightly metaphysical”’ (G5)"

- Ward, Annalee R. "The lion king's mythic narrative: Disney as moral Educator." Journal of Popular Film and Television 23, no. 4 (1996): 171-178.

 

From the Filmmaker

 

 

From the Critic

 

"The biggest roar at the summer box office may well come from Buena Vista’s magnificent animated feature The Lion King. Graced with heart, humor and boundless energy, this Walt Disney presentation should cut a huge swathe through all age groups. Young tots and adults alike well warm to its nourishingly wise storyline. A certain blockbuster and a future classic, The Lion King is a scrumptiously delightful moviegoing experience.

 

From the stealthy array of talent selected to perform the voices, including such deep-tone stalwarts as James Earl Jones and Jeremy Irons, one almost expects a tragedy in the Shakespearean tradition. And, in certain aspects, The Lion King does fit this bill. Instead of the house of Hanover or Stuart, the drama centers on the reign of the mighty lion Mufasa (Jones), the king of a perfectly balanced African kingdom of animals who thrive in stunning abundance. A beneficent monarch, Mufasa, raises his young male cub, Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas, then Matthew Broderick as an adult) to know that “we are all connected in the great circle of life.”"

- Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter 1994

 

From the Public

 

"there's a reason it's called pride rock and that reason is called timon and pumbaa 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈" - Samantha, Letterboxd

 

 

Factoids

 

Previous Year's Rankings

2012 - #12, 2013 - #21, 2014 - #5, 2016 - #36, 2018 - #17, 2020 - #60, 2022 – #40

 

Director Count

R. Allers (1), R. Altman (1), J. Demy (1), C.T. Dreyer (1), M. Forman (1), W. Friedkin (1), M. Kobayashi (1), A. Kurosawa (1), S. Leone (1), D. Lynch (1), L. McCarey (1), R. Minkoff (1), C. Nolan (1), M.N. Shyamalan (1)

 

Decade Count

1960s (3), 1970s (2), 1980s (2), 1990s (2), 1920s (1), 1930s (1), 1950s (1), 2000s (1)

 

International Film Count

France (2), Japan (2), Italy (1)

 

Franchise Count

Exorcist (1), Man With No Name (1), WDAS (1)

 

Genre Count

Comedy (3), Historical Fiction (3), Musical (3), Horror (2), Noir (2), Thriller (2), Tragedy (2), Animation (1), Jidaigeki (1), Western (1)

 

 

A Recipe

 

Timon and Pumba's Grub: Dirt Pudding

 

 

 

Ingredients
1 and 1/3 cups (267g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (42g) unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/3 cup (40g) cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 and 1/2 cups (1,080ml) whole milk*
3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
24–30 Oreo cookies (or about 1 standard package)
24 gummy worms

 

Instructions

Make the pudding: Whisk sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium saucepan and place the saucepan over medium heat. While whisking, slowly pour in the milk and whisk until combined.

Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally. This will take about 10 minutes and do not try to rush it by turning up the heat, as the pudding will not thicken properly. The mixture will begin to bubble around the edges, and then in the center. Once bubbling in the center, whisk constantly and allow to boil for 1 minute. The pudding should be thickened, and you’ll know it’s thickened enough if it coats the back of a spoon or spatula without dripping off.

Remove from heat, and then whisk in the butter and vanilla.

Pour into a heatproof bowl, let sit for 5 minutes, and then place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming on top. Refrigerate for 1 hour. The pudding will not be fully thickened at this point, as you still want it a little thin to assemble the pudding cups in step 6.

Place the Oreos in a food processor or blender and pulse into crumbs. 

Assemble the dirt dessert: It’s helpful to know that this recipe makes 4 cups of chocolate pudding, and you can make individual cups, a trifle, or assemble/serve in a 9-inch baking pan. The amount of pudding/Oreo crumbs in each cup really depends on the size of the cup (or other vessel) you are using. You’ll want to layer Oreo crumbs on the bottom, then pudding, Oreo crumbs in the middle, more pudding, and more Oreo crumbs on top. Start with a couple Tablespoons of Oreo crumbs in the bottom of each cup. Spoon 1/4 cup of pudding on top of the Oreo layer, then repeat with another couple of spoonfuls of Oreo crumbs, another 1/4 cup of pudding, and a final layer of Oreo crumbs. Place a few gummy worms in the top layer of Oreo crumbs.

Refrigerate uncovered for 3 more hours and up to 48 hours.

Cover and store leftover cups in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 

From: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/dirt-pudding-recipe/

 

 

 

 

[THUNDER BIRD]

13 minutes ago, The Panda said:

Number 88

 

 

"What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula?"

 

Synopsis

 

"Disney’s epic adventure follows the story of Simba, a feisty lion cub who “just can’t wait to be king.” Led astray by his ambitious Uncle Scar, Simba adopts a carefree lifestyle with his hilarious companions, Timon and Pumbaa, and forgets his regal responsibilities. But destiny calls and he must decide when the time is right to return to the Pride Lands and reclaim his place in the “Circle of Life.”" - Disney+

 

 

From the Scholar

 

"It is this link to the sacred myths in particular that I wish to explore. For many of the myths that The Lion King draws from are religious, taken from biblical stories. They include the stories of Paradise, the Fall, the reign of Satan, the need for a savior, the cataclysmic destruction of the earth, and the return of the savior who restores peace and begins his reign as rightful king. Even the creators at Disney admit that they were trying to do something “allegorical” in this film, and many critics see that. For example, Cochran states that Disney’s story was “virtually mythological. A King and a King’s Son. An Evil Uncle. Death and Rebirth. Plus the all-too relevant undercurrents of the decay of civilization” (36). Critic Pem Klass observes that The Lion King “is an interesting mix of Hamlet, Bambi, and The Jungle Book, all shot through with some contemporary sensibility about men who can’t grow up.” I believe, however, that the creators’ desire to add depth to the film is reflected in their use of biblical myths, which contribute to its ability to act as a moral teacher by raising spiritual consciousness. In most instances this consciousness relates to traditional Christian spirituality, but as Mass notes, “New Age” messages also are included. Director Rob Minkoff is quoted by Jamie Bernard regarding its spirituality: “the movie attempts ‘a level of spirituality, something slightly metaphysical”’ (G5)"

- Ward, Annalee R. "The lion king's mythic narrative: Disney as moral Educator." Journal of Popular Film and Television 23, no. 4 (1996): 171-178.

 

From the Filmmaker

 

 

From the Critic

 

"The biggest roar at the summer box office may well come from Buena Vista’s magnificent animated feature The Lion King. Graced with heart, humor and boundless energy, this Walt Disney presentation should cut a huge swathe through all age groups. Young tots and adults alike well warm to its nourishingly wise storyline. A certain blockbuster and a future classic, The Lion King is a scrumptiously delightful moviegoing experience.

 

From the stealthy array of talent selected to perform the voices, including such deep-tone stalwarts as James Earl Jones and Jeremy Irons, one almost expects a tragedy in the Shakespearean tradition. And, in certain aspects, The Lion King does fit this bill. Instead of the house of Hanover or Stuart, the drama centers on the reign of the mighty lion Mufasa (Jones), the king of a perfectly balanced African kingdom of animals who thrive in stunning abundance. A beneficent monarch, Mufasa, raises his young male cub, Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas, then Matthew Broderick as an adult) to know that “we are all connected in the great circle of life.”"

- Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter 1994

 

From the Public

 

"there's a reason it's called pride rock and that reason is called timon and pumbaa 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈" - Samantha, Letterboxd

 

 

Factoids

 

Previous Year's Rankings

2012 - #12, 2013 - #21, 2014 - #5, 2016 - #36, 2018 - #17, 2020 - #60, 2022 – #40

 

Director Count

R. Allers (1), R. Altman (1), J. Demy (1), C.T. Dreyer (1), M. Forman (1), W. Friedkin (1), M. Kobayashi (1), A. Kurosawa (1), S. Leone (1), D. Lynch (1), L. McCarey (1), R. Minkoff (1), C. Nolan (1), M.N. Shyamalan (1)

 

Decade Count

1960s (3), 1970s (2), 1980s (2), 1990s (2), 1920s (1), 1930s (1), 1950s (1), 2000s (1)

 

International Film Count

France (2), Japan (2), Italy (1)

 

Franchise Count

Exorcist (1), Man With No Name (1), WDAS (1)

 

Genre Count

Comedy (3), Historical Fiction (3), Musical (3), Horror (2), Noir (2), Thriller (2), Tragedy (2), Animation (1), Jidaigeki (1), Western (1)

 

 

A Recipe

 

Timon and Pumba's Grub: Dirt Pudding

 

 

 

Ingredients
1 and 1/3 cups (267g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (42g) unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/3 cup (40g) cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 and 1/2 cups (1,080ml) whole milk*
3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
24–30 Oreo cookies (or about 1 standard package)
24 gummy worms

 

Instructions

Make the pudding: Whisk sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium saucepan and place the saucepan over medium heat. While whisking, slowly pour in the milk and whisk until combined.

Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally. This will take about 10 minutes and do not try to rush it by turning up the heat, as the pudding will not thicken properly. The mixture will begin to bubble around the edges, and then in the center. Once bubbling in the center, whisk constantly and allow to boil for 1 minute. The pudding should be thickened, and you’ll know it’s thickened enough if it coats the back of a spoon or spatula without dripping off.

Remove from heat, and then whisk in the butter and vanilla.

Pour into a heatproof bowl, let sit for 5 minutes, and then place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming on top. Refrigerate for 1 hour. The pudding will not be fully thickened at this point, as you still want it a little thin to assemble the pudding cups in step 6.

Place the Oreos in a food processor or blender and pulse into crumbs. 

Assemble the dirt dessert: It’s helpful to know that this recipe makes 4 cups of chocolate pudding, and you can make individual cups, a trifle, or assemble/serve in a 9-inch baking pan. The amount of pudding/Oreo crumbs in each cup really depends on the size of the cup (or other vessel) you are using. You’ll want to layer Oreo crumbs on the bottom, then pudding, Oreo crumbs in the middle, more pudding, and more Oreo crumbs on top. Start with a couple Tablespoons of Oreo crumbs in the bottom of each cup. Spoon 1/4 cup of pudding on top of the Oreo layer, then repeat with another couple of spoonfuls of Oreo crumbs, another 1/4 cup of pudding, and a final layer of Oreo crumbs. Place a few gummy worms in the top layer of Oreo crumbs.

Refrigerate uncovered for 3 more hours and up to 48 hours.

Cover and store leftover cups in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 

From: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/dirt-pudding-recipe/

 

 

 

 

Whoa

[JustLurking]

18 minutes ago, The Panda said:

Number 88

 

 

"What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula?"

 

Synopsis

 

"Disney’s epic adventure follows the story of Simba, a feisty lion cub who “just can’t wait to be king.” Led astray by his ambitious Uncle Scar, Simba adopts a carefree lifestyle with his hilarious companions, Timon and Pumbaa, and forgets his regal responsibilities. But destiny calls and he must decide when the time is right to return to the Pride Lands and reclaim his place in the “Circle of Life.”" - Disney+

 

 

From the Scholar

 

"It is this link to the sacred myths in particular that I wish to explore. For many of the myths that The Lion King draws from are religious, taken from biblical stories. They include the stories of Paradise, the Fall, the reign of Satan, the need for a savior, the cataclysmic destruction of the earth, and the return of the savior who restores peace and begins his reign as rightful king. Even the creators at Disney admit that they were trying to do something “allegorical” in this film, and many critics see that. For example, Cochran states that Disney’s story was “virtually mythological. A King and a King’s Son. An Evil Uncle. Death and Rebirth. Plus the all-too relevant undercurrents of the decay of civilization” (36). Critic Pem Klass observes that The Lion King “is an interesting mix of Hamlet, Bambi, and The Jungle Book, all shot through with some contemporary sensibility about men who can’t grow up.” I believe, however, that the creators’ desire to add depth to the film is reflected in their use of biblical myths, which contribute to its ability to act as a moral teacher by raising spiritual consciousness. In most instances this consciousness relates to traditional Christian spirituality, but as Mass notes, “New Age” messages also are included. Director Rob Minkoff is quoted by Jamie Bernard regarding its spirituality: “the movie attempts ‘a level of spirituality, something slightly metaphysical”’ (G5)"

- Ward, Annalee R. "The lion king's mythic narrative: Disney as moral Educator." Journal of Popular Film and Television 23, no. 4 (1996): 171-178.

 

From the Filmmaker

 

 

From the Critic

 

"The biggest roar at the summer box office may well come from Buena Vista’s magnificent animated feature The Lion King. Graced with heart, humor and boundless energy, this Walt Disney presentation should cut a huge swathe through all age groups. Young tots and adults alike well warm to its nourishingly wise storyline. A certain blockbuster and a future classic, The Lion King is a scrumptiously delightful moviegoing experience.

 

From the stealthy array of talent selected to perform the voices, including such deep-tone stalwarts as James Earl Jones and Jeremy Irons, one almost expects a tragedy in the Shakespearean tradition. And, in certain aspects, The Lion King does fit this bill. Instead of the house of Hanover or Stuart, the drama centers on the reign of the mighty lion Mufasa (Jones), the king of a perfectly balanced African kingdom of animals who thrive in stunning abundance. A beneficent monarch, Mufasa, raises his young male cub, Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas, then Matthew Broderick as an adult) to know that “we are all connected in the great circle of life.”"

- Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter 1994

 

From the Public

 

"there's a reason it's called pride rock and that reason is called timon and pumbaa 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈" - Samantha, Letterboxd

 

 

Factoids

 

Previous Year's Rankings

2012 - #12, 2013 - #21, 2014 - #5, 2016 - #36, 2018 - #17, 2020 - #60, 2022 – #40

 

Director Count

R. Allers (1), R. Altman (1), J. Demy (1), C.T. Dreyer (1), M. Forman (1), W. Friedkin (1), M. Kobayashi (1), A. Kurosawa (1), S. Leone (1), D. Lynch (1), L. McCarey (1), R. Minkoff (1), C. Nolan (1), M.N. Shyamalan (1)

 

Decade Count

1960s (3), 1970s (2), 1980s (2), 1990s (2), 1920s (1), 1930s (1), 1950s (1), 2000s (1)

 

International Film Count

France (2), Japan (2), Italy (1)

 

Franchise Count

Exorcist (1), Man With No Name (1), WDAS (1)

 

Genre Count

Comedy (3), Historical Fiction (3), Musical (3), Horror (2), Noir (2), Thriller (2), Tragedy (2), Animation (1), Jidaigeki (1), Western (1)

 

 

A Recipe

 

Timon and Pumba's Grub: Dirt Pudding

 

 

 

Ingredients
1 and 1/3 cups (267g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (42g) unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/3 cup (40g) cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 and 1/2 cups (1,080ml) whole milk*
3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
24–30 Oreo cookies (or about 1 standard package)
24 gummy worms

 

Instructions

Make the pudding: Whisk sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium saucepan and place the saucepan over medium heat. While whisking, slowly pour in the milk and whisk until combined.

Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally. This will take about 10 minutes and do not try to rush it by turning up the heat, as the pudding will not thicken properly. The mixture will begin to bubble around the edges, and then in the center. Once bubbling in the center, whisk constantly and allow to boil for 1 minute. The pudding should be thickened, and you’ll know it’s thickened enough if it coats the back of a spoon or spatula without dripping off.

Remove from heat, and then whisk in the butter and vanilla.

Pour into a heatproof bowl, let sit for 5 minutes, and then place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming on top. Refrigerate for 1 hour. The pudding will not be fully thickened at this point, as you still want it a little thin to assemble the pudding cups in step 6.

Place the Oreos in a food processor or blender and pulse into crumbs. 

Assemble the dirt dessert: It’s helpful to know that this recipe makes 4 cups of chocolate pudding, and you can make individual cups, a trifle, or assemble/serve in a 9-inch baking pan. The amount of pudding/Oreo crumbs in each cup really depends on the size of the cup (or other vessel) you are using. You’ll want to layer Oreo crumbs on the bottom, then pudding, Oreo crumbs in the middle, more pudding, and more Oreo crumbs on top. Start with a couple Tablespoons of Oreo crumbs in the bottom of each cup. Spoon 1/4 cup of pudding on top of the Oreo layer, then repeat with another couple of spoonfuls of Oreo crumbs, another 1/4 cup of pudding, and a final layer of Oreo crumbs. Place a few gummy worms in the top layer of Oreo crumbs.

Refrigerate uncovered for 3 more hours and up to 48 hours.

Cover and store leftover cups in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 

From: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/dirt-pudding-recipe/

 

 

 

 

 When I saw the picture for a second I thought it was the remake