Author Topic: What Restrictions (If Any) Should Be Placed On Your Pantheon?  (Read 3047 times)

1SO

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What Restrictions (If Any) Should Be Placed On Your Pantheon?
« on: September 14, 2014, 10:24:41 PM »
I've been going through all the films I've seen year by year and building them into ranked lists. In 2009, I hit a snag that I would like to get opinions on.

Where do you draw the line for inclusion/exclusion with a list of your greatest films?
I am going to list of types titles that have an entry on IMDB. Tell me what you think should not be included. Explanations are welcome.

Feature Films

Mini-Series: common examples include Dekalog, Berlin Alexanderplatz, Heimat, Lars Von Trier's The Kingdom, Lonesome Dove, Band of Brothers, Ken Burns' The Civil War, Das Boot, John Adams, It, Salem's Lot, TV versions of Scenes From a Marriage and fanny & Alexander

Limited run TV Series: When a show produces a small amount of episodes, the studio will sometimes release it to DVD as a mini-series. Examples include Firefly, Blue Planet

Short Films

Internet content Should "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" be considered?

Movies released on Cable most HBO films were made like any other film. They just didn't get theatrical release. Temple Grandin, Indictment: The McMartin Trial, Live From Baghdad

Made for TV Movies: Sarah Plain and Tall, The Day After, Brian's Song, Pirates of Silicon Valley, Kolchak: The Night Stalker

Sherlock: I don't know of another series that fits, but the current BBC series Sherlock consists of 90-minute installments.

Art Installations: Empire

TV Specials: Industrial Symphony No. 1, Toy Story of Terror, Prep & Landing

Music Videos: Bondo has argued in favor of this a number of times, and as someone who grew up with "Thriller" I understand his point.

Commercials: Easy to dismiss, but we accepted "Let's All Go to the Lobby" for the 1957 Retrospots.


That last one is what provoked this thread. Prep & Landing is 5-Stars, which would put it in my Top 25. It's not a feature, but it's not an episode of a TV series either. It was a holiday special made for television, now available on DVD where it plays as a short film.

MartinTeller

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Re: What Restrictions (If Any) Should Be Placed On Your Pantheon?
« Reply #1 on: September 14, 2014, 10:54:08 PM »
Firefly is episodic television.  It was never meant to be a "mini-series" (nor is it presented as a mini-series on the DVD release).  I'd say the same about Sherlock, although individual episodes I wouldn't object to on principle.

I was opposed to "Let's All Go to the Lobby".

I think everything else on your list is fair game.  For my "official" lists, I prefer to limit myself to long-form (at least an hour) which is why I took Un Chien Andalou off my top 250 this year.

Bondo

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Re: What Restrictions (If Any) Should Be Placed On Your Pantheon?
« Reply #2 on: September 14, 2014, 11:24:50 PM »
I feel no hesitation including a TV "mini-series" like Arabian Nights on my list, as that is basically a long film split in two parts (and plays with no intermission on DVD). I think Lonesome Dove was three parts. It does feel a bit stretched with something like Generation Kill or John Adams where it feels less mini and more series (albeit a planned one-off). But certainly being released to the distribution venue of TV isn't a disqualifying factor (nor being released to the distribution venue of the internet).

Dave the Necrobumper

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Re: What Restrictions (If Any) Should Be Placed On Your Pantheon?
« Reply #3 on: September 16, 2014, 04:01:35 AM »
I exclude short films (< 1 hour) and a mini series such as Heimat. Something like individual episodes of Sherlock have me a little conflicted, but I tend to not consider them. Music videos fall under the short film category. TV movies qualify, but are rarely of a quality to make the grade.

GothamCity151

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Re: What Restrictions (If Any) Should Be Placed On Your Pantheon?
« Reply #4 on: September 16, 2014, 10:15:09 AM »
I only include feature films. Things like music videos, mini-series, etc. are completely different formats and ways of telling stories that putting the two up against each other is not fair. I don't mind having separate lists for each particular category, but I would not combine them.

Bondo

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Re: What Restrictions (If Any) Should Be Placed On Your Pantheon?
« Reply #5 on: September 16, 2014, 11:31:24 AM »
Well, this is assuming the pantheon in question is ranked. I don't have to worry about distinctions with The Bondo Collection, which is what I'd consider my pantheon of sorts (though I've excluded things that are generally popular). I can put anything in video format on the list that I think is excellent.

Melvil

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Re: What Restrictions (If Any) Should Be Placed On Your Pantheon?
« Reply #6 on: September 16, 2014, 12:21:41 PM »
It's all completely arbitrary, I'm not gonna pretend otherwise. :) I honestly just base it off of what feels right. Sometimes the distinctions are hard to express, but ultimately I know whether or not something feels like a traditional "cinematic" experience or something else. It probably has a lot to do with the terms in which the work is trying to operate or something.

1SO

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Re: What Restrictions (If Any) Should Be Placed On Your Pantheon?
« Reply #7 on: September 22, 2014, 09:34:05 PM »
I was opposed to "Let's All Go to the Lobby".
I have to think about this. I was a big supporter of "Let's All Go to the Lobby", but if I put that on my list I have to consider commercials, some of which are longer and even better. (Tarsem's Nike commercial "Good vs. Evil" springs to mind.)

You've all given good replies to think about. (Would still like to hear from more.) I think I'm going to keep my Top 100 restricted to features, including Sherlock, and save the rest for my 500+ Essentials (where Prep & Landing is currently #11.) That's where you will find...
The Wrong Trousers
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
Presto
John Adams
Your Studio and You
Scorpio Rising
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
Toy Story of Terror
Antoine and Colette
and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog    ...among others.

mañana

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Re: What Restrictions (If Any) Should Be Placed On Your Pantheon?
« Reply #8 on: September 22, 2014, 09:53:34 PM »
Do whatever feels right, 1SO. In my book, J. Hoberman naming Game 6 of the World Series as the 5th best film of 1986 is a totally legit move.
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