GameTZ

26-May-17 7:30pm
#1

theJaw

This topic had many older posts which were moved here: http://gametz.com/Ge...

Hello, I like to rank things. @bonham2 can attest.

I update this thread with new topics so the GTZers can share their definitive rankings of said topic. It's a great time.

Current Topic: Top 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2023

Past Topics:
1. Rank the Batman films
2. Rank the X-Men films
3. Top 10 TV Shows
4. Top 10 Favorite Albums
5. Top Favorite Fictional Characters
6. Rank Your Favorite Nicktoons
7. Top 10 90s Nick Shows
8. Top 10 SNES Games
9. Top 5 Favorite Video Game Locations
10. Top 5 Video Game Frustrations
11. Top 5 Horror Movies
12. Top 5 Thanksgiving Foods
13. The Christmas Edition
14. Top 10 Superhero Movies
15. Top 10 (or 5) Movies of 2017
16. Top 10 (or 5) Comedy Movies
17. Top 10 Animated Films
19. Rank Your Favorite Action Movies
20. Top 10 PS4 Games
21. Top 10 Movies of the Past 5 Years
22. Top 5 Video Game Disappointments
23. Top 10 Favorite MCU Characters
24. Rank the Traditionally Animated Disney Movies
25. Favorite Nostalgic Children's Movies
26. Rank Tarantino's Filmography
27. Top 10 Bands/Musicians
28. Rank the Nintendo Home Consoles
29. The Halloween Edition
30. Top 5 Thanksgiving Foods Pt. II
31. The Christmas Edition Pt II
32. Top 10 Movies of 2019
33. Top 10 Movies of the 2010s
34. Rank the Harry Potter Movies
35. Rank the Disney/Pixar Movies
36. Rank the Spider-man film franchise
37. Top 10 Episodes of TV
38. Top 10 Tearjerker Movies
39. Top 5 SNL Skits
40. Rank the 3D Mario Games
41. Top 10 Film Quotes/Lines of Dialogue
42. Top 5 (or 10) Thanksgiving Specials
43. Top 10 Live Action Movies of the 1990s
44. Top 10 Music Videos
45. Rank the DCEU Movies
46. Top 10 (or 5) Movies of 2020
47. Top 10 Disney Songs
48. Top 5 Celebrity Crushes
49. Favorite & Least Favorite Movies of 2021
50. Rank the Batman films (again!)
51. Top 10 Classic Rock Songs
52. Top 10 Summer Movies
53. Top 10 Autumn Movies
54. Top 10 Movies of 2022
55. Top 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2023

OG Batman movie post:

So, for other folks who watch stupid superhero stuff, Rank! Those! Stupid! Batman movies!!! I don't expect everyone to have seen all the ones on my list but if you've seen any, share your lists in the thread. Or don't, jerk.

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GTZ's favorite is Batman Begins. This is indisputable.

1. The Dark Knight
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Classic. Iconic Joker, great adaptation of Two-Face. Batman's mythos in the Nolan trilogy took its most interesting turn with the ending with Batman's metaphorical sacrifice. It was the ultimate grounded approach at a Batman movie, finding perfect ways to integrate those comic book moments.

2. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
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The only animated Batman movie to get a theatrical release is still one of the best. I'm huge into Batman: The Animated Series, and this movie is one of the best "entires" in that series and just one of the best takes on Batman in general.

3. Batman Returns
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Completely off nostalgia alone. This was among my favorite movies as a kid and remains a favorite Christmas movie. Michael Keaton had great nuance, especially as Bruce Wayne. Danny DeVito's Penguin was as memorable as it was gross. It wasn't a particularly great movie and it hasn't aged well, but I'll always love it.

4. Batman Begins
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Really dug the subtle, grounded approach of this movie - it was easily the most grounded of the Nolan movies. I'm a big fan of Ra's Al Ghul and, while I would have liked a legitimately immortal take on the character, Liam Neeson's man-in-the-shadows-creating-a-myth version was great for this universe.

5. Batman (1989)
http://www.therobots...
Another classic, the logo to this movie is etched into my nostalgia goggles for all-time. Nicholson's Joker is a legend at this point, and again, Keaton was fun as a straight-faced Batman.

6. The LEGO Batman Movie
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Will Arnett as the voice of Batman rules. All the cameos, both voice-wise and character-wise, were great. It was a fun spoof on Batman movies in general, with things kids and adults could both like.

7. The Dark Knight Rises
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Great way to top off the Nolan trilogy, but a little lesser than the other movies. I love Tom Hardy's Bane - even the voice. He came off sinister and brutal, and it was great to see Nolan so closely adapt the Knightfall stuff from the comics. That gets points alone. It did go a little long, and the third act was a little bit of a let down, but still a fun time.

8. Batman: The Movie
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Like the LEGO Batman movie, this one is great for a few laughs. Adam West's dumbed-down "comic story" Batman was so much fun, and the colors of this movie were great. And then there's the bomb scene, which may be my single favorite Batman scene ever just for the sheer absurdity.

9. Man of Tomorrow (BvS fan edit)
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You'll see where BvS actually ends up, but I dug this fan edit as it seamlessly meshed both Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. While a lot of the problems were still there (especially in the majority BvS section), I was in awe at how well the edits to make one epic Batman/Superman movie worked out - as well as the edits that did fix plot points.

10. Batman Forever
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Underrated in my opinion, because a lot of people would rank this as far down as Batman & Robin which is an insult. This wasn't a great movie by any means, and Tommy Lee Jones' awful take on Two-Face was just a poor-man's Batman 89' Joker, but Jim Carrey as Riddler was cool and the Robin origin scene was fun. The ending was awful, Robin being a grown ass man was awful, and Kilmer's Batman was forgettable. But I still thought the movie was okay.

11. 1940's Batman serials
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I'll just count both of the serialized theater series in one spot since they're decently obscure nowadays. These episodes were on TV on Christmas day when I was a kid, and I remember watching it from my Batman: The Animated Series tent that I got that morning. Fun to re-watch every now and then for that alone, but it's real awkward seeing some of the subject matter.

14. Batman & Robin
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If this list were ranked for comedy, this may beat out both Batman '66 AND the LEGO Batman movie. But alas. Clooney was phoning it in completely, Robin was still an adult, Batgirl was cringey, Mr. Freeze was gosh darn perfect and the Poison Ivy/Bane duo were the worst.

13. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Tomorrow
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This movie was awful. Affleck's Batman was just about the only thing I dug about it. But just the performance and look itself. The writing for Batman, besides Bruce Wayne's initial hesitance toward Superman, was pretty awful. Having him climb on a ceiling the first time we see him, his whole Martha schtick, his willingness to main (even if it was fun to watch).

14. Suicide Squad
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Does this movie count? Mostly Batman villains, the Joker/Harley Quinn combo and a short Batman cameo. I'll count it, but the movie sucks so this entry pretty much just exists to reiterate that.

19-Mar-21 1:24am
#121

nonamesleft


Wait a minute. Just realized something. I actually rewatched Man of Steel last year. It's Superman Returns that I haven't seen in years. Not sure why I mixed them up.

Now that I think about it, the colors definitely were somewhat muted. I get what they were going for, but I don't think the duller look is necessary. I get it, but it's not a must.

I bet you're on to something with that whole city destruction thing being related to the budget. Big effects and all. It's in the budget, so why not. It was a bit over the top though. Just a bit

19-Mar-21 9:19am
#122

Scott


1. Wonder Woman
2. Man of Steel
3. Justice League
4. Suicide Squad
5. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Wonder Woman is definitely my favorite, but even that movie is just pretty good, I don't love it or anything. Plus, I'd be lying if I said that much of my enjoyment of the movie wasn't simply because Gal Gadot is in it. I haven't seen Man of Steel in a long time but I remember it being ok. Justice League and Suicide Squad are close. Neither were as bad as I expected based on how people talked about them, but neither were particularly good either. Batman v Superman was total garbage, I hated it so much.

Haven't seen yet:
Aquaman
Shazam!
Birds of Prey
Wonder Woman 1984
Zack Snyder's Justice League

Don't want to see:
Joker

20-Mar-21 12:54am
#123

shadyfozzie


Shazam and original WW are the 2 best.. I liked Birds of Prey too..
Just finished Snyder's JL.. what the hell was that epilogue with the Joker?? So damn weird..

Interested in the new Suicide Squad since they haven't said anything about it.

20-Mar-21 1:23am
#124

theJaw


shadyfozzie wrote:
Shazam and original WW are the 2 best.. I liked Birds of Prey too.. Just finished Snyder's JL.. what the hell was that epilogue with the Joker?? So damn weird.. Interested in the new Suicide Squad since they haven't said anything about it.
That’s part of Bruce’s “Knightmare” vision that he originally sees in BvS, though I’m not entirely sure WHY he can see the future in his dreams. Snyder had a whole JL trilogy planned out, and the sequel was going to be set in that dystopian future. In that Joker scene, Joker asks how many universes Bruce is willing to destroy because he refuses to just die, so it’s possible something was going to happen in JL 2 or 3 to explain why Bruce saw visions. It’s insinuated that something Bruce does leads to Lois getting killed, which makes Superman snap.

Cyborg sees the same future too, which makes more sense because he’s able to tap into the Mother Box being a cyborg and all. He’s the one who sees an image of Superman mourning over a dead body, which is probably Lois.

And if you’re just asking why the frig is that particular group of characters together, who knows!? We’ll probably never find out unfort.

21-Mar-21 6:03pm
#125

whitefire


1. Wonder Woman
2. Birds of Prey
3. Batman v Superman
4. Man of Steel
5. Zach Snyder's Justice League
6. Shazam
7. Aquaman
8. Justice League
9. Wonder Woman 1984
10. Suicide Squad

21-Mar-21 8:18pm
#126

bonham2


10. Justice League - Yeah, it's that bad.
9. Batman vs Superman - There are so many problems with this movie. Don't get me started.
8. Shazam - I don't get the love. I thought it was silly.
7. Wonder Woman 1984 - I was entertained even if there are some really dumb character choices, and the whole Diana's boyfriend possessing another human thing was obviously a poor choice.
6. Suicide Squad - I actually liked this movie except for the Joker. I understand the critiques, especially when comparing it to Guardians of the Galaxy, but it was a fun movie. Harley Quinn was fantastic! I liked the setup a lot. I think the middle dragged a bit, and I didn't really like the ending, but overall I liked this one.
5. Aquaman - This was a fun movie. I thought the Mantis stuff looked like a Power Rangers battle, and that entire subplot seemed a bit pointless. Overall though, it was a much better movie than I ever thought we would get from Aquaman.
4. Birds of Prey - More Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn without Jared Leto's Joker. This was another fun one.
3. Wonder Woman - Good movie, not great. I don't know why this one got so much love.
2. Man of Steel - I love Superman. This was not the best movie or when a good interpretation of him, but it was still a really good movie. I have rewatched this the most of every DCEU film.
1. Joker - I don't think this counts, but of the topic creator can add it, then I can too. This is a fantastic movie and light years beyond every other movie on this list.

If Joker counts, then we should add in every Batman movie ever. Also, I still haven't finished the ZS Justice League yet, so I can't add that one.

21-Mar-21 9:02pm
#127

theJaw


@bonham2 Joker counts for this particular list because it was released after Man of Steel, which was the start of the “DCEU” (or whatever they officially called it). I know it’s out of continuity but it’s a DC film that was released during the “connected universe” era even if it’s not part of that connected universe, and is so far the only DC movie released since MOS without connection to the others that were released since. All the other Batman movies came pre-DCEU.

22-Mar-21 11:03am
#128

bonham2


Your thread, your rules 😆

22-Mar-21 12:08pm
#129

theJaw


Friggin RIGHT gosh darnitall

24-Mar-21 9:43pm
#130

back4more


Pierce Brosnan to play the role of Dr. Fate in Black Adam. I'm not familiar with the character but he looks cool and I've always liked Brosnan.

24-Mar-21 9:49pm
#131

Kommie


1. Joker

2. Batman vs Superman

these are the only ones I've seen.

25-Mar-21 4:51pm
#132

bonham2


So I finished ZS Justice League. The original was #10 on my list, but this probably deserves #3 after Man of Steel. Why is it that the film has practically the same plot but this version is SO MUCH BETTER?!?

I think this feels like like a Justice League movie, whereas the original release was a bunch of people Thai didn't know each other getting their asses bat until Superman showed up to save the day. In this one, Batman is a bad ass. In the original, he is weak and completely unnecessary. In this one, Cyborg is awesome with a real backstory. In the original, he is completely pointless. In this one, Wonder Woman is owned by Steppenwolf. In this one, she is just as strong as him and holding her own. I especially like how they will fought TOGETHER with Superman, instead of how Superman just saves the day in the original. I think Barry's run around the block in this one was stupid, but at least he served a purpose (turning back the clock). In the original, he's just saving people (that aren't even present in this version). So many things didn't make sense in the original (what the motherboxes were, what was Steppenwolf's purpose, how they found him in his remote location, etc.). This does such a better job of explaining things. The epilogue was a waste though.

25-Mar-21 9:14pm
#133

tonymack21


When I saw the epilogue setting up injustice I was like ah this is the foreshadowing of the Lois is the key and bats says something darker I was like oh injustice and then it was happening but then it was a dream.

25-Mar-21 9:36pm
#134

theJaw


tonymack21 wrote:
When I saw the epilogue setting up injustice I was like ah this is the foreshadowing of the Lois is the key and bats says something darker I was like oh injustice and then it was happening but then it was a dream.
It was a dream but it was also a legit vision, and it totally was another tease for that “Lois is the key” beat. Cyborg saw similar visions when he tapped into the Mother Box while they were in the Kryptonian ship, including that one of Superman mourning over a body (likely Lois) before Darkseid puts his hand on his shoulder. Snyder planned for 2 other JL movies that would have at least partially taken place in that dystopian Injustice-style setting.

I imagine it would have been explained in one of those movies why Bruce was able to see the visions himself. Either way, it’s my theory that Flash traveled back in time to BvS to warn Bruce that “Lois is the key” and that he meant Bruce should 100% not let Lois die the way she did in his (Flash’s) timeline in order to avoid the whole “evil Superman” schtick.

25-Mar-21 9:54pm
#135

tonymack21


theJaw wrote:
tonymack21 wrote:> When I saw the epilogue setting up injustice I was like ah this is the foreshadowing> of the Lois is the key and bats says something darker I was like oh injustice and> then it was happening but then it was a dream. > > It was a dream but it was also a legit vision, and it totally was another tease for that “Lois is the key” beat. Cyborg saw similar visions when he tapped into the Mother Box while they were in the Kryptonian ship, including that one of Superman mourning over a body (likely Lois) before Darkseid..... not let Lois die the way she did in his (Flash’s) timeline in order to avoid the whole “evil Superman” schtick.
Oh ya thats right. I liked how they did that.

25-Mar-21 10:06pm
#136

theJaw


As for the Epilogue being a “waste”, I don’t necessarily feel that way. I do agree it was all totally tacked on in a weird way, but the scenes were still integral to what would have been if Snyder got to make more movies (even the Joker scene, which wasn’t originally in the Snyder cut).

If I edited this movie, I would have handled those epilogue scenes like this:

1. Insert a slightly shorter version of the Batman/Joker Knightmare scene into the middle of Cyborg’s vision sequence. I’d place it so that the final shot of the epilogue scene (Superman’s menacing red eyes) comes right BEFORE the shot of the dead Lantern lying in front of a silhouetted Superman who’s holding what seems to be a severed head. Even if that severed head didn’t belong to Batman or any of the heroes/villains who appear in that epilogue scene, the visual of seeing Superman holding it RIGHT after he’s seen approaching them would have been a nice hook and add to Cyborg’s newfound apprehension toward bringing Superman back to life. It would also make a bit more sense of why Cyborg’s auto-defense system kicks in right before they fight Superman.

2. Use the montage scene with Cyborg’s father’s narration as the only scene in the actual epilogue section after Part 6, ending with Superman pulling his shirt open to reveal he’s still rocking the black suit. Cut to credits.

3. Make the Lex Luthor/Deathstroke scene the “mid credits” scene, a la the MCU. Have some visual credits first, cut to that Lex scene, then cut to the normal scrolling credits.

4. Finally, I’d subtly fade some Joker dialogue/laughter and maybe even some menacing Superman dialogue in over the end of the scrolling credits, before they SMASH CUT to Bruce waking up from a nightmare. So now it’s not necessarily a Knightmare scene he wakes from (though it could still be), it’s just a suggested nightmare he’s having about the Joker (and/or Superman). From there have the conversation with Martian Manhunter act as the true “after credits” scene.

Just feel like that would have made those scenes work a little more coherently as opposed to just seeming crammed in at the end just for the heck of it.

25-Mar-21 10:28pm
#137

bonham2


I can get behind that. I found the Batman/Joker stuff to be an absolute bore. Jared Leto should've declined. Nobody wants to see him as Joker.

25-Mar-21 11:46pm
#138

theJaw


bonham2 wrote:
I can get behind that. I found the Batman/Joker stuff to be an absolute bore. Jared Leto should've declined. Nobody wants to see him as Joker.
I sure did. What I didn't want to see was Jared Leto as the Suicide Squad version of the Joker, at least visually. But to be fair, we didn't even see his version of the Joker IN Suicide Squad. We saw clipped scenes that the studio decided were all we were allowed to see, and stripped both the director and the actor of their vision when it came to that character. Mind you this is the same studio that opted for the Whedon cut over the Snyder cut, so their priorities are clearly not ironed out.

It's easy to be salty about his look in Suicide Squad (I definitely was) and no, the couple scenes he was in weren't anything to write home about, but considering Ayer and Leto have both stated that there was enough footage shot for a Joker-centric movie, I'm willing to bet we didn't even get the opportunity to judge his take on the character in full. If the Snyder cut proved anything, it's that crapty editing and removal of key scenes can detriment a performance in major ways. So when it came to JL, I was all-in on giving him another go. I dug the comic accurate jokey-dialogue and classic dark sense of humor. And, thankfully, his look was changed to be less gang-bangery.

Tbh I'd still like to see a movie that uses him more traditionally as opposed to just glorified cameos, but that's likely never going to happen.

(Didn't neg ps)

26-Mar-21 11:28pm
#139

bonham2


Yes and no. I don't think editing made the Justice League characters any better. I think the reshoots really changed Superman's and Aquaman's personalities. Superman was lighter and happier in the original, which never felt right anyway. And Aquaman was too bro-dude for me in the original. That's not editing. That was a directors poor decision.

The stuff we saw of Joker in Suicide Squad was either Jared Leto's vision, the director's vision, or a combination of both. Maybe there's more unseen footage somewhere out there. I have no interest in seeing it. In my opinion, Jared Leto's Joker was the worst part of a movie that I enjoyed for the most part (Suicide Squad).

26-Mar-21 11:49pm
#140

theJaw


I meant "editing" in terms of removing key character moments, which Whedon did. He replaced some with worse scenes, for sure, but he also just cut certain performance-driven scenes all together and with no explanation - very similar to what WB did with Joker in Suicide Squad. Cyborg's character moments were removed almost completely from JL, and in turn he came off completely different in Whedon's cut as opposed to Snyder's. One version was one-note and boring, the other was the complete opposite - that was due to the WB's editors removing a performance and Snyder adding the removed material back in.

Like I said, I know the Joker scenes that were actually in Suicide Squad were bad - but really any performance can come off bad when all the scenes offering context for said character are completely removed from a narrative written with said scenes in mind. I'm not trying to sway your opinion on the performance we saw, I agree he ranked real high on the list of bad things about Suicide Squad (I very much did not enjoy the movie), I'm just saying we really didn't see the material that may have helped understand Leto or Ayer's vision a little better and that ZSJL proved just how much of an impact something like that can have on a movie.

I hope Ayer does what Snyder joked about and just leaves his cut of the movie on a thumb drive somewhere random for someone to find. Give it a chance to be seen on the ol' high seas.

3-Apr-21 1:46am
#141

theJaw


NEW TOPIC: Top 10 (or 5) Movies of 2020

This topic could literally just be "new movies you bothered to watch in 2020" due to the major lack of content. My list really is almost every new movie I saw in 2020 and therefore a few of them make the cut by default. A lot of them would have been completely ignored if it weren't for the nearly complete halt of the movie business, but I've done this for every year since 2017 and I'm not about to stop now gosh darnit.

Even though 2020 was a rough year for new releases, I felt obligated. Share your list (if you bothered to watch any new movies last year).

1. Hamilton - I've re-watched this so many times, I've lost count. I know it's not technically a "movie", but it is the "filmed" version of the stage play with camera angles reserved for film so there ya have it. I was somewhat interested in this when it released, but it took my girlfriend forcing me to watch it to finally get me to, and I've been unable to stop since. Just a masterpiece for modern musicals, with a strong (if not entirely historically accurate) story and great performances all around. Some of the catchiest tunes of the past few years easy. For me, it's very easy to listen to an album I enjoy consistently for a few months after discovering it... and Hamilton is no different, there's just an incredibly well put-together play to go along with it. 2. Onward - Easily among my favorite Pixar movies. Maybe not as well-animated as others, but the story and characters make up for that in my opinion. As a major sucker for father/son stories, this one hit me in every single feeling that resides in my body and it has one of the stronger, more meaningful endings out of any Pixar movie. 3. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm - I love that this movie came out of absolutely nowhere, with little to no reports of it filming until it was released. While not consistently as funny as the first Borat, I do feel like there are a few moments in this sequel that made me laugh harder than anything in that first one. If this is the last we see of this style movie from Sacha Baron Cohen, he went out on top. 4. Happiest Season - I really dug this Christmas movie. Loved the characters, especially how they avoided normal tropes of the genre and of the subject material itself. Kristen Stewart impressed, Daniel Levy rules in everything, and I'll never complain about seeing Allison Brie in anything. 5. You Cannot Kill David Arquette - David Arquette, staple of the 90s thanks to Scream, enters the world of independent wrestling in an attempt to give back to an industry and its fans that shunned him for like 2 decades, ever since WCW booked him to win their world championship. Real interesting and wacky story. It's not as surreal as a documentary like "The Devil and Daniel Johnston", but there is that element of "I can't believe this guy is real and doing this crap" like that movie. 6. The Old Guard - I remember I was up all night one summer night this past year and decided to start watching this at like 5AM. I couldn't turn it off once I started. Not the best action movie out there but it hit the spot at the time. 7. Da 5 Bloods - Came for one of Chadwick Boseman's final performances, stayed for everything else. Really well directed, had a very unique vibe to it, and while the story sort of jumped around in strange ways, it was definitely entertaining. 8. The Lodge - Super depressing movie but also super atmospheric. I enjoyed the sheer terror the movie conjured without any real supernatural elements or anything of the sort, just a horrifying situation and fear of the unknown. 9. Enola Holmes - Was pleasantly surprised by this, Millie Bobby Brown was great in it. Threw it on with no real knowledge of what it was randomly while I was working one day during lockdown, and couldn't stop watching at times. 10. Wonder Woman 1984 - I thought it was fun if very unbalanced and not too great. Still had a good enough time with it. Can't blame people who disliked it, it was too long and there were a ton of pretty poor story elements involved, but the performances, characters themselves and "classic Christopher Reeves Superman" vibe did enough to keep me hooked. 11. The Last Blockbuster - Eff it... it was 2020, I'm doing 11 movies. This is the only one I didn't watch IN 2020 (just saw it a few weeks ago) but it WAS released in 2020 and to be honest, I like this as much as most movies on this list so there's no reason to leave it off. Still need to see/finish: Sonic the Hedgehog, Soul, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Mulan - Saw most of Sonic but still haven't finished, enjoyed what I saw for the most part. The other 3 are movies up my alley that I need to watch, that I have a feeling could have ranked in my "top" list if I had watched them.

All in all, 2020 was definitely the year of "this movie isn't as good as the delayed blockbusters but will at least help pass the time". While I enjoyed them all and think they're all generally at least "good", I wouldn't say I'm in much of a rush to watch most of these again. I've already watched Borat and Onward twice, and have watched Hamilton like 75 times, so 1-3 are safe. And I'll probably watch 4 again around Christmas time, but that's about it. 5 was admittedly pretty great, but it's not really "necessary re-watch" material to me. 6-11 were fun to watch once, but I'd be comfortable if I never sat down with them again (though I'm sure I will with a few eventually).