WAR MOVIE BRACKET SEMIFINALS
Here is the current status of our war movie bracket. You guys better get to voting, I'll do better at reminding you! You can also just click the check mark on the bracket to get notified automatically when voting is about to end. Semifinals end in ~21 hours. Vote vote vote!
PS: Finding Forrester premiere will start shortly. And my full reaction to Road to Perdition will be up tonight.
Comments (68)
Think we need another reminder post or better yet just watch both finalists 😉
Low engagement at this point in a poll makes sense, Gray. People who don't know or don't care for either of the movies will have checked out. Some of us are just waiting for Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.
Good grief - no fighting in the war movie poll apparently.
It's partly timing, people are less keen to watch depressing war movies in the middle of summer. We want something more cheerful
Very little voter interest in the Final.
Maybe because Cassie’s already watched all the war movies that are actually popular?
What won the war movie poll?
Hi Chris. No winner yet. The final round ends tomorrow. Vote here if you have not already: https://beta.popcorninbed.com/bracket/war-movie-bracket1
Anyone itching for a Stripes reaction, Movie Munchies just uploaded one.
Coby just uploaded a Matinee reaction, which makes a good compendium with Dr Strangelove as a cold war period piece I looked on her Patreon to maybe watch the full reaction, and her tier for that movie is like $25!
A comedy won the last bracket, another comedy is shaping up to win this bracket, why not go ahead and have a comedy poll? • CRACKERJACK (2002) • DODGEBALL (2004) • OLD SCHOOL (2003) • DEAD MAN ON CAMPUS (1998) • ROLE MODELS (2008) • GRANDMA'S BOY (2006) • ME, MYSELF & IRENE (2000) • STARSKY & HUTCH (2004) • BACHELOR PARTY (1984) • BOTTLE ROCKET (1996)
What's a Poll without Porky's (1981).
Dr. Strangelove is one of my ten favorite films of all time and is arguably the greatest black comedy ever made. Elements in it that some might describe as "dated" I would consider historical, and I would also suggest that there are themes in that movie that are timeless. The film is a masterpiece that can be enjoyed by people who grew up during the cold war and those who were born after it.
Well thankfully I'll be supremely happy with either of the two finalists lol. I really hope all four get watched on some sorta shortlist though, and especially the top two. As much as I love Kubrick and Dr Strangelove, I gotta give my vote to A Bridge Too Far. Now, if it was Barry Lyndon, that'd be getting my vote hands down, instantly.
Barry Lyndon is superb . . . but it's more in the "Epic" bucket for me (though a weird sort of epic).
Looks like people the ones which kept winning were those which star actors who are no longer alive. A classic nostalgia/missing of 60s/70s actors vote. Too bad.
If voting went the other way, there would surely be a cry of "recency bias" by some voters.
I think Strangelove is dated and a lot of the jokes without living during the Cold War will fall flat. A Bridge Too Far, on the other hand, is timeless, especially when generals such as Montgomery—i.e., the ones who can't read a map and assume things will happen without planning the logistics along the way—continue to hold commands. We still see such idiocy today. For those who doubt, go watch "The Outpost" for a modern example of bad generals hundreds of miles away putting their troops in an extremely vulnerable position, being told that and ignoring it.
Strangelove is one of the two greatest comedies ever made.
I was pulling for Stripes but I think Cassie might get a kick out of Dr Strangelove... its a good parody of cold war obsessions.
I hope she watches "A Bridge too Far" anyway. Great compliment to her watching Patton and an all star cast if there ever was one .... James Caan Sean Connery Michael Caine Gene Hackman Anthony Hopkins Robert Redford even John Ratzenberger !!!!!!!!!!!!
With less than 3 hours remaining in this 3rd round, the pairing of Stripes vs Dr. Strangelove in this 3rd round has the most votes (341 votes) of any pairing in the poll so far since the beginning of the poll. In contrast, the 2nd-round four pairings were each only about an incredibly low 145 votes. There are about 4,000 paying PiB patrons who could vote in the poll. I've noticed on Patreon polls, the participation is typically 1,000 patrons or more.
Clay, it is natural that voting will be lower on the new site since that is an additional login and a beta site. It is difficult to make too direct a comparison to Patreon polls with multiple choice voting. It is much easier to reach totals over 1000 with that format. No doubt a poll of 12 or so films with multiple choice voting on the new site would have several hundred if not 1000 votes. Even polls with single choice voting and multiple entries are bound to receive more votes than a direct runoff vote.
I would vote for Dr. Strangelove again if I could - to keep Stripes from winning and because it’s a better movie.
Not a fan of Dr. Strangelove but voting for it anyway. I'm oft to complain about not enough classic films being watched.
It's starting to pull away from "Stripes" now with less than 3 hours to go.
For people saying Stripes isn’t a War film. It’s definitely more of a War film than Munich is an Olympic movie & that for picked for an Olympic poll. But it’s kinda a comedy version of Full Metal Jacket for the first half as it’s all about their training and then they end up going on a mission.
Yeah, Munich was a bad choice too. That doesn’t make Stripes a good one.
If you really want a great war movie you must watch To Hell and Back, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPXsM5jmoYU; the real life story of Audie Murphy, starring Audie Murphy himself, one of the greatest heroes in American History. He was only 19 years old when he received the highest medal for valor the US has to offer, The Medal of Honor
Disappointed Heartbreak Ridge is out. Clint Eastwood was amazing in that! A Bridge Too Far is in though. It's far from my favourite war film but my Uncle was actually in that POW camp so it has an emotional connection. He came back and was held in a war hospital which is now HMP Channing's Wood. He was kept there for 4-5 months being nurses back to health before being allowed home. When he got home, he was barely recognisable, described as nothing but skin and bone and looking so weak that they were surprised he could himself upright. And that was AFTER 5 months of being renourished and looked after! A far cry from the large and imposing former Seargent Major that I knew growing up. Sometimes, I would go with my grandparents to the FEPOW (Far East Prisoner Of War) lunches n dinners, back when there were enough survivors to warrant it
I think you're thinking on Bridge Over The River Kwai. A Bridge To Far is the movie about Operation Market Garden, Holland, no Far East Prison Camps.
I've never got the Bill Murray worship . . . he delivers one killer line in Ghostbusters and that's about it for me . . . how "Stripes" is doing so well in a war movie poll is a bit baffling. For me it wouldn't even get out of the gate in a comedy poll . . . which is what it actually is. Of those left in which aren't "Stripes" . . . "Strangelove" is an out and out classic . . . but it isn't exactly a war movie either, being a satire of the whole MAD philosophy of the Cold War era. It's a great film but it's not really in the right poll either (though Kubrick directs the actual combat parts of the movie with real bite . . . but of course he would, he's Kubrick). So that leaves "A Bridge Too Far" and "The Longest Day" as the only real war movies left standing. Both of course based on books by Cornelius Ryan . . . Both very very good too. I'd give a slight edge to "A Bridge Too Far" for some of it's haunting imagery (no spoilers, but the last 10 minutes stay with you), the "The Longest Day" has superb moments too. Both have stacked casts (in "The Longest Day" there are of course actors who really fought in the Normandy Landings which is fascinating . . at one point Richard Todd is giving orders as someone else to someone who is effectively playing him). Oh and Sean Connery is in both . . . what's not to like? I'd be happier with either of those two winning, but only one can take on the comedies . . .
Yeah Whatever 🙄 😒
Stripes beating The Deer Hunter and now Dr. Strangelove is asinine, asi-ten, asi-eleven and asi-fifteen! What are we doing here?
Enjoying things we like, not what people tell us to like.
Man. I wish all four could just be watched lol... but especially A Bridge Too Far and Dr. Strangelove. Bridge Too Far has an insane cast, and is a truly epic WW 2 movie spanning the daring Operation Market Garden. And what can you even say about Strangelove? It's Kubrick, all you really need to know. It's an all time classic of classics.
If Dr Strangelove wins then she must also watch Fail-Safe, the sister movie to DSL. One is a dark comedy. The other is an edge of your seat cold war thriller.
(I wrote this with a jason sudekis/will forte snl joke southern voice impression in my head jist them going back and forth, got carried away but i like to make myself laugh...kinda true tho...but back to the "war poll" that is deff the/a/no questions cuz it is a war poll, right...cough)... .... (Open on 2 ment looking well dressed sitting at a sports desk, resembles sports center on espn) "Action" ..."Up next is a comedy poll. Oh yeah let us have some summer fun. Haha.. Ok. Here.our first pick weiiiiillll beeeee....'The Conjuring' oh boy haha well that should be fun... Sounds like some funny stuff... pick 2 is in...looks like 'Deer Hunter' ALllllRight...2 exciting com3di3s to start it off...please remember folks when you write your comedy movie picks down, try to use as little of an amount of drawings as possible...espically of those man dicks as possible...big or small... and 1 drawing of a middle finger is fine but that many doodles at once, but there and, a man can see a lot in his life... ...well, it can make a man wanna pray a lil more. ... We r trying to pick a comedy movie....so.... uh,... I guess to recap, if you are just joining or tuning in with us here, we have the hit comedy 'The Conjuring'... sounds hilarious , right? Right you are steve, yay for conedy... ...Haha ya ya..ope... next pick...Annnndd 'The Deer Hunter' ?hmm? Sounds animated to me tom... Well steve...maybe that could be a buddy film... having fun with friends in the woods is never bad. Just a bunch of close friends naked in the woods... Hold on. What are you saying? I rarely know the answer to that question or whatever haha, a lot of cute ruff housing and horseplay in woods like when we were kids... well actually i cannot remember our childhood but it always sounds fun when you tell me. Those government acid experiments almost got me and I almost gave up on everything... , but then you put me in that basket attached to the front of your bike and then our friends showed up and i used my magic glowing finger to make us and our bicycles fly... Wait a minuteno no i think you are thinkjng of the movie classic E.T. Oh...then i dont know what you are talking about...where am U? That is okay. We love you anyway... Haha ya, tell them Thank-you ...ok what...well anyway folks... cant wait to tell you more after this next commercial break. Dont pick up that remote. We will be right back... ...tomorrow we will have more summer picks please vote on your favorite comedy..." That is what I see...
Dr Zhivago got knocked out in the first round? Mind you that's not really a war movie, it's more of a historical romance epic.
Doesn’t seem to matter if the war movies are actually war movies for this poll. Two of the four current finalists are comedies after all.
Please consider doing both The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far . They both have All-Star Casts, they both come from novels from the same author and timing could not be better. The Longest Day is the true story of the June 1944 D-Day invasion and A Bridge Too Far is the true story of Operation Market Garden which took place later the same year 0f 1944. Both are seen through the eyes of everyone involved Military and civilians.
Longest day, no contest ...
Can we get 1917 in there? Or Warefare?
Hey Alexander, 1917 was her second reaction on the channel. Full reaction posted on January 26, 2021. https://www.patreon.com/popcorninbed/posts/1917-full-46700781 +1 for Warfare (2025). Ranked fairly high at Requests but not high enough to be in the pool for random selection for the poll. See Requests at https://beta.popcorninbed.com/
Stripes vs Strangelove. Not sure how crazy she'll be about either one.
She'll have fun with Stripes, though she'd probably enjoy Private Benjamin more. Strangelove is.....strange.
When it comes to the choice between The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far, I feel like it would make more sense for Cassie to see TLD first since that movie comes before ABTF on the WW2 timeline.
Stripes is not a war movie It's a comedy. This is a war movie Lucky Strike with Scott Eastwood who was in Fury comes out this Friday unfortunately we can't see till Sunday. (Supergirl has to come first 🙄. ) https://youtu.be/vtEnjikCXyA?is=AUi7RjaFdWR62EDO
War movies can be comedic. Not every war movie needs to be depressing. The military is HILAIROUS IRL in it's self worship on it's own.
Stripes. Yikes.
I voted Stripes and TLD. I much preferred The Killing Fields, Empire of the Sun, The Deer Hunter, The English Patient, and Flags of Our Fathers (also get Letters from Iwo Jima). There are apparently about 4,000 patrons who can vote.
I wanted Deer Hunter, but then again these are good choices. TLD is better than ABTF. but i love them both. Dr Strangelove is a masterpiece. Stripes i haven't seen. but heard great things..
Interesting. I haven't seen The Longest Day, and because it's a John Wayne movie, I just always assumed it's wildly inaccurate and not really representative of WW 2 or D-Day at all, in name only. A Bridge Too Far on the other hand, is very historically accurate, down to the commanders and leaders involved, and beyond. IDK, I've just never really seen a John Wayne movie that I liked. Too Hokey. And he was such a massive POS. Meanwhile, many of this peers were the exact opposite in temperament and in moral belief.
The top two are both on the right side! Dr. Strangelove and Stripes clear A Bridge Too Far all day! Of course both are comedies too, so even better!
Stripes??? It's not really a good comedy let alone war movie
People have way too much of an obsession with Bill Murray. Dude has never even been a top 10 comedic actor, for me. I just don't find most of his acting funny. Just assholish.
So curious what you thought of Road to Perdition. Gonna start looking for a copy. One of the very few movies I actually have a physical DVD of somewhere. Thanks for this!
Repeating my comment from the other thread: If I had my way, both The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far would win the whole poll, but I’ll lobby that she should watch TLD before ABTF, just for the timeline.
Stripes is great, but it's not a War Movie. It's a comedy that happens to be about soldiers.
Like how "Raging Bull" isn't really so much a boxing movie as it is about a guy who just happens to be a boxer.
Holy Moly! I can see The Deer Hunter losing out to Stripes, but Dr. Strangelove, too?! Yikes! What is this world coming to?
Strangelove is back in the lead... for now.
That's pretty cool Bridge and Day are up against each other since they're both based on History books by Cornelius Ryan
The Longest Day is better than A Bridge Too Far in every imaginable way. Hopefully she watches it one day.
When's the last time you watched The Longest Day? The acting is pretty bad. Cheesy dialog.
I watch "The Longest Day" every June 6.
C’mon Stripes!
Ha Ha Ha.... STRIPES IS AWESOME, Billy Murray is sooo funny in this 😆