The Imagination of Fantasy

The Best Fantasy

Hi fantasy lovers!

You may have noticed if you joined the group that there is a list, currently locked, called "The Best Fantasy."  I created that list when I created the group, mostly because it was an excuse for a list I could create, but most of the entries are what I think are the best.  I locked it because I realized - I think we need a compiled list from the membership.  Something a la some of these other groups I belong to...something like a poll, or a Top 5, or a list of collaborative recommendations (and credit to all from whom I am, uh, tweaking the idea).

Therefore, it's time for you to weigh in!  Pick your favorite fantasy movies.  No fewer than one, no more than ten.  Tell us why you think they are the best!  With enough responses, we can compile our very own Best Fantasy list, and then, perhaps, we can Spout it for all of Spout to hear!  Mwa ha!  After all, who better to make this list than us?

I'll let you get the ball rolling, since I already made that list...give us a start.  I'll contribute my faves asap!

Re:The Best Fantasy

pippin06:

Hi fantasy lovers!

You may have noticed if you joined the group that there is a list, currently locked, called "The Best Fantasy."  I created that list when I created the group, mostly because it was an excuse for a list I could create, but most of the entries are what I think are the best.  I locked it because I realized - I think we need a compiled list from the membership.  Something a la some of these other groups I belong to...something like a poll, or a Top 5, or a list of collaborative recommendations (and credit to all from whom I am, uh, tweaking the idea).

Therefore, it's time for you to weigh in!  Pick your favorite fantasy movies.  No fewer than one, no more than ten.  Tell us why you think they are the best!  With enough responses, we can compile our very own Best Fantasy list, and then, perhaps, we can Spout it for all of Spout to hear!  Mwa ha!  After all, who better to make this list than us?

I'll let you get the ball rolling, since I already made that list...give us a start.  I'll contribute my faves asap!

I had to check your list to see how broadly you classified a movie as being fantasy.  I see you put Groundhog Day on there which really doesn't have a lot of fantastical elements other than one basic anomaly that causes him to keep reliving the same day over and over.  Other than that, each day is actually pretty normal without any magic or strange creatures or fantastical geography.  So it's kind of hard for me to determine in my mind which movies that have some fantastical element are fantastic enough to be considered "fantasy"

Here are a few good ones though:

Ugetsu Monogatari - although ghosts aren't that uncommon in East Asian storytelling.  I think more people have historically considered them a part of reality more than in the west.

The Devil and Daniel Webster - again, how real this is may depend on your belief in the spritual world, but mostly it's an alegory.

Groundhog Day / It's a Wonderful Life - Groundhog Day is a great movie, and if we are going to include that, I think we should inclued It's a Wonderful Life too.

The Seventh Seal - I guess it looks like most of my absolute favorites feature spiritual or ghostly elements.  Here we have Death personified.

Star Wars - the whole first trilogy of course!

No Such Thing - kind of an exploration of fantasy and monsters and why the human race needs or no longer needs these characters

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

All of Miyazaki's movies

Stalker - Stunning!

Sleepy Hollow / Beetlejuice - some of my favorite Tim Burton fantasy

Shoot, I'm going over 10.  Let me list a couple more:  Alice in Wonderland, The Sword in the Stone, Pete's Dragon, The Green Mile, Time Bandits, Hellboy, The Thief of Bagdad

Re:The Best Fantasy

i'd make room for at least one of the many movies about folks dead but not gone, like "A Guy Named Joe," or its remake, "Always," or "Heaven Can Wait," or "Topper" or "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir," or even "Ghost."

Re:The Best Fantasy

Risselada:

I had to check your list to see how broadly you classified a movie as being fantasy.  I see you put Groundhog Day on there which really doesn't have a lot of fantastical elements other than one basic anomaly that causes him to keep reliving the same day over and over.  Other than that, each day is actually pretty normal without any magic or strange creatures or fantastical geography.  So it's kind of hard for me to determine in my mind which movies that have some fantastical element are fantastic enough to be considered "fantasy"

Here are a few good ones though:

Ugetsu Monogatari - although ghosts aren't that uncommon in East Asian storytelling.  I think more people have historically considered them a part of reality more than in the west.

The Devil and Daniel Webster - again, how real this is may depend on your belief in the spritual world, but mostly it's an alegory.

Groundhog Day / It's a Wonderful Life - Groundhog Day is a great movie, and if we are going to include that, I think we should inclued It's a Wonderful Life too.

The Seventh Seal - I guess it looks like most of my absolute favorites feature spiritual or ghostly elements.  Here we have Death personified.

Star Wars - the whole first trilogy of course!

No Such Thing - kind of an exploration of fantasy and monsters and why the human race needs or no longer needs these characters

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

All of Miyazaki's movies

Stalker - Stunning!

Sleepy Hollow / Beetlejuice - some of my favorite Tim Burton fantasy

Shoot, I'm going over 10.  Let me list a couple more:  Alice in Wonderland, The Sword in the Stone, Pete's Dragon, The Green Mile, Time Bandits, Hellboy, The Thief of Bagdad

Ah, but see in our Fantasy group, it's not all about dragons and magic and elves and unicorns and things.  If you'll notice, the other lists include topics like "What If?" movies because, basically, if you're imagining an answer to a "what if?" that could take on many shapes and sizes, you're engaging in fantasy.  Case in point: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, just released, imagines a what if scenario asking the question "what if a person is born old and grows young?"  Maybe that's too obvious, though.  Groundhog Day imagines, "What if you were stuck in the same day over and over again, what would happen or what would you do."  Similarly, It's a Wonderful Life imagines, "What if you were never born?"  Those are all questions that involve flights of imagination, and fantasy.  Note dictionary.com's uber-available definition (noun form only):

fan⋅ta⋅sy   /ˈfæntəsi, -zi/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [fan-tuh-see, -zee] Show IPA Pronunciation
noun, plural -sies, verb, -sied, -sy⋅ing.

Besides, the AFI validates Groundhog Day and It's a Wonderful Life on these fronts, if you have any truck with them: http://www.afi.com/10top10/fantasy.html

So, yes, this is a long-winded way of saying let's include them, we like it all here, but you did go over 10.  Can you limit your list and pick the absolute 10 best fantasy films from your nominations?  I know it'll be a challenge, but I'm going to hold myself to that too!  If you can't, that's ok, but there's a method to the madness...:-)

Re:The Best Fantasy

   Pippin has already included a few of my favorites including  The Wizard of OZ  and  The Princess Bride ...   I will try to come up with ONLY ten more that have not yet been listed...

   1.   King Kong ;   A GREAT story and groundbreaking special effects by Willis O'Brien and a young protoge of his named Ray Harryhausen.

   2.   Son of Kong ;   See above.

   3.   Mighty Joe Young ;   See above.

   4.   The 7th Voyage of Sinbad ;   ANY movie with the name Ray Harryhausen listed in the special effects department is worth watching!

   5.   The Golden Voyage of Sinbad ;   See above.

   6.   Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger ;   See above.

   7.   Jason and the Argonauts ;   See above.

   8.   Clash of the Titans ;   See above.

   9.   20 Million Miles to Earth ;   See above.

   10.   The Valley of Gwangi ;   See above.

   Damn!   I've run out, haven't I?   Well, THAT will be my official "top ten" list.   But honorable mention MUST be given to SEVERAL great movies including  Forbiden Planet ,  ZARDOZ ,  Conan the Barbarian ,  300 ,  The 13th Warrior ,  Tommy ,  Pink Floyd: The Wall ,  Wizards ,   Heavy Metal ,  Fritz The Cat ,  Debbie does Dallas ...   the list goes on and on....

                                                                                           < GOR > 

Re:The Best Fantasy

The Sinbad and Argonaut movies remind me that as a kid I loved the Steve Reeves movies. He was the muscle guy back before Arnold.

Re:The Best Fantasy

joem18b:

The Sinbad and Argonaut movies remind me that as a kid I loved the Steve Reeves movies. He was the muscle guy back before Arnold.

  I enjoyed the old Italian flicks immensely but at the same time there were some very good English or American movies like  The Sword of Lancelot  or  The Vikings  ...

Re:The Best Fantasy

Dr_Gor:

  I enjoyed the old Italian flicks immensely but at the same time there were some very good English or American movies like  The Sword of Lancelot  or  The Vikings  ...

[/quote

absolutely. ernest borgnine as ragnar, leaping into the pit of wolves or wild dogs, i forget which. tony curtis, the viking, and janet leigh, when the two of them were still the married couple of their day.

     

Re:The Best Fantasy

Dr_Gor:

Debbie does Dallas ...  

Ha! WTF??!

Re:The Best Fantasy

Risselada:

Dr_Gor:

Debbie does Dallas ...  

Ha! WTF??!

   Just seeing if anyone was paying attention...   Actually that WAS a pretty good "fantasy" movie from back in the day...