The Touchstone/Hollywood Pictures Bracket -- Round 2

Well, friends, you did it. You got through the first round of the Touchstone/Hollywood Pictures bracket, and you only a) made some questionable decisions and b) got on my case for one specific seeding. (We’ll get there soon.)

For now, of course, it’s time for the second round. That means that you only need to read on to find out my picks for what should move onto the Sweet Sixteen.

Let’s go.

Day 1

(1) The Royal Tenenbaums vs. (8) Sister Act: As I mentioned in the last round, The Royal Tenenbaums is one of my ten favorite films of all time. Next.

(5) The Color of Money vs. (4) Enemy of the State: If there’s a toughie in this quartet of matchups for me, it’s this one. The Color of Money isn’t Scorsese’s best film (and I would argue it’s not even the best Scorsese film in this overall round). And Enemy of the State is my favorite Tony Scott film. I won’t be heartbroken with whatever wins here. But in the end, I stick with my good friend Marty.

(11) Pretty Woman vs. (3) Unbreakable: This one’s easy for me. Unbreakable. For the Eduardo Serra cinematography alone.

(10) The Rock vs. (2) Who Framed Roger Rabbit: Let me reiterate my fervent belief that Who Framed Roger Rabbit will not win this overall bracket. (It certainly will not make it to the Top Two if I have anything to say about it.) But it’s winning this match, because while The Rock is a decent action film, it’s not Roger Rabbit.

Day 2

(1) The Insider vs. (9) The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: I adore Tenenbaums, but The Life Aquatic is a swing and a miss for me. Great music, great sets, great cast, but the story does little for me. And anyway, The Insider is sometimes my favorite Michael Mann film, depending on the mood. (I would like to briefly note here that lots of people got mad at me for seeding Dead Poets Society as a 16 seed in the last round; it barely lost and would have pulled off one hell of an upset otherwise. All I can tell you is that some films age well, and some films age poorly. I would argue Dead Poets is the latter.)

(5) Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion vs. (4) Signs: Nothing against Romy and Michele, and I’m not saying anything nice about Mel Gibson here, but…yeah. Signs. Excellent thriller.

(6) High Fidelity vs. (3) Lincoln: The picture above should tip you off. I stick with Honest Abe.

(7) Evita vs. (2) Kundun: How far will Kundun go as a two seed? Well, to the next round, if my vote is a predictor.

Day 3

(1) 25th Hour vs. (8) Tombstone: Sorry, Doc, but you’re no longer my huckleberry. 25th Hour.

(12) The Village vs. (4) Rushmore: I am a fan of M. Night Shyamalan’s earliest films. But my fandom ended with The Village. Max to the next round.

(6) Grosse Pointe Blank vs. (14) What’s Love Got To Do With It: One genuine upset in the last round came when the biopic of Tina Turner knocked out Beloved. It wasn’t my pick, but such is life. That said, Grosse Pointe Blank is more successful at its black-comic goals, in my opinion. Angela Bassett’s performance as Tina Turner is fierce, but not fierce enough to get my vote.

(7) Good Morning, Vietnam vs. (2) Ed Wood: This one’s easy. Ed Wood.

Day 4

(1) The Sixth Sense vs. (8) Father of the Bride: I see dead people. And I say goodbye to the father of the bride.

(5) 10 Things I Hate About You vs. (4) Bridge of Spies: I will now select fun over film. We could argue all day that Bridge of Spies is more intelligent, is more polished, is well-acted, etc. But…would it help? No.

(6) Crimson Tide vs. (3) The Prestige: We’re going with the magic twins on this one. Nolan to the Sweet Sixteen.

(7) Deja Vu vs. (2) O Brother, Where Art Thou?: I’m a Dapper Dan man, dammit!