Do You See

The Freaky Trigger Movie Poll 2019: #10 – #1

Oscars Schmoscars, this is the list about five people have been waiting for. And while there is a lot here in common with the Best Picture lists from this year (and last), the conclusion is somewhat different – albeit partially due to UK release dates. So below we have Queen’s, writers, gangsters and some women who don’t seem significantly littler than the average.

The Freaky Trigger Movie Poll 2019: #20 – #11

Here we go into the top twenty. At this point, those of you who have a big picture view of this kind of thing can probably do the maths and work out that there are more than ten obvious films left – so some things didn’t make the cut.

From this batch we start to get films which had over four nominations, often the big blockbusters and crowd pleasers start to appear. But also still a smattering of smart arthouse choices – you have sports bars, resurrection and electrical monsters solving crimes in here…

The Freaky Trigger Movie Poll 2019

“Hi I’m Alita – some say Battle Angel – and me and my big eyes would like to welcome you to the 2019 FreakyTrigger Movie Poll. When I was rebooted in Iron City in 2563 the first thing I did was try to work out who the creepy Dr. Dyson Ido – who revived me – reminded me of. It was also a bit odd that he had a name which was half Japanese era half vacuum cleaner, but even though he seemed benevolent, he just seemed naturally villainous. So searching my incomplete historical database when I wasn’t beating the crap out of baddies in half decent but weightless CGI, my cybernetic brain came across a name. Christoph Waltz. Who apparently was a movie star in the 2010’s. Further searching in the hours I did not sleep, I became obsessed with the films of 2019 – and in particular what the readers of FreakyTrigger thought of them. So I sent this message back in time just before my important Rollerball game to find out (its not Rollerball but it is)”

Thanks, Alita, and I bet with your big eyes you can watch more movies at once. Including your own one – how self reflexive. Though don’t hold your breathe for it cracking the top ten. But thanks nevertheless for the welcome to the fifth annual movie poll. And the third TV Poll*. The rules are simple – rank your top twenty in both categories IN ORDER and send your vote to:

The FreakyTrigger Top 30 TV Shows of 2018

Sooo…… Sorry.

Four years ago I started the FT Film poll (to ape Kat’s music poll – but also because they are pointless fun things to do – and might be better than just putting my own top ten up). Two years ago, in the flush of the film poll going well, and the realisation that most FT readers were watching more TV than films, I thought to throw more visual media into the mix. It was the Golden Age of TV so it seemed to make sense.

The thing is, I don’t watch much TV. I go to the movies. So whilst I could cobble together a list of twenty shows for myself, it was a list that I knew would miss plenty of the best of the year because I had made a decision to not watch them due to time (or couldn’t watch them). So after putting together last years list – I was stuck having to write about thirty TV shows where I had watched just ten of them.

The Freaky Trigger Movie Poll 2018: #10 – #1

And here it is, after leaving a slightly longer gap than hoped – the Freaky Trigger Top Ten movies of the year. Firstly, before anyone says anything, Paddington 2 came out in 2017 (and was number 40 in last years poll you idiots who left it two months before you saw it). Secondly it was a lot closer at the top end than it has been for a long time. Whilst the winner still had plenty of votes on number two, the top three were all – at some stage of the voting – in the lead.

Anyway the gap left time for plenty of speculation which I think named nearly all of these, though maybe not in this order…

The Freaky Trigger Movie Poll 2018: #20 – #11

Into the top-twenty-verse, as all the cool kids would say. A lot of good films here (a few I cared for less too but hey, opinions are like arseholes right?) THis is where the films I were worried wouldn’t make it, made it – the years best Hollywood comedy, the Netflix Oscar bait, a bit of European political activism and the odd idea idea that Meryl Streep looked like Lily James in the seventies (even though we know what Meryl Streep looked like in the seventies). And possibly the signature visual moment of the year (if you don’t count cleaning up dogshit in Roma).

The Freaky Trigger Movie Poll 2018: #30 – #21

And we’re back, to the next segment. I promised you Jean Luc Godard and he does feature in one of the films below, but even his hardcore fans couldn’t push his most recent offering into the top forty.

So we have another all female heist, another musical remake, and of course the multi-million dollar bummer that was the Malthusian death of half of all the living creatures in the Universe. Fun fun fun…

The Freaky Trigger Movie Poll 2018: #40 – #31

So as per usual I will be dispatching the movie poll results in batches of ten, which might start in a puppydog quick fashion, and finally limp out the final ten in the middle of February. Well we will see…

Some stats this year – we received 24 full ballots, and in all 131 films were nominated, with 66 films receiving more than one vote and therefore eligible for the list. If films tied for points, the one with the larger number of individual ballots scored higher. Which is exactly what happened at number 40, so sorry to joint 41 “The Hate U Give” and “Disobedience” you just got pipped by this pair of pretty little psychos:

The Freaky Trigger Movie Poll 2018

“Hi I am an absence of a framing device, and welcome to the annual Freaky Trigger Film and TV Polls”

Thanks, absence of a framing device and welcome to the fourth annual film poll and the second TV poll. The rules are simple – rank your top twenty in both categories IN ORDER and send your vote to:

ftfilmpoll AT gmail DOT com

As long as the film or TV show was properly released in UK cinemas or shown on UK TV in some form (VOD / Multi-Platform) in 2018 in the UK it will be counted. I may be a little more forgiving with TV seeing the multiple ways people watch it, but if anyone votes for Breaking Bad I will shut the whole thing down. You don’t have to vote in both polls. You don’t have to list a full twenty – I’ll take whatever you’ve got. If you want to mention a worst in each category I may do a post about that too. The deadline to submit is 3pm on New Years Day because you might be watching movies up to midnight (again all other film polls neglect this point).

Your number 1 will get more points than your 20. And to make the final countdown, it must have at least two people voting for it and remember, nearly all of last years award winners and a lot of 2017 Cannes darlings were released in the UK in 2018, so I think the start of this year is not without contenders.

So remember:
– The order of your top 20 is important! Your #1 will be allocated more points than #20.
– If you can’t think of 20 items then 10 or 14 or 1 is just fine.
And see you for the rundown in January.
*Cos to qualify at lest two people have to nominate it.

The Inaugural FreakyTrigger TV Poll: #12 – #1

“Hi, I’m the Ghost Of The 1979 ITV Strike, and I am here to resurrect and complete the somewhat delayed (due to strikes probably) Freaky Trigger TV Poll. Imagine if you can the landscape of 1979 British television. Three channels, BBC1, BBC2 and ITV – and then suddenly one of those channels being off. Its like a third of your choice taken away. Because it is. Up and down the country member of ACTT (Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians) withdrew their labour in a pay dispute for three months, leaving in most places this blue title card to be displayed. Which still got more viewers than much of BBC2. Anyway it was a fun time I can tell you and a civilised picket the likes of which British TV has barely seen since. And given the option of the twelve shows below or a blue title card what would you watch. (Doctor Who’s Planet Of Death was the answer in my day – interesting to see that is still going.)”

Thanks, Ghost Of A TV Strike, and huge apologies for the delay in the publishing of this. If I do it next year I may get help… But in the meantime here is the top twelve: