The Filmspotting Madness Thread, In Which We All Become Abhorrent Monsters

[Idioteque Stalker]

The Filmspotting Podcast has begun their annual March Madness-style movie bracket. This year's theme: the best movies of the 80s.

The rules: Vote for one of two movies. If you haven't seen both movies, don't vote. If you have seen both movies, you must vote no matter how painful. The movie with the most votes moves to the next round, and the other is burned in a fire and can never be seen again by anyone. Eventually one movie will reign supreme.

This thread is now dedicated to Match-Cut's tournament, which is distinct from Filmspotting's. Please post your votes in this thread or send me a PM. If you would like to also participate in Filmspotting's tournament, visit their website.

_____________


Play-In Round Results (from Filmspotting -- don't @ MC)
[

Show Spoiler

Gremlins vs. The World According to Garp
Crimes and Misdemeanors vs. Hannah and Her Sisters
Evil Dead vs. Evil Dead 2
Full Metal Jacket vs. Platoon vs. Born On the Fourth of July
Henry V vs. Ran
A Fish Called Wanda vs. The Meaning of Life
Bull Durham vs. Field of Dreams vs. The Natural
After Hours vs. The Color of Money vs. The King of Comedy vs. The Last Temptation of Christ
Robocop vs. The Terminator
Stand By Me vs. When Harry Met Sally
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade vs. Return of the Jedi
Brazil vs. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
Gates of Heaven vs. The Thin Blue Line vs. Vernon, Florida
Fast Times at Ridgemont High vs. Say Anything
The Fly vs. Videodrome
Batman vs. Beetlejuice vs. Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Beverly Hills Cop vs. Lethal Weapon vs. Midnight Run
Risky Business vs. Top Gun
The Big Chill vs. Diner
Manhunter vs. Thief
Matewan vs. Sex, Lies, and Videotape vs. She's Gotta Have It vs. Stranger Than Paradise
The Little Mermaid vs. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Blowout vs. Scarface vs. The Untouchables
Heathers vs. Lost In America
The Blues Brothers vs. Plains, Trains, and Automobiles
L'Argent vs. The Sacrifice
Moonstruck vs. Terms of Endearment
Dirty Dancing vs. Footloose
The Breakfast Club vs. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
A Nightmare On Elm Street vs. Poltergeist

]

Round One Results (these, and all results from now on, are MC's)
[

Show Spoiler

Raging Bull vs. Ordinary People
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade vs. Field of Dreams
Blue Velvet vs. A Nightmare On Elm Street
The Thing vs. Plains, Trains, and Automobiles
E.T. vs. Moonstruck (NAIL-BITER)
This Is Spinal Tap vs. The Elephant Man (BLOWOUT)
Amadeus vs. Top Gun (BLOWOUT)
When Harry Met Sally vs. Brazil
The Shining vs. Gremlins (BLOWOUT)
Fanny and Alexander vs. A Fish Called Wanda (NAIL-BITER)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off vs. The Big Chill
The Terminator vs. Heathers (NAIL-BITER)
Blade Runner vs. The Killer
Stop Making Sense vs. Evil Dead 2
Die Hard vs. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Raising Arizona vs. Vagabond (UPSET)
Raiders of the Lost Ark vs. Airplane!
Crimes and Misdemeanors vs. Cinema Paradiso
Full Metal Jacket vs. Dirty Dancing
Aliens vs. Manhunter
Back to the Future vs. Drugstore Cowboy
Ran vs. Fast Times at Ridgemont High
The Princess Bride vs. The Untouchables
Grave of the Fireflies vs. Beetlejuice
Do the Right Thing vs. Wall Street (BLOWOUT)
The Right Stuff vs. The Thin Blue Line
Ghostbusters vs. The Fly (UPSET+BLOWOUT)
Dead Poets Society vs. Midnight Run
The Empire Strikes Back vs. The Sacrifice
Broadcast News vs. The King of Comedy
My Neighbor Totoro vs. Sex, Lies, and Videotape (BLOWOUT)
Paris, Texas vs. Blood Simple (UPSET)

]

Round Two Results
[

Show Spoiler

Raging Bull vs. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Blue Velvet vs. The Thing (UPSET)
E.T. vs. This Is Spinal Tap
Amadeus vs. When Harry Met Sally
The Shining vs. A Fish Called Wanda
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off vs. The Terminator (NAIL-BITER)
Blade Runner vs. Stop Making Sense (UPSET)
Die Hard vs. Vagabond (UPSET)
Raiders of the Lost Ark vs. Cinema Paradiso
Full Metal Jacket vs. Aliens (NAIL-BITER)
Back to the Future vs. Ran (UPSET)
The Princess Bride vs. Beetlejuice (BLOWOUT)
Do the Right Thing vs. The Right Stuff
The Fly vs. Dead Poets Society (UNANIMOUS BLOWOUT)
The Empire Strikes Back vs. The King of Comedy (BLOWOUT)
My Neighbor Totoro vs. Paris, Texas

]

Sweet Sixteen Results
[

Show Spoiler

Raging Bull vs. Blue Velvet (UPSET)
This Is Spinal Tap vs. Amadeus (UPSET)
The Shining vs. The Terminator (BLOWOUT)
Stop Making Sense vs. Vagabond (TIE, Filmspotting determines tie-breaker)
Raiders of the Lost Ark vs. Aliens (NAIL-BITER + UPSET)
Ran vs. The Princess Bride
Do the Right Thing vs. The Fly (BLOWOUT)
The Empire Strikes Back vs. My Neighbor Totoro (NAIL-BITER)

]

Elite Eight Results
[

Show Spoiler

Blue Velvet vs. Amadeus
The Shining vs. Stop Making Sense
Aliens vs. The Princess Bride (BLOWOUT)
Do the Right Thing vs. The Empire Strikes Back (BLOWOUT)

]

Final Four Results
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Show Spoiler

Amadeus vs. The Shining
Aliens vs. Do the Right Thing (BLOWOUT)

]

Championship Results
[

Show Spoiler

Champion: Do the Right Thing
Runner-up: The Shining
Third Place: Aliens

]

[Idioteque Stalker]

* = haven't seen

Raging Bull vs. Ordinary People
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade vs. Field of Dreams*
Blue Velvet vs. A Nightmare On Elm Street
The Thing vs. Plains, Trains, and Automobiles
E.T. vs. Moonstruck
This Is Spinal Tap vs. The Elephant Man (lol)
Amadeus vs. Top Gun (easiest)
When Harry Met Sally vs. Brazil
The Shining vs. Gremlins (hardest)
Fanny and Alexander vs. A Fish Called Wanda
Ferris Bueller's Day Off vs. The Big Chill
The Terminator vs. Heathers
Blade Runner vs. The Killer*
Stop Making Sense vs. Evil Dead 2 (okay, THIS was the actual hardest)
Die Hard vs. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Raising Arizona vs. Vagabond*
Raiders of the Lost Ark vs. Airplane!
Crimes and Misdemeanors vs. Cinema Paradiso
Full Metal Jacket vs. Dirty Dancing*
Aliens vs. Manhunter*
Back to the Future vs. Drugstore Cowboy*
Ran vs. Fast Times at Ridgemont High*
The Princess Bride vs. The Untouchables
Grave of the Fireflies vs. Beetlejuice
Do the Right Thing vs. Wall Street (okay, THIS was the actual easiest)
The Right Stuff* vs. The Thin Blue Line (need to get to the br duke sent me)
Ghostbusters vs. The Fly
Dead Poets Society* vs. Midnight Run
The Empire Strikes Back vs. The Sacrifice*
Broadcast News vs. The King of Comedy
My Neighbor Totoro vs. Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Paris, Texas vs. Blood Simple

[Yxklyx]

Have not seen these:

Field of Dreams
Top Gun
Dirty Dancing
Manhunter
Wall Street

I guess I should get on that.

[Idioteque Stalker]

Have not seen these:

Field of Dreams
Top Gun
Dirty Dancing
Manhunter
Wall Street

I guess I should get on that.

Yeah, I guess, but those to me don't exactly scream cream of the crop. Manhunter is probably cool though.

Regardless, don't let them stop you. You can still vote in the other match-ups.

[Lazlo]

Raging Bull vs. Ordinary People
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade vs. Field of Dreams
Blue Velvet vs. A Nightmare On Elm Street
The Thing vs. Plains, Trains, and Automobiles
E.T. vs. Moonstruck
This Is Spinal Tap vs. The Elephant Man
Amadeus vs. Top Gun
When Harry Met Sally vs. Brazil
The Shining vs. Gremlins
Fanny and Alexander vs. A Fish Called Wanda
Ferris Bueller's Day Off vs. The Big Chill (Have not seen The Big Chill)
The Terminator vs. Heathers
Blade Runner vs. The Killer (Have not seen The Killer)
Stop Making Sense vs. Evil Dead 2
Die Hard vs. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Raising Arizona vs. Vagabond (Have not seen Vagabond)
Raiders of the Lost Ark vs. Airplane!
Crimes and Misdemeanors vs. Cinema Paradiso (Have not seen either)
Full Metal Jacket vs. Dirty Dancing
Aliens vs. Manhunter
Back to the Future vs. Drugstore Cowboy (Have not seen Drugstore Cowboy)
Ran vs. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Have not seen Ran)
The Princess Bride vs. The Untouchables
Grave of the Fireflies vs. Beetlejuice
Do the Right Thing vs. Wall Street
The Right Stuff vs. The Thin Blue Line
Ghostbusters vs. The Fly
Dead Poets Society vs. Midnight Run
The Empire Strikes Back vs. The Sacrifice
Broadcast News vs. The King of Comedy (Have not seen Broadcast News)
My Neighbor Totoro vs. Sex, Lies, and Videotape (Have not seen Sex, Lies, and Videotape)
Paris, Texas vs. Blood Simple (Have not seen Paris, Texas)

[Idioteque Stalker]

The Princess Bride vs. The Untouchables

You monster.

[Dukefrukem]

I can't believe how many of those I only saw 1 movie.

[Idioteque Stalker]

I can't believe how many of those I only saw 1 movie.

Yeah, the first round is always a little weird in that way. Once The Empire Strikes Back trounces The Sacrifice (etc.) then the voting really opens up.

[Ezee E]

Raging Bull vs. Ordinary People
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade vs. Field of Dreams
Blue Velvet vs. A Nightmare On Elm Street
The Thing vs. Plains, Trains, and Automobiles
E.T. vs. Moonstruck
This Is Spinal Tap vs. The Elephant Man
Amadeus vs. Top Gun
When Harry Met Sally vs. Brazil
The Shining vs. Gremlins
Fanny and Alexander vs. A Fish Called Wanda
Ferris Bueller's Day Off vs. The Big Chill
The Terminator vs. Heathers
Blade Runner vs. The Killer
Stop Making Sense vs. Evil Dead 2
Die Hard vs. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Raising Arizona vs. Vagabond
Raiders of the Lost Ark vs. Airplane!
Crimes and Misdemeanors vs. Cinema Paradiso
Full Metal Jacket vs. Dirty Dancing
Aliens vs. Manhunter
Back to the Future vs. Drugstore Cowboy
Ran vs. Fast Times at Ridgemont High
The Princess Bride vs. The Untouchables
Grave of the Fireflies vs. Beetlejuice
Do the Right Thing vs. Wall Street
The Right Stuff vs. The Thin Blue Line
Ghostbusters vs. The Fly
Dead Poets Society vs. Midnight Run
The Empire Strikes Back vs. The Sacrifice
Broadcast News vs. The King of Comedy
My Neighbor Totoro vs. Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Paris, Texas vs. Blood Simple

[baby doll]

Round One (In Progress -- Vote Now!)
Raging Bull vs. Ordinary People (haven't seen Ordinary People)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade vs. Field of Dreams (haven't seen either)
Blue Velvet vs. A Nightmare On Elm Street (haven't seen A Nightmare on Elm Street)
The Thing vs. Plains, Trains, and Automobiles (haven't seen The Thing)
E.T. vs. Moonstruck (tough call)
This Is Spinal Tap vs. The Elephant Man (obviously)
Amadeus vs. Top Gun (is this even a question?)
When Harry Met Sally vs. Brazil (haven't seen When Harry Met Sally)
The Shining vs. Gremlins
Fanny and Alexander vs. A Fish Called Wanda (only seen the theatrical version of Fanny and Alexander)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off vs. The Big Chill (haven't seen The Big Chill)
The Terminator vs. Heathers (obviously)
Blade Runner vs. The Killer (haven't seen The Killer)
Stop Making Sense vs. Evil Dead 2
Die Hard vs. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (haven't seen Roger Rabbit)
Raising Arizona vs. Vegabond (duh)
Raiders of the Lost Ark vs. Airplane!
Crimes and Misdemeanors vs. Cinema Paradiso (haven't sen Cinema Paradiso)
Full Metal Jacket vs. Dirty Dancing (haven't seen Dirty Dancing)
Aliens vs. Manhunter (haven't seen Manhunter)
Back to the Future vs. Drugstore Cowboy
Ran vs. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (very duh)
The Princess Bride vs. The Untouchables (haven't seen The Princess Bride)
Grave of the Fireflies vs. Beetlejuice (it's been too long since I've seen Beetlejuice)
Do the Right Thing vs. Wall Street (easy choice)
The Right Stuff vs. The Thin Blue Line
Ghostbusters vs. The Fly
Dead Poets Society vs. Midnight Run (I haven't seen either)
The Empire Strikes Back vs. The Sacrifice (of course)
Broadcast News vs. The King of Comedy
My Neighbor Totoro vs. Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Paris, Texas vs. Blood Simple

So many mediocre commercial films (seriously, Top Gun?!), but no mention of L'Argent, Camp Thiaroye, City of Sadness, Damnation, Distant Voices, Still Lives, Dressed to Kill, The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On, Horse Thief, The Last Emperor, Love Streams, Mélo, Modern Romance, Next of Kin, Passion, Rouge, Sans soleil, Shoah, Sweetie, Taipei Story, Tampopo, Too Early/Too Late, Tootsie, Un histoire de vent, Working Girls, or A Zed and Two Noughts. Who the hell picked these movies?

[Idioteque Stalker]

So many mediocre commercial films (seriously, Top Gun?!), but no mention of L'Argent, Camp Thiaroye, City of Sadness, Damnation, Distant Voices, Still Lives, Dressed to Kill, The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On, Horse Thief, The Last Emperor, Love Streams, Mélo, Modern Romance, Next of Kin, Passion, Rouge, Sans soleil, Shoah, Sweetie, Taipei Story, Tampopo, Too Early/Too Late, Tootsie, Un histoire de vent, Working Girls, or A Zed and Two Noughts. Who the hell picked these movies?

Haha, yeah. It's a casual movie podcast hoping for massive audience participation, so it's very commercial-leaning. That's why Tootsie is a particularly surprising absence. L'Argent lost to The Sacrifice in a play-in "arthouse" match-up.

To me the biggest omission is Akira.

EDIT: Also,

Raising Arizona vs. Vegabond (duh)

Maybe I'll watch this soon. Been putting it off for whatever reason.

[Irish]

So many mediocre commercial films

It's more like: mediocre commercial films that suburban teenage boys love. (How does one even have this conversation and not mention Hong Kong? Or anything John Sayles was doing? Or the popular movies that didn't become eternal franchises? Eg --- "Officer and a Gentleman," "Terms of Endearment," "Broadcast News," etc.

I'll be shocked if "Back to the Future" doesn't win the whole thing, because it's an open poll and #filmtwitter is just that silly.

[Idioteque Stalker]

It's more like: mediocre commercial films that suburban teenage boys love. (How does one even have this conversation and not mention Hong Kong? Or anything John Sayles was doing? Or the popular movies that didn't become eternal franchises? Eg --- "Officer and a Gentleman," "Terms of Endearment," "Broadcast News," etc.

I'll be shocked if "Back to the Future" doesn't win the whole thing, because it's an open poll and #filmtwitter is just that silly.

I don't know much about film twitter, but in my imagination the number of suburban teenage boys is roughly equal to the number of people criticizing the suburban teenage boys for their taste. It's just a dumb game! Btw, Hong Kong is represented by the Killer, John Sayles is represented by Matewan (which lost to Sex, Lies and Videotape in a play-in match-up), Terms of Endearment lost the play-in to Moonstruck, and Broadcast News is currently in a match-up against The King of Comedy.

[Idioteque Stalker]

E, you have the 80s almost fully covered. Respect.

[transmogrifier]

That list makes the 80s look real boring. Some of the best mainstream movies are not considered: The Vanishing, House of Games, Near Dark, Hope & Glory, Withnail & I, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Last Temptation of Christ, River's Edge, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Salvador, Once Upon a Time in America, Videodrome, White Dog, Southern Comfort etc...

This is basically Best 80s Movies We Loved as Kids. Not that there is anything wrong with that. It gives the poll more of a focus, I guess. And I assume the films on the current list would filter through eventually given their accessibility and nostalgia.

And The Untouchables >>>>>>> The Princess Bride

[Idioteque Stalker]

And The Untouchables >>>>>>> The Princess Bride

Monster!

Btw, in the play-in round Hannah and Her Sisters lost to Crimes and Misdemeanors, The Last Temptation of Christ lost to The King of Comedy, and Videodrome lost to The Fly.

[baby doll]

This is basically Best 80s Movies We Loved as Kids. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

No, there is something wrong with that. Nostalgia isn't a neutral emotion with no political implications. Even at its most harmless, nostalgia is inherently conservative and infantile. There's no aesthetic argument that one can make for Star Wars and its sequels as great filmmaking (they're diverting and click along at a good pace but they're not even half as pleasurable to watch as the Hawks and Kurosawa films that Lucas lifted all of his best ideas from), so the fact that adults still watch these films is explicable only as a shell-shocked reaction to the horrors of late capitalism that manifests itself as the desire to escape into a world of fantasy. In other words, the films--which were already nostalgic at the time of their release in their evocations of Saturday morning serials--are like security blankets for adults who are unable to cope with a horrific reality but feel helpless to change it. (Disney+ has displaced religion as the opiate of the masses.) It's not a huge leap from longing to return to one's childhood to longing to return to an idealized past before political correctness "ruined" everything.

[megladon8]

No, there is something wrong with that. Nostalgia isn't a neutral emotion with no political implications. Even at its most harmless, nostalgia is inherently conservative and infantile. There's no aesthetic argument that one can make for Star Wars and its sequels as great filmmaking (they're diverting and click along at a good pace but they're not even half as pleasurable to watch as the Hawks and Kurosawa films that Lucas lifted all of his best ideas from), so the fact that adults still watch these films is explicable only as a shell-shocked reaction to the horrors of late capitalism that manifests itself as the desire to escape into a world of fantasy. In other words, the films--which were already nostalgic at the time of their release in their evocations of Saturday morning serials--are like security blankets for adults who are unable to cope with a horrific reality but feel helpless to change it. (Disney+ has displaced religion as the opiate of the masses.) It's not a huge leap from longing to return to one's childhood to longing to return to an idealized past before political correctness "ruined" everything.

You're saying here that your opinions are objectively the correct ones.

How can you argue about the evils of nostalgia when you are so sure of your own nostalgia being the "correct" form?

I don't understand at all what you are trying to get at with this post.

[Irish]

No, there is something wrong with that. Nostalgia isn't a neutral emotion with no political implications. Even at its most harmless, nostalgia is inherently conservative and infantile. There's no aesthetic argument that one can make for Star Wars and its sequels as great filmmaking (they're diverting and click along at a good pace but they're not even half as pleasurable to watch as the Hawks and Kurosawa films that Lucas lifted all of his best ideas from), so the fact that adults still watch these films is explicable only as a shell-shocked reaction to the horrors of late capitalism that manifests itself as the desire to escape into a world of fantasy. In other words, the films--which were already nostalgic at the time of their release in their evocations of Saturday morning serials--are like security blankets for adults who are unable to cope with a horrific reality but feel helpless to change it. (Disney+ has displaced religion as the opiate of the masses.) It's not a huge leap from longing to return to one's childhood to longing to return to an idealized past before political correctness "ruined" everything.

Agree, save to say:

- Aesthetics probably isn't Filmspotting's main concern. They peppered their brackets with 4 Rob Reiner movies, 2 Indiana Jones movies, and ... Top Gun.
- I don't have a problem with nostalgia in a limited form. It's only when adults champion the taste of children that things get weird.
- This thread reminds me of something I heard as a teenager, about how one shouldn't have the same taste at 20 as you do at 40, or 60. I didn't understand it until I got a bit older.

Has anybody made a case for Star Wars as something special in terms of its form and style?

I mean ... I could, sorta?

But only about its detailed production design (very 70s in a lotta ways; very not, in others) and its writing (which is only "good," retroactively, because F/X driven pictures have become increasingly simple to the point of Don Simpson-style stupidity).

[Idioteque Stalker]

Love the discussion here, but I sure wish more of you would add your personal votes for round one. (My two cents: there's such a thing as low-brow and high-brow, and they both have their pleasures.)

[Idioteque Stalker]

Mortal Kombat guy: "FINISH HIM"

Disney+ has displaced religion as the opiate of the masses.

[transmogrifier]

No, there is something wrong with that. Nostalgia isn't a neutral emotion with no political implications. Even at its most harmless, nostalgia is inherently conservative and infantile. There's no aesthetic argument that one can make for Star Wars and its sequels as great filmmaking (they're diverting and click along at a good pace but they're not even half as pleasurable to watch as the Hawks and Kurosawa films that Lucas lifted all of his best ideas from), so the fact that adults still watch these films is explicable only as a shell-shocked reaction to the horrors of late capitalism that manifests itself as the desire to escape into a world of fantasy. In other words, the films--which were already nostalgic at the time of their release in their evocations of Saturday morning serials--are like security blankets for adults who are unable to cope with a horrific reality but feel helpless to change it. (Disney+ has displaced religion as the opiate of the masses.) It's not a huge leap from longing to return to one's childhood to longing to return to an idealized past before political correctness "ruined" everything.

I was meaning there is nothing wrong with making a list "Best 80s Movies We Loved as Kids." It's just a list, who cares?

Just like, if someone exclusively loves Marvel movies, Harry Potter, whatever, who cares? What bugs me is those cineastes who get all defensive over criticism of it, like when Scorsese offers his opinion and suddenly there is a crowd of screeching from sensitive film geeks who cannot handle someone not loving what they love. That's what is killing film criticism - it has become less of an analysis of film grammar, social context etc. and more of an excuse to signal your tastes to others, and any criticism is taken as a personal one. Hell, one poster on here left the site because (in part, I assume - I can't have been the only reason) I wasn't sufficiently effusive about [REDACTED] (or more likely, I should have just remained quiet to preserve a safe space for the film? IDK). I have never ever cared if someone dislikes a film I love. Why would you?

[baby doll]

I was meaning there is nothing wrong with making a list "Best 80s Movies We Loved as Kids." It's just a list, who cares?

Just like, if someone exclusively loves Marvel movies, Harry Potter, whatever, who cares?

On a certain level, I don't care what other people watch, read, listen to, etc., because it doesn't affect me. That said, I still judge them for it. There's nothing wrong with adults watching films and reading books intended for children if they're good films and good books. Dickens wrote for a wide general readership which included children, but that doesn't make Great Expectations any less of a great novel than the most abstruse late works of Henry James. But Dickens could write. If you read his books as a child and returned to them as an adult, you would find new things to appreciate in them both in terms of Dickens' craftsmanship as a writer and his moral seriousness. The thing with Marvel and Harry Potter (and Star Wars) is that no one I'm aware of has made a case for them as great filmmaking or great writing. I haven't read the Harry Potter books but the first three films were at least entertaining--not so entertaining that I wanted to see more of them but passable. When it comes to superhero movies, on the other hand, I'm completely mystified. You would think there must be something to them if so many people love them so much, but the ones I've seen have been completely empty and their fans have been unable to muster any good arguments on their behalf. Louis Feuillade's Judex and Georges Franju's remake are about a caped crimefighter who hangs out in a cave, but Feuillade and Franju knew how to tell a story, stage a shot for the camera, and work with actors. Jon Favreau not so much.

[Spun Lepton]

I voted.

That said, I still judge them for it.

Because judging people based on their film tastes is such a good look for you.

[transmogrifier]

When it comes to superhero movies, on the other hand, I'm completely mystified. You would think there must be something to them if so many people love them so much, but the ones I've seen have been completely empty and their fans have been unable to muster any good arguments on their behalf.

Many people seem to enjoy tracking all of the connections between individual movies ("Ooh, that line by Iron Man in [Movie N] preshadows [random action X] in [Movie N+3]), seeing characters from different properties teaming up on screen, and predicting future plots (in the latter case, it often seems as if the current Movie N is treated like an extended trailer for the properties to come, fueling anticipation for the next trailer).