Match Cut Madness 2: Best of the 90s

[Idioteque Stalker]

Ezee E locks in three movies of his choice (La Haine, Scream, and Three Kings) and then promptly votes AGAINST them in round 1:



EDIT:

Being John Malkovich vs. Office Space

Monster!

[transmogrifier]

Pulp Fiction vs. Three Colors: Blue
Out of Sight vs. Saving Private Ryan
Toy Story vs. The Sixth Sense
Schindler’s List vs. The Iron Giant
Fight Club vs. Safe
Barton Fink vs. Leon: The Professional
Chungking Express vs. Lost Highway
Jackie Brown vs. Princess Mononoke
The Silence of the Lambs vs. Close-Up
Terminator 2: Judgment Day vs. The Lion King
Heat vs. JFK
Dazed and Confused vs. Basic Instinct
Boogie Nights vs. La Haine
Malcolm X vs. Contact
The Big Lebowski vs. The Truman Show
Groundhog Day vs. Titanic
Goodfellas vs. There’s Something About Mary
Miller’s Crossing vs. Jurassic Park
Magnolia vs. All About My Mother
Being John Malkovich vs. Office Space
Unforgiven vs. Three Kings
Trainspotting vs. The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Matrix vs. The Blair Witch Project
Hoop Dreams vs. The Thin Red Line
Fargo vs. Dead Man
L. A. Confidential vs. Run Lola Run
Before Sunrise vs. The Piano
Eyes Wide Shut vs. Three Colors: Red
Rushmore vs. The Sweet Hereafter
The Shawshank Redemption vs The Usual Suspects
Reservoir Dogs vs. Ed Wood
Seven vs. Scream

[Idioteque Stalker]

It's official. Trans hates Tarantino.

And I'm learning that Match Cut loves James Cameron? Aliens and The Terminator went way further than I expected in Madness 1.0, and Terminator 2 is currently destroying The Lion King.

[Lazlo]

Pulp Fiction vs. Three Colors: Blue
Out of Sight vs. Saving Private Ryan
Toy Story vs. The Sixth Sense
Schindler’s List vs. The Iron Giant
Fight Club vs. Safe
Barton Fink vs. Leon: The Professional
Chungking Express vs. Lost Highway
Jackie Brown vs. Princess Mononoke
The Silence of the Lambs vs. Close-Up
Terminator 2: Judgment Day vs. The Lion King
Heat vs. JFK
Dazed and Confused vs. Basic Instinct
Boogie Nights vs. La Haine
Malcolm X vs. Contact
The Big Lebowski vs. The Truman Show
Groundhog Day vs. Titanic
Goodfellas vs. There’s Something About Mary
Miller’s Crossing vs. Jurassic Park
Magnolia vs. All About My Mother
Being John Malkovich vs. Office Space
Unforgiven vs. Three Kings
Trainspotting vs. The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Matrix vs. The Blair Witch Project
Hoop Dreams vs. The Thin Red Line
Fargo vs. Dead Man
L. A. Confidential vs. Run Lola Run
Before Sunrise vs. The Piano
Eyes Wide Shut vs. Three Colors: Red
Rushmore vs. The Sweet Hereafter
The Shawshank Redemption vs The Usual Suspects
Reservoir Dogs vs. Ed Wood
Seven vs. Scream

[Peng]

Pulp Fiction vs. Three Colors: Blue
Out of Sight vs. Saving Private Ryan
Toy Story vs. The Sixth Sense
Schindler’s List vs. The Iron Giant
Fight Club vs. Safe
Barton Fink vs. Leon: The Professional
Chungking Express vs. Lost Highway
Jackie Brown vs. Princess Mononoke
The Silence of the Lambs vs. Close-Up
Terminator 2: Judgment Day vs. The Lion King
Heat vs. JFK
Dazed and Confused vs. Basic Instinct
Boogie Nights vs. La Haine
Malcolm X vs. Contact
The Big Lebowski vs. The Truman Show
Groundhog Day vs. Titanic
Goodfellas vs. There’s Something About Mary
Miller’s Crossing vs. Jurassic Park
Magnolia vs. All About My Mother
Being John Malkovich vs. Office Space
Unforgiven vs. Three Kings
Trainspotting vs. The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Matrix vs. The Blair Witch Project
Hoop Dreams vs. The Thin Red Line
Fargo vs. Dead Man
L. A. Confidential vs. Run Lola Run
Before Sunrise vs. The Piano
Eyes Wide Shut vs. Three Colors: Red
Rushmore vs. The Sweet Hereafter
The Shawshank Redemption vs The Usual Suspects
Reservoir Dogs vs. Ed Wood
Seven vs. Scream

[Ezee E]

It's official. Trans hates Tarantino.

And I'm learning that Match Cut loves James Cameron? Aliens and The Terminator went way further than I expected in Madness 1.0, and Terminator 2 is currently destroying The Lion King.

lol. I said the same thing.

[baby doll]

Fight Club vs. Safe

*Shakes head disapprovingly*

[transmogrifier]

*Shakes head disapprovingly*

Shit, I had to change my vote because I realized I haven't even seen Safe.

[transmogrifier]

It's official. Trans hates Tarantino.

And I'm learning that Match Cut loves James Cameron? Aliens and The Terminator went way further than I expected in Madness 1.0, and Terminator 2 is currently destroying The Lion King.

I like both Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs plenty, they are just up against better films. Jackie Brown is mad overrated though.

And The Lion King is boring. I would have voted against it against pretty much any film in this competition... actually, looking at the list, I would have voted against it against every single film in this competition, except the two I haven't seen.

[Idioteque Stalker]

Shit, I had to change my vote because I realized I haven't even seen Safe.

Thanks for noting this. I usually tally votes as they come in, so if something changes I won't catch it unless someone says something.

[Dukefrukem]

I hate that I can't vote for Pulp Fiction.

[Idioteque Stalker]

I hate that I can't vote for Pulp Fiction.

So far it's a surprisingly tight match-up with Three Colors: Blue. In fact, aside from Goodfellas (which is creaming There's Something About Mary), all of the #1 seeds are currently in danger: Pulp Fiction vs. Three Colors: Blue, The Silence of the Lambs vs. Close-Up, and Fargo vs. Dead Man. Take one or two of those out in the first round and things will turn wild.

FWIW, the Filmspotting champs were 1. Fargo 2. Pulp Fiction. 3. Goodfellas.

[StuSmallz]

Pulp Fiction vs. Three Colors: Blue
Out of Sight vs. Saving Private Ryan
Toy Story vs. The Sixth Sense
Schindler’s List vs. The Iron Giant
Jackie Brown vs. Princess Mononoke
Terminator 2: Judgment Day vs. The Lion King
Groundhog Day vs. Titanic
Goodfellas vs. There’s Something About Mary
Miller’s Crossing vs. Jurassic Park
Unforgiven vs. Three Kings
The Matrix vs. The Blair Witch Project
L. A. Confidential vs. Run Lola Run
The Shawshank Redemption vs The Usual Suspects
Reservoir Dogs vs. Ed Wood
Seven vs. Scream (although to be honest, I'm not crazy about either movie, and would prefer if they hadn't made this list at all)

[Yxklyx]

Pulp Fiction vs. Three Colors: Blue
Out of Sight vs. Saving Private Ryan
Toy Story vs. The Sixth Sense
Schindler’s List vs. The Iron Giant
Fight Club vs. Safe
Barton Fink vs. Leon: The Professional
Chungking Express vs. Lost Highway <- tough choice
Jackie Brown vs. Princess Mononoke
The Silence of the Lambs vs. Close-Up
Terminator 2: Judgment Day vs. The Lion King
Heat vs. JFK
Dazed and Confused vs. Basic Instinct UPDATED
Boogie Nights vs. La Haine
Malcolm X vs. Contact
The Big Lebowski vs. The Truman Show <- tough choice
Groundhog Day vs. Titanic
Goodfellas vs. There’s Something About Mary
Miller’s Crossing vs. Jurassic Park
Magnolia vs. All About My Mother
Being John Malkovich vs. Office Space
Unforgiven vs. Three Kings
Trainspotting vs. The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Matrix vs. The Blair Witch Project
Hoop Dreams vs. The Thin Red Line
Fargo vs. Dead Man
L. A. Confidential vs. Run Lola Run
Before Sunrise vs. The Piano
Eyes Wide Shut vs. Three Colors: Red
Rushmore vs. The Sweet Hereafter
The Shawshank Redemption vs The Usual Suspects
Reservoir Dogs vs. Ed Wood
Seven vs. Scream

How are ties broken?

[Idioteque Stalker]

How are ties broken?

Tie breaker goes to the movie that had more success in Filmspotting's tournament -- the movie that won its match-up, made it further, or had the higher average margin of victory. (Replacement movies assume the results of the movie they replace.)

Only two ties in Madness 1.0: Dead Poets Society vs. Midnight Run (went to DPS because it won in other tourney), and Stop Making Sense vs. Vagabond (went to SMS because it made it further in other tourney).

[Idioteque Stalker]

According to my self-imposed draconian rule set, I have to vote for replacement movies in round 1. Yes, in some cases it really hurts.

Pulp Fiction vs. Three Colors: Blue (Baby Doll replaced Wild at Heart)
Out of Sight vs. Saving Private Ryan
Toy Story vs. The Sixth Sense
Schindler’s List vs. The Iron Giant
Fight Club vs. Safe
Barton Fink vs. Leon: The Professional
Chungking Express vs. Lost Highway (Yxklyx replaced My Own Private Idaho)
Jackie Brown vs. Princess Mononoke
The Silence of the Lambs vs. Close-Up (OUCH)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day vs. The Lion King
Heat vs. JFK (yawn)
Dazed and Confused vs. Basic Instinct (Baby Doll replaced The Player)
Boogie Nights vs. La Haine (Ezee E replaced Naked)
Malcolm X vs. Contact (Peng replaced Three Colors: Blue)
The Big Lebowski vs. The Truman Show (yawn)
Groundhog Day vs. Titanic (I replaced Edward Scissorhands)
Goodfellas vs. There’s Something About Mary
Miller’s Crossing vs. Jurassic Park
Magnolia vs. All About My Mother
Being John Malkovich vs. Office Space (YAWN)
Unforgiven vs. Three Kings (Ezee E replaced Metropolitan)
Trainspotting vs. The Nightmare Before Christmas (Yxklyx replaced Clueless)
The Matrix vs. The Blair Witch Project (OUCH)
Hoop Dreams vs. The Thin Red Line
Fargo vs. Dead Man (ouch)
L. A. Confidential vs. Run Lola Run (Yxklyx replaced Glengarry Glen Ross)
Before Sunrise vs. The Piano (Baby Doll replaced The Insider)
Eyes Wide Shut vs. Three Colors: Red (Peng replaced The Piano)
Rushmore vs. The Sweet Hereafter
The Shawshank Redemption vs The Usual Suspects
Reservoir Dogs vs. Ed Wood (Peng replaced Boyz N the Hood)
Seven vs. Scream (Ezee E replaced Starship Troopers)

[DFA1979]

I own Safe and haven't seen it yet so I should probably get on that eventually.

[baby doll]

Shit, I had to change my vote because I realized I haven't even seen Safe.

It's an apt pairing since they're both movies that posit a link between consumerism and (mental) illness. The difference is that the plot of Haynes' film develops in a way that's logical and convincing, whereas Fight Club--as I've argued elsewhere on this forum--doesn't, betraying a certain contempt for the spectator's intelligence on the part of the filmmakers: either we're not supposed to notice the plot is wildly improbable or we're not supposed to care. The same sort of contempt can be detected to a lesser extent in Pulp Fiction, where John Travolta's character doesn't watch TV when the film needs Samuel L. Jackson to explain what a pilot is and then later references an episode of Cops and laughs at Jackson's reference to Green Acres, as well as some of the more pretentious moments in Magnolia, where the film strains for a significance that the story can't support (e.g., when the gay barfly declares, Ã* propos of nothing, that it's dangerous to confuse children with angels in order to elicit a contrary response from William H. Macy). Conversely, the greatness of the Dardennes, Haynes, Jarmusch, Kieślowski, Kiarostami, Tarr, Téchiné, Yang, and Linklater (excepting the atrocious School of Rock) is in large part a matter of their respect for the integrity of their characters which translates into a respect for the intelligence of the spectator--or, alternatively, a respect for the intelligence of the spectator which manifests itself as a respect for their characters.

[quido8_5]

Long time reader, intermittent poster.

Pulp Fiction vs. Three Colors: Blue
Out of Sight vs. Saving Private Ryan
Toy Story vs. The Sixth Sense
Schindler’s List vs. The Iron Giant
Fight Club vs. Safe
Barton Fink vs. Leon: The Professional
Chungking Express vs. Lost Highway
Jackie Brown vs. Princess Mononoke (haven't seen Princess Mononoke since I was in over 20 years)
The Silence of the Lambs vs. Close-Up (haven't seen close up)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day vs. The Lion King (great matchup)
Heat vs. JFK (although, JFK's editing is on point)
Dazed and Confused vs. Basic Instinct
Boogie Nights vs. La Haine (La Haine is what I want to vote, but haven't seen Boogie Nights in over 20 years as well)
Malcolm X vs. Contact (haven't seen Malcom X)
The Big Lebowski vs. The Truman Show (This one hurt. Both are Fantastic Four
Groundhog Day vs. Titanic
Goodfellas vs. There’s Something About Mary
Miller’s Crossing vs. Jurassic Park (had to think about thi
Magnolia vs. All About My Mother
Being John Malkovich vs. Office Space
Unforgiven vs. Three Kings
Trainspotting vs. The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Matrix vs. The Blair Witch Project
Hoop Dreams vs. The Thin Red Line (c'mon, why? Is this the same challenge?)
Fargo vs. Dead Man (Haven't seen Dead Man)
L. A. Confidential vs. Run Lola Run (brutal)
Before Sunrise vs. The Piano
Eyes Wide Shut vs. Three Colors: Red
Rushmore vs. The Sweet Hereafter (Ouch)
The Shawshank Redemption vs The Usual Suspects (Substance > Style)
Reservoir Dogs vs. Ed Wood (probably the hardest decision)
Seven . Scream (Scream is a good movie, though! ****/***** IMO)

[quido8_5]

It's an apt pairing since they're both movies that posit a link between consumerism and (mental) illness. The difference is that the plot of Haynes' film develops in a way that's logical and convincing, whereas Fight Club--as I've argued elsewhere on this forum--doesn't, betraying a certain contempt for the spectator's intelligence on the part of the filmmakers: either we're not supposed to notice the plot is wildly improbable or we're not supposed to care. The same sort of contempt can be detected to a lesser extent in Pulp Fiction, where John Travolta's character doesn't watch TV when the film needs Samuel L. Jackson to explain what a pilot is and then later references an episode of Cops and laughs at Jackson's reference to Green Acres, as well as some of the more pretentious moments in Magnolia, where the film strains for a significance that the story can't support (e.g., when the gay barfly declares, Ã* propos of nothing, that it's dangerous to confuse children with angels in order to elicit a contrary response from William H. Macy). Conversely, the greatness of the Dardennes, Haynes, Jarmusch, Kieślowski, Kiarostami, Tarr, Téchiné, Yang, and Linklater (excepting the atrocious School of Rock) is in large part a matter of their respect for the integrity of their characters which translates into a respect for the intelligence of the spectator--or, alternatively, a respect for the intelligence of the spectator which manifests itself as a respect for their characters.

I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you have a problem with American fiction (Jarmusch and Linklater being exceptions, whose work one might argue isn't built on a concept of complete fiction).

[baby doll]

I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you have a problem with American fiction (Jarmusch and Linklater being exceptions, whose work one might argue isn't built on a concept of complete fiction).

In addition to the filmmakers cited above (and I should've included Charles Burnett as well), I'm also a big fan of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, and William Faulkner. I have nothing against American fiction per se; what I object to is bad storytelling and storytelling has no nationality, although for whatever reason it seems to me that this sort of contempt for the spectator's intelligence has become increasingly pervasive in mainstream US filmmaking since the end of the studio era in the early '60s.

[Irish]

, whereas Fight Club--as I've argued elsewhere on this forum--doesn't, betraying a certain contempt for the spectator's intelligence on the part of the filmmakers: either we're not supposed to notice the plot is wildly improbable or we're not supposed to care. The same sort of contempt can be detected to a lesser extent in Pulp Fiction, where John Travolta's character doesn't watch TV when the film needs Samuel L. Jackson to explain what a pilot is and then later references an episode of Cops and laughs at Jackson's reference to Green Acres,

To defend Tarantino and nitpick your nitpick ---

There are plausible explanations as to why Travolta's character in "Pulp Fiction" contradicted himself (he's watched television in his lifetime, but not recently, for instance), but ultimately it's inconsequential to both the movie and the character. Whether he knows what a pilot is or whether he's seen this or that doesn't add to or subtract from his Vincent Vegas-ness. It's a small disconnect (although an interesting one) but it doesn't register to me as contempt.

It isn't on the same level as something like "Fight Club," whose third act reveal and entire plot requires the audience to throw their suspension of disbelief out the window, and then follow it down and actively bludgeon it on the sidewalk.

[...] it seems to me that this sort of contempt for the spectator's intelligence has become increasingly pervasive in mainstream US filmmaking since the end of the studio era in the early '60s.

Another quibble --- I think this had more to do with the advent of tv than the fall of the studio system. In 1959, television penetration was something like 5% of US households. A few years later, it hovered around 90%. TV is dumb by design. It needs to be, given the limitations of the medium.

Television killed the short story, injured theater and the novel, and eliminated the B picture. All of these were major sources of material for mainstream Hollywood movies. So I can sorta understand why movies floundered; they had less and less to adapt. (It's isn't a coincidence that major weeklies such as The Saturday Evening Post and Collier's declined in readership and eventually stopped publishing during this period.)

I'm not sure how much of that has to do with an active contempt, though, as it does with salability. By the mid to late 70s, smaller studios had closed and larger ones sold themselves to multinational corporations that had nothing to do with the movies, putting more and direct financial pressure on every picture.

[DFA1979]

Pulp Fiction vs. Three Colors: Blue-Only seen Pulp
Out of Sight vs. Saving Private Ryan
Toy Story vs. The Sixth Sense
Schindler’s List vs. The Iron Giant-Only seen Giant
Fight Club vs. Safe-Only seen Fight Club
Barton Fink vs. Leon: The Professional
Chungking Express vs. Lost Highway
Jackie Brown vs. Princess Mononoke-Only seen JB
The Silence of the Lambs vs. Close-Up-Only seen SOTL
Terminator 2: Judgment Day vs. The Lion King
Heat vs. JFK-Woof this is tough
Dazed and Confused vs. Basic Instinct
Boogie Nights vs. La Haine
Malcolm X vs. Contact-Only seen X but I have a feeling I would vote for that one anyways.
The Big Lebowski vs. The Truman Show-This is too hard
Groundhog Day vs. Titanic-Um ok...
Goodfellas vs. There’s Something About Mary-Weird pairing
Miller’s Crossing vs. Jurassic Park-This hurts.
Magnolia vs. All About My Mother-Only seen Magnolia
Being John Malkovich vs. Office Space-Only seen Office Space
Unforgiven vs. Three Kings
Trainspotting vs. The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Matrix vs. The Blair Witch Project
Hoop Dreams vs. The Thin Red Line-Only seen Hoop
Fargo vs. Dead Man
L. A. Confidential vs. Run Lola Run-Only seem LA
Before Sunrise vs. The Piano-N/A
Eyes Wide Shut vs. Three Colors: Red-N/A
Rushmore vs. The Sweet Hereafter-Only seen Rushmore
The Shawshank Redemption vs The Usual Suspects
Reservoir Dogs vs. Ed Wood
Seven vs. Scream

[baby doll]

To defend Tarantino and nitpick your nitpick ---

There are plausible explanations as to why Travolta's character in "Pulp Fiction" contradicted himself (he's watched television in his lifetime, but not recently, for instance), but ultimately it's inconsequential to both the movie and the character. Whether he knows what a pilot is or whether he's seen this or that doesn't add to or subtract from his Vincent Vegas-ness. It's a small disconnect (although an interesting one) but it doesn't register to me as contempt.

It isn't on the same level as something like "Fight Club," whose third act reveal and entire plot requires the audience to throw their suspension of disbelief out the window, and then follow it down and actively bludgeon it on the sidewalk.

Obviously it's not on the same level of egregiousness as Fight Club (nice metaphor by the way), and it is a minor slip up, although I think it's indicative of how thinly the character is conceived: given what we know about him, that he doesn't watch TV seems as probable as him watching TV. Similarly, Jackson's character is so narrowly conceived as a bad motherfucker that it's impossible to imagine him having any career beside gangsterism, so when Tarantino has to gesture towards some kind of future life for him after the movie's final scene, he reverts to references to old TV shows to fill in the gap ("What you mean 'walk the earth'?" "Like Caine in Kung Fu").

Another quibble --- I think this had more to do with the advent of tv than the fall of the studio system. In 1959, television penetration was something like 5% of US households. A few years later, it hovered around 90%. TV is dumb by design. It needs to be, given the limitations of the medium.

Television killed the short story, injured theater and the novel, and eliminated the B picture. All of these were major sources of material for mainstream Hollywood movies. So I can sorta understand why movies floundered; they had less and less to adapt. (It's isn't a coincidence that major weeklies such as The Saturday Evening Post and Collier's declined in readership and eventually stopped publishing during this period.)

I'm not sure how much of that has to do with an active contempt, though, as it does with salability. By the mid to late 70s, smaller studios had closed and larger ones sold themselves to multinational corporations that had nothing to do with the movies, putting more and direct financial pressure on every picture.

I didn't mean to suggest that the decline of the studio system caused a decline in the quality of screenwriting, only that even average films from the studio era tend to be less contemptuous of the spectator's intelligence than commercial films made in subsequent decades. (I suspect this phenomenon is not exclusive to the US, although being less familiar with average films from other countries, I can't say for sure.) Television is certainly a contributing factor here, although there are probably other reasons as well--one of which may be the disappearance of the salaried screenwriter. In much the same way that a director like P.T. Anderson needs to make a Big Statement in order to impress himself on the public and the industry as a capital-A Auteur, contemporary screenwriters need to come up with novel gimmicks to sell scripts, even if they wind up making hash of the characters in the process.

[Irish]

Obviously it's not on the same level of egregiousness as Fight Club (nice metaphor by the way), and it is a minor slip up, although I think it's indicative of how thinly the character is conceived: given what we know about him, that he doesn't watch TV seems as probable as him watching TV. Similarly, Jackson's character is so narrowly conceived as a bad motherfucker that it's impossible to imagine him having any career beside gangsterism, so when Tarantino has to gesture towards some kind of future life for him after the movie's final scene, he reverts to references to old TV shows to fill in the gap ("What you mean 'walk the earth'?" "Like Caine in Kung Fu").

On one hand: Excellent point. I agree. You've pinpointed a weakness in Tarantino that's always bugged me --- a preference for attitude and color over character. On the other: "Pulp Fiction" is all about attitude, from individuals (when Jackson literally says, "Alright, let's get into character" to Travolta early on) to the ridiculous figures of Marcellus Wallace and Mr Wolf, to the scenario when Mia demands Vincent help her win a dance trophy at a diner.

The movie is hyper-aware of itself, with a heightened artificiality, and Tarantino is self-consciously writing a genre piece. He's doing pastiche of pastiche. So how much character do we really need?

I'm gonna bait you a little and ask --- how much character is there in Dean Martin's Borrachón in "Rio Bravo"? That doesn't depend on Martin's natural charisma? Or in Ricky Martin's Colorado?

Or to take another example: "Bad Day at Black Rock"? That movie has something like 5 Academy Award winning actors in it and all of them lean into personas and portrayals they've done before. I haven't read the script but I imagine some of those characters read pretty flat on the page.

PS: Admittedly, I creeped on your letterboxd diary and cherry picked 2 examples I knew you'd seen and loved.

I didn't mean to suggest that the decline of the studio system caused a decline in the quality of screenwriting, only that even average films from the studio era tend to be less contemptuous of the spectator's intelligence than commercial films made in subsequent decades. (I suspect this phenomenon is not exclusive to the US, although being less familiar with average films from other countries, I can't say for sure.) Television is certainly a contributing factor here, although there are probably other reasons as well--one of which may be the disappearance of the salaried screenwriter. In much the same way that a director like P.T. Anderson needs to make a Big Statement in order to impress himself on the public and the industry as a capital-A Auteur, contemporary screenwriters need to come up with novel gimmicks to sell scripts, even if they wind up making hash of the characters in the process.

I think you're right again. That every screewriter is essentially a stringer certainly doesn't help the art.

But I also think audience expectations are at play. Much as I love (and sometimes hate) the movies, I've probably watched 10,000 more hours of television than anything else. If writers dumb down their writing because they can never be sure their audience is actually in the room (a requirement since TVs inception), I can't help but think that eventually bleeds into other mediums. Over time, both audience and critics can no longer tell good writing from bad (witness the misguided praise towards Disney's terrible MCU television shows, or toward movies as empty as the "John Wick" franchise.)

ETA: Also need to say, good point about PTA & those kinds of gimmicks.