KickMuncher3

This grouping is interesting. I love all of these films and all these directors. Magnolia is my favourite PTA film and Zodiac is definitely top 3 Fincher. On the other hand, I feel that Shaun of the Dead is one of Wright’s weakest films and it always felt like a dry run for what Hot Fuzz did infinitely better (Hot Fuzz is my personal fav Wright film by far, I was surprised that Amy hasn’t met more people who put it #1). That said, Shaun of the Dead is Edgar Wright’s most culturally impactful film and the same cannot be said of the other 2 films/directors. So, for that reason, I reluctantly vote For Shaun.

I think I would have voted “no” no matter what, but especially because Animal House is already in the canon (a mistake). Alex kept talking about the film’s disjointed nature as a positive, but it’s the reason I never felt engaged by the movie. A hypothetical canon-worthy cut of this film might be possible (one that didn’t scrap the main caddy-centric plot in favour of the big stars), but the film that exists is far from canon-worthy.

Honestly, I don’t think either of these movies are Canon-worthy, but I feel like Feild of Dreams has had a bigger cultural impact. “If you build it, he will come” is one of the most well-known (and misquoted) lines in cinema, so that’s why I’m voting FoD.

Based on the episode, I doubt there’s much chance of Last Jedi getting in, but, if it comes to it, I will change my vote (from Lady Bird) to whatever keeps Last Jedi out. Not to say that I disliked the movie, in fact I agree with almost everything positive said about it, but it is by far the least exciting film in a list of very exciting films and I cannot live with a canon that has Last Jedi but doesn’t have Empire. As for my vote, I won’t be able to defend Lady Bird better than it already was on the podcast. Suffice it to say, it’s worth all those shitty mumblecore movies getting made if it somehow led to Lady Bird.

When it’s a versus between two movies that I love this much, I often fall back on cultural importance. However, I have a hard time deciding which of these films is more culturally “important.” On one hand, the controversy/backlash/banning of Life of Brian seems pretty significant, but, on the other hand, multiple scenes/quotes from Holy Grail have become cultural touchstones and I can’t think of anything from Brian that has. I just gotta go with my gut and vote Holy Grail. I find it to be the funnier of the two films. It feels a little less polished, but a little more Python.

I think it’s very telling that there are no selectable combinations without Part 1. Despite Evan’s claims that this is a complete trilogy, the sequels seem like superfluous tack-ons to a self-contained and, as many have said before, perfect movie. The original Back to the Future is so good I’d go so far as to call it the quintessential movie. Like, if I had to explain movies to someone using only one film, it’d be Back to the Future. Sure, if you pick apart Part 1, you’ll be able to poke holes in it, but you overlook them because the movie is so perfect. On the other hand, the holes in the sequels are glaring even going so far as to break the central rule of the first movie, “if you change the past, you return to a different future,” when old Biff returns to the same 2016 he left. Not to mention the de-escalation of settings (crazy future to alternate present to the same 1955 as the last movie). It’s flaws like these and others mentioned (the “chicken” thing, the lack of the father/son relationship, etc.) that not only ruin #2 for me, but also sour the memory of the first film in a way that makes me wish the sequels had never been made. Part 3 is more innocuous but less interesting than Part 2. I think they missed a real opportunity to make it a historically accurate period piece and have all of Marty’s Hollywood western knowledge be useless (instead of it being mostly accurate). Overall, my vote is for Part 1 only. Part 2 and 3 are okay, but if Empire Strikes Back isn’t in the Canon, then the Back to the Future sequels sure as hell aren’t.

Honestly, I was super on the fence about this one going in. I was probably going to reluctantly vote yes just because of the revolutionary effects. But, Cameron's reading of the film took it over the top for me. I'm probably just a dumby, but this is the first time I've ever thought of the film as one directed by trans women. It's a hard yes from me.

While, I agree with Abe that Minority Report is the better film, I don't agree with his assertion that the better film is the more Canon film. I'm voting for Top Gun solely for its incredible cultural impact. There are many better Spielberg films left to include in the Canon, but a film that convinced such an enormous number of people to join the military has earned canonization based on that feat alone. That said, if either of these movies were in a solo episode, I can't say I'd vote yes for either one (just as I voted no on Jerry McGuire and Mission Impossible). Tom Cruise definitely deserves canonization, but I find that very few of his individual movies are Canon-worthy (A Few Good Men would get a big yes from me though).

I've never enjoyed Lost in Translation, but I assumed after this versus was announced, and even after I watched and enjoyed Marie Antoinette for the first time this week, that I would vote Lost in Translation in based on cultural importance. However, Amy's argument really won me over. Antoinette all the way.

Yes to Z. No to Amy making this a versus episode at the last second.

Burn After Reading is also my favourite Coen comedy, but Raising Arizona is clearly the Coen comedy to represent them in the Canon. To be honest, there are few Coen films that I wouldn't vote yes on. They're my favourite directors and I think it's important to put early works like this in along with their later offerings. Also, Raising Arizona is just so fucking good, man!

I watched both these films for the first time last week and I gotta say neither film really grabbed me or blew the other film out of the water quality-wise. So, I'm solely voting on historical significance and I'm voting Black Orpheus. It's probably the one I'm least likely to rewatch, but I think it's a more important film for people to see at least once.

Not good enough. Not important enough. Not bad, but not canon.

This was always going to be hands-down Juno for me I couldn't have expressed Juno's canon-worthiness better than this episode did. But on a personal note, 2007 was the year that I really got into film and Juno was one of the cinema-going experiences that really opened my eyes. For most of my teenaged years, I would cite it as my favourite film and it's still up there. Juno all the way, home-skillet!

I'm looking forward to debating, arguing, and sometimes harmoniously agreeing with you guys again. I'm hoping this episode can turn me around on Ghostbusters. I never got the appeal of that film. I never found the comedy to be that funny or the story to be that entertaining. idk, i guess bustin' doesn't make me feel good!