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So we live in a world where the braintrust of Hollywood thinks Slumdog Millionaire and Die Hard are better movies than The Deer Hunter, Reservoir Dogs, Doctor Zhivago, and The Seven Samurai? Where Raiders of the Lost Arc is better than Forrest Gump, Gone with the Wind, It's a Wonderful Life, and Goodfellas? Where Jurassic Park is better than Good Will Hunting, Taxi Driver, Groundhog Day and Raging Bull? This is in fact reality, right? Or am I missing something here? Because after reading that I'm really starting to wonder...

Kalen, Die Hard, Raiders and JP are basically the paradigms of big, popcorn movies. They are also FRANCHISE movies. And in this day and age where Hollywood is obsessed with tentpole films, it doesn't surprise me they view those three as 'better' than more classic type films (you'll notice none of the movies you referenced by comparison has had a sequel). This is the reality we live in. Fortunately where the studios have left a huge gap for mid-budget adult dramas, a slew of financiers has stepped in. And as Hollywood continues its move to lure Baby Boomers to theaters, arguably the most reliable movie crowd out there, we can expect to see more movies like the ones you've listed above. That combined with the fact there are so many good young filmmakers rising up the ranks and actors who will feed their coffers with big pay-date movies like Godzilla, then turn around and make several play-date movies, little indie features that challenge the actor to try different roles. I'm actually optimistic about the state of things... which is saying something from a lifelong NY Mets fan!

Haha, that is impressive -- in an incredibly masochistic type of way. I admire your loyalty though. That's what sports are all about. You gotta look on the bright side: At least you're not a Cleveland (insert any professional sports franchise from said city) fan. What worries me isn't really the superhero franchises. They're fairly benign and present worlds and characters we all know are highly fictionalized. What I'm having a hard time understanding is movies like The Purge (which has developed into a series) and The Interview. Here we are in the midst of a mass-shooting crisis and Hollywood is greenlighting movies where the entire premise is average people going out and killing each other for no reason, simply because it's allowed. I understand it's a free country and yada-yada-yada, but how is this doing anything for not only our country's moral but for mitigating future mass shootings? How many kids who've perhaps thought about doing something like this are gonna see this movie and NOT be influenced to go through with their plans? If Hollywood's saying this is OK, who are they to think otherwise? On the other hand we have a movie where the plot revolves around two people trying to covertly kill one of the most insane dictators in the world, one who's already threatened the U.S. with nuclear war if it's released. Granted, Kim Jong-un says a lot of things he doesn't do... but what if the release of this movie DOES lead to the death of American lives, even if it's just a few? How can Hollywood ever justify that? I'm no rocket scientist, but it doesn't take a genius to know you don't throw stones at a glass house, especially when that house has already displayed a penchant for breaking. Aaaanywho... those are just a few thoughts I've had floating around my head lately. While there have been some all-time great movies released in the last few years (especially last year), there have also been some atrocious ones -- and unfortunately it's those the masses are flocking to. While you can never fully dictate the free market, I think you can afford to adopt some dignity and responsibility. I'm just nervous about what it's gonna take for that to happen...