Welcome to FTS’ brand new feature Word Around the Campfire where all of the FTS’ contributors take turns answering the question or topic of the month. This month we talk about movies that sparked some heated conversations.

I’ve gotten into some heated discussions before over minute details within cinematic universes (ie Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Terminator) but a person I know had the gull to tell me The Departed wasn’t a good movie because of the violence and bad language and that’s why people liked the film so much. That really bothered me. Kinda blew up at that person and looked at them very differently from that moment forward. Needless to say, we don’t speak anymore. (There is a much much bigger reason we don’t speak anymore, but I feel like this adds)

I did get overly sensitive about whether Monsters University was going to be good (I still love it even though it isn’t really well-liked by critics or Pixar connoisseurs); my boyfriend thought that it was going to be “unnecessary” and we legitimately argued about this until I convinced him to see it with me and he loved it. The only other instance I can think of was a friend of mine who was very dismissive of the film Drive, which I am a huge fan of but it’s kind of hard to articulate what about it is so stellar to someone who sort of missed the point or who is stubborn about it– it’s admittedly a kind of weird film and it’s not for everybody, but she was convinced that it was “bad” and not worthwhile whatsoever. It was hard as a film student and movie lover to try and point out the difference between a good film that you just don’t care for, and a truly poor quality film. Drive is, to me, a masterpiece and I kind of failed to explain why I felt that way, all the while my friend failed also in trying to comprehend how it could be one.

Hosting a weekly movie podcast with an ever-changing roster of guests means I regularly come into discussion with people who don’t share my film tastes, something which is exacerbated by my ability to really dislike films that others seem to love, such as The Goonies or Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, all of which I still stand by as being terrible. That being said, I don’t think I’ve ever got into a heated argument over films. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and if people have valid reasons why films speak to them more or less than they might to me, then so be it.

I think I’ve only ever had one outraged comment on a review I’ve written – apparently I didn’t discuss the religious connotations in the Paul Newman boxing movie Somebody Up There Likes Me enough to please one reader – but when I tried to engage them into a debate Mr. Anonymous neglected to respond. When I encounter a different opinion in real, face-to-face life, I usually quite calmly explain to the other person exactly why their opinion is incorrect or invalid and then walk away, assuming they are grateful to me for enriching their life, and think nothing of the fact that these people seldom ever speak to me again.

One of my best movie friends is a male priest, so really, we couldn’t be more opposite persons. However, I love talking to him about movies because he’s very articulate, watches a lot of movies and is interested in my opinion. Usually, around Oscar season, we get into big arguments about what movies should win what and whether the right movies were nominated. He is very much on the side of the Academy every year, whereas I am usually against them when it comes to some of the big contenders. One of the biggest arguments we had was about 12 Years a Slave, when it was nominated for all the Oscars and had basically won before it actually won. He had all the classic arguments; it’s well-made, it tells a moving story, it has great actors, it made him cry and so on. I however loved the hell out of Her and Gravity, really liked Captain Phillips and The Wolf of Wall Street and quite frankly would’ve rather seen Philomena win than 12 Years a Slave. It is just another movie that wants to remind us of how bad the white people treated the black people! And you know what happens in the end. And it just goes on and on. Surely, the actors are good, the direction and cinematography and probably even the sound design are top-notch but no one needs this film. It is manipulative and unnecessary. I stand by that opinion.

The most epic argument I ever got into wasn’t over a movie, but the 8-part miniseries The Staircase. It’s a very compelling documentary about a man charged with murdering his wife when he claims that she simply fell to receive the fatal blow to the back of her head. It’s told from the perspective of the accused, Michael Peterson, as his legal team mounts their defense and goes to trial. It’s filled with riveting twists and turns and a somewhat ambiguous take of his guilt or innocence. My argument was with our own fearless leader and usually my brain twin Lindsay. Lindsay and her other half Jason watched this miniseries and came out with an absolute opinion as to Peterson’s guilt, while Rob and I watched separately and came to the exact opposite conclusion. Both parties were incredulous as to how we could watch the same program and have such different interpretations. This lead to Lindsay and I exchanging several days worth of heated text messages and in person debates over our opinions of each element and aspect of this case. If only I had copied and kept a record of our conversation for posterity.

There are a lot of films I don’t understand why people like and frequently bicker about but I don’t usually get into too many heated arguments. If Jess and I happen to disagree on something it can get slightly less than brutal, mainly because I highly value her opinion on everything and it’s rare when our views don’t match. But one argument I specifically remember was between me and an acquaintance over the movie Gamer. I complained how bad the film was after a recent watch and this person apparently liked it quite a bit. I engaged in the usual debate and I like to determine why I had a different viewing experience but I was met with a ton of resistance and a ultimate declaration that film was a pointless art form. This person, who I would imagine fancied themselves artistic in some capacity (they sold shit on etsy), openly disregarded the artistic value of film in general and said that nothing in a movie should be taken too seriously. Clearly, I disagree (even if I admit the distinction of “movie” and “film” hold true in many instances.) I left the argument unscathed but it produced some Taylor Swift Bad Blood on the end of the other party that never fully subsided.

I don’t recall ever being in an argument over a movie with anyone before. At least nothing substantial. I do remember around the time when Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was being released I was surprised that so many people were more interested in seeing The Expendables and had no real interest in Scott Pilgrim. I think I tried to get a few people to at least see both. But, I tried to use a “catch more bees with honey” approach. If anybody ever bad mouthed Pulp Fiction, though, it would probably get pretty heated. But that has never happened to me in a conversation.

I have definitely gotten into an argument over a film, and I believe it took place on a podcast. A couple years ago, we had a feature on FTS where each of us picked for each member of the podcast to watch, this movie had to be something that the intended person wouldn’t normally seek out on their own but may enjoy; essentially something to broaden our cinematic horizons. So I thought it would be awesome to give my fellow FTS’ers a crash course into African American movies. I gave Lindsay some Spike Lee, I made Jess Watch Imitation Of Life (she loved it), and I gave Rob Blade Runner, which isn’t an African American movie at all but Rob didn’t watch much Sci-fi. The film I decided to give Will was Paris Is Burning, a documentary following LGBT African American and Latinos in an underground subculture called “Ballroom”. Big Mistake. The movie was definitely not for Will at all. During podcast will begins to “summarize” (the term is used very loosely) the movie and sparks flew. Paris Is Burning is a movie that means a lot to me, I really didn’t expect Will to love as much as I did, but I did expect him to give it a shot. I think our argument spilled over from the podcast and we sat in the basement and argued for almost an hour.

Believe it or not, most of the disagreements I have over films are with other members of French Toast Sunday. Honestly, it seems like my opinions differ from the group more than anyone else but one particular film comes to mind. Scott Pilgrim vs The World. I remember Lindsay and Jason seeing this right when it came out and they were super excited and super passionate about it. I watched the trailer and quickly decided the film just didn’t appeal to me. I held out from seeing it for quite a while. I actually wound up seeing it at a drive-in theater with a couple of other films. Needless to say, the film lived up to my expectations. And by that I mean, I found it totally unappealing. I didn’t like the plot, I didn’t like the acting, I didn’t like how over the top it was. Honestly, I didn’t like anything about it. And all the while, two of my very good friends are quoting it and singing its praises. It was as if they couldn’t understand how I didn’t enjoy it, while at the same time, I’m left to wonder, what did they think was so great about it? I don’t know if Lindsay still thinks about this disagreement, or even about the film, but I do know that the months surrounding it’s release, tempers flared and opinions held strong.