How has it been five years already since we started this thing??? I swear, it feels like yesterday I was putting together the inaugural Movie Madness bracket…
So, in case you missed it, in 2020, because the post-season college basketball tournaments were canceled, I thought, “What better way to keep the crazy competitiveness of March alive than with a movie tournament?”
Thus, I introduced Corinne’s Movie Madness.
Just like the basketball tournaments, we had a field of competitors facing off in one-on-one competitions. You, the Reel Nerds fans, decided which of the two movies in a given matchup advanced to the next round.
Our past winners are:
- The Princess Bride, 2020 (Corinne’s Random Movies Bracket)
- Beauty & The Beast, 2021 (The Nerds’ Favorite Disney/Pixar Movies Bracket)
- Logan, 2022 (DC vs. Marvel Bracket)
- Remember The Titans, 2023 (Post-1990 Sports Movie Bracket)
- Top Gun: Maverick, 2024 (The Nerds’ Favorite 2020s Films … Thus Far)
This March, I recruited my fellow Nerds to help me with this year’s theme: “The Movies That Made Us.”
The competitors and bracket mechanics
Unlike the NCAA basketball tournaments, this one is very selective. Only 16 films qualify for a coveted spot on the bracket.
So, once I decided on a theme, I asked Ryan, Brad and Zach to each send me four movies that “made them” — however they wanted to define that. The only criteria I added was that it could NOT be a movie that had appeared in any Movie Madness bracket before. This didn’t seem to impact Brad at all, but I think Zach and Ryan each had to sub out a movie from their Top 4 lists.
If anything, I’m at the biggest disadvantage this year because so many “Movies That Made Me” have been in this bracket before. So, I really had to think back to the favorite films of my youth, the ones that left a strong impression on me.
I won’t speak for the other Nerds, but for me, this year’s theme is poignant.
All four of the films I picked are movies that special to me. They influenced how I see the world. They shaped the things I loved both as a child and as an adult. They didn’t just entertain me for an afternoon. No, these films challenged and inspired me. They, quite simply, made me fall in love with storytelling in general and movies specifically.
(Again, other movies fell into this category but couldn’t be included because they’ve participated in Movie Madness before.)
So, to actually compile this year’s bracket, I asked all the Nerds to provide me four “Movies That Made Them,” and then I tried to match our picks up against each other. We did something similar with last year’s bracket. The only difference is that there isn’t a “theme” to the regions this year.
How you participate
Just like the college basketball tournament, Movie Madness will start this Thursday, March 20!
That day, we will post the first matchup on the Reel Nerds’ Twitter page so you can cast your vote! Simple as that.
For instance, March 20 will feature our first 2020 matchup; whichever movie receives more votes by the time the poll ends will advance to the next round. (If there happens to be a tie, I’ll ask Friend of the Podcast Gerry to cast the deciding vote. I know I’ve done it in years past, but I recognize I’m biased and should have a slightly more objective person do it.)
On March 28, we will start the quarterfinals, and the procedure will be the same until a movie is crowned the winner. If I’m counting right, our championship matchup should be on April 3.
Announcing the field
Here is your full field:
- Thursday, March 20: We have Ryan’s Night of the Living Dead versus my pick My Fair Lady. Considering My Fair Lady is basically my favorite movie of all time and I know Night of the Living Dead is Ryan’s like second-favorite film, I expect this to be a bloodbath.
- Friday, March 21: Brad’s pick and pop-culture sweetheart Batman (1989) versus Zach-selected crime thriller Zodiac.
- Saturday, March 22: Friends will have to pick a side as Brad’s beloved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will face off against Ryan’s all-time favorite Army of Darkness.
- Sunday, March 23: Zach’s favorite Quentin Taratino crime thriller Jackie Brown will battle one of my childhood favorites 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
- Monday, March 24: Zach’s all-time favorite comedy To Be or Not To Be will be going up against Ryan’s favorite comedy classic The Awful Truth.
- Tuesday, March 25: Brad’s pick and time-traveling classic Back to the Future versus what I would consider my favorite “cowboy” movie The Man from Snowy River.
- Wednesday, March 26: Iconic finale to an iconic trilogy and younger me’s favorite Star Wars film Return of the Jedi faces off with Ryan’s pick The Monster Squad.
- Thursday, March 27: More friendships will be tested as Zach’s favorite horror movie Halloween goes up against Brad-selected action-adventure classic Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade.
Thus, on Friday, March 28, we will start the quarterfinals and on April 4, we will host our championship showdown with the final two films.
Which sports movie will take home the 2025 Movie Madness Trophy? Which Cinderella story will take the crown? Which set of underdogs will triumph in the end?
You decide!
…
Side note: Just like I do with the Filmsplosion Statistical Recaps, I have compiled each Nerd’s “Films That Made Me” list in case anyone was interested:
Ryan:
- Army of Darkness
- The Monster Squad
- Night of the Living Dead
- The Awful Truth
Brad:
- TMNT
- Batman 89
- BTTF
- Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade
Zach:
- To Be or Not To Be
- Jackie Brown
- Halloween
- Zodiac
Corinne:
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
- My Fair Lady
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
- The Man from Snowy River