EDITORIAL: 2018 March Madness Movie Bracket Challenges

Everything nowadays gets scored and ranked against everything. As an educator with accountability to assessment and achievement, I can respect that and gladly drink that Kool-Aid. With the annual NCAA March Madness tournament going on in full swing (Go Loyola Ramblers!), a pair of movie-themed brackets have been surfing the Facebook waves and I couldn't help but be intrigued. One challenge is for the youthful casual fan and one is for the somewhat more serious cinephile.

I'd love to hear what you think and what your own brackets would look like! Below, I've included buttons to shared downloads. I have an image file or a straight-up, ready-to-go Google Slide template where you can make/download a copy and amend the textboxes for your own picks. Add some thoughts in the comments. Shout out to the Feelin' Film, Popcorn Theology, and Bibles and Brackets Facebook groups for diving into these kinds of discussions everyday! Enjoy!

DISNEY VS. PIXAR BRACKET

I think every red-white-and-blue-blooded American has either a favorite Disney animated classic or a new Pixar favorite, if not both. What if you pitted them against each other for overall Disney dominance. Boy, was this bracket harder than it looked. That bottom half of the Imagination quadrant with Inside Out, Toy Story 3, and Beauty and the Beast was brutal. Any of those three could have won their region or the entire stinking bracket. For a little method to my madness, I'm a guy that makes a distinction between "favorite" and "best." They are not always the same thing. For this Disney bracket, I did primarily "favorites," yet, in my opinion, the "best" cream still rose to the top. Here's how mine turned out:

DOWNLOAD IMAGE FILE

DOWNLOAD GOOGLE SLIDE TEMPLATE

BEST OF A24 BRACKET

This bracket may have more auteur and somewhat obscure films for general audiences, but I found this one far easier to fill out. On this bracket, I went more the "best" route over the "favorite" label. I have my clear ratings for most of these films in my reviews. Everyone who's followed this page knows that I will adore and shout the power of Room to the ends of the universe. Lady Bird was just recently my #1 film of 2018 and Moonlight was a Top 5 film of the year before. That's where I stand. Take a look at my picks: