Our rules, your lists

Showdown

Every two weeks we set a topic. You submit a ranked list. We tally the community's collective answer and publish a Top 20 nobody person decided. No prizes, no leaderboards of people — just consensus.

This fortnight's topic · closes Thursday 8pm PT
Films set entirely in one room
Chamber pieces, single locations, no escape. Minimum five films, only your first ten ranked entries count.
Submit your list

How it works

1

We set a topic

Every second Thursday, a new prompt. Broad enough for range, narrow enough to argue about.

2

You submit a list

Build a ranked list of at least five films and tag it showdown. Only your first ten ranked entries count toward the tally.

3

We publish consensus

Points by rank across every list, tallied deterministically. The community Top 20 lands the following second Thursday after 8pm Pacific.

The scoring rule

A film in your #1 slot earns 10 points, #2 earns 9, down to 1 point for #10. Entries past ten are ignored, so ranking is real work. Every member's list is weighted equally — there are no power users here. Ties break toward the film that appeared on more lists, because breadth beats intensity. That's the whole algorithm, and it's on purpose: a consensus artifact, never a ranking of people.

Last fortnight's Top 5

Topic: Best final shot in cinema

1
The Undertow of Meridian County 2020
on 4,102 lists
2
A Frozen Reservoir 2008
on 3,880 lists
3
Ceremony of Route 9 2004
on 3,340 lists
4
Broken Monsoon 2023
on 2,905 lists
5
Wilderness, Sparrow 2021
on 2,701 lists
Enter this fortnight's Showdown →