Following his Academy Award nomination today for his work on Inherent Vice, director Paul Thomas Anderson talked to Rolling Stone about the stoner film and Thomas Pynchon novel of the same name. The filmmaker is more known for his works on Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, and The Master, and with that kind of filmography, you’d think that the guy would weigh in on the side of those who believe that the superhero genre is destroying cinema.

Well, get that thought out of your head because Anderson thinks otherwise. In fact, he speaks highly of the genre, and doesn’t understand why people would think there’s something wrong with superhero movies. Hit the jump for the full quote.

Anderson doesn’t believe that superhero films are destroying cinema. In fact, as an avid watcher, he “enjoys them,” and thinks they are “getting a bad rap.” Here’s the full quote from Anderson when Rolling Stone referenced “complaints about American filmmaking being nothing but superhero movies.”

That’s quite a statement. As you may have seen, today’s Oscar nominations had plenty of opportunities to nominate superhero films in key categories outside visual and makeup. James Gunn and Nicole Perlman clearly wrote a fantastic adaptation of Guardians of the Galaxy, as noted by the WGA nominations. (See what “˜Guardians Of The Galaxy’ Director James Gunn On Oscars, Says What We’re All Thinking.) Unfortunately, the Academy doesn’t feel the same about the film. So Anderson is right when he says superhero movies “get a bad rap.”

These superhero movies are so much fun to watch, and just by looking at the box office numbers, everyone else is clearly enjoying themselves.

What do you think about Anderson’s statement?

[Source: Rolling Stone]