Quentin Tarantino surprised many earlier this week when he released a list of his favorite movies of the year and on that list, along with Oscar frontrunners like 'Gravity' and 'Blue Jasmine,' was the Razzie frontrunner 'The Lone Ranger.' As we all wondered aloud, "How could this be?," Mr. Tarantino has arrived, as if on cue, to explain exactly how it be, defending his choice of 'The Lone Ranger' as one of the best movies of 2013.

Speaking to French magazine Les Inrockuptibles (via The Playlist), Tarantino was asked about his love for 'The Lone Ranger' and didn't back down.

The first forty-five minutes are excellent...Then comes the train scene -- incredible! When I saw it, I kept thinking, 'What, that’s the film that everybody says is crap? Seriously?'

If only they had known sooner, Disney could've used "Excellent! - Quentin Tarantino" as one of their commercial pull quotes.

So, it turns out that Quentin Tarantino really does love 'The Lone Ranger,' but that doesn't mean he doesn't have some issues with the film. He added, "I still have a little problem with the film. I like Tonto’s backstory...but the slaughter of the tribe, by gunfire, from the cavalry, it left a bitter taste in my mouth. The Indians have really been victims of a genocide. So slaughtering them again in an entertaining movie, Buster Keaton style... That ruined the fun a bit for me."

There you have it. Adding some additional commentary to his original list, Tarantino confirms that 'This Is the End' is the "funniest film of the year, by far" and that 'Kick-Ass 2' had a "real auteur approach." Well, we can just agree to disagree on that last front.

What do you think? Can Quentin Tarantino convince you that 'The Lone Ranger' wasn't horrible?

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