"I realized what interested me as a student of film was one thing and the movies that I liked were another"

Sam Raimi's quote talks to the idea that there is a distinction between what interests us academically and what we enjoy in our leisure time. As a student of film, Raimi was most likely exposed to a variety of films and categories, a few of which he may have discovered interesting from a scholastic point of view, however not always pleasurable. On the other hand, there may have been films that he discovered enjoyable, but not necessarily academically promoting. This quote recommends that Raimi had the ability to recognize the distinction in between the two and appreciate them both for what they are. This is a crucial lesson for anybody studying film, or any other subject, as it is very important to be able to acknowledge the distinction between what we find interesting academically and what we enjoy in our leisure time.