You're very welcome, David.
Yes, Magic Bullet Looks is a great place to explore, brainstorm looks, and set up one's idea about a specific Look.
The attention to detail allows for creating a filmic look; it uses everything to guide the audience's eye and limit distractions. With that, less stress is provided, and one can sink into the visuals. This intensity is often confused with the prominent, easy-to-read part of the image. Hence, just applying for a LUT is not working.
Hence, we talk in color grading about secondary grading, something neither a parameter preset nor LUT can do.
On top of that comes handling all clips to merge into the found visual language to create continuity.
Many people use references, as you mentioned as well. Analyze those and compare your results. Step away for a day and look again. You might be surprised how much more you see after a while.
Johannes Itten's "The Elements of Color" was the book that most impacted my understanding of Color as a young art student. Even decades after I bought it, it echoes in me. Many mainstream film looks are built upon this knowledge. Understanding those unlocks why some look work along a movie, and some just fade over time in one's perception.
Before I get lost in another long text:
Enjoy the exploration