Recently I met up with a couple of friends and of course the subject of movies came up. Among my friends I’m the one who watches most, so they asked for some suggestions. Now it’s getting harder to suggest something to them as my taste is a bit broader than theirs, which means I sometimes have to warn them they might not like it.
It ended up in one of them listing a short list of requirements before he would decide to watch a movie. Including not watching something if it had a score lower than a 7 on IMDB. Of course I think that way you might miss out on some entertaining movies, but to each his own.
So today’s question is:
How do you decide which movies you will watch?
I think curiosity is the best description in deciding which movies I want to see, but a lot of factors come into play. If other bloggers with similar taste praise a movie I will want to check it out as well, but there are exceptions. I’m a big action movie fan and know that these often get bad reviews. If I would have only looked at review scores I wouldn’t have watched movies like The Three Musketeers, Immortals and Battle: LA, all movies I enjoyed for what they were. IMDB usually plays an important part as well if it is a movie I have never heard of.
As for which movie I watch out of my stack of DVDs, that usually comes down to my mood and how tired I am (because I won’t throw on a 2+ hour movie if I know I won’t be able to make it till the end).
How do you decide which movies you will watch?
Well, I have a bunch of lists I keep as checklists for classic films I need to see (AFI’s list, the Oscar nominees, etc) Certain movies by favourite directors of mine will also catch my interest, and anything recommended to me by certain people also gets a viewing.
Yeah, for me it is also some lists, currently the IMDB top 250, but sometimes check others…
Nice to see the way you pick them.
The premise, the stars, the director, the genre, the reviews, the recommendations of (some) friends, the trailer, the things I’ve read: all these things need to blend into a winning cocktail!
That’s a whole lot of ingredients in order to get the cocktail 😉
Usually Oscar nominated/winning films. I usually go for drama or comedy, but if other genre movies have many compliments, I’ll try to look it up. I too felt if other movie bloggers with the same taste with me, I’ll check it out if I can.
I never really go for the Oscar movies, although I do watch them of course. I don’t really seek them out.
Interesting. This has changed lately for me. As I am now sent pre-release screeners and check disks, these have a time limit as I have to get a review up before they are officially release in UK. So that dominates my viewing choice.
Otherwise I have little missions like Almodovar Season, and Looking Back that help me make a choice.
Nice question matey
Does that mean you also sometimes watch movies you might normally would never want to watch?
Can imagine these previews can put some pressure on your viewing schedule!
It depends where I see the movie. If it’s in the cinemas, I choose the one I have been waiting to see or the one I have heard the best things, plus the trailer, which I always watch before seeing a release. If it’s at home, it’s a totally different situation: I just choose whatever I am in the mood for, because I have a huge list of movies to see, so I have plenty of options.
As you know I never watch trailers, so I usually go for movies where the poster looks good or the scores have been good 🙂
Yeah, just like you the list I have is very big 😉
Interesting question! I have a fair few factors, as I’ve got a pretty wide taste in films that I enjoy.
Take for example a lazy Sunday afternoon. I’ve just eaten a massive roast. I’m full to my seams and my concentration levels are low. This is usually when I’ll stick on some mindless action film or a silly comedy. Nothing too long either as there’s a likelihood I’ll fall asleep!
Other lazy afternoons i like to spend the entire afternoon just watching some big, long “heavy” film. Those heavyweight films which need a lot of concentration and love.
I love going to the cinema to see all sorts of films. Though I have a reluctance to see straight up comedies at the cinema, as I don’t think you “get” anything from seeing it on the big screen. I’ll see anything else in the cinema. It’s that experience I enjoy.
I can’t exactly pinpoint one particular thing that gets me watching a film, because I love so many different types. If it looks like something I’ll enjoy and if I’m in the right mood for it, I’ll stick it on. Sure, reviews, directors, actors and premise play a part. But I love just expanding my film knowledge and repertoire.
Thanks Jaina!
Hahahaha, on Sundays its my task to do the ironing, so it’s the perfect time to put on a movie that doesn’t need too much attention, so usually comedies or kids movies.
Heavyweight films really need the right mood in order to be enjoyed.
Yes, expanding film knowledge is important. I recently started watching this documentary series about the history of film (an odyssey it is called) and it’s always great to keep learning and trying stuff slightly out of the comfort zone.
Exactly. I don’t think I really got into watching film documentaries until a couple of years ago. Love trying anything new.
I suggest watching the one by Scorcese abou American movie history which someone has put up on YouTube.
I’m looking for variation when I pick movies. When I’ve watched a hugbe amount of indie-subtle-ambiguous movies I’m up for a straight-forward box office success. It’s very much a question of gut-feeling and I never watch stuff out of obligation.
I guess I’m a bit influenced by other people’s views as well. Mark Kermode is generally right!
The average rating on IMDb seems like a strange criteria to me. I know some really good movies that are even rated below 6,0.
No, I never watch stuff out of obligation either, I really need to be interested (even if it is because of bad reviews).
Yeah, it’s a bit hit and miss, but in general they really match quite well with my own taste…
I have a movie list, but I don’t refer to it often and I haven’t updated it recently. I try avoiding IMDB ratings because they aren’t always accurate. I’ve skipped some really good films because of that.
Usually I’ll just browse Netflix (which has bizarre suggestions usually) or I’ll watch a movie based on a director or actor from something I’ve seen them in recently. I have a habit of going and writing down a list of movies an actor or director was in and just going through the list until something else catches my eye.
I try to find movies that fit my mood/schedule. There are some longer movies that I want to watch, but I wait till a time when I will actually be able to sit down and enjoy it.
It’s a complex process to describe isn’t it as so much is done without thinking! 🙂
Yeah, longer movies can take ages before you start watching them. Had that with Das Boot (will be reviewed tomorrow).
Interesting question. For me, usually it’s the cast but this past weekend I actually saw something because of the intriguing concept. I kind of had a feeling I’d like it more if it had a different cast and it confirmed my dread. Reviews also play a big part if I’m ambivalent about something, hence I still haven’t seen a movie I was initially anticipating, Rum Diary.
My review of it is up today and it was a bit of a disappointment…
I used to go by the IMDb top 250 but now that I have seen maybe 2/3 of it, I don’t really go by any list. I already have a hard time keeping up with new releases and all the acclaimed movies you hear about during awards season.
Yeah, with so much choice it can be very hard to keep up and see all the movies that get buzz!
For me it’s usually down to interest, i’m not fond of rom-coms or horrors but it doesn’t mean I won’t watch them, just that they will be lower down in terms of my priority.
If its showing in the cinemas then I guess my main requirement would be story over everything else, I don’t follow actors/directors as such. On DVD there are so many factors that it would take paragraphs to explain but I guess t’s down to revisiting a film I saw before, the story or just a case of something i’m unfamiliar with. Ratings or reviews matter very little because you never what you’ll like until you see it.
Interesting to see how you make your choices. With you not looking much at ratings or reviews you sure a bit more adventurous than I am 🙂
A little tiny bit 🙂 Nowadays I come to reviews after I’ve watched the film and rate it then but buzz or interest before a film has come out isn’t so much of factor as it used to be for me
Another great question, Nostra. There’s a time limit on my rental DVDs so I try and watch them first. I’m not sure whether you’re familiar with it but the way that LOVEFiLM works is that you add films to your rental list and then rank them in priority order. LOVEFiLM then sends out the films that are on your high priority list first, though you don’t know which ones you’ll be sent – I’ve got 25 on my high priority list at the moment.
Other than my rental DVDs I’ve got quite a few others on the go: I’m watching all 22 Bond films before Skyfall is out and I’ve got the TV series Firefly and Serenity to watch as well.
Thanks Claire! No, don’t know much about the service as something like that isn’t available over here. Interesting way to receive them as you never know what you are going to get (to a certain extent).
That’s a lot of movie/TV show watching you’ve got ahead of you!
Reviews, features, the cast, the director, the genre, etc. I also like to use sites like icheckmovies.com as reference points. If a movie is on a certain list, I am more likely to watch it.
Nice to see you are using icheckmovies, such a cool site which I also use regularly…
Awesome question Nostra!
I think that as I get older, the only thing I can about now is storyline. If the storyline doesn’t appeal I generally won’t watch it. It doesn’t really matter who stars in it or how much praise it has received, if I am not interested in the story when I generally won’t want to see it.
Exceptions have been ‘The Descendants’ and ‘Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud’ which I saw against better judgement and didn’t enjoy them.
So at this point in my movie-watching life, it’s all about the storyline.
Thanks Russell! So you have passed the experimental stage 😉 It’s quite a simple way to select movies, but I like it!