Signs

[JunkerSeed]

On the critics note, it helps if you read the actual reviews. The scores mean shit, if the critic's reasons for not liking a movie sound stupid, well then the reviews still kind of helps cause now the movie seems good. Also, if you follow somebody who's good and consistent, it's a great help, plus, without em I wouldn't have heard about lots of movies. Wouldn't have seen waking life if I didn't read ebert's raving review about it, wouldn't have seen amelie, wouldn't have seen monster's ball, wouldn't have seen In the bedroom, wouldn't have seen memento, I could go on all day. A good rule of thumb is to see everything that gets great reviews and read bad reviews sceptically, see if they have decent reasons for not liking something. I usually take reccomendations and ignore bad reviews, (did that with death to smoochy, got trashed critically, but I thought it was cool). Hell, 90% of the reason you watch certain movies is "I heard good things about it" and the reason you wont watch others is "I heard bad things about it" And you'll listen to certain friends about certain genres and stuff like that, it's the same deal. But either way, yeah, I wouldn't have seen nearly as many great movie without reading stuff about them. "Hmm, Sissy spacek and marissa tomei with a director I've never heard of... sound like gold!" "By the guy who did lost highway... hell I'll see that too!" See, theres no word of mouth from friends till stuff is hyped up in print, cause nobody walks into movies they've never even seen an ad for.

[Reverend Jax]

I think the best solution is (if this is available to you) to download and watch every movie that comes out, and they pay to see the ones you like, that way you're still supporting the good movies (sort of a test drive concept). If you don't have time to watch the movie twice, pay for it and don't see it.

[The NZA]

Eh, yeah good points from Junker, hype from friends is pretty much critic stuff, but with friends theyve often got similar taste in movies, so yeah ill be more trusting. But with video games, for instance, yeah there are certain reviewers (read: critics) that ive come to trust for good judgement calls, so i trust those few.

Still, on a personal note, the movies i see - those that arent big licenses like Star Wars that im prolly gonna see anyway - i do so either because the trailer fooled/convinced me that it looks cool or interestin, because i know & trust an actor or director, or, most often in my youth, because a group of friends wants to see it. I never got why Jumbie would spend hours lookin at reviews online that might possibly spoil the movie; if you spend that long lookin it up, youre obviously interested, why not give it a shot? Hell, now that the board's here, you can always come trash it here if ya want.

Also, i guess price & convenience affect it, as many of us here saw more movies back in freshman year when there was a dollar-fifty theatre in the Wendy's shopping center, that was cool.

Jack - you sure bout that method? Lotta ones ive seen bootlegged online werent great quality; usin Junker's Minority Report as an example, i dont think id wanna see it the first time in a choppy, possibly unifinished divx file.

[Reverend Jax]

WEll, sure it's not the IDEAL solution, but it seems like the best soution for the problem at hand. My advice, when looking for movies online, go for the 2GB version of Minority Report, not the 50MB one

 

The best solution is to work at a movie theater or have a friend who works at one and get free screenings.

[JunkerSeed]

Eh, I think thats horrible. I'm getting bigger and bigger on seeing things in the theater every day. I'll only watch bootlegged versions of stuff I wouldn't have paid for, and even then I'm reluctant. And sure, most of the stuff you want to see you do because it has someone you've heard of in it, but every once in a while new people come along, and you don't want to miss out. And I dont know about spending hours reading reviews, I usually just check ebert and a couple of random places, Ugo and IGN are decent, I certainly dont spend hours. I dont touch shit like aintitcool and imdb that spoils the movie.

 

Speaking of signs though, saw it for the third time today, it was just funny to see how much it effected a friend of mine. He was afraid of the dark for the rest of the night, we kept flicking the lights off at my friend's house to mess with him, didn't want to walk around alone etc. Funny to watch.

[Reverend Jax]

That's funny. the movie didn't scare me at all. There were parts that startled me of course, but I wasn't scared. How old is this friend of yours?

[JunkerSeed]

Oh, he's 19 alright... Eh, but he also gets scared whenever he's in the car and I drive next to an 18 wheeler... But yeah, it scared me, and it was really tense at parts, but the fear didn't stay with me when I left the theater... hilarious to see it do that to someone tho.

[King of Snake]

Oddly enough the last time I remember anything like that is after seeing the Sixth Sense, I scared the shit out of my sister. It was a cold night so there was mist on our breath, and I suggested that maybe we'd all died in a car crash on the way to the cinema. That was fun!

[Reverend Jax]

That is funny...after I watch Fight Club with other people for the first time (their first time, not mine), I offend suggest that I'm only a figure of their imagination. That's not as funny though.