I'm sick of letting the internet influence what movies I watch. (1 Viewer)

[Inspector Hammer!]

This has been on my mind for awhile now, so it's not a decision I made recently. It started when I kept thinking back to my teen years, and how so many of my favorite films, one's I consider classics, are actually considered crap by many critics, and I asked myself "What potential classics am I missing out on because I listened to other people tell me what is good and not good?" and I decided that I am not going to let negative reviews influence me anymore.
Hell, back then, I would rent any movie that looked cool to me. Now though, it seems i'm always asking myself "I wonder what the rating is at Rotten Tomatoe's, or did this critic or that critic like this movie?". What have I turned into here? I never asked those kinds of questions back then before renting movies.
I want to keep my tastes as diverse as possible, like they were then. I don't want to become someone who would pass on say '13 Ghosts' because the general opinion is that it's a bad movie, I want to see for myself.
So, from now on I will not let anyone influence me about a particular movie, if I think the movie looks good, i'll check it out, with a free will, and a clear mind.
Except Ron's reviews of course.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

I hear you John. The Internet, like many things, is a double edged sword. On the one hand you find out about a lot more movies from the internet than you would on your own. Then on the other hand the info you do pick up is coloured by the people reporting it.

In the end you have to make your own decisions about you would or wouldn't like.

Still I much prefer the presence of the Internet community than going back to before such a great tool was available.

 

[RobertR]

If you read something on the Internet from people whom you know (based on experience) to have tastes similar to yours, then I see nothing wrong with having such people influence what you see. And if professional critics and articulate noncritics really really blast a movie, the odds are overwhelming that I'll find it to be a bad movie as well. The last such experience I had was with Hollow Man, which I viewed on a free HBO showing. It was every bit as bad as people said it was.

 

[teapot2001]

Don't let bad reviews prevent you from watching a movie you want to see, but let good reviews encourage you in watching a movie you wouldn't have wanted to see.

~T

 

[Matt Stone]

While I let critics influence what I see...in theaters, that doesn't mean that I can't rent them when they come out.

 

[AJ Johnson]

Sometimes people tend to forget that a critic is just one person with an opinion, just like the rest of us. Preferences and opinions will vary as always. A critic really doesn't know what makes you tick. They know what makes themselves tick so their opinion usually won't be a reflection of your own. I don't believe any one person's opinion should stop someone from seeing a movie if you're interested in the plot, the actor/actress, the action, the comedy, the drama or whatever the reason you're seeing the movie. I've seen movies that have been panned by critics across the board (Jason X last night ) and have enjoyed them very much.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Al: Curious--what kind of display is that shown in your sig? Is it a Loewe?
Looks like we're talking about critics in general here, though. So, they're not found only on the Internet. Poor Internet. She sure gets kicked around all the time.

 

[teapot2001]

Who's Al?
~T

 

[Dome Vongvises]

What's an internet?

 

[Chris Lynch]

I think he meant AJ.

 

[Jens Raethel]

John:

So how was 13 Ghosts?

did you like it?

 

[Don Peskin]

If I'd listened to RobertR I wouldn't have gotten Hollow Man and I would have missed out on a movie I liked.

You can use others opinions as a guide, but the final choice must always be yours.

 

[Dave Nibeck]

Don't blame the internet, blame its inventor - Al Gore

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Of course I will continue to listen to close freinds when it comes to films that have gotten universal acclaim, 95% of the time those types of reviews are right on the money and I end up loving the movie. I'm just tired of missing out on the smaller films because everyone says it's a bad movie.

I mentioned '13 Ghosts' in my initial post, now everyone thinks this movie is terrible, well you know what, I watched it last night and thought it was a blast! And therin lies the essence of what i'm talking about. Of course your right in that the final decision is ultimatly mine, I just feel that I have become too picky and, in general, jaded when it comes to movies as of late and I want to try and correct that.

My good freind Jerry let's Rotten Tomatoes directly influence his viewing habits, no doubt because usually, for his tastes, he ends up not liking most of the lower rated films anyway, so for him, it works, and I can understand that completly. But I sometimes end up enjoying some of the low rated stuff, so for me, it doesn't really work. See what I mean?

 

[Jack Briggs]

To AJ--an iMac keyboard is very tiny, and I have been known to make a typo or two (but don't tell anybody). Sorry. But that display--it some ways it looks like a Toshiba as well.

The Internet? It's the glue that binds us together. It's the Ranch dressing on the tuna salad of life. It's the bitstream of hidden meaning and unfathomable depths. It's ... it's ... it's a gas, gas, gas.

Now, where were we?

 

[RobertR]

it's a gas, gas, gas.

So Jack, how much jumping and er, flashing do you do?

 

[Greg_Y]

It's the Ranch dressing on the tuna salad of life.

Ewwwwwww........

 

[Jerry Gracia]

My good freind Jerry let's Rotten Tomatoes directly influence his viewing habits, no doubt because usually, for his tastes, he ends up not liking most of the lower rated films anyway, so for him, it works, and I can understand that completly.


Not quite, good buddy.

Neither Rotten Tomatoes, Internet Movie Database or any other source directly influences my decision...directly.

A film could have the lowest rating possible but yet if the plot line in the movie interests me, I will see it no matter what. Take JOHN Q for example, I still want to see that film even though it got a lot of bad press.

Now, on the other hand, if a movie has gotten universal bad press like 13 GHOSTS and I really didn't have much interest in it to begin with, then yes...I'd probably pass on it. Unless ofcourse a good friend says otherwise...I have an open mind when it comes to movies...well, I'd like to think I do.

Heck, I went and saw PEARL HARBOR even though it got many negative reviews...sadly, in this case (for me) I should have heeded the warnings.

Coincidently, Jon...I really wasn't interested in seeing BEHIND ENEMY LINES, but if you say its worth a watch, I'm up for it! Maybe it'll suprise me...it won't be the first.

I understand what your saying completely.

I have missed some good movies based on my pre-conceptions...but I have also sat through many bad films, too, as a result!

It's a screening act that isn't perfect.

Regardles of how rigid your method is for avoiding "bad" movies, you will likely miss some gems in the process...what can you do?

On one hand you'd never miss the good ones if you saw EVERY movie, but you'll likely suffer through ALOT of the bad ones too!

Jon:


Hell, back then, I would rent any movie that looked cool to me. Now though, it seems i'm always asking myself "I wonder what the rating is at Rotten Tomatoe's, or did this critic or that critic like this movie?". What have I turned into here? I never asked those kinds of questions back then before renting movies.


As adults, we have turned into more sophisticated movie goers, nothing wrong with that...I'm sure you've seen a movie you used to love when you were younger only to say to yourself...what the hell was I thinking!!

We were more forgiving to bad plots and dialog when we were younger...remember that.

 

[Holadem]

I am rather on the opposite side: A couple of years ago I used to watch pretty much the biggest opening of every weekend. Now, movies are too freaking expensive for me to waste money on shit I probably won't like. I will let others do the filtering for me, thank you very much!
Of course, there are the must see, that no amount of bad review will get me away from. And others like Tape, which I will rent because they look $4.25 interesting, not $8.50 interesting!
Thing is, I am in no hurry to be "current": there are too many older movies I haven't seen, I would rather spend money on relatively sure bets - heck, I haven't seen most of Hitchcock, Stone, Kubrick yet .
I guess my point is that for movie lovers, @ $8.50 a pop, bad movies can get pretty expensive.
--
Holadem

 

[Matt Stone]

I agree with you Holodem...if I went to as many movies now as I used too, I'd be broke.