How do you watch a film?

ScumLord

I'm balubas so maybe this isn't the right time to start having a serious conversation and forgive me if I don't make sense.

The more a film is hyped the less I want to see it, I figure if they have to put so much effort into making some one watch it then it can't stand on it's own two feet. But at the same time I've seen so many films that are good even thought they had no publicity.

How do you go about choosing a good film?

Slugs

usually by reading entertainment.ie and reading the reviews put up by some people. As well as taht I check who's starring and who has a crucial role in it (Directors producers and such)

ScumLord

Slugs wrote: »

usually by reading entertainment.ie and reading the reviews put up by some people. As well as taht I check who's starring and who has a crucial role in it (Directors producers and such)

Don't follow any of that, IMDB (bad) reviews would be as far as I go. I always go for the bad reviews especially;y in bad reviews.

Karl Hungus

Very interesting thread indeed, and I'm glad you posted it. I find that your own mindset brings a lot to the film, and that can impact the film quite positively, or very negatively. Your own expectations can often allow yourself to enjoy something you normally wouldn't, or treat something derisively without giving it a chance.

I'll give you an example. I find a lot of people genuinely do not have the right mindset or attitudes to allow themselves to enjoy Horror films. I'll see it a lot with younger lads, or even 20-somethings, they'll often sneer at a horror they've just watched, quip "Was that supposed to be scary?", and even worse, start making jokes during the film. I'll almost never watch Horror films with other people because it truly brings out the worst in people. There's this whole sense of "This film can't scare me!" bravado before you even press play. Now, if you're bringing that mindset with you into the film experience, how do you expect to enjoy it? You might think you're being tough with such an attitude, but well done, you've just completely ruined the experience for yourself by watching it with an attitude that's in opposition to enjoying a film.

When I watch a Horror, I prefer to do so by myself, because I allow myself to get into the mood and to get the right mindset to watch it, and I'm sure that I'll have a better experience from it that someone who's put on some macho "No film can scare me" attitude. It's the same with any film, you're not going to get the best out of it if you're setting yourself up to be unaffected by it.

Hype turns a lot of people off as well, and I can certainly understand that, but as above I think it's best to try and put that to the back of your mind when watching, view a film with an open mind no matter what the hype or expectations are, otherwise you might be losing out on something.

Slugs

I think horrors bring out the worst in people, and place them in a vulnerable state. I myself feel vulnerable watching a horror film, which is why i don't enjoy watching them with other people. I actually don't enjoy watching movies with people on dvd, because they either want the plot explained to them, or they lose interest and talk in between. I don't mind going to the cinema with people because at the end of the day, you're there for the purpose of watching a film.

Slugs

ScumLord wrote: »

Don't follow any of that, IMDB (bad) reviews would be as far as I go. I always go for the bad reviews especially;y in bad reviews.

Well I only look at the reviews to get a quick summary of the plot, not too tell whether it's good or not.

Schism

I try and pay as little attention to reviews and hype as I can. I somehow managed to avoid nearly all the hype for Avatar (didn't even watch a trailer). Went to see a 3D showing and enjoyed it immensely, partly because it was an enjoyable film and partly because I didn't know what to expect in the slightest. (I still haven't read any reviews!)

Sometimes though it is necessary to have a quick check on IMDb or the like to get a heads up. For instance after seeing an ad for The Box I was all set to go see it but was turned off by the score it got on IMDb, hopefully rightly so.

Anyway I'm starting to meander. There's a lot to be said for the anticipation and enjoyment of a genuinely good film but in my opinion the best experiences come from going in completely uninformed.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

L31mr0d

There's no real process to speak of, I just hear of movies from various RSS feeds, news sites, here, word of mouth, social media (digg, reddit, SU)... etc

If the film ticks any boxes of what I like I'll watch it. I don't really filter by genre either, I'll watch anything.

Films which are a risk as I don't really know anything about them I'll get a feel for by checking out their metacritic score. I'll then search some of the movie forums (including this one) I'm a member of to see what the general consensus is. If I see a user liked the movie that I know to have similar tastes in films to me then it will usually be enough for me to give it a chance.

Note, that not one of those criteria may stop me from watching it, if there is anything about the premise that interests me, it's metacritic score or even a wide dislike for the film on forums will not affect my decision to watch it.

bnt

I'm also fairly anti-hype e.g. I haven't seen The Dark Knight or Avatar. I don't think I can make an informed decision on the basis of a few early reviews. By now the Avatar plot has been examined in more detail, and I think that I would get annoyed at spending that much money to see it, unless it was on IMAX. (I'm off to London next weekend, so I might try that there.)

I've been a member of the Irish Film Institute, for the last year, and their selections have been helpful in exposing me to more interesting films. They don't always get it right: a film isn't necessarily any better just because it's been made by an independent director in Honduras, Korea or Iran. I'm not in to "Socialist Realism": or "poverty porn" films, and avoid those, but when there's a compelling human story to tell, it transcends such quibbles.

As for critics: there are a few that I'm used to reading, so I can "parse" what they're saying, cross-reference them, and get a good idea of whether a film will appeal to me or not. Roger Ebert is probably the most respected critic out there, and I think he'a a little more forgiving than I would be. Mark Kermode is another good one, as is Jim Emerson, who reviews fewer films in more depth. Metacritic is also useful - aggregates multiple reviews in to a single score.

mike65

I watch a filum upright and open eyed as a rule.

As for the rest, I don't pay much attention to what the critics and random onliners have to say, I tend to go with a mix of subject and talent.

krudler

I dont really listen to critics much, people put too much faith in their opinions, after all thats all they are, theres no difference between some guy on the street and Mark Kermode telling you what movies are good, picking a movie for me usually depends on if its a genre i'm interested in, who directed it and whos in it, I'll give anything a chance unless its been completely panned by everyone or Adam Sandler is in it, oh or if its one of those Epic/Scary/Date/Disaster Movie movies, anyone who likes them is a moron

Skinfull

I like to go in as blind as possible. No reviews or trailers (cept for what I've seen in cinema) no opinions or scores or anything. If a friend starts to hype up a movie he;s seen I'll shut him up or if he's hyping up a movie we're about to see I'll cut it down. No expectations, sometimes not even knowing directors!
Love it like that! It dos mean I've gone to see some stinkers but hey, its 2 hours of popcorn and joy.

gandalf

The older I get the more I tend to try and avoid those films that are hyped up by media and marketing (I will watch them months later on DVD once the hype has died down). From boards I tend to regard people whose opinions I value and I will look out for films that they give favourable reviews to. I try and look outside the norm as well. I talk to my french wife and ask her whats good in France and I have seen several excellent films this year because of her recommendations alone.

faceman

^ what Gandalf said. I also listen to Mark Kermode's reviews. even though he dislikes many films I have enjoyed, i can easily gauge from his review if its a film i will enjoy.

BLITZ_Molloy

I almost always check reviews before I go see anything. I've gone to see movies I knew nothing about a handful of times and most of the time if you've heard nothing it's because it's really, really ****.

Forming your own opinion is all very well and good if you aren't spending time and money to do so. I don't like to be wasting either of those so people can profiteer for making complete ****e.

I find people that walk into the cinema and select a movie based on the posters they see on the walls really irritating. We'd have more good movies, and less generic ****, in cinemas if people spent 3 minutes googling what's on before they go and select the one that'll probably be the best.

senordingdong

With a cream egg.

keefg

ScumLord wrote: »

The more a film is hyped the less I want to see it,

Me too. Also, if a film wins Best Picture Oscar then I normally steer well clear of it.

Quite a lot of films I watch are because of friends recommendations rather than "professional" critics, that way if I think the film is rubbish I will ridicule them for a couple of weeks about their crappy taste in films

Bunny_Ears

I'm too lazy to read the reviews so I prefer watching a trailer before going to the cinema.

Greyfox

BLITZ_Molloy wrote: »

I find people that walk into the cinema and select a movie based on the posters they see on the walls really irritating. We'd have more good movies, and less generic ****, in cinemas if people spent 3 minutes googling what's on before they go and select the one that'll probably be the best.

Completely agree, I believe the reason theirs so many rubbish films out their is because so many people don't have enough intelligence to read a quick review, some rely on an advert or a synopsis which I think is an incredibely dumb thing to do (I hate these people with a burning passion). For me imdb is an ultra reliable bible, metacritic is also very good.

I rely on reviews (or even just googleing the film) as theirs so many great films I would of overlooked otherwise. Even regardless of the score a film gets by simply reading the review you can tell wheter or not the film is likely to appeal to you. The thing is you don't ever take any one review as gospel, it's just an opinion and you can determine how much weight you want to give that's persons opinion. Reviews are the only reliable way to picking what might be a good film to see.