How do you decide what movie to see?

The poster or cover.

Try IMDB.com or http://www.apple.com/trailers/

I follow new movie releases on RevolutionTT, than check them on IMDB and read the synopsis. I don’t bother with anything that has less than 7.0 on IMDB. My sister and a friend from high school are film buffs, so I get some recommendations from time to time. I suggest finding one in your friends. Some people know so much, they always pick the right movie for you.

It has to be original and not a romantic comedy or adaptation of a musical.

If the storyline sounds interesting, or if it features an actor I particularly like. I don’t go in for specific genres.

I’m the sort that wants to see something visually spectacular—that is, I want to feel like I get what I paid for.

Because of this, I tend to see more of the sci-fi/fantasy genre than romcoms or dramas.

I also want to be entertained, and that (mostly) means a movie with some humor, a “happy” ending and/or a good plot.

@tomasreichmann has the right of it—trailers are a great way to find out if you’d like a movie or not.

Also, I like to use metacritic or RottenTomatoes to see what kinds of ratings the movie has gotten, and am less likely to see it in theatres if it got bad ratings, although friends have persuaded me in the past to see things I wouldn’t otherwise see. (For example, I saw Burn After Reading in theatres, and didn’t care for it. I wanted to see Quantum of Solace (again).)

It usually depends on the mood. The Mrs. and I will usually take turns picking (but i try and pick something i know she’ll like). She has picked some bad ones though. Last night we both decided on “This Is It” and actually enjoyed it.

No set system for us.

There are usually movies that I just really want to see, no matter what. I also read movie reviews, like on NY Times or Rottentomatoes. And then I decide whether or not it’s worth it to see this particular movie on a giant screen, because of special effects or whatever – it seems like a waste to see a romantic comedy in a theater, because it’s just giant people on a screen. Whoopee.

I too always read the reviews either online or the the NYT or New Yorker. I wouldn’t waste my time or money on much of the junk that shows up in the multi-plexes.

@evegrimm: I hated Quantum of S and had to borrow the earmuffs the theater provided, because the sound track almost destroyed my eardrums.

I say, “Honey, what movie do you want to see?” She usually wants to know what Ebert recommends.

@gailcalled, was it just the soundtrack, or was there something else about QoS that you disliked? And do you think it was too loud because of a sound system error or was it just recorded that way?

Previews and trailers. And word of mouth.

Trailers mostly. I will look up reviews for input, but they rarely change my mind. Who I am going with and my mood at that time have a lot to do with it.

I watch a lot of trailers from apple.com and make a list of ones that look interesting or unique. Then sometimes I’ll ask people that I know have good taste in movies if they’ve seen any of them. If they have, and they liked it, then I’ll go see it. But, if it’s free, I’d just go see anything that looks good.

Good luck and happy movie-watching!

Well, a Coen Brothers-, Christopher Guest- or a Brad Bird-directed film is an automatic “GO!” for me. Otherwise, it’s a combination of a story that piques my interest, the actors in it and the director. If I’ve liked any of those elements more than once before, I’ll give the flick a chance.

@aprilsimnel – pretty much covered all the deciders for me too. GA

it’s all about the trailer =]

A great movie for me is one coming up or just out where I don’t want to read any reviews about it or listen to anyone talking about it . It has some history emanating from it (original author known to me, or favorite actor(s), director) . I see it on opening day or soonest possible to keep myself as tabula rasa as possible. This may happen only about 2–3 times a year, e.g. anything with Eastwood or Gaiman or Spacey et.al associated with it. I avoid the trailers at all costs.

@evegrimm: was it just the soundtrack, or was there something else about QoS that you disliked? And do you think it was too loud because of a sound system error or was it just recorded that way?

I asked the manager if he could lower the volume and he said that he couldn’t (which I don’t believe),The noise drowned out the dialogue (maybe a good thing), but I thought the movie itself was almost incomprehensible and defied belief.

I found nothing appealing once I had admired Daniel Craig’s mouth.

Fact from fiction, truth from diction. I don’t care so much who is staring the flick though there are some that would make me lean more closer than away I would put more weight on the director. Second is if the story has legs, none of that Weekend at Bernie’s crap. I want a flick that is cinematically rich, and a story that is layered and involved, if I can get up go to the loo and back andnot miss a beat then maybe the plot is too simple. I want a movie I have to play attention to. I want a movie that has a slightly different take on an old subject like A.O. Artificial Intelligence did to the love story. And Road to Perdition to a father and sone loyal coming of age story. Or a movie that still fools me to the end like “Rightious Kill” or “Doubt”.

@Hypocrisy Central. Fact from fiction, truth from diction Why do you start all your answers with that garbled maxim? It adds nothing, makes no sense, and, in fact, detracts.

@gailcalled Welllll….........Since you did not get it and did not ignore it if you didn’t, it ins short means I declare I am speaking and saying is real and dope, not just a bunch of rhetoric without logic. Some people, before people not you so don’t think it is an attack, spend their time here with one-sided follies they have no ammo to support and they to bamboozle you with some psycho babble. Part of my maxim is the fun of perplexing them back. But this is America people are free to use jellyfish avatars to death just because the name of the site and some people can have personal maxims. Freedom of choice was born with it and will use it to death since I may not have had it if I were born elsewhere.

^^Speaking of psycho-babble.. huh?

@gailcalled It isn’t spycho babble if you can back it up or no one can poke holes in it.

@Hypocrisy_Central: My apologies. You are right. That was a clear and meaningful paragraph. Every word was used properly.