Do you sometimes feel that one should never read reviews of movies beforehand?

It can work both ways. Sometimes I only watch films because of a positive review so I get to see things that I would miss.

I remember many years ago going to Americaland on a business trip. Someone at work told me I should go and see Silence Of The Lambs. I had never heard of it. So there I am sitting all alone in this movie theater somewhere in Oklahoma with about seven other people early one evening. Really great experience that would not have been the same if I had seen reviews or trailers or anything that would hve given me an idea of what to expect.

quote:

Originally posted by Consciousmess:

...my perception of 'Robin Hood' will NOW be tainted (thanks, Tony!!).


Jon

Sorry Jon.

I think anyone who loves movies also loves to read reviews but of course they're all subjective.

It's useful to glean some idea of what a film's about but personally even reading bad reviews won't stop me watching the film in question. I'd seen a couple of pretty lousy reviews of Robin Hood but I still bought it on the strength of the director and actor. Although I was disappointed I still enjoyed it on a lesser level though.

However, I do admit there's a certain special pleasure to be derived from watching a film you know nothing about & it turns out to be really good; The Matrix and Shrek both fell into this category for me and were extra memorable as a result.

Don't forget the films with good reviews which you hate when you see them.

For instance I regret the money I wasted buying the DVDs of "The Royal Tenenbaums" and it's "followup "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou". Talk about tedious, overrated rubbish.

All IMO, of course.

quote:

Originally posted by Dungassin:
Don't forget the films with good reviews which you hate when you see them.

For instance I regret the money I wasted buying the DVDs of "The Royal Tenenbaums" and it's "followup "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou". Talk about tedious, overrated rubbish.

All IMO, of course.

You won't like The Fantastic Mr Fox, then. I quite like Wes Anderson's films, but accept that they're not for everyone.

Without reviews and others' opinions of movies, how would you know which ones to see? Surely you wouldn't go just by the publicity? Or worse, based on the "star" in it. This would limit you to pretty much just seeing mainstream stuff.

The trick is learn whose opinions you trust. For example, Dungassin would presumably not take much notice of my views on films about quirky, dysfunctional families directed by Wes Anderson.

I wouldn't necessarily discount your views, but would take into account the difference in taste (or lack of it as some would say about my own ).

For instance, I like overblown escapist action films. Usually totally mindless, but who cares? I also like old screwball comedies and will confess to watching romcoms as well. Of course, I like lots of other random stuff too.

quote:

Originally posted by Consciousmess:
.....my perception of 'Robin Hood' will NOW be tainted.....

Or you might have just been saved a couple of hours of your life, better spent doing other things than watching that movie.

This is a difficult one, firstly reading a review can set your expectations. So you see something that had rave reviews and are disappointed as not as good as expected, or see something with bad reviews that you enjoyed as better than expected.

On the other hand reviews can get you to see something you normally wouldn't or steer you away from the really bad. They also serve a purpose is highlighting what's on as some films have low levels of publicity.

For me, if it's something new that I normally would not go and see a review would guide me. If it's something on my radar I would probably go anyway.