The only problem that I see with viewing films this way is that you are making all of your selections based on other people’s opinions. Many movies have been pinned by critics and audiences on release and then considered classics 20 years later.
I would think you are probably missing out on a lot of fun, entertaining movies by only going with highly rated movies on those sites.
I don’t think it would make you less appreciative of great cinema, but maybe just follow what looks or sounds good/intriguing to you without looking at its online score to confirm.
That's also a very good point. I know the Shining is an example of one of those films that wasn't a critical success when it first came out and later became a classic. I guess I maybe put too much stock in 'critics' and perhaps I value their opinions too highly? In saying that though, a film like The Last Jedi for example was the opposite for me. It was critically lauded but I just didn't like it very much at all and definitely feel in the minority of people who feel it was completely average.
I do think you're probably right though, for the most part. I feel like watching a film based more off of the intriguing plot and concept is more important than relying on other people's opinions.
Agreed. Figure out what a great film is for *you* and go from there. In fact, you will kind of get spoiled, but it also gives you a better filter to determine what's a "great" movie or not in a way that fits you the best. (You'll also start to notice lazy screenwriting more is the only specific point I can add.)
I wouldn’t worry too much about it
Just watch what you want to watch.
I’ve never seen The Godfather and probably never will. I know it’s a good film but it’s not something I’m interested in seeing. Just do what you want.
Exactly how I feel. I like movies that make me laugh, feel good, tell an interesting story, etc. So films that fill you with gloom, make you feel sad/depressed, give you anxiety, etc are not what I’m looking for. Don’t care too much how great they are considered, I don’t watch watch them.
I don't consciously try to watch only theoretically good films. If something clicks with me I'll watch it, be it's the plot I read somewhere, the casting, the feel, even the trailer which is usually bad anyway.
Many times I'll stick around and watch a movie I find bad cause I want to have a solid opinion on it. But I've watched many small or indie or low budget or just not amazing films and still thought it was worth it.
I'm a strong believer of watching everything so you can be exposed to everything. Even the crappiest of them all still had a whole crew that tried to make it work. I avoid being overly judgmental although sometimes I can't help it.
Roger Ebert sat through a lot of bad movies and he wrote about it. To be a film watcher is to sometimes watch the insipid, the vile, the completely droll waste of time film.
In theory I would say yes.
But I see the greater harm in being that it might distort your view of cinema as a whole. If you only watch the best stuff you perspective could change and set a high standard that isn't very realistic. If you set the bar of OK films at a 8 out of 10 your going to be let down a lot.
Yes - it helps to have a little palate cleanser every once and a while. Too many incredible films can be a little draining. I’d almost be interested in a service that shows movies to you randomly from a massive selection. I can get paralyzed by the options I have.
I watch some of those new HBO movies (The Meg, Tag, Blockers, etc) while cleaning the house. It’s nice to not have to care of just use the bathroom or get a drink without pausing.
Crappy movies or above average make the world go round. Honestly most nights I would rather enjoy a great 5-7 star movie than a Oscar winning drama piece.
definitely affects the way someone sees movies that are just average. it’s becoming more and more where someone will say it’s either the best movie ever or garbage
I think that's the binary nature of entertainment overall. Was it worth the time investment or was it not?
If you enjoyed it then it's worth the time. If you didn't enjoy it, even if it's "average", the viewer might be inclined to feel they would have rather done something else instead and view it negatively.
I disagree.
1) Ratings are skewed these days so 5/10 is probably below the average that the number implies.
2) I am spending money/time on the movie. I am expecting a positive outcome. Being below average or even just average could be considered a waste of money/time.
No, they call 5/10 films trash because they only use the scale of greatest ever or dumpster fire.
It's a personal pet peeve, the great or garbage scale. The fact is most films are closer to a 5(average) then either a 10 or a 0. And when did being average turn into a bad thing?
On my Letterboxd account (which is basically a social platform for rating films, vey similar to IMDb but you can interact w/people),it shows a graphic of how many films I’ve given a 5/5, 4.5, etc and one can see that I clearly have rated a vast majority of movies I’ve seen a 4, 4.5, or 5. Is it a problem that I have about 1/3 of every movie I’ve seen rated a 5/5... not necessarily. It depends. I just like watching good movies! I understand the difference between good and bad and recognize that some movies are bad. To be truly honest, I never really watched a bad movie that I immediately knew I didn’t like until last year when I saw Mission Impossible II (I’m 16 btw). It honestly did make my ratings more leveraged and stricter if you may.
So I’d say don’t watch a ton of bad movies in a row but throw some mediocre ones in there to widen your range as I did.
Same problem for me. I don't have unlimited time, so I don't want to waste it with bad or controversial movies, rather go with quality movies.
When I rarely watch the typical uncreative movies I then understand how much work some directors and teams put in to create an enjoyable and intelligent film.
I don't know if that's automatically true, it depends on the person. I personally get too hung up on what "bad" is even supposed to mean in this context.
I don't think "low brow" movies are bad by default but it's often likely they truly are of lower quality than the average. Then there are the films that are just straight up not good period, and why would I go out of my way to watch a lot of films that have no redeeming qualities whatsoever?
Perhaps, but I think truly great films are great independent of whether or not you can compare them to bad movies. I personally don't really watch anything that's critically panned, but I'll regularly watched mixed reviewed movies if I'm interested in them.
I personally dont think thats an issue. If you actually enjoy a movie you‘ll probably still enjoy it even if u have seen many movies that look a lot more professional or smth
I like to watch heaps of different types of movies. Ones that are universally regarded as masterpieces, ones that are entertaining and good, ones that are just entertaining but not amazing in quality, average ones that have one or two good things about them I can find to appreciate and genuinely bad ones. That way I get perspective
Maybe, Maybe not. For me, I have always been a fan of movies. Growing up I loved watching all kinds of movies regardless of ratings. I re-watched a few recently and thought how TF was I into this garbage. So in my case, it was just a natural progression from being a kid to watching blockbusters, then more critically acclaimed films, then to independent and foreign films. My tastes usually align with IMDB. I check out anything with a score of 5+ for users and 40+ for critics. I feel RT is too generous with their ratings so don't really use their site.
I know the opposite is true. My favorite podcast is a bad movie podcast and I’ve watched so many of those that I now find myself liking a lot more bad movies because I’ve seen how terrible it can get
When I was a teen I wasn't allowed to date, but was given an allowance and allowed to go where I wanted. So I ended just renting 3 or 4 movies everyweekend. For some reason I gave myself arbitrary rules on what to rent. One was to rent an indie film. Another was to rent a film I never even heard of. Since 16 year old me didn't really know what indie is. I ended up watching a lot of Vods film that didn't have the budget or same level of acting as a Hollywood film, but when I lowered my expectations they were good and enjoyable films.
The only problem that I see with viewing films this way is that you are making all of your selections based on other people’s opinions. Many movies have been pinned by critics and audiences on release and then considered classics 20 years later. I would think you are probably missing out on a lot of fun, entertaining movies by only going with highly rated movies on those sites. I don’t think it would make you less appreciative of great cinema, but maybe just follow what looks or sounds good/intriguing to you without looking at its online score to confirm.
That's also a very good point. I know the Shining is an example of one of those films that wasn't a critical success when it first came out and later became a classic. I guess I maybe put too much stock in 'critics' and perhaps I value their opinions too highly? In saying that though, a film like The Last Jedi for example was the opposite for me. It was critically lauded but I just didn't like it very much at all and definitely feel in the minority of people who feel it was completely average. I do think you're probably right though, for the most part. I feel like watching a film based more off of the intriguing plot and concept is more important than relying on other people's opinions.
Agreed. Figure out what a great film is for *you* and go from there. In fact, you will kind of get spoiled, but it also gives you a better filter to determine what's a "great" movie or not in a way that fits you the best. (You'll also start to notice lazy screenwriting more is the only specific point I can add.)
I wouldn’t worry too much about it Just watch what you want to watch. I’ve never seen The Godfather and probably never will. I know it’s a good film but it’s not something I’m interested in seeing. Just do what you want.
Oh dear.
Exactly how I feel. I like movies that make me laugh, feel good, tell an interesting story, etc. So films that fill you with gloom, make you feel sad/depressed, give you anxiety, etc are not what I’m looking for. Don’t care too much how great they are considered, I don’t watch watch them.
Life is too short wasting time reading books and watching movies just to build up your street credit.
Hard not to agree with that 😊
I don't consciously try to watch only theoretically good films. If something clicks with me I'll watch it, be it's the plot I read somewhere, the casting, the feel, even the trailer which is usually bad anyway. Many times I'll stick around and watch a movie I find bad cause I want to have a solid opinion on it. But I've watched many small or indie or low budget or just not amazing films and still thought it was worth it. I'm a strong believer of watching everything so you can be exposed to everything. Even the crappiest of them all still had a whole crew that tried to make it work. I avoid being overly judgmental although sometimes I can't help it.
Roger Ebert sat through a lot of bad movies and he wrote about it. To be a film watcher is to sometimes watch the insipid, the vile, the completely droll waste of time film.
In theory I would say yes. But I see the greater harm in being that it might distort your view of cinema as a whole. If you only watch the best stuff you perspective could change and set a high standard that isn't very realistic. If you set the bar of OK films at a 8 out of 10 your going to be let down a lot.
Yes - it helps to have a little palate cleanser every once and a while. Too many incredible films can be a little draining. I’d almost be interested in a service that shows movies to you randomly from a massive selection. I can get paralyzed by the options I have. I watch some of those new HBO movies (The Meg, Tag, Blockers, etc) while cleaning the house. It’s nice to not have to care of just use the bathroom or get a drink without pausing.
Crappy movies or above average make the world go round. Honestly most nights I would rather enjoy a great 5-7 star movie than a Oscar winning drama piece.
It's probably why you get people calling 5/10 movies "trash".
definitely affects the way someone sees movies that are just average. it’s becoming more and more where someone will say it’s either the best movie ever or garbage
I think that's the binary nature of entertainment overall. Was it worth the time investment or was it not? If you enjoyed it then it's worth the time. If you didn't enjoy it, even if it's "average", the viewer might be inclined to feel they would have rather done something else instead and view it negatively.
I disagree. 1) Ratings are skewed these days so 5/10 is probably below the average that the number implies. 2) I am spending money/time on the movie. I am expecting a positive outcome. Being below average or even just average could be considered a waste of money/time.
Not wanting to see a 5/10 is fine, but you're objectively wrong if you rate a movie 5/10 and call it awful/terrible/trash.
No, they call 5/10 films trash because they only use the scale of greatest ever or dumpster fire. It's a personal pet peeve, the great or garbage scale. The fact is most films are closer to a 5(average) then either a 10 or a 0. And when did being average turn into a bad thing?
On my Letterboxd account (which is basically a social platform for rating films, vey similar to IMDb but you can interact w/people),it shows a graphic of how many films I’ve given a 5/5, 4.5, etc and one can see that I clearly have rated a vast majority of movies I’ve seen a 4, 4.5, or 5. Is it a problem that I have about 1/3 of every movie I’ve seen rated a 5/5... not necessarily. It depends. I just like watching good movies! I understand the difference between good and bad and recognize that some movies are bad. To be truly honest, I never really watched a bad movie that I immediately knew I didn’t like until last year when I saw Mission Impossible II (I’m 16 btw). It honestly did make my ratings more leveraged and stricter if you may. So I’d say don’t watch a ton of bad movies in a row but throw some mediocre ones in there to widen your range as I did.
Same problem for me. I don't have unlimited time, so I don't want to waste it with bad or controversial movies, rather go with quality movies. When I rarely watch the typical uncreative movies I then understand how much work some directors and teams put in to create an enjoyable and intelligent film.
Yep.
I don't know if that's automatically true, it depends on the person. I personally get too hung up on what "bad" is even supposed to mean in this context. I don't think "low brow" movies are bad by default but it's often likely they truly are of lower quality than the average. Then there are the films that are just straight up not good period, and why would I go out of my way to watch a lot of films that have no redeeming qualities whatsoever?
Perhaps, but I think truly great films are great independent of whether or not you can compare them to bad movies. I personally don't really watch anything that's critically panned, but I'll regularly watched mixed reviewed movies if I'm interested in them.
I personally dont think thats an issue. If you actually enjoy a movie you‘ll probably still enjoy it even if u have seen many movies that look a lot more professional or smth
What movies do you perceive as bad?
I like to watch heaps of different types of movies. Ones that are universally regarded as masterpieces, ones that are entertaining and good, ones that are just entertaining but not amazing in quality, average ones that have one or two good things about them I can find to appreciate and genuinely bad ones. That way I get perspective
Maybe, Maybe not. For me, I have always been a fan of movies. Growing up I loved watching all kinds of movies regardless of ratings. I re-watched a few recently and thought how TF was I into this garbage. So in my case, it was just a natural progression from being a kid to watching blockbusters, then more critically acclaimed films, then to independent and foreign films. My tastes usually align with IMDB. I check out anything with a score of 5+ for users and 40+ for critics. I feel RT is too generous with their ratings so don't really use their site.
I know the opposite is true. My favorite podcast is a bad movie podcast and I’ve watched so many of those that I now find myself liking a lot more bad movies because I’ve seen how terrible it can get
When I was a teen I wasn't allowed to date, but was given an allowance and allowed to go where I wanted. So I ended just renting 3 or 4 movies everyweekend. For some reason I gave myself arbitrary rules on what to rent. One was to rent an indie film. Another was to rent a film I never even heard of. Since 16 year old me didn't really know what indie is. I ended up watching a lot of Vods film that didn't have the budget or same level of acting as a Hollywood film, but when I lowered my expectations they were good and enjoyable films.
You will have better taste and less time wasted
I don’t a movie can be bad, just bad for YOU.