What do you look for in a movie?

[fortunato]

Originally Posted by _____V_____

Some, like Alky, Return, Fortunato...give critically appreciated and powerful flicks more priority.

Originally Posted by _____V_____

Which brings me to the topic. When you rummage through your collection, or rentals, your choices are driven by what? Obviously most of us are looking for entertaining flicks...but exactly what makes you actually WATCH a movie?

well, first off let me say that i will certainly give virtually any film a chance, regardless of how good or bad it's perceived to be. i love a lot of flicks of all different sorts.
that being said, you're right that i do tend to put more "critically acclaimed and powerful flicks" towards the top of my queue, although that's mostly incidental, as the people and sources from which i trust recommendations, coupled with my own curiosity/research generally tend to generate films like that.
mostly, i agree a lot with what rod was saying. i just want to be entertained, regardless of how it's done. whether it's style over substance, substance over style, great direction, great performances, etc., or a combination of anything and/or everything else, i just try to watch something as objectively as i can. i fairly easily am sucked into a film, so i generally find myself in my own world until it's over (regardless of whether i even liked it or not), and try to wait until it's over to make a judgement.

so, anyway, to answer your question:

when i'm going through my collection, as most others have said, it depends on several factors. mostly mood, and if/when i've seen it last. i do generally choose to watch things i either haven't seen ever, or haven't seen in quite some time. every once in a while, of course, i'll feel like picking an old favorite. although, kind of like what neverending was saying, if i find myself getting into a trend, i'll actively try to change it up some (unless i really really like the trend i'm in:D ).

but again, if i come across something i know of that has received a lot of interesting acclaim and/or infamy, i tend to be drawn more to those sorts of films. i also like to choose films that have been cited and recognized as examples of milestones in cinema, if nothing else, out of curiosity and to educate myself.

also:

Originally Posted by urgeok2

I can watch The Holy Grail over and over, Napoleon dynamite,

i'm glad you still love napoleon dynamite.
i too have always thought it was hysterical. sure, it got hyped way too fast, got crap because of it, and it got old hearing it quoted constantly.
but especially now, after the hype has ended, i still think it's great comedy.

Originally Posted by newb

Then I'll throw on The Goonies

that damn Sloth gets me every time......the big lug:(

haha, me too, newb.
me too. :o

[_____V_____]

Originally Posted by Papillon Noir

Dramas and Chick Flicks are definitely my least favorite genres. I tend to stay away from these movies because I tend to find them boring and uninteresting.

On the contrary, I think dramas and chick flicks can be pretty fast and entertaining too. Depends on which kind of movie though. Plenty of Merchant/Ivory productions can make you feel sleepy...same goes for some other makers out there.

Originally Posted by roshiq

There is a funny/weird thing I like to add here. After bought a dvd (online or locally ) of a highly acclaimed horror film for which I have been waiting for a long time, I like to keep it for a while before give it a watch, there is a strange feeling inside me that tells me to not to see it immediately or in a hurry. There may be nothing special left for me for a long time, so I wait till another good movie add to my collection and then I choose a special day or in a night before some holidays to enjoy it Alone.

That is actually very interesting, Roshiq. You make a special movie even more special by watching it on a chosen occasion. Somehow it DOES add to the flavor of the movie, though even for a little bit.

Originally Posted by Roderick Usher

I want to be taken out of my reality. I want to see things that I wouldn't see in my day-to-day life. I want an adventure - be it comedic, tragic, thrilling, scary or just plain fun.

Give me spectacle and spleandor... just make me care.

I'm an easy critic. I want to love everything I see. I want films to be good, so I tend to overlook flaws in plot or logic as long as the characters feel real, the pacing works and the film doesn't violate it's own rules.

Escape from reality? It is the mindless journey of many of us who go through the daily grind, and want nothing more than a couple hours of sheer entertainment. And yes, if THAT is grounded in reality, all the more appeal, too.

Originally Posted by The Flayed One

I think I've stated this in another thread, but I have a very hard time watching movies with other people around. I like my atmosphere suited perfectly to me, and with roommates that's nearly impossible. If I watch movies in my bedroom I usually just fall asleep. I'm working on turning my garage into a man cave, so after that I'll be able to watch movies more frequently. If I get disturbed once during a movie, a lot of the times I just get flustered and quit paying attention.

A little childish, I know, but (and it'll be a race to see who makes a joke out of this statement first) there are somethings a man just needs to have his privacy to enjoy.

Not childish at all. I dont think anyone can watch movies with other people around, specially strangers. A theater experience is quite different, mind you all. When watching a DVD or TV movie, you do feel self-conscious with plenty of eyes all around you.

I can see where you are coming from, Flayed. Totally. It sometimes dictates the type and manner of the movie which we choose to watch.

Originally Posted by pinkfloyd45769

I usually try to find movies that you guys recommend or speak highly of.If i'm going out to get a movie i usually browse on here for titles.My mood never really makes me chose to watch or not to watch a movie.Its more like i'm on a mission to find the movies mentioned here and not much though iis in it other than that.I do find myself watching movies over and over,Spiderman is one that i view quite often.I like all genres,even the mushy stuff.I guess in the end its mostly you guys that decide what i'm going to watch.

Governed by other people's choices? Usually movie-watching habits and choices are different for different people, Mags, but if you feel that you are on the same wavelength as another HDC member in movie-watching habits and conclusions, then why not? Its always a good idea, and a good benchmark, to follow.

Originally Posted by sfear

Mood of course, but what determines the mood? Could be the director, the book it was based of, not so often the actor unless its Nicole Kidman or some such. Even the composer. I'll watch almost anything with a score by Bernard Herrmann or Ennio Morricone. But to go backwards for a moment, one thing that makes me NOT want to watch a movie is if I have, say an R rated version in my collection and an unrated director's cut suddenly hits the stands. This makes the original not just an edited version but a censored one. Cinematic slaughter kills it for me.

Ah, the wonders of censorship.

I myself have stayed away from as many R versions as I could, because eventually an Unrated version is out before you know it. A R version is actually laughable, but many a time the ONLY choice you could have. A fine example I could quote would be Fulci's The Beyond. Its FINALLY getting an Unrated release, thanks to Grindhouse Releasing.

Originally Posted by fortunato

well, first off let me say that i will certainly give virtually any film a chance, regardless of how good or bad it's perceived to be. i love a lot of flicks of all different sorts.

that being said, you're right that i do tend to put more "critically acclaimed and powerful flicks" towards the top of my queue, although that's mostly incidental, as the people and sources from which i trust recommendations, coupled with my own curiosity/research generally tend to generate films like that.

mostly, i agree a lot with what rod was saying. i just want to be entertained, regardless of how it's done. whether it's style over substance, substance over style, great direction, great performances, etc., or a combination of anything and/or everything else, i just try to watch something as objectively as i can.

And you love them too, J. I know that you prefer to watch a movie more on a recommendation than own gut instinct, sometimes when its recommended by someone you value a lot. Gut instinct CAN sometimes prove false, indeed, but more often than not, you do find a cinema GEM lying somewhere and which opens a whole new segment for you.

I remember 3-4 years back, many had no idea Santa Sangre existed. It was my careless remark in a VHS thread in Modern Horror which made some older members dig it out, and today Jodorowsky is enjoying a lot of attention between plenty of genre lovers. The man finally got the recognition he should have...at least when he carved out El Topo, and The Holy Mountain too.

The Unsung, Underappreciated, Other Top 100 is a glaring example. As is Begotten.

[Doc Faustus]

To feel a specific thing that I couldn't feel from another movie and to discover new stories. I don't need to make an effort to deconstruct and take notes and the insights are rewarding. So, I'm feeling, I'm thinking and I'm discovering and appreciating or scorning what went into somebody's vision or lack thereof.

[alkytrio666]

It all depends on my mood, but I mostly stick to critically appreciated or historically important films. At this point in the game, I'm punching my way through the crowd in film studies, and in a couple years hope to be in L.A. banging on some doors, trying to get a job in the business.

For this reason, I need to pick and choose my films carefully. It isn't that I don't have fun while watching movies (last night I watched a Troma flick, a Fulci giallo, and a low-budget action romp), but I really want to expand my reaches to movies more in the range of what I want to achieve.

I consider myself pretty diverse. I mean, I'm a member of a horror forum, but I've seen just about every notable American film from the early 1900s to the present, and hundreds of classic foreign films.

Basically, I strive for diversity. I bet there isn't a lot of people who will watch Nashville, Class of Nuke 'Em High, The Gold Rush, Une femme est une femme, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Un chien andalou, and Singin' in the Rain within the period that I do- that was last week's playlist.

[urgeok2]

my plan is to eventually see every movie ever made.

i'm definately well on the way.

[_____V_____]

Originally Posted by urgeok2

my plan is to eventually see every movie ever made.

i'm definately well on the way.

With a DVD vault bigger than Fort Knox, I bet you are. :D

[neverending]

Originally Posted by urgeok2

my plan is to eventually see every movie ever made.

i'm definately well on the way.

When you get to London After Midnight, let me know.

[urgeok2]

Originally Posted by neverending

When you get to London After Midnight, let me know.

every movie made - thats available ......

[Vodstok]

Originally Posted by urgeok2

every movie made - thats available ......

Does that include every genre and rating? i think your wife might object to a large body of that...

But maybe not.

[urgeok2]

Originally Posted by Vodstok

Does that include every genre and rating? i think your wife might object to a large body of that...

But maybe not.

no - it doesnt include those !

(she wouldnt mind - she just thinks they're funny)