How much do you know about a film before watching?

I want to know as little as possible. When I find a great movie, I will find out other films he's done (I notice me hesitating with the pronoun choice), and go from there, maybe reading a line, so I can rank them to know what to watch first.

I've been running out of ideas, and it's taking me a while to find great new movies at the rate I used to a few years ago. If there's an actor I like, I'll probably watch it, though I'll admit to using the ratings system (Critics and user) and probably start at the top if both are in the 80-90%. I usually let my eyes barely gloss so I only know a word or two about the film.. If the ratings aren't as high, I'll read the entire description.

I do have some prejudice. If the film was made after I was born (1982) chances are that I won't take a chance, I'd have to really be sure. In the past, I'd watch the "Indie" (Sundance has gone down so much) channel sometimes, which I don't have. I seem to like the older films much more, and I'm not going to waste my time to be fair to every single film out there.

I can't have this discussion without availability either. Some films are out of print and can't find. Only one film I can't find "Willie & Phil" by Paul Mazursky.

I try to go into a new movie blind, but I'm on YouTube a lot and I watch a lot of reviews so quite a bit of the films I've seen this year I knew a bit going in. But now that I'm writing my own reviews, I'm avoiding other critisms until I can see the movie and review it myself.

Older movies usually come on my radar while I'm exploring a type of movie or a certain director. So I'll know if something is a horror or New Hollywood or noir or whatever, the director, and very little else.

I might catch one trailer for a new movie, but I won't dissect it. The biggest films that get that treatment are usually ones that I don't care about being spoiled.

Getting some suspicion about a film i'm just going to watch is necessary. The first thing i do before i watch a film is to watch the trailer, trailers of the chosen film. The most of the times i can deciede only by the trailers, but sometimes i'm also in a trouble with getting decision, so this time i check the rating of the film, and maybe read some opinions. Every people like different things, so personally reading positive or negative opinions can't really affect me.I choose between the films, on my own opinions as soon as i know enough
about it.

For new films I will watch the Trailer and maybe read about it in Empire magazine mainly the reviews as the don't spoil anything but give me a sense of the film and if its for me. For older films I will generally find these by friends recommendation or IMDB links of Directors or Actors then check them out on IMDB. But to be honest i try to find as little as possible to avoid spoilers and really the reason to watch a film in the first place to be taken away by a story and i don't want to know or see everything before i either see it on the big screen or buy the film.

I have a link for online streaming for this film.

I just tent to meander through ever changing film interest...from watching films in a genre, or by a certain director or with a certain actor or even on certain subjects. I don't like to know what the ending is but I like to know what the film is suppose to be about that way I can appreciate it more.

I only sometimes know who directed it or who plays in it. I don't like to know much about a movie before seeing it .

I would love going into a movie knowing nothing. I went in blind to Avatar, Inception, Interstellar and The Dark Knight Rises. I knew the basic plots, but that was about it. I knew nothing else, seen no footage (trailers) and did so on purpose.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

I used to read reviews before, so I could decide if I really wanted to watch it, but I kinda realize it's a buzz kill. I guess I didn't enjoy some great movies cuz I had all this expectations... Bummer.

I thought about this myself the other day. Nothing ever, there is one particular subject that one of my favourite films got me interested in, but i suppose that was something else

When I was younger, I would close my eyes, go to the "classic" section for example, and blindly pick out a few films, and before checking out, I'd look at the side, just to make sure I didn't see it before. It was exciting, and probably saw films I wouldn't have initially.

I used to read and watch everything I could (this was back in the 90's when we had nothing ) but now I just hear about something I think sounds interesting. Sometimes I see a trailer for something I wasn't really interested in, but then heard something which piqued my interest. If, after watching the trailer I'm still curious, then I'll give it a go.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

Are you asking how much I want to know, or how much I actually do? If it's the latter than that really depends on who is in it, what studio is releasing it etc. If it's the former, I generally just watch trailers and stay updated on who ends up casted in it. I avoid most of the theories and speculation.

Minimal knowledge does wonders.
Sometimes it would be a video cover and that would do. Not as a visual stimulant, more of a visceral, "use the force, Luke" kinda thing. Some all time favs were from movie posters that would catch my interest. I do the same with the occasional times I've been on NetFlix.
Trailers work great for me. I find a lot of flicks I wouldn't have that way.
I rarely do research on any given film if I can help it. I never cared for reading Reviews until I came here; because they always came off as lofty and stuffy; written by people who are paid to watch flicks and because its their job.
Unlike the ones here who are written by people who do it out of their love for movies and -my god - what a fantastic difference.
So I do need to include word of mouth aka this forum. I've really found some great finds AND been made aware of certain flaws of a given flick that made my initial watch more enjoyable and less "What the f#@k are they doing?" because of this forum.


DISCLAIMER: Those last two paragraphs are in now way @ss kissing. Just simple effin truth

I love going in blind, that's why I like Netflix-- while flipping through, I'll see something that looks interesting that went right past my radar. True believer in media blackout. Even trailers can spoil the film if they're not done up right.

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Under-the-radar Movie Awesomeness.
http://earlsmoviepicks.blogspot.com/

I look at the people involved in it and the Rotten Tomatoes score (never read actual reviews until I've watched the movie). If it's a big movie there's no way to avoid trailers, but for a lot of little ones I know very little. I think that's not always the best route-the first time I watched Inception I was too confused by the plot to really appreciate it, and on subsequent watches when I knew the plot I enjoyed it a lot more. I already knew everything that would happen in Lord of the Rings before I watched it, and I never once thought that I would like it more if I didn't know where it was going.

When I was a senior in HS, a friend said he was going to see "American Beauty". He sent me the trailer, and I told him I didn't think I wanted to see it. A year later I saw it, and it was one of the greatest films I ever saw at 17.

I rely on IMDb to form opinions on films. Which is why I can safely say that Jurassic World is the greatest film ever made by humans.

I do go on IMDB if I want to discuss a particular film if it's not on here.

That might be an idea for the future? Obviously, not EVERY single movie, but films each of us submit perhaps? Maybe a new category? Just an idea....

I'm not guided by the opinion of critics and peoples. More so on paid advertising in the media.