Choosing A Film

Whether you have alacrity when it comes to deciding on a movie or just the basic need to be entertained and pick one on a whim, there are countless titles to choose from. The process of what type of genre you’re in the mood for, the length, the appeal of the film, and maybe even the stars attached to it can all become criteria of deliberation. With certain movie websites that choice is increasingly made easier and the “if you liked this, try this” recommendations, cleverly compiled lists, and hundreds to thousands of reviews, all aid with the erosion of lengthy consideration. 

"Hmm, this blank DVD case sure is interesting"

The option of reading a review for a film, and allowing that as an indication as to whether it is worth your time or not, can be both helpful and damaging. Reviewers have their own unique voice and certain tastes when it comes to films. So, if you were a fan of the popcorn flicks of Michael Bay and you read a review from a Michael Haneke enthusiast you will indubitably be told to avoid the boisterous action director. Depending on how open you are to becoming informed of style and substance when it comes to films there are obviously varying parties with likes and dislikes. For example, Heat magazine, The Sun newspaper and Cosmo are regularly fond of those quaint, formulaic rom-coms as well as other usually-trite movies. You can then read the thoughts from reviewers from publications such as Little White Lies, Sight & Sound, Empire, and Total Film, all of which give economic opinions on every release. The latter group are arguably the better choice to go with if you want advice on what to watch – purely because they want to direct you toward the best quality movie choice and not just the huge-budget, “popular” attractions (at least in most cases).

Reviews can sometimes sully a movie experience with given away too much plot or perhaps over-thinking certain details of the film. Personally, I am always interested in hearing someone’s musings on a movie but I wait until I’ve seen the film and seek out the reviews afterward. If you were to choose this approach you can still become educated on the films to watch as reviewers habitually reference other movies, giving informed, insightful suggestions. Even with recent criticism over rating systems, it is a good way to assess a recommendation by the star or numerical rating. At a mere glance you can garner decent feedback on a film without having to read over (possibly “spoilerific”) reviews. The Imposter’s poster, painted with “5 star” accreditation, was enough to sell the movie to me and a few others I know. Once I watched the film I searched for those reviews and indulged in an array of opinions, all of which were interesting as post-screening reading. Overall, I would recommend the review system for deciding on a film but only using the “thumbs up/down”, “X% rating” or “X stars” to begin with, and then the perusal of the entire analysis.

When it comes to buying or renting films most internet retail and rental websites include a “Why not try this?” (or something in a similar vein) based on your viewing/purchasing/renting choices. Using codes and algorithms the website crafts a profile on you from your previous browsing habits. Debate over the ethics of this advertisement ploy all you will; it can at times being a hugely helpful system.

Perhaps the habit I endorse the most is the list arrangement. If you type in to an internet search engine “best films” you will be greeted with over 1 million results. Over the years I have been using “ICheckMovies” – a website built on the idea of tallying your movie viewing and awarding your viewing habits. Not only is the website very fun in its incentive but it includes both fan made lists and ones created by critics, theorists, directors and institutes. I now base what film to settle on largely on the films entered in these eclectic collections. The most popular (not only on ICheckMovies but the internet in general) is the IMDB Top 250. Although the list is shaped on more popular movie choices, there still remains a wealth of classics and intellectual inclusions. Using the IMDB Top 250 as a prime indicator into film choices is certainly beneficial; film discussions will expectedly include the mention of at least one or two included in IMDB’s chart.

If you need a larger example of the best films around the ones to look at are Halliwell’s Top 1000: The Ultimate Movie Countdown, 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, Empire’s Top 500, They Shoot Pictures Don’t They?, The Criterion Collection and Roger Ebert: The Great Movies. This may seem a superfluous amount of recommendations but by and large, the same movies get placed in each one. The reason they’re all so interesting is the ranking of some of these recurrent entries. As you become more attuned to the lists’ demographic you begin to favour ones over the others and start compiling your own list. Some, arguably, are for film fanatics and many lists include dozens of the silent era’s features. Nowadays these are less popular (The Artist being a pleasant revival) and for those of you more interested in seeing the cream of the crop from only the past 60 years you can still look to Empire and Ebert but may also prefer Reddit’s list, The 21^st Century’s Most Acclaimed Films, the FOK! Top 250 and Doubling the Canon.

Whether it is the epoch of cinematic releases or the genre of the film that sways your vote, ICheckMovies caters to all areas. For the latter, ICheck breaks down each genre and lists the best of those particular styles. The site advances every day with more users and regular updates so your knowledge of new films and where they stand in terms of ranking is always refreshed. It is by far the best way to find a film to delve into – not only showing you the most appreciated and acclaimed films but also by correlating centuries of shorts and features and their extensively evolving genres.

By Piers McCarthy. Also posted on Live For Films.

Those Guilty Pleasures

Recently I found myself watching the Ryan Reynolds/Amy Smart/Anna Faris rom-com, Just Friends. From the opening credits I realised there are better films I could give my time to; I could delve into the Kurosawa box-set I just bought, watch a classic Bogart movie, or even a different Ryan Reynolds movie (Buried, perhaps). Nevertheless, I still sat there and watched the entire film. The experience was not unlike eating a whole “Share Pack” of crisps to yourself – you enjoy the familiar flavours, sometimes looking at the half-empty contents and debating whether you should finish, but once you’re done you look at yourself with shame. Perhaps there isn’t anything wrong with sitting down with a corny rom-com or a brainless action flick but at the end of the day they wouldn’t have the categorisation of “Guilty Pleasures” for a reason. 

The term “guilty” and “pleasure” are peculiarly paradoxical and looking at the phrase with scrutiny it’s a wonder that you’d actively pursue something that would leave you feeling bad about yourself. Despite this idea, many do switch on the TV, pop in a DVD or head out to the local cinema to sit down and watch a film that has very little worth. It’s understandable that not everyone wants to be educated by a film, nor do we want a film that may challenge or upset us and so we ease into an undemanding movie. Yet, with all this in mind, films like these are still made with handfuls of studio’s money and are continuously profitable. What I want to assess in this article are the pros and cons to this type of film.

Let’s begin with the pros:

Had a long week at work? You get home and the last thing you want to be doing is mulling over the morality of a prosecuted man in an epic French drama. So instead, you look over at your DVD collection and choose Deuce Bigalow: MaleGigolo. It may not be deemed the best film ever but you chuckle occasionally at the silly people being rude and outlandish. It’s also short, a mere hour and twenty minutes of your time to provide some form of entertainment. You finish watching it and it’s only eleven o’clock; that gives you time to watch another if you want. You’ve watched the first, how about putting on the sequel? That’s perhaps going too far but already you have an example of some of the benefits of the guilty pleasure. In most cases the simple-minded comedies, romances, and action or horror films are relatively short in their running time. After cooking dinner, reading the paper and checking emails and Facebook, the evening is drawing to a close and a long film is unfeasible in conjunction to getting a good night’s rest. 

Going to sleep also may not be helped by a hard-hitting drama or tense thriller, so choosing those guilty pleasures works against unrest. The stories of those types of films are also so conventional with plots so foreseeable that you needn’t give them much thought. Watching something like Friends withBenefits, knowing that the two people who remain “just friends” will eventually get together, has an obvious narrative pay-off. As soon as Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis expectedly lock lips you sit back and watch the credits roll, not needing to think anymore about that character coupling or the events that have and could surround their relationship. 

As you watch a film like this the pure escapist ideology can also act as a “what if” for your own delusions. Look how easily Adam Sandler got Brooklyn Decker in Go Just With It and Jennifer Aniston – if he can get women like that maybe I can...and we’ll live happily ever after in Hawaii. The same works for the other gender: Sandra Bullock may seem pushy in The Proposal but she’s loveable enough by the end to win the heart of the charming Ryan Reynolds. No need to think of ramifications of work-related relationships or the reality of ever meeting a woman or guy like that in your everyday life; if it can happen on film it can surely happen to you.

The cons:

This will never in a million years be your life. Enjoy the display of bountiful romances and amusing episodes as it’s mostly a fiction. You could pretend that these films reflect certain aspects of life but they don’t. If you want a more typical romance watch Blue Valentine. Not only does it star Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams (two great bonuses to a film experience) but it will never need the “guilty” preceding the “pleasure” to describe it. It may not always be a joyous picture but it holds a different mirror up to the subject of love and marriage – not like the rom-com convex and concave amusement-park mirrors. 

Perhaps it has become unoriginal to draw inspiration from reality and if the guilty pleasures cavalcade are anything to go by you can confide in that prediction. A typical 21^st action-film usually has a blend of sci-fi, horror or comedy -only one category being anywhere close to the genre. Recently The Raid recalled the basic aesthetic of the action film, à la Bourne and Die Hard, a million miles away from Transformers’ aliens or the clichéd evil corporation of G.I. Joe. The guilty pleasures are such because they clearly know how rife with cliché, convention and monotony they are – but they also understand that people flock to that. The writers never need to insert social-realism or a Ken Loach-like introspection into human morale, all they need is a man/woman unlucky in love or adept at saving the world and you have a film.

If you are someone who tries not to embrace the guilty pleasure films it makes it all the more difficult when you join the herd and tolerate one. There are many reasons why these types of films get classed in such a way, the most paramount being the viewer usually feels the most embittered with themselves after watching one. If you’re happy seeing the same story rehashed time and time again carry on. But if you know you shouldn’t be seeing them then check out the Empire Top 500 Films and live the experience of classic Hollywood, acclaimed foreign films, interesting documentaries, indie pieces or just some well-made silver screen studio gems. The ultimate con of the guilty pleasure is making you believe you’re watching a different film; you never are and it’s all a basic (if occasionally entertaining) formula. 

By Piers McCarthy. Also posted on Flickering Myth