r/movies • u/Rocon666 • 1d ago
Discussion Question about choosing what movie to watch
Hello! I'm a media studies student and as part of a class project, I’m looking into how people choose what movies to watch. So I’m really curious when you’re about to watch a movie, what do you base your decision on? Mood, genre, reviews, recommendations, actors or maybe something different? Would love to hear your thoughts.
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u/J_Unit24 1d ago
I would say first is familiarity (have I seen a trailer or heard of this movie). Next is mood/genre for me, followed by money (do I already subscribe to this service or will I have to rent it). After that is runtime. I'm a father of two who gets up at 4am for work so it's rare that I'll get to watch a 3 hour movie. Lastly would be reviews/recommendations. I appreciate them, but they'll rarely swing me one way or the other.
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u/Ilickpussncrack 1d ago
i'd say mood > season(Christmas, Halloween, etc)> Chain or "universe"(MCU, Starwars) are the things more influential things when choosing a movie.
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u/NorthWoodsSlaw 1d ago
Am I already paying for this? Am I in the mood for this genre? Do I want to engage with the movie or background? Is it supposed to be good or do I know already that it is? Do I have two hours to watch a movie? No, *puts on Office reruns*
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u/yanleystelnats_ 1d ago
Mood definitely plays the biggest part. If you are open to anything, search for a movie directed by someone who directed another film you really enjoy. Maybe search for another film that includes one of your favorite actors or actresses. Once you start to connect the dots, it is interesting to see who frequently works together.
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u/zudoplex 1d ago
I have a couple of friends who sometimes do themes, or actors. I'll sometimes spend more time scrolling selections than watching a movie.
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u/BunnyLexLuthor 1d ago
Media studies is tricky because I think a lot of classtime is spent on identifying problematic content and highlighting social issues (this is my experience with the film studies courses!)
I think Robert wise's West Side Story would yield strong results, because it's something I can kind of imagine from a grading standpoint - Die Hard is an enjoyable movie, but I think it would be difficult to unpack as a psychosocial narrative.
There's so many ways you could go at it.
You could compare and contrast the original film with the Spielberg remake.
The play is actually online to read for free if I remember right, with the school version having annotations, but essentially the same exact script that stage performance used.
You could talk about how the low camera angle on the Sharks make them seem more imposing toward the Jets, even though the former has to suffer from racism alongside gang violence.
Perhaps you could even say that the original play feels oddly anachronistic, making it seem as if Puerto Ricans had obtained recent US citizenship even though this has occurred since 1917ish.
On a technical level, you could talk about the dubbing from various characters, heavily from Marnie Nixon for Natalie Wood, while more occasional for Rita Moreno (by Betty Wand) and Russ Taymblin (by Tucker Smith) .
And if it's an opinion piece, you could talk about whether the remake was able to capture the emotional reality of the play, or if the original with its very blatant choreography was arguably one of the most expensive stage plays ( in 65 mm and with stereo sound) and feels like a first row seat to Broadway.
You could even vaguely suggest that the huge dancing component is a bit of a throwback to the dance-driven movies of the 1930s, though I think this idea is reaching.
Good luck!
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u/CaramelFamiliar4230 14h ago
I actually grew up doing school musicals, so when we studied West Side Story in class, it hit different. I remembered how hard it was to perform some of those dance scenes, and seeing how the film captured that on such a big scale made me appreciate it more. I wrote my paper on how the choreography tells the story when the characters aren’t even speaking.
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u/Wintyness15 1d ago edited 1d ago
I view a movie a day(sometimes 2), so for me it comes down to acquiring fresh content. Horror is my fav so finding new stuff can be challenging, but using Letterboxd helps a ton and allows me to continously find films to view, however in saying so most are 2022 and below in year. Also love me some old school and foreign too boot! :D
I have a passion for film, so I consume as much as I can :) So I have a broad spectrum of what I will watch with no regard to mood, more as in tis a new movie I have not seen? LETS GOOOOO!
Poster is all I need :)
I don't view trailers and try not to read the bio.
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u/Simple-Nothing663 1d ago
I subconsciously ask myself how thoughtful does the movie look? Is it full of cliches and reused jokes - if so, it’s a no go. Is there a unique story or interesting premise here? Does it look visually appealing? Do I like the actor or director? Is there something novel here? My mood will ultimately affect how I judge these things. Other things that affect my choice are things like reading a review or talking to someone I know and trust before hand. If I have to go to the theater, pay extra for it, or if it’s a part of a subscription I’m already paying for. How much time I have available to watch it.
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u/Rough-Humor5665 1d ago
I mostly choose something easy and light (Romantic / Comedy) if it's after work. But if it's like a free time in the weekend, i can choose something like documentary/ thriller/ something heavy like that. So, i can say that the movie genre i choose. depends on how much is on my mind.
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u/MyFavMovie 1d ago
There are certain topics I really dig, so i'll search out those topics
But I'm ngl sometimes I straight up watch a movie just based on the cover haha. And it's a hit or miss. But getting out of your comfort zone is a must, in movie watching. You never know what will end up being a goood movie. (my approach reminds of me video store days, when you didn't have all the info on a movie and would go in blindly)
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u/LuaC_laFolle 1d ago
Mood and age rating. I am sensible to many themes so if I am not in a good moment I go cautious. End up seem more silly movies with low stakes in general.
I can't just go and what the movie everyone is talking about, because even a video about the Substance triggers me. 😣
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u/Brilliant-Station997 10h ago
I select Films based a life long love of celluloid.I got to take a film class in school so I choose through that lens.pardon the metaphor
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u/KillerRatMonkey 1d ago
I mostly use movie scores (Rotten Tomatoes/Metacritic) to determine if something is worth investing my time in. The higher score the better, obviously.
Once in a while, a movie comes along about a subject that really interests me, in which case I'll watch it regardless of reviews/feedback.
When I was younger (and less busy, with more free time on my hands), I was less picky about what I'd watch, but these days, my time is a little more limited. If I'm going to sit down and watch a movie, I'm going with the odds that suggest (key word here) I'll like it.