I do enjoy a good* film.
But unless one is into the cinema (and I'm not) and therefore keeps up with current "blockbuster" films, how does one find good films to watch?
Having said that, if its been one of the headlining films in the last 10 years I've either watched it or dismissed it already.
And since as a family we tend to watch a lot of films, then I think we've seen all the obvious answers. I'm well practiced at researching a suggestion and pretty good about selecting the ones we'll enjoy. But, obtaining the suggestion is the difficult bit.
So where does one go to find recommendations for films that have either escaped one's notice, or for some reason fell short of ever making the cinema headlines?
*I'm into shallow enjoyment, so for the most part "good" in my world means I want an enjoyable film with a good ending. I prefer escapism to realism.
There's no point in me watching a horror film, I just end up jumping in the air every 30 seconds and annoying the people around me and/or making them laugh at me - and nobody ends up enjoying the experience. Even my children tire of me.
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I've had some good results from jinni.
Here is a list of nine other automated ways of getting recommendations, which might yield something for you.
news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10200031-2.html
Last edited by: Crankcase on Mon 16 Dec 13 at 22:06
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Mark Kermode does a weekly 10 minute film review on the BBC News channel, but it doesnt constitute a program in its own right, so i dont know if you can find it on iplayer
We had our annual trip to the flea pit last weekend, and not one of the trailers made me want to go and watch the films
We went watching The Hobbit pt2, which was remarkably good, all things considered, although I don't think the Tolkein wrote jokes about what dwarves have in their trousers, nor do I remember female ninja elves or the scene where Thorin surfs down a channel of molten gold in a wheelbarrow, - I must have been reading the abridged version
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Could use IMDB to find films similar to ones you've seen or by the same director/writer, staring the same actors etc? Also can make sure suitable for children etc.
We tend to find World Cinema films are more enjoyable than most of the rubbish big budget films coming out of the USA.
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Cheers Crankcase;
I tried Movielens which was ok. Criticker kept hanging so I finally got to Jinni.
Just started using that and it seems pretty good so far.
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I used IMDb quite a lot, but usually to research a suggestion rather than to get a suggestion.
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I sometimes listen to Kermode, but he does rather seem to recommend "grown up" films which seem a little heavy going for my taste.
I enjoy his show though, as I used to when he reviews with Simon Mayo.
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Front Row Radio 4 - rarely they haven't rated a film I've subsequently not enjoyed.
And they have an archive...!
Edit:
Arrrrgh a double negative !!! "They usually rate films that I subsequently enjoy"
Last edited by: R.P. on Mon 16 Dec 13 at 23:09
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"Mark Kermode does a weekly 10 minute film review on the BBC News channel, but it doesn't constitute a program in its own right, so i dont know if you can find it on iplayer"
Mark Kermode's and Simon Mayo's film review on Five Live is a must for film reviews. Best listened to on the podcast without the news and traffic but with an extra 10 minutes or so at each end. It's actually great radio even if you are not a huge film fan!
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Herself subscribes to a thing called Lovefilms. No doubt it has a catalogue, but it sends DVDs at short regular intervals. The ones they send are all recent - a hell of a lot of movies get made - and quite a lot of them seem to be all right.
Perhaps you can tell the outfit what you prefer - violent thrillers, horror, comedy etc. - and it sends you mainly those. I don't know. I just watch the movies sometimes.
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I don't think Love Film operates in FM2R's country - and it doesn't answer his question. You have to add films to your queue to get the disks sent out. Deciding what to put on the list would still need some thought.
Both Lovefilm and Netflix have streaming options but it's a lot more limited than the DVDs/Blurays that Lovefilm can post. I used to get Lovefilm DVDs posted a number of years ago. You can get trials of both Lovefilm and Netflix.
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There are a few hints in the Sunday Telegraph. If you like a particular director or actor, you can use a catalogue such as Lovefilm's to find other films by the same people. It will also allow you to delve into arcane films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and a generous
number of foreign films. If you sign up and use the service, it will pick upon your tastes and make recommendations (usually way off but not as far as those of - at least my - friends).
The Radio Times has plenty of film information and I believe it publishes is own "best films" type guide. You might win a free one by completing a questionnaire in the current issue. There are other such works and you might get leads from this database:
www.imdb.com/
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How to find a good film....? - Crankcase
