Gardening on the Moon ( GOTM )

Written by Jeff

Non-GOTM pictures credited by hover notes – move cursor over image

Movie tickets are getting more expensive each year and there are few things worse than being hyped into seeing a film that is a real stinker! Nowadays bringing the entire family to the movies is quite an investment. That is why I try to hedge my bets (to the best of my ability) to see only those films that I think will be the most entertaining and worthwhile. Please understand this is a personal choice, but I think the following procedure will allow anyone to pick the movies most likely suited to their film viewing preferences.

Here is the procedure I follow on a weekly basis to try to ensure wise entertainment expenditures:

Coming Soon

The first essential is to determine what movies are being released for the targeted time-frame. It is very easy for a hidden gem to fly in under the radar, spend a month at the artsy theater and then disappear without a trace and thus the chance to see an interesting movie is gone with the wind.

The site I use is ComingSoon.net [ http://www.comingsoon.net/movies.php ] which lists new releases by month. Click on the month and then find a date to see what new movie releases are scheduled. Keeping that tab open in my browser, I open two movie review sites so all three tabs are available simultaneously.

The Review Is the Thing

Rotten Tomatoes (RT) [ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ ] is one of my favorite movie review sites because I have found that there is a high degree of correlation between what they like and what I like. This correlation is a very important factor when trying to rule out movie bombs. Rotten Tomatoes is hard to please and I want a critical opinion before I put down my cash.

Once at the Rotten Tomatoes site (Make sure the RT radio button to the left which is generally the default is selected), I enter the name of the film in the search bar at the top and hit ENTER. The computer grinds away and presents a new “Search Results” page. I scroll down to the section that is for movies and find the title. There should be a year of release on the right side of the title. This is important because there are numerous remakes or duplicity of titles. Once I find the correct film, I click on the link. Once again, the browser grinds away.

After a moment or two the detail page for that particular film will be presented. Across the top will be the TOMATOEMETER with a percentage number to the left. You can read how to interpret that number here:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/help_desk/faq.php#tomatometer

Generally speaking, if the movie gets a fresh rating (positive) of 60% or higher, there will be a red tomato (or a Certified Fresh symbol – highest ranking) next to it. That means overall, this movie was well received. Anything less than that and it will receive a green tomato splat (negative). If it is close, you can decide by reading the reviews and synopsis whether or not you would still like to see the film. Across the top of the Tomatometer are several tabs which will let you view the ratings by RT Critic opinions, Movie Critics (Professionals), RT Community (supplies quick reviews of people who use the site), My Critics (Critics you select based on those that match your opinions) and My Friends (Friends you enlist who have to register, etc.). Frankly, I don’t use the last two tabs. I am more interested in a quick review, but I can see the value of the My Critics section.

After perusing the RT site, I visit the Metacritic.com website [ http://www.metacritic.com/film/ ] for additional opinions. If you arrive at their home page, select the “Movie Reviews” option to see the movies. Here is how they rate their movies as quoted from their site:

“METASCORES range from 0-100, with higher scores indicating better overall reviews, and lower scores indicating less favorable reviews from critics. Various ranges of METASCORES are also identified by different colors, so you can tell at a glance how critics felt: generally, green scores indicate favorable reviews, yellow scores denote mixed reviews, and red scores are used for unfavorable reviews.”

There are multiple lists on the main movie page. Along the left-hand side, toward the top, are those movies that are in wide circulation presented in alphabetical order. Below that is a list of movies that have been released on a limited basis. Check both lists for the title you are reviewing. On the other side of the page are the specialty lists of best pictures, etc.

I particularly like the color-coding, which makes it easy to see those films that are better (green) than others. This is truly a “drive by” review and I use it to basically corroborate the impression I receive from the RT site. If the film gets good reviews from both sites, I generally give it a greater weight and would be more inclined to pay to see it in a theater. If one site likes it much better than the other, I may rent the film to watch at home. If neither site rates the movie high, I would have to really like the plot or genre before considering it. I don’t allow these sites to make my selections for me, but they certainly do help.

Netflix to the Rescue

If I decide I want to watch a movie, I enter it into my Netflix que so I don’t forget about it. It is very easy to have a movie “escape” so this keeps it on my list until I watch it or remove it based on further consideration. If you don’t have a Netflix account, I recommend trying their service. I have been a member for a number of years and have been more than satisfied with their programs and the flexibility they offer. In addition, it is a handy way of keeping track of potential future movie viewings.

HINT: During football or vacation season, I reduce my membership or put it on hold for several months. This is a nice no-fuss option offered at Netflix.

Hopefully, using these techniques, you will waste less money and time and avoid most of the “stinkers” while maximizing your viewing pleasure. Good luck and happy movie going!

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post