Do You Ever Roll the Dice on Movies?
Filed under: Fandom
Have you ever been dragged by someone you like to a movie you didn't think you'd like, and then fell in love -- with the movie? How often do you see films outside your "comfort zone," whether that be macho action movies, chick flicks, romantic comedies, horror thrillers, or quirky indies? Do you ever react negatively to a movie you were sure you would like?
Recently I've heard from folks who claim they're never disappointed with the movies they choose to see, which made me wonder if they have really low standards -- a definite possibility -- or if their selections become self-fulfilling prophecies. In other words, once they've decided to see the movie, have they determined in advance that they're going to enjoy whatever's on screen? Does that explain the success of populist fare like Couples Retreat, a movie I reviewed positively but which was slammed by nearly all other critics?
Even before I got paid to write about movies and started receiving invitations to free, advance screenings, my inclination was to see as many as possible, both the ones that made me lick my chops in anticipation and the ones that held less advance interest. Nowadays, even with a somewhat limited viewing schedule, I'm in a position where I can -- and want to -- roll the dice and take my chances on movies on a regular basis. So I've paid my own way to see some movies that might have been dubious choices for others. I was assigned to review Pandorum, but I paid to see it because it wasn't screened for critics, and liked it more than I thought I would; I wasn't assigned to review Sorority Row, paid to see it because I thought I might like it, and was sorely disappointed.
How about you? I know some of you see much more than I do every week, and some much less. Are you willing to check out less-promising movies in the hopes of discovering a diamond in the rough? Seeing as many as possible to sort out the good from the bad? Or do you prefer not to take chances with the only movie you might see in a theater that week -- or month? How often do you roll the dice and hope for the best?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-11-2009 @ 10:19PM
Chris Beaumont said...
I see as much as I can, also I am never disappointed. That is different than saying I like everything. I have both loved movies I did not expect to and hated films I wanted to love. In any case, I always walk away with more experience and something to write about.
Chris from http://www.criticaloutcast.com
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10-11-2009 @ 10:37PM
roner34 said...
The local newspaper has a weekly feature where local filmgoers write 100 word reviews of current releases. Being a participant of this gets me to see things I normally wouldn't. For instance I'm scheduled to review Amelia in a few weeks. That is one movie I would not have seen if not for the assignment. Also my girlfriend gets me out to see things I wouldn't. I try to see a diverse selection but money and time these days can be an issue. Also I mostly avoid stuff I'm pretty sure I'll hate but, my feelings are the more kinds of films you see the better off you are.
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10-12-2009 @ 6:23PM
Angel said...
The Devil Wears Prada. Girlfriend dragged me to see it & I was shocked at how good it was.
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10-12-2009 @ 8:35AM
martisco said...
District 9 was definitely not a film I'd planned in advance to see, but the word on Sharlto Copley's performance was strong, and since I'm a fan of good acting I thought I had to check it out. This easily could have turned into a disappointment, but now I'm glad I went and my interest in movie sci fi has been rekindled (I haven't cared about the genre since I was a kid).
I see movies so little these days that pretty much everything feels like a risk now.
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10-12-2009 @ 8:57AM
ML said...
I often "roll the dice" for well-reviewed movies, or movies that look like they might appeal to me because of the description or trailer (despite being outside my favorite genres). I do see some disappointing or marginally entertaining movies, but I also see some pleasant surprises. However, I love horror, so I'm used to low expectations/high hopes for movies.
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10-12-2009 @ 12:51PM
Anthony said...
I often find myself in the bargain DVDs section at the local Hollywood Video and although I have spent some money on some stinkers, I also found some very welcomed surprises. I thought I would list some:
1. The Quiet American (Phillip Noyce version)
2. Notes from a Scandal
3. The Proposition
... I am sure I could list more.
In short, I do not always "roll the dice" at theaters.
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10-12-2009 @ 1:46PM
Robert Grant said...
I'm constantly rolling the dice on movies, especially foreign language films, and for me, the gems outweigh the stinkers by 2:1. I've stumbled across some absolute crackers like Primer, Ever Since The World Ended, Brotherhood Of The Wolf, The Cube, Confederate States Of America, Dragon Hunters, Battle For Terra, Paragraph 78, Wolfhound, Natural City....the list goes on. None of these is *ever* going to get a general release so thank the Gods for film festivals.
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10-13-2009 @ 4:53AM
Ashley said...
What the hell is Bob talking about?
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10-13-2009 @ 7:01AM
apathygrrl said...
Ashley, Bob is a spambot. You see them alot on messageboards.
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10-13-2009 @ 10:18AM
Steve said...
I've been hitting the drive-ins alot in the last 10 years.
I never thought I would enjoy so called 'children's films'
so much. Dinosaur reintroduced me to Disnsy animation.
Along with live action fare like Spy Kids & How To Eat Fried Worms, I find these films have better character development.
There are some drive-ins that have more than one screen but sometimes I have to 'roll the dice' on some films I would normally not see. And for the most part, I have been pleased
with the results.
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10-13-2009 @ 11:10AM
The KoT said...
my little sister and I try to go to the movies every other weekend or so. She dragged me to The Time Traveler's Wife last month and to my surprise I really enjoyed it, cheese and all. Last year however, I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull not once, but twice, just to confirm that it was as bad as it turned out to be. A major, MAJOR disappointment.
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10-13-2009 @ 12:14PM
Duane said...
Going to the movies IS rolling the dice. Reviews only help determine the most abominable to avoid, otherwise I find myself frequently disappointed in both movies and critics reviews. I can't think of any examples of pleasant surprises offhand but they happen occasionally. Unpleasant wastes of my time and money are more frequent.
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10-13-2009 @ 1:47PM
Kathleen Rooney said...
first, I don't listen to critics, when was the last time you saw something created by one of them.
I seldom roll the dice because it can be costly to keep paying for duds, I watch trailers and check out the cast, there are some actors you can count on to deliver everytime, so I look for them and have found some awesome small films.
The Straight Story
Secretary
Bagdad Cafe
Secrets and Lies
All awesome in a quiet way, slice of life stuff. I'm not adverse to BIG films but the run to often trailers and to much information in them sort of steals the films thunder so why bother to pay for them. So to answer the question, no I don't roll the dice to often.
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10-14-2009 @ 6:47AM
NotAmerican said...
Robert Grant said: "I've stumbled across some absolute crackers like Primer, Ever Since The World Ended, Brotherhood Of The Wolf, The Cube, Confederate States Of America, Dragon Hunters, Battle For Terra, Paragraph 78, Wolfhound, Natural City...but most of these will never see general release." Unless we're talking about movies that happen to have the same title (which I doubt), most - possibly all - of those movies are available on DVD... and have been for *many* years.
-ak
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10-13-2009 @ 6:57PM
Nick said...
My Best Friend's Wedding.
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10-13-2009 @ 8:22PM
MooovieCow said...
i was house-sitting for a friend and was bored so i went over to his movies to see what he had. besides the ones i had seen, the others were pure trash: Crank, The Marine, Babylon A.D., etc. I then came upon the original Saw movie. I had never seen any of them, nor had an interest to. From what i heard from the media, it was pure gore. I was bored enough, however, to stick it in. In the past 2 weeks, i have watched all 5 saw movies. I was completely taken by surprise. The character developement was impressive for a gore/horror movie. The biggest thing, though, was the fact that the movie had an AWESOME story line. Granted, the twists and turns are inevitable in every movie, but they were well thought out and put together. I can't praise these movies enough. They will never be top 10 or even 100 material, but they surprised me enough to recommend and spend my money on. I will definately be at the midnight showing for Saw VI, and i can't wait.
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10-14-2009 @ 12:06AM
The Movie Zombie said...
If you had told me six months ago that I would be thoroughly disappointed by "Public Enemies" and have an absolute blast watching "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra", I would have said you were out of your mind.
But such is life, and such were my reactions this summer.
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10-14-2009 @ 12:22AM
Kevin said...
Being a college student, I don't have the money to really "roll the dice" too often. But when I do doubleheaders, I try to take a chance on a movie I wouldn't pay to see usually. This past weekend, I saw Couples Retreat with a friend & thought it was only DVD worthy, but snuck into Whip It afterwards & completely loved it. Biggest surprise of the month for me.
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