So Many Movies, Eh I've Got Time

I feel that I should preface this article by admitting to being a subscriber to Netflix. I have an account as does my wife and my oldest son. We all manage our queues seperately and usually havea good mix of different types of movies. To be honest, no-one really cares to, or is allowed to watch the films that I get from Netflix. I use the service to get movies that I want to see. For movies that I NEED to see I still go to my local video store. It's right down the street and meets my needs for immediate gratification nicely. I also rent video games and Netflix can't get me those, so I'm in the movie store often. These are some guidelines that I use when renting movies from the video store.

Have you even been in the movie store and not know what to rent? There is certainly a lot to choose from, which for me is part of the problem. How to tell what's good and what's crap without having to waste 2 hours of your life to find out. Here are some rules that I use when renting movies that I have not seen or even heard of.

1. Research, Research, Research - there are more that enough websites where you can find out if a movie is worth your time. I tend to use hollywoodbitchslap.com or ign.com. HBS can be quite harsh and have decimated movies that I love and own. IGN is a good source for movie review and tend to be fair and balanced when reviewing major releases. I also frequent comingsoon.net for information about upcoming movies including trailers, posters and pics. Superherohype.com gives me all the information I need about superhero/comic-based films. The information is out there, looking up a couple of reviews is a good idea, just to get more that one opinion about a movie. The site I use the most in regards to movies is IMDB.com. You will not believe how much information about movies this site has. I particularly like the trivia and memorable quotes sections. Just look up a movie, if you liked the actor, director, or best boy - you can cross-reference to your heart's delight. Think of it as a online version of Six Degrees to Kevin Bacon. Everything in movies is connected. Finding the connections is great fun.

2. Straight To Video - I tend to shy away from these movies unless I have good information about them. There are a tremendous amount of movies on the selves that have never seen a theatre. Most of the animated superhero full-length films out there are straight to video and some have been excellent. Some "stars" that absolutely live on straight to video releases movies should be scrutinized closely before renting. Stars like Steven Segal, Casper Van Dien, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Dolph Lundgren just to name a few. Also, stay away from horror movies that have never seen the marquee lights. They are generally horrible.

3. Sequels - Generally speaking, sequels tend to be worse that the original. Why? They tend to usually lose the director and big budget star of the first, and everything goes down hill from there. When the star leaves and the original director bails, what's left is a "star" they could get and a director who last success was on MTV. Also, if the sequel didn't make it to a theatre and you've never heard of anyone in the movie, stay clear. If the original made enough money they can pay or have a contract for everyone to come back. How much money a movie makes is really crucial to if a studio will invest in the sequel. If they do, you'll see it at the movie house. Even if it does, it can be awful. So make sure you check it out before renting.

4. Who's Who- If you really like a movie by a certain director, then I would suggest renting older movies from them. I have been at a loss for a movie to rent and remembered this one director who made an obscure movie before his breakout blockbuster. I rented it and found that I liked it as well. I also like directors who work with the same actors in very different roles. Directors who are comfortable with the same actors can, I find, get a wider range from them. Examples the come to mind are James Cameron and Michael Beihn, Martin Scorsese and De Niro, Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney. There are mixed results to be sure but I do find it interesting how different stories and characters can be performed and shot by the same people. As I mentioned above IMDB.com is a great site for cross-referencing actors, directors and their movies.

5. Blockbusters/ Tent-Poles - You know sometimes I let Hollywood do the work for me. Summer films that have multi-gazillion dollar budget are sometimes worth the guily rent. Hey, I'm visually oriented. Throw up some nice looking people, some nicely placed ninjas and a bevy of explosions and I'll be entertained. Crash was a great movie with a powerful message, but sometime I just want Con-Air. I loved Hotel Rwanda, but I also liked Fun with Dick and Jane because it was well, fun. Being a former comic book reader, if you throw a superhero on some celluloid I'll probably see it. Sometimes I just want to be a kid and not care about a seamless plot and character development.

6. Independent Films - I feared independent films for the longest time. But there are some very good one out there. If a big studio didn't finance it - doesn't mean that someone didn't pour their heart into a movie where it shows. Indie films are also a great way to see rookie actors and directors before they get the big deal with the studios. Where they can take more risks and tell the story they want to. HBS reviews most of the indie releases as well as the blockbusters.

Most of the sites I've mentioned for movie research I have linked. Not to mention that you can run movies by me anytime and I'll give you my opinion about it. I watch as many as I can. Remember Cinephilia can only be cured by admitting you have a problem. Which I clearly do.