An Intro To My Movie Likes & Dislikes

As my first review draws near, I thought I'd let you know a little about my movie preferences.

As with any movie-going fan, I have developed personal likes and dislikes over various genres of film. There are directors I hate to watch, and other films I will see simply because of who directed it. I will elect to see a movie if a select few stars are in it, yet avoid other films for the exact same reason.

When I see any movie I analyze everything I see and hear from the moment it starts. I guess you could say I observe the film more than watch it; from direction to music, cinematography to screenplay, etc. I can often guess the plot outcome around 1/3 of the way through the film. The experience for me then becomes the journey or path of the film itself...how it goes from point A to point B.

When I've really enjoyed a film, I will often see it a second or even third time because the analyzing is [mostly] over, and I can enjoy the film even more. For me, this enhances the enjoyment I get from a film making it far more memorable.

I will go to see pretty much any movie, aside from a few genres. The no-go list includes Horror (stupid!), Musicals (just because I've never liked them.), T & A flicks (I'd like to keep my intelligence intact, thank you), and most [but not all] Comedy (I just don't find most comedies to be funny--aside from a few chuckles). Everything else is pretty much worth a shot.

Directors I love to watch: Ron Howard; Peter Jackson; Steven Spielberg; Jon Favreau; Peter Berg; Ridley Scott; Quentin Tarentino; Kevin Costner; Antoine Fuqua; Lasse Halstrom; Clint Eastwood and Richard Donner.

Directors I just don't enjoy: Martin Scorsese, and an assortment of others who pop up once in a while. (I know, I know...I can hear all the Scorsese fans already as they yell to defend his films. Honestly though, I have not yet seen a Scorsese film that I enjoyed even a little. I just don't like his style, emphasis, etc.)

I have been watching films for over 40 years. The first movies I can remember watching were at a Drive-In outside of Seattle. The films were Snow White and The Seven Dwarves, and Bambi.
Over the years, I have an always growing list of favorites--some are good, some bad, and some are great.

A few of my favorite movies: Ordinary People; Philadelphia; Rocky; The Wild Bunch; Bullitt; Citizen Kane; Father Goose; Duel; Titanic; Gladiator; Unforgiven; Starship Troopers (my guilty pleasure!); Tears of the Sun; Open Range; New York Doll; Scared Straight; Turner and Hooch; That Thing You Do!; Dick; etc, etc, etc.

Remember, like any regular movie viewer, I will not go see a film simply because it is there. It has to capture my interest. So, you may want a review of a film I have no interest in seeing. If that is the case, I recommend the Internet Movie Data Base (imdb.com). They carry trailers, reviews, upcoming release dates, etc. It's a great site.

Lastly, I'll list a few of the films I'm interested in seeing this summer. As always, the list is a mix of genres, and I look forward to seeing them. These include: Iron Man 2; Robin Hood; Jonah Hex; The Last Air Bender; Shrek Forever After; Knight and Day; Predators; Salt; Get Low; Prince of Persia; The Expendables; and a few others.

Let's have a great summer.