My View of Movies, Generally

I'm really not that much of a movie guy. There are lots of movies I haven't seen - lots which I've been told that I need to see, every person/man/American needs to see, yadda yadda, lots of classics, lots of great movies, whatever. I generally don't really have plans to see most of them.

See, here's the thing: I don't think most movies are worth watching just by themselves. They aren't worth the time of day. Oh sure, most of them are fairly enjoyable, but really there are lots of things that are enjoyable and/or important to do with my time, moreso than movies generally. There are a few exceptions to this; perhaps my favourite thirtyish movies ever are worth just watching at any given time. I own most of these, and the ones I don't I generally plan on getting. Mostly, though, the big exception to movies not being worth the time is that they totally are worth the time if they're being seen with other people. Yeah, going to a movie with friends and/or family (which is what I mean by 'other people') is just by its nature way better than going by myself, even though you don't really talk to 'em during the movie, just to be with them. For instance, I went to see Underworld III: Rise of the Lycans with a friend a few weeks ago. It was an absolutely wonderful experience, but it's not a movie I would have ever suggested going to, definitely not a movie I would have gone to on my own. I think it was a pretty enjoyable movie, not great by any stretch, but like most movies I'd put it at two stars (though I actually hate the star system - it's too restrictive); definitely worthwhile seeing with other people, somewhat enjoyable, not great, I'll like never buy it (unless it's super super cheap maybe) but a solid movie. Anyway, if I say a movie is good enough to see by myself, especially in theatres, that's really high praise from me. Entre Les Murs (The Class), is probably not quite that good for me (I should note that even the really good movies are better when seen with friends and family), but probably I'd say it's worth watching by yourself at home sometime. Slumdog is good enough to see in theatres by yourself. WallE is not. Dark Knight is not. None of the Bond movies are. What can I say, I've got some pretty high standards. Look for a list of some favourites of mine later...