Movie Mondays

I watch a lot of movies - kids' movies, family movies, chick-flicks, action movies, sci-fi and fantasy movies...you get the point.  I love to watch movies in the theater and at home, but given the opportunity, I will always choose the theater.  There is something about sitting in the dark with a bunch of strangers in front of a giant screen that is oddly appealing to me. I will even go to the movies by myself if there is no one available to go with me! As long as I have a large Diet Coke and snack, I'm happy!

One of the things that I do before I go to any movie is check the reviews. I don't typically care what the critics have said because they use a totally different set of criteria than I do to decide if a movie is worth seeing or not. I'm not looking for Oscar winning performances in every movie that I see. I don't necessarily care if there is a big name actor as the lead character (although it usually helps get me there), and I don't care if the movie will ever win an award. I only care that I will have a good time watching it. So I don't look to the critics, I look to other movie-goers!

Before any movie, I'll check the Fandango app on my phone to see what other reviewers have said. As long as it didn't bomb with other reviewers, I'll usually go see the movie to make my own decision about it. If I have any doubts, or if the movie has been out for a while, I will ask around to see if anyone I know has been to see said movie. If they have, and they give it a good review, I'll usually go see it. I have only been burned a few times by this method, most recently for The Muppets movie. I heard from several people that it was good, but my family and I didn't care for it.  In fact, I was ready to leave after the opening scene!

After I see a movie, I love to talk about it with the people that I saw it with, or other people who have seen it. Sometimes there isn't much to discuss beyond whether or not someone liked it, but usually there is a sequel or a book to compare it to, or you can compare an actor's performance to another movie that he/she has been in. I love a movie that makes me think beyond the scope of the film (if it's appropriate). I also love a movie that keeps me in suspense throughout the movie.

I figured that if I like to hear others' reviews about movies before I see them, and I like to discuss them afterward, there just might be a few other people out there who would enjoy the same thing! So I've decided to add a new feature to my blog - Movie Mondays! It gives me an excuse to go to the movies (or rent one) every week, in order to have something to write about (but shhhh...don't tell my hubby that's why I'm doing it).

The plan is to give you my  candid feedback unbridled opinion, along with feedback from those who went to the movie with me (my kids for a kids' movie,  my husband for a date night movie, my BFF for a chic flick, etc.). I'll also make some comparisons and maybe even a Cul-de-sac Mom rating. I hope I'll get some interaction in the comments section each week from those who have seen the same movie!

First up -  Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. I'll be posting tomorrow!