Picking a good movie

Why is it so hard to pick a good movie? It’s because your good movie isn’t the same as someone else’s good movie. I may like my popcorn salted without butter. You may prefer it with butter. As you watch a movie, you filter it through what you bring to it... your life experiences, your preferences, your background, even your frame of mind on the day you see it.

It’s impossible for a critic to know all of these things about you. When critics give you their strong opinions, those opinions come from their personal experiences, which are different from yours. Some reviews are so brutal, they make you feel embarrassed to say you actually enjoyed the movie! On the other hand, a plot synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes often spoils the movie. And besides, the plot isn't the only thing that determines whether you'll enjoy a movie. So what about trailers? You should know that trailers are marketing tools, designed to sell movies… even if that means giving you an inaccurate impression about the movie or spoiling some of the best parts.

Popcorn Diary tries to give you a feel for each movie, without spoiling the plot or presenting opinions as universal truths. While Popcorn Diary evaluates some of the movie’s artistic merits, it still respect the fact that everyone’s taste is unique. Your preferences are as valid to you as mine are to me. Popcorn Diary gives you the kind of information that helps you decide if a particular movie will appeal to you.

NEW… by popular demand… a Popcorn rating system

It’s finally here… popped and unpopped kernels… (0 popped kernels = poor, 4 popped kernels = excellent)... it's the one place where we're truly subjective. So don’t let the popped-kernel ratings discourage you from seeing movies you think you’d enjoy. But if ratings are important to you, Popcorn Diary finally has them.

You’ll also see that Popcorn Diary has added another valuable tool to help you narrow your movie choices… Popcorn Profiles. At a glance, you can easily tell if a movie generally matches what you’re looking for. For example, if you’d rather see an upbeat movie today… or at least one that’s not depressing… you can easily zero in on some great choices using Popcorn Profiles.

4 popped kernels

As always, Popcorn Diary is here to help you find the movies you want to see

Popcorn Profile