That Awkward Moment When The Movie You Watch Is Worse Than Any Uwe Boll Videogame Adaptation

How to Avoid a Horrible Movie:

Have you ever had that time when you're in a horrible mood and just want something to cheer you up?

I bet that's a resounding yes from most of you.

For those of you that do have those moments, have you ever gone to the theater in the hopes that the film you watch there will bring your smile back?

Probably a few yes's.

And have you ever seen that movie that just makes your terrible day even worse? And that is a question directed to the average moviegoer as well.

Yep.

We've all seen these movies, whether they were the Grudge 2, Ghost Rider, Movie 43, or (shudder) Gigli. Movies like those are the worst offenders and it's surprising that they even make it to theaters and don't end up in the bargain bins at Wal-mart. They put us in such a terrible mood that we just want our money back for our tickets BUT NO WE CAN'T BECAUSE WE WATCHED OVER AN HOUR OF THE FILM. There's no way anyone can avoid making that mistake, right?

Wrong, and here's how you do it:

1. Always look up the track record of the directors and the writers before watching a film. Seriously, this can save you a lot of time and effort. The only reason I write generally positive reviews is because I always do background checks on the films I watch. Danny Boyle is almost always a safe bet, so is Marc Webb, Stephen Spielberg when he does sci-fi, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, Zack Snyder, Judd Apatow, Tim Burton, and Spike Jonze. There are other directors I haven't named, but those people are the ones that come up off the top of my head. The writers also have a very big effect on how a film turns out, since the script is what makes the actors and actresses do what they do.

2. Always AND I MEAN ALWAYS see what critics have to say after the critic screenings come out. Reviewers love watching films and have a very educated opinion of the films they watch. As such, if they say a film is terrible then usually that film is terrible. There's always a newspaper or an article online that has a review of a film before it's out in theaters. If a film did not have a critic screening then it is more than likely a terrible film.

3. Always listen to what your friends have to say about the film, especially the ones you frequently watch movies with. The ones you enjoy movies with are the ones whose tastes are similar to yours, so the chances of you liking a movie that they liked are fairly high.

4. Check the Metacritic score. This one is usually the lifesaver. For those that don't know what Metacritic is, they compile a big portion of the movie reviews, then put a score out that is a calculated representation of the median/average score according to the reviews by the critics. If a movie has a score below 60 it is more than likely that terrible film that will absolutely ruin your day. Also check the user reviews, because they tend to have their own summed up score. If it's below 6, then it's probably bad. Granted, THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO THIS, but those good movies with low ratings are rare.

I know assumptions are bad, but if you really want to avoid a terrible film, you have to do some research before spending those $11 to $13 on that ticket.