Table of Contents

Movies

How I Watch Movies

An issue I see in many people, both cinema-buffs and regular viewers, is a chain of bad habits when it comes to watching films. One habit I always avoid is to learn anything about a movie beforehand. I do not watch the trailers, I do not read the description, I do not look at any reviews, and I usually even avoid the genres of the movies! Think of watching movies as a more relaxed version of reading a book. Would you prefer to read or watch the equivalent of a trailer before reading the book? I wouldn't, as it wouldn't make the experience as honest as it should be.

Another problem you may have that suffocates and dampens the experience of watching movies is the act of doing other things as you watch the movie. Again, would you browse Reddit as you are reading a book, or start eating your dinner? Movies are a high-level form of entertainment; the crew behind each movie put in a lot of effort to produce the content they are releasing, and every detail is taken into account. When you don't give a movie your undivided attention, you miss many details you would catch had you have been more attentive. The consequence of such an action is leaving the movie feeling unsatisfied, thinking the movie you just watched was bland and mild.

Finally, you should always try to avoid knowing how much of a movie you have seen, and how much of the movie is remaining. In movie theaters, this is very easy since there is no status bar on the screen (and your phone shouldn't tell you the time, as you shouldn't be using it). However, if you are watching a movie from home, you should simply avoid moving the cursor around, and that will hide the user interface. The reason behind avoiding knowing the progress of a current movie comes down to this; you should focus more on the plot than the length of the movie. As you start watching more movies, you start getting a feeling to when the movie is about to end. However, if you know that by lazily checking the progress bar, it adds a barrier between yourself and the movie. You have to immerse yourself in the movie.

The following is a list explaining the process behind how I watch movies:

  1. Pick a movie from my watchlist.
  2. Select a time and date to watch it. I avoid watching movies late into the night, as I get sleepy during the movie.
  3. Grab some water or light fruits.
  4. Open the movie, and disable the progress bar.
  5. Do not use your phone or anything that may distract you.
  6. If I have to use the bathroom, pause the movie (but don't check the progress).
  7. When the movie ends, discuss details of the movie with my friends (if present), then log it on Letterboxd.

How I Find Movies

Finding movies is a tricky element many beginners may struggle with, I certainly did. No tool has been more useful than my Letterboxd account. It helps me track movies I have seen, the rating I gave it, movies in my watchlist, movie lists, etc… Near the beginning, it was very empty, but I slowly filled it up with the movies I watched. A rule I have is to not log a movie I haven't just seen; effectively, I log a movie right after watching it. Many of the movies in my watchlist are recommendations from people I know, but some of them aren't. That begs the question, how do I find interesting movies to watch?

A great medium for finding movies would be user-created lists on Letterboxd. If you are interested in a specific type of cinema, search for it on Letterboxd, and I am sure there will be a list of movies fitting that category. And if you are really serious, you will commit yourself to complete the list by watch all movies in the list.

If those lists don't cut it, you could use Toolboxd's recommendation system. Just enter your Letterboxd username, tinker around with the parameters, and find new movies to add to your watchlist!

Q) But I can't find any good movies! A) Great! Watching the bad movies is just as important as watching the good ones. You cannot truly enjoy the art of cinema if you don't see the “bad” side of it. To better enjoy the good movies, you have to watch the bad ones. And don't let your prejudgment deter you. One of my favorite movies is about two teenagers flipping burgers! It does help to watch the bad movies with some friends, but I usually have no problem watching them alone.

How I Rate Movies

The best advice I can give to rating movies is to simply not overthink it. After watching a movie, how likely are you to watch it again? Recommend it to a friend? Would you produce or direct that movie? How entertaining and solid was the plot?

On Letterboxd, ratings range from 1/2 star to 5 stars. Personally, movies default at 3 stars. So, at the beginning of each movie, I give it a rating of 3 stars. As the movie progresses, the rating goes up and down. When the movie ends, I give it it's final rating.

ONLY change the rating of a movie if you watch it again! Don't retroactively change the rating, as a rating can only be honest if it is given directly after watching the movie! I have rewatched movies several times, but rarely change the rating; my ratings for rewatches tend to say the same.

NOTE: I personally believe your movie ratings should plot an (almost) even normal distribution. This would show that you watch as many bad movies as you do watch good movies. The proof is in the pudding:

List of Movies I Have Watched

The following are the movies I have watched since the beginning of my movie journey.

NOTE: I will update this month at the end of each month, probably.

2025

May

April

March

February

January

2024

December

Movies in My Watchlist