As a rule of thumb (knarf!) never try to figure out Facebook. Facebook is insane.
I remember when I used a link site that recommended movies by the movies you clicked on. More often than not it was completely wrong in its recommendations. Even the suggest feature on Google Search is wrong more than its right.
Before I watch a unheard of movie I usually go to IMdb and look at the rating and then read the 1st few written reviews. I also read the comments on the link site of people that have watched it recently. Not only does it tell me how popular the movie is, it tells me the qualities about the streams available. I value the person's rating when deciding to watch something.
The Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down rating works very well if I know the thumbs being shown. The better I know you as a person the more power your thumb will have. With generic ratings like at IMdb I must also consider the number of ratings and how long the movie has been available. I've seen failed blockbusters that have very high ratings when the movie first comes out but after it hits dvd the ratings go way down.
My theater dollars are usually committed before any ratings are made. I scour the web looking for new movies and the ones that grab my money grab it from concept.
Harbinger Down is a great example where my expectations were too high. I had great expectations for a new 'Thing' movie and what I got was a low budget poorly acted mish mash of junk. I have watched it 4 more times hoping it will get better or I will see something I really like but it doesn't look like thats gunna happen.
The concept was certainly high on my list but the execution fell flat.
I am one that likes to try new things. When I recommend a movie to my children or my friends I sometimes recommend movies they don't like. Movies that I know they shouldn't like. Like my daughter, she likes sad romantic movies. She isn't really into horror at all, I recommended Horns and she loved it.
Godzilla will always get a 10/10 or a 5/5 from me. Not because the movies are good but because I really like the concept of Godzilla. Lifetime type movies always get a low rating from me. I've seen some very well-made Lifetime type movies like The Burning Bed but I don't like movies that make me feel all touchy feely.
The movie must have at least one explosion, one chase scene or one death to even get my attention. That being said, there are many scifi and horror movies that I don't like. I know this because I watch them. I think I have watched just about every kind of movie made.
Even the insultingly stupid movies like syfy get watched at least once. There are movies that I will start to watch that I shut off very quickly. Mostly hand held camera and found footage. I love Godzilla but I hate Cloverfeild. I hated the Blair Witch. Not only do I think it is poor movie making and cheap, It gives me a headache. I can deal with handheld cam work and found footage if it is segmented within normal movies. I can also deal with some of it that is shot with some steady frames like The Dinosaur Project. They don't get high ratings from me tho.
I set this poll up to find out how our members use ratings. I want to start rating some of my movie listings. I also want my ratings to be considered. I think I will adopt the 5 point rating system with definers.
3 of 5 Beers
2 of 5 cameras
4 of 5 scripts
I watch a lot of movies.
(watched 5 last night)