Breaking my own rules

I have some general rules to live by. Most of them are uniquely mine, but they’re my form of discipline. This one rule has lasted since 1994, but I have broken it a few times just out of curiosity. This rule is: I don’t watch movies originally released between January and April of any year. I call this season on the film year “The Mob Money-Laundering, Alimony-Paying” season.

At least 90 percent of all films released during this season are awful and are only made to get box-office dollars fast. It’s kind of like those income tax refund loans. You get your money in hand only to get stuck with the payments and interest for life. These movies have a very similar feeling to them.

Granted, there have been some films (“Sin City,” “Inside Man”) that stand out as great movies in this terrible season, but there aren’t that many. Yet, this month, I have already broken that rule with bad results and am tempted to break it again.

I saw “Watchmen two weeks ago when I had a free pass to watch it. After the 40 minutes of trailers and commercials I had to sit through before it started, I knew I wanted to go home. And I should have done so. I paid too much to see it.

But now, I really want to see “Duplicity.” I will watch just about any Clive Owen movie there is, and while I’m not a Julia Roberts fan, I’m willing to overcome that. Plus, I met one of the film’s producers a few months back, and I would like to show my support for her work.

So, maybe Wednesday, as an award for surviving this difficult month, I might go see this and get Thai food afterward.

permalink | | | 03/24/2009

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