[The Germanator]

I like to read movie reviews here and there for certain reasons. For example, I find a site like Rotten Tomatoes to be very useful. Even I never read a single individual review on the site, a collection of either thumbs up or thumbs down is actually quite useful to me.

For example. My interest in the new Star Trek movie, before having seen any reviews, was tepid at best. But now, the fact that it has a 95% rating means a hell of a lot to me. A 95% rating means it's probably pretty good and I actually want to see it now. If it was hovering at 50-60% I'd probably never see it, and with good reason.

Now, this isn't a perfect system. Another example: One of my favorite comedies of all time, Wet Hot American Summer has about a 20% tomato rating. Ebert's review of the film is absolutely asinine, and it's clear he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. In my mind, the film is hilarious, but I also understand how it isn't for everyone and the rating from that many critics doesn't surprise me.

Basically, if the film is directed by someone I'm fond of or if it's a subject matter I'm fond of etc., I'll see it no matter what the review. If I'm unsure going in, however, I'll rely on Rotten Tomatoes to give me the gist before I jump in to a potentially crappy movie.