What is your strategy to picking good movies and dodging bad movies?

Trust directors' names more than actors' when it comes to movie quality.

Generally, look for movies being released October-January. Outside of this period, there are usually only a handful of good movies.

Avoid the horror genre, with very few exceptions.

Avoid the "comedy" genre, with very few exceptions.

I watch them anyways. Sometimes you can find a gem.

I've sat through Manos: the hands of fate.

I can take anything.

IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes reviews. And I rarely watch a movie in a theater. And the Movie Board opinions.

To some extent I am not afraid to watch a bad movie. Some premises will seem lame to me on the face of it. I'll avoid those. So if I'm watching a movie typically I at least like the premise or it's a genre that I'm in the mood to watch. If it ends up being not that great then I probably enjoyed it on some level anyway. I just will probably avoid watching it again. I don't re-watch movies very much anyway but still.

For example, I enjoy science fiction of all kind. I'll watch most, good or bad, that I come across and still find it entertaining. If it happens to be good then it's a pleasent surprise. If it isn't that great then I'm not disappointed. All things being constant.

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I watch them anyways. Sometimes you can find a gem.

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Exactly. Finding the gems are worth sitting through the bad ones. I think knowing about and finding those obscure gems is fun.

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I've sat through Manos: the hands of fate.

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This is one bad movie that I haven't seen. When I was in college a roommate of mine had a pretty extensive collection of bad movies. Some incredibly obscure. Some the more recognized cult ones. It's entertaining in its own way.

You can get an idea from a trailer and a synopsis

I actually don't mind bad movies

I watch for myself.. And decide

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What is your strategy to picking good movies and dodging bad movies?
Share your strategies which may help any other one of us more than you know.

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Don't be too discerning. Spend time watching LOTS of films before you know how to spot a bad one effectively. Watch anything and everything for the most part. Learn how to quit if it does suck. learn how to spot a movie that knows exactly what it is.

And regardless of that, never worry about the possibility of a bad film, watch it, enjoy the time and effort people put into something in a medium you must like (if you're taking the time to watch a movie), and learn something so you have a better idea next time.

But don't necessarily avoid bad films on purpose. That's just a bad habit.

I generally only watch movies on the big screen with monster sound systems that that is the best way to enjoy them like the super hero movies, war movies, and sci-fi.

Not gonna waste money on going to see a generic comedy or horror movie in a movie theater when watching it on such a large screen adds nothing to the experience.

To answer a question from above about the Oct-Jan time frame about movie releases: Most studios put out their best movies during this time frame so that the films are fresh in the minds of the voters since the award season is right around the corner.

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Trust directors' names more than actors' when it comes to movie quality. Generally, look for movies being released October-January. Outside of this period, there are usually only a handful of good movies. Avoid the horror genre, with very few exceptions. Avoid the "comedy" genre, with very few exceptions.

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took the words right out of my mouth. Around late September you'll start to see a trickle of really qulaity stuff coming out, then by Late November is when stuff gets really good.

Always look who directed the movie, if he's done good stuff in the past chances are he'll do it again.

Summer Blockbusters are a bit harder to predict and I usually go by trailer and reviews on those, especially Rotten Tomatoes. Sometimes though a big summer movie can look awesome because of the cast and turn out to be total shite. Mostly though on those you can really tell by the trailers.

Also, if it's a big budget looking movie, or a big name filmmaker and it gets a mid January/Feb release date...it's going to be shite. This is the time of year studios dump their crap on the masses and pray they make a profit. Also the slowest time of Box Office, everyone is tapped out from Christmas and has probably been to the theater alot during the holidays to see all the quality stuff. This is why When the Coens last movie "Hail Caesar" got a Feb release you knew it was going to suck.