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It’s hard to keep up with the onslaught of movie releases these days. It seems that the movie studios practically conspire to drown us in a tidal wave of big-screen entertainment.
But, fear not. In this article, I’m going to give you three valuable resources that you can use to start saving your time and money while still enjoying the best movies that the studios have to offer.
If you’re ready, let’s get started…
You’ve likely heard of Roger Ebert. He is one of the most popular and influential movie critics alive. A movie can flourish or fail at the box office based solely upon what Ebert says about the movie. His ability to dissect a movie, analyze it and offer a fair review has led many savvy moviegoers to consult this site prior to choosing a movie to watch.
2. http://www.rottentomatoes.com
Relying upon the verdict of merely one critic may seem foolhardy to you. If that’s the case, you’ll enjoy this site. It gathers the reviews of dozens of movie critics (some are well-known, high-profile critics) and issues a “Tomatometer” rating based upon the consensus. Use this site as a barometer of how a movie is generally received by movie critics.
3. http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies.html
James Berardinelli started his movie review career from humble beginnings, but quickly earned the respect of other critics like Roger Ebert. Today, Berardinelli is considered one of the most credible movie reviewers online. One of the benefits of reading Berardinelli’s reviews is that he often disagrees with Ebert. Rather than having to choose sides, you’ll likely find both critics offer great arguments and reading their reviews offers different perspectives on the same movie.
One last tip to make your moviegoing experiences as good as it can be…
If you find that a new movie has not been reviewed by Roger Ebert or James Berardinelli, avoid seeing that movie. These two critics are extremely dedicated to their work. If they have not reviewed a movie at the time of its release, it is likely that the studio responsible for the movie did not offer pre-screenings for movie critics. That is usually a sign that the studio lacks confidence in the movie and wants to make as much money as possible on the movie’s release weekend before the movie dies.
I’ve given you three online resources that you can use (starting this weekend) to save your time and money by avoiding bad films. While Ebert and Berardinelli offer critical reviews that dig deep into a movie in order to analyze it, RottenTomatoes.com offers a general barometer so you can get a feeling of the general consensus of movie critics about a movie.
Each of the three resources mentioned in this article offer comprehensive archives. Use these archives to test whether you agree with Ebert, Berardinelli and RottenTomatoes on past films. If you find you DO agree, you can feel comfortable placing your trust in these resources for future movie picks.
Hopefully, you can use the resources above to make the most of your next moviegoing experience.
About the Author
Michael A. Lewis writes about the moviegoing experience at where he offers links to movie reviews so you can easily keep track of your favorite new films.
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