How much faith do you put in reviews? - Democratic Underground

SOteric

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Sat Nov-15-03 08:55 PM
Original message

How much faith do you put in reviews?

Of movies, cd's and concerts, books, restaurants, - whatever.

How much faith do you put in formal, professional reviews and are there some you find more consistantly good than others?

Do you prefer them to reviews from friends and acquaintances, or vice versa?

Personally, I've found few formal reviewers in any category that I think have consistently or even frequently represented my tastes and opinions.

I get much better feedback from friends and acquaintances as to whether some new book or the latest film is something I'd like to spend my hard-earned nickels on.

What works for you?

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JanMichael

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Sat Nov-15-03 08:59 PM
Response to Original message

1. Not all that much. I loved the Matrix and it got very mixed reviews.

Both from professional reviewers and the hacks here:-)

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SOteric

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Sat Nov-15-03 09:03 PM
Response to Reply #1

5. I find that a lot, too...

-Even from the hacks here. ;-)

I mean, everyone's got at least slightly different tastes. But there are a couple of folks I know who are more likely to reflect my opinions and tastes than others. If they think it's good, the chances are probably 80/20 that I'll agree.

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La_Serpiente

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Sat Nov-15-03 08:59 PM
Response to Original message

2. I usually look at the writer

and see how their record is. I also look at how the review is written. If it is too pessimistic, I usually think that the writer has something against the artist or writer. I also compare his/her review to other reviewers.

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Monte Carlo

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Sat Nov-15-03 09:00 PM
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3. With most movies, I usually skim through reviews.

Yahoo Movies has a quick sum up from a bunch of movie critics on a single movie - between them all, you can get a fairly good idea if a movie sucks or not.

Not all movies, though. I liked Matrix Reloaded, I don't care what anybody says. All the critics hated Freddy vs. Jason - when have they ever liked those movies, anyway? My method only works in certain occasions.

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rbnyc

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Sat Nov-15-03 09:02 PM
Response to Original message

4. I have a few pwople that I really trust...

...when it comes to movies, music and books. My dad, my husband's guitar player Tom, My best friend Amy, and Khephra.

I don't trust formal reviews at all.

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SOteric

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Sat Nov-15-03 09:06 PM
Response to Reply #4

8. That's pretty much how I feel, too.

I've rarely read a professional review of anything that I agreed with. And when I did, the next review from that writer would be a clunker from my standpoint.

I have a few trusted souls who most often reflect my tastes and opinions. It's not out of the question that they'll occasionally hate something I loved, or love something I'll hate. But the frequency of that is amazingly low.

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Deja Q

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Sat Nov-15-03 09:03 PM
Response to Original message

6. Little. If the company doesn't make a try-b4-u-buy, then

I don't bother. And 30 second tv adverts don't cut it.

However, I am likely to listen to close friends, albeit with my penchant for sticking to things I currently like, it might be a few months before I go and do what they suggest. :-) (like X2, which should have been out on DVD before Matrix2...)

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Don_G

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Sat Nov-15-03 09:05 PM
Response to Original message

7. Zero On Entertainment

Quite a bit if they're reviewing tools, cars and anything else that requires analysis backed up by factual data.

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