Ten ways to get more enjoyment out of watching movies

Consider yourself a bit of a movie buff? Ed Power has been poring through the latest book from the film critic that John Banville called “the greatest living writer on the movies”. In it, David Thomson shows the regular punter how to really watch a movie

EVERYONE’S a critic. Or at least they can be with help from a new book by acclaimed film writer David Thomson entitled How To Watch A Movie.

Inspired by his musings, here is our cut-out-and-keep guide to seeing movies from a new, smarter perspective this Christmas.

1: Watch Great Movies

The best way to begin your cinematic education this Christmas is by steeping yourself in the classics.

Rewatch Citizen Kane, and The Godfather Parts I and II (and under no accounts go anywhere near part III).

Also, seek out Casablanca, Gone With The Wind and foreign language masterpieces such as Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, Vittorio De Sica’s The Bicycle Thief, Truffaut’s The 400 Blows, and Werner Herzog’s Aguirre, The Wrath Of God (all of which were listed by Martin Scorsese as among the essential foreign films young filmmakers should watch)

2: Don’t Be A Genre Snob

Horror, science fiction, etc, are often disdained as the preserve of the juvenile and emotionally undeveloped.

But they have yielded their share of masterpieces, such as the early movies of Wes Craven (Last House On The Left, The Hills Have Eyes), John Carpenter’s The Thing, the original Star Wars trilogy (we shall conveniently set aside the Ewok-stuffed second half of Return Of The Jedi) and Ridley Scott’s Alien — the perfect hybrid of haunted-house chiller and deep space romp.

Ignore these classics and your appreciation of cinema will be greatly diminished

3: Read Good Film Writing

Americans can be po-faced and precious about the significance of film criticism (as they tend to be about journalism in general).

Nonetheless, a familiarity with good criticism will enhance your abilities to critique cinema.

The inevitable starting point is Paul Kael, film critic for the New Yorker through the ’60s and ’70s.

One suspects her influence is overstated and there’s something disheartening about the degree to which producers and directors sought her favour — when artists dance to the tune of critics, surely they’ve already lost the battle?

Nonetheless, her writing is perceptive and strident, and worth your time.

4: Pay Attention

Film-watching is a passive experience. But not if you want to see it with a critic’s eyes.

Pay attention to the score — does it propel the story forward or distract from events on screen?

Is the film proceeding at an efficient pace? Are all the plot threads tied up in the “third act” — or left dangle in the wind?

5: Sit still, shut up — and put your phone away

It’s an obvious point — but at home it can be difficult to focus on any one thing for extended periods.

You may almost unconsciously start to twiddle with your phone or open your laptop.

But you can’t half watch a film. Either commit all the way or call it quits and focus on your Twitter feed.

6: Ignore the Internet

Online everyone gets their say. But not every opinion is worth your time.

For instance, hardcore fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will defend to the death all of the studio’s superhero movies — even the really awful ones (yes, Age Of Ultron, we mean you). So don’t spend too long picking the brains of the collective.

Your opinion is just as valid, actually it’s even more valid, because it’s yours.

Above all, sit down to the film with an open mind. It may have been panned or extravagantly praised — try not to let this background noise distract.

7: Consider camera angles and lighting

What does the director’s choice of shot say about the message he is seeking to convey?

Why use a close-up rather than a wider angle?

Every frame and cut is a conscious decision — consider why the director opted for one over the other.

8: Watch On As Big A Screen As Possible

Stanley Kubrick did not intend for The Shining to be enjoyed on an iPhone.

Where possible, always watch a film on a big screen — a cinema preferably but, failing that, at least on a decent sized television.

Any smaller and you risk missing out on a crucial part of the experience.

9: Avoid Trailers

Okay this is essentially impossible.

But trailers are often packed with spoilers (see the recent promo for Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice) and in general suck all the surprise out of a movie.

Go without, if you can manage it.

10: Don’t Over Think It!

The best movies are more than the sum of their parts. The original Star Wars was weighed down by hackneyed dialogue, a predictable plot and some spotty acting.

But it was still tremendous fun — triumphing because it appealed unabashedly to our sense of wonderment.

If you like a movie, go with your gut. Don’t try to break it down.

How To Watch a Movie by David Thomson is published by Profile Books.