# Do you like reading reviews? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 21, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279 "2014-11-21T18:53:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/1 "2014-11-21T18:53:26Z")
I love reading book and movie reviews. I used to read video game reviews even though I wasn’t much of a gamer. I was reading book reviews on Goodreads last night and stumbled across [this one](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/891814.Fires_of_Winter). I don’t think you have to be a past or present reader of romance to enjoy this review. What are your favorite reviews or review sites? Do you read them for fun or for ideas about what to buy/use/watch? ---
**Author:** ![Zorkmid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e68b1a/32.png) [@Zorkmid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zorkmid)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/2 "2014-11-21T19:07:00Z")
I like reading product reviews on sites like Amazon and QVC, just because they can be anything from an intelligent write-up about an item’s features and flaws to NOT THE SHADE OF GREEN THAT I THOUGHT IT WOOULD BE IT SUX ZERO STARS!!! Especially Amazon reviews for more offbeat items. If I’m on the fence about buying something, or choosing between two similar things, a lot of times I use the reviews to decide yes/no or this one/that one. I like movie reviews too, and since I don’t have the time or patience to watch them in the theaters I look for ones I’d like to get on DVD later. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/3 "2014-11-21T19:11:19Z")
I love reading movie reviews, but only after I have seen the movie. Too many reviews contain major spoilers. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/4 "2014-11-21T19:14:50Z")
> [@Labdad](#): > > I love reading movie reviews, but only after I have seen the movie. Too many reviews contain major spoilers. I like reading reviews after movies or books, too, though I’m not as sensitive to spoilers as some/most people. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/5 "2014-11-21T19:21:29Z")
I like reading bad-movie and B-movie reviews on sites like Jabootu and the Agony Booth. I’ve even written a few. Regular reviews of movies that have just come out, no. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/6 "2014-11-21T19:34:23Z")
Yes, book reviews, restaurant reviews, film reviews, etc. Amazon has some great ones. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/7 "2014-11-21T19:37:36Z")
I tend to skim reviews of games and movies before I see them, looking for some key language that matches with things I enjoy, and skipping paragraphs that look like they’re full of spoilers. After I’ve read or played something, I enjoy reading reviews, first because it’s always nice to have my opinion validated, second because a little recreational outrage at the philistines who disagree with me is fun, and third because sometimes a reviewer sees something I don’t, and that’s cool. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/8 "2014-11-21T19:42:18Z")
I usually make a habit of reading the reviews at [AVclub.com](http://AVclub.com) for plenty of my favorite tv shows (and some movies) after I view them. Book reviews I depend on usually before buying/reading, because the time/money investment is usually greater, and I’d rather not waste it on a crap book. ---
**Author:** ![SDarbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@SDarbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SDarbo)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/9 "2014-11-21T19:44:04Z")
Movies, books, TV shows, products. Products I read before purchase and after. Movies books and TVs I tend to be careful about reading. They’re helpful in picking a show to watch but I had some major plot points revealed in Dexter and several other shows that did really spoil. A lot of that was actually headlines in entertainment pieces that were hard to avoid. I really like reviews where somebody lays a template on a show or book that really fits and I didn’t perceive on my own as to what it was about or what the symbolic import might have been. Nitpicks and continuity errors are less fun but they are OK. Behind the scenes, how the casting was done, the writer’s, creator’s, star’s background and inspirations for the story are OK too. I read a review of American Horror Story season 2 after I’d seen it that would have likely caused me to avoid the series. I’m glad I didn’t avoid it. The thing was the events that occurred within the first three episodes sound like way to much stuff introduced haphazardly and the reviewer said so. Seeing it though in the a receptive mode, it ws rich but not to much. And it is a jagged sort of show. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/10 "2014-11-21T19:46:02Z")
I enjoy reading reviews of movies that are terrible. [For example](http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/eberts-most-hated). ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/11 "2014-11-21T19:48:28Z")
I read TV reviews. Lots of times to hit me over the head with the nuances I just missed. I definitely read product reviews. I have a hard time buying anything without them! ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/12 "2014-11-21T19:56:28Z")
I spend more time reading classical CD reviews than actually listening to the ones I have. As soon as I’ve bought some, I’m already planning my next order. Sigh… ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/13 "2014-11-21T20:06:39Z")
I read all the non-fiction book reviews in the Times and all the movie reviews, and even video game and TV reviews though the chance of me playing the games is nil. And all the book review columns in sf magazines, though nothing today rises to the work that Knight, Blish and Budrys did. Reading and remembering reviews is one reason I’m good at trivia - I’d never have the time to read or watch all that stuff, and trivia questions usually only cover things you can get from reviews. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/14 "2014-11-21T20:56:29Z")
I love reading reviews of shows after I’ve watched them. In fact, sometimes it’s tough for me to resist the temptation to do so immediately afterward (which, given that I’m generally watching late rebroadcasts or on my DVR, is possible more often than not). I mean, I want to know what someone else thought, but I’d like to kind of reflect on my own opinion before doing so. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/15 "2014-11-21T22:54:36Z")
I loved reading Roger Ebert. My go-to guy for movie reviews. Since his passing, I don’t read any critics. They just don’t seem to have the depth of knowledge, intelligence and humor he did. I do check what other people here say about stuff, but that’s nearly it. Consider yourselves as a collective Ebert. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2014, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/16 "2014-11-22T00:57:01Z")
Yes. Mostly book & tv reviews. For romance book reviews, I recommend the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books blog. [Here’s a link to their most popular reviews.](http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2014/04/10-years-of-bitchery-april-retrospective/) ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2014, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/17 "2014-11-22T01:03:49Z")
I love reading reviews and deep discussions of movies and TV shows after I have seen them. I like Amazon and the AV Club, and Alan Seppinwall. Even Tom and Lorenzo. They do an AMAZING job dissecting the clothing choices on Mad Men - not just the styles, but the colors, how they inter connect, and what they mean. I am in awe… And reviews and discussion of things here at the Straight Dope, which I have been reading for many many many years. I also like to write reviews, and I do a marvelous job, if I do say so myself. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2014, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/18 "2014-11-22T01:05:49Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I loved reading Roger Ebert. My go-to guy for movie reviews. Since his passing, I don’t read any critics. They just don’t seem to have the depth of knowledge, intelligence and humor he did. That about sums it up for me too. Despite several recommendations from several people, I’ve not found anyone who’s as fun to read as Ebert was. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2014, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/19 "2014-11-22T02:54:01Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > I usually make a habit of reading the reviews at [AVclub.com](http://AVclub.com) for plenty of my favorite tv shows (and some movies) after I view them. This is my routine as well. I also used to make a habit of checking Alan Sepinwall’s reviews over at HitFix; he seems to have had some health issues this year, so he’s not been as prolific and I’ve given up on checking HitFix for the moment; quality amongst the rest of the writing staff can be a bit hit or miss for me. To some extent, Vulture has picked up some of the slack, though. On the AV Club, at least for shows that aren’t outrageously popular (read: Game of Thrones), I’m also known to get into the discussion here and there; the commenting system is a bit more short form and real(ish) time than the SDMB, so it can be a bit easier to get into a chat even if even if I don’t have anything particularly meaty to say. ETA: Oh, I also enjoy listening to review podcasts of things, to the extent they’re out there. The Incomparable is probably my single biggest source of book recommendations after this board. In fact, other than The Incomparable and this board, I’m not quite sure how I ever figure out what to read. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2014, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279/20 "2014-11-22T02:58:50Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > I usually make a habit of reading the reviews at [AVclub.com](http://AVclub.com) for plenty of my favorite tv shows (and some movies) after I view them. Definitely! Some of their reviewers are humdrum (I don’t much like the reviewer for Gotham at all, too fannish of Batman canon for my tastes), but others are wonderful. Several of the reviews of Justified episodes have felt like full on art criticism, adding a wonderful dimension to the show that I would’ve totally missed out on otherwise. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-reading-reviews/705279.md?page=2)