# Doper Help for Movie Recommendations Needed **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 25, 2007, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535 "2007-04-25T00:15:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/1 "2007-04-25T00:15:14Z")
My Blockbuster queue is almost empty!! (Okay, I filled it up with West Wing, which, apparently, you cannot rent just _one_ season of). Anyway, I’ll tell you which movies I love, and you recommend what you think I’ll like: A Knight’s Tale Shawshank Redemption Chicago The Green Mile The Princess Bride Forrest Gump Glory These are the movies I can watch again and again, without tiring of them. What should I add to my queue? If you have any questions about other movies I’ve enjoyed, I’ll gladly answer them. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/2 "2007-04-25T00:18:43Z")
Have you seen the two _Pirates of the Caribbean_ movies yet? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/3 "2007-04-25T00:28:40Z")
[This recommendation service](http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Recommendations/) at IMDB is pretty good but also really well hidden. Tell them a movie you like and a formula works out others like it. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/4 "2007-04-25T00:33:50Z")
[Time Bandits](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081633/) and, if you like Bogart movies, [The Cheap Detective.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077321/) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/5 "2007-04-25T00:37:08Z")
Check out what the reccomendation service gave me for [Ivanhoe.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051286/recommendations) The Princess Bride? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/6 "2007-04-25T00:50:01Z")
[QUOTE=pinkfreud] Have you seen the two _Pirates of the Caribbean_ movies yet? [/QUOTE] I saw (and enjoyed) the first one. Haven’t seen the second one, in spite of the fact that we own it. Maybe it’s due for a look. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/7 "2007-04-25T00:52:06Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] [Time Bandits](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081633/) and, if you like Bogart movies, [The Cheap Detective.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077321/) [/QUOTE] Never really developed an appreciation for Bogart. But I just added Time Bandits to my queue. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/8 "2007-04-25T02:15:57Z")
[QUOTE=norinew] I saw (and enjoyed) the first one. Haven’t seen the second one, in spite of the fact that we own it. Maybe it’s due for a look. [/QUOTE] It’s actually not really worth that look. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/9 "2007-04-25T02:19:56Z")
[QUOTE=norinew] My Blockbuster queue is almost empty!! (Okay, I filled it up with West Wing, which, apparently, you cannot rent just _one_ season of). Anyway, I’ll tell you which movies I love, and you recommend what you think I’ll like: A Knight’s Tale Shawshank Redemption Chicago The Green Mile The Princess Bride Forrest Gump Glory These are the movies I can watch again and again, without tiring of them. What should I add to my queue? If you have any questions about other movies I’ve enjoyed, I’ll gladly answer them. [/QUOTE] If you liked Shawshank, Green Miles, and Gump… maybe Meet Joe Black, American Beauty, A Beautiful Mind? ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/10 "2007-04-25T02:49:52Z")
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Red Violin Cinderella Man Heaven Can Wait - Warren Beatty Pride & Prejudice Love, Actually Most are a little upbeat ---
**Author:** ![weezydoberman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5f9b8f/32.png) [@weezydoberman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weezydoberman)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/11 "2007-04-25T03:54:15Z")
Check out “The Guardian” and “Secondhand Lions” both sleepers, surprised me but really enjoyed both. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/12 "2007-04-25T03:56:02Z")
A good rule of thumb is to take some movies you like, find out who the driving creative force behind it was (the “auteur” – other people on the board understand it far better than me, but usually it’s the director or the screenwriter), and then find other things they’ve done. So try that route. Looking at your queue, it looks like you like a couple things based on Stephen King novels – check out some more based on his stuff. Or, since you liked Shawshank, look for more movies by Frank Darabont. Since you liked Princess Bride, you might enjoy Marathon Man…etc. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/13 "2007-04-25T04:32:42Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] [This recommendation service](http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Recommendations/) at IMDB is pretty good but also really well hidden. Tell them a movie you like and a formula works out others like it. [/QUOTE] Also, if you rate movies you’ve seen on Netflix, it will start showing recommendations. After a couple hundred ratings, I have more recs than I need and they are pretty accurate . . . A little too accurate – I own a fair percentage already. ---
**Author:** ![weezydoberman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5f9b8f/32.png) [@weezydoberman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weezydoberman)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/14 "2007-04-25T04:37:10Z")
I have Netfilx and I love the rating system and the recommendations have been great movies for me. Some I would never have rented on my own. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/15 "2007-04-25T04:51:53Z")
**Cast Away** - reteams Tom Hanks with _Gump_ director Robert Zemeckis. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/16 "2007-04-25T11:44:59Z")
[QUOTE=Reply] If you liked Shawshank, Green Miles, and Gump… maybe Meet Joe Black, American Beauty, A Beautiful Mind? [/QUOTE] I saw (twice, actually) and really enjoyed A Beautiful Mind (I don’t let the idea that Crowe is a total dick distract me from enjoying his stuff). May have to try American Beauty. **Rodgers01** , I do that sometimes. I often enjoy Rob Reiner’s work. > [@Tangent](#): > > Cast Away - reteams Tom Hanks with Gump director Robert Zemeckis. Yeah. I like Hanks, and Zemeckis. Unfortunately, Castaway was a bit of a disappointment. I’m not sorry I watched it, but it could have been _much_ better, and if I run across it on TV, the only stuff I’ll watch again is the middle where he’s on the island. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/17 "2007-04-25T12:20:07Z")
[QUOTE=norinew] Yeah. I like Hanks, and Zemeckis. Unfortunately, Castaway was a bit of a disappointment. I’m not sorry I watched it, but it could have been _much_ better, and if I run across it on TV, the only stuff I’ll watch again is the middle where he’s on the island. [/QUOTE] See, I think the best part is after he gets off the island. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/18 "2007-04-25T14:12:54Z")
[QUOTE=Tangent] See, I think the best part is after he gets off the island. 🆒 [/QUOTE] I’ll admit the scene on the raft, where we see the whales, took my breath away. Unfortunately, for me, it was downhill from there. But hey, different strokes and all. ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/19 "2007-04-25T16:02:47Z")
Thought of a couple more you might like. About A Boy Full Monty ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535/20 "2007-04-25T19:04:51Z")
[QUOTE=Caridwen] Thought of a couple more you might like. About A Boy Full Monty [/QUOTE] I’ve seen (and enjoyed) The Full Monty. Just added About A Boy to the queue. Thanks! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-help-for-movie-recommendations-needed/401535.md?page=2)