I recently realized that my personal philosophy when it comes to films could be translated into a mathematical equation. When it comes to movies -- particularly the summer blockbuster season -- I usually like to think that "the more hyped a movie is, the less I see of it ahead of time, the better." Translated for my fellow math geeks:

E (potential enjoyment) = [H (Hype) + W (Word of Mouth)] - X (Exposure)

or: E = (H+W) - X

Using this formula I saw films like the original Matrix, Boondock Saints, the Departed, and most recently Inception, and wound up with a huge gaping hole in the back of my skull where my mind had spontaneously combusted.* Pretty much this causes my expectations of a film to be kept at a minimum, which could otherwise result in disappointment when the film doesn't live up to the hype. Inversely, this also has caused me to enjoy some crappier films that other people hated, but I digress.

(on the down side, this inevitably left me in the dark about a lot of upcoming films -- I didn't know about Inception until a week before its release)

It used to be really hard to do, but now that most all I watch on TV comes through Netflix on my 360, I don't have to deal with the random commercial/trailer popping up and spoiling anything about the film. If there's one thing I despise more than anything else it's a film trailer that supplies a complete synopsis of the film, including the climax and any plot twists.

Take, for example, the trailer for Drag Me To Hell -- wait, is that the last five seconds of the film wherein the ultimate plot twist is revealed which completely changes the outcome right there in the trailer? Why, yes it is! Or hey, it's the trailer for Kill Bill 2, which --


Great job there, producers. Now I don't have to see these movies. (but I still did... sigh)

So I'm curious: does this formula apply to anyone else? I'd like to know if this is a sort of universal equation for film enjoyment, or if this is something that really only applies to my own habits.



*

Being a lazy sod and all, I never bother to keep up with trailers or hype.
My only exposure to movies, before seeing them, comes from GRD really...

So I suppose I subscribe to the same principles as you, only through indolence rather than care.

I try not to see too much about something I am really interested in... sometimes I can not help but learn things I did not want to.

Which works out great for me, with you as my primary source of information...

I usually just go in expecting a movie, and save for projector failure, I usually get one...