Eh, yeah good points from Junker, hype from friends is pretty much critic stuff, but with friends theyve often got similar taste in movies, so yeah ill be more trusting. But with video games, for instance, yeah there are certain reviewers (read: critics) that ive come to trust for good judgement calls, so i trust those few.
Still, on a personal note, the movies i see - those that arent big licenses like Star Wars that im prolly gonna see anyway - i do so either because the trailer fooled/convinced me that it looks cool or interestin, because i know & trust an actor or director, or, most often in my youth, because a group of friends wants to see it. I never got why Jumbie would spend hours lookin at reviews online that might possibly spoil the movie; if you spend that long lookin it up, youre obviously interested, why not give it a shot? Hell, now that the board's here, you can always come trash it here if ya want.
Also, i guess price & convenience affect it, as many of us here saw more movies back in freshman year when there was a dollar-fifty theatre in the Wendy's shopping center, that was cool.
Jack - you sure bout that method? Lotta ones ive seen bootlegged online werent great quality; usin Junker's Minority Report as an example, i dont think id wanna see it the first time in a choppy, possibly unifinished divx file.