by Anne O'Rourke

Created on: August 13, 2009   Last Updated: August 14, 2009

It's not as serious as global warming but it can feel like a disaster when you waste time and money on a bad movie. These are some tips on how to tell in advance if a movie is worth seeing.

One afternoon I went to a movie along with a young intern who recently came to the U.S. from Canada. He took one look at the titles and ratings on the board and said, "Oh that must be good." Unfortunately he didn't have a magic system. He just thought R and NR stood for room and no room.

It's not that simple but there are ways to protect yourself from bad movies. Some of the best advice can be found at the bars and restaurants closest to the theatre. Moviegoers flock to these spots after the movies and discuss the new releases. Actually, the worse the movie, the more they might want to drink. Bartenders, waiters and waitresses often hear what's good and bad at the movies every week. If you stop to eat first, you can tell them where you're headed and find out what people are saying about the movie.

Similarly, standing in line doesn't have to be a waste of time. People are naturally often talking about what they've seen recently so you might hear something valuable. Multiplexes are especially good because you can tell a lot by how the crowd looks coming out of the theatre for the movie you've been thinking about seeing.

One of the best resources is probably the most obvious. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an in-depth guide to all things cinematic fueled by movie fanatics and industry professionals. There are lots of insightful reviews from individual members and links to external reviews from Roger Ebert to The Guardian. The member votes are especially helpful because you can click on the total and see the breakdown by gender and age to see how the people most like you voted.

Lots of brilliant actors make bad movies so I think the director is often a better clue to evaluating if a movie is worth seeing. Of course, there are some exceptions. Anything with Steve Buscemi is usually at least interesting and the Cohen Brothers movies are so diverse it's difficult to know what to expect.

Trailers can be helpful if you're mindful that they are advertisements. Sure, sometimes the trailer uses up all the funny lines but they can help you avoid the worst movies.

Keep these tips in mind. A night out is a terrible thing to waste.

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