THiNC. Bespoke Movie Recommendations – #1 Wherein I create a handcrafted movie recommendation list to meet the specific person that they are intended for. But – never fear – they will probably be great suggestions for you as well.
Recently I tossed a survey your direction (which you can find right here, I’m still looking for more amazing responses) and got a ton of brilliance from you guys. Ideas for how to make the site better. And ideas on how to keep it financially viable. Yup, I’m thinking about adding a patreon angle to the site. But one of the big – ooh la la – takeaways from the 5 question survey was Bespoke Movie Recommendations. Most of you loved that idea. So, I figured I’d try one out here, and see what you guys think of what they might look like. And then I probably will shove them behind a paywall because I suck like that. Hahaha. Nah. I just figure it would be a super cool column to do… see, here’s how it would work.
Everyone that signs up to be a reward member at a $5 a month level (come on, you paid that much in whip cream alone for your Starbucks coffees this month) will be open to participate. I’ll sort of talk with you a little bit (via chat, via text, via email, whatever) and I will get a feeling for the kind of movies you are into. This time I talked my hair cutter into being our first guinea pig. But maybe next time it’ll be you. And then I will craft a list of movies based on our conversation and based on what I’m feeling you might be into. And then we’ll share it out with all the $5 subscribers. Get it? That way, if they are even a little bit like you, they might enjoy the movie list too.
Everyone, meet Amy*. Amy… meet, uh, Everyone.
Great, now that we have introductions out of the way. Half of these details were culled from the conversation I had with Amy whilst getting my haircut. And then, realizing that I wanted to do a test run Bespoke Movie Selection for someone test drive, I reached back out to Amy and asked if she was cool with my sharing our conversation, and then I plumbed for a few more details too.
Early on in my haircut, Amy started riffing about the Discovery Channel Shark Week craziness going on on the TV above my head. Then she pivoted to talking about her dog, and how her dog chases phantoms in her house regularly. The conversation from there went something like this:
Amy, “I really think my Mom has lived her whole life oppressed, or haunted or, I don’t know. Attacked by phantom things in her life. We kids thought it was us, but it stayed with her after we all moved out. But I just love movies about people trying to talk to the other side. Or, no, that isn’t right, being talked to by the other side, or something like that.”
THiNC. “Huh. Dude, you are über. I’ve only recently caught the horror/thriller bug in the last few years with people on my site shoving them down my throat. But I’ve gotten into them.”
Amy, “Nice. There was this one time, when I was in my teens, maybe a little older, and I had this clown, doll thing. And it just automatically started laughing in the night?”
THiNC. “Nope. I’d nope right out of there. No thank you.”
Amy, “Yeah, I took it – it was like 2 in the morning – and put it out on the dining room table.”
THiNC. “Wise life choice.”
Amy, “Yeah, but when I woke up at 6? The clown was back. And everyone was still asleep.”
THiNC. “HAHAHAh…stuff of nightmares.”
Amy, “Seriously, and I woke everyone up to ask who moved it? No one touched it.”
THiNC. “I think that is the scariest thing I’ve ever heard of. I’ve never really had anything like that happen to me. I mean, I went into a bathroom with a bunch of friends in elementary school and chanted REDRUM REDRUM into the mirror and the ten of us just ended up mauling each other bloody trying to get out when someone got scared and flipped out.”
Amy, “I haven’t ever tried that. But anytime I watch a scary movie with my boyfriend he comes unglued. The only way I can get him to watch is if other people are over. And then he’ll force himself to participate.”
THiNC. “The other day, a few friends and I, we watched Host while on a zoom call…that was a ton of fun. (She hadn’t heard of Host – so, like the gentleman that I am, I explained it to her.)
Amy, “I DO NOT LIKE JUMP SCARES. Not the kind of horror films I’m into.”
THiNC. “Hahah, then Host is not for you. I actually think I know the perfect movie for you (I literally said all this, even before I decided I was going to ask her to do this. I am a movie geek.) – it’s called Amulet. I just watched it yesterday, and am planning to write it up for my site (which, I am.).
Amy, “So, a story about revenge, forgiveness, and dark things?
THiNC. “Sort of, yeah, I really can’t say much about it because the best part is the discovery. It’s really intense. Sounds like it’d give you a run for your money. Oh, and A Dark Song, too. I should stop. But write that one down.”
At this point, we finished up my haircut, and then I called her back and asked her if I could use her as inspiration for this post…which she was cool with. Then I asked her a few questions about her movie preferences, and once I thought I had her to a T, I said my goodbyes. She was happy to be involved as long as I sent her the link to the list after I posted it. And so, with that said, here is my FIRST EVER, bespoke movie list – edition #1. I will do my best to sprinkle in movies that I haven’t already reviewed here on THiNC. let’s see where this takes us.
Movie Recommendation #1 – Amulet – the movie is about a war veteran trying to find his way after the atrocities he’s experienced, while also trying to help someone else simultaneously. I can’t wait to talk about this one. (Great recommendation, as always, deKev.)
watch it on: Redbox rental | Prime rental | iTunes rental
Movie Recommendation #2 – A Dark Song – basically the movie tells the story of a woman who lost her son to some bullies. She is so bereft with grief, she decides she do anything to get revenge. And so she hires someone to help her summon a demon.
watch it on: Prime Rental | Play Rental | Vudu Rental
Movie Recommendation #3 – VVitch – Believing that a witch has cursed their family, pilgrims homesteading on the edge of a primeval New England forest become inordinately paranoid…or are they? I’ve been asked to review this movie 27 times? I enjoyed it, but haven’t gotten around to writing it up.
watch it on: Netflix
Movie Recommendation #4 – The Ritual – the Ritual brings you a group of guys, who are heading into the woods. But they are doing so after a horrible tragedy occurred, and a few of them might be hoping for some sort of redemption? But they definitely don’t find redemption in the woods, they might be lucky to survive it.
watch it on: Netflix
Movie Recommendation #5 – Ringu – this is the original Japanese version of the popular American remake The Ring. Ringu is definitely way better in that it is grittier, more raw, and was the first movie I’ve ever seen that breaks the pact with viewers that they can remain safe behind that glass screen of theirs. Epic film.
watch it on: shudder | Prime rental | Play rental
Movie Recommendation #6 – Let the Right One In – the list now is sliding away from the supernatural to a more creature feel to it? But I’d be remiss to not add this one to the list. This is quite possibly the best vampire movie ever. It’s a Swedish film that deals with a 12-year-old who is bullied and a girl who comes to defend him.
watch it now on: Microsoft rental | Prime rental | iTunes rental
Movie Recommendation #7 – It Comes At Night – 7 seems like a good place to stop with this particular list! hahaha. This movie is sort of a post apocalyptic, slow burn zombie flick of sorts. But, as with the best movies in this genre, the scariest thing going on here are the uninfected humans that are scared out of their minds.
watch it now on: Netflix
Alright, that will do it for today. I still haven’t figured out how I’m going to physically make the enrollment work, or the donations, or even all of the different rewards I will be dolling out. But I’ve pretty much decided I’m going to try it out – and see how it goes. Thanks everyone for participating in the survey, and thank you for surveying now if you will. You guys are pretty amazing.
*For the record, that isn’t Amy. That’s just stock photography. But it sort of looks Amy Adjacent? hahah.
Edited by: CY