This is an invitation to all Soluters – regulars, irregulars, lurkers alike – to join an easy movie recommendation exchange. No prerequisites other than a love for watching movies.

Make sure to stay tuned for information on the location of Unwrapping Day this year!

What It Is

You “give” a movie to someone – meaning you will recommend a title to watch. You will also receive a “gift” – meaning a recommendation for a movie for you to watch. On Unwrapping Day (July 12th), watch for the Movie Gifts article and post your thoughts on the film that was gifted to you – it can be as elaborate as a few paragraphs or as simple as a “Thanks.” You can see links below in the FAQ for examples how people have written about their gifts, but there’s no “right” way. After everybody has had a chance to sign up, a list will be randomly generated that tells who you are giving/receiving a title to/from.

Just 3 Rules

1. Nobody needs to spend money. When you sign up, say if you have preferred services (e.g. Netflix, Amazon, Kanopy, Disney+,  library, etc) and try to work within your recipient’s preferences when making your recommendation.
2. You may “return” your title. If you’ve already seen the film given to you, have no (reasonable) way of seeing the film or you have a visceral objection or trigger concern around watching it, you can “return” it and request another title from your giver. You do not have to give a reason but please don’t do a return just because you don’t think you’ll like it – this is a good opportunity to try new things.
3. Commit to watching your gift and posting on (or near) the Unwrapping Day. You will have about a month to watch your gift. Put a note on the calendar, reminders in the phone, strings on the finger as needed. I’ll put up periodic reminders but watching the film is not just for your benefit, but for the person who gave you the recommendation.

Optional Theme

Used to Be My Favorite: Recommending a favorite movie should be de rigueur around here. But what about those movies you used to tout but haven’t for a while either because you’ve moved on or maybe you haven’t revisited it yourself? Did you insist everyone watch Fight Club in 2000 but haven’t seen it in a decade? Has your love for Muppets from Space been kept hidden for too long? Did Super Size Me change your diet and then get cast aside? A chance for rediscovery, or to laugh over a snapshot of your former self.

As always, the theme is optional so use it as far as it helps you come up with a title, or ignore it entirely.

How to Participate

Simply state “I’m in!” in the comments below and your watching preferences if any. I’ll keep updating this post with everybody who’s in – make sure your name is in that list by next Monday (June 12). Next will come an article with the (randomly created) order of gifting.

• Monday, June 17: All participants signed up by this day. Gifting list will be posted in its own article. Under this article is where we will give and receive our gifts. Please be prompt about giving your gift in case it needs to be returned. Please post an acceptance when you’ve received your gift so I know you’re good to go.
• Friday, June 21: All gifts finalized. Now time to watch your gift.
• Friday, July 12: Unwrapping Day! An article will be posted in the morning for everybody to leave their comments on the film they were given.

FAQ (updated as needed)

Am I supposed to give something I know the other person will like? Or something I want to inflict upon them?

Short answer: however you want to approach it. Personally, I’ll try and tailor my rec to the person I’m giving to if I can but, much like the theme, it’s optional. The guiding principle here is the recommendation that can’t be refused and you can use that power to bring joy or tears (or both).

I don’t usually post in the daily threads / I know someone who doesn’t post here. Can I / they participate?

Absolutely! So long as you’ll watch the gift and post your reaction, we’re happy to have you.

How is the order chosen? Will I give to the same person I receive from?

The order is determined by a random list generator. You will receive from someone and give to another. The only time I override the generator is to keep someone from giving to the same person as they did in a previous Movie Gifting.

What’s required for my gift response?

There’s no set way to respond. We’ve had quick summaries with a statement of whether the watcher liked it all the way to full articles and song playlists inspired by the gifted movie. Here’s links to previous Unwrapping Days for examples aplenty: July 2018 / Holidays 2018 / July 2019 / Holidays 2019 / July 2020 / Holidays 2020 / July 2021 / Holidays 2021 / July 2022 / Holidays 2022 / July 2023 / Holidays 2023

I want to join but I don’t know if I will be available on Unwrapping Day!

No problem – you can post your unwrapping later in the day or have someone post your comment on your behalf that morning (indicate your need to do this in your sign-up post). If there’s going to be a delay, give me a heads up just so I don’t hound you to the ends of the Internet looking for your thoughts on Requiem for a Dream or whatever.

Participants

This is an updating list of people who have said they want to participate. If you don’t see your name here and you want to be a part of this, make sure to say so in the comments below (tag me [@The Ploughman] if necessary)! Remember – this is NOT the gifting order. That will be posted in a separate article.

The Ploughman, essie, Simon DelMonte, vomas, Cliffy73, Miller, nikmarov, Pico, Conor Crockford, silverwheel, Ruck Cohlchez, The Narrator, Gillianren, mr_apollo, John Anderson, ZoeZ, Johnny Smith, Jroberts548, Mentok the Mindtaker, Jetpack Giraffe, thesplitsaber, Rosy Fingers