Join us for our annual celebration of the birth and death of The Dissolve, a movie website and community that gets better with age.
This is an invitation to all Solutors – regulars, irregulars, lurkers alike – to join an easy movie recommendation exchange. No prerequisites other than a love for watching movies.
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 (January 8th), 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.” Here are several previous unwrapping threads to give some idea of how people responded 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
- Nobody needs to spend money. When you sign up, say if you have preferred services (e.g. Netflix, Amazon, Kanopy, Disney+, strong library collection) and try to work within your recipient’s preferences when making your recommendation.
- 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.
- Commit to watching your gift. 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
That One Thing. Sometimes it’s just one thing in a movie that lingers in the brain – for good or bad. Do you need somebody to see that 35mm long take in Atonement? Maybe you can’t believe Jake Gyllenhaal was allowed to play his character that way in Okja. Maybe you were dozing during Harlan County, USA until the confrontation in the dark of night. Recommend a movie that has an element – a scene, actor, plot twist or other choice – that overshadows everything else, for better or for worse. The theme is 100% optional, use it or ignore it as it helps with your recommendation. (Pro tip: You don’t have to reveal what the One Thing is when you give it!)
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 14). Next will come an article with the (randomly created) order of gifting.
- Monday, June 14: 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 18: All gifts finalized. Now time to watch your gift.
- Friday, July 9: 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 wield that colossal power as you see fit.
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 another Movie Gifting.
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 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 Turner and Hooch or whatever.
Participants (updating)
Here is where I will list that 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 by copy/pasting from inside the dashes – @The Ploughman:disqus – if necessary)! Remember – this is NOT the gifting order. That will be posted in a separate article.
The Ploughman, vomas, wallflower, essie, Simon DelMonte, The Narrator, scb0212, Ruck Cohlchez, pico, mr_apollo, Miller, Julius Kassendorf, John Bruni, Babalugats, Cliffy73, Gillianren, Casper, Drunk Napoleon, Son of Griff, The Psychic Johnny Smith, Man with a robot arm, ZoeZ, Jetpack Giraffe, Rosy Fingers, DJ JD, Jake Gittes, lowRes_Triangle_of_+1_Charisma, Accidental Star Trek Cosplay, clytie