Easynomics at the Movies – See Shaun the Sheep, Adam Sandler Sucks As Usual

Easynomics at the Movies (August 6, 2015)

If you’re like me, you love going to the movies! But your time is valuable, and it’s important that you avoid disappointments. Fortunately, there are great tools out there to identify movies that are high quality. From time to time, I plan to post here some movies (currently playing in theaters) that “make the cut” according to my preferred criteria. I hope it can help a few of you out there when you’re making the decision about what to see on a date night or night out with friends.

My goal with this feature is to identify movies of substance that you will have a high probability of enjoying (and those so bad they’re worth making fun of)

Here’s how I arrive at my list of recommended movies:

The universe of movies I consider come from the following lists of movies currently in theaters:
- Latest Box Office Top 10
- Top 50 Ranked Movies from IMDB rated by “Moviemeter” (i.e., movies with “buzz”)
- Top 12 Movies from IMDB rated by users (i.e., how much the average person liked the movie)
- Top 10 Movies from Metacritic that are in wide release (i.e., how much critics liked the movie)
I take a weighted average of two ratings for each movie:
- IMDB rating by users (i.e., how much the average person liked the movie) – double weighted
- Metacritic rating (i.e., how much critics liked the movie) – single weighted
I list and recommend movies with an average rating of at least 7.25 and that have at least 6.75 for each of the two ratings I use
Critics Consensus statements comes from Rotten Tomatoes
NOTE: I only consider movies for which IMDB has at least 1,000 ratings, Metacritic has at least 10 reviews and movie shows in >200 theaters

Guaranteed Classic

Criteria: Avg. at least 8.75 – Both ratings at least 8.0

Movie	Basic Story (from IMDB.com)	Critics’ Consensus (from Rotten Tomatoes)	Comments
Inside Out	After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions – Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness – conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school.	Inventive, gorgeously animated, and powerfully moving, Inside Out is another outstanding addition to the Pixar library of modern animated classics.	Great for adults and kids, especially the adults that wonder where the kid inside went.

Must See

Criteria: Avg. at least 8.0 – Both ratings at least 7.5

Movie	Basic Story (from IMDB.com)	Critics’ Consensus (from Rotten Tomatoes)	Comments
Mad Max: Fury Road	In a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, two rebels just might be able to restore order: Max, a man of action and of few words, and Furiosa, a woman of action who is looking to make it back to her childhood homeland.	With exhilarating action and a surprising amount of narrative heft, Mad Max: Fury Road brings George Miller’s post-apocalyptic franchise roaring vigorously back to life.	Absolutely stunning visuals and stunts. Good ole fashioned without any CGI!
Amy	The story of Amy Winehouse in her own words, featuring unseen archival footage and unheard tracks.	As riveting as it is sad, Amy is a powerfully honest look at the twisted relationship between art and celebrity — and the lethal spiral of addiction.