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how long does a movie have to be out before you stop having to call *SPOILER* before talking about important events? (self.movies)

submitted ago by [deleted]

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i get it with things like the Avengers that have only been out a few weeks... but, someone just fussed at me over revealing a plot twist in the movie "Serenity."

Serenity came out in 2005, thats 7 years. At some point hasn't a movie entered enough into the public domain that if you haven't seen it yet that's your fault?

I mean, how far back does it go? Does the twist of "The Sixth Sense" need a SPOILER tag? Or, what about "Psycho"? At what point can we say "if you haven't seen it by now that's your fault and we're not going to coddle you anymore"?

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[–]girafa 10 points11 points ago

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There is no expiration, or time limit- just don't spoil movies. Its not other people's fault for not seeing the movies you have, it's your fault for being inconsiderate.

[–]life_failure 0 points1 point ago

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but i'm not talking about being inconsiderate, i'm not talking about intentionally saying "and then you find out that the girl was the monster!" -twirls my mustache and laughs maniacally-

i'm simply talking about having a conversation in which you make a passing reference to an older movie... at some point the information becomes public knowledge, does it not?

i mean, i don't feel the need to put a spoiler tag on the fact that Darth Vader is Luke's father because its public knowledge! at what point does that balance tip?

[–]girafa 7 points8 points ago

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It doesn't matter how old the movie is, because people born after the movie don't automatically have the knowledge of it, nor maybe have even heard of it. Darth Vader being Luke's father would still amaze people the way it did in '80 if people would stfu about it. It's like the laziness of other people destroys the enjoyment for others, and makes it so NO ONE except those alive and there opening weekend got to enjoy seeing a movie fresh.

When in doubt, just ask if the person has seen it.

[–]OhDearMoshe 7 points8 points ago

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This so much. I have never and probably will never see the sixth sense because someone spoiled it for me

[–]girafa 1 point2 points ago

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Exactly. I have countless examples of thoughtless people ruining movies experiences because they were too inconsiderate to shut their mouths.

[–][deleted] ago

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[deleted]

[–]natebx 2 points3 points ago

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Dude, what the fuck?

[–]girafa[M] 0 points1 point ago

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I knew someone would do it. I deleted that, even though that one is (unfortunately) universally known.

[–]life_failure -1 points0 points ago

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hey, trust me, i'm right there with you... someone told me the twist 10 minutes into the movie and i was PISSED!

BUT, again, i'm not talking about movies that are out in theaters or recently released on DVD. clearly, everyone would agree that if a movie is in theaters you shouldn't give away the twist. i'm talking about movies that have been out out theaters and on dvd/vhs for YEARS!

also, i'm not talking about someone intentionally revealing the twist to be a dick, i'm talking about discussing a movie that the majority of the population has seen without feeling the need to censor yourself.

[–]DTX120 1 point2 points ago

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I dunno. I didn't see The Sixth Sense until many years after it came out and I'm glad no one spoiled it for me. Frankly I don't think people should spoil Citizen Kane. Or Fight Club. Or The Usual Suspects. Yep, all of these were films I didn't see for years after the fact and had the twists spoiled. Unless you're having a conversation where you know everyone involved has seen the movie, or a thread stating that fact up front, then I think you should be cautious not to give away key plot points. I mean it's not like everyone can always see every movie they are interested in within a year or two of it coming out on DVD, and if it's older than that well there's a huge sea of film to sift through. With Netflix and the proliferation of DVD it's put older movies on similar footing with new releases in terms of availability and a new generation is always experiencing classic movies for the first time.

[–]frolick -1 points0 points ago

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I'm not saying that somebody should go out of their way to spoil movies, but if you see a post about a movie that you haven't seen, maybe it's best to avoid that post. The movie watcher needs to take responsibility for their movie watching experiences which means they need to be careful to avoid places where they could be exposed to spoilers.

[–]faswich -1 points0 points ago

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Ten years. But just don't spoil movies.

EDIT: It doesn't make it right or excuse anyone's behaviour. Think about it. I could spoil Citizen Kane for people by making Rosebud jokes to kingdom come, where I only get approval from others who have seen it. Or I can encourage people to see the film, and only make reference to the final spoiler after I confirm whether or not they have seen it. It's called tact. Also by spoiling movies, people assume they now everything about the film and do not see it. Sure Psycho doesn't have the same impact, but wouldn't you have wanted to see it fresh, unspoiled? And that type of sentiment carries through to more modern movies. Has everyone seen The Exorcist, The Thing (1982) or Alien? Is it someone's fault for being 16 or younger and just now catching up on all of the backlog of cinema? All three of these horror films have entered the collective subconscious, where some scenes are now robbed of their surprise, but at least folks have kept some spoilers under wraps.

[–]frolick -5 points-4 points ago

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If the movie has been out on dvd for a while you're gtg. If they haven't seen it a couple of months after the dvd came out then they really don't want to.

[–]life_failure -1 points0 points ago

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see? this seems reasonable to me.

if you didn't care enough to see the movie while it was in theaters or pretty quickly after it came out clearly you shouldn't care enough to be angry over me commenting on the plot twist.

[–]girafa -1 points0 points ago

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It seems reasonable because its the laziest, easiest answer. It takes effort to be a good person. Do you just assume everyone had the chance to see every movie, or even knew of its existance? Of course not.

[–]life_failure 0 points1 point ago

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good person? i think you're taking this a bit too seriously.

[–]girafa 5 points6 points ago

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I think you're not open to any answer that doesn't back up your already decided opinion.

[–]frolick -3 points-2 points ago

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I think your comment applies to yourself as well.

[–]girafa 1 point2 points ago

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You're correct, it absolutely applies to me. I've been in this argument at least 50 times irl and on reddit, it pops up nearly every week in some fashion. Always the same arguments, always the same conclusions. One side says "please don't spoil movies for me" and the other side says "I can't be bothered to shut my mouth, I will continue spoiling movies because it's your fault for not knowing the endings already."

[–]digging_for_fire 2 points3 points ago

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I'm glad these guys weren't around when I was 16 and rented the Crying Game. It was years after it was released on video. By their logic, i had no right for that amazing twist to really land with me, because i should have seen it earlier.

It sucks that my kids won't get to see the ending of The 6th Sense without already knowing, because people, "assume" it's public domain and they can just spout the twist (that guy in the hair piece, was Bruce Willis the whole time) without worrying about maybe a younger generation of movie fans.

[–]girafa 1 point2 points ago

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Agreed. Sixth Sense, Crying Game, Star Wars, all spoiled for me. I watch a movie a day, average. Even at that pace I can't see every movie that's out there, yet it's my responsibility to know their plots? Some of the best experiences I've ever had with movies were ones that I was 100% unfamiliar with. Dogtooth, anyone?

People don't really understand that movies mean different things to people, and to rob them of those experiences is both ignorant and selfish.

[–]digging_for_fire 4 points5 points ago

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I agree... I get that at this point there are some spoilers that are just part of our culture (I never realized the Darth Vader thing was a twist. I just grew up knowing that was how it was...) but overall, if you can avoid the spoiler, why not? I hadn't seen The Usual Suspects, Seven or Fight Club until well after dvd, because i was in High School in a small town with no theater. I had to wait until VHS releases at Wal-Mart.

And even then, without the internet being so widely available, i didn't know what movies i was supposed to be watching.

The point is that there are many legit reasons for someone not seeing a movie that's been out for a while. I bought myself Syncdoche (sp?) NY for Christmas this year, and STILL haven't watched it. But, i'll be pissed if i find out the end before i get around to sitting down and checking it out.

[–]life_failure -1 points0 points ago

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thank you for taking the LEAST objective path and demonizing our side of the argument... thats really classless, and shows how open you are to other arguments.

[–]life_failure -2 points-1 points ago

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and i think you're misunderstanding the point i'm trying to make...

but, clearly, we have reached an impasse.

so, i bid you good day, sir.

[–]girafa[M] 3 points4 points ago

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Well let me leave you with this: there is no spoiler time limit on /r/movies. If you don't clearly label your submission, I will delete it, and possibly ban you. Feel free to ruin people's movie experiences irl all you want

[–]frolick -1 points0 points ago

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It seems like the person who hasn't seen these movies should take responsibility for their own movie watching experience especially on ther internet. If they haven't seen a particular movie, maybe they should avoid threads about the movie. It's not my responsibility to make sure that somebody else who's too lazy to watch a movie has a good time when they maybe, eventually get around to watching it.

[–]girafa 2 points3 points ago

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So be happy knowing that you've chosen to remain an asshole. Sorry, but you've heard the arguments, you know the right thing to do, yet you don't want to do it.

[–]frolick -1 points0 points ago

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It's only the "right thing to do" in your own opinion. I'm sorry, but you're the one acting like an asshole right now.

[–]life_failure -1 points0 points ago

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seriously, man, at least none of us devolved to name calling.

you're acting like a child right now because the public opinion is clearly not on your side.

[–]girafa 0 points1 point ago

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If that's what you want to tell yourself