# Difficulty enjoying movies, TV-series, books...



## voron (Jan 19, 2015)

Do you have difficulties enjoying the things mentioned in the title etc. mostly because you can predict what wil happen and your predications usually end up being right, more or less?

I experience this maybe more than only sometimes and it actually does make me enjoy the movie, TV-series etc. a bit less, I suppose. Though it's sort of fun to predict the outcome when the clues are trickier/not too obvious. Also I've noticed that I'm drawn to movies etc. with plot-twists, maybe because of this.

Why do you think that is? Is it NT thing in particular or maybe an intuitive thing in general?


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## coconut sharks (Apr 26, 2015)

This happens to me a lot recently. I think it's mostly because I read a lot about different tropes in fiction and I got better at noticing patterns and foreshadowing. It also made me more critical of whatever I'm watching or reading.


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## theamazingkierster (Apr 4, 2016)

In some situations, I do feel this way. It makes it harder to find a good movie or book to read. But it can also be a good thing because when I'm bored and watching a crappy movie and I correctly predict something I can't help but feel satisfaction at being right.


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## Alaya (Nov 11, 2009)

Like others have mentioned, most genres follow a cookie-cutter type of narrative that you pretty much know how the story will unfold. Most authors write their characters with somewhat cliche archetypes that are not too hard to predict what their actions will be in a given situation. 

That's why it's kind of hard for me to get attached to characters since I already know their "fate" from the very first chapters.


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## desire machine (Jan 13, 2015)

W/ 'twist" I think it's more a matter in the delivery than how predictable it is. When a "twist" is predictable...I feel its more a problem if they drag out the building up to it and then it turns out to be exactly what you expected. I think movies and tv twists are better if they deliver it quickly towards it rather than drag it out. 

Personally, what kind of annoys me more than predictable plots is when I watch something and then afterwards I'm always like, why did they do the plot this way, they could have done it this other way (such as change make a twist they didn't build up a character development that would have improved plot and not ones that didn't add to the plot) and it would be such a better movie/tv show. I often have critiques in plots that would have made shows/movies so much better and it annoys me.


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## LoveDragonDon (May 31, 2014)

Ability to predict doesn't take away my enjoyment. There are plenty of other things like acting, action, and how the story is told, not how the story ends.


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## voron (Jan 19, 2015)

desire machine said:


> W/ 'twist" I think it's more a matter in the delivery than how predictable it is. When a "twist" is predictable...I feel its more a problem if they drag out the building up to it and then it turns out to be exactly what you expected. I think movies and tv twists are better if they deliver it quickly towards it rather than drag it out.
> 
> Personally, what kind of annoys me more than predictable plots is when I watch something and then afterwards I'm always like, why did they do the plot this way, they could have done it this other way (such as change make a twist they didn't build up a character development that would have improved plot and not ones that didn't add to the plot) and it would be such a better movie/tv show. I often have critiques in plots that would have made shows/movies so much better and it annoys me.


I agree with this, indeed. There are also bad twists in plots and unfortunately the show's potential is quite lost. It's one reason why quite many TV-shows get only worse by the time.


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## desire machine (Jan 13, 2015)

voron said:


> I agree with this, indeed. There are also bad twists in plots and unfortunately the show's potential is quite lost. It's one reason why quite many TV-shows get only worse by the time.


lol this snl clip about game of thrones is exactly the type of thing I was talking about 





even way back when they introduced the white walkers I remember thinking "oh so everyone they kill in this show they will be able to bring back as ice zombies" and in the previous episodes this season they talked about using the red woman's magic so it was pretty obvious that they were going to bring john snow back to life and rather than do it quickly they dragged it out for a whole episode

Overall I love game of thrones... but there has been some episodes/plot points that have been painfully predictable and dragged out. Like that episode where Khaleesi traded the guy her dragons to free the slaves ...not only was that predictable and dragged out, but seemed unrealistic that anyone would be that stupid. I was really annoyed by that episode.


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## desire machine (Jan 13, 2015)

..and I'm glad I never got into watching Lost. It would have annoyed me watching that show for years to find out all along it was exactly what everyone thought it was after the first season.

ERRR I hate red herrings in movies/books ... I don't mind them when they make sense, but I hate when they don't make any sense. Like the movie The Sixth Sense was horrible, because I didn't even realize it was a plot twist that you weren't suppose to realize that Bruce Willis' character was dead... he got shot in the first scene and then he's talking to the kid who sees ghosts, I thought it was pretty obvious that he was a ghost. The only reason you don't think he is might not be a ghost is because they show a scene were the boy walks into the room w/ his mother and Bruce Willis where it looks like they have been talking ....which doesn't make any sense if he is a ghost. Scenes that don't make sense shouldn't be considered a plot twist, or a red herring, that just bad writing and directing.


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## voron (Jan 19, 2015)

desire machine said:


> lol this snl clip about game of thrones is exactly the type of thing I was talking about
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Indeed, Game of Thrones is one of those series that comes to mind when I think about this. I like it too but I also agree with you. That clip is so accurate. So much unnecessary fill there sometimes.


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## LoveDragonDon (May 31, 2014)

Weird, to me that you don't watch a good, well-acted, well-directed, well-told story with many suspense, thrill if not action-packed like Captain American: Civil War just because you can figure out the ending...

Seems like a LACK of appreciation for art. That you only would respect or appreciate the most intellectual, unpredictable stuff that would surprise you but not the Art of it.


To each their own, but I really LOVE art!


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## ninjahitsawall (Feb 1, 2013)

I don't like predictability, but I think there are different kinds of predictability. I dont like the predictibility of most procedurals and typical superhero movies. But in some cases, it is more tolerable. Like when you think a main character might die, but know that it wouldnt make sense to kill them off. I am still interested in seeing how they get out of a life-threatening situation. (If you identify with a protagonist, which typically is intended in the writing, then it is pretty easy to want them to get out of it but not necessarily see the answer yourself). What bothers me more is when that plot line is implausible or an obvious "deus ex machina".


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## The Proof (Aug 5, 2009)

It's all rubbish anyway, why bother.

Go sweep the floor, make dinner, do 20 squats - much better uses of your time.


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## Felix5 (Apr 27, 2015)

Sometimes struggle with pop culture, especially a lot of the comic book films coming out now. I really liked the first Iron Man because I thought it went outside the norm of comic book films and was more character driven. Now I kind of feel like Marvel is doing much of the same with their material; some of it good, some of it not.

Then again, I was never a big comic book reader as a kid, strangely enough (I kind of had boyish interests growing up).

I've never had any interest for big time Hollywood films, especially the Oscar bait ones. There are a few exceptions to this, usually The Weinstein Company will release a film that catches my eye every once in awhile.


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## Felix5 (Apr 27, 2015)

*films*

Sometimes struggle with pop culture, especially a lot of the comic book films coming out now. I really liked the first Iron Man because I thought it went outside the norm of comic book films and was more character driven. Now I kind of feel like Marvel is doing much of the same with their material; some of it good, some of it not.

Then again, I was never a big comic book reader as a kid, strangely enough (I kind of had boyish interests growing up).

I've never had any interest for big time Hollywood films, especially the Oscar bait ones. There are a few exceptions to this, usually The Weinstein Company will release a film that catches my eye every once in awhile.


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## Miss Anne Thrope (May 2, 2015)

It doesn't seem as though I can't enjoy these things for that particular reason. Actually I quite enjoy the fact that I often can made a prediction almost right at the beginning and be validated at the end.

I find I can't enjoy reading novels these days because of my ADHD.
I was very precocious when it came to reading, I was constantly taking any chance I could get to read. From novels to dictionaries to instructions. I just liked reading and taking new information in.
Now in the recent years I struggle to concentrate and absorb what I am reading. I do not like to use ereaders because I find it is worse when I am reading on a screen. It is really frustrating and has sucked the fun out of reading.


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## Exquisitor (Sep 15, 2015)

I don't really have that kind of trouble. I don't get any satisfaction out of anticipating things like that in advance, so I don't think consciously about what'll happen next or how it'll end if I can avoid it. Relaxing and watching a film unfold is an enjoyable experience of just being in the moment for me, and reading is similar.

I don't tend to get excited about unpredictable twists, anyway. I'm more interested in the aesthetic experience, the craft of the medium, the internal logic of the story, and the ideas that are touched on. I try to avoid spoilers, but I've enjoyed several things plenty even when I've had the big reveal spoiled ahead of time, so I don't think it always makes a huge difference.

I'll get annoyed if the ending's inane, of course, or if the whole thing was a dull rehash, but that's a different issue. Until it's clear that that's the case, I don't sit there worrying that that's where it's going or hoping that it's not. I'm just watching, or reading.


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## Watchtower (Aug 20, 2015)

On the contrary, it gives me great pleasure to see if my predictions will come true or not. I enjoy the feeling of 'Wtf was that. I'm so awesome. I will rule the world one day. *Insert tongue in cheek*' when I'm correct. Instead, I tend to focus on the acting, the expressions actors/actresses use, how convincing they are. I lose interest when they feel fake, so it also takes the enjoyment out of the movies and tv-series. Badly written books can have an amusing side, like 'how bad can it get', if I feel like putting up with them.


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## Marvin the Dendroid (Sep 10, 2015)

Watch and read better stuff. Such as...






...and...


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## WhatIsYourConfirmationBias (May 10, 2018)

This has been happening with regularity lately, which is one major reason I hardly watch movies anymore. Hollywood Blockbusters can be entertaining, in moderation. I can almost predict the ending to most films fairly quickly at this point. But then again I tend to go for entertainment that doesn't make me think too hard, like urban fantasy novels. Maybe it's due to near constant contemplation, about everything.


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