Links I Like: The Surprise Factor in Movies

As I've mentioned before, I hate spoiling movies for people who haven't yet seen them. I think the joy of certain movies comes from a surprise twist or an unexpected tonal shift that the viewer never sees coming. But at the same time, I am guilty of over-researching the movies I pay to see. There are certain filmmakers or actors I will always seek out no matter what, but if I'm on the fence about something I will always read several reviews from trusted sources to help me decide if I want to spend $10 on it, or if I'm just going to wait for Netflix.

For all of these reasons I really enjoyed this piece. He argues that is a common problem and it stems from both the information explosion that is the internet and the new marketing scheme of the studios themselves. What do you think? Is this new ability to know so much more about the movies we see ruining the movies we see? Is this our responsibility to avoid potential spoilers? (On this note I am reminded of interviews with the creators of both District 9 and Hard Candy thanking both of their respective studios for putting out spoiler-free trailers. So is this a problem confined to the major studios?) What is our responsibility to our own movie-going experience?