Books and Movies: Meeting The Perfect Match

There are tons of ways to get to know someone new.  You can try to TALK to them (a boring, extremely tiresome affair filled with bad anecdotes and names you won't remember). You can try to study them (I recommend body language and common things like siblings, parent's marital status, etc, but I bet awkwardly long eye contact would give you similarly useful info).

You could check facebook, in this intrusive and overbearing society, if you really want to get to know them. If you're interested in learning what they impulsively 'like' at 3 AM on a Tuesday ("Brian Allman likes 'I Hate Missouri', huh) and if you're interested in seeing 3-400 staged pictures ("Me and the Bros at the slosh-party!") that would work.  You can check the info tab, to find out that maybe they like the movie "Anchorman" as well as "Schindler's List ("So he hates nazi's but loves to laugh, good to know!")
Despite its pervasive nature, Facebook might not be the best way to get to know someone.

Really,  the best way to learn about someone new quickly is to study their actual belongings.  Their books and movies in particular can give you incredible and impressive insights (as can their kitchen...trust me, if they, don't own any cookware, if they have more Ramen than all of Asia, and if their dishes are dirty, you know enough to get out of their before their bachelorhood can spread to you.)

It's easier when you study things like their favorite movies and books. Books and movies are tailored to specific crowds, genres, and subcultures.  For example, I love the film "Fearless" with Jet Li, because I love martial arts films and morality tales in the form of an action movie.  Knowing that, you expect to also find movies like "Braveheart", and other over the top blockbuster cliches, as well as more specific interests.  From "The Last Samurai" to the cult hit "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog", you can learn a lot about me from my movie collection. Think critically, and you might understand me better just from my movies. Even just the NUMBER of movies I own probably tells a story.

I'm going to guess whoever this is LIKES movies, yeah...but it isn't me, sorry.

If you checked out my book collection, you'd be befuddled to a degree, but you'd get basic ideas. I have "In a Sunburned Country" and more Bill Bryson sitting next to fantasy novels about dragons and nonfiction biographies about past presidents. You might not suddenly know who I am, but you'd know what I think about, what I care about, and to a degree what I enjoy.

You can use this to get to know anyone.  You can learn more from their DVD collection than their parents' embarrassing stories, or most introductory conversations.  I damned sure guarantee you learn more if they own "Aladdin" than you'd ever learn from small talk (especially if it's a guy with a worn out frequently watched copy, which tells you he's into musicals, enjoys Robin Williams, and perhaps never really grew out of his Disney phase...hypothetically, and remember I'm DEFINITELY not talking about myself).

So to do it yourself, just make sure you know what to look for.  Look for specific genres, and think about what they mean.  If someone owns exclusively brutal horror films about murder, for example, you might consider FLEEING FOR YOUR LIFE.  If someone only owns romantic comedies starring Sandra Bullock (again, totally hypothetical and NOT about a girl I used to know), and she tells you she just wants a 'friendship, not strings or romance', you might want to leave immediately, with a firm hold on your man-parts because she might be about to attack and claim them for her own.  And if they have really AMAZING movies (Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Wars, Dune, Pretty much ANYTHING with Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Jet Li or similar) you might just want to stick around, buy an imperial buttload of popcorn (For my european readers, 1 imperial buttload=2.265 metric fucktons) and have a movie marathon with your new best friend.

Some people say that the best way to get to know someone is to actually get to KNOW them.  Take them out, spend time together, ask them about their feelings, their passions, and their interests.  That probably works, over time. But for quick decisions?  All you have to do is find their favorite movies or books, and you'll know if you found yourself a new best friend.

"DAWN OF THE DEAD" IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE?  
WHO WOULD YOU WATCH THIS FOR FUN?

Thanks for reading!  If you enjoyed, check out some of my other similarly themed posts, "Why Men Suck at Dating: A Theory About Friendship" or "Kid Rules to Improve the World".

Thanks, and leave a comment or question below, and I'll get back to you as quick as I can!
Brian