Is this so wrong?

I think you can tell a lot about a person by their favorite movies, or the movies they tend to watch. It speaks to how they are entertained. I imagine there's a big scientific explanation for what happens in the brain when someone is entertained. As I see it, you're entertained through some combination of empathy and understanding of whatever it is that is entertaining you. As you're watching a comedy flick, you see the exaggerated ridiculousness of the scene, recognize the why and how, and laugh accordingly. In a suspense thriller, you recognize the tension and imagine what the main character must be experiencing, and thus have a vicarious experience through her.

Some movies require more effort on your part in order to empathize with the characters or understand what is going on in the plot. Let's take the Matrix trilogy as an example. Everyone loved the first one. The plot was straightforward and the themes were simple (although if you watch the commentary you'll discover how replete the film was with philosophical nods and references): it's man vs. machine. Good vs. evil. Simple love story. Zero to hero. But then everyone hates the second and third parts of the trilogy. You've still got plenty of action. It's still man vs. machine. You've got the love thing going on. But now it's getting deeper. The producers are trying to communicate more of the history and background to their story. They're building up the "Christ" theme that culminates at the end of the third movie. But come on, people don't want that crap! Stuff like that requires way too much effort, empathy, and understanding. Thus, the connections are not made and people are not entertained.

I had a friend who didn't like the second and third movies. He also loved all the fast & furious movies. Does it mean anything? Am I wrong to make any sort of inference about his I.Q. on that basis? Is it all just a matter of varying interests? Could be.

What about the person who only likes horror films? What does that say about the person? The way I see it, it requires minimal mental faculties to empathize with or understand the entertainment value of a horror film. Horror films provide entertainment in the form of shock and surprise. Anyone can get scared. Even animals feel fear. But animals don't possess higher reasoning capabilities. They also don't crack jokes (as far as I know). So if someone only likes horror films and can't appreciate comedies or other genres, what does that say about them? Am I again wrong to infer that they may not be the sharpest tool in the shed?

I often pride myself on being non-judgmental. This post may make me a hypocrite. But let's face it, we make judgments as to someone's character based on all sorts of things. If someone derives entertainment/pleasure from killing kittens, then most of us would make a negative character judgment of him/her. My personal favorite is whether a person likes "The Office." If someone doesn't like the office, then I feel like I can at least conclude that we have drastically different senses of humor. If I'm feeling evil then I'll further conclude that they're not too bright. The Office, like most humor, is funny because it satirizes and exaggerates familiar, everyday occurrences. But to appreciate satire, one has to make the connection between reality and exaggeration. If you don't make the connection, you don't "get" the humor. It takes some mental effort, sometimes, to make such connections. I think you see where I'm going with this. :)