Ever have a friend ask you to see a movie you’ve never heard of? They hear it’s good. You hesitate, wondering if you should read a review or watch the trailer.

Next time, don’t think twice. Just say yes and watch it.

I saw three recent films on a suggestion and a whim: Synecdoche, New York (my thoughts), Slumdog Millionaire, and Gran Torino. With no clue as to the theme or plot, I simply followed a friend to the theater, purged of expectations. Who cares if they would be memorable movie experiences?

But memorable they were. With no trailers or reviews to inform me, I had to pay attention to every second of every scene. Every word of dialog would color my first impressions, every gesture meaningful. I was in a state of puzzlement, a state of heightened sensory perception, that made each shot more rich, more full of aesthetic pleasure and philosophical insight.

On reflection, none of these three were really great films. The experience of watching them, on the other hand, was unsurpassable. Synecdoche, New York was ponderous and overwrought, but sparkled with visual wit and existential complexity. Slumdog Millionaire was unoriginal and repetitive, but also gorgeous and emotionally involving. Gran Torino was incoherent, but unabashedly, self-indulgently hilarious.

To think and criticize is to appreciate subtlety, to unravel complexity. But criticism also destroys freshness and sullies the purity of aesthetic experience. With conscious thought we lose serendipity, that feeling of chance, of wonder, at the improbability and effortlessness of beauty.

So maybe it’s better to not try so hard. Recreate serendipity. Avoid trailers, don’t check IMDB, and never read reviews. Fall out of touch with the movie scene. Find a friend. Go to a theater. Avert your gaze from the posters. Pick a movie based on the title alone, and watch it.