IMDB Lists

I don't know if anyone else uses the List feature on the Internet Movie Database but I find it a handy way to keep track of [whatever]. I've started a few and will probably start a few more some day in addition to update as needed as I see new titles, have the occasional epiphany or realize upon reflection I was just plain wrong.

http://www.imdb.com/user/ur2957790/lists

Hey, one IMDB user has already told me I'm an idiot so don't be bashful with your own feedback.

I don't use the list feature, per se, but I do use the star-rating system religiously to keep track of what I've seen. I'm 22 ratings away from 4000 titles in my list, and will probably pass that in the next week or two. A simple, fast and easy-to-use feature like this often comes in handy when I'm writing. Sometimes you watch something, and you suspect an influence but need to refresh your memory to be sure. Looking up the title of a possibly-influential film to the one you're watching, confirming you've seen it by the star-rating IMDB keeps on the listing for you, and then quick-flipping through the cast, the reviews, the trivia, etc., is a huge help.

Not sure I want to start breaking those 4000 titles down into sub-lists at this stage, but I can certainly see the value in it, especially for sharing as you've done here. Shawn (masterofoneinchpunch) also has some lists like this at IMDB and other sites as I recall, which have been helpful in finding important titles I haven't yet seen. Browsing your "My Favourite Films" list gave me five more titles for my Toronto Library queue, all of them considered important enough to warrant a viewing: A NOUS LA LIBERTE, THE BURMESE HARP, LAST TANGO, RULES OF THE GAME (probably seen previously, but need to be sure) and SPRING SUMMER, ETC. I also added THE INTERRUPTERS, which I vaguely recall hearing about in passing and which appears to be highly-regarded across the board (including by our own Mr. Waffle in a recent post here). Besides, PBS's Frontline has never led me astray. Still need to track down HAXAN and ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS; the library doesn't have either of those. Beyond that, I've seen (and rated, usually quite highly) everything else on your list with the exception of TOUCH OF ZEN and OX-BOW INCIDENT, both of which I own (OX-BOW in one of those Fox 75th Anniversary 4-packs), so those will happen eventually.

So basically, that's a damned fine list.

Your "most overrated movies of all time" list, on the other hand . . . I've rated seven of those between 8 and 10, haven't seen three others yet, and can only agree with you on WALK THE LINE, primarily because I find most celebrity bio-pics ("I'm famous! I did drugs and lost it all! Hey I'm alright now!") to be egregiously overrated generally whitewashed.

Back to lists for a second: my nearly-4000 rated titles at IMDB do not include Asian cinema to any great extent, though I've been increasingly adding Japanese and Korean films now and again. Adding all the Hong Kong films I've seen would easily push me closer to 6000 (assuming they all have entries there, which many don't). I used to hope that we'd one day see a ratings-to-list feature like that at HKMDB. Used to . . .

Slight update. Went through the rest of your lists and found several more movies I'd seen but forgot to rate at IMDB, so now I'm at 3996. Also found some more titles I need to add to my library queue, once it's not maxed out.

I don't use the list feature, per se, but I do use the star-rating system religiously to keep track of what I've seen.

I do as well but not by choice. I raised myself on the four star system. I've never cared much for rating films by five or ten stars and am even more troubled by the lack of databases that allow half-stars like I am accustomed to.

Blockbuster does but their collection wasn't competitive, their electronic queues troublesome (added a TV series and Disc 1 was listed as Short Wait so they shipped disc 2 instead; smart), and found their customer service absolutely deplorable.

Before I became thoroughly burnt out on Facebook and deactivated my account I was linked to Rotten Tomatoes which also allows half-stars but I don't believe the same feature is available for my Twitter feed.

Shawn (masterofoneinchpunch) also has some lists like this at IMDB and other sites as I recall, which have been helpful in finding important titles I haven't yet seen.

I'd be interested in seeing these lists. I don't always come into alignment with Shawn but I value his opinion and often find he's a great source of information. I'm also green with envy that he's well acquainted with a number of films I've never gotten around to viewing.

I also added THE INTERRUPTERS, which I vaguely recall hearing about in passing and which appears to be highly-regarded across the board (including by our own Mr. Waffle in a recent post here).

"The Interrupters" shook me on a number of different fronts and is probably my favorite film of 2011 but I'm finding that a number of audiences felt that the conflict-resolutions were cast as simple and fool-proof when properly employed. I disagree and I think the Violence Interrupters would too. While hopeful, "The Interrupters" hardly tries to hide that their methodology of intervening in violent confrontations can often have severe consequences and the people they attempt to help may never be willing to fully accept it.

Besides, PBS's Frontline has never led me astray

This is what so-called reality tv should be defined as. A number of episodes are converted into podcasts every season and I get to enjoy them -- often for the second time -- from my cubicle at work. In fact, these last two days I've listened to "Money, Power, and Wall Street" Parts Two and Three. I've also picked a few up at the library or streamed them from their homepage when I miss a premier.

So basically, that's a damned fine list.

Thanks. Some day I hope to have that list doubled.

Your "most overrated movies of all time" list, on the other hand . . . I've rated seven of those between 8 and 10, haven't seen three others yet, and can only agree with you on WALK THE LINE, primarily because I find most celebrity bio-pics ("I'm famous! I did drugs and lost it all! Hey I'm alright now!") to be egregiously overrated generally whitewashed.

I love the performances in "Walk the Line" and felt they received due praise but that's about it. Your criticism is mine and I left with the feeling that there was much more to Johnny Cash than his addiction to pills and June Carter.

Back to lists for a second: my nearly-4000 rated titles at IMDB do not include Asian cinema to any great extent, though I've been increasingly adding Japanese and Korean films now and again. Adding all the Hong Kong films I've seen would easily push me closer to 6000 (assuming they all have entries there, which many don't). I used to hope that we'd one day see a ratings-to-list feature like that at HKMDB. Used to . . .

This winter I was disappointed to find a lot of the popular cable television shows of the moment were not yet available on Netflix and with only one copy at the library almost impossible to get my hands on so I selected a small number of Hong Kong films at random in an attempt to revive my blog. I also added about 15 titles unavailable on Netflix to my YouTube Watch Later list. Sadly, I missed the boat on Ann Hui's "Boat People" as the uploader's account has been terminated for copyright infringement. I might want to make those other 14 films a priority but I've moved on. This week sees "Django" ahead of this Christmas's "Django Unchained" and a revisiting of the "Alien" films in preparation for "Prometheus" which appears uncharacteristically interesting for a new millennium sequel/prequel/reboot/remake.

Cash wrote:I do as well but not by choice. I raised myself on the four star system. I've never cared much for rating films by five or ten stars and am even more troubled by the lack of databases that allow half-stars like I am accustomed to.

Having grown up with the Maltin guide at my side, four-star ratings were kind of the norm, but when I started reviewing Hong Kong movies many years back, for some reason I started ranking them out of ten. If I ever put them online or otherwise publish them, I intend to convert the ratings to a four-star system, which isn't particularly difficult.

Cash wrote:Blockbuster does but their collection wasn't competitive, their electronic queues troublesome (added a TV series and Disc 1 was listed as Short Wait so they shipped disc 2 instead; smart), and found their customer service absolutely deplorable.
Before I became thoroughly burnt out on Facebook and deactivated my account I was linked to Rotten Tomatoes which also allows half-stars but I don't believe the same feature is available for my Twitter feed.

I think IMDB has wisely positioned itself as the de facto movie resource that people instinctively turn to. They've kept pace with the times, unlike other sites I've seen (cough). Despite the inevitable flaws in data, and the snail's pace with which those flaws are fixed, the site has virtually become shorthand for "movie info" at this stage of the game. All the others have their pros and cons, but their cons usually outweigh IMDB's by a wide margin, particularly in regards to breadth of titles. I prefer IMDB's user interface to all the others as well, and their iPod/iPhone app is the bee's knees for quick access and rating during and after each show I watch, without having to go into the other room to get on my laptop. They also have a fun IMDB movie trivia game app. They seem poised to outlast most of their would-be competitors.

I could've sworn Shawn and I had a brief discussion around here somewhere about various tracking sites, where he listed a couple that he uses in addition to IMDB, but when I search "IMDB" (which I'm certain was written at least once in the discussion), all I get is this thread. Perhaps he'll chime in at some point.

Cash wrote:I'm also green with envy that he's well acquainted with a number of films I've never gotten around to viewing.

Ditto on this part. His collection is certainly well-curated. When the "digital odyssey" thread here was more active, his purchase updates often left me drooling, and that's not something I'm usually comfortable to saying about a dude.