Letterboxd

[Life as Fiction]

So, who else is in bed with Letterboxd? You can find me here.

I'll try to keep a list of everyone's account in this OP.

[AdamH]

I signed up ages ago but only looked at it briefly. Is it worth giving it another go?

Edit: I forgot to do the "we'll do a forum for them one day and it will be made official" joke. Sorry, my standards of repetitiveness are slipping.

[Knaldskalle]

Sorry, my standards of repetitiveness are slipping.

I'm not angry, but I am disappointed.

[brokenface]

I did start an account and click a load of stuff a while back. It's a slick looking site, but I've not really seen what it offers over ICM (lists!) or Criticker (stats!). The diary thing kinda cool, but only really if you are just starting out..looking at your page, Life as Fiction, seems you are backdating when you watched things? I wouldn't be able to do that..

Does it have IMDB import?

Me: http://letterboxd.com/brokenface/

[PeacefulAnarchy]

Does it have IMDB import?

In theory, but I couldn't get it to work and don't see what it offers over criticker, ICM and imdb.

[bal3x]

and do see what it offers over criticker, ICM and imdb.

So what does it offer that those 3 sites don't have? I think I signed up a long time ago and deleted my account

[PeacefulAnarchy]

and do see what it offers over criticker, ICM and imdb.

So what does it offer that those 3 sites don't have? I think I signed up a long time ago and deleted my account

Nothing. It's doesn't even offer me the letters n and t so that I can spell.

[bal3x]

and do see what it offers over criticker, ICM and imdb.

So what does it offer that those 3 sites don't have? I think I signed up a long time ago and deleted my account

Nothing. It's doesn't even offer me the letters n and t so that I can spell.

So you meant "don't see", now I see

[JCS]

Signed up a while ago, tried it and did not like it.

Looks great but no IMDB, official lists, missing films...etc

[VincentPrice]

http://letterboxd.com/vincentprice/

It's not perfect but who cares, I just like sites like these.

And the diary thing is pretty sweet.

[Life as Fiction]

1) My favorite aspect is the diary, which I've worked on backdating for recordkeeping purposes. I like the interface for this considerably better than iCM and other sites, especially because it allows me to count rewatches.

2) It does have IMDb import, but it doesn't use IMDb as its database, which is bad if your films aren't already on...

3) ...themoviedb.org, but adding films and editing data is considerably more efficient than IMDb, so it's a give or take scenario. I personally like TMDb quite a bit so far, and I can imagine over time that it can compete against IMDb given its easy to use interface for basic data.

4) I definitely like finding reviews from people on films I enjoy and vice versa. There are some very quality comments on some films that, unfortunately, you rarely find on iCM.

I use both sites, for the record. Each serves a different purposes with some overlap.

[Laydback]

http://letterboxd.com/laydback/

I might finally start working on a diary soon.

[mightysparks]

I signed up for beta, but got bored pretty quickly. I started trying to backdate everything and it was taking too long. It seemed like a waste of time when I already have my spreadsheet for diary purposes and iCM for list purposes. But I'm here: http://letterboxd.com/mightysparks/

[jgwr]

I signed up in beta as well, decided I liked ICM better.

[Gregmnewman]

I've been using it to track films watched since the start of the year, I couldn't be bothered back loading all films.

The most interesting aspect over iCM is the ability to track re-watches, that and the fact it looks so nice

Here's my page - http://letterboxd.com/gregmnewman/

I've also got a beta account at http://seenth.at/ but that site seems like a real mess, so I won't be going back.

[insomnia]

Yeah I signed up a while back in beta too, didn't like the social media angle, found the community rather tiresome and decided it didn't do anything for me other than look rather slick. Not properly being able to import from imdb (back then it wasn't even optional at all) just put me off entirely. I'd rather have an active criticker account than this one, and I can't even really be arsed to keep that up to date.

[Life as Fiction]

found the community rather tiresome

How so?

[mjf314]

Other than the diary (which I have no interest in using), does Letterboxd have any advantages over iCM?

[BadSmile]

My profile: http://letterboxd.com/badsmile/

The site is good for diary and for reviews. The list aspect is also good, but not as good as ICM obviously. I also like the design.

[St. Gloede]

Never really used by account, but the design is so beautiful and simple that I will use the site to record all my yearly top 10s. Just completed my top 10 of 2011, and will start working myself back in time. You can find me here: http://letterboxd.com/gloede/

[mightysparks]

I was just messing around and realised they do have IMDb import.. if you create a list and 'import', if you import your ratings file you can check import ratings and mark as watched.

[mightysparks]

Seems to take a looooooooooooong time though

[bal3x]

Seems to take a looooooooooooong time though

I'm afraid your number of ratings was too much for Letterbox

[mightysparks]

Yeah I got an error like that at one point. So, basically this IMDb import is the worst thing ever created and I advise everyone to stay away from it. I've been trying to import for an hour now, and almost every time it gets to a film not in the database (pretty much anything under 1000 votes), it stuffs up and I have to start again. I couldn't edit the ratings.csv (it wouldn't accept it if it was changed), so I had to make an IMDb list of all my ratings and delete all the ones that weren't on Letterboxd. I'm this close to going berserk and smashing everything in sight

Although, it could be my fecking awful internet. Sometimes they go through and sometimes I get an error. Either way it's driving me crazy.

[bal3x]

I think it's better to wait a while while they fix this... not worth your time otherwise if it does not work, it's very annoying.

[mightysparks]

I'm resetting my internet now to see if it helps. When it inevitably fails again, does anyone with not lame internet mind if I give them my password and ratings file to do it to see if it makes a difference?

[mightysparks]

Surprisingly it actually seems to be working now. Guess it was just my sucky internet. It's been absolutely fecking awful the last few days.

[Life as Fiction]

I think it's better to wait a while while they fix this... not worth your time otherwise if it does not work, it's very annoying.

It works fine. Every site is perpetually evolving, and Letterboxd is no different.

[Life as Fiction]

Never really used by account, but the design is so beautiful and simple that I will use the site to record all my yearly top 10s. Just completed my top 10 of 2011, and will start working myself back in time. You can find me here: http://letterboxd.com/gloede/

I've done the same.

[JCS]

But they use TMDB not IMDB which sucks!

[Life as Fiction]

But they use TMDB not IMDB which sucks!

Why?

[PeacefulAnarchy]

But they use TMDB not IMDB which sucks!

Why?

Because it doesn't have nearly as many films as imdb, which means every missing film now needs to be added in two places, first tmdb and then letterboxd. I can't even get to that point because letterboxd won't even finish importing the movies it does have.

[Life as Fiction]

But they use TMDB not IMDB which sucks!

Why?

Because it doesn't have nearly as many films as imdb, which means every missing film now needs to be added in two places, first tmdb and then letterboxd. I can't even get to that point because letterboxd won't even finish importing the movies it does have.

I noted this as both a positive and a negative in an earlier post. Frankly, I consider it a positive because we have more power to edit what we think is the appropriate information for certain films instead of having the IMDb censors (and their terrible editing system) decide it.

And you don't have to add films in TMDb "and Letterboxd." Letterboxd syncs with TMDb twice a day, so I can add the film the next day without any problem.

It's not a perfect system, but I'm glad that they have an alternative to IMDb. The cost difference between the two is also probably why Letterboxd hasn't been as dependent on funding as iCM (or so I assume).

[mightysparks]

Feck me, I left the list importing last night and went to bed and it screwed up right near the end. Next solution: make a bunch of smaller lists. I WILL GET THIS DONE.

[PeacefulAnarchy]

It's not a perfect system, but I'm glad that they have an alternative to IMDb. The cost difference between the two is also probably why Letterboxd hasn't been as dependent on funding as iCM (or so I assume).

I sincerely doubt ICM pays imdb anything.

Anyway, I finally got through an import, but when I clicked to confirm I got that error message. Also, the matching algorithm when it doesn't find something is way too aggressive, which means it will sometimes rate random films that have one word in common in the title. I counted over 300 missing films

mightysparks if you do find a way to get it done, let me know.

[mightysparks]

It finished and I got this:

Service Unavailable

The service is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.

SCREW YOU LETTERBOXD YOU SUCK BALLS!

[mightysparks]

Ok, odd. It said it failed but my ratings were apparently updated

[Life as Fiction]

It's not a perfect system, but I'm glad that they have an alternative to IMDb. The cost difference between the two is also probably why Letterboxd hasn't been as dependent on funding as iCM (or so I assume).

I sincerely doubt ICM pays imdb anything.

Anyway, I finally got through an import, but when I clicked to confirm I got that error message. Also, the matching algorithm when it doesn't find something is way too aggressive, which means it will sometimes rate random films that have one word in common in the title. I counted over 300 missing films

mightysparks if you do find a way to get it done, let me know.

Are you sure? My understanding was that it costs money in order to have access to the IMDb database if you access it to a great degree. Here's an explanation from Letterboxd why they use TMDb.

[PeacefulAnarchy]

Are you sure? My understanding was that it costs money in order to have access to the IMDb database if you access it to a great degree. Here's an explanation from Letterboxd why they use TMDb.

Well, I can't say for sure, but I'd bet on it. Also, what you have to pay depends on what you use, and what the purpose is. Here's imdb's terms of service: http://www.imdb.com/licensing/subservicetc
Note that all ICM uses is titles and links, which:

b. IMDb Title ID and IMDb Name IDs. Notwithstanding the foregoing license set forth in Section 2.a above, we grant you a nonexclusive and sublicenseable right to use, reproduce, publish, distribute, and display any IMDb Title ID or an IMDb Name ID (which are alternatively known as “IMDb Tconst” for IMDb Title IDs and “IMDb Nconst” for IMDb Name IDs) throughout the world in any media.

Also the license terms require:

e. Content Attribution. If you are authorized by us (as set forth on the Cover Page) to display the Licensed Content publicly, you will display the IMDb logo with the lead-in text “Powered by [IMDb logo]”on Your Content Use in close proximity to wherever you display the Licensed Content each time you display the Licensed Content and in at least the same-sized font used to display the Licensed Content.

which I don't see anywhere.

The legality of imdb trying to enforce all those terms is rather dubious, though, considering all of their data is crowd sourced. They certainly have some rights over the collection of data as a whole, but not over any individual piece of data, so to get in real trouble with imdb you have to significantly cross the line, like spidering the whole site. It's probably why sites like ICM and criticker require users to manually add films to the database, even if the information gets pulled from imdb. Limiting what data is pulled and how it's pulled limits liability(in theory anyway).

I think the idea of tmdb is a good one, but imdb has a huge head start and while adding a film is easier than on imdb I'd say their process is too streamlined to ever allow it to rival imdb.

[themagician]

Are you sure? My understanding was that it costs money in order to have access to the IMDb database if you access it to a great degree. Here's an explanation from Letterboxd why they use TMDb.

Well, I can't say for sure, but I'd bet on it. Also, what you have to pay depends on what you use, and what the purpose is. Here's imdb's terms of service: http://www.imdb.com/licensing/subservicetc
Note that all ICM uses is titles and links, which:

b. IMDb Title ID and IMDb Name IDs. Notwithstanding the foregoing license set forth in Section 2.a above, we grant you a nonexclusive and sublicenseable right to use, reproduce, publish, distribute, and display any IMDb Title ID or an IMDb Name ID (which are alternatively known as “IMDb Tconst” for IMDb Title IDs and “IMDb Nconst” for IMDb Name IDs) throughout the world in any media.

What the quote is referring to are the title and name IDs which look like:

Title ID: tt0133093
Name ID: nm0000206

The data that iCM uses from IMDb has to be licensed (original/english titles, year, imdb rating, imdb vote count). Only linking is allowed.

(Emphasis/Underlining added by me)

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