cin-o-matic
August 9, 2004 8:00 AM   Subscribe

cin-o-matic, it's a tool to help people decide what movies to go see or rent. The interface is simple and is growing on me, the url is hard to share by word of mouth, and it integrates with netfilx. [by and via dack]
posted by jonah (20 comments total)
 
Thanks for this. Now I know that "Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London" is probably not for me.
posted by Mayor Curley at 8:04 AM on August 9, 2004


Sweet. I saw this earlier in a more rudimentary state, and promptly forgot about it. Now with Netflix integration, etc., it looks pretty neat.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 9:08 AM on August 9, 2004


Hmmm....
I like how simple it is, but I think I will stick to Rotten Tomatoes.
posted by Quartermass at 9:11 AM on August 9, 2004


This is great.
I wish you could add current theatrical releases to your Netflix cue, though. Netflix makes it difficult enough to find recent big budget Hollywood releases that I usually have to resort to imdb to get a true accounting of what's out.
posted by crumbly at 9:24 AM on August 9, 2004


There used to be a site called MovieCritic.com that would let you rate movies you'd seen. After a dozen or so ratings, it would start to make suggestions for you. The software behind it, LikeMinds, worked on the premise that other people liked that same stuff we did...it's referred to as "collaborative filtering" now. If you to the URL now, you get redircted to Macromedia, which I found baffling, until I found out that the guy who developed LikeMinds was then working for Macromedia. The same software is also used by Netflix, incidentally.

But hey! There's another one...movielens
posted by bachelor#3 at 9:35 AM on August 9, 2004


since we're (offhandedly) plugging Netflix, i'll plug GreenCine, which offers a better selection and a better use of your subscription fee. for SF Bay Area residents, the service is the same. i've used both. plus GreenCine has porn, er, adult entertainment.

as for cin-o-matic, it looks cool, but, but, but .. first search:

Sorry, no movie titles match old school. Please try again.

WTF? click.
posted by mrgrimm at 10:03 AM on August 9, 2004


hmm, I'm not sure what's up with that search. Nothing for "china town" or "chinatown". I wonder if it just loads newly released theatrical and rental movies.
posted by jonah at 10:12 AM on August 9, 2004


If you explore the "on video" page, you can't even get a running list that includes films more than six months old. Not exactly geared toward the intelligent cinephile.
posted by divrsional at 10:29 AM on August 9, 2004


I wish you could add current theatrical releases to your Netflix cue, though

You can add current releases. Find the title, click on Save, and it's listed in the DVDs Awaiting Release list on the queue page.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:17 AM on August 9, 2004


since we're (offhandedly) plugging Netflix, i'll plug GreenCine, which offers a better selection and a better use of your subscription fee. for SF Bay Area residents, the service is the same. i've used both. plus GreenCine has porn, er, adult entertainment.

That looks much better than Netflix. Anyone know what the delivery time to Portland, Oregon is? I've gotten used to the next-day delivery from Netflix here.
posted by cmonkey at 11:25 AM on August 9, 2004


cmonkey, unfortunately, there's only ONE distribution center located in SF, but i don't know much about the specifics of West Coast delivery. i do know that many east coasters have complained.

their turnaround time is generally considered excellent, i.e. they'll ship your next movie the same day they get your last one.

i didn't know Netflix restricted their 2-movies out plan to four movies a month. that's bogus. it's the same (or more!) then renting the conventional way. i usually get about 6-8 movies a month from GreenCine for $15. good deal for me, and when we're on a binge, it's a ridiculously great deal.

here's a well-researched review. scroll down to the bottom for distribution analysis.
posted by mrgrimm at 11:37 AM on August 9, 2004


metafilter is so fitting my metaneeds right now.
"i love it when a plan comes together"
it's like having research delegates i didn't have to deal with
ahh
i heard incredibly crap things about netflix when they started, guess they must have cleaned up or r "under new management" as well.
too bad none of these services ever make up for their past sins (ref. esp. to early amazon problems i have too much empirical knowledge of esp since i never used them personally--)

keep those reccommendations comin'
posted by ethylene at 12:02 PM on August 9, 2004


I'll second/third Greencine with the provisio (on top of shipping time issues mentioned above) that they have copy density issues for some rarer titles: if you're looking to get something like Battle Royal or Eraserhead or Tales from the Gimli Hospital, you're in for a wait. Lots of other great stuff available in the meantime, but your queue will lack the instant gratification that netflix delivers: I frequently get discs that are 20 or more slots down.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 12:14 PM on August 9, 2004


kirkaracha, I wasn't very clear. I was talking about saving current releases to your queue using cin-o-matic's Netflix integration. After a little more searching I realized it is possible to do this. You have to add the movie to your watch list, where you're then presented with the option to save it to your Netflix queue.
posted by crumbly at 12:30 PM on August 9, 2004


This isn't worth a lot to me since netflix offers something of this sort to it's customers already, but I have found it to be very valuable and relatively accurate in recommending movies I'd probably have otherwise never heard of.

I would really love to see something like this for cds or books though. Anyone else agree?
posted by Wingy at 1:23 PM on August 9, 2004


I should note that collaborative filtering (which cin-o-matic apparently lacks) is what I was talking about moreso than compiling reviews by critics and users.
posted by Wingy at 1:29 PM on August 9, 2004


As complementary source to NetFlix, I find metacritic to be a useful tool. While I sometimes take issue with the weighting they assign to specific reviews, in general the rankings work out, particularly when you're looking at the comparative score between two films. Cin-o-matic is interesting, but I frankly don't need to know any more about what's coming out now, I'm intested in the cool, quirky stuff I missed when I didn't have as much time to watch movies...
posted by JollyWanker at 2:33 PM on August 9, 2004


"...if you're looking to get something like Battle Royal or Eraserhead or Tales from the Gimli Hospital, you're in for a wait. "

Sorry about that. USPS delivered GreenCine's copy of Eraserhead to my house instead of its intended destination (some guy several blocks away), and it sat unopened on a shelf in my living room for about a month. I thought it was one of the crappy children's titles for which I was in no hurry. I chucked it back in the mail just the other day. Eraserhead's "availability bar" should turn greenish again shortly.

In any case, if anyone's considering GreenCine, be aware that the lead time for some titles can be months long. I've still yet to receive Shaolin Soccer, despite it being at the top of my queue for 4 months.
posted by majick at 3:25 PM on August 9, 2004


Hmm.. Sci-Fi, released in the last six months, rated above 5..

nothing.

Yeah I thought so too.
posted by Space Coyote at 3:32 PM on August 9, 2004


Not having been to metafilter in a while, I forgot what a tough crowd it is. Ouch.

The main complaint seems to be the size of the DB. We go back about 1 year for both theatrical and video releases, but we have almost complete release coverage on a current and go-forward basis.

We're also working on some neato new features:
* rss feeds and javascript includes (for including personalized movie info on weblogs)
* a really excellent mobile version that comes in handy when you're on the road, or at the video store.
* an expanded critic list, and critics' quotes (instead of just the rating).
* basic collaborative filtering, to provide recommendations.

Before completely dismissing the current incarnation, please sign up. That's when all the features and personalization kick in.

It's still a work in progress, and I'm very open to suggestions for improvement. email dack at dack.com
posted by dack at 8:51 AM on August 10, 2004


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