I wouldn’t say I’m a movie buff by any stretch of the imagination, but I do love watching movies, and I watch them all the time. I try to keep up with new releases and such, but it’s difficult. I’m a current Netflix subscriber, and I’ve used IMDB for years. Since I got my Nexus One, I like to lay in bed at night and watch movie trailers for upcoming films on Flixster – it’s a great way to pass some time without committing to an entire TV show or movie, and it keeps me up-to-date on what’s coming to the theatre soon.
Unfortunately, delivering movie trailers is where both Flixster and IMDB have stopped. I believe Flixster has a way for me to save movies to an ‘I want to see this’ list, but that’s only a partial step in the right direction. None of the services thus far have a way for me to be reminded when a movie is actually released in theatres or on DVD. Here’s what I’d like to see:
1. Get Me To The Theatre – I’d like to be able to watch a movie trailer, and then have the option to add the film to my calendar (Google, preferably) so that I get a pop-up notification a week or so before the movie opens in theatres. Since trailers tend to come available months, sometimes a year or more before the movie opens, this would be a great way for Flixster and IMDB to bring me back to their service – the calendar alert might include a link to look up showtimes or buy tickets online or invite my friends to setup a movie night.
2. Get me To Rent The DVD – I’d also like to see Netflix join the fun by tying into either Flixster or IMDB to see what movies I added to my ‘in theatres’ calendar and give me the option to add yet another alert to notify me when the DVD is released, so I can add it to my Netflix queue easily (and be reminded so I can re-arrange my Netflix queue if necessary). This could also have an option to tell my friends so I could organize a movie night.
Unfortunately, as best as I can find, none of this stuff is easily accomplished today. I haven’t had a chance to really explore to see if it’s even feasible, but I shouldn’t have to. Somewhere along the line, the whole movie experience failed to keep up with the mobile and social Internet that’s woven into our lives. Technology should enrich and enable our real lives, and that’s something that no one in the movie industry is doing, at the moment. Who’ll step up?
Ricky Cadden 