Other Movie Social Neetwork Sites

[Chris Knipp]

Filmleaf people may be interested in viewing the website Mashable ("The Social Media Guide") for its list (http://mashable.com/2009/07/18/movie-social-networks/) of "Top 10 Great Social Sites for Movie Lovers." Filmleaf isn't there, maybe because it has too few members. The Auteurs is, plus the obvious big ones, Netflix, BoxOfficeMojo, and IMDb. I can't say I'd ever heard of the other sites. This was sent me by Borys Musielak ("Michuk"), a [Czech]--sorry: POLISH -- film enthusiast living in England who has started a new film social networking site called Filmaster (http://filmaster.com/) with a nice layout and a lot of functions. It's just getting going. Anyone is invited to join.

[oscar jubis]

The problem with FilmLeaf is that it is possible to join but impossible for new members to post (in order to avoid inappropriate posts). We have 5 active members. The five of us manage to create the most interesting, thought-provoking discussions of contemporary American film to be found anywhere. I do mean that. And we feature one of the most tireless, comprehensive, well-rounded film reviewers to be found in electronic media. Of course, I am referring to Chris Knipp.

The only site listed that I found interesting as far as a potential discussion (as opposed to "social networking" or informational) forum would be the inappropriately-named The Auteurs. A site with vast and active discussion forums with a passionate, well-educated membership would be Turner Classic Movies. It was inexplicably left off the list.

[Johann]

The Spammers have created the situation re: new members posting.
Thanks spammers. You suck.
But the weight of the 5 of us is fine.
We don't need no stinking new members!
ha ha

[Chris Knipp]

Thank you, Oscar, for those extremely kind words.

[cinemabon]

I know we lost Howard, but I'm inclined to agree with my esteemed colleague from Florida. Chris Knipp is brilliant and graces this site each week with his wisdom. I've read reviews in many places and boast that with posters like Oscar, Tab, Johann and others, but especially Chris Knipp... he lends this site credibility.

I find it very refreshing to read intelligent discourse. Try finding that on rottentomatoes or even imdb, where blogging often resorts to name calling. You won't find that here. That is because of the calibre of post. What do you say in French, Chris?

I'm about to butcher it... genesay qua? Please correct that and hurriedly. I did not have time to look it up.

[Chris Knipp]

on the PUBLIC ENEMIES thread cinemabon posted on this topic:
Most of the "fan" sites resemble the hodge-podge over opinionated high school blogger available to the open public. Many people post truly vulgar things, spout inexperienced monologues, and do not sound nearly as knowledgeable as our esteemed membership.

In other words, they are crap compared to us. I'd not say all are crap. The Auteurs and Spout appear to have good material (I don't know about discussion: "comments" posts often seem to degenerate into "snarke"). Dave Kehr's blog (http://www.davekehr.com/) has very polite and intelligent film comments and discussion, from what I've seen. Most of these sites I might add, though not having our extreme limitations, effectively barring new contributors (at present: that could change), still usually have only a handful of regular contributors at any one time, by the way. Oscar cited Turner Classics and at one time a Classics secion of the IMDb boards had good and lively discussions. It was there that I discovered the very serious Kevn Lee (http://www.alsolikelife.com/), who's done the little YouTube film-clip-illustrated movie "lectures." Stuff like that isn't snarky and is well above high school level. But no doubt there is a lot of junk out there. Or people who, while well informed, may be a little more frustrated, resentful, or solipsistic than is desirable.

You will see that on Kevin Lee's current movie blog (http://alsolikelife.com/shooting/) he has been getting a number of serious contributors lately, some of the fellow Brooklyn residents, it seems. Maybe we should pay more attention to these other sites. But it's not a bad idea just to stick to cultivating our own garden, if we're doing a reasonably good job of it.

[Chris Knipp]

I hoped to lure Howard back,also arsaib, and mouton, all of whom made substantial contributions. I'm still in touch with Howard and we both contribute often to Cinescene (http://www.cinescene.com/), an opportunity on my part I owe to him. We met through IMDb, and I think that's how I came here too, and that has been my greatest source of online film contacts. I'm not praising the quality of message posts and board exhcnages on IMDB, But posting my reviews there as User Comments has led to many responses and contacts, most recently, the Polish/London resident guy with the new site, Filmaster, via my User Comments review of Wajda's Katyn . I contacted Howard because I disagreed with his User Comment on IMDb about Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran (2003), which he disapproved of. Much followed from that contact. Howard still posts his excellent reviews, which appear elsewhere, as User Comments. So many people browse them, from all over the world.

Thanks for your kind words too, cinemabon. You mean Je ne sais quoi.

[Johann]

Not a movie-social network site, but my friend Jonathan Rosenbaum (yes, we chat on facebook) has just directed me to his website because although he is retired from the Chicago Reader, he still writes. And he writes here:


www.jonathanrosenbaum.com


If you're a good cinephile you should be able to navigate through all his edifying comments on all kinds of films.
My favorite film critic is still going strong..

[oscar jubis]

Our favorite film critic is going strong indeed. A friend came back from a trip to Peru with a wonderful present, a second in-Spanish edition of the most important film book published in the 1990s: MOVIE WARS: How Hollywood and the Media Limit What Films We Can See by Jonathan Rosenbaum. It has a wonderful still from Bela Tarr's SATANTANGO in the cover. Way cooler than the English edition.

The book would be as current and important if it was released today.

[Johann]

That's awesome! I'll have to ask him about that.

I told him today in fact that "Movie Wars" and "Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Canons" were vital books. I asked him if he's coming to Toronto this year. He told me he's retired from the festival circuit but he still writes. A lot.
And he does lectures in Chicago in libraries and such.
See his website for appearances.

And I got him looking at FilmLeaf.
Let him post, dammit! ha ha

[Michuk]

Hi.

I am Borys, a stinking new member from an uninteresting social networking site called Filmaster.com (http://filmaster.com) mentioned above.

I'm here thanks to Chris who organized it all.

I'm going to contribute to the film festival section covering some European festivals (obviously the ones that I manage to get into).

I also hope to have some cool discussions with all five of you.

[Johann]

Greetings and welcome, Borys!

[Chris Knipp]

Welcome from me, obviously!