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Google Announces 'Google Movies'

NW writes "Over at the official Google Blog, a new Google feature was announced - Google Movies. When using the 'movie:' operator in Google, it brings up movie reviews. At the first glance it looks like a custom search across movie review sites. There are also movie 'home pages' like this one which aggregate all reviews AND calculate the total score based on the number of stars. It looks like something similar to Google News - parsing all the reviews and it remains to be seen whether it will be expanded to something like IMDB. There is also no ads, probably for the same reason as Google News. The bottom of the page states 'The selection and placement of reviews on this page were determined automatically by a computer program. No movie critics were harmed or even used in the making of this page.'"

33 of 261 comments (clear)

  1. Just use booble!!! by lecithin · · Score: 5, Funny

    You can get all sorts of information on movies from Booble. http://www.booble.com/

    --
    It could be worse, it could be Monday.
    1. Re:Just use booble!!! by puiahappy · · Score: 5, Informative

      or just try www.imdb.com (Internet Movie Data Base), i think no other coment needed

      --
      Think like a hacker, act like a hacker, but never become a hacker !
    2. Re:Just use booble!!! by nizo · · Score: 4, Funny

      One advantage of this search site is it has a name that most slashdot people can easily remember.

  2. No torrent option yet? by Pac · · Score: 5, Funny

    If I type "movie:Lord of the Rings type=torrent" will it bring up links to the torrents along with the reviews?

    1. Re:No torrent option yet? by Vicsun · · Score: 5, Informative

      No. For torrent links you need to search for lord of the rings filetype:torrent ;)

    2. Re:No torrent option yet? by nizo · · Score: 4, Funny
      Interesting. I wonder where that site actually resides:
      $ traceroute 66.90.75.92
      (output truncated)
      12 so-1-2-0.bbr2.SanJose1.Level3.net (209.244.3.141) 77.821 ms 78.083 ms 77.907 ms
      13 as-2-0.bbr1.Chicago1.Level3.net (64.159.4.225) 79.002 ms 79.094 ms ae-0-0.bbr2.Chicago1.Level3.net (64.159.1.34) 80.333 ms
      14 ge-1-1-55.car1.Chicago1.Level3.net (4.68.101.130) 219.136 ms ge-1-2-56.car1.Chicago1.Level3.net (4.68.101.162) 112.364 ms ge-1-2-52.car1.Chicago1.Level3.net (4.68.101.34) 151.132 ms
      15 bendover.mpaa.org (66.90.75.1) ge-1-2-56.car1.Chicago1.Level3.net 279.002 ms 279.094 ms
      16 *

      Ayieeeee!

  3. Screw "movies"... by neiras · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...why isn't this being presented as a Google Reviews service, reviewing anything and everything? Now THAT would become a cultural phenomenon.

    1. Re:Screw "movies"... by generic-man · · Score: 3, Informative

      Google already offers product reviews through Froogle BETA. Just search for any old MP3 player and you can find reviews of both the products listed and the companies that sell them.

      This information is collected and presented by Google, setting them up as a potential competitor to sites like Epinions.

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      For more information, click here.
  4. Just wait for the next iteration... by slashrogue · · Score: 5, Funny

    And I quote, "Popcorn and a date to snuggle up with are up to you. For now."

    Here's hoping for the best with all of their future plans!

  5. Hmm by P-Frank · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What makes this different from Rotten Tomatoes? And I am genuinely asking this question, not being a horrible sarcastic person.

    1. Re:Hmm by That's+Unpossible! · · Score: 5, Informative

      - No ads.
      - Google goodness and integration.
      - Better search features and movie location.

      --
      Ironically, the word ironically is often used incorrectly.
    2. Re:Hmm by rsmith-mac · · Score: 4, Interesting

      There really isn't any major difference other than that Google Movies doesn't have a front page like RT does, rather it's just a huge DB of reviews. That said however, RT has become increasingly cluttered/ad-riddled since they were picked up by the IGN/GameSpy group, so I see this as a positive thing both for the lack of distractions, and hopefully encouraging RT(and by reflection, Google) in to improving these services.

    3. Re:Hmm by Torgo's+Pizza · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I came. I saw. I like RottenTomatoes better. Seeing twenty, one-sentence reviews at a glance works better for me everytime. Sorry.

  6. quit it already by subrama6 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    am i the only one that feels like google is trying to get it's hands in too many pies? wasn't the best part of the search engine that it did one thing simply and well. it seems that apple is being crucified for trying to branch out a bit with the ipod photo and shuffle, yet google gets deified for everything it touches.

    1. Re:quit it already by nizo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Perhaps, however they are smart enough to realize that indexing all that information out there on the web is the way to go. I mean even with search engines, trying to find things on the web sometimes feels like standing under Niagra falls with a teaspoon (basically they want to be the guy who makes the teaspoon :-) ). And since they are already indexing everything up the wazoo, why not present the data they already have anyway in different ways?

    2. Re:quit it already by HyperChicken · · Score: 5, Insightful

      They're search quality IS slipping. I have to dig further into the results to find something useful. And for general queries, for get about it! General queries results are filled with spammer results on the first couple of pages.

      --
      Free of Flash! Free of Flash!
  7. IMDb rocks by gustgr · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It will not beat IMDb. Maybe Google will try to buy it soon and turn it into GMDb (Google Movie Database).

  8. Re:Disclaimer by kurosawdust · · Score: 5, Funny
    Doesn't say with what kind of algorithm, I'm willing to bed someone will pay something for this algorithm to favour them. This disclaimer means nothing.

    Ahh, now the interesting question here is whether you meant to say "I'm willing to bet someone will pay something for this algorithm to favour them" or "I'm willing to bed someone who will pay something for this algorithm to favour them."

    Freudian slip? YOU MAKE THE CALL!

  9. Rotten Tomatoes by Vaystrem · · Score: 3, Informative

    This is exactly what http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ does. I'm not sure if its an automated process on their end or not but it is functionally identical and in an easier to access format for current movies.

    A very worthwhile site.

  10. Link NOT SAFE FOR WORK by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    You have been warned; use your discretion.

  11. Dang! by Arslan+ibn+Da'ud · · Score: 3, Funny

    Popcorn and a date to snuggle up with are up to > you. For now. But that's the feature I need most!
    Guess I'll wait until it's out of beta...

    --

    Practice Kind Randomness and Beautiful Acts of Nonsense.

  12. Re:Disclaimer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is Slashdot; he's willing to bed anyone. The more algorithms, the better.

  13. movie: ZIP by John.P.Jones · · Score: 5, Interesting

    movie: ZIP

    Brings up showtimes at local theaters... Goodbye moviefone hello google

  14. Problem by nearlygod · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The problem that I foresee with this is timeliness. If you search for Sideways you don't get any results! I'll stick with Rotten Tomatoes.

    --
    The Tools Of Ignorance wanna be a tool?
    1. Re:Problem by leibnizme · · Score: 3, Informative

      If you search for "movie:sideways" Google assumes you want to know about showtimes in your area, and asks for your location.

      If you search for "movie:sideways review", however, Google gives you links to the reviews.

  15. Rotten Tomatoes plus by lockholm · · Score: 4, Interesting
    The valid comparison isn't so much IMDB as it is Rotten Tomatoes, which also compiles reviews for movies. However, with the google version, you don't even have to know the name of the movie:

    "val kilmer popcorn" brings up Real Genius
    "mike and the bots" brings up MST3k - as the second hit (apparently The Phantom was crying out to be MSTed)

    Of course, Rotten Tomatoes picks an exemplary or pithy line from the review to quote, whereas google simply takes the first line of the review, or the line containing your search term. The convenience of having it built into google is seductive, though.

  16. Shills by Dachannien · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Doesn't this just encourage the movie industry to game the Google system and post fake good reviews for their movies? I mean, I know the industry already does this, but now they're encouraged to spam the Intarweb with more and more shill reviews to get their star rating up on Google.

  17. Yea... but I heard by Altus · · Score: 5, Funny


    that they are only doing English movies. Where are the french movies damnit! we wont sit idly by while google continues to push it anglo-centric agenda on the world!

    --

    "In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women..." -H. Simpson

  18. Similiar to Rotten Tomatoes, but not as good by bjdevil66 · · Score: 5, Informative

    I can see them working, but it's not the best system. Rotten Tomatoes is still far superior for movie review comparisons, IMO.

    Final note: don't try "Movie:" (proper use is no caps). This is case-sensitive.

  19. Still needs work by AceCaseOR · · Score: 3, Informative

    I did a search for Manos. I didn't get what I was looking for. Maybe the crawlers need to run a little longer.

    --
    Zagreus sits inside your head, Zagreus lives among the dead, Zagreus sees you in your bed and eats you in your sleep.
  20. Google is going into the Video-on-Demand Business by littlerubberfeet · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The last /. google story was on the new google campus in the Dalles.
    What happens when you combine the following:

    1)A huge bundle of OC lines running down the Columbia Gorge. (some for a Hanford-Los Alimos network, some for Internet2, and some standard teir one backbone.)
    2)30 acres, and possible 80 acres more of server farms in an inductrial park.
    3)A 2000 mW power plant less than a mile away, with google asking for a guaranteed supply AND a guarantee that the power-hungry aluminium smelting plants won't re-open.
    4) Google's recent purchases around the country of dark fibre.
    5) The release of a google movie tool.

    Video servers need to be magnitudes more powerful than a normal SQL/static HTMl web page...It seems to me as if google is slowly setting up for a video on demand service.

    --
    Sig (appended to the end of comments you post, 120 chars)
  21. integration by harshaw · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's been interesting over the last couple of months to see the new google services and how well they integrate with each other.

    for instance, I use google local and at some point it squirreled away a cookie of my location. This information is used by google maps and also the movie reviews.

    when I type movie: Hotel Rwanda it brings me to a listing of show times and links in my town. Another click on "7:40" brings me to the another site (movietickets.com, fandago.com, etc) where I can order a ticket. The point is: two clicks to getting movie tickets. Why would I go to any other site at this point? it's so easy with google, especially when I type it into the built in toolbar on my browser.

    At this point it seems like any horizontal web app is a possible target for google.

  22. Metacritic? by techstar25 · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'll stick with metacritic.com to get my film reviews. While I'm there I can also get videogame, dvd, and cd reviews. Plus, they give a rating from 0-100 which is much more useful than the 1-5 Google is using.