Letterboxd, Reviewed: The App Making Movie Watching Social

Letterboxd,  Reviewed: The App Making Movie Watching Social

Emma Unterseher, Arts and Trend Editor

Are you a film buff with strong opinions on the movies you watch? Are you looking for an easy way to keep track of the films you view? Look no further then website and app Letterboxd to solve all of these problems and more.

Letterboxd has been described as “the social network for film lovers” and allows users to share the films they view, create lists of films, and review anything they watch. It’s a fantastic tool to let people know what you’re watching and what you thought of it. Letterbox is also clever as it allows you to create a watchlist of films you want to watch and other lists of any category you wish to create. Olivia Koreman ’17 has been using Letterboxd for a few months and has always had a positive experience with the app. “It’s very easy to use, and it’s perfect for when I am not sure what to watch and need recommendations!”

Has anyone ever recommended a film to you but you later forgot what it was? With the Letterbox app you can instantly add a film to your watchlist as soon as it’s recommended; no more forgetfulness or confusion about what to watch! People on the app also give great reviews as they really care about what they’re watching enough to write about it. Bridget Musker ’18 enjoys the humorous reviews the most. “People get very creative on the app! Some of my favourite lists of films include ‘movies where a character is involved in an incident which briefly impairs their hearing and leads to us hearing EEEEEEEEEEEE for a few seconds to symbolize this’ and ‘movies where natalie postman’s character deserved better;’ definitely one of my favourite apps solely for the comedy!

The app is very simple to use. The homepage opens to the most popular films at the time. This is determined by those that have received the highest ratings as of recent and those that have received frequent reviews. The app features a search tab with the ability to find any film my title, any actor, and any crew member’s entire discography. You also have the ability to browse by release date, genre, highest rated, most anticipated, and opening soon. Users can also add films to review on another tab indicated with a “+” button. Finally the app also includes an activity feed if users connect with friends on the app and a personal profile page. “I love seeing what my friends are watching and reviewing!” says Cecelia Morrow ’17.

Films are rated on a 5 star system and users have the ability to check off an eye shaped icon on each films page to display if they’ve watched the film or not. Some of the most popular films on the app today are Get Out (2017), La La Land (2016), Moonlight (2016), and Arrival  (2016). It seems like most users are still catching up on the previous Oscar season!

I’ve been using the app to help me discover new films to watch for a few months now and I’m hooked. There’s great lists of films directed by women, lists that encompass an actor’s complete body of work, and many other valuable categories. If you yourself have strong opinions on the movies you watch, get involved and make your voice heard!

Letterboxd is available on the App Store and Google Play.