[IMDb can] satisfy your insatiable and nerdy desire for movie info.”
-J.P. Hilton, engineering major, Cooper Union.

IMDb.com

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) Web site is, in short, a delight, offering a plethora of information on almost every television show or film ever made, or even in the making. Including both independent and mainstream media, IMDb lets you explore memorable quotations, trivia, release dates, user reviews, photos and more.

Senior William Egert, a computer engineering technology major at Rochester Institute of Technology, said IMDb was part of his everyday routine.

“IMDb is a great way to waste twenty minutes,” Egert said. “It’s definitely an ingenious way to source all cinematic things.â€?

So resourceful in fact that Douglas Evasick, sophomore journalism major at Ithaca College, uses it for every movie he reviews for the college newspaper.

“It’s great for finding technical information about movies you want,� Evasick said.

IMDb has both user reviews as well as links to official reviews. Full cast and crew listings are offered, providing access to a myriad of technical information for those more in-tune to the movie world.

But even if you’re not pursuing a career as a professional reviewer, IMDb can be extremely useful, said J.P. Hilton, engineering major at Cooper Union.

“[IMDb can] satisfy your insatiable and nerdy desire for movie info,” Hilton said.

For those times you’re scratching your head and rattling your brain for that guy from a film, television show or even commercial that looks sooo familiar and his name is just at the tip of your tongue - IMDb is your answer. IMDb profiles every actor and actress to the fullest extent. By searching a specific actor you can find their entire resume, any awards or nominations they’ve received, as well as an extensive, out of the ordinary biography.

For instance, did you know that Brad Pitt supported himself by driving strippers in limos, moving refrigerators and dressing as a giant chicken while working for “el Pollo Loco”?

But a regular visitor to the site may not know that, in the world of those involved in film and TV, IMDb isused as a sort of dating service.

“It is the premier dating vessel for Hollywood,” said actress Bree Turner. “You can find out if the schmo is lying when he said he just wrapped Soderbergh’s next feature or was the indie darling at Sundance. And you can see if he was an ex-porn-star because IMDb will put everything you have ever done on celluloid up.”

Eric Lubarsky, a junior Television and Radio major at Ithaca College said, “I’ve used IMDb to look at what other movies actors that I like are in to find movies I should go see. It’s a great way to see where actor or actresses are now. Like, if you look up the actors from ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark?’ or ‘Salute Your Shorts’ you can actually see what they have done since being on the show.�

IMDb isn’t all trivia and facts though; it is also a practical and useful source for the most recent movie and television news. Looking to see a movie this weekend? Go to IMDb and find all featured films and show times for local theaters. Another neat feature of IMDb.com is that it showcases upcoming television premiers as well as a movie of the day. The site isn’t focused solely on mainstream media; it equally incorporates independent films and features a lesser-known actor or actress everyday in a ‘Please meet…’ section.

IMDb is extremely user-friendly and easily navigable. Whether you’re researching, looking to receive your daily dose of entertainment and celebrity trivia or to see whether or not you should date that so-called professional actor, IMDb is certainly a worthwhile pursuit.

Read more about IMDb.
Read a review from The Guardian by James Verini.