

Show HN: Don't forget another movie release. Thoughts? - ConceitedCode
http://www.moviecron.com
Update: Really appreciating all the feedback I'm receiving and will start right away at implementing all of it. I haven't put a link on the site to follow on twitter yet, but to get updated about new features follow Movie Cron on twitter @MovieCron ( http://www.twitter.com/MovieCron ).
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davezatch
Cool site, will probably use it. Would be nice if, in the big view of upcoming
movies, the posters were more prominent. As is, the big bootstrap buttons draw
all the attention, which makes it harder to scan quickly.

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cowboyhero
Few crits & suggestions:

\- The layout does render correctly at 1024x768 (iPad).

\- Some of the drop downs do not work when tapped.

\- Make the movie detail page URL more SEO friendly (include the title instead
of your internal ID).

\- Don't force users to download images & titles from a few dozen other movies
when looking at the movie detail page.

\- Focus on being mobile friendly. I can imagine a site like this being most
useful when I see a poster or trailer at the local theater and want to
remember it. In that situation, I'm on my phone with a slower connection (or
one that is capped).

\- You're building a site with lots of utility, not a content site. I'm not
sure links to half a dozen social media services will serve your users (along
with forcing mobile visitors to download all that JavaScript).

\- Movie release dates vary greatly across countries. Even the US, smaller
independent films will have slow roll outs over longer periods of time. Some
bigger films will premier in NY and LA weeks or months before being released
in a wider market. And not all films will be available in all areas. Your site
gives no indication of any of this at all.

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gokulk
the layout still needs some work

e.g., the register box is off when not in standard resolution

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mattmight
Great idea!

I have small kids, so we never go to movies in theaters any more.

I'd happily use this service if it provided Rental/DVD/Netflix/iTunes
availability reminders.

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ConceitedCode
I'd love to implement that, but couldn't find an API that provides that
information. I'd settle on scrapping the information if I could find a site
that displays the dvd/netflix release with some consistency. The site is using
the tmdb.org API for everything right now.

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cgh
I believe RottenTomatoes provides an api, but I have no idea if it's free or
what.

[http://developer.rottentomatoes.com/docs/read/json/v10/New_R...](http://developer.rottentomatoes.com/docs/read/json/v10/New_Release_DVDs)

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ConceitedCode
Thanks! Missed the dvd release date the last time I looked at it and I can
look it up by the IMDB id. I'll start working on DVD releases right now.

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cgh
Netflix also has a new releases RSS feed, which you might be able to
incorporate via a listen-and-update-db client:

<http://dvd.netflix.com/NewReleasesRSS>

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tzs
A couple of comments have asked for a similar service for Netflix and iTunes.
There already is such a service, "Can I Stream.it?" [1]. I have no affiliation
with them--I came across them when trying to find out what is available on
Netflix so I could decide if I wanted to sign up.

CISI reports on the availability of movies via the following sources, and lets
you set up a reminder to tell you when a movie becomes available:

Free or subscription streaming: Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, Crackle, YouTube,
Epix, Xfinity Streampix.

Streaming rental: Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube, Blockbuster.

Digital Purchase: Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, Blockbuster.

DVD/Bluray: Amazon, Netflix, Redbox.

XFINITY subscription: HBO, SHO, Cinemax, Starz, Encore, Xfinity free.

[1] <http://canistream.it/>

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ConceitedCode
Clicked on create a reminder and it said "Reminder functionality coming soon".
Might have to steal some ideas from their site though :)

Edit: Seems like reminders are available on some movies. Not sure which you
can and can not set reminders for.

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OldSchool
Nice idea, nice work!

Additionally, people with young kids are always looking for movies near them
that are G or PG. Each theater complex usually has zero, one, or two compared
to ten or more from PG13 and R. Given a reliable source, you might optionally
push a short list to a subscriber on Thursday night via SMS listing -any-
local kid-friendly movies, new or not. Now to monetize it all...

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ConceitedCode
Really like the kids movies idea.

Right now I'm monetizing by giving the option to add a link to fandango when
you create a reminder that is selected by default. The link in the reminder is
an affiliate link so I earn a commission based on ticket sales. Looking for
other ways to monetize without ads though, so any other suggestions would be
welcomed.

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ConceitedCode
Really appreciating all the feedback I'm receiving and will start right away
at implementing all of it. I haven't put a link on the site to follow on
twitter yet, but to get updated about new features as I add them follow Movie
Cron on twitter @MovieCron ( <http://www.twitter.com/MovieCron> ).

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d0m
Like it, good idea :) Could be fun to have a bigger view of the movies with a
-> to see the next one. The trailer could already be pre-loaded (Showing the
first image of the video) and when clicked on it it starts playing. Also, a
hype factor (either from your own users or from rotten tomatoes for instance)
could be useful.

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geuis
I really want to try this, but I don't see why we are required to register for
accounts. My cell phone number is enough of an account name. Just send me a
one-time SMS with a random guid that links back. I can enter a password there.

Alternately, why use accounts at all? Just let me enter my number or email and
pick movies to be notified about.

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getoffmalawn
Well, this service doesn't really seem useful to people that live outside the
US. E.g. "A Good Day to Die Hard" won't be released until a month later in
Australia, but the website indicates that it comes out a month earlier.
Aggregating the release dates would be nice.

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alanctgardner2
It'd be cool if I could get a bit more non-trailer info by clicking the
poster. I kind of expected it would bring up the poster in a lightbox at
least, so I could see the stars' names. Maybe I'm a curmudgeon, but I prefer
reading to watching a trailer.

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mikecane
Generally nice work. I'd use it but I avoid theaters. Loads fast on my crap
PC. Only problem I have is the design of Upcoming Movies. Should be a nice
grid, with the buttons aligned underneath the JPEG. Rather a confusing mess
as-is.

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ConceitedCode
Great to hear it loads fast. That's been the biggest hurdle.

Definitely agree about the layout of the Upcoming Movies page.

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grantjgordon
You might add a little more definition around movie title / poster / button
combinations. Once you scroll away from the top or the bottom it's not
immediately apparent which belong to which unless you really look at the
poster.

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marbemac
Great start. From a UI perspective, I'd try and do a bit more to get away from
the default bootstrap look. It's pretty immediately identifiable, and makes
your design blend in with so many others these days (in a bad way).

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BaconJuice
Where are you getting the movie data from? Cool site by the way, really like
it.

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ConceitedCode
I'm using the tmdb.org API v3.

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JosephBrown
As far as design is concerned, maybe rethink your use of the script font:
<http://www.mishes.com/articles/lobster-font-abuse>

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mhaymo
I use imdb's android app for this. It has a "coming soon" page where you can
see upcoming releases, and if you tap the release date, it's added to your
calendar.

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hayksaakian
It'd be nice if there were some review scores too. I think rotten tomatoes has
an API for this.

The Netflix etc, availability others mentioned is probably helpful too.

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xur17
Looks great! You should consider adding notifications for when a movie comes
out on dvd / bluray, since sometimes I'm waiting for that.

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jjsmith
Registration page seems kind of empty but other than that its a great start.

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trusko
Nice, I like the idea.

