Frequently Asked Questions

What is FilmGator?

The purpose of FilmGator is to provide movie ratings and reviews fast and to let users keep track of their own movie top list and movie watching history. On FilmGator anyone can write reviews and rate movies, not just movie critics.

What does FilmGator offer for the registered users?

  • Movie timeline
    Movie timeline is a way of keeping track of users' movie watching history. Users can record when, where, and with whom they watched a movie. More on timelines

  • User movie list
    Registered users see a list of the movies they have rated. User's movie list easily reveals one's favorite films. It's fun to keep track of your own movie top list and see which movies are the real gems you might want to watch again or even buy on DVD or Blu-ray.

  • Possibility to write reviews
    Registered users can write a review on any movie. Registered users can also rate other users' reviews.

  • FilmGator is developing!
    We are constantly developing new ideas on how to make the site even more useful. Don't worry; even though new features are sure to come we are committed to keeping the core idea of FilmGator as effective as possible.

What is a movie timeline?

Each FilmGator user has their own movie timeline. It can be used to keep track of the movies a user watches. Users can record when, where and with whom they watched a movie, and note a comment on the occasion. The timeline can then be shared with friends on Facebook or through an RSS feed.

To add a movie to a timeline, go to a movie's page and look for a button saying "+Timeline" next to the movie's title. Clicking it will unfold the options for adding the movie to your timeline. Users can remove and edit the existing entries in their timeline as they wish.

What are tags?

Tags are descriptive words or expressions that can be attached to a movie, when the movie is added to a user's timeline. By clicking a tag the user can browse all the movies in FilmGator with the corresponding tag attached to them.

Here are a few guidelines for adding tags to movies:

  • Separate with commas
  • Only singular forms
  • Only nouns
  • In English only
  • Preferably 1-2 words per tag
  • No genres
  • No actors, directors, nor other makers

What is a miniprofile?

Every user of FilmGator has their own miniprofile, which you can see by clicking on the user's nickname. The miniprofile includes basic information regarding the activities of the respective user.

The basic functions of a miniprofile are the following:

  • Link to the users movie timeline and to the timeline feed in RSS format
  • Links to the users movie ratings, list of reviews and watch list
  • Links to the movies the user has last seen and reviewed.
  • List of users he/she is following [More information on "following"]

What is a top list?

Top List is actually a collection of the movies you have rated added with some interesting statistics of your rating habits. The Top List can be accessed through the navigation menu at the top of the FilmGator page. Your rated movies are shown in descending order; those rated highest being on the top. You can also view movies with a specific rating by clicking the bars in the diagram to the right.

What does "Following" mean?

To follow a user, means to keep track of their activity at FilmGator. Once you follow a user you will see their latest timeline additions on your own front page. When looking at a movie page, you will also be able to see how the users you follow have rated that movie.

You can start following a user by accessing their miniprofile (by clicking on their nick anywhere in the site, e.g. through the FilmGator search) and clicking the option "Follow this user".

How to write a review?

  • Tell your opinion about the movie.
  • You can summarize the plot but don't reveal too much.
  • Try to include your opinion into the title.
  • Write between 30 and 1000 words.
  • Write in English.
  • Anyone can write!
  • You don't have to be a movie critic to tell your opinion.
  • Focus on your own review - don't nag about others'.

Tell your opinion about the movie honestly. Analyze the film and tell what you liked and disliked and explain your opinions so that readers can decide whether to agree with you or not. You can describe the pros and cons of the movie and comment on specific aspects of the movie such as direction, acting, cinematography or music.

You can describe the plot summary of the movie but make sure you keep it short and don't reveal any essential details such as the ending or major twists in the plot.

Try to formulate your opinion in the title of the review. An ideal title gives the reader an idea about your opinion and you review.

A good review might generally be 250 - 500 words but feel free to use any length between 30 and 1000 words.

Write in English. Write complete sentences using proper grammar and correct spelling and punctuation.

All of the above might feel like a lot of rules. But we still hope that everyone would share their opinions. You don't have to be a professional movie critic to write a review or a comment. Here on FilmGator anyone can write. We are most interested in your opinions about movies no matter who you are! While we respect long and comprehensive reviews we also value comments made of a few thoughtful sentences.

Remember to focus on your own review. Don't nag about reviews or comments of other users. There is a review rating system that you can use to express your opinion about any review. Remember to rate the movie so that readers see also your rating in the end of your review!

How to rate movies?

You can rate movies by clicking on the stars. The rating scale is from 1 to 10. Users can change their ratings at any time. Think about the following example when rating movies.

starstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstar Perfect or almost perfect
starstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstar_grey Very very good
starstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstar_greystar_grey Very good
starstarstarstarstarstarstarstar_greystar_greystar_grey Good
starstarstarstarstarstarstar_greystar_greystar_greystar_grey Better than mediocre
starstarstarstarstarstar_greystar_greystar_greystar_greystar_grey Mediocre
starstarstarstarstar_greystar_greystar_greystar_greystar_greystar_grey Worse than mediocre
starstarstarstar_greystar_greystar_greystar_greystar_greystar_greystar_grey Pretty bad
starstarstar_greystar_greystar_greystar_greystar_greystar_greystar_greystar_grey Bad
starstar_greystar_greystar_greystar_greystar_greystar_greystar_greystar_greystar_grey Very Bad

Why didn't I get the activation e-mail?

If you did not get the activation e-mail, it may have been classified as junk/spam. Please check those folders for an e-mail with the subject "FilmGator registration". You might also want to add do-not-reply@filmgator.com as a contact to prevent this from happening in the future.

How can I recover a lost or forgotten username or password?

You can have your password reset and sent to you together with your username to your registered e-mail address here.

How can I contact the people behind FilmGator?

You can use the contact form.

Which reviews are shown on the front page?

The front page shows three random reviews that consist of more than 200 words.

What is the basis for the "Other Popular Movies" on the front page?

"Other Popular Movies" shows a list of movies that were added to the user timelines the most during the last 30 days.

Where do you get the information and posters of movies from?

Most of the data is contributed by our loyal users, they can add new movies, actors and posters. Other missing information is being get using Freebase and TMDb APIs. This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb. And data from Freebase is licenced under CC-BY.