It's been two hours since I last clicked. Stopping is always so hard - you think to yourself "ok, just one more comparison and then I'll quit". But then you get Fight Club up against Pulp Fiction, and you just have to make that ranking. It's so enticing, so wonderful, so endless. Even when you do find that brief reprieve, when you muster the willpower to tear yourself away, it's not long before you start to feel the urges. The pangs. "I'll just do it for ten minutes, and then I'll watch TV. Or study. Or see my family." No my friends, you won't. Once in has you in it's sweet embrace, it never lets go. The site was down for maintenence the other day. I wept. I click until my fingers bleed. And then I click some more.
Alright, for those of you who don't know what the hell I'm talking about, I recently discovered Flickchart, a movie ranking website that is poised to become the next big thing. The way it works in brilliant in it's simplicity. You get shown two movie posters and you click on the movie you like more. Then you get another two choices. And so on and so on, until the end of time.
You cannot believe how addictive this is. It's the movie equivalent of hard narcotics! I signed on less than 48 hours ago and I've already done two thousand one hundred and forty four rankings. And I just can't stop!It really is the perfect website for movie fans. I'm always trying to make a definitive top 20 list by myself, but I'm constantly paralyzed by indecision. With Flickchart, it's so easy. The movies may seem utterly unrelated; I once got The Departed vs. Mulan. But as time goes on, it slowly builds you list of favourite films, and it's surprisingly accurate. My top ten currently looks like this:
Another great thing about Flickchart is that if you haven't seen one or both of the movies you're asked about, you can simply indicate that with the click of a button, and the site slowly builds your list of unseen movies, ranking them according to their ranking on the site (decided by the users). For example, the number one movie I have to see is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which sits as the sites 15th most prefered film. Currently at number 1 is The Dark Knight.But Flickchart isn't about telling you what the best movies of all times are. It's about asking you. And for people like me, who are in need of constant validation, it serves as a gentle reminder that I am always right. It doesn't judge you for ranking Billy Madison above 2001: A Space Oddysey, nor does it snicker when you admit you haven't seen Lawrence of Arabia. It's like the spouse who always listens, gently prompting you onwards. Of course sometimes it hard to make the decision - whether it's because you love or hate both choices - but the movies cycles through, and so you constantly amend your list.
Flickchart is currently in Beta, so you need to sign up to become a tester, and then they send you an email (this may take a long time though). However, new members can invite five people to start using instantly. If you want in, comment below or send me an email - I've used all my invites, but I know people who know people.
In this way, Flickchart is not so much like drugs as it is an STD of some kind. I get five friends to join, they each get five friends to join, and we slowly spread the love. So lose the protection and start ranking today! You won't regret it (and if you do, you won't be able to stop anyway.)
P.S. 200th post ftw!!!
