Recently, Letterboxd has become one of my favorite apps. I find myself reaching for my phone to open Letterboxd as soon as the credits start rolling on any film I’ve watched. As soon as I finish reviewing the film, it actually feels like I’ve watched it. There’s just something about reviewing the films I watch that makes me feel like a little movie critic. The best is when I’ll be with a group of friends that also have a Letterboxd, and we’ll all pull out our phones at the same time to start reviewing the film that we all just watched. There will be a couple of minutes of silence (and the occasional giggle for the funny reviewer) as we write our thoughts and assign our stars. Then, as soon as we are all done, we’ll start dissecting the film, basically reiterating our reviews but now to each other. I even made my brother get one so that whenever we watch a film, I make him review it, and I love reading his reviews because they’re always so out of pocket in the best way.
As I’ve gotten more into film and learning all of it’s incredibly interesting and complex aspects, it’s been great to have a digital diary for all the films that I’ve watched. As I learn more, my reviews become more specific and observative of production value, music direction, directing, acting, color grading, cinematography, and so much more. I love being able to watch a film and notice all the little cool details that make a film so special. Then go back to comment on it and save it so that if I ever rewatch it, I can go back and remember those details and even add more.
I also enjoy the community aspect of the app. I can stalk what films my friends are watching and see what they think of them. I also like the feature of seeing your friend’s activity because if I’m ever lost on what to watch, I’ll just open up Letterboxd and check who’s been seeing what to get some inspiration. I also like to follow Twitter critics and people who generally watch a lot of films to get inspiration and read well thought out reviews. I just really love Letterboxd, and I think it’s a great tool for filmmakers and film lovers.
If you have Letterboxd, follow me! -> @danielaosorio