The MRQE: Movie Review Query Engine is a must for everyone whether films are a passion, a pastime or only an incidental experience. With 67,626 titles available and 627,624 articles (as of August 3, 2007), MRQE offers reviews of new and old films, including everything from Underdog (released in the USA August 3 2007) to older classics like The Grapes of Wrath or North by Northwest. For those who enjoy good “bad movies”, campy films like Robinson Crusoe on Mars and minor cult classics like the original Meatballs are also included. Started in 1993, this is a great resource for students needing a quick review for class discussion, for aficionados looking for content on new DVD releases, and for the casual filmgoer wanting to find the best new releases.
The film reviews include those from the New York Times (must register there to see complete review), the Chicago Sun‐Times' Roger Ebert and reviewers from many other newspapers around the world. Some of the more fun things to read are reviews from MRQE contributors. It is interesting to read a variety of reviews of the same film to see how individual tastes differ and the varying criteria applied. Though much more than a film review search engine, MQRE allows users to enter their zip code and find what is showing in their neighbourhood. Information on local cinemas includes the address, showing times locally and disabled access. This is an excellent feature, since many local cinemas no longer publish in newspapers everyday, and listening to voice mail show times can be frustrating at times. The opening page lists new US releases and new DVD releases. Another feature is a current list of the top ten grossing films in the USA. The site also includes useful lists of films: the AFI 100 greatest lists from 2007 and 1997, the films in the Cannes, Sundance, Berlin International, Toronto and Tribeca film festivals for current and past years. New releases and upcoming releases in the UK are also available in the pull‐down menu. MRQE is tied to blogs, film‐related web sites like the highly‐respected IMDb (www.imdb.com/). The site's Merchandise tab includes Amazon, AllPosters and MRQE's own online store. User's can register for the site and receive the newsletter. Registration is quick and easy with an e‐mail confirmation is required before final registration is completed.
A further major attraction of MRQE and the feature that underlies its slogan “Where People Talk About Movies” is the online community of nearly 5,000 users who post in many forums including those for classic films, filmmakers, film schools, and genres such as horror, sci‐fi or comedy. It is hard to believe the largest number of registered users on the site at one time was a mere 95 people. This site deserves better, but non‐registered users no doubt account a large percentage of overall traffic. To conclude, do your film‐watching friends a favour and tell them about MQRE.
