home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Share Gallery 1
/
share_gal_1.zip
/
share_gal_1
/
HD
/
HD002A.ZIP
/
README.MOV
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1988-01-26
|
5KB
|
115 lines
THE MOVIE DATABASE
(Copyright Eric Balkan 1985-1988) Edition 2.3: 1/26/88
Welcome movie fans! The Movie Database contains information on over 4000
movies, all of which are currently available on videotape. Did you ever wish
you had a list of Debra Winger's movies or director John Carpenter's movies or
could remember what movies Sally Field and Jeff Bridges made together or which
movies based on Alistair MacLean stories are available on videotape or....
A search of The Movie Database can answer those questions and many
more like them.
The typical entry in this database consists of:
- movie title
- MPAA rating
- date of release
- major cast members
- director
- scriptwriter
- original story author, if not an original screenplay
A word about MPAA ratings: Current designations are G, PG, PG-13, R,
X. However, there are very few X-rated or G movies in this database.
Note that the predecessor of R was 'M'; the predecessor of PG was GP.
(Except that an R movie of 1970 would probably be rated PG today.) Before
1967 (?) there were no ratings, so those movies are 'NR' for not rated.
I've also used 'TV' to signify a made-for-TV movie. If they were to be
rated, TV movies would generally be PG or G. Some TV movies are listed in
this database as NR, because that was how the videotape producer listed
them. If I didn't know what the rating was, I left it blank.
Each entry in the database looks something like this:
Taxi Driver
R
1976
Drama
Robert DeNiro
Jodie Foster
Cybill Shepherd
Albert Brooks
Harvey Keitel
Leonard Harris
Peter Boyle
W:Paul Schrader
D:Martin Scorsese
..
The title is always the first field, then the MPAA rating, then the
release date, then the cast members, then additional information.
Screenwriters are prefaced with 'W:'. If a script is based on a story
from another medium, then the original author's name appears in
parentheses, e.g., W:Francis Ford Coppola (Mario Puzo).
Directors are prefaced with a 'D:'. Producers with a 'P:'. Producers
are rarely listed, however. Directors and writers are not always listed
either, mostly because that information is not as readily available as are
the names of the cast members. Recently I've begun to add M: for music
and SE: for special effects. Anything unknown or suspect is left blank.
The entry for each movie is terminated by two dots on a line by themselves.
There are also some special designations in parentheses, on the same
line as a title or name, that have special meanings:
(*) - the movie or star or director or screenwriter got an Oscar.
(Aust.) - country of origin, e.g. Australia (Only noted for a few movies)
I've begun adding classifications to the movie listings: action,
comedy, romance, horror, etc. I've also put in a '+' if it was above
average in its class or '-' if it was below average.
The database itself is broken down into 45 or so ordinary, sequential,
text files. These all have two letter filenames. Except for use with the
MOVIES program discussed below, there is no requirement that the files
remain in this configuration. In fact, if you have a text editor that can
support 400K files, you may want to merge all of my little files into one
big one.
Because the database is not compressed or encrypted in any way, it
can be searched with the find/search command of most any text
editor or word processor. I created/edited the files myself with EDIX
and PE on an IBM PC, Scripsit on a TRS-80, and Epsonlink on an HX-20.
(The DOS FIND command won't do you much good, because it won't show you
the entire movie entry.)
I have also supplied, on this disk, a little search utililty called
MOVIES, with a FIND xx AND/OR xx capability. It's described in a file
called MOVIES.DOC.
The information in this directory is by necessity, incomplete. (I am
continuing to work on expanding the database.) There may also be some
errors, though probably fewer than in printed videotape directories.
Wherever I was in doubt about an item of information, I left it out rather
than take a chance it might be wrong. Still, errors do creep in. If you
catch any, please let me know.
By the way, I'm on the lookout for volunteers to help key the
information in. Payment? Well....
Eric Balkan
Packet Press
14704 Seneca Castle Ct.
Gaithersburg MD 20878
Disclaimer: All information contained in this database has been gathered
from sources believed reliable, but cannot be guaranteed. I apologize
in advance for any errors and will correct them in future editions.
Final note: There should be some additional files on this disk with an
extension of ".ad". These are ads for some of our other products. Check
them out. We've developed some things you won't see elsewhere.
E.B.