Short or Long Plot Summaries (1 Viewer)

[fforde]

I am curious what the majority of people prefer. There is currently an alternate IMDb script floating around that pulls short plot summaries rather than the longer ones that are pulled with the standard script. Which do you prefer?

Please keep in mind this is for the IMDb scraper only.

A few examples:

Back to the Future
Short
In 1985, Doc Brown invents time travel; in 1955, Marty McFly accidentally prevents his parents from meeting, putting his own existence at stake.

Long
Marty McFly, a typical American teenager of the Eighties, is accidentally sent back to 1955 in a plutonium-powered DeLorean "time machine" invented by slightly mad scientist. During his often hysterical, always amazing trip back in time, Marty must make certain his teenage parents-to-be meet and fall in love - so he can get back to the future.

Aliens
Short
The planet from Alien (1979) has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, enough?

Long
After colonist, Ellen Ripley survived her disastrous ordeal. Nobody believed her story about the "Aliens" being on the planet LV-426. However, approximately 50 years later, the colony on LV-426 was completely destroyed. The government has decided to send Ripley out of cryostasis and to aid a team of tough, rugged space marines into the desolate planet to find out if there are aliens, or survivors. But, what Ripley will begin to realize that her worst nightmare is about to come true.

The Matrix
Short
A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against the controllers of it.

Long
During the year 1999, a man named Thomas Anderson lives an ordinary life. He makes a living illegally mostly by computer hacking. Then one day he meets another man by the man of Morpheus. After their friendship develops Morpheus shows him that world Thomas is living is make-believe. At first Thomas does not believe him, but then is shown evidence and also meets with a like-minded woman named Trinity. He is slowly updated from the time the world was disintegrated and wasted, devoid of all natural resources. Then in this wasteland, came android-like humans, machine-made, who enslaved the remainder of the humans. In order to create the perfect world, a fake world is created to fool the humans into believing that everything is alright in their world. Now Thomas, Trinity, and Morpheus must lead the humans to freedom, but will the android-like beings let them?

 

[dir]

I've noticed on some of the Meedio IMDB importers that short descriptions almost always have truncated sentences ending in "...", such as

"During the year 1999, a man named Thomas Anderson lives an ordinary life. He makes a living illegally mostly by computer hacking. Then one day he meets..."

It was really, really annoying to have all the movie descriptions arbitrarily cut-off like this. So I'd prefer long summaries unless it can be guaranteed that short summaries are actual short, complete summaries such as the examples in the first post.

 

[fforde]

I've noticed on some of the Meedio IMDB importers that short descriptions almost always have truncated sentences ending in "...", such as

"During the year 1999, a man named Thomas Anderson lives an ordinary life. He makes a living illegally mostly by computer hacking. Then one day he meets..."

It was really, really annoying to have all the movie descriptions arbitrarily cut-off like this. So I'd prefer long summaries unless it can be guaranteed that short summaries are actual short, complete summaries such as the examples in the first post.

I would honestly consider that a bug in the script because in those situations you can click a link for the full summary. It is possible there is an exception I am unaware of, but I am pretty sure our standard script takes care of that situation.

 

[flyte]

I prefer longer, but one suggestion might be, (for those who have the "Click Shows Details" advanced setting set to true, is that the short summary is shown at the movie selection screen, and then when you select it to show details, show the longer one there?

I use filmstrip view and streamedMP, so its set up nicely for clicking = play movie

 

[marvenius]

I feel that this could somehow be an "AND" situation in stead of OR. Choosing to display short or long.
As for me, I do not care that much for possible spoilers (except when I'm watching in any theater). home i usually know what the movie is about.
When there are visitors over that want to watch a movie, I usually tell them in short what the movie is about.
Long story short: Why not have both?

 

[FunkyMunkey]

Personally, I find the long summaries very annoying - if the movie is in my collection, I will have a good idea of what the plot is, I might just need a little reminder.

Also, I watched The Scent of Green Papaya the other day, and the long synopsis basically gave away everything thathappens in the movie.

 

[RoXoR]

shorter, because I never read the long plot

 

[papas]

since my wife uses the this plugin alot ill go for longer definetely

 

[1stdead]

Why not make it chooseable?

 

[FunkyMunkey]

Why not make it chooseable?

That sounds like the best option!