Flickchart’s starting premise is simple: take any two films, present them to the user, and ask “Which is better?” By using only this mechanism of series of direct comparisons, Flickchart is able to figure out each user’s favorite movies of all time. It’s all at once more fine-grained than a five-star rating system and more intuitive than a 1-to-100 numeric ranking. We also think it’s a lot more fun.

As users ranks movies, Flickchart keeps track of those they haven’t seen – handy when they want to ask other users what to see next, or maybe plan a movie night with other friends who also haven’t seen it. Flickchart knows the genres, actors, directors, and release dates of all the films, so users can break down their favorite movies – or the movies they haven’t seen – into any combination they choose. Users also feel empowered by having their personal lists contribute to the site-wide collective list of the “Greatest Movies of All Time,” by taking part in discussions about movies with their friends, and by learning more about their favorite films.