The Filter – Filtering Out The Excess To Impress

Friends often ask me how I find out about bands and movies, particularly as many of the ones I like are so obscure, but would seem so radio & TV-friendly if mainstream stations and channels would just give them a chance. I tell people that I either browse Amazon recommendations, MySpace friends lists, or indie/alternative charts from Europe. But, to be honest, for most people that’s a little arduous and a tad too time-consuming. So what are the options for everyone else?

The Filter is a new web-based service that consists solely of recommendations for music, film and video. The signup process begins with choosing your favourite genres, and rating some artists. The same is done for movies, but, unlike similar sites such as Flixster, there’s no way to skip the ones you’ve not yet seen.

The recommendations are laid out nicely in three columns – music, movies and YouTube videos. There are six recommendations in each column, allowing you to focus on just those recommendations, and opting to see more or subscribing to a feed. In addition, the site provides music and film-related news, as well as messaging and social networking with other users. There’s also an option to email recommendations to a friend, or buy the product if it strikes your fancy.

Overall, this is a simple site, but it does what it says: recommendations. The Filter offers a good mix of the indie and more mainstream names and titles, which will either open you up to new tastes, or help you rediscover old movies/bands you might have forgotten about.