Several times in my blog I reference IMDB.com, and occasionally people ask, “What’s an IMDB?”

IMDB simply stands for Internet Movie Data Base. It’s a neat website that lists movies and all the pertinent information that goes with them. It provides cast lists, release dates, writing, directing and production credits. Each entry contains famous quotes, movie synopses, goofs and trivia.

I find the data bank useful for cross-referencing. I’ll look up an actor and then see what other films he or she has made. I get tickled when I realize that I’ve seen someone in another film years before and never had a clue. (My favorite example of this is Vincent D’Onofrio, of Law and Order: CI and Men in Black. He played the Dawson/ Thor character in Adventures in Babysitting.)

The site provides brief biographies of actors, including famous relatives, how they got started and, in some cases, their ages. This has been a hot topic in Hollywood lately, because some actors feel it is a breach of their privacy, as well as damaging to their career, to have their real ages listed. For those in the film industry, the site also provides contact information for the actors’ representation or agents.

I love visiting the site. If you are a movie fan, I encourage you to check out the website, too. Many pages have a Facebook link where you can “like” an actor or movie. The actors and producers love this, because when a particular actor gets more activity on their page, they are  likely to receive work opportunities.

The other thing I like about IMBD.com is that they have a free smart phone app. It may be the most-accessed app on my phone. Whenever I am out with friends, at some point in the conversation someone is going to say, “You know, the guy that was in that movie about the…”

I just pull out my phone and start plugging in my information. IMDB will look up movies based on release dates, actors, character names, plots and key words. Cool, huh?

I’m not saying that every morsel of information is 100% accurate all of the time. I know for a fact that IMDB has made mistakes regarding actors’ birthdates, etc. I also know that when they are contacted to make changes, they will.

If you have a minute, surf over to IMDB.com and give it a whirl. If you love movies—current or classics—you’ll bookmark the page. You can learn all sorts of things about your favorite movies and actors. You can watch movie trailers for hours. You can view pictures of your beloved actors and get behind-the-scene scoops to share with your friends. It’s just fun!

That’s a wrap for this Toast to Cinema. Thanks for reading!