Mr
Showbiz
Lights, camera, action. Mr. Showbiz ranks high as one of the best entertainment-related
Web pages. While considerable focus is applied to the film industry - reviews,
coming attractions, gossip and historical yada yada - the site does stretch
its wings to include music, television and theater.
Though there may not be anything too sparkly enticing about the graphics
at Mr. Showbiz, there is definitely something to be said for the speed and
simplicity of a low-bandwidth treatment. Mr. Showbiz offers a crisp, clean
feel, creative icons, and consistency throughout. Consistency, unfortunately,
is all too rare among most entertainment sites that bombard us with fancy-shmancy
and often unrelated images. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that my favorite
section of the site is Scoop, an area devoted to the trashy rumor mill of
the entertainment arena. I found the mounds of ridiculous, useless information
to be magnetically captivating, much to my anti-tabloid dismay. In late
January, I learned that Tom Selleck will be a special guest star on the
trophy-winning pop TV series "Friends" (as Monica's older boyfriend),
and the original Power Rangers are getting killed off for new wonder heroes
that "are much more powerful, and a lot sexier, too." Hmmmmmm.
Mr. Showbiz has also built a nice area to archive Oscars from 1927 to the
present. While I wish there were a few more photos - it's always nice to
get flashes of Betty's baby blues - the current star bios more than make
up for the lack of historical imagery. Woody Allen is a Sagittarius with
three kids, and Drew Barrymore is a Pisces with a new boyfriend. The Daily
Dose is entertaining too, as it refers to "this date in history"- who was born, died, married, divorced, on the cover of Rolling Stone,
etc., etc., etc. Sure it's trivial, but who doesn't like Hollywood trivia?
Also lodged within the Daily Dose is a vocabulary builder. I don't exactly
consider the word "rue" (the entry when I checked) to be very
challenging, especially given the example sentence reading "I rue the
day I asked O.J. to try on those blasted gloves." However, other words
archived from Doses past - Dharma bums, Apocrypha, and chattel - proved
more interesting.
Mr. Showbiz may not stimulate your neurons or captivate the philosopher
within, but it delivers what it promises - an entertaining look at entertainment
- and it does so extremely well.-SK
A+
Amazing Interactive
Design Photoshop Art and Sound
Rexalot and HeyRenee have created a rather peaceful spot on the Internet
with their interactive gallery. In the Insect Nest, see and hear munching
grubs and other insects flitting about. In Sea Sounds, a determined drinker
wanders the lounge of a quasi-abandoned cruise ship looking for company.
This gallery establishes a serene mood that is echoed throughout the site,
making it more than just a collection of pictures and sounds. A warning:
Even though they aren't very big, it takes a while to download all the graphics.
And don't even try accessing these pages with LYNX.-MP
B+
Antonio
Banderas
I know too many otherwise level-headed women who swoon at the thought of
Antonio. Come to think of it, I know too many men who crave him, too. Banderas
inspires the rabid devotion that publicists dream of. He's a pop icon for
the 90s, oozing sex *and* diversity. A net search of Tony's name turned
up dozens of hits, this page being a typical fan site. You'll find movie
profiles, a few interviews clipped from magazines, and blind adoration of
his Holiness - the usual fan tribute. There isn't any real reason to visit
this site, except perhaps as part of a sociological study of celebrity culture.-SS
D+
Flicker
For many of us, adolescence was a time of discovery. Thoughts of sex, identity,
and acne consumed our waking hours. A few souls, however, were bitten by
a different bug: film-making. Flicker is web-central for members of the
film underworld - those individuals who understand cinema as something more
than a collection of monolithic Hollywood corporations. Listings of the
venues, people and products central to "alternative cinema" make
this site a pleasure to visit. I discovered several films I absolutely must
track down. -SS
A
Hong
Kong Cinema
The Hong Kong film industry produces some of the most violent, action-packed
films released today. It is therefore no surprise that these films have
inspired a fanatical following among the Stateside hip and slack. This is
a must-visit site for anyone interested in the genre. You'll find industry
happenings, an extensive database, a large collection of links to related
sites, and more. You'll even find the weekly Hong Kong box office figures.
This site looks great and there is a wealth of information. I only wish
I enjoyed Hong Kong films. Oh well.-SS
A
Kubrick,
A Multimedia Film Guide
I don't understand the nuances of copyright law, fair use doctrine, and
other related legal constructs. It is therefore my own ignorance that drives
me to ask this question: How do sites like this survive the scrutiny of
the copyright police? This is a fine site, with numerous images and sound
files from each of Kubrick's films, and a brief though helpful collection
of related links. The page creator is clearly a fan, but I doubt this status
in any way shields him or her from legal scrutiny. Check it out while you
can - it may not be standing much longer.-SS
B
Low Res Film
Festival
The table of contents and menu bars all flaunt superior graphics, and the
page layout and site organization are easy on the eyes and a pleasure to
navigate. Follow upcoming film festivals with clips and mini - very mini
- summaries of what's playing. A Tools section advertises cameras, editing
equipment and similar hardware of the film-related ilk. Still, portions
of the site remain thin in content, and lack the depth of coverage a diehard
independent film fanatic might require. A good site nonetheless.-LS
B
Movie
Review Query Engine
The Web provides an ideal soapbox for every rube and cracker to exercise
his God-given right to voice an opinion on any and all matter of note. Movie
reviewing is an especially popular topic, so it was with trepidation that
I approached this site. To my surprise, I discovered one of the most useful
movie index interfaces on the Web: plot summaries, reviews from numerous
sources, movies ranked by genre - all well-presented and arranged. And,
if a particular production crew member's work impressed you, a list of their
other film credits is a link away. Now *that's* comprehensive!-SS
A-
Movies
Humble Jeff Renzi aims to teach the Internet community all he knows about
the movies he digs most: Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Clerks and Plan 9
From Outer Space. Could Jeff Renzi be a young man - *perhaps a college student?*
- with too much free time? Who knows. Jeff Renzi is, however, a well-organized
soul who publishes comprehensive guides to the above films. You'll find
actor bios, stills from the movies and RealAudio of character dialogue.
But - oops - you will not find interesting, stylized writing or personal
charm of any sort. Avoid the world of Jeff Renzi. You can find more compelling
material elsewhere.-JP
D
Museum
Arrakeen
Museum Arrakeen is a site for fans of *Dune*, Frank Herbert's tireless sci-fi
epic that transcended literary conventions to describe in precise detail
an imaginary planet replete with its own biology, history, language and
politics. The site's director, Christian Gilmore, deserves hardy praise
for a presentation that follows Herbert's creative lead: As you navigate
this space, you tour not a Web page, but a museum located on the sands of
Dune itself. Fortunately, this contrived charade never stumbles into hokiness.
When Gilmore augments his amazingly complete site with more interesting
graphics, his overall rating should jump a full letter grade.-JP
B+
Star
Wars Home Page at UPENN
Ask any technogeek to name the film that first inspired dreams of nerdiness,
and the answer will always be the same: "Star Wars." I saw it
more than 30 times on the big screen, never growing tired of the special
effects. Who cared about the story? The movie inspired two sequels, computers
games, trading cards, and action toys - a cultural juggernaut. This site
addresses all aspects of the phenomenon, from interviews with director George
Lucas to the latest game demo. Numerous A/V files are available, as are
scripts and principal biographies. A fan's dream and copyright lawyer's
nightmare.-SS
A-
The Biz
The word on the street is that film professionals, wanna-be film professionals
and film fanatics should be surfing the BizMag Web site. Dazzling its readers
with flashy colors, gossip, job boards, and the latest, greatest movie trailers
available online, Biz speaks with authority and backs itself up with comprehensive
coverage. Some of the icons and design decisions are less than spectacular,
and some of the pages are harder to read than they need to be, but overall,
Biz is a great site for film industry current events.-SK
A-
The
Cult Shop
While visually benign, The Cult Shop provides a near-daunting number of
links to info on cult movies, videos and TV shows. Topics are cross-referenced
ad nauseum, and the end result is a clear, detailed schematic of the entire
cult media machine. Content includes tireless dossiers on actors, writers
and directors; reviews from critics; and links to "official" sites
run by corporate P.R. offices. Web surfers can even cast votes for their
favorite cult classics. While the site's attitude and verve runs a bit dry,
The Cult Shop is nonetheless a valuable resource for quick, comprehensive
information.-JP
B
The Documentary
Film Group Home Page
With such an impressive title, one would assume that this site would provide
the final word on documentary cinema. Not so. The Documentary Film Group
is a University of Chicago student organization that serves its local community.
The site's content includes a calender listing for college screenings, links
to *real* documentary film sites, and not much more. While the students
at U. of C. are surely busy folks, they may want to invest some time in
posting the insightful commentary that undoubtedly appears in their theses
and terms papers. Remember, kids, the *World Wide* Web is watching.-JP
D
The
Official Peril Productions Home Page
"How," I asked myself, "did I live this long without encountering
Peril Productions?" This Web site leads me to believe that the site's
brain trust includes some of the most creative and funny people alive. Hilarious
images, a clever FAQ and cheeky profiles had me laughing out loud. This
is the first site I've come across that tempts me to open my wallet - I
simply must see these films! I will not sleep until I have seen "Peril
at Castle Eifenstein." Judging by its plot summary, this could be the
movie I've been waiting for all of my life.-SS
A
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