Hal Hartley
URL: http://www.best.com/~drumz/Hartley/
Category: Film
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Jon Phillips
Hal Hartley may write and direct the most obscure of sleepers (*Amateur, Trust,* and *The Unbelievable Truth*, to name just a few), but his work is highly regarded and his fan base is unflappable in its devotion. If you¹re a Hartley fan ‹ and you know who you are ‹ this is a must-visit site. You¹ll find filmography, critical reviews, image files, and a table of the actors who¹ve made repeat appearances in Hartley movies ‹ the ³Hartley Family Tree.² An off-beat site paying homage to an off-beat artist. BLUE LIGHT
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Lion's Den
URL: http://www.mgmua.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
Slick. Very very slick. Each and every page of the movie maven MGM is a well-designed, well-organized near-masterpiece. The graphics appear to be high res, but take only moments to appear, and when they do, they seem to flow instead of blur (adding a nice sheen to the creation). They cover the spectrum well, with information on the motion pictures, television, video, and interactive projects that MGM produces and sponsors. There is also some background data on the corporate history of MGM and its executives. Oh yes, and don't forget the "Studio Store." With official t-shirts, crew bomber jackets, mugs, and polo shirts, it's as fun as any Hard Rock cafe, and there are no lines! (Though the site warns that it is not secure yet and that MGM will not take responsibility for any transaction problems. You might want to wait a few months before ordering stuff.) The site¹s treatment of current and upcoming movies is well-executed. Besides the usual sound, video, and still clips, MGM has interviews with main characters, reviews from national journalists, and phenomenal graphics. Meet the directors, too! I was especially impressed with MGM¹s treatment of the movie ³Leaving Las Vegas,² which featured interviews with both Nicholas Cage and his character, the estranged alcoholic and lovelorn Ben. MGM¹s also done a nice job promoting its successful television show, ³The Outer Limits,² and it's probably the most impressive aspect of the site. It's creative, a bit more interactive, and offers episode profiles and features so that active fans can stay current and also glimpse the future. And, super kudos to the animated eye ball! If you enter the rock (no secrets revealed here, you'll have to visit to see what I mean), you could win ³Outer Limit²-related prizes! Contests are always tasty bait. Monster fans should take note that the monster gallery is indeed worth serious attention, with still clips of creatures that have graced the set of ³Outer Limits.² Clever. Captivating. And while you're lurking around the site, stop in to the dialog area and exchange "thought-provoking" ideas, not necessarily about ³Outer Limits.² Overall MGM is informative, rich in content, and worth frequent visits from Hollywood movie go-ers.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Chicago International Film Festival
URL: http://www.ddbn.com/filmfest/one.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ken Bousquet
Strong, intuitive graphics lead you to useful and specific information about the Chicago International Film Festival. For instance, you can learn what¹s playing on a particular day, where the different shows are, what time they start, and what each film is about. The highlight of the site is a poster gallery of black-and-white photos, mostly by Skrebneski, of glamorous naked people who have muscular bodies. There are also QuickTime movies to download,. If you¹re a filmmaker, you can get an entry form; if not, there are coffee mugs and t-shirts in the gift shop.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

More Barrymore Than Ever Before
URL: http://www4.ncsu.edu/eos/users/r/rfbatcho/www/drew/
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ken Bousquet
If you¹re up late in your dorm room eating rice cakes and Cheetos and have a thing for Miss Barrymore, this site may suffice. There¹s an offering of pictures of her in various sultry poses, ranging from a topless shot of her as a prepubescent in boxing gloves to Drew dressed up in a corset and hoop skirt. The best part is the site¹s link to David Woodward¹s Drew Page, a nicely structured site with icons and lots of content. The worst thing is the obnoxious blinking ³UNDER CONSTRUCTION² and ³COMING SOON² signs.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Widescreen Movie Center
URL: http://www.cheezmo.com/wsmc/
Category: Film
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Blue Grrrl
If you love letterbox film, this is your site. You¹ll find archives of letterbox films on TV and in the theaters, links to additional resources, and the real juice: a guide to which letterbox films will be on television each month (searchable by time zone and what cable channels, if any, you subscribe to). The layout is clean and simple, as the site is more of a functional database than anything else. And the logo at the bottom, Just Say No Steve Martin, is clever (in pretentious art film circles anyway).
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

David Cronenberg Home Page
URL: http://www.netlink.co.uk/users/zappa/cronen.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Miles Orkin
From its topmost menu, ³The New Flesh Directory,² this site is well-steeped in the special blend of psychosexual techno-terror that infuses most of Director David Cronenberg's films (Scanners, Videodrome, The Dead Zone,The Fly, Naked Lunch, to name a few). If the biography and filmography aren't enough, the extensive collection of interviews, reviews, articles and images should provide you with hours of entertainment and an all-too-vivid conception of the mind of David Cronenberg. You may find yourself wanting to hop to a lighter site for a breather - say the William S. Burroughs Page or the Official Clive Barker Web Site.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Jayne Loader's Public Shelter
URL: http://www.publicshelter.com/main/index.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Miles Orkin
A co-creator of the ground breaking documentary *The Atomic Cafe*, Jayne Loader uses this Web site (produced in conjunction with a CD-ROM) to continue her exploration of America's history of nuclear naughtiness. The site is a copious core sampling from one of the most highly-charged issues of the 20th Century, but you can be a politically and socially apathetic slug and still have a great time here. That's because Jayne's place (especially the weekly WWWench essay) packs more links than the swing shift at the Jimmy Dean sausage plant. All you hardcore surfers better pack a lunch - you're going to be here a while.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Cinemania
URL: http://www.msn.com/cinemania/
Category: Film
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Miles Orkin
Microsoft Network's way station for the celluloid set is jam-packed, attractive, and, at times, even incisive. New feature articles come out every week. When I looked there were pieces on the Cannes Film Festival, the L.A. Independent Film Festival, restoration of old films, and an ongoing tribute to director Krzysztof Kieslowski. All the latest films are reviewed, plus there's a review library and video reviews section. And don¹t miss Scanners; the weekly column by Seattle-based writer, Jim Emerson, has a *Spy*-like insider's acidity that is all too rare in fluffy movie biz press.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Disney Pictures
URL: http://www.disney.com/DisneyPictures/
Category: Film
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Jose Alvear
So what if this site is slick? So what if it is big business? So what if the pages take hours to load? This is cute, lovable Disney! Who could ever hate Disney? (Aside from Southern Baptists of course.) So kick back and wait as you bring up well-designed and information-packed pages about Disney's latest animated movie, *The Hunchback of Notre Dame*. The site features information on other recent theatrical and home video releases such as *Toy Story*, *Muppet Treasure Island*, *1001 Dalmations* and many more. Discover factoids from your favorite Disney movie or download video and audio clips. It may be a small world after all, but this is one large, satisfying site.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Small Movies
URL: http://www.city-net.com/~fodder/index.html
Category: Film
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: Yes
Author: Patrick Joseph
There¹s never been any shortage of enthusiasm on the Web. Sites on every conceivable subject have been thrown together like pancakes on Sunday morning by folks so jazzed they could barely hold their water. These sites are inevitably gushing with information so arcane that only the initiated can get past the title. Ostensibly, Small Movies is that sort of site as well, dedicated as it is to an endangered craft: 8-mm movie making. In the age of video, after all, with it¹s immediate gratification and technology even a chimp could master (never mind the lousy image quality), the old 8-mm movies have become about as quaint as tin-types and magic lanterns. And as if that isn¹t enough, Kodak has recently discontinued manufacture of all sound-striped film, adding to the format¹s demise. But Small Movies never says die: The creator urges you to lodge a formal complaint with Kodak, even if the issue doesn¹t directly affect you -- consider it a general protest against that old bugaboo, obsolescence. What sets Small Movies apart from all the other passionate sites on the Web is the level of care and expertise that obviously went into it¹s making. The site is a masterpiece of web design, uniting considerable technical content with a clean, intuitive layout that makes the going easy and the material manageable. The graphics are consistently, and fittingly, retro, many of the images no doubt lifted from the pages of old tech manuals. Navigation from the home page is intuitive without resorting to the print model table of contents. ³Mind your cursor!² warns the site¹s creator, ³links can be anywhere.² And they are. The experience is non-linear without being labyrinthine. Content includes concise and in-depth information on everything from the availability of film stocks to camera guides, the history of the format to building your own printer. It¹s wonderful reading, really, made moreso by the infectious enthusiasm behind the information. Even if you¹ve never owned a Super-8 camera or had the itch to make movies, this site is engrossing. If you¹re lucky enough to still have one of the whirring wonders and can get your hands on some film, you¹ll doubtless be amazed by this online resource. Bookmark it and get down to work,...while you still can.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

Universal Pictures
URL: http://www.mca.com/universal_pictures/
Category: Film
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Gary Barker
The Universal Pictures Web site features all the bells and whistles anyone would expect from a major movie studio. This site is enhanced with Shockwave, VRML, Java, animated GIFs, and no doubt at least one kitchen sink they had lying around. The Coming Attractions section provides information about movies roughly one month prior to their theatrical release, including QuickTime clips. A nice touch: every QuickTime clip is available at a quality of either 5 or 10 frames per second, providing the visitor with a choice between quick or pretty. Games, photos, and audio clips available for every visitor's dining pleasure.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 18

The Cabinet of Dr. Casey:
URL: http://www.cat.pdx.edu/~caseyh/horror/index.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Jon Phillips
Doc Casey¹s spooky cabinet focuses on cinematic horror, but also pays careful attention to willies-inducing literature and visual arts. You¹ll find a movie poster archive, audio files from film classics, and movie information cross-referenced from here to hell. But wait ‹ It gets even scarier. The bad doctor has compiled an incredible timeline of horror history that spans from 1235, the beginning of the Inquisition, to the advent of TV¹s *X-Files* in the 1990s. The site suffers from a single drawback ‹ text that borders on illegibility. Watch those fancy colors, Doc! BLUE LIGHT
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Low Res Film Festival
URL: http://www.hyperreal.com/lowres/
Category: Film
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Lydia Schwartz
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 what¹s 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.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

The Biz
URL: http://www.bizmag.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
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.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Screen Shots
URL: http://www.screenshots.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Blue Grrrl
With slick design and smooth graphics, Screen Shots is a quick eye catcher. It has the look and feel of professional quality and corporate backing, but to my surprise, I found no advertising banners or distracting sales pitches. Catch up with your favorite actors and directors with RealAudio interviews, goof around with a Hollywood trivia quiz, or peruse new release film reviews. The site is fairly new, so some areas are still rather small, but to our advantage, what they¹ve got so far is very good.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

The Film Zone
URL: http://www.filmzone.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
³Oh no,² I thought, ³not another Web zine dedicated to film and its followers.² What a pleasant surprise to find well-written articles on a variety of subjects, organized in a thoughtful fashion ‹ and making fine use of frames, too! Foreign films, independents, animated works, and more are treated right alongside the usual Hollywood giants. This site sent me down to the local video store in search of a half dozen different titles ‹ high praise. This page is a rare thing indeed: a film-devoted site worth visiting for its content as well as its images.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Humphrey Bogart Page
URL: http://www.macconsult.com/mikerose/bogart/bogart.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
³Oh boy, another fan site!² Long ago, I thought the Web might actually be a tool of empowerment; too many half-baked fan sites later, I am forced to admit: I was mistaken. Despite my growing hatred for the fan site, I can still proclaim this one of the finest fan pages I have come across. Lots of images, sound files, and trivia will delight the Bogart fan. Especially noteworthy is the excellent arrangement and presentation; whether by accident or planning, the creator has done a marvelous job here!
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

The Hitchcock Page
URL: http://www.primenet.com/~mwc/
Category: Film
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
If you¹ve ever seen Rear Window, and watched the first 20 minutes closely, noticing how each of the neighboring windows Jimmy Stewart is observing reflects the character of its occupant, you know the attention to detail Alfred Hitchcock put into his films. If you¹ve ever sat through Suspicion and been completely mystified about whether Cary Grant was a killer or not, even after the ending, you know why they call Hitchcock the master of suspense. And if the final scene of North By Northwest ‹the train entering a tunnel ‹ wasn¹t lost on you, you¹ve got some idea of Hitchcock¹s sense of humor. None of this has been lost on Mark Claunch, the creator of the Hitchcock Page, either. ³Hitchcock's true genius was how he used all of the tools of film-making,² Mark says as an explanation of his admiration for the film-maker. Mark does more than present information about Hitchcock¹s films on this site; he presents a study of the art of film-making through a picture-by-picture breakdown of the shower scene from Psycho. This section of the site offers a choice of going through the scene manually, by clicking a link, or choosing the server-push option, which will automatically load the next still in the sequence. Though the pictures are small, there are more than 50 of them, it still takes some time to get through. The Filmography section of the site is a very nicely programmed listing of Hitchcock¹s 56 films, broken down by decade, with links to the Internet Movie Database for further information. At the bottom of this page, in a box titled Other Film Work, are films where Hitchcock did other work, such as Title Card Design (his first job in the film business). Of particular interest is the cameo section, which lists where all of Hitchcock¹s brief appearances in his films occur. Hitchcock appeared as a bystander in 37 of his films. Under Feedback, Mark has a form set up so people can vote on their favorite films and send him their own comments about the site or Hitchcock in general. The Awards section starts off with a list of Internet users¹ top 10 Hitchcock films based on the votes received in the Feedback section, placing the Internet community¹s vote above such petty organizations as the Motion Picture Academy.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Movie Poster Page
URL: http://www.musicman.com/mp/posters.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Miles Orkin
This page offers a huge selection of movie posters, all for sale, straight off the wire. We're talking collector-oriented, rare and vintage stuff here, not just tattered Tron slicks and life-sized Uncle Buck cutouts. Check out posters for everything from *Apocalypse Now* (the Polish version) to the Woody Allen Film Festival, then buy the one(s) you like best. Just be aware that these puppies cost more than a large popcorn, and the preview images take a while to load. Casual cruisers should stick to the thumbnails or keep a paperback at hand.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Girls on Film
URL: http://www.itp.tsoa.nyu.edu/~gof
Category: Film
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
For film fans that just can't deal with Siskel and Ebert, this site mixes poignancy and levity to offer a smart girl take on film and other cultural matters. Example: Start with a revealing article on movie rape scenes, glance at the Bad Coifs column to read about wrong hairstyles, and jump into the ocean of film reviews to really get into the celluloid mood. Lots of information and a definite attitude that has no online (or offline!) rival. Girls On Film is the old *Sassy* meets *Entertainment Tonight* at a *Bikini Kill* concert.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

The Virtual Film Festival
URL: http://www.virtualfilm.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
Are you going to miss the schmoozing and screenings at your fave film festival this year? If so, the Virtual Film Fesitval may ease your misery. Chat rooms, film clips, press releases, and director dirt are all there for your viewing pleasure. (Indie filmmakers pay a small fee to promote their work online, but in that racket anything can help.) Since it launched last year, the VFF has reported from Berlin, Cannes, South by Southwest, and other biggies. Not a replacement for the real thing, but who can be everywhere at once? Of course, the best thing about a *virtual* film festival is that you can instantly turn it off without having to hide in your hotel room.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Mr. Showbiz
URL: http://www.mrshowbiz.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
Where else can you get the inside dish on the man who sucked Fergie¹s toes? Welcome to Mr. Showbiz, a site that covers the world of entertainment, from news of the trashy and tawdry, to insightful interviews with writers, filmmakers, and other such species. Check out Serb Heat, a three-day novel written online; plus music, book, film, and theater reviews. Get the latest-breaking entertainment stories, feature articles and the daily Watercooler poll. Visit the Plastic Surgery Lab where you can mix and match the facial features of Friends¹ stars to suit your fancy. Mr. Showbiz manages to cover show business without sinking into mindless star stroking, so go ahead: Indulge your prurient fixations without the guilt.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Multiplicity
URL: http://www.multiplicity.com
Category: Film
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Daniel Alarcon
The Hollywood studios feel compelled, it seems, to somehow turn the Web into a vehicle for extended movie trailers, big involved things that will really help the movie buff to ³get into the movie.² But, near as I can tell, they invariably hinge on a gimmicky, faux-interactive interface that just makes you think twice about going to any movie by the same title. On the Multiplicity site, you¹re asked to decide whether you need a clone. Are you stressed? Bogged down by the constant push-and-pull of modern life? So on and so forth. With the content out of the way, it's on to the game, the heart and soul, it would seem, of any movie site. Requires Shockwave.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Chain Reaction
URL: http://www.chain-reaction.com
Category: Film
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Daniel Alarcon
The Chain Reaction site tries to make the film look serious, as if the future of mankind were at stake and not just the career of Keanu Reeves (Sorry, Keanu, you'll always be Bill to me. Or was it Ted?). Of course, if you like the idea of this thriller, you can always download a screensaver with an action scene from the new movie. The Research Lab section of the site actually does offer a well-organized, if simplistic, rundown on something as serious as alternative fuel sources and current energy technology. Of course, you¹ll probably opt for the games, instead, provided you have Shockwave.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

The Return of the Blues Brothers
URL: (http://www.mbcmr.unimelb.edu.au/blues/)
Category: Film
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Gary Barker
In Australia, this Belushi-Aykroyd flick is now attracting the same sort of fervent following that *Rocky Horror Picture Show * has enjoyed in the U.S. for so many years. On a mission from God, some Elwood evangelists assembled this site for their born-again brethren. If you've ever wanted to do a keyword search of the BB screenplay, you now possess that power. Available for download are more than thirty images and seventy sound clips, as well as trivia and character bios. Will this site knock the rubber biscuits out of your soul, man? If so, that's your personal business.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

The Island of Doctor Moreau
URL: http://www.drmoreau.com
Category: Film
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Gary Barker
Prepare to be shocked, as this site makes heavy and interesting use of Macromedia's Shockwave plug-in. Better than caffeine-on-a-stick for masking sleepiness, this site doesn't need an audience to have hours of good, clean fun all by itself. It zooms from page to page without provocation, plays sound clips and little animations, and doesn't care especially whether anybody is there to watch it whoosh and twirl or hear it chirp and squeal. It's interesting, though, and reminds us of what we used to say in the old country, "Not to eat flesh -- that is the law."
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Empire
URL: http://www.erack.com/empire/
Category: Film
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Gary Barker
This site is produced by the British movie magazine *Empire*, in partnership with CompuServe. Featuring sections like "Blokes in Frocks" and "Top 10 Movie Psychos," the site's approach is rude and impertinent, which of course counts strongly in its favor. Which stars have broken which bones? Which plastic movie star inspired which disfigured plastic action figure? Who's been arrested, and what for? Empire also features movie reviews, consistent with the rest of the site in their cheeky approach to Hollywood and beyond. Empire is attractive, but it's poorly implemented frames will hold you hostage as you follow external links.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 17

Picture Palace
URL: http://www.ids.net/picpal/index.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
There are hundreds of film and video specific sites on the Web. Most offer sharp graphics, catty insider gossip and the shmoozy feeling we all crave ‹ so why visit this site? Picture Palace offers all of the above and more: purchase film and music videos online, search an extensive database, and track the latest releases from obscure one-person video production companies. Daily updates, numerous rants, and profiles of must-see, but frequently overlooked, works are all here. This page does a fine job of capturing the excitement unleashed by the video revolution; film fans will find this an titillating site to revisit frequently.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

The City of Lost Children
URL: http://spebbn.spe.sony.com/Pictures/SonyClassics/city/index.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Patrick Joseph
A wayside stop on the vast Sony Online site, the City of Lost Children features the French film by that name. Disappointing in relation to its more cohesive (but less expensive) predecessor, *Delicatessen*, the movie was nevertheless inventive and visually stunning. Here, fans of the film can peruse notes on the making of the film, read an interview with creative duo, Jeunet and Caro, and, best of all, download movie stills and video segments. But, all in all, the site is surprisingly text-heavy and a little dull. Worth a visit, but probably not a return.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Hoop Dreams Page
URL: http://www.mnonline.org/ktca/hoopdreams/index.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Patrick Joseph
If you haven¹t seen the film, see it. If you did see it, you¹ll like this site, a collaborative effort by PBS Online and KCTA¹s The Tube. Here you can catch up on the lives of the film¹s two heroes, William Gates and Arthur Agee, read about the controversy surrounding the documentary¹s exclusion from Academy Award recognition, see production notes from the seven-year project, and even download Quicktime clips. It¹s a well-designed site, worthy of the film.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

The Making of Citizen Kane
URL: http://www.voyagerco.com/CC/gh/welles/p.makingkane.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Patrick Joseph
Get this: Orson Welles was only 24 in 1939, the year he contracted to direct the landmark film, *Citizen Kane*, for RKO Radio Pictures. And did you know that Welles wore foam-cast noses for the part in order to improve the appearance of his face on camera? This site gives a straightforward, concise synopsis of the making of the classic picture with excellent images and many more facts of the sort I¹ve just cited. Part of the Voyager company¹s Web presence, the site is nothing fancy, but film fanatics will doubtless find a lot to like here.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Hype Movie World Polls Surveys Reviews & Cool Links
URL: http://www.hype.com/movies/home.htm
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Unknown
The strength of this site is not its polls or reviews, but its links and resources. There is a great link list called ³The Mother List of All Film-Related Web Sites,² which includes everything from Cannes, Sundance, and Berlin to the Lo Res Film and Video Festival in San Francisco. Entries are in Super 8, Hi-8, as well as Mac-based tools. Hype also does the Canadian Film Centre site, and has a related link to the Toronto International Film Group. These resources provide gobs of information about Canadian film culture.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Left-Wing Films
URL: http://ccme-mac4.bsd.uchicago.edu/DSADocs/Films.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Blue Grrrl
Despite some borderline poor judgment selections (I¹d hardly call ³A League of Their Own,² with Madonna, a ³left-wing² film), this is a decent list of films (with hyperlinks when available). The main purpose is to provide collectives and student organizations with a list of titles to present at campus theaters and events. The site is broken down with internal anchors (it¹s one long page, with periodic jump points to avoid the nap-on-the-scroll bar scenario), which divide sections ‹ environment, feminism, sexual freedom, and so on.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

The Online Movie Club
URL: http://www.sna.com/movies/
Category: Film
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Miles Orkin
Real-time audio and 3D animations are great, but the real attraction of the Internet is the chance to get something for nothing. And that's exactly what The Online Movie Club does. Consult its listings for upcoming FREE movie screenings, then sign up for FREE passes on the spot. Every listing includes a PR-style summary, in case you're not sure what Twister is about. Movie Club covers Northern California only, so everyone else in the country will just have pay full price. Oh, there are some fanzine-flavored features as well as bar and restaurant reviews, but I didn't pay much attention to them. I was too busy trying to get FREE STUFF.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Kubrick Multimedia Film Guide
URL: http://www.lehigh.edu/~pjl2/kubrick.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: Yes
Author: Heidi Swanson
Quick! Name the contents of the survival kit in *Dr.Strangelove*. How about the stash in Alex's pockets in A *Clockwork Orange*? If visions of black combs and ball pens, prophylactics and pep pills escape you, it might be time for a refresher course at the Kubrick Multimedia Site. From creator, Patrick Larkin, here is a site dedicated exclusively to the work of Stanley Kubrick, the award-winning producer/director of *2001: A Space odyssey*,*The Shining*, *Lolita*, *Full Metal Jacket*,...need I go on? This site functions on a very basic level, its sole objective to provide a reliable source for Kubrick information with all links directly tethered to Stanley Kubrick and his acclaimed body of work. From the get-go the site leaves film interpretation to the viewer, delivering up Kubrick marginalia for its own sake only. No Bells, no whistles, just crisp imagery, bankloads of sound, choice video, and -- like that special toy Grimace-mobile stashed in your Happy Meal -- the added bonus of a super stealthy backstage pass delivering all the dirt on up-and-coming projects. Key words found in the Rumor Mill this week were Cruise, jealousy, Kidman, and sexual obsession. I must admit I have a special place in my heart for any site with a section dedicated to gossip. And as long as we¹re on the topic of other people¹s business, how about our host? When did Patrick develop this all-consuming fascination with Mr. Kubrick? Well, at about the same time that I was sneaking into the basement to catch late-night showings of *Zapped* and *Fast Times*, Patrick was catching *A Clockwork Orange* on Showtime. Immediately taken with a filmmaker so engrossed in the zeitgeist, Philip eventually turned his hand to the current project. It¹s a shame, however, that Kubrick¹s attention to detail and visual flare haven¹t carried over into Larkin's realm. In all honesty, after the first pages, the visual and technical quality of the site drops like a barrel over the falls. I think maybe the philosophy here is some kind of Zen acquisition:"Build it, and the graphics will come." But fear not, you¹re still in for a treat. This site is heads and shoulders -- maybe even an elbow or two -- above most other sites in terms of sincerity and commitment. The content is there, and trust me, if the Kubrick Multimedia Site can't provide you with the fix you need, it will point you to places that can.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Laurel and Hardy
URL: http://www.sirius.com/~sramsey/TheBoys/LandH.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Patrick Joseph
Referred to here affectionately as ³the boys,² the famous duo made over a hundred films together between 1919, (*The Lucky Dog*), and 1951, (*Atoll K*, their last picture). You can get the complete filmography here, read the Laurel and Hardy FAQ (they were married seven times between them), and download classic pics and sound files (³Well here¹s another fine mess...²). True buffs will also want to join the Sons of the Desert and bookmark *Hog Wild*, the electronic fanzine. As a bonus, you can link directly to a Little Rascals (Our Gang) page.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Baked Potatoes
URL: http://www.sonicnet.com/baked/bakedreviews.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Patrick Joseph
Back in the 70¹s, ³Cheech² Marin and Thomas Chong proved once and for all that stoner gags are hilarious, and -- what¹s more -- that what was funny high could seem just as funny sober; that is, as long as everyone got the context. Baked Potatoes has taken it a step further, reviewing films in the same context in which Cheech and Chong made them. The results are entertaining, with wisdom and wisecracks aplenty. Of Terry Gilliam¹s *Brazil*, for example, they write, ³watching this flick stoned is like being lost at the back end of Bourbon St. during Mardi Gras on two hits of acid. Trippy effects. Nutty characters. No fun at all.²
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Heavenly Creatures
URL: http://www.666.org/heavenly
Category: Film
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Jose Alvear
"*Heavenly Creatures* is simply the best movie I have seen in my lifetime,"writes the creator of this site. That doesn't begin to convey the site¹s depth of information about and level of adoration for the movie from New Zealand. Apparently this based-on-actual-events movie has quite a following online. Be prepared for an overload of information. It contains images from the film, an in-depth plot summary, mailing list details, character biographies and lots, lots more. Practically every other word in the plot summary page has a link to an appropriate frame from the film. Why watch the movie? A visit here and you can save a trip to Blockbuster.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

The Hollywood Network
URL: http://www.hollywoodnetwork.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
Hey kid! Looking to break into the pitchas? Want an agent, a screenplay, some grant money for your film? The Hollywood Network covers any aspect of the film industry that you can imagine. Chat with acting hopefuls, consult with industry insiders, or take a screenwriting seminar. The Hollydex Directory can tell you where to find a Russian 16-mm camera or post production facilities in Belgium. An excellent resource for professional services and information.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Early Motion Pictures
URL: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/papr/mpixhome.html
Category: Film
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve LeVine
A site we've previously visited, and enthusiastically recommended, this subset of the Library of Congress' American Memory archives lets you browse or search for titles of video clips, some quite lengthy, (like a half an hour of playing time!). The focus is on the early B&W era, from the turn-of-the-century onward, when documentation was more important than narrative content. Tour pre-Earthquake San Francisco, take a steamboat ride out to the Statue of Liberty, or enjoy ethnic studies of "Life Abroad" at a time before the great homogenization of the second half of the Century. Better get a fast connection: some of these files are over a hundred megs in length.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Secrets and Whispers
URL: http://www.pacificnet.net/geechee/
Category: Film
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Daniel Alarcon
Filmmaker Julia Dash set up this page to promote her work, but its no shallow vanity site. Instead, Ms. Dash tries to put her work in context, within the long tradition of African American film that stretches from Zora Neale Hurston through Paul Robeson to Spike Lee, spanning nearly a century of documenting Black life in these United States. Dash has posted biographies of her favorite women filmmakers, a chronological time line of highlights in Black Cinema, and historical background about the Gullah people, so that you might better understand her prize-winning film Daughters of the Dust. The Web medium is exploited, but always in a tasteful and thoughtful manner. You can view scenes, look at authentic Gullah recipes, or order VHS versions of Dash's work. Secrets and Whispers is just the sort of thing movie sites need: a little sanity, a little history, and a lot of creativity.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

The Godfather Trilogy
URL: http://www.exit109.com/~jgeoff/godfathr.html
Category: Film
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Jose Alvear
This is a tribute to the Godfather Trilogy put together by superfan Geoff "Il Padrino" Malta. Of some prominence is a signed letter from Mario Puzo, the author of the books, that reads "To My Friend Geoff, Thank you for making me famous on the internet (sic) with your beautiful and flattering web site. In gratitude I leave you the province of Corleone in Italy."Nifty, eh? The site mostly focuses on the movie versions however and it doesn't lack for information. For example, there is a Corleone family timeline, contests, a buy/sell list, a mailing list to join and so much more.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Louise Brooks Society
URL: http://www.slip.net/~thomasg/brooks.html
Category: Film
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
Restless and bored, Thomas Gladysz went to rent something "sexy" one night. Drawn to the packaging of "Pandora's Box," he took it home and shortly found himself enthralled. He's since developed "a passion for silent film, for the history and culture of the 1920's, and for those 'extra-cinematic' qualities [he sees] in Brooks." His web devotional features an electronic newsletter; a filmography, and superb photo galleries complimented by interviews, trivia and biographies culled from a growing store of archival materials. If you're a Brooks fan, you'll love this node; and, if you're not, it just might make you one.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Filmmaker Magazine
URL: http://www.filmmag.com
Category: Film
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Gary Barker
This highly specialized site is intended for the smallest of minority groups: Independent filmmakers. Long afflicted by The Man, indie filmmakers developed a subculture of their own, gathering together frequently in dark rooms called "theaters" to indulge their special needs. In our more enlightened times, filmmakers are free to do as they please, without fear of persecution. So far, five editions are available in this online variation of the quarterly magazine. The site's designer uses Frames effectively and doesn't go nuts with animated GIF files. Perhaps the nicest feature is the daily news feed, from IndieWire.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

The Low-Res Film Festival
URL: http://www.lowres.com/menu.html
Category: Film
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Gary Barker
This site celebrates an underground festival of ultra-short films, most of which were created using the Macintosh computer. Low-Res attracts the best and the brightest to try their hand at making films less than 5 minutes long. Don't be fooled into thinking you're getting a whole baby film when you download one of the QuickTime zygotes available here, though. You must attend the traveling festival to see the real thing. The presentation of the material on the site is very strong despite the few graphics. And if you¹re interested in getting down to the work, the Do It Yourself section is definitely worth your time.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 16

Animation Nerd's Paradise
URL: http://www.loop.com/~mhass703/index.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
Fanatically loyal and often technically inclined, it is no wonder that animation devotees have taken so quickly to the Web. Visitors to this site find news and info on the latest animated works and the people responsible. The distinguishing point to mark this from other fan sites is a keen sense of humor. The favorite meat recipes of the biggest names in cartooning are available, as is a guide to speaking like an animator. It is this irreverent humor which makes the page worth visiting by anyone, regardless of their interest in animation.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

John Travolta Page
URL: http://www.execpc.com/~aemog/travolta.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
Too few people realize how lucky we are to live in this age. Cellular phones, fat-free food and John Travolta are just a few of the many wonders surrounding us. From Scientology poster boy and kitsch symbol to resurrected pop icon, Mr. Travolta has traveled all the paths of celebrity. This site offers a brief bio, a few movie stills, a list of Travolta¹s films, and a handful of related links--a less than adequate tribute to the legend. Fans may want to visit in search of a previously overlooked nugget of Travolta-trivia; the merely curious should try a net search.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

The Cult Shop
URL: http://lasarto.cnde.iastate.edu:80/Movies/CultShop/
Category: Film
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
No one has benefited more from the video revolution than cult movie fans. Even the most obscure title is now available through mail order, if not at the local video store. The Cult Shop spotlights the latest theater and video releases of cult directors and performers. Images and related links for the profiled works are present , as are FAQ¹s and Internet-based reviews. Though not a huge site, the information is presented in a straightforward and easy to access style. This certainly isn¹t the definitive Web page for cult movie information, but it is worth visiting.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Fade In
URL: http://www.best.com:80/~market/fadein/
Category: Film
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Patrick Joseph
Think you want to be a screenwriter? Or maybe you already are one? Well, here¹s the online version of the magazine that claims to have the inside track on that particular biz. Like most online versions of newsstand rags, you don¹t get the whole tomato here, just a few slices to give you an appetite. A few images grace the articles and the information is interesting even if you¹ve never written a line of dialogue, but, as a whole, the presentation lacks the kind of extras that might persuade me to subscribe.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Hong Kong Movies
URL: http://www.mdstud.chalmers.se/hkmovie/
Category: Film
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Excellent and plentiful content makes this site a must-browse for anyone interested in the cinematic output of the Hong Kong movie industry. What? You didn¹t know there was a Hong Kong movie industry? Some of the best action flicks in the world come from Hong Kong, which is where most of the American fan interest lies. This site has a huge, searchable database full of movies, short descriptions, and links to actor bios. For newbies, a letter of introduction lists the top seven movies that everyone should see. The design isn¹t beautiful, however, sporting a typical browser-gray background.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Online Movie Guide
URL: http://www.losangeles.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Blue Grrrl
The first impression: gaudy. The second impression: confusing. But upon deeper inspection and reckless clicking, I found some useful information about films on TV and video, and reviews of films in theaters in Los Angeles. However, the reviews section is an atrocious eye sore ‹ there¹s an obvious attempt to get everything on one page, even if it means requiring a magnifying lens to read it. Ouch. This service is also available for Chicago (http://www.chicagowww.com/), Denver (http://www.denver.com/), and New York (http://www.newyorkwww.com/).
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

rec.arts.movies archive
URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/mleone/web/movies.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Blue Grrrl
A FAQ is a FAQ and for the most part, neat-o images and suave design tactics are not to be expected. So, as suspected, this archive of the rec.arts.movies Usenet newsgroup is relatively dull to look at. Straight gray backgrounds with blue links to info about specific films (presented a la ASCII text, of course) is pretty much par for the course. Nonetheless, if you¹re a follower of the newsgroup or particularly interested in famous quotes, Oscars, or a few specific films, such as Resevoir Dogs or The Looney Toons, it¹s pretty packed.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

MOVIENET
URL: http://www.movienet.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
One can easily imagine the decisions that brought this site about. ³Hey, we need a corporate Web site. Hey, we¹re a theater chain. Hey... Let¹s put our show times and schedules up on the Web!² Memos fly, ledgers are adjusted, and lo, it is done. Didn¹t anyone involved stop to question the usefulness of a show time listing, arranged by city, indexing only Goldwyn/Landmark theaters? Oh well; give them points for trying.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Joe Bob Briggs
URL: http://numedia.tddc.net/joebob/
Category: Film
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
³Adapt or die.² Like all other species, celebrities are constantly engaged in a struggle for survival. Just as the rise of the Talkie destroyed many silent movie stars, so too will the Internet eliminate those unwilling or unable to adapt. Joe Bob Briggs is one celeb who has gracefully made the transition to this Brave New Age. Visitors find both the insightful social commentary of the Joe Bob¹s America column and his more widely known Drive-In Movie Reviews. The Web proves itself a perfect medium for this endearing trailer park perspective.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Delta 9 Independent Film Resource
URL: http://www.eden.com/~delta-9/index.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
For several peculiar reasons, Austin has become an independent film hotbed. Something about the Texas heat and the too-close Communist threat in Cuba seems to inspire every slacker, rube, and yahoo to write a screenplay. This Web space is a resource guide for the Austin film-making scene, listing available equipment, local contacts, open grants, and such. Austinites may find these pages worthwhile; others should look for similar structures in their own community. Be warned that the page boasts a manifesto. Thankfully, it is more a statement of principle, but the rule still holds: Art and manifestos do not mix.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

All-Movie Guide
URL: http://allmovie.com/amg/movie_Root.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
Just how many searchable movie databases can the Web support? These sites are proliferating faster than shoe stores in a shopping mall, and the smart money says there¹s going to be a bloodbath soon. Browse by title, actor, mood, genre, country, or decade of release. Scan a plot review and check out the critical rating ‹ haven¹t I seen this before? Don¹t get me wrong, this site is better than most, but I have my doubts as to whether we actually need all of these database choices. Oh well, who am I to question the wisdom of the marketplace?
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

PSYCHO
URL: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/1645/index.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0596
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
Ahh, the glorious fan page. Sounds and images from a favorite movie and a list of related links ‹ what better way to demonstrate one¹s love of and adoration for a favorite subject? You¹ll find all of the usual here: reviews and critical commentary on Psycho, a few sound files, and some MPEGs and GIFs. At one point, the creator even uses Web frames, proving my contention that frames allow the enthusiast to quickly make a bad site worse. A VRML version of the space is available as well. Lacking a VRML browser, I was unable to confirm my suspicion that VRML may be another tool of damnation.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Alfred Hitchcock
URL: http://nextdch.mty.itesm.mx/~plopezg/Kaplan/Hitchcock.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Miles Orkin
This suspense-seeker's site serves up a balanced buffet of Hitchcockiana (biography, filmography, quotes, pics, essays, links and more), all accessible from a straightforward top-level menu. Once you're up to speed on the jowly cinematic genius, check the "Hitchcock on TV" listings (updated monthly) to find out when you can actually watch one of his movies. I doubt most of the data is unique to this site, and it's not super flashy, but creator Patricio Lopez-Guzman (an 18-year-old high school student from Monterrey, Mexico, no less) provides all the basics on the bald guy in a clean, quick package. That¹s more than a lot of fully-staffed companies can say.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

François Truffaut
URL: http://www.inxpress.net/~avatar/truffaut.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Miles Orkin
If the comprehensive Truffaut chronology is any indication, this page promises to be a regular stop for all surfin' fans of the French director/writer/critic. Unfortunately, as of our copy deadline, the other sections of the site (Biography, The Films, The French New Wave) were incomplete. Disappointing, but at least the "Under Construction" placards offered this honest and endearing apology for reneging on the main menu's promise: "There will be something here in the near future. (Sorry for lying before)." We'll be back to hang with François later.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

The Independent Film Channel
URL: http://www.ifctv.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: David Pescovitz
I've been calling my cable provider almost weekly requesting the Independent Film Channel. Until they come through for me though, I'm stuck drooling over the listings. Unfortunately, the IFC Web site doesn't offer much more than an annotated TV Guide--plenty of hype about the channel and (yippee!) more program information. Besides, too many Frame dividers make the Independent Film Channel page look like a TV dinner. Unless you're lucky enough to find something interesting in the "Craft Services" classifieds area, or a link that you haven't seen before, your time would be better spent calling your cable company and demanding the channel itself.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

The Cable Guy
URL: http://thecableguy.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Patrick Joseph
Personally, I¹d rather run my knuckles down a cheese grater than spend time watching Jim Carrey -- all that hyperkinesis gets on my nerves. Aside from a few AVI¹s, however, this site is relatively (and mercifully) free of Jimbo¹s hysteria. A Sony Online production, the Cable Guy page is predictably clean and packed with stuff -- soundtrack samples, still shots, production notes, etc. There¹s even a VRML chat room, provided you can run the software. Skip the Java option on the opening page, though, unless you¹re one of those people who just can¹t bear to miss out on anything. Trust me, you won¹t.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Mr. Cranky Rates the Movies
URL: http://internet-plaza.net/zone/mrcranky/index.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Patrick Joseph
Mr. Cranky hates everything. Or so it would seem. Read a few reviews though, and it¹s pretty apparent that the whole *surly critic* thing is a pose, a ploy to get a lot people¹s passions stoked. Judging from the e-mail response, it works. You are invited, even encouraged, to flame Mr. Cranky whenever the spirit moves you. I found him pretty funny, but then I¹m easily amused by wicked insults and irreverent slurs. There¹s no telling just who Mr. Surly is; for now the critic/provocateur hides behind the nome de guerre.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Movie Sound
URL: http://homepage.seas.upenn.edu/~psun/msound.htm
Category: Film
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Unknown
This guy, Perry Sun, cares so much about cinematic sound that he¹s almost a bore on the subject. His page is on a mission to educate and enlighten visitors as to the nuance and niceties involved in the craft, and although the effort he put into it is apparent and admirable, his enthusiasm isn¹t infectious. Still, if you¹ve been wondering how they got the thing in that one scene... from that, ... that movie you saw?... to sound just like... you know.... then this is your page. VCR and laserdisc junkies will want to read up on the right way to wire the home theatre for suround stereo.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

The Internet Movie Database
URL: http://us.imdb.com/Search/USA.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Patrick Joseph
In the Age of Info, you¹d think good databases would be a dime a dozen. And maybe they are. But I¹ve never found one that piqued my curiosity and held it like this one did. If I didn¹t have to break away to write this review I¹d still be in there, running around like a rat in a maze -- a happy, contented rat, finding cheese and water around every corner. It¹s so simple: no slick interface, no Java scripts or animated GIF¹s, just tons o¹ data, all thoroughly cross-referenced and hyperlinked. A highly recommended stop before a trip to rent a video. Afterward you can give a little something back to the IMD by rating the film yourself.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Tell-Tale Productions
URL: http://www.tell-taleprod.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Jose Alvear
This is the official site of Tell-Tale Productions, a non-profit organization dedicated to making educational films. Their first movie, "Tibor Jankay - The Art Of Survival" is a documentary about Tibor Jankay (who else?), a Hungarian born artist who escaped and survived the Holocaust and later moved to California where he became a little-known but well-regarded artist. This site doles out information about the documentary, a brief bio on Jankay and showcases some of his artwork. It also contains many links to other Holocaust-related sites.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Lumo-Finnish Film Home page
URL: http://www.kaapeli.fi/~lumo/English/
Category: Film
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
"On June 28th 1896, on their way from from St. Petersburg to Paris, the projectionists for the Lumire brothers set up their equipment at what was at the time the Hotel Seurahuone on the market square in the heart of Helsinki, and played moving pictures to a packed house." This event marked the first public screening of any film in Finland and is the commemorative date of the Finnish film centenary. "One hundred years of film" is the theme of Lumo, the home page set up by the Finnish Film Foundation. It provides archive information, key dates in Finnish Film History, profiles of Finnish filmmakers, festival information and links to the Oulu film center which imports and rents 16 and 35mm films.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Ed Wood Home page
URL: http://garnet.acns.fsu.edu/~lflynn/edwood.html
Category: Film
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
At last! An online homage to the quirky pulp film maestro, Ed Wood, best known for classics like *Plan 9 From Outer Space* and for giving new life to the sagging career of Bela Lugosi. The page includes a complete filmography of Ed's illustrious career, including insightful and enthusiastic commentary by the site's creator Leisa R. Flynn. There¹s a professional horoscope on Ed, reproductions of film posters, and a photo of Ed at Lugosi's funeral. Ordering information for his films and autobiography are also available. Enlightening and well-presented.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Enzian
URL: http://www.enzian.org/fi/index.html
Category: Film
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Daniel Alarcon
Enzian could be a hell of a site if all the features it advertised worked. Though it boasts a comprehensive list of film resources on the Internet, as of this writing at least a third of the links are down, while another fifth lead to shoestring sites that aren¹t worth seeing in the first place. The search engine is an impotent parody of technology that shrugged ³no matching entry² when I tried as sure a bet as ³Marlon Brando.² Enzian¹s primary role, then, seems to be to promote the Florida Film Festival, which, by all accounts, needs promoting. Enzian hypes the fifth year of the festival while declaring the state of Florida the ideal place to make a movie. Hmm. But, criticism notwithstanding, Enzian has potential. With some updating and housecleaning it could all come together.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Flashers!
URL: http://www.flashers.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Jose Alvear
No, it's not the sequel to Showgirls, it's an online magazine. Or as they call themselves, a "Showbiz Photo Cyberzine". It¹s a glorious full-color affair, with very large (and time-consuming) pictures of your favorite, and not-so-favorite, celebrities. The owner of the site wishes to dispel the image of paparazzi hiding in the bushes to take compromising pictures of celebrities. Instead you can see tasteful pictures of stars at movie premieres, awards ceremonies, gala parties, film festivals and other big Hollywood events. Jumping from page to page can be difficult since the site is very linear. There is a regular photo caption contest to keep the fans coming back for more.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

CameraNet
URL: http://www.boulevards.com/cameranet/index.htm
Category: Film
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
This site commemorates the Camera cinemas' twenty years of feeding the San Francisco Bay Area film culture. The listings will be locally useful of course, but their Web-wide crosslinks to reviews and related pages give them some global value as well. CameraNet also hosts informative pages on genres and schools such as the currently featured Hong Kong cinema and the silent films of the twenties, so you can get the scoop on, say, Jet Li or Lon Chaney to compliment a screening. The film-booker's report from Cannes is insightful and CameraNet's appeal to a loyal community bodes well for growth.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Movie Cliches List
URL: http://www.like.it/vertigo/cliches
Category: Film
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
Giancarlo Cairella has laid out a simple directory of cinematic cliches organized by topics ranging from sex and bombs, to prison and product placement. This site offers hundreds of observations in the vein of: "Evil geniuses who devise bombs to destroy things/people always have them detonate after at least an hour, giving the hero ample time to defuse it."Readers of the rec.arts.movies Usenet newsgroup submit their own deconstructions, and you're prompted to do so as well. In short, a humorous and revealing idea plainly executed to charming effect. Film buffs will be glued to the screen.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

International MPEG Bizarre 1st Film Festival
URL: http://www.perry.com/imb1ff/imb1ff.html
Category: Film
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Ananda Nada
The Motion Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) meets under the International Standards Organization to generate standards for digital video and audio compression. Artists use these standards to compress their work to sizes that can be feasibly distributed across the Internet (at 28.8 kbps or faster). In this fest, artist John Perry has gathered a mixed bag of animations, videos, home movies and multimedia experiments that should interest anyone curious about the emerging art of cybercinema. I recommend viewing the German animation "Red's Nightmare." FAQs and viewers are available for newbies. And you're invited to submit a video of your own.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

Rosencranz And Guildenstern Are Dead
URL: http://www.susqu.edu/ac_depts/arts_sci/english/lharris/class/stoppard/rose.htm
Category: Film
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Gary Barker
This site never really explains itself. Is it intended as fan support of a wonderful play, or academic exploration of a brilliant playwright (Tom Stoppard)? Somebody's term paper? They never tell us. The play (and the movie) *Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead * is witty and wonderful, but ultimately a tragedy, in which these two minor characters from Shakespeare's Hamlet achieve identity only in death. As for the site, a huge image map download is a major weakness while a selection of audio and video clips is its strength. Read the terrific play before coming here for heightened enjoyment.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 15

ShowBiz Ltd
URL: http://www.showbizltd.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Diedra Ramsey
Apparently, there's no business like advertising. Every hyperlink leads one to lists, mailing labels, or a video for sale. Billed as "Your Connection to The Entertainment Industry," ShowBiz claims to have Hollywood's top agents, casting directors, personal managers, and ShowBiz Kids on file. However, its web site delivers sales-pitch hype without goodies (no games, no pictures, no freebies, nothing). On the upside, nice font.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Groundhog Day
URL: http://powered.cs.yale.edu:8000/~miller/hog/groundhog.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
Here is a standard fan site featuring analysis of the film and a diverse collection of related links including groundhogs, woodchucks ‹ the same animal ‹ and the town of Punxsutawney. It¹s fine on the graphics and isn¹t much into techno-glam, but it will do. Any presence is better than none, but such a fine movie as Groundhog Day certainly deserves a deeper treatment.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Paramount Online Studio
URL: http://www.paramount.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Patrick Joseph
The opening screen for Paramount¹s home page shows a Hollywood-style mansion with a locked iron gate. Behind the gate, far away, you¹ll spy the Paramount peak, the film giant¹s lofty icon. On the whitewashed walls of the estate are a few movie posters hanging next to palm trees. This forbidding tableau about says it all. Click on the gate and instead of gaining entry you are shown a list of executives and a few press releases. Click on the poster thumbnails and you get the digital equivalent of movie trailers. The message I got from this site is the one most of us have grown to expect from the Hollywood establishment: Access denied. To hell with `em.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

The Drunken Master's Home Page
URL: http://www.users.interport.net/~bellap
Category: Film
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Jose Alvear
This fan page pays tribute to the "physical genius" of martial arts film star, Jackie Chan, but, content-wise, falls flat; there just isn't enough information for the die hard fan. One highlight is the quotable quotes page where you can read what Jackie has to say--find out why he compares himself to E.T., for example. Also, visitors can read about the "real fights" where Jackie describes how three street-tough ruffians tried to do him in. By the way, Drunken Master refers to the name of one of his popular movies, not his imbibing habits.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Jaws - The Home Page
URL: http://www.winternet.com/~tandj04/jaws.html
Category: Film
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Excellent
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Jose Alvear
Just one look at the *Jaws* movie poster on the home page and you may be afraid of the water again. There¹s an ocean of information to wade through, without any fancy graphics to slow you down, (or enhance the experience). The pages are pretty spartan, design-wise, but if you want your *Jaws* facts in large, er, bites, this is quite a mouthful. There are reviews, links galore and audio and video downloads to see those jaws in action. And, yes you can download the Jaws theme song.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

His and Her Movie View
URL: http://www.his-hermovieview.com
Category: Film
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Gary Barker
This is what online content providers call "repurposed content" if they're being nice; "shovelware" if they're not. Shovelware can be well done or poorly done, and this site, supporting a TV show in Virginia, pretty well defines the low end of sloppiness. They don't even care enough about their work to fix their bread and butter, the reviews themselves. Riddled with stupid errors in English (typos, misused punctuation, pluralization mishaps, run-on sentences, subject-verb agreement errors, misspellings, lack of parallel structure, improperly-used homonyms, and more), the reviews are just plain awful. This is a sub-literate mess.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Sweater Productions
URL: http://jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu/~sweater/
Category: Film
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Gary Barker
This site has potential and even a little charm, but that's no reason to effervesce about it. The counterintuitive use in the table of contents of blue and purple type, usually reserved on the Web for new and used hyperlinks, is incomprehensible. Also annoying is the damned Java tickertape, which is even worse than the benighted <blink> tag ever was. But how harsh can you be about anyone who forlornly describes digitized video as "tragically compressed?" Yes, they're working with limited resources, but a little extra effort could produce a showplace instead of an eyesore.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Unofficial Bruce Lee
URL: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/4641/brucel.html
Category: Film
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve LeVine
Bruce Lee needed a site badly, and this modest labor of love does get the job started with a cineography, bio data, photos and a tribute to heir-to-tragedy, Brandon Lee. There are a few collected articles by and about the legendary martial artist. The design is simple and won't require a lot out of your system to download. And although it won't take you long to consume all the content here, real aficionados will find a slew of martial arts links to fight through.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 14

Flicker
URL: http://www.chapel-hill.nc.us/flicker/
Category: Film
Issue: 0796
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Diedra Ramsey
Though named after a bimonthly film festival in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Flicker's web site is anything but festive. The web site provides filmmakers with information on Flicker's film festivals and types of Kodak film, including Super 8 and Regular 8 film. Also, there are first-person narratives of when so-in-so got his first Super 8 camera or how much so-in-so loves "the rich color of Kodachrome ..." Unfortunately, for a web site devoted to a visual art, the graphics are poor.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 13

Luc Besson Films WWW Page
URL: http://www.ifi.uio.no/~mariuswi/besson.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0896
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Miles Orkin
Writer/director/producer Luc Besson isn't exactly a household name in America (*Subway* and *La Femme Nikita* are his most notable works), but that doesn't mean you can call him second-rate. This web site, however, is a definite candidate for such an adjective. Besson's limited oeuvre offers a finite amount of source material to begin with, and the heap of mildly hyperlinked text presented here does little to make that material aesthetically or intellectually stimulating. If you enjoyed any of Bresson's films, this site is worth a stop, but only true Luc-lovers will need to break out the bookmark.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 13

Cinema Muerto
URL: http://users.aol.com/Cinemam/muerto.htm
Category: Film
Issue: 0996
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Patrick Joseph
Devoted to bad films, this is a cinematic hall of shame. As such I was expecting more yucks and snorts than I got. The criticism was actually kind of flat if not *muerto* itself. After all, everyone knows that Cliffhanger was a bad film and that Sylvester Stallone is a dork (even Stallone knows it). But what can you say beyond that? The ³How to Watch Bad Films,² bit is mildly amusing, though still nothing special. ³Endurance is the key,² the editor assures you, to gleaning ³the pearls of wisdom which make all bad movies so much fun.² For more (better) ideas on that, see *Couch Potatoes*.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 13

Digital Matinee
URL: http://www.inewsradio.com/inr/cinema/
Category: Film
Issue: 1096
Content Quality: Poor
Aesthetic Quality: Good
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Emily Soares
There's not a whole lot of variety in this site--kind of a thin movie fanzine with a focus on blockbuster fare. There's an up-close-and-personal Real Audio encounter with Famke Janssen of Golden Eye, which, like many of the links, doesn't work properly. Even so, if you're interested in her measurements or her stance on guns ("sexy and beautiful to look at") tune in here for related sites and James Bond info. Real Audio reviews of not-too-current-releases such as Broken Arrow and Mr. Holland's Opus are available, as well as box office grosses and awards. A shredded banner GIF and assorted other technical problems make this one, from Internet News Radiom, a bit of a bummer.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 13

The Greatest Films
URL: http://www.filmsite.org/
Category: Film
Issue: 1196
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve LeVine
I was all set to get film clips of my favorite classics--Claude Raines and Bogey strolling into the mist, Gene Hackman's Manhattan chase scene, Woody Allen casually flinging records to impress his date -- but all I got were text summaries of some of these gems, filed by decade, genre or a memorable quote. Of course I was expecting the impossible, given copyrights and all, but we can dream, can't we? The admitted emphasis is on older classics, and all of them are in English. The only graphics are icons created by the author, so don't expect promotional photos to add to your scrapbook.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 13

Jim's Rare Serials and B-Westerns
URL: http://members.aol.com/rareserial/index.html
Category: Film
Issue: 1296
Content Quality: Good
Aesthetic Quality: Poor
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve LeVine
Here's where to order your serial flicks, cliffhangers and B-westerns in the great tradition of Saturday afternoon matinees, before TV sucked everyone back into the home: A no-bones online catalogue for a commercial venture providing access to classic reels from the 30's to the 50's. The publicity shots are tantalizing, but a sound/video clip might have actually got me to order one of these collections. And how about a few more old movie links, bios on the stars and anything else that evokes the bygone days of the mythic American West. By the way, who knew that Cesar Romero was a big Western star long before his swan song as "The Riddler" on TV's Batman?
Overall Rating (out of 18): 13

Occasional Movie Reviews
URL: http://www.fcs.net/maclark/
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
It¹s small, but the author has no qualms about this. On the front page, he states: ³I write a review when I see a movie, and I see a movie when I feel like it. Low pressure, right?² The approximately 20 movie reviews here range from *Quiz Show* to *Howard¹s End*. They¹re well-written, and organized in the order in which the author saw them. The layout is also pretty nice. If you want a second opinion about a film, this might not be a bad place to check.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 11

Amazing Interactive Design Photoshop Art and Sound
URL: http://www.renorex.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Excellent
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
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 aren¹t very big, it takes a while to download all the graphics. And don¹t even try accessing these pages with LYNX.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 11

Hong Kong Cinema
URL: http://egret0.stanford.edu/hk/index.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Excellent
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
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. You¹ll 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.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 11

James Bond Agent 007 OHMSS
URL: http://www.mcs.net/~klast/www/bond.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
This site is a fine example of what the Web can become when someone with a fanatical devotion to an imaginary spy learns HTML. I found the amount of Bond-related information overwhelming: images, sounds, the films, actors, books, cars ‹ and links to real-world espionage-related sites! You can even find the rules for the James Bond Drinking Game ‹ illegal in Utah, kids. Some might argue the page creator has too much free time. I say, ³Good for her!² In this passionless era, it gives me hope to learn someone is so clearly inspired.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

Teen Movie Critic
URL: http://www.dreamagic.com/roger/teencritic.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
I initially reacted with horror to this page. Cute kid learns HTML, puts up some movie reviews, mom and dad are proud, his 14 (!) siblings are proud, Roger Ebert enters the picture ‹ a recipe for disaster. Imagine my consternation when I found myself agreeing with the kid¹s reviews ‹ he can be sharp, articulate, and insightful. Admittedly, the cute factor is high here: profiles of various siblings were particularly upsetting to my jaded sensibilities. Still, I¹m comfortable recommending this site to anyone wanting to peek in on the life of a 16-year-old movie lover. I like this kid.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

The Official Grade B Productions TM Homepage
URL: http://www.fsl.orst.edu/rogues/rosero/grade-b/grade-b.htm
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
This site¹s a bit sketchy. There are a few glitches ‹ pages that might not load, some that aren¹t quite finished... But gads, the pages that *do* work and that *are* complete are well worth it. Woo woo. These kidz are cool, making films, writing their own scripts, playing all the parts themselves, and then exporting scenes and still clips (with captions) to the Internet. I can only assume they¹ll master HTML in time and get some super-great content up (maybe even by the time you read this.) Check it out!
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

Feminist Film Reviews
URL: http://www.inform.umd.edu:8080/EdRes/Topic/WomensStudies/FilmReviews
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
The creators of this site look at films with a feminist perspective, which is very different from the one you¹ll find in your Sunday paper¹s arts sections. No, these aren¹t man-hating rants (it¹s a sadly mistaken notion that feminists hate men). Instead, there are thoughtful, insightful, and encouraging film reviews, spanning the ranks from small art films to big-budget Hollywood. The aesthetics of the site leave something to be desired (it would take all of 15 minutes to add in some background colors and lose the ASCII type). But that aside, it¹s a great site.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

Museum Arrakeen
URL: http://www.princeton.edu/~cgilmore/dune/
Category: Film
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Jon Phillips
Museum Arrakeen is a site for fans of *Dune*, Frank Herbert¹s 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 site¹s director, Christian Gilmore, deserves hardy praise for a presentation that follows Herbert¹s 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.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

Movie Review Query Engine
URL: http://www.cinema.pgh.pa.us/movie/review
Category: Film
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
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 member¹s work impressed you, a list of their other film credits is a link away. Now *that¹s* comprehensive!
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

Star Wars Home Page at UPENN
URL: http://force.stwing.upenn.edu:8001/~jruspini/starwars.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
Ask any technogeek to name the film that first inspired dreams of nerdiness, and the answer will always be the same: ³Star Wars.² 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 fan¹s dream and copyright lawyer¹s nightmare.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

The Official Peril Productions Home Page
URL: http://www.wam.umd.edu/~ssparks/peril/peril2.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
³How,² I asked myself, ³did I live this long without encountering Peril Productions?² This Web site leads me to believe that the site¹s 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 I¹ve come across that tempts me to open my wallet ‹ I simply must see these films! I will not sleep until I have seen ³Peril at Castle Eifenstein.² Judging by its plot summary, this could be the movie I¹ve been waiting for all of my life.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

Flicker
URL: http://www.sirius.com/~sstark/
Category: Film
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
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 ³alternative cinema² make this site a pleasure to visit. I discovered several films I absolutely must track down.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 7

Cinevista Videos An Excellent Selection of Foreign Films From Around the World Gay Web
URL: http://www.gayweb.com/112/112home.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
The American film industry is a global monster whose far-reaching influence often dwarves other film traditions. Video has improved the situation but most rental store stock is still overwhelmingly American. The Cinevista site, by contrast, offers a (smallish) selection of foreign films, with critical blurbs, plot summary, and running time for each work. If a film appeals, you can order it online ‹ provided you have a credit card and are willing to suspend legitimate security concerns. This is a simple, single-service site; its usefulness to the cinema lover will grow as the number of films offered increases.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

MovieLink 777FILM Online
URL: http://www.777film.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
MovieLink is a glimpse of the future, demonstrating how smoothly the Web can be integrated into daily life. If you are lucky enough to live in one of the included cities, show times and places are online. Select your city and neighborhood, then search what¹s playing by genre, title, or location. Some theaters even allow you to buy tickets online ‹ with a credit card, though the transaction is insecure. This is a great use of the Web, one whose value will increase as more cities are added to the database.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

The Super 8 Home Page
URL: http://www.NeoSoft.com/users/b/billpenn/super8/
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
This page isn¹t very pretty or encyclopedic, but its creator clearly loves the Super 8 format. The buy-and-sell section is a nice feature, and the update index makes it simple to identify what¹s new and improved. If you¹re not already a Super 8 fan, this site won¹t convert you, but those already in the know could find this a useful gathering place.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

Audrey Hepburn
URL: http://grove.ufl.edu/~flask/Hepburn.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
I must admit that my knowledge of Audrey Hepburn is rather limited; I recall that she starred in the shallow film adaptation of ³Breakfast at Tiffany¹s,² and I suspect she might be related to Katherine Hepburn. This site features a collection of quotes by the famous extolling the virtues of being Audrey. In addition, several of her movies are spotlighted, and links to other Audrey hot spots are available. Most amusing are Audrey¹s remarks on Audrey ‹ only a genius could manufacture such banal insights and observations.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

Coen Brothers Homepage
URL: http://lasarto.cnde.iastate.edu/movies/cultshop/Movies/coen.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
This is your typical fan site, dedicated to two of today¹s most innovative filmmakers. There are a few images from the films, trivia bits, and profiles of associated actors and directors. I was ready to write this off as just another bit of fluff until I stumbled across one of the most amusing profile pieces I¹ve seen, an Interactive Film Criticism that ¹s a must-read for all Coen followers. Trust me ‹ the piece makes the site worth visiting by anyone who has ever pondered the significance of ³The Hat² in ³Miller¹s Crossing.²
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

The Film Festivals Server
URL: http://cannes.zds.softway.worldnet.net/
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
Like fashion, film has inspired a year-long circuit of shows, reviews, and non-stop partying around the globe. This site gives the unwashed masses a chance to intercept the latest buzz. Was Martin¹s latest work previewed in London? Who took best of show in Moscow? Major film festivals are covered, nominees and awards listed, and city guides are provided to facilitate day-dreaming. Ahh, I remember Ghent ‹ how soothing I found the Veldstraat.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

CineWEB
URL: http://www.cineweb.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
CineWEB is an online resource for video and film professionals. No matter what your equipment needs, I suspect the extensive index can put you in touch with the right person. A BBS service allows messages to be posted to other site visitors, and a $69 fee will get your resume posted for one year. Online trade journals are promised. I found the location index most engaging. So, you want to shoot some scenes in a church? Well, they¹ve got just the Unitarian setting for you ‹ and such affordable rates!
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

Miramax Films
URL: http://www.miramax.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
Miramax¹s role in the manufacture of culture guarantees an interesting site ‹ its film collection is extensive and includes some of the most challenging works of the past decade. This site has blurbs and images from the latest offerings, faux-insider chat about the actors involved, and such. The heart of it is the Vault, which contains images and video from many of the Miramax films. I know too many people with a hard drive full of one-minute clips, and Miramax will only feed their sickness. The company¹s made an effort to give the Web surfer reason to visit again.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

Judy Davis
URL: http://gpu.srv.ualberta.ca/~jjay/judy.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0396
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Shel Kimen
Considering this data was pulled together by one person and then archived "just for the fun of it," the site is pretty good. It's valuable, at least to fans of actress Judy Davis, (*My Brilliant Career*, *Husbands and Wives*, *Impromptu*, and *Where Angels Fear To Tread* were among her more famous films). There's a picture and sound file gallery, lists of upcoming Judy Davis projects, and a live link to join the Judy Davis mailing list (which the Web site creator also maintains). It could be bigger, but everything could always be bigger. It's pretty good as is.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

The Cult Shop
URL: http://lasarto.cnde.iastate.edu/Movies/CultShop/
Category: Film
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Jon Phillips
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 ³official² sites run by corporate P.R. offices. Web surfers can even cast votes for their favorite cult classics. While the site¹s attitude and verve runs a bit dry, The Cult Shop is nonetheless a valuable resource for quick, comprehensive information.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

Blue Plate Special
URL: http://www.pinsight.com:80/~chasmo/index.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Matt Patterson
Lounge music is back ‹ and possibly already out if you¹re an avante-hipster. According to the site¹s creators, Blue Plate Special is ³a jump and swing band from a cowtown you¹ve probably never heard of.² I hadn¹t heard of the band either, but that didn¹t stop me from enjoying the Bachelor Pad Music clips found on the site. This place is one long promotional, but is punctuated with retro graphics and a witty bio. A Recommended Listening page offers detailed liner notes, and mentions many albums, making it a good reference for anyone looking to swing.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

Kubrick, A Multimedia Film Guide
URL: http://www.lehigh.edu/~pjl2/films/kubrick.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
I don¹t 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 Kubrick¹s 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.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

Hollywood & Vine
URL: http://www.hollywood-vine.com/
Category: Film
Issue: 0696
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
This site boasts one of the most extensive collections of film industry-related links I¹ve come across on the Web. Even more intriguing, visitors find numerous cross links to Texas film industry-related information. Hmm; clearly something is going on here, but in all my exploration, I was never quite able to find a context. Is this a Texas film board site with helpful cross links, or an industry-dedicated site highlighting Texas film resources? In either case, film makers hunting for Web resources may find this spot helpful indeed.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 6

Antonio Banderas
URL: http://www.sju.edu/~delvalle/antonio.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Steve Szyszko
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. He¹s a pop icon for the 90s, oozing sex *and* diversity. A net search of Tony¹s name turned up dozens of hits, this page being a typical fan site. You¹ll find movie profiles, a few interviews clipped from magazines, and blind adoration of his Holiness ‹ the usual fan tribute. There isn¹t any real reason to visit this site, except perhaps as part of a sociological study of celebrity culture.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 5

Movies
URL: http://www.conxtion.com/admin/Jeff_Renzi/Movies/Movies.html
Category: Film
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Good
Site of the Month: No
Author: Jon Phillips
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. You¹ll 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.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 4

The Documentary Film Group Home Page
URL: http://http.bsd.uchicago.edu/doc/
Category: Film
Issue: 0496
Content Quality: Not Rated
Aesthetic Quality: Not Rated
TechnoSmart Quality: Poor
Site of the Month: No
Author: Jon Phillips
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 site¹s 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.
Overall Rating (out of 18): 3