If you're into the movies, a modem connection to the Web just won't be fast enough to suit you. The better sites are very graphical with stills, photos, patterned backgrounds, and the like, which just beg for an ISDN--or even a T1--connection. These sites run the gamut from official studio publicity to highly unofficial sites by enamored fans. Though the official sites are good-looking, in general the unofficial are more fun. A word of warning: a 1MB file takes about 15 minutes to download at 14,400 bps, and some of these files are up to 5MB. So if you do download, make sure it's something you really want.
The Official Casper Home Page
goes well beyond what even the most dedicated independent fan could produce. To explore the site, you'll need to read Dr. Harvey's book to find your way. (Hint: On the Welcome to Whipstaff Manor page, click on Dr. Harvey's picture.) You'll need fast Internet access. This site is slow, even with a 28.8-bps modem, but it presents a fun exploration game, and it's a heck of a lot more interesting than most movie sites.
If a movie's popularity was judged by the number of Web sites it has, the Rocky Horror Picture Show would rank among the most popular of all time. Rocky Horror is to movies what the Grateful Dead was to music. This page is one of the best of the bunch, giving you sound, scripts, movie dates, and links. It's also considerate of viewers not using Netscape 1.1. If you've never seen the movie, then jump to the script and you can start to see what all the fuss is about. Still, it's no substitute for an actual theater visit. Bring toast.
Fans of Alien and Aliens say the producers should have stopped after the second project. This Web site lives up to its movie--lots of pictures of ugly things, including a profile on H.R. Giger, the alien's designer himself. There's also an Aliens 4 rumor page. Look for Sigourney coming back as a clone of herself. And yes, even a Wierzbowski Hunter's page, in honor of "one of the coolest deaths we've seen in a long time for a character who takes longer to pronounce his name than his screen time."
The nicest of the several Lion King
sites presents the usual movie stuff you want, but also goes the extra distance. The images, for example, are rated for picture quality, so you better your chances of downloading something decent. And you can download a media player from the same place as the sound files. It also includes the movie script plus links to the other Lion King Web sites, including Disney's.
Viruosity demands that you live its site, not just look at it. On some sites you download stills, on this one you "download high-resolution images for investigation." On others you may send an e-mail message, on this one you "upload useful information to the authorities concerning this Web site." Geeky? Yes, but that's the fun of it. And when you get bored of downloading Denzel Washington's image (assuming that's possible), jump on over to the Adventure where you, as Parker Barnes, must hunt down Sid 6.7.
The first new James Bond movie in over five years is here! Golden Eye stars Pierce Brosnan (of Remington Steele fame), as the legendary 007. This official site comes complete with sneak previews and links to other Bond sites. Notably, James Bond 007 on WWW has bios on all the Bond players. And the James Bond Movie Page has all the answers, the next time you get into an argument about the order of the movies. There's plenty here to keep any Bond fan happy.
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Congo is a lot more interesting than the movie was. Like Casper's Home Page, Congo gives you a game to play while you're looking at.GIF files from the movie. Yes, you can buy tacky merchandise, but at least you'll also find an address to contribute to Dian Fossey's Gorilla Fund.
Crimson Tide's home page offers the usual movie clips and stills. Of more interest are the data sheets on the Ohio and Akula class submarines, and even better is the tracking game you play with the Akula. If you liked the movie (and who can resist Gene Hackman with a Jack Russell Terrier?), you'll love this Web site.
Can't get enough of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers? Morph over to this Web site. Yes, they can download sound and video clips and stills, but you'll also find a Power Rangers screen saver. You can send e-mail to the Rangers themselves. (The especially daring can e-mail their archenemy, Ivan Ooze.) If that doesn't satisfy, take a trip over to the MIT Power Ranger page , which has enough stuff to please even the most gluttonous of fans.
As you would expect to grow from a movie titled The Net , this Web site is a cut above the rest. They pulled out all the stops for this one. Early moviegoers could even purchase tickets over the Net, and you can still see e-mail messages that Sandra Bullock wrote to adoring fans (though she still doesn't explain the three seashells from Demolition Man). You can download a game that will take you all the over the Net and beyond.
Everything you ever wanted to know about The Crow is here, including the original novel, Brandon Lee's freak accident, sequel rumors, and video and sound clips. The Rumors section, where people pose questions about the movie and other people try to answer them, is especially interesting. (And, yes, there is a sequel or two in the making.)
It's hard to believe that Star Wars was released almost 20 years ago, in 1977. Since then, it's catapulted the likes of Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford to something approaching godhood. Even harder to believe is how many Star Wars sites there are on the Web. The best one to check out is The Star Wars Tribute. It's got movie scripts and news on the upcoming trilogy. And while it's a bit light on multimedia clips, it's got links to 89 other sites that will soon have you rolling in information. There's more out there than you can ever hope to absorb, but perhaps The Force will be with you.
OK, you missed Tank Girl when it was in the theaters, and you're wondering if you should rent the video. Get into the original buzz on The Unofficial Tank Girl site. You'll find FAQs, pictures, merchandise, and movie news enough to explain the phenom. You can also cruise the soundtrack (largely influenced by Courtney Love of Hole) and check out the comic. If you get bored, jump over to the official movie site and you can play The World of Tank Girl interactive game, if you're not averse to harsh language.
No one interested in pop movies should miss Indiana Jones
. This unofficial page has clips and stills, plus all things Indiana Jones, including comics, novels, other sites, and the latest on Indy IV. It also includes links to articles about the Ark of the Covenant, as well as other hot movie links. Be sure to check it out.
Cool space stuff abounds at the Apollo 13 site. This page, courtesy of Universal Studios, is one huge bitmap, so it's slow--that starry black background is over 58K. Sound clips, other space links, plus an e-mail form to director Ron Howard make this a fun site to visit.
Die Hard again. And again. And again. Nevertheless, this site is worth a visit. Blurbs on Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, and the crew, plus a fun exploration make this site nearly as action-packed as the movie. Games are becoming a requirement for cool movie sites, and Die Hard With a Vengeance is no exception. This one is interesting fun--guessing which wire to cut, figuring out clues. Unlike many sites, it fills in quickly enough to keep you interested.
Dune has had far greater success in cyberspace than it did in the theaters. On first impression, it's your basic bunch of links, which is quite considerable, considering that the movie was nowhere as successful as the novels. Even author Frank Herbert himself said, "A lot of people have tried to film Dune. They all failed. I tried writing a screenplay of it, once. It was rotten." You'll find lots of other quotes at the site, as well as photos of a very young Kyle MacLachlan, before he became Special Agent Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks.
Blade Runner is one of the quintessential SF films and director Ridley Scott's tour de force. The site doesn't quite match the movie's dark, brooding feel, but you'll find lots to like here, including a rumor of two sequels starring Arnold and an essay speculating that Deckard himself (Harrison Ford) was a replicant. Also check out the link to the Official Blade Runner Online Magazine for cast stills and crew details.
Like many of the Disney movie sites, Judge Dredd is wonderfully complete --multimedia trailers, movie info, and movie-based game. While Disney's found a good Web site formula that's a cut above most of them, after seeing a half dozen of them, it's gets boring. Still, if you liked the movie or the comic books, you'll like this Web site.
The movie may be based on a dumb premise ("Gee, let's do what this message from outer space says and combine human DNA with this completely unknown, alien DNA to see what happens..."), but the Species Web site is kind of fun. You can play the Web adventure, breaking SIL out of the lab and exploring Earth, or visit the Species Inventory to get production notes, cast and crew bios, or see multimedia effects. The game's not for young children, since SIL is ignorantly violent, but it's dumbly entertaining.
Soak yourself in the cult movie that launched Winona Ryder and Shannon Dougherty at the complete Heathers Web Resource. Not only does it have links to Winona's Home and Beverly Hills 90210 pages, but it offers the complete movie script, replete with sounds and pictures.
The movie's long gone out of the theaters, but Johnny Mnemonic is still worth a look. And you can jack into images to view a buff Keanu Reeves, plus get cool behind-the-scenes footage of how some of the animation and computer-generated art was done. It's a must-see for SF fans.
Braveheart is an excellent compendium of.GIF images of the cast, background on the film, plus a small history lesson on William Wallace (Braveheart himself) and the Middle Ages. You can also download the trailers in QuickTime format, but there are no sound bites here. The site is likable, but because it comes from Paramount, it lacks the enthusiasm and links you'd find in a fan's personal site.
Movie sites in general are slower to open because their pages usually have lots of bit-mapped graphics and pictures. But 2001: A Space Odyssey is ridiculous. The first bitmap is enormous and takes forever to download (and this at 28.8-bps), plus the starry black background makes reading the link titles really difficult. It does have a fairly good list of resources, including a link to Stanley Kubrick's home page. So if you just can't live without your computer saying, "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that," over and over again, this is the site to visit.
The Princess Bride is one of those unofficial sites that are the most fun to stop by. It's mostly sound clips plus the movie script, but no one should be without Mandy Patinkin's "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
If you've got kids, you've undoubtedly seen Pocahontas
a million times already. The Pocahontas site offers enough to keep the kids occupied for an hour or two, longer if they download every QuickTime clip,.GIF, and sound byte. They can also download black-and-white images "for your coloring pleasure" and play a game to help Powatan find Pocahontas and John Smith. So on an afternoon when you just want to stay home, send them to explore this site.
You either loved 'em or you hated 'em. Not the Mafia, but The Godfather Trilogy
. If you're among the former, check out this site. Much of it's still under construction, but there are some graphics, including a family tree, and memorable quotes from the films. A tasty favorite: "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."
Rob Roy is a gorgeous site, beautifully designed. The story of how the film came to be is a pleasure to skim, just like turning the pages of a coffee-table book. Each page has so many bitmaps, however, you'll grow old waiting for them to fill in. Rob Roy is great to look at if your interest in Scotland is greater than your patience.
You'll find nothing fancy at the While You Were Sleeping site, but it's a nice, entertaining Web site for a nice, entertaining movie. You'll see the basic stills, clips, and production notes. If you're a Sandra Bullock fan, here's your chance for a closer look at the girl next door.
Good general movie indexes include The Internet Movie Database for everything you ever wanted to know about a movie: release date, actors, crew, and goofs. The Hollyweb Online Guide has news, reviews, and a list of movie-related sites. And if you're a movie multimedia junkie, Hollywood Online is the place for stills, movie clips, and sound bites.
The Bridges of Madison County site seems to be based on one big bitmap that takes a while to fill in, which won't increase your enthusiasm for it. There's the basic cool stuff, but not much more than that: the movie, the bios, the trailer download. You can read part of the best-selling hardcover novel of all time. Excerpts of Robert James Waller's other two novels are here for your perusal, too. Clint sounds cool and craggy, but he's always been cool and craggy. Best-selling hardcover book? Maybe because it's so short.
OK, the Blues Brothers site looks deceptively boring. No blues. No sax. No microphone. Not even a pair of shades for Elwood's sake. But it's pure Blues Brothers, so don't cross this one off your list. You can spend a pleasant hour or so chuckling over the Jake & Elwood Quote list. It includes every funny line from the movie, which winds up being almost the whole script from, "Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration, don't fail me now!" to "So for me, for my mother, my grandmother, my father, my uncle, and the common good, I must now kill you." It's a gas.
If you're a cartoon buff, you'll like A Goofy Movie
, including trailers and interviews with the crew, but it's mostly QuickTime files ranging from 3.5MB to 5.5MB. No games, some very clean JPEG stills and a whopping 9.5MB music video!
"This is going to be a lame, cheesy, promotional site for Hackers." No, that's not what you'll say; that's what this site says about itself. All you can do is download a plug and share your best hack. (Why would any self-respecting hacker want to tell his secrets?) This site is a shameless promotion for the movie, but at least it's honest. Movie Web has more substantive information on this flick.
In the Mouth of Madness wasn't one of John Carpenter's (of Halloween fame) more popular efforts, despite the presence of Sam Neil (who's come a long way since The Final Conflict). But this site has bios and stills of the cast, plus a good article about how the movie came to be. No multimedia clips and no links to other sites.
The Official Unofficial Pulp Fiction page has enough to please fans of the movie, but creator Lisajoy needs to check some of her links. At least one went to a page that didn't exist anymore, one went to what looked like a wrong page, and a couple are mighty slow. If you want real sights and sounds, go to this other Pulp Fiction page.
Created by one of Chicago's best documentary production companies, Hoop Dreams chronicles the NBA dreams of two street-basketball players. There's not much at this site, but it gives a history of the movie and some of director Peter Gilbert's comments. Unlike the movie, the site can be skipped.
How can anything with the vivacity of Meg Ryan and the saucy title of French Kiss be so dull? If you want a movie summary or stills, you'll find them, but nothing else of interest.
The commercial site for 101 Dalmatians is singularly uninspiring. OK, there are some stills and several QuickTime movies to download (a "trailer" is almost 4MB, while a "clip" is only 1.5MB), but the rest is just boring gray backgrounds and summary text. And where are the lyrics to "Cruella DeVil"? Unless you have a fast Internet connection and absolutely have to have a QuickTime clip, you can safely skip it.
by Cyndy Bates