 |
| www.imdb.com ***** |
| The Internet Movie Database is an astonishingly |
| comprehensive cinematic directory. Search for a film |
| and you receive a detailed cast list, links to several |
| reviews and plentiful t rivia. The more obscure the film, |
| the less data you get, but it is rare to find a movie that |
| is not listed at all. Much of the material is too esoteric |
| to be verifiable, but there are no howling errors. With |
| endless internal links and daily updates of news and |
| gossip, this is one of those sites where you always |
| browse for longer than you initially intended. |
|
 |
| www.filmsite.org **** |
| A labour-of-love fan site, created by one Tim Dirks and |
| devoted to classic Hollywood movies. The centrepiece |
| is Dirks's choice of the 100 Greatest Movies, from The |
| Birth of a Nation (1915) to Schindler's List (1993). |
| Numerous other sections include a galle ry of vintage |
| posters, lists of box-office records and a mine of Oscar |
| trivia, such as a sample of classics that didn't receive a |
| single nomination ? a su re source of consolation for |
| this year's losers. The layout is basic and densely |
| textual, but this is a valuable resource for enthusiasts. |
|
 |
| www.aintitcoolnews.com **** |
| The site that alerted Hollywood to the power of the |
| net is still the place to go for insider news. The moviemad |
| Harry Knowles delivers unlimited tittle-tattle from |
| the earliest stages of film production, complemented by |
| up-to-the- minute trailers. Drawing on an army of spies, |
| he also provides revelatory reports from the secretive |
| test screenings where the studios show their works-inprogress. |
| Knowles combines a boisterous personality |
| with a good track record for accuracy, and shows no |
| sign of selling out. |
|
 |
| www.fiilmunlimited.co.uk **** |
| Many cinema sites employ a magazine format, but this |
| often involves only reviews, interviews and trailers. This |
| well-designed site has all that and much mo re, from |
| in-depth features (culled from The Guardian) to |
| entertaining quizzes, such as Would You Su rvive a |
| Teen-Slasher Movie? There is even a Mood Matcher that |
| recommends films to suit your circumstances, whether |
| you are trying to quit smoking or having a bad-hair day. |
| You can even submit your own reviews of current |
| movies ? most contributions are enjoyably cynical. |
|
 |
| www.film.com *** |
| Regular visits to this searchable news -and-reviews site |
| are a good way to keep up with the latest releases. |
| Although the news section (updated daily) doesn't have |
| knockout exclusives, it is thorough and topical, and |
| written (like the weekly reviews) with a nice hint of |
| sarcasm. But the site's main a ttraction is that it offers, |
| under one roof, all the downloadable clips and trailers |
| you could wish for, including the ho ttest imminent |
| blockbusters: Tomb Raider, Pearl Harbor and |
| Spielberg's Al. |
|
 |
| www.script-o-rama.com *** |
| The screenplays of successful films are usually published, |
| but if you can't find what you are looking for, or do not |
| want to pay for it, then you might try this junk shop of |
| a site, which stores final drafts and earlier versions of a |
| vast, unpredictable array of movies. Of the final drafts, |
| the ones I read were accurate, but it is hard to be |
| completely sure about such intriguing items as the |
| script for Scorsese's fo rthcoming Gangs of New York, |
| or what purports to be the first draft of the original |
| Star Wars. |
|
| |
'The Sunday Times', March 25, 2001 |
