By Donna Woodka, woodka@arpa.net
| When URLs for movie Web sites first starting appearing
in movie ads, I was excited, and checked them all out. Now every movie has its own Web
site. The best combine movie trivia, links to actor’s Web sites, links to any
historical information the film is based on, puzzles and games, and other interesting
items. You can find URLs for your favorite movies in the print ads, or look them up
through one of the search engines. If you’re looking for more than just movie ads,
here are some well constructed, interesting Web sites for San Diego movie goers and film
buffs. The Internet Movie Database The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) calls itself "the ultimate movie reference source." IMDb covers everything you could ever possibly want to know about movies. It’s fully hyperlinked both within the database and to thousands of external sites and is updated continuously. If you want to know anything about the movies, it’s probably here. The site is a beautiful example of creating a great reference source. IMDb currently covers more than 130,000 movies with more than 2,000,000 filmography entries and is expanding continuously. The service is financed by advertising and sponsorship. MovieLink MovieLink lists show times for movies at theaters around the world, based on your ZIP code or city name. You can search for a movie near you by title, theater, time, or type of movie. MovieLink also offers movie synopses, movie posters and downloadable trailers, a Parents’ Rating Guide provided by the Motion Picture Association of America explaining why particular movies have been given their ratings, information on upcoming releases, Hollywood news, and a chat area. Movielink is sponsored by MovieFone and other advertising. Zoom San Diego Zoom San Diego is, without question, one of the best places on the Web to find information about San Diego entertainment. The site has listings for local area movies, movie reviews, theater listings and theater reviews, music, dance, arts, sports, kids’ entertainment, area attractions, and much more. Zoom San Diego is well laid out and easy to navigate. San Diego International Film Festival This site has all the information for the festival to be held June 2–11 in the Gaslamp Quarter. The SDIFF is currently accepting entries for feature, short, and student films, so there is no schedule yet for what films will be shown this year. Greatest Films Greatest Films offers Tim Dirk’s reviews of more than 100 of the greatest films, as well as memorable movie quotes, greatest scenes, posters, lists of films sorted by film genre or by the decade they were made, and a listing of film reference books available for purchase through Amazon books (http://www.amazon.com). Coming Attractions Coming Attractions is a rumor mill for what’s coming out of Hollywood next. The site has information about films in production, rumors about who is being considered for film roles, who will be directing, scheduled production and release dates, and more. The Trailer Park The Trailer Park is a movie trailer and clip directory. The site contains many hard-to-find trailers and video clips, organized by movie company, distribution (U.S. vs. foreign) and movie title, as well as recent, classic and newly released trailers. The Palace Theater The Palace Theater has articles about classic films, classic film posters, audio clips and still images from classic films, and much more. The site is well laid out and very artfully done. ScreenSite ScreenSite provides access to film and television resources through the World Wide Web. Its primary purpose is to facilitate the study of film and television production. ScreenSite includes links to education, research, and production resources, as well as discussion boards and chats. "If we bring a little joy into your humdrum lives, it makes us feel as though our hard work ain’t been in vain for nothin’. Bless you all!"—Lina Lamont, Singin’ In the Rain
Online San Diego offers reviews of Internet Web sites. Their appearance in this column does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation by ComputorEdge. |