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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
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News Stories About Gothika
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2007-09-24
The prime window for TV on DVD is closing, and the summer releases are starting to come out, so it is appropriate that the DVD Pick of the Week co-winners are one of each. This includes , Knocked Up - Unrated Collector's Edition and a belated win for Corner Gas - Season 4 - Buy from Amazon.ca.
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2004-10-11
Every week films get a second chance at success from the home market; or, in some cases, a first chance at success. Here is a list of wide releases, limited releases and a few from the growing TV on DVD section, including the winner of the DVD Pick of the Week Ren & Stimpy - The Complete First and Second Seasons - Buy from Amazon.
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2004-04-06
Another 7 openings helped keep The Passion of the Christ in top spot with $25.4 million. And the same pattern is holding true, the smaller the market the better the result. In Spain it opened to $3.2 million, about on par with Gothika's opening at the end of February. In South Korea it opened first with $2.3 million, significantly below the local productions that have been taking tops spot for most of the year. So far the film has earned just over $80 million internationally and over $400 million worldwide.
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2004-03-23
The Passion of the Christ had mixed openings during its fourth weekend in international release. In Latin America is performed very well, where it made two thirds of its $15 million weekend take, breaking records in Chile and Central America along the way. On the flip side it could only manage a paltry $2.3 million in Germany, half of first place Brother Bear and on par with Gothika's opening earlier in the year. It would have been more impressive if the situation was reversed. After all, record breaking performances throughout Latin American won't earn as much as a blockbuster performance in Germany. Overall Passions has pulled in $32.3 million in 19, mostly smaller markets.
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2004-03-22
Every week films get a second chance at success from the home market; or, in some cases, a first chance at success. Here is a list of wide releases, limited releases and a few from the growing TV on DVD section. Remember last week when I said it was a slow week cause no new release finished on Amazon's Top Ten Sales Chart? This week no new release is in the top 25 and only 2 in the top 50. In a week dominated by box office flops, not-so-special special editions and nearly featureless limited releases, it was a rock band that took my DVD Pick of the Week. Weezer - Video Capture Device 1991-2002 - (Buy from Amazon) is the only DVD I plan to pick up tomorrow. But there are a couple of rentals on the list.
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2003-12-01
While all but one for the movies opening over the 5-day Thanksgiving weekend failed to make a big splash at the box office, the holdovers picked up the slack. The extra helpings of family films helped this Thanksgiving weekend 7% up from last year for the 3-day weekend. But a weak Wednesday / Thursday lead to a 6% drop for the 5-day weekend. The mixed results sent 2003's box office a little further behind 2002.
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2003-11-28
This Thanksgiving is turning out to be rather disappointing. Early estimates are about on par with last year when all five wide releases failed to make a major impact at the box office. This year will be a little better, but only because of inflation.
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2003-11-24
here have been no massive hits like there were last year. This week there was a token increase from last weekend, (2.5%) but without a Harry Potter or a James Bond at the box office we're seeing more and more drops from last year. This week it was a 13% drop and year to date 2003 is now more than 1% lower than last year. That might not seem like much, but it works out $100 million despite higher ticket prices.
The Cat in the Hat's opening weekend was a little better than predicted earning $38.3 million. However, the chances for long-term success for the picture are not very strong. First of all, the reviews were just terrible at only just 14% positive, and while kids don't read reviews the parents who take them to the movies do. Secondly, the international appeal is limited; The Grinch earned $260 million domestically but just $80 million internationally. And lastly, the cost is just too high. Factoring in both production and P&A, it cost the studio nearly $150 million to get The Cat in the Hat into theatres. Strong home market sales and overwhelming marketing alliances will be its only saving graces.
It's hard to say is Gothika was a success based on a $19.3 million opening. It was the best opening of the four Dark Castle Entertainment films released so far; it was also the most expensive. And even though it only received 13% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, only House on Haunted Hill did better with critics. If it follows the same pattern as the rest of the Dark Castle Entertainment movies, it should end with $50 million at the box office. Their best effort so far, but barely more than the production budget.
With $18.7 million at the box office, Elf fell a little bit faster at the box office this week and will have to wait till next weekend to break $100 million. This is still an excellent third weekend figure and should result in a pay-raise for Will Ferrell.
Despite excellent reviews and an older demographic, Master and Commander: Far Side of the World had only an average week-to-week drop. The film dropped almost 40% to $15.2 million, sinking the hopes of the studio for long legs and profitability. Only Oscar hype can save this film now.
Of the three movies I predicted would battle for fifth place, only one managed to meet expectations.
Love Actually dropped less than 1% at the box office this week earning another $8.6 million. So far it has only made $30 million domestically, but it should continue to do well into the holiday season. It should also be noted that Love Actually could have not opened domestically at all and it still would have been a huge hit for the studio as it will earn $200 million internationally.
After only two weeks, The Matrix Revolutions started shedding theatres, that is all you really need to know about its performance so far. In week three it dropped almost 60% to just $7.0 million. It won't make $150 million, and it might make less than half what The Matrix Reloaded made just a few months ago.
After two weeks of holding up well to ever increasing competition, the bubble finally burst on Brother Bear. It only managed $5.3 million this week and it should see its theatre count drop dramatically in the coming weeks.
Another kids' movie that couldn't handle the increased competition was Looney Tunes: Back in Action. After only make $9.4 million opening weekend; Warner Bros. was relying on strong legs for any chance at profits. However, during its second weekend it collapsed at the box office dropping to just $4.2 million. On the bright side, sales of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection were so strong that a second collection is now in the works and should be released some time next year. Hopefully the next one will include Hillbilly Hare.
Submitted by:
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2003-11-21
ss, I was going to do the whole column in rhyme, but I decided it might irritate some long-time readers. That and I can't find my rhyming dictionary anywhere.
The Cat in the Hat will easily finish first at the box office; thereby confirming quality doesn't mean everything at the box office. The reviews for this movie are absolutely horrible, currently sitting at just 11% positive. Compared that to The Grinch, which got 53% positive. No film currently in the top 10 comes close to that score; the last film to open with such a low score was Cold Creek Manor. Compounding problems is the strong competition from last week's winner Elf. The Cat in the hat will win this weekend, and will top Elf's opening as well with $34 million. But it's legs at the box office will be far shorter than Elf's.
Even with the increased competition, Elf should take second place with a very strong drop-off. Granted, it will be sharper than last weekend's 15%, but a third weekend drop-of a little more than 25% is excellent. That will give Elf a weekend total of just below $20 million and $100 million either late next week, or early next weekend.
Also holding up well, but for different reasons, will be Master and Commander: Far Side of the World. As with most movies with an older demographic, strong legs will be the saving grace of this film. A second week drop of just one third at the box office and a $17 million weekend will help recoup some of that $150 million budget.
Reviews for Gothika are only slightly better than the Cat in the Hat's, but its box office standing is significantly worse. Halle Berry hasn't had success carrying a movie, all her hits have either been ensemble pieces (X-Men) or supporting roles to already established characters (Die Another Day.) Her box office appeal will have a hard time overcoming the poor reviews leading to a $15 million opening weekend. Looks like she'll have to wait for Catwoman before she has a hit of her own.
There are three movies battling for the final place in the top five: Brother Bear, Love Actually and The Matrix Revolutions. All three should be within $1 million of each other.
Love Actually has the best shot at fifth place as it is adding another 500 theatres this weekend. This should offset most, if not all, or its drop in per theatre average. With almost no week to week drop-off, it will finish at $8.5 million and fifth place.
It seems every week Brother Bear has more competition for that coveted kids' demographic. And every week it holds up well, not great, but not poorly either. This week is no different with a slightly greater than one third drop to $8.0 million.
Unlike Love Actually, The Matrix Revolutions is shedding theatres, fast. It will suffer another greater than 50% loss to end at $7.5 million and seventh place. $150 million total box office is becoming less and less likely.
Submitted by:
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2003-11-20
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
21 Grams
Current Content: First of all, your body doesn't lose 21 grams when you die. That's just one of those urban legends about death, (another one being your hair and finger nails continue to grow after you die.) Now that that's out of the way we can talk about the website, which launched this week. Unfortunately, the urban legend surrounding the title is more interesting than the site itself. There are no sounds and only a tiny amount of animation outside the trailer. And while there was quite a bit of information in the synopsis, cast and crew, and production, it seemed to take an unacceptably long time to load. Other, flash heavy sites, loaded in a fraction of the time it took to load just the production notes.
Along Came Polly
Current Content: Just the placeholder site so far with the synopsis, trailer and photo gallery.
Anchorman
Current Content: Placeholder site with some exclusive clips.
The Barbarian Invasions
Current Content: Typical Miramax site. The movie opens tomorrow and the trailer isn't even up.
The Big Empty
Current Content: As promised last week, this site added a lot more information. It's mostly just text, with dozen or so images and the trailer. Considering the unusual nature of the movie, one would hope that the website would be less static.
Cat in the Hat
Current Content: The movie opens on Friday, but not much has changed since the flash site first launched.
Cheaper by the Dozen
Current Content: The flash site launched this week and to no one's surprise much of it is dedicated to introducing the characters. The rest of the site has all the regular features, including synopsis, both the teaser and full trailers, cast and crew bios and so forth. There are a few extras, like wallpapers, AIM icons and two e-cards, as well as movie clips that are still marked coming soon. Unlike many of the site on today's list, this one has plenty of sound and animation. There are also clips from three songs that play in the background, which takes care of the repetitiveness although makes the looping a bit harder.
Cold Mountain
Current Content: What's this? A Miramax site that isn't just a short synopsis on a dull beige background? How can this be? Of course the current site isn't much better than the ordinary Miramax site, as it only has the trailer while the Enter Site button only takes you to the Miramax home page.
The Cooler
Current Content: The background music for this site really sets the right mood. Sort of a depressing, smoke filled lounge atmosphere. The site itself is understated, which fits well with the style of the movie. Only the most common of features are there, synopsis, cast and crew bios, trailer and image gallery.
Envy
Current Content: The old VaPOOrize info site is back, with a new flash intro and opening page. Right now the only other feature is the trailer.
Gothika
Current Content: Just in time for tomorrow's release, two clips were added to the already award winning site.
The Great Raid
Current Content: It's a Miramax site. That's all you need to know.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Current Content: The site just launched and so far there's only the trailer and Sirius Black sightings.
The Hebrew Hammer
Current Content: This site is something that has to be seen. An exploitation film, The Hebrew Hammer uses a lot of stereotypes in the same vein as Shaft did. So there's a lot here that could offend those who take it too seriously. While there's almost all the usual suspects, (the trailer is marked coming soon) it's the extra's that steal the show. Including a parody of Space Invaders called Gentile Invaders in which you're a menorah that shoots Star of Davids at 'Gentiles' that drop Swastikas for matzo balls. You can also test how Jewish you or look up important Jewish words like, ' Tuchis' and 'Boca Raton.' I also recommend downloading the theme song to listen to later. The sheer audacity of the site makes it this week's winner of the Meshugge Weekly Website Award.
Laws of Attraction
Current Content: Placeholder site with just the trailer so far.
The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra
Current Content: The film is a parody of the 50's low budget sci-fi horrors and the site takes advantage of that genre. It's so cheesy, but in a good way. I especially like the virtual collectibles, or skelectables as they call them. The site has all the usual features, including very extensive production notes and a F.A.Q. in case you were confused about the parody aspect of the movie.
Pride & Prejudice
Current Content: This site has most of the usual features, synopsis, trailer, image gallery and cast bios, (but no crew bios.) There are still a few things marked coming soon, for instance, not all the cast bios are on the site yet. Also marked coming soon is the behind the scenes, video clips and additional downloads. The site has good animated menu / intros with sound effects, audio clips and background music. Background music is just a little too happy for my liking, but that's a matter of taste.
Timeline
Current Content: Some more features were added, but it's getting more and more difficult to spot them on such a huge site. There's still some interview clips and the Donner Q&A yet to be added.
Torque
Current Content: Typical WB placeholder site with quite a few images, including the poster.
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton
Current Content: None. It's just a placeholder site with only the name and the release date.
You Got Served
Current Content: Typical Sony placeholder with just the trailer so far.
Submitted by:
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2003-11-06
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
50 First Dates
Current Content: The trailer was added.
Against the Ropes
Current Content: This first thing I noticed about this site was how idealistic it was. 'A boxer's manager has his best interests at heart.' Obviously they've never heard of boxing manager who shall remain nameless. This site has a more information on boxing than on the movie itself. Different punches, training methods, the role of coaches and managers, etc. The usual movie related features are all there, synopsis, trailer, cast and crew bios. But read carefully, there is a quiz. One problem with the site, while there is background music, the looping is a little jarring and is not as smooth as it should be.
Alien vs. Predator
Current Content: The redirect was replaced by a placeholder site, which has not only the teaser trailer but some behind the scenes with writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson. It was great to see Paul W.S. Anderson was a fan of the films before he started work on the project. While a fresh face with new ideas can sometimes help more often than not being a fan of the source material is an invaluable aid. There are also three posters you can download, one teaser, one alien and one predator.
Calendar Girls
Current Content: After having the same site up for months, the site was completely redesigned this week. And while the design is new, most of the content is the same. However, the background music now loops which is an improvement.
Cat in the Hat
Current Content: The flash site went live this week and while it certainly has energy, it doesn't feel enough like Dr. Seuss to me. The site does have all the usual features, plus some fun extras like the time-lapse photography of the set being built. There's also lots of games for the kids to play, including a couple marked coming soon. Not a bad site per say, but it doesn't have the right feel.
The Day After Tomorrow
Current Content: So far only the trailer is on the flash site, but the film doesn't open till memorial day so that's not surprising.
Elf
Current Content: Two more features were added just in time for its release tomorrow, two video clips and an Etch-a-Sketch.
Girl With a Pearl Earring
Current Content: The flash site launched this week, and the site has the usual features (synopsis, trailer, cause and crew bios, production notes, image gallery) and its well done. There is a lot of information about the artist Johannes Vermeer, however, most of that information is off site. There are nice animated transitions and good background music, but nothing that makes the site stand out.
Gothika
Current Content: Most of what was previously marked coming soon, (production note and bios) were added this week. That just leaves the two film clips, but there's a good chance they won't be added till after the movie premieres in two weeks. This sit is still one of the creepiest I've reviewed and deservedly won the weekly website award when it launched not too long ago.
The Haunted Mansion
Current Content: More was to the site, mostly in the Visit the Mansion Tour section. I was a bit disappointed with this section; it was less interactive than I had hoped. There's still a lot marked coming soon, (production notes, behind the scenes, screen savers, winamp skins, and clips.)
Hellboy
Current Content: Hellboy is a comic book that most people have probably never heard of. So it makes sense that the site has character bios, background stories, etc. Like A.v.P., it was nice too see the videos that show how much the main people involved wanted to do the movie. There quite a few animation heavy sections like the B.P.R.D. Here you can check out Hellboy's home with a couple more areas marked coming soon, well 'Access Denied', but I think that means the same thing.
The Last Samurai
Current Content: A new flash site replaced the old, and while this one has more content even more is marked coming soon. It has the usual features plus what appears to be a lot of behind the scenes information marked coming soon. This includes interviews, script to screen, etc.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Current Content: The latest poster was added, which can also be sent as an e-card. Also, a great deal of information on Minas Tirith was added, some of it text, but also in video form.
Love Actually
Current Content: Just in time for its premiere tomorrow, the last TV Spots was added. This site has already won the Weekly Website Award and still richly deserves it.
The Matrix Revolutions
Current Content: Huge update this week to celebrate the film's opening yesterday. Warning, a lot of this stuff was held back till after the release cause it contains many, many spoilers. There's just too much added to go into great detail, but the site itself has a breakdown of what's new. So check it out right away.
Mona Lisa Smile
Current Content: The flash site launched but the bast majority of the content is still marked coming soon. The site does have synopsis, trailer, image gallery and character bios. But production notes, cast and crew bios and four additional sections (challenge, living, legacy, your story) are all marked coming soon. Launching a site this way can be a good way to keep people coming back for more, week after week.
The Perfect Score
Current Content: The redirect was replaced with a placeholder site. So far just the trailer is there, but that should change soon.
Peter Pan
Current Content: New trailer was added.
The Punisher
Current Content: This is a site you have to keep coming back to. Things change and sometimes in subtle ways. For instance, all the items on the desk have been changed. Right now there's just a few images of briefing documents and a video camera. When you click the video camera it just says, 'Access Denied.' But by next week, when Apple.com has had a few more days of exclusive internet distribution of the new trailer it will be added to the site. This is an excellent site because when I first started hearing details about the movie I wasn't that impressed. But the more I see of the site, the more interested in the movie I become.
Shrek 2
Current Content: The placeholder site was replaced by another placeholder site. This one with realistic belching. Oh yeah, and the trailer.
Teacher's Pet
Current Content: Placeholder site with just the trailer.
Timeline
Current Content: Major update and most of the 1357 features were added. The 1357 features are broken down into three section, each of which has two or three subsections, each of which has one or more choices. That's a lot of content to get through. So fortunately much of it is still marked coming soon. The first feature is The Battlefield; it talks about battle tactics, (a Q&A session with the film's sword master) weapon details (marked coming soon) and concept art and interviews (also marked coming soon.) Second is The Castle with a Donnor Interview (marked coming soon) and more concept art (also marked coming soon.) The last section is La Dordogne and it deals with behind the scenes with production notes and feturettes, (two of which are marked coming soon, as is the IPix.) La Dordogne also has a Challenge the enemy game, which you have to explore the site before you can play. Each of these sub-subsections also has some images in the form of photos, wallpapers, ipix, AIM icons, etc. Obviously one of the biggest sites reviewed this week. If you are into medieval times, this site is a must. Even if you are not, it is still worthy of the venerated Weekly Website Award.
Tupac: Resurrection
Current Content: Another flash site that launched this week and it's quite bare. Synopsis, trailer, crew bios are there. But there's not enough on the music, which should be a main focus of the site.
Troy
Current Content: Another redirect that was replaced by a placeholder site. This one has the synopsis, poster and an image gallery and promises to have the trailer tomorrow.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-10-16
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. This was bit of a weird week, the best sites either had little or no changes to an already impressive site, or there was a major update but with most content being marked coming soon. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
Alien: The Director's Cut
Current Content: The flash site was launched during the past week and while there is a lot of information, most of the multimedia is still marked coming soon. Synopsis, Trailer, Cast and Crew Bios, Production Notes and Legacy are there. So is an interesting twist on reviews, they have reviews for the original from 1979 and will have reviews for the Director's Cut when they are available. As I said, most of the multimedia is marked coming soon and this includes 6 clips, TV spots and an interview with Ridley Scott. The site also has good background music and animated intros. The only complaint I have is the animated intros are a little too long, they could be trimmed to improve the pacing of the site.
Beyond Borders
Current Content: The production notes and the cast and crew bios were added.
Big Fish
Current Content: The flash site launched this week but there is very little content. In fact, there is more content on the placeholder site then there is on the flash site. That could change as the release date nears, but there are no features marked 'coming soon' to let us know.
Elf
Current Content: Another game was added, Snowball fight, as was a section on Elf-themed self-help books.
Garfield
Current Content: The redirect was replaced with a placeholder site. Right now there's just the synopsis and cast list, but it says the trailer will be online in November. There's also more animation and sound than most placeholders have, and that's a good sign.
Gothika
Current Content: The flash site went live and it is good. Not so much for its content, (most of which is marked coming soon) but for the mood it creates. The background music helps, so do the little interactive features. And most pages there's something you can click on to see flashed from the movie and some text will appear. I even got the all the menu items to turn to, 'Not Alone' but I have no idea how and I can't seem to do it again. So far the site has the synopsis, trailer, more than two dozen images (all of which can be sent as e-cards) and quite a few downloads. Production notes, cast and crew bios and 2 movie clips are marked coming soon. This is the best mood for site since Identity, and just like that site Gothika wins the fervent Weekly Website Award.
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Current Content: There was a complete redesign of the site last week, the third design used, and the flash site is marked coming soon. There's less information about the movie than the last site, but more extras like wallpapers, screensavers, image gallery and even two full-length cartoons.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Current Content: Three more interviews were added to the site featuring Viggo Mortenson, Karl Urban and Peter Jackson. Most of the interviews are text, but they are supplemented with video clips. Also, information on the upcoming release of the soundtrack was added.
Love Don't Cost a Thing
Current Content: The trailer was added to the placeholder site.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Current Content: The Non-North American English International Sites is up, but it appears to be the same as the North American site.
The Matrix Revolutions
Current Content: This week's updates include more photos and the cover for the upcoming comic book.
Pieces of April
Current Content: Another movie opening this week with a website that hasn't changed since I last reviewed it. It's worth checking out for the extensive intro alone.
Radio
Current Content: Another flash site that launched this week. There's not much content, Synopsis, Trailer, Cast and Crew Bios, and four part production notes. There are two more previews marked coming soon.
Returner
Current Content: No changes since I first reviewed the site. Given the movie in question, the site could have used more flash.
Run Away Jury
Current Content: This site has previously won the Weekly Website Award. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get to the site right now; it's gone 404 on me.
Scary Movie 3
Current Content: So far there's just the trailer, four posters and a TV you can find. Since the movie is released next week, expect a large update soon.
Sylvia
Current Content: Opening this week, there was a bit of content added. There are six main sections, and each one except the last start with a little bit of animation and some background music. The music doesn't loop, so you only hear it when you change sections. The site has the usual information, Synopsis, Trailer and three other clips, Cast and Crew Bios, Image gallery, some downloads. It also has biographical information on the two main characters portrayed in the movie.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Current Content: Not much has changed, just new background music. The clip itself is long enough but the gap between loops is too long.
Timeline
Current Content: This site underwent a complete redesign this week and a lot of content was added, but even more is marked coming soon. It has the synopsis, cast and crew bios, both the teaser and the full trailer, image gallery (including some behind the scenes), downloads and even your chance to ask the director Richard Donner a question. Most of what is marked coming soon is multimedia, movie clips, behind the scene clips, interviews, concept art, etc. Production notes and news are also marked coming soon, as are three mysterious wormholes on the main page. I'm not sure what they do, but they might have something to do with the 1357 features marked coming soon.
Veronica Guerin
Current Content: The film opens tomorrow, but the cast and crew bios and film clips are still marked coming soon.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-10-02
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
Beyond Borders
Current Content: The flash site launched this week with only half the content in place. The synopsis is there as is the trailer (both Quicktime and Flash), however, the production notes, bios for cast and crew are marked coming soon. There are animated segues, audio clips and background music, so all the extras are there.
Concert for George
Current Content: This is a very simple and subdued site, which is for the best as anything flashy would have been tacky given the subject. The site has the trailer, a description of the concert itself, some images and wallpapers and a store to buy some mementos.
The Event
Current Content: Unfortunately, there isn't a separate site for this film, you just have to go to Think Film's site and look for it there. Watch as the movies scroll by and eventually the link got The Event will pass by. Once you get there you'll find a rather simple site with the synopsis, trailer, cast and crew bios and production notes (in .pdf format.) There are animated segues, but no sound.
Good Boy
Current Content: The last section, (The Scoop: cast and crew bios and production notes) was added this week.
Gothika
Current Content: A new placeholder site was launched this week, expect the full site to be up for the next update.
Jinx
Current Content: None, just a redirect to the MGM movie site.
Kill Bill
Current Content: Three new sections were added to the site, Cast and Crew, Locations and Press Notes. All that's left marked coming soon are the last three character intros.
The Last Samurai
Current Content: Slight change to the format with a couple of sections added. There are two choices under desktops and an image gallery marked coming soon.
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Current Content: After months of just the teaser site, the flash site finally opened. But I was expecting more … animation. In fact, I was expecting a little more everything. They do have the teaser trailer and some other information, but no synopsis or cast and crew bios. There are sound effects, but no audio clips and no background music. And with only one section marked coming soon, I don't expect major changes.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Current Content: The trailer was added to the site, as were a photo gallery for The Two Towers Extended DVD and a new poster / e-card and a Q&A session with Miranda Otto. Of course most people only read to, 'The trailer was added …' before clicking on the link. Overall this is a beautiful site and well worth checking out on a daily basis in order to heighten your excitement for December 16th marathon showing of all three films! I can't wait.
Madagascar
Current Content: Placeholder site with no content outside the name and a vague release date.
The Matrix Revolutions
Current Content: Theatrical trailer and some TV spots were added. From now until its release this site will most likely have weekly updates.
Out of Time
Current Content: Not much has changed since the flash site first launched, just the rest of the downloads were added. It is a very well done site and is worth checking out.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Current Content: The placeholder site is now up. Typical of Sony placeholder sites, it has the synopsis, image gallery and the teaser trailer. The trailer is shown in a mock pop-up ad for Regenerate, which was a fun touch.
Returner
Current Content: There's little multimedia on this site. Outside the intro and the trailer the only sounds are a few beeps for sound effects. There are animated intros, but they are relatively short and simple. The rest of the content is well done if unspectacular.
School of Rock
Current Content: The rest of the site was added this week, and if you pardon the pun, it rocks. This site has everything a site should have. Regular features like synopsis, trailer, cast and crew bios. It also have all the extras like sound effects, audio clips, animated segues, etc. There are even interactive features like the Rock Aptitude Test, Stage Diving and the ability to doodle on the cast and crew bios and such. And not surprisingly for movie centered on Rock'n'Roll there's a lot of music on the site. There is a music video, two complete songs, clips from the other songs on the soundtrack and music accompanies most features. I have two complaints with this site and they are both about the music. First, there's no background music and you can't have either of the two full songs play while you are surfing the rest of the site. Secondly, Prince is not Funk. (No I won't let that go.) Still, despite this blatant miscategorization this is clearly the winner of the incontrovertible Weekly Website Award.
Shattered Glass
Current Content: The trailer and a small picture of the poster have been added to the site.
The Station Agent
Current Content: This looks like a truly unique movie, too bad the site is just another Miramax site.
Tupac: Ressurection
Current Content: The placeholder site replaced the redirect. The only content so far is the trailer.
Wonderland
Current Content: I'm still getting the script error when I try to launch this site, so I can't review it.
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2003-09-24
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
Duplex
Current Content: It's a Miramax site. Boring beige background. Short synopsis. Cast and crew, no bios. The film opens in two days and the trailer is still marked coming soon.
Elf
Current Content: I know I usually love it when a site has background music, but I don't think I can take this background music for much longer. Maybe I'm old fashioned, But I feel it's too early for Christmas. Besides the background music this site has synopsis, trailer, photos, lots to download and a coloring book. Two of the sections also have more content marked coming soon, but no details on what that could be.
Gothika
Current Content: The trailer was added to the placeholder site.
The Haunted Mansion
Current Content: The full trailer was added to the site.
Honey
Current Content: No new content this week, but there was a redesign of the site.
Intolerable Cruelty
Current content: One of many flash sites that launched this week, and this one takes the divorce theme of the movie to heart. For instance, instead of downloads its called Disposable Assets. Besides the usual suspects, this site has a lot of interactive features and downloads. It also have TV spots and clips marked coming soon.
Kart Racer
Current Content: Having multiple, complete songs on a site is becoming a more common feature on sites, and this site has two. Besides the songs the site has the usual content plus a trivia game you have to register to play.
Kill Bill
Current Content: The flash launched this week and while there's a lot of content, most of it is either from the old site or is marked coming soon. There are flash intros to each of the characters, including one on Hanzo the sword, which was first on the old site. The last three characters are coming soon so is most of the new content, (Cast and Crew, Locations and Press Notes.) The character intros are good, especially Go-Go's which has some information on the band 5.6.7.8's and one of their songs you can listen to. I'm looking forward to when the rest of the sections are added and seeing how it all fits together.
Love Actually
Current Content: Just the placeholder site for now with the synopsis, cast and crew (no bios) trailer and photo gallery.
Love Don't Cost a Thing
Current Content: Typical Warner Bros. placeholder site with just the synopsis and a few images.
Luther
Current Content: The rest of the content has filtered in. There's an impressive amount of content, a lot of which deal with the historical aspect of the movie.
My Life Without Me
Current Content: Nothing new has changed since the site was first reviewed.
Mystic River
Current Content: The section on Clint Eastwood is now up. It consists of more than half a dozen interviews from the cast, the author of the novel and Clint Eastwood himself.
National Lampoon's: Dorm Daze
Current Content: This movie is set to be released this week, or maybe dumped is a better term. The site itself is offers nothing to keep the surfers attention. There's the trailer and four TV spots, none of which are intriguing, a few images and some posters.
Pieces of April
Current Content: The flash intro makes good use of flash animation and clips from the movie, both visual and audio. And it is definitely the best part of the site. All the usual suspects are there, (trailer, synopsis, cast and crew bios, production notes) but I kept going back to the introduction.
Prey for Rock and Roll
Current Content: Nothing new was added since the site was last reviewed but its still a great site with cool music that's just needed some extra flash to put it over the top.
The Punisher
Current Content: Complete redesign of the site. The old teaser site was moved and in its place is a new more in-depth site. It's still mostly teaser but there's a lot more background information.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Current Content: None, just a redirect.
Run Away Jury
Current Content: The sections that were marked coming soon last week were added this week. The last two characters were Nick Easter (3 clips) and Marlee (1 clip and 6 photos) as well as the clips section (4 clips) was added. Needless to say, this site is heavy into the multimedia. But it's not at the expense of other content, there's a synopsis, production notes and even a section on Hackman's and Hoffman's longtime friendship and how Run Away Jury is their first movie together. The excellent content combined with the animated intros, sound effects and background music add up to this week's emotional Weekly Website Review.
The Run Down
Current Content: A previously award winning site, this site have nearly everything a site should have. Animated intros, background music, video and audio clips, there's even a game to play. And this week several more multimedia clips were added including a behind the scenes featurette and three more clips from the movie.
The Singing Detective
Current Content: The trailer was added to the site, and the Coming Soon was removed.
Sylvia
Current Content: The teaser flash site is up with just the synopsis, trailer and image gallery. The full site is marked coming soon.
Tupac: Ressurection
Current Content: Nothing, just a redirect to the Paramount movie page.
Under the Tuscan Sun
Current Content: Just in time for this week's release, the flash site was launched and it has a good mix of multimedia and text content. For example, there's the trailer and five clips from the movie. There is also extensive cast and crew bios as well as behind the scenes information. There are also animated intros to each section and good use of music.
Yossi and Jagger
Current Content: This site is silent and still. In fact, the absence of any unusual features prevents the surfer from staying too long.
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2003-07-30
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. Strange mix this week with mostly placeholders plus a few minor changes. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
American Wedding
Current Content: Nothing has changed since I reviewed it last week. TV Spots and clips are still marked coming soon. But you can still check out the trailer, 'Bubble Clips', games, etc.
And Now Ladies and Gentlemen
Current Content: All the usual features are here, presented in a simply fashion with nice animated segues. There is, unfortunately, no sound. The inclusion of background music would have really helped this site stand out.
Anything Else
Current Content: Just a placeholder site. Currently it just has the name and release date. ... Wait a second, the trailer was just added. How's that for up to the minute updates.
Bollywood/Hollywood
Current Content: It was just learned that the movie's American release was pushed back a month, but the site has been up since it's Canadian release last year. A Bollywood Musical by way of Canada, this site naturally has a lot of music. There are six clips including Rocky's Song, which pays on the home page. Now the music is very much Bollywood themed so it's probably something you've never heard before, but it grows on you. There's also the synopsis, cast bios, the trailer and animation on every page. It's the little touches like the animations that helped this site win the wondrous Weekly Website Awards.
Bubba Ho-Tep
Current Content: Most of this site is dedicated to the press this film has received, and there is a lot of it. Reviews, stories, audio clips, etc., it's all there. There's also a synopsis and a trailer, but there should have been some more sounds as well. I would have loved to hear some Bruce Campbell as Elvis quotes.
Envy
Current Content: The VaPOOrizer site was removed and replaced with the old placeholder site.
Freaky Friday
Current Content: A few more features were added, the Wild to Mild personality test, Fortune Cookies and Teenage Translator. The bios, party planner and auditions are still marked coming soon.
Freddy vs. Jason
Current Content: New images from the Weight In were added to the site.
Gigli
Current Content: This movie opens this week and Sony still hasn't launched a flash site. The last time that happened was with Hollywood Homicide, and we all know how that turned out.
Grind
Current Content: This site has an impressive amount of behind the scene clips. However, it is missing some of the regular info, like synopsis and cast and crew bios. There is some info on the characters and images and a game to play.
Gothika
Current Content: Typical Warner Bros. placeholder site with just a single image and a synopsis. Full site should be launched as the release date nears.
Intolerable Cruelty
Current Content: The site just launched but the movie doesn't come out till October. So right now there's just the synopsis, trailer and a few photos.
The Magdalene Sisters
Current Content: It's a Miramax site. So you know what that means.
The Run Down
Current Content: Slightly different format for the placeholder site. The trailer was added, and so were some animation and quotes for the transitions.
Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
Current Content: Placeholder site with just the poster, photos (two of them) and news from the set.
The Secret Lives of Dentists
Current Content: This site screams for sound, which is too bad cause it has pretty much everything else. All the usual suspects are here, including not only the trailer bur four clips. There's even a section for the music, but no actual music.
Under the Tuscan Sun
Current Content: Placeholder site with trailer, poster and 20 images.
Wonderland
Current Content: Another placeholder site with just the trailer.
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