Movie Website Reviews for Weekend of July 25, 2008

July 26, 2008

Summer is starting to wind down and there's not potential monster hits opening this week, which hurt this week's list at the top. However, while there were no groundbreaking sites this week, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer's Official Site contained a 14-part behind the scenes video blog that is better than most DVDs have. This was enough to give the film the Weekly Website Award.

American Teen - Official Site
Facebook? Is Facebook going to take over for MySpace? Neither site is ideal for selling a movie, so it matters little which one a studio uses, it will be substandard.

Boy A - Official Site
Just a re-direct to the studio's site, which contains very little information.

Brideshead Revisted - Official Site
The widest limited release of the week, it also has the best site for a limited release this week as well. Not only does the site have all of the usual features (synopsis, production notes, cast & crew bios, image gallery, and trailer), it also has plenty of extras. This includes information on the book, image gallery on the costumes and the sets, and five video clips with interviews of the main cast (who spend mots of their time talking about the costumes and the sets). And in enough sound and animation to not seem boring, and this is a very effective site.

Bustin' Down the Door - Official Site
More style than one would expect for a documentary site, but it doesn't overwhelm the content. Speaking of which, all of the usual feature are here, including bios on the main subjects of the movie.

Canary - Official Site
There's not much here, not even the bios. There is some information on the Aum Shinrikyo cult, but that's it for extras.

CSNY: Déjà Vu - No Official Site
Nothing to review.

Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer - Official Site
A Canadian movie, which usually means no one bothered to try and sell the movie to moviegoers after it was made. However, this site is excellent. Not only does the site have all of the usual features (synopsis, cast & crew bios, image gallery, and trailer) but it also has a regular blog (in the News Section) and a massive video blog. The video blog is a behind the scenes series of video clips (14 in all) that would be impressive if it was on the DVD and it is the single best feature on this week's list. Add in a little bit of sound and animation, and this is arguably the best site on this week's list. Only Brideshead Revisted's official site is close, but I'm giving the edge, and the Canuck Weekly Website Award, to Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer - Official Site.

Just Buried - Official Site
Just the synopsis, cast and crew list (no bios), short image gallery, and trailer. There's nothing bad about the site and it doesn't feel unprofessional, but there's nothing here that makes it stand out.

Man on Wire - Official Site
All of the usual features for a documentary site, but no extra background information, nor are there any extra.

No Regret - Official Site
All the usual features, including information on how unique this film is (the site goes so far to call the movie the first true gay film from South Korea). On the other hand, there's no style, or even sound and animation here.

The Order of Myths - Official Site
Just the absolute basic information and nothing in terms of style. Granted, most documentary sites don't have a lot of style, but since this film is about Mardi Gras, I was hoping for more.

Step Brothers - Official Site
A site with a lot of its content hidden away in a age-restricted section. I think these features send the wrong message to moviegoers. They say, 'Skip the movie and wait for the unrated DVD.' On the other hand, the rest of the site is better than most with plenty of sound and animation, including audio clips used as introductions for each section of the site. There are also several clips, character 'bios' for the two brothers, a guide to living with a stepfamily, soundboard, as well as the regular features. Overall it works well, but it is not an award-worthy site.

X-Files: I Want to Believe - Official Site
This is a movie that spent a lot of effort to conceal the actual plot of the movie, so there's little in the way of details, especially with the synopsis. While the two clips from the movie show almost no details of the plot. There are a couple of additional video clips, but both are from the red carpet premiere. Finally, there are two blogs that are at least somewhat active. It sells the movie to fans of the series, but it is not an award-worthy site.


-
C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: Step Brothers, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, Brideshead Revisited, Man on Wire, American Teen, Boy A, Bustin' Down the Door, CSNY: Déjà Vu, The Order of Myths, Huhwihaji anha