Movie Website Reviews for Weekend of March 7, 2008

March 8, 2008

After a slump in site that had much the in way of style, we have two sites that were in contention for the Weekly Website Award. While College Road Trip - Official Site - came close, it was CJ7 - Official Site - that took home the award.

10,000 B.C. - Official Site
A rather loud site, but that seems to be a key selling feature of the movie. All the regular features are here, as well as some short clips used as intros for each section, but that's the extent of the real special features. (There is a contest and some promotions, but nothing those generally don't fall under special features.) I was expecting more.

The Bank Job - Official Site
Plenty of sound and animation, especially compared to the average this week, but there's just average content. If the clips were there as advertised, I would have been a lot happier.

Bar Starz - Official Site
MySpace. Yuck.

Black and White - Official Site
I can't get the site to launch so I can only watch the interviews. Some of the interviews have such bad sound that I couldn't understand the person talking. Perhaps they are speaking in another language, which would make sense as the movie is in Hindi. (The ones done outside have such bad sound that it is impossible for me to tell. The studio ones are very clear, on the other hand.) However, the ones I can listen to clearly are quite in-depth and longer than most such features would be on a website.

Blindsight - Official Site
Like most documentary sites, there's a lot of information here and it has a subdued style. There is not a lot of flash, but it is not boring either. The three video clips are more extras than most sites like this get, and it sells the movie very well.

CJ7 - Official Site
One of the best sites this week, not only does it have all of the usual features (synopsis, cast & crew bios, image gallery, and trailers), but it also has more extras than almost all of the other sites combined. These extras start off with an animation intro and include simple features like the character bios. There are also four clips, which can be found under the Media section; a wallpaper creator, which should be fun for kids, and a pinball game, which I apparently suck at. Add in plenty of sound and animation, and it is the winner of the gelatinized Weekly Website Award.

College Road Trip - Official Site
The site starts with an introduction by Martin Lawrence and Raven-Symoné, and I like it when sites have original material. Also here is all of the usual features (synopsis, bios, image gallery, and trailer), as well as extras like clips, music video, behind-the-scenes featurette, and two arcade games. Certainly worth checking out and an award-contender.

Fighting for Life - Official Site
Typical documentary site that concentrates on information over style. The trailer is effective and the best selling feature of the site.

Girls Rock! - Official Site
Another documentary site but I was hoping for more style here since it was about Rock'n'Roll. It has all of the usual information, as well as a diary that has a lot more information and some videos as well. Worth checking out.

Last Stop for Paul - Official Site
All the usual features are here, as well as two webisodes about the previous travels of one of the main characters. Overall the site works, but it doesn't stand out.

Married Life - Official Site
Another site with just the basics. There is a hint of style and I like the background music, but that's not enough to be considered anything more than average.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - Official Site
Just the basics, and even then it is missing an image gallery (there are plenty of images on the splash page, however). I was hoping for more, but at least the trailer is very enticing.

Paranoid Park - Official Site
The official site is down, but there is a MySpace page and a site from the U.K. to check out.

La Rodine - No Official Site
No site, at least one I could find.

Snow Angels - Official Site
Just the basics with little in the way of style. Nothing here helps it really stand out.


-

Filed under: College Road Trip, The Bank Job, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Married Life, Paranoid Park, Snow Angels, 長江七號 (CJ7), Girls Rock!, Blindsight, La Rondine, Fighting for Life, Last Stop for Paul, Black & White, Bar Starz, 10,000 B.C.