Movie Website Reviews for Weekend of November 21, 2008

November 22, 2008

There were very few movies released this week, and fewer sites that are remotely noteworthy. That said, there are two sites on this week's list, Bolt - Official Site and I Can't Think Straight - Official Site, that were given the Weekly Website Award.

The Betrayal - No Official Site
Nothing to review.

Bolt - Official Site
A very colorful site with plenty of sound and animation. However, since the movie is aimed at kids, this is to be expected. All of the usual features can be found here, including synopsis, character bios, image gallery, and trailer / TV spots. Additionally, there are a trio of games, one for each of the three main animal leads, and the games are rather addictive, if a little short. Overall it's a very effective site, and the competition is a rather weak this time around, but I'm still not sure if it is award worthy material. In the end I decided to make it the co-winner of the stormy Weekly Website Award.

Growing Op - No Official Site
Off to a bad start for websites this week with two of the three movies having no site.

Henry May Long - Official Site
Strangely, this site has no bios and no trailer. However, it does have five clips, as well as the rest of the normal features and some press coverage the film has received. Sadly, the site doesn't feel very polished.

I Can't Think Straight - Official Site
An impressive site, especially for a limited release. It has the usual features like the synopsis, cast and crew bios, extensive production notes, image gallery and trailer. It also has a number of extras starting with a nearly 15-minute featurette on the making of the film, which would not be out of place on a DVD. There are also seven clips from the movie and seven songs from the soundtrack to listen to. (Unfortunately, you can only listen to these songs while on the media section, and you can't have them playing in the background while you read the production notes, for instance.) Like I said, it is an impressive site, and since it is a limited release, I decided it would be the co-winner of the partnership Weekly Website Award.

Lake City - Official Site
Just the basics, and even then there are no bios, just a cast and crew list.

Special - Official Site
For a limited release, this site has more style than most, including a full-length song as background music. However, not all of the usual content is here (it's missing the bios). I think the trailer will sell the film enough to compensate for that, but more is always appreciated.

Twilight - Official Site
This site has issues. I can't get most of the usual features to load. The synopsis, production notes, cast & crew bios, as well as all of the videos just hang. This is too bad, because it does appear to be an otherwise effective site. However, I can't review what I can't see, and all I can see are the images and a couple side sites.


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Filed under: Twilight, Bolt, I Can't Think Straight, Special