Movie Websites Launches for August 13 - August 19

August 19, 2004

During the past week promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here the list of this week's releases, a couple of new sites and few updates including the winner for the week, Vanity Fair - Official Site. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.


Alfie
Current Content: Just the synopsis and the trailer.


Are We There Yet?
Current Content: Just the trailer so far, but it's a much better trailer than I thought it would be.


BloodRayne
Current Content: The first production journal entry was added to the site.


Bright Young Things
Current Content: The official American site is pretty dull and the U.K. Site hasn't been updated since the movie was released there.


Criminal
Current Content: This site doesn't have much in the way of extras, the closest it has is the extensive production notes. But what it does have going for it is style: very cool animations and great background music. Two sections, Buzz and Downloads, are still marked coming soon.


Exorcist: The Beginning
Current Content: The five interactive intros you need to go through to get to the main site are quite good, but the main site itself is pretty standard.


The Final Cut
Current Content: None so far.


Finding Neverland
Current Content: The trailer is can be found at Apple.com.


Going the Distance
Current Content: There's something missing from this site, namely the synopsis. Ok, it's not a very sophisticated plot, and you can easily piece it together with the information found on rest of the site, like in the trailer. But it's kind of a funny oversight. The rest of the site's great with trailer, cast, crew and the most extensive character bios I've ever seen, clips from every song on the soundtrack, images galleries for each character, and a travel journal.


The Green Hornet
Current Content: The latest news on the development on the movie was added to the site. Looks like the movie won't begin production for at least a year and it still seems likely that Kevin Smith will not be directing, only writing.


Her Majesty
Current Content: The site has all the usual features, synopsis, cast and crew bios, trailer, etc. It even has some background music, but only on the homepage.


House of Wax
Current Content: Nothing, just the name of the movie.


I Huckabees
Current Content: The trailer was added to the placeholder site, and if you were waiting to see the trailer to figure out what the movie is about, I've got some bad news for you. It makes even less sense now than it did before. The Huckabees Corporate Website also launched this week. I assume there will be a separate movie site since the placeholder still says, 'Website coming soon.'


Mean Creek
Current Content: A very simple site, but what it lacks in flash it more than makes up for in volume. There is a huge amount of text on this site. Detailed production notes that go above and beyond the normal topics and into, for instance, the problem of bullying in schools.


National Lampoon's Gold Diggers
Current Content: The flash site launched this week and has all the usual features, synopsis, production notes, cast and crew bios, trailer, image gallery, etc. The first of four clips is on the site and there's asection market coming soon.


Nicotina
Current Content: Nothing new since last week


Raise Your Voice
Current Content: Nothing new on the site, but there's a behind the scenes featurette over at Apple.com.


Ramones: End of the Century
Current Content: Very small site with the only real content being the Press Kit in .pdf format.


Saw
Current Content: The chained and the obsessive interactive segments are on the site leaving the voyeur and psychopath yet to be added. Unfortunately, they are more point and click than interactive as they are both very linear. There is also a timer that counts down from the time you enter the site, but it's a long timer and it better be worth it. … Wow, that was anti-climatic. … It just hits 00:00:00:00. I guess they assumed nobody would bother waiting it out. Fortunately for my reader, my combination of journalistic integrity and dull social life has enabled me to sit for more than 10 minutes watching numbers count down.


Serenity
Current Content: Another weblog entry is up, this time it has Nathan Fillion thanking the caterers. Also of note, Non-Official Firefly Fansite has full clips from ComicCon. The two files are much better quality than the previous clips, but at a much larger size, (nearly 400 megs combined.)


Spanglish
Current Content: The trailer was added to the placeholder site. Maybe. It's been saying the trailer will begin momentarily for a long time now.


Stage Beauty
Current Content: Nothing so far.


Super Babies: Baby Geniuses 2
Current Content: A bunch of clips were added to the site.


Suspect Zero
Current Content: All the sections are now listed at the bottom of the website so you don't have to hunt them down. That alone would be enough for the site to win the Weekly Website Award, had it not already won it.


Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War
Current Content: Simple site with just the synopsis, cast and crew bios and the trailer marked coming soon. There is also information on Tae Guk Gi and on the Korean War.


Team America
Current Content: The synopsis was added to the site, as was the production notes and crew bios.


Undead
Current Content: This site hits all the basic marks, synopsis, cast and crew bios, trailer, etc. But it does suffer from the lack of sound and animation.


Vanity Fair
Current Content: The flash site launched this week and it is quite good. It has your usual features, synopsis, cast and crew bios, production notes, trailer, image gallery. It also has two extra features that add a certain something to the site. Firstly, there's High Society, which are character bios. Normally such a feature wouldn't be a too impressive, but if you haven't read the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray this is an excellent guide to catch up on the relationship between the many characters. Secondly, is the second image gallery which deals with the concept art for the costumes and sets. Each of these sketches as an accompanying image so you can see the concept art and the final dress / set. There are a few sections still marked coming soon, video clips for one and in the behind the scenes section History and Script to Screen. The site also has very good classical music in the background, which I enjoyed. All in all, it's the best new site of the week and the winner of the aristocratic Weekly Website Award.


Without a Paddle
Current Content: Production notes were added, as were three interview clips.


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Filed under: Without a Paddle, Saw, Finding Neverland, Spanglish, Exorcist: The Beginning, House of Wax, Serenity, Vanity Fair, I Heart Huckabees, Raise Your Voice, Bright Young Things, Criminal, Stage Beauty, Mean Creek, The Final Cut, Her Majesty, Are We There Yet?