Movie Websites Launches for November 29 - December 5

December 4, 2003

During the past week 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.


The Butterfly Effect
Current Content: The flash site launched this week but it doesn't have a lot of the regular features. For instance, no cast and crew bios, at least not yet. The most intriguing feature was the Confronting Chaos, which delved into Chaos Theory. On the home page you can Change One Thing and it will change the background, I'm assuming based on the effects it has in the movie.


Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
Current Content: The flash site finally launched, but a lot of the content is still marked coming soon. The site is divided into two main sections Lead and Follow. Follow has all the regular features, (Production Notes are marked coming soon.) Lead has the extras like Wallpapers, Dance and Music (the last two marked coming soon. Dance is on both section, both marked coming soon. So I don't know if they are two different features, or just two ways of getting to the same feature.


Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Current Content: The main site has a major change this week and now sports a Quidditch theme. Which is strange since Quidditch won't be part of the next movie. A couple of Quidditch themed games were added to the Fun and Games section and so was a link to the Quidditch World Cup video game site.


Hellboy
Current Content: Broom's Room was added to the BPRD, as were some more posters.


Hidalgo
Current Content: A second trailer was added to the placeholder site.


Honey
Current Content: This was the first movie site I looked at for the column almost a year ago, and after months of delays, (and no updates to the website) it is finally coming to theatres. The extra multimedia files were not added, so the flash site is just like it was when it first launched a couple of weeks ago. An excellent site that almost won the weekly award when it first launched, and since it’s a bit of slow week, it wins this week's uncontested Weekly Website Award.


The Last Samurai
Current Content: Another moving opening tomorrow, and unlike the previous site reviewed, this one had a lot of updates this week. But like the previous site, there are still features marked coming soon. The highlight of the new updates was the historical information, including a very detailed timeline of not only Japanese history, but that of Africa, America, Asia and Europe.


Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Current Content: Sean Astin, a.k.a. Samwise Gamgee, has a new interview on the site. As with the old interviews, this one is a mixture of text and video.


Monster
Current Content: The placeholder site was launched, with a lot more content that most. Synopsis, cast bios, crew list, trailer, poster and even details on the transformation of Charlize Theron.


The Passions of the Christ
Current Content: The film title, and that's it.


Pride & Prejudice
Current Content: Despite opening this week the missing bios and e-cards were not added.


Starsky and Hutch
Current Content: Teaser site with just the name and the familiar swoosh.


Taking Lives
Current Content: The photos were added to the placeholder site.


What Alice Found
Current Content: Very simple site, no sounds, and no animation (outside the trailer of course.) Most of the site is dedicated to the reviews it's been getting, but there's also more than a dozen images.


Win a Date with Tad Hamilton
Current Content: A quick redesign of the placeholder site with a link to a Tad Hamilton fan site. The fan site is a pretty funny parody with a biography, filmography and image gallery of the fictional leading man. On a side note, there's a poll on who is the sexiest Hollywood leading man, when I started reviewing the site Tad Hamilton was leading with 82% of the vote. However, when I finished looking it over, Brad Pitt was in the lead with over 60% of the vote. I'm not saying I had anything to do with that, nor am I suggesting my loyal readings go to the site and all vote for Brad Pitt repeatedly. I just thought it was interesting how fickle fan polls can be.


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Filed under: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Last Samurai, Starsky & Hutch, Hidalgo, Hellboy, The Butterfly Effect, Monster, Taking Lives, Honey, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!, Dirty Dancing Havana Nights