Wednesday, December 22, 2004
more cg links
Cinefex -- You can purchase subscriptions to our magazine on this site or order back issues. The site also contains a section on upcoming effects films, with an A-Z listing of all potential films on our radar, including plot summaries and lists of key production and effects people involved.
Variety -- The venerable Hollywood trade magazine, and the place to start on your morning news rounds, if you can get past the Varietyspeak lingo. Articles require paid subscription.
The Hollywood Reporter -- The other major trade in town, more generous in offering reviews and some stories to non-subscribers.
Coming Soon -- Upcoming movies, trailers. A very useful, up-to-date compendium of Hollywood industry reports from worldwide. Beware press releases in sheep's clothing, sometimes printed verbatim.
Dark Horizons -- A comparatively mature movie news website, with an Australian slant, aimed at fans, but put together with a certain degree of class.
Ain't It Cool News -- If the fecal brown borders and the large point kindergarten type don't tip you off immedaitely, welcome to the self-proclaimed, red-headed stepchild of website weenie movie fandom, based in Austin, Texas. You can't fault them for their passion, but the endless vituperative bile spewed fourth in reader 'talkback' sessions requires a hazmat suit to wade through. Torn between abhorrence and horrified fascination, certain savvy studios have recently proclaimed AICN publisher Harry Knowles as a guru, inviting him to take part in upcoming productions. This is Internet in all its unwashed back-biting glory.
Cinematic Happenings Under Development -- A rollicking, darkly-toned internet film magazine, feels like the Film Threat for the net. Publisher Nick Nunziata has appeared as a media correspondent on CNN and never pulls his punches. Always worth a look.
JoBlo's Movie Emporium -- Reviews, news, trailers, wallpapers, scripts, upcoming movies, posters. Similar to CHUD, but more prone to quips and witticisms. You might pick up an odd nugget here, or at least a second opinion, but the style is a bit slick for its own good.
Yahoo! Movies -- This was a great little resource when the original publisher, Greg Schmitz, was running the site on his own -- interesting pages on each upcoming film full of valuable historical data, often cross-referenced in a well organized data system. Things have slowed down here since Yahoo purchased Greg's site, but you can't go wrong if you need to check release dates or archived trade stories on a project.
The Internet Movie Database -- This enormous resource, started by a lone film fan in England cataloguing his video rentals, now contains countless billion entries, from early silent films, through Steven Spielberg's 8mm amateur films, to the latest blockbuster releases. Beware, though -- much of the information can be apocryphal, given the unavailability of credits until a movie is released, coupled with the ability for any independent parties to enter their names to a list for a small fee. IMDb tries to verify each credit, but the volume is staggering; so rumors and conjecture occasionally appear as fact.
Animation World Network -- A wonderful on-line magazine, if not the world's authority devoted to the subject of animation in film. You will find real passion and respect for the history of the craft, both modern and the classic masters, with a refreshing worldview. The site also contains a tributary website, VFXWorld.com, which can be worth a look occasionally.
Moviehole.net -- Movie and entertainment news. I am not a fan of this one, but breeze by on my rounds -- a lot of 'he said/she said' blather gossip, written in a gosh-gee-golly-shucks style. Good for corroborating rumors, but not much meat.
VFXPro - The Daily Visual Effects Resource -- My old alma mater, once known as the official visual effects website for the Visual Effects Society, but has since been sold off from its original dot com conglomerate to another media company. If press releases are your thing, you'll find them here. The old site ain't what it used to be; and unfortunately a lot of great archived material covering hundreds of films dating back to 1999 has vanished.
CGNetworks.com -- A hardcore computer graphics forum, with very flashy graphics and occasional artist profiles. Also contains CGChat, a forum where young CG users and developers ardently discuss sundry issues effecting the worlds of computer graphics, visual effects film-making and computer games. I dip in from time to time; but they make me feel old.
Make-Up Artist Magazine -- The on-line website for publisher Michael Key's eminent makeup industry trade magazine. Always worth keeping an eye on once in a while, but the real juice here is reserved for the print publication.
TheOneRing.net™ -- Lord of the Rings movie news and rumors. Indispensable resource for anything Tolkienesque, and that includes the personal accomplishments, birthdays and pregnancies of director Peter Jackson's stars, but you've got to love them. Behind-the-scenes shots and inside scoops abound, so don your latex hobbit feet and tread carefully. Affiliated with Peter Jackson's irreverent and self-descriptive fansite 'The Bastards Have Landed.'
Kong is King.net -- King Kong movie news and rumors. Where OneRing left off, KongisKing began, chronicling the shooting of Peter Jackson's great ape run amuck, by special arrangement with Universal Pictures. Includes laboriously shot and archived documentary footage of Jackson's new film, posting a new episode each week, with Jackson proving to be an ebullient front man. A brave and very good-natured use of turning the problem of Internet espionage on its head.
His Dark Materials BridgeToTheStars.Net -- A handsome fansite devoted to the production of New Line Cinema's upcoming adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials fantasy novels.
~ Welcome to NARNIA ~ -- Not quite as sophisticated, yet, as the Kong or OneRing sites, but a nicely laid-out site that provides occasional updates about this C.S. Lewis fantasy film adaptation, and the book that inspired it.
Vfxblog -- Australian visual effect fan Ian Failes, a polite and intelligent young man in Australia, set up his personal web log page devoted to visual effects and has continued to gain experience in interviewing effects personnel, as well as providing nicely laid out and informative links to visual effects related news.
Spielbergfilms.com -- Another one-man band, run by Steven Anwalt, a young man with the most comprehensive fansite devoted to the work and accomplishments of filmmaker Steven Spielberg. Anything you want to know about Spielberg, Steven hears it first and will not suffer hype or conjecture gladly.
Lee's Movie Info The Numbers Box Office Mojo -- Box office data, movie stars, idol speculation. These three are good for bean-counting box office statistics, if the trades are bamboozling you with statements about 'the best movie opening in the history of movies about basketball-playing dogs that opened on a Thursday...'
The Moviebox.netApple.com -- QuickTime movie trailers. You can't beat Apple for its trailer gallery; although the MovieBox is a close second for more obscure and international trailers. A word of warning: many an hour can be frittered away at these sites, if you have a fast connection. And beware the 'Full Screen' option, which may require strange things from browser preferences.
Los Angeles Times The New York Times The London Times -- Breaking news, world news & multimedia. It can also be healthy to get an East Coast/West Coast view from time to time; and venturing farther afield can bring broader perspectives. Also, try to turn your computer off eventually, pet your dog, kiss a loved one and fly a kite once in a while.
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