Section 6.1. Movies

6.1. Movies Alfred Hitchcock once said, "A good film is when the price of a dinner, the theatre admission, and the babysitter were worth it." Your standards may be a little higher, especially when the price of a movie ticket can exceed $10. While every news and entertainment site includes movie reviews of some sort these days, you'll probably find more trenchant observations and informed options on Web sites that specialize in the cinema. 6.1.1. The Internet Movie Database Known around the Net as IMDb (from its URL at www.imdb.com), this site claims to be the earth's largest movie- related databaseand so far, no one's found a bigger one. IMDb has facts and figures on every movie ever made, including cast lists and biographies, trailers , production information, and trivia. Best of all, IMDb is the intergalactic headquarters for viewer comments. Read them before you see a movie that's still in theaters, or before you rent a DVD, to make sure you're not about to spend two hours watching dreck. (Hard though it may be to believe, there is such a thing as a movie that critics have loved but the moviegoing public didn't.) If you register, you can post your own movie reviews and converse with other film buffs on IMDb's discussion boards . The site helpfully links to articles about current movies in other publications , including Time, Newsweek , and The Onion 's A.V. Club. DVDs and TV have their own little corners of the IMDb, too. 6.1.2. Rotten Tomatoes The site, at www.rottentomatoes.com, takes its name from a time when audiences really did hurl festering produce on stage to express their displeasure. Rotten Tomatoes rounds up reactions from major print and broadcast film critics, then calculates and averages an overall percentage rating in its "Tomatometer" (Figure 6-1). The site also provides credits lists, trailers, production photos, and discussion forums. Links for each film let you buy tickets, posters , soundtracks , and other memorabilia. Figure 6-1. The "Tomatometer" rating at www.rottentomatoes.com gives you an idea of how well major critics and publications liked a film. New video game and DVD releases get tomatoes thrown at them, too. A 60-percent or better rating means generally positive ("fresh") reviews. Below that, you're in "rotten" territory. 6.1.3. Ain't It Cool News Ain't It Cool News (www.aintitcool.com) was started by movie maven Harry Knowles in the mid-1990s, but it quickly became a popular hangout for fanboys and film lovers (especially comic-book movies and anime). The site's claim to fame is a mix of snarky reviews, hype, and gossipy tidbits leaked from sets and screenings. With its big cartoony headline type, the site also previews and reviews TV shows and DVD releases. Live discussion forums and message boards add to the chattering mass of opinions . 6.1.4. Film Threat Film Threat started out in 1985 as a printed magazine with a focus on independent, cult, alternative, and underground movies. The magazine is no longer published, but the Web site, www.filmthreat.com, caters to fans of movies that aren't Hollywood blockbusters. The site links to stories and interviews about indie films . And after you read Film Threat's take on a flick, you can post your own review at the site's Back Talk section. Tip: Love to catch continuity errors and other movie goofs? Join the eagle-eyed crew at Nitpickers (www.nitpickers.com), Wallywood (www.wallywood.co.uk), or the Movie Mistakes page at www.ebaumsworld.com/moviemistakes.html. Then you can giggle over the fact that the actor in that multimillion dollar Roman epic forgot to take off his wristwatch.