This week Friday Film Review explores the best websites for web-savvy cinephiles.
Are you interested in exploring anything and everything film related on the web, but don’t know where to start? Well aren’t you lucky you’re reading Friday Film Review today, because we are going to look at some of the best movie websites out there right now.
MUBI.com
MUBI (formerly The Auteurs) is facebook for the above average film lover. The social networking website allows you to create your own profile, browse and post your own reviews of film festivals, join forum discussions. The best feature of MUBI is their extensive, Criterion quality online film library. And while the range of films you can stream for free is limited, what they do charge (3$ for per film, 12$ a month) is very reasonable.
Filmschoolrejects.com
Voted by Movie Maker Magazine as the best blog for filmmakers, filmshoolrejects.com initially attracted me with its catchy title. What kept me coming back as a reader was the Features section, including “Vintage Trailer of the Day!” “Movie News after dark” or “Reel Sex”. These guys have a wicked sense of humour and I love them for it.
Classiccinemaonline.com
A great resource for anyone interested in classic cinema… Classiccinemaonline.com features a different classic film every day, the day that I’m writing this for instance the film was 1963’s Cleopatra with Elizabeth Taylor. Make sure you check it out while you can, the facebook page is currently warning that the site may be down soon due to lack on donations (on the flip side if you aren’t broke bum and like the site, make sure you contribute so it’ll stay available longer!).
EW.com
EW is your ultimate resource for everything pop culture related. Not only can you hear up to date casting rumors, track opening weekend box office numbers and watch exclusive interviews, but EW also gives you REALLY important news like the fact that an Arrested Development movie is finally a go! Did I mention how frickin’ excited I am for the Arrested Development movie?
Variety.com
Variety is one of the oldest magazines to report on Hollywood and beyond. With their database of film reviews going back to the early days of film, Variety provides an invaluable research resource for film students. For the reader who doesn’t have to do a paper on The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari then Variety’s value as an inside source of up to date news about the modern entertainment industry is also up to snuff.
imdb.com
Speaking of valuable online film resources I use IMDB (internet movie database) every week here on Friday Film Review (Re: take a peak at the link on the previous entry). With information about every film ever made, this website has long provided me with the backup evidence, especially when I want to shove in people’s faces what an annoying film geek I am!
Filmcomment
Whereas EW is the resource for syrupy pop culture gossip, filmlinc.com is the online source for serious film criticism. Besides marrying Joseph Gordon Levitt and never having to worry about bills again, one of my dreams in life, is to one day is to write an article entertaining and intelligent enough be published in this magazine.
RottenTomatoes.com
Rotten Tomatoes is a database of film reviews which they add up and give each film a rating, so as a potential viewer you can get a broad idea of how the film was received by critics. And of course we critics are absolutely right in our judgments on films and you should never question us 🙂
Alright fellow film geeks come out with it! While these are the websites that I visit on a regular basis I’m sure many of you have other must-visit sites to recommend to Forget the Box readers… comment away!
where film gossip is concerned, i’m also partial to filmdrunk. they’re very snarky and post all sorts of silly and strange film-related stories, as well as rumours, trailers, etc!
I like your list a lot Steph — you should also check out Metacritic, for an overall view of what is good.
What about Redlettermedia and Cinemassacre?