The Virtual Woman: A Woman's
Weekly Guide To Cyberspace
Web Useful in Reel Life
Being the movie fanatic that I am, I love getting questions about anything celluloid. It'd be like your boss saying, "Jennifer, how 'bout instead of running that mind numbing, hellaciously boring report for the Smith and Smith and Smith account, how 'bout instead we have you take yourself out to dinner with a large group of friends and report back to me on how the food was-especially their fine wines." He then adds shaking a long, crooked finger, "Now remember to bring back the bill so I can reimburse you for it. And no matter what you do-no talking about business!" He chuckles, you chuckle and we all wonder where on earth you work. So yeah, getting questions on movies is a little like this, enough un-work like to border on the surreal. It's tough being The Virtual Woman, eh? Keep the emails coming-especially these kind!
Dear Virtual Woman:
My husband and I are
movie freaks. We've seen every film under the sun. Where can we find the
good stuff online? We want all the latest Hollywood rumblings, the gossip,
the news! We want a direct line to the whole movie making industry. Can you
help?
- Lisa T., Chicago, IL
Dear Lisa T.:
Ahhh...my kinda people! I can easily suggest a couple good sites that will whet your appetite and feed your frenzy. Coming Attractions by Corona (http://www.corona.bc.ca/films) is one of my personal favorites. It's a secret little covey of all the films which are not yet released. When you log on you'll find an elaborate glossary and instructions to help you understand the workings of the site. Search for upcoming films by name, genre, or development stage--whether the film is a mere whispered rumor, or "in the can." Gossip abounds here, plus insinuations about who's acting in what and projected release dates. Last I checked, I saw listings for Batman 5, Joan of Arc, Rain Man 2, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Of course, everyone knows about that old stand-by, the Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com) whose vast cybercorridors are stuffed with movies. But I bet you didn't know it posts an incredible assortment of Movie-Related Mailing Lists (http://us.imdb.com/mailing_lists), both read-only and discussion lists that will come straight to your e-mail box. They cover everything from the esoteric to the incredibly popular -- cinematography, industry news, specific movies, and celebrities. Whether you're an animation freak, can't get enough of Quentin Tarantino or have a burning desire to discuss drive-in movie theaters and classic indoor bijous (as so many of us do), there's a mailing list for you.
Dear Virtual Woman:
I live in Spearfish, South Dakota.
As you can imagine, there is not a wide
selection of movies available for me to see, either in the video store or
the theater. In addition, I am so picky about what movies I watch, I can
hardly stand it myself. Nothing drags me down worse than paying money to see
a film I hate. I don't even know how to describe my own taste because it
varies so much, so it's hard to get good recommendations. I read your column
religiously and thought you might be able to help out.
- Slim Pickins in Spearfish
Dear Slim:
Not to worry. I've got just the thing. Check out the fabulous Movie Critic site (http://www.moviecritic.com) which uses a sophisticated artificial intelligence program to predict what movies you'll like. Here's how it works. You rate 12 movies according to your taste and get a free password. Movie Critic can then concoct a batch of recommendations based on a comparison with other people who liked what you like. The more movies you rate, the better it gets at predicting you, and because of your password you can visit as much as you like. It's so fun and so interactive it's almost better than watching the movies themselves!
Then take your findings on over to an online movie store, like the Berkeley-based Reel.Com at http://www.reel.com. This site has a huge number of selections to choose from. You'll find new, used, and rental videos as well as DVDs. Additionally, Video Vault (http://www.videovault.com) a rent-by-mail business, is another great option with an off-the-wall, eclectic catalog and the chance to purchase those videos you really like. You pay around $20 to rent three films you can keep just under a week.
Happy Surfing!
Find these links and more at WWWomen.Com (http://www.wwwomen.com) the web's largest search directory of topics for women online. Email the Virtual Woman with your Internet questions or send snailmail to: WWWomen.Com, Attn: Virtual Woman, 3701 Geary Blvd., #325, S.F., CA 94118. Copyright, 1998. WWWomen, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Contributing Editor: Robin Ward
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