Site of the Week -- Sept. 13, 1999
he Australian-based Dark Horizons Web site carries news, rumors, reviews and information about TV shows and films, with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy and horror. The News and Rumors section supplies up-to-the-minute reportage on current and upcoming TV and film projects, including plot hints, casting updates, and filming locations. The This Week listings tell what films are currently opening in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
In addition to being a good source for current Tinsel Town dish, Dark Horizons also catalogs movies and TV shows gone by. The yearly Film Index pages, beginning with 1997, list every major Hollywood film and include stills, cast and crew information, plot summaries and even trailers. Worldwide release dates are given, as well as links to online reviews. (The site's creator, Garth Franklin, also reviews almost every Hollywood film--his articles are short, specific, and very readable.) For TV, there are comprehensive episode guides to selected shows, including Babylon 5, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Xena: Warrior Princess, and even the yet-to-be aired Angel.
Considering that Dark Horizons is based Down Under, it's amazing how well connected this site is to the Hollywood scene.
-- J.B. Peck
Site of the Week -- Sept. 7, 1999
lliance Atlantis Entertainment is working to bring best-selling author Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern series to television, and Pern.com is the official--though not yet complete--site for the new show. Despite its "in progress" status, now is a good time to bookmark this site for those interested in keeping up to date on all the series' developments, such as casting, images, merchandise and everything that accompanies the birth of a new TV show.
Currently the best section of Pern.com is the FAQ in the Have Your Say area, which has the scoop on how the show will relate to McCaffrey's novels, and also explores some of the challenges involved in bringing such a rich world to the small screen. There is also a survey that asks questions like "Which tale do you favor most?" This appears to be a chance for Pern fans to influence the direction the show will take.
In the site's News and Events section, a time line outlines significant dates of the production schedule (casting begins in November 1999, so get those head shots sent in soon). Currently the Events area has photos of McCaffrey and other members of the Pern team at the 1999 Dragon*Con. There's also a biography of McCaffrey, a QuickTime movie of her speaking, and a listing of the many awards she's won for her writing.
This site is professionally designed and informative, and it will only get better with time. One thing to note is that while the Flash plug-in is not required, it is helpful.
-- J.B. Peck
Site of the Week -- Aug. 30, 1999
he end of Back to the Future, Part III is just the
beginning for the Hill Valley Telegraph, a fan site that chronicles
the famous Back to the Future movie trilogy in minute detail.
The site is home to the Back to the Future fan club, a successor
to the official club and a backer of all things BTTFish. It opens with
an unnecessary splash page that leads into a newspaper-style news page.
The news follows the happenings of all the major--and some of the minor--characters in the movies, fanatically digging up briefs about Steven
Spielberg's doings, Michael J. Fox's Spin City sitcom, and even
Elisabeth Shue's recovery from a torn Achilles tendon.
Aside from the news page, the Telegraph also has many more goodies, like
stills of Eric Stoltz as the "original" Marty McFly, a short rumors page and
a detailed FAQ section. Finally, the Back to the Future, Part
IV area serves up lots of juicy (and controversial) rumors about a
possible sequel, passed on by the site's version of Deep Throat.
-- Kenneth Newquist
