oda once said, "Always in motion is the future." It's a sentiment Projections takes to heart, as it rates Hollywood's efforts to predict what tomorrow might bring.
Movies are judged on three criteria: futurism (how complete, coherent or innovative a future is), entertainment (how much the reviewer liked the film) and plausibility (how likely it is that the film's future will come to pass). All of the site's nearly 100 films are rated on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, and many have write-ups expounding on their virtues (or lack thereof). In addition to being sorted by ratings, films are also grouped by more than two dozen topics, including cybernetics, antigravity and the ever-popular flying cars.
The site's creator, Josh Calder, is a futurist by trade and works for a consulting firm in Washington D.C. His marks are generally right on—Gattaca and Blade Runner dominate the "futurism" category
while Aliens, Terminator and Star Wars top the "entertainment" list. The "plausibility" section may cause more
arguments: while Deep Impact makes a convincing case for a comet hitting the Earth, is Close Encounters of the Third Kind really as plausible as Contact?
Projections augments its offerings with a page of Web links dedicated to the study of futurism, as well as a few notes speculating on topics such as space travel, cloning and alien life. Fans of early 20th century science-fiction films might be disappointed by the site's post-Star Wars focus, but overall it gives an effective view of the future as seen through Hollywood's lenses.
— Kenneth Newquist
Site of the Week—July 8, 2002
here exist certain parodies that are so lovingly done, so perfect in execution, that they instantly supersede whatever "real" object they were modeled on, and become in and of themselves the new dominant reality. Such a creation is Villain Supply.com. This site, devoted to all things super-villainous, is so flawless in its presentation—and so damn funny—that you will instantly be converted to its zany worldview.
The premise of the site is simple: Here is a single source for all villains to acquire the tools of their trade. Whether you're a simple henchman looking for a small sap ($4.95) or a mad scientist seeking a Doomsday Star Satellite System ($1,200,000,000), this site has the goods for you. Store them in your cheapo Budget Lair with Mini-Dome ($4,999) or your Subterranean Island Base with Optional Volcano Upgrade ($999,999,999.99), and then get busy threatening and extorting world leaders.
The text that accompanies each catalog item is extremely witty, pitch-perfect in its mix of hucksterism and megalomania. For instance: "DON'T USE A BIGGER WEAPON THAN NECESSARY. I remember when my friend, Son of Mole Man, tried to destroy the Chrysler Building with his moon-based Magma Ray. Of course, the League of Propriety stopped him, because he spent so much time trying to perfect the Magma Ray. He'd forgotten that a few well-placed C4 charges, or one small briefcase nuke, would have done the trick!" The thumbnails of each item are brilliant as well. (Some, such as the trapdoor illo, utilize clever animation.) Click on the traditional "Add to cart" link, and you go to a checkout page which explains why the purchasing option is temporarily down (interference from do-gooders, natch). But don't worry: There's an active link to bring you to Sears as a fallback option! Other links from the main page allow you to shop on Amazon for villain-related books; to contact your Evil Realtor; and to participate in a Supervillain Forum, among other nefarious choices.
With the third Austin Powers movie brightening summer movie screens, this URL should be flashed subliminally during every showing!
— Paul Di Filippo
Site of the Week—July 1, 2002
hat distinguishes The Tourist's Guide to the Uncharted Territories from all the other Farscape fan sites out there? For one thing, it is extremely up to date, with comprehensive reviews of episodes coming out as they air. For another, it is one of the most enduring, a Web page that has been educating visitors about all things Farscape almost since the series premiered. This isn't one of those sites that looks beautiful and hasn't been updated since season one. No, site owners Kiki and Peri have a commitment to the series and its Web page that is breathtaking in its depth.
In terms of content, TGUT has everything a guest might expect—character and actor biographies, photographs of the principal actors in and out of makeup, fan fiction, convention reports and sound files. Its links page connects to a large but carefully selected group of relevant Farscape resources, including the official Jim Henson page for the show and other excellent fan pages of note. Its FAQ is indexed by topic, providing detailed answers to all those thorny canon questions. It is also laid out in such a way that viewers who don't want to be exposed to spoilers can easily avoid them.
It doesn't hurt, either, that TGUT is as friendly and orderly as its namesake is violent and chaotic. It features beautiful graphic design and site organization. Everything a visitor could want to find is easily accessed with a click or two, making the page a terrific place to pick up lore on the show, data about its cast and crew and a host of online articles and interviews.
— A.M. Dellamonica
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