rom the garishly playful Elvissaurus to the visceral and horrifying "A Portrait of Gordy Taber," Frank Wu's illustrations never fail to draw strong reactions from viewers. Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist in 2004, Wu's official site, The House of Crunchy Art, is an eclectic mix of images, bibliographic and biographical data, and lighthearted diversions for SF fans.
Wu has made an impressive number of his illustrations available on this site, generously providing visitors with a chance to look over his work in detail. But this Web page is no mere online gallery: It also features trivia games, a political cartoon, movie reviews and even
science fiction, all written by the Wu. Rounding out the site content is a diverse—though somewhat outdated—links section and an archival shrine to influential SF artist Frank R. Paul (1884-1963), Wu's favorite artist.
The House of Crunchy Art is a glorious and chaotic jumble of images and links, one that leaves visitors hovering on the edge of overstimulation, never quite knowing if the next click of the mouse will lead to an amazing illustration, an interview, a political rant or a game. The site conveys a hundred jigsaw pieces worth of insight into its maker, creating a fragmented but nevertheless intriguing picture of one of SF's emerging artistic powerhouses.
—A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—February 22, 2005
s movie-oriented sites go, Hollywood Elsewhere leans to the serious end of the spectrum, caring far more about the substance of films than the buzz that surrounds them. Heavy on text and light on glossy celebrity photos, it is a place where Web surfers can read old-fashioned film criticism from writers like Brazilian film critic Pablo Villaca or outspoken teenage reviewer Jett Wells.
The writers behind this site are a discerning and thought-provoking group, people who look past the hype to a film's true merits and flaws. Well informed, articulate and honest, they offer up quirky features on everything from what constitutes a good "downer" movie (meaning the super-depressing Leaving Las Vegas or Casino genre of film) to religious and anti-smoking themes in Constantine ... and the lack of any truly interesting contenders for this year's upcoming Academy Awards.
Talk of serious film criticism shouldn't scare visitors away, though—Hollywood Elsewhere is never dry or academic. Its snarkily delicious "Trailer Trash" section examines movie previews for upcoming films, while an irreverent news area provides offbeat and obscure factoids about movie projects and filmmakers. The site has a DVD review section, naturally enough, as well as an area for reader rants.
The lack of flash at Hollywood Elsewhere makes it a rarity among movie sites, a calm, uncluttered and eminently readable Web page whose creators have a passionate but clear-eyed affection for movies of all types, and whose reviews will bring fans back time and again.
—A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—February 14, 2005
he Internet home of SF author Kim Stanley Robinson is a place where fans can find out about his newest novels and older works, even as they glean a few tiny insights about the versatile creator of The Years of Rice and Salt and the hilarious Escape From Kathmandu. Visitors can also use this site as a launch point for connecting with Robinson fans across the world.
Winner of several Hugo and Nebula awards, Robinson keeps the focus within his site on his writing and career, providing interview links, book descriptions, a comprehensive bibliography, reviews and quotes from critics. This is not one of those author pages that's crammed with essays about a writer's hobbies and family photos—it is cool and straightforward in tone. The page isn't lacking for personal touches, though—for readers new to his work, for example, Robinson recommends The Gold Coast as an entry point into his fiction, identifying it as a good place to start before jumping into the famous Mars trilogy. It is a useful tip, the more so because Robinson does not have sample chapters posted from any of his works.
Another element that distinguishes this site from other author Web pages is "The Demimonde," a discussion forum whose topics include general SF chat, science and nature research, philosophy, current events and politics as well as Robinson's own work. For those who can't get enough of hard SF and the rigorous scientific thinking that goes with it, this forum also contains a very active discussion specifically about the terraforming and space sciences research Robinson engaged in while writing the Mars trilogy.
Robinson is an author whose work satisfies on many levels, providing top-notch science, interesting characters, lots of suspense and intriguing political thought, all in one textual package. His site is less multifaceted—it lacks the sense of fun that characterizes those of many other authors—but it makes up for it by being clear, concise and informative.
—A.M. Dellamonica
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