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online fan club for devotees of Frank Herbert's classic Dune novels, Dreamers of Dune is a cozy online gathering place for discussion of the planet Arrakis, its tangled history and all the Imperium's
diverse and memorable characters. Covering everything from video games to recent TV adaptations of Dune, this site studies and celebrates one of the most complex SF universes ever created.
The enthusiasm at Dreamers of Dune is infectious: Its discussion forums are busy, and site features include whimsical quizzes, fan fiction, a long links page, cartoons, news, interviews and even a gift store. Dreamers also has an ultra-useful glossary of key words from the Dune universe's rich pool of languages and cultural constructs—planet names, religious terms, technological devices and creature names. Paired with this glossary is a handy "Who's Who"
section, with biographies of the important characters in the series.
In its "Miniseries" area, the Web page features an interesting breakdown of fan reaction to 2000's Dune and the 2003 Children of Dune miniseries, noting differences among viewers who read the books, those who saw the 1984 film adaptation directed by David Lynch
and others who came to the miniseries wholly unspoiled.
Dune has never lacked for fans, but as Brian Herbert continues to expand the universe with new novels, interest—in the series and in this excellent fan site—can only continue to rise.
—A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—September 26, 2005
ith the success of this summer's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the recent release of Corpse Bride, tracking the fast-moving personality that is Tim Burton is, without doubt, a more daunting task by the day. Rising to this challenge is the mission of The Tim Burton Collective, a quirky, fan-run compilation of articles, links, images and news about this versatile director and all his creative projects.
The Collective does a fantastic job of serving heaps of Burton information in pleasant, bite-sized morsels, offering an extensive biography and filmography, a newsblog with the latest on his movies and even the occasional contest. The site's discussion forums have separate topics dedicated to each film and to longtime Burton collaborators like composer Danny Elfman; they also have areas for general chit-chat and a section where fans can post poetry, Burton-inspired art, script ideas and fiction.
The Collective's archive contains more than 200 articles on Burton's career and pictures. Meanwhile, profiles of actors who have appeared in more than one Burton film—Christopher Walken, for example, and, of course, Johnny Depp—are under construction. Web surfers seeking more esoteric content can check out the "Lumplings" section, a grab bag of everything that doesn't fit tidily elsewhere—chat room, shopping guide, indexes of actors who have worked in Burton films and the Star Wars pictures and information about Burton's book of poems, The
Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy.
Finally, the site contains a small but growing multimedia section, with links to an assortment of commercials, images, downloadable fonts for films like Sleepy Hollow and The Nightmare Before Christmas and wallpapers related, in various ways, to Burton's career.
The energy and focus that go into making a top-notch fan site are remarkable, and The Tim Burton Collective has both equalities in abundance. Informative, funny and brimming with enthusiasm for the work of one of Hollywood's most imaginative filmmakers, this site is a dream come true for researchers, movie buffs and all Burton's hard-core fans.
—A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—September 19, 2005
cozy retreat for dedicated Planet of the Apes fans, The Forbidden Zone has the inside track on all things Ape—movies, the live-action and animated TV shows, tie-in novels ... even the infamous musical parody by The Simpsons!
This well-designed and thoroughly informative fan site offers a timeline outlining key events in the Planet of the Apes series, along with data on the continuity snarls that inevitably proliferate in such a long-lived SF universe. It has a lengthy compilation of trivia, excerpts from tie-in novels and an index of articles sure to be of interest to visitors. Other content on the Web page includes an interview with actress Linda Harrison, who portrayed "Nova" in two Apes movies. Meanwhile, the site's Links section provides an exhaustive inventory of sites about everything from do-it-yourself Ape costuming to Charlton Heston's filmography.
This site was at its busiest during the lead-up to Tim Burton's 2001 cinematic "re-imagining" of the franchise. Hollywood gossip, previews and eventually reviews of the film packed the Web page with new content before and after the film's release. Now that some time has passed the pace is more sedate, but The Forbidden Zone is far from dead: A news blog tracks current Ape events, a recent editorial in the Scrolls section discusses the brave new world of TiVo and podcasting, and the site continues to faithfully track new DVD releases and tie-in projects.
Enduring affection for Planet of the Apes is evident on every page of this site. Serious but never stuffy, this site is a fitting tribute to one of SF's most unique and long-lived universes.
—A.M. Dellamonica
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