or horror buffs seeking new spooky movies, fans who prefer to consult a review or two before renting pictures they missed in the theater or anyone interested in offbeat Asian cinema—Beyond Hollywood is the site with the answers, a lively archive of movie reviews and film chatter with a distinctly SF slant.
The reviewers at Beyond Hollywood dip into the full range of U.S. movie genres, but the site's focus leans most heavily to horror as well as Eastern films. Visitors are more likely to find obscure Japanese pictures like the 1995 film Naked Blood than a new release like North Country in the site's review index. Making it easier to surf through alphabetized lists of often-unfamiliar film titles, Beyond Hollywood offers a dedicated section for movies given a five-star rating by their reviewers ... and one for zero-star clunkers as well. Finally, the site maintains an area for staff recommendations.
Added to the lengthy and always-growing list of film reviews at Beyond Hollywood are a constellation of standard Web page features: discussion forums where regular visitors can talk about films or participate in site contests, a blog that wanders on and off the topic of movies and a lengthy links page. For visitors who find their favorite film has been overlooked by the site, submission guidelines for guest reviewers are prominently displayed.
As film sites go, Beyond Hollywood is low on frills: Its writers stick to the basics by cranking out a steady stream of well-informed and thoughtful reviews. Quirky, opinionated and filled with a genuine love of cinema in all its forms, this site gladly shares both this affection and a considerable pool of industry knowledge.
—A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—October 31, 2005
he art of the apercu, the epigram, the bon mot, the quip: how seemingly easy, but how truly difficult. To follow the maxim "brevity is wit" is a challenge that many otherwise fine writers take and fail. But at a site called Four Word Film Review, a bunch of amateur scribes have managed to produce literally thousands and thousands of short, sharp shocks to your moviegoer sensibilities.
The entire dead-simple-but-brilliant premise of this site is to encapsulate a whole movie in no more than four zingy, tangy words, soliciting a burst of head-nodding, "Yeah, that's it!" affirmations. Thus, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban becomes "Bounty hunters suck face," while First Knight is summarized with "Trystin' the knight away." Get the picture?
Both of those examples come from a single poster, the top-ranked "noncentz." Didn't I mention the rankings? Registered users of the site get to vote on these squibs, thus elevating the best posters to demigod status among the miniaturist crowd. But if you want to play as a reviewer and knock noncentz off his perch, you'd better get busy. His stats show that he's contributed nearly 6,000 reviews, with 36 of those in the top 100 compiled from all posters. All in all, the site features more than 150,000 reviews!
A traditional search function brings up all the competing reviews for any title. Thus, when I asked for The Time Machine, I got 39 reviews for the 2002 remake, ranked in order of votes (the front-runner being "Fast forward, can't rewind"). But when I input Wells's other filmic masterpiece, Things to Come, I found that only one person had ventured a review: "Moon landing in ... 2035?" This leaves the field wide open for me, so here I go: "Apocalypse first, paradise later."
—Paul Di Filippo
Site of the Week—October 24, 2005
ince his first appearances onscreen in the late 1960s, Dutch actor Rutger Hauer has been a staple of the SF and fantasy film genre, appearing in acknowledged classics from Blade Runner to Ladyhawke, as well as plenty of cheesier movies—like a bees-run-amok horror flick called Killer Buzz and the 1997 Robocop ripoff Redline.
On the official Rutger Hauer site, fans can check out pictures of this versatile performer in his various film roles, in movie profiles that come complete with a plot summary of the picture in question (spoilerphobes beware!) and Hauer's personal behind-the-scenes notes on the film. Links to posters, video clips and trailers are also provided whenever available.
The site is extremely fan-friendly: In its message forums, visitors cheerily discuss Hauer's movies and career, post poetry, chat and play word games. The Web page sponsors an annual short-story contest, publishes regular newsletters and a no-frills blog called "Day out of Days," provides transcripts of speeches Hauer has made at screenings and film festivals, and—like many actor sites—boasts an impressive gallery of movie stills.
Alternating between leading parts and character roles, between big-budget Hollywood events and more esoteric pictures, Hauer has thrived in an undeniably difficult industry, ultimately making it impossible to imagine the SF film canon without him. Fortunately for fans, it seems clear he has no intention of slowing down anytime soon. This year saw the release of seven Hauer projects—including Batman Begins and Sin City—and viewers can expect more releases in 2006. Packed with inside information and movie trivia, Hauer's Web page gives interested film buffs an opportunity to follow a fast-moving actor as he races from role to role.
—A.M. Dellamonica
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