ult-film analysis is the top priority of the Mutant Reviewers From Hell, a cheery crew of devoted film fans who recently celebrated the posting of their 1,500th film review. Devoted to providing plainspoken write-ups of movies, be they Hollywood blockbusters or oddball independent classics, this site not only provides irreverent, no-punches-pulled film criticism but also gives each picture a detailed "Mutant Meter" rating, one that quantifies its cultishness, degree of bizarre content and—most importantly—rewatchability.
The eminently searchable Mutant archive is packed with multiple reviews of more than 900 movies, all indexed alphabetically and into handy genre categories. For visitors less interested in reading up on a specific film, the Features section offers a stunning array of diversions: Year in Review essays going back five years, interviews and articles on theater etiquette, graphic novels, sequels and '80s movies—to name just a few. A recurring column, "You Know, That Guy!", spotlights hardworking character actors whose faces are familiar but whose names tend to be unknown to filmgoers. There is a section devoted to timelines—snarky, fictionalized histories of pop culture phenomena like the Muppets, Star Wars and Weird Al Yankovic—as well as contests, links and polls. The site even offers guides on topics including successful movie marathons, how films win Oscars and understanding why the characters in an elimination horror film are so likely to meet their grisly fates.
Meanwhile, the Annual Mutant Awards presented by the Reviewers From Hell include categories somehow overlooked by mainstream prizes like the Oscars. Chosen by site visitors, the celebrated Mutie includes categories like Best Torture Scene, Craziest Musical Number, Worst Traumatic Moment in a Kiddie Film and Most Memorable Destruction of Extras.
The Mutant Reviewers are prolific, good-natured and witty, and because their Web page usually offers more than one review of a given picture, the opinions in their archives tend to be more balanced than at other review sites. Web surfers interested in thoughtful (but never stuffy) movie talk will definitely want to give this site a thorough look.
—A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—December 12, 2005
s part of its mandate to address the representation of people of color in the SF, fantasy and horror genres, the Carl Brandon Society has just rolled out a new weblog. Bright, cheery and eminently readable, the blog promotes member publications, book signings and other events of interest to genre fans looking to broaden their reading horizons.
Current publishing events touted on this blog include a reading from the World Fantasy Award-winning Dark Matter: Reading the Bones anthology (edited by Sheree R. Thomas), the much-awaited release of Fledgling, Octavia Butler's first novel in seven years, and a link to an interview with author Charles Saunders. There are also links to relevant Web pages, mostly the sites of member authors like Samuel R. Delany, Owl Goingback and Pam Noles, but also SF artists, translators and publishers.
The Carl Brandon blog is so new that it has few posts in its archive at present, and has yet to generate much in the way of visitor participation. That said, the authors represented here are a brilliant and varied group, and their announcements are quick, to the point, and loaded with intriguing links. Readers across the Internet would do well to visit this site often, using it as a handy roadmap to some of the most mind-expanding and original writing being produced in the SF field.
—A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—December 5, 2005
he cinema of fear gets some intense and loving scrutiny at Icons of Fright, a fan-built Web page focusing on horror films and everyone associated with making them. Convention reports, celebrity sightings and photos galore—not to mention interviews with horror personalities from Uncle Creepy to the women of The Evil Dead—are just a few of the macabre delights available on this quirky site.
The backbone of the Icons Web page is its archive of reviews: short, snappy commentaries on a wide range of horror flicks, with notes about any special features included in the DVD editions. These reviews are supplemented by two specialized sections: the Vault of Forgotten and Obscure Movies (think Terrorvision, Megaforce and Blood Diner) and This Month's Trilogy, a monthly event that creates suggested triple features along a variety of themes. November's theme is horror-comedy flicks, while previous months celebrated religious scarefests, zombie movies and vacations from hell. To round out the chatter about movies big and small, Icons of Fright offers horror soundtrack reviews, fan art, an extensive links section and an area covering the oft-ignored horror comic genre.
Horror film sites tend to be heavily sponsored by e-vendors looking to sell DVDs, so it is a pleasant surprise that Icons of Fright is less commercial than most, with a much smaller pool of ads and sales links. The site focuses on having fun, providing behind-the-scenes gossip to movie fans and publishing the straight scoop on horror pictures. Looking for a good scare, an offbeat and creepy occult flick or one of those unintentionally humorous gorefests that pop up, now and then, within the horror genre? The Icons Web team is ready and waiting to suggest just
the right film.
—A.M. Dellamonica
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