ith the new season of Doctor Who finally scheduled for release in the United States, fans may find themselves wanting a good source of news and gossip about the show and the people behind it. Enter Outpost Gallifrey, a comprehensive archive of data on the adventures of the new Doctor as well as the nine previous incarnations who have played this role through a record 26 seasons of television and an ill-fated TV movie.
Known as the most popular fan-created Doctor Who site on the Web, Outpost Gallifrey maintains its reputation through diligent tracking of any and every fact pertaining to the crusading Time Lord and his companions—novels, podcasts, music releases, conventions and all other fan activity. The site's detailed episode guide features full cast and crew credits, as well as fan reviews of each installment in the Doctor's long history.
In addition to its core archive of information on the show, Outpost Gallifrey has all the frills a visitor might hope to find: a "store" filled with e-commerce links for those wanting to buy DVDs or other Doctor Who merchandise, links to related Web pages, a number of FAQs and a virtually endless array of feature articles, interviews, anniversary tributes, photo galleries and reader polls.
Doctor Who is one of those SF shows whose grip on the imagination is so strong that—even in those dark periods when new episodes are not being produced—its franchise has been able to maintain a steady and loyal following among viewers. Now, with the reimagined
series bringing new fans to the fold, Outpost Gallifrey allows those who are discovering the series for the first time to catch up on the Doctor's travels, companions and exploits, even as it whets everyone's appetite for still more adventures.
—A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—January 9, 2005
rom the beginning of his directing career in the early '70s—when The Last House on the Left took the idea of revenge to a grisly new place—Wes Craven has made an indelible mark on the suspense and horror film genres. It is impossible to imagine horror, in particular, without such benchmarks as A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills have Eyes and, more recently, the cleverly self-aware Scream trilogy.
At Wes Craven's official Web page, fans can follow every move of the man who gave the world Freddy Krueger. The site's blog focuses specifically on movie news, covering openings and other events, many related to this summer's suspense film release Red-Eye, but there are also details about Craven's more mainstream projects, like Paris, Je T'aime. The news section of the page casts a wider net, with entries related to any number of Craven topics: reviews of films, links to interviews and even an occasional foray into nonfiction essay writing (Craven's September article for Glamour magazine, for example, tackled the topic of "What Scares Men About Women"). Meanwhile, a biography and FAQ fill in the blanks, providing Craven's biography and a complete listing of his works. With an edgy design and loads of information, this site offers compelling insights into the life of a working filmmaker.
Craven's body of work encompasses campy gore and genuinely hair-raising moments—often within the same movie—and his career shows blessedly little sign of slowing down. Horror addicts wanting an advance peek into where their next scare is coming from will definitely want to scope out this site.
—A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—January 3, 2005
ou will believe a man can fly!" In 1978, when the Christopher Reeve version of Superman was released, this commercial siren song—with its promise of the most believable Man of Steel ever and never-before-seen special effects—was heard far and wide. Now, in the age of CGI, it is a given that the paranormal abilities of comic-book heroes and villains will be rendered on the big screen with razzle-dazzle and panache. In recent years, filmgoers have soared alongside Spider-Man as he web-slings his way through New York, seen the Hulk on an awe-inspiring rampage and watched in amazement as movies transformed an English bad-boy mage named John Constantine into Keanu Reeves.
Graphic artists have always relied on static images, the power of suggestion and the limitless scope of readers' imagination to work their magic, but now more and more of their super-dreams are being distilled into stunning visuals (and sometimes-empty stories) as major motion pictures. At Superhero Hype, all the latest superhero films—whether proposed, in production or already in release—receive loving coverage and close scrutiny. Visitors can follow pet projects, look up rumors about upcoming movies and scan through fan reviews of films from Alien vs. Predator to X-Men. Superhero Hype's discussion forums offer general topics for discussion of superheroes in film, TV and comic books; not surprisingly, there are also specific topics devoted to past and upcoming films, like Batman, Hellboy and the much-awaited 2006 movie V for Vendetta.
Superhero Hype's other offerings include a media area devoted to movie stills, a Featured Heroes section for tracking the biggest hero film franchises, a news feed, links to film trailers, information on games and reviews of movie tie-in products. A solid source of news for fans of the superhero film genre, this site is one that will leave visitors desperate for the next major super-flick. It is to be hoped that this hunger will send at least a few readers to comic stores, though, for a dose of the original art that has inspired so many blockbusters.
—A.M. Dellamonica
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