Site of the Week -- Feb. 8, 1999
n today's books and movies, spaceships are often depicted as boxy, gnarly craft more akin to dump trucks than space shuttles. But in past decades starships with graceful, smooth lines dominated science fiction. Grand Central Spaceport has two dozen of these ships, which appeared in movies from 1929 through 1971, parked in its spaceport. Each craft--from films like 1936's Flash Gordon and 1952's Zombies of the Stratosphere--includes a picture and a short write-up.
The only problem with the site is that it was last updated in July 1997, which in Web years makes it about as dated as its rockets. But the rockets are the thing with Grand Central, and they more than make up for the lack of updates. These rockets represent the "tall ships" of science fiction, and like the clipper ships of the late 1800s, they have a streamlined grace that doesn't exist in the modern world anymore.
-- Kenneth Newquist
Site of the Week -- Feb. 1, 1999
ix the zaniness of an eccentric like Ed Wood with the kookiness of a '90s aliens conspiracy theorist and you've got Ben I. Goldman, science fiction visionary. His life is chronicled on the Ben I. Goldman Story Web site, which tracks his filmmaking career from the timeless Gill Women of the Prehistoric Planet to the disastrous Jesus versus Mecha Jesus. None of these films ever made it big, and his work was never translated to video, not just because it was so terrible (it was), but because it never existed.
The Goldman site is a hoax and an excellent homage to the spirit of Plan 9 from Outer Space. The site lovingly mocks 1960s creature features as it takes behind-the-scenes looks at classics like Planet Earth vs. Count Dracula. Ten movies--complete with vintage posters and "rare" still shots--appear on the site, as does Goldman's belief that aliens from Planet X were communicating with him. Visitors can only hope that Goldman will emerge from hiding long enough to complete an 11th opus.
-- Kenneth Newquist
Site of the Week -- Jan. 25, 1999
hen Star Wars was first released 20 odd years ago, it wasn't just the movie that amazed kids, it was the toys. The tiny Luke Skywalkers and Millennium Falcons took the world by storm as much as the film did, and the upcoming Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace will likely be no different. The movie promises to make gigantic strides in toy technology, and The Fandom Menace site is committed to covering every step.
The site's featured toys include Darth Maul (the alien with the two-handed lightsaber in the trailer), the "old" C3PO, young Anakin Skywalker and a Naboo fighter. There are shots of each toy both inside and outside of its packaging, and the site also includes a handful of features that complement these images, such as .WAV files of the Naboo fighter firing its weapons and doing flybys.
But The Fandom Menace does have a dark side. Diehard fans who refuse to even think about the prequel before seeing it in theaters probably shouldn't visit here--the sneak peeks show creatures, villains and vehicles that have only been hinted at in the movie trailer.
-- Kenneth Newquist
