Site of the Week -- Feb. 22, 1999
he Unofficial Forbidden Planet Movie Home Page shows just why the looks, sounds and feel of the film Forbidden Planet were just as integral to the picture as the story, action and dialog. This site has the expected pages for posters, stills, credits and even an essay on Forbidden Planet's place in film history. But alongside these are sections devoted to the weapons used in the film, sound captures (in .au files), original art based on the picture, and even the alien lettering filmmakers used--including a downloadable TrueType version.
There is a page that links to sites offering Forbidden Planet merchandise, and a surprisingly extensive listing of science fiction links--not at all limited to Forbidden Planet. Of special interest is the Filmbook, a storyboard that steps readers through the movie using dramatic stills and brief captions from key scenes (including scenes cut from the film), which is much preferable to the usual synopsis on this type of site. Overall this Web page is a both a good resource for, and a respectful paean to, a distinctive motion picture.
-- Mark Wilson
Site of the Week -- Feb. 15, 1999
cience fiction fans may not be able to fly starships yet, but there's no reason why they can't build them, especially when the Starship Modeler shows them how. Twice a week this site pumps out news and reviews about starship models, including reviews of new products like the Enterprise 1701-C and Y-Wing from Star Wars.
Beyond the news, the site is divided into a dozen or so parts with features on major science fiction series like Star Trek and Babylon 5. Fans can easily interact with each other through discussion forums and the "trading post"; the latter gives builders a place to swap kits or post notes asking for spare parts. There is also a gallery where readers can display their finished products.
Starship Modeler goes beyond store-bought models with columns on how to build homemade versions of ships such as Babylon 5's Shadow Fighter. The only craft missing from the site are flying model rockets, but the balsa-wood-and-cardboard-tubing types don't exactly fit the Starship Modeler's focus.
-- Kenneth Newquist
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 1700s, 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
