Encyclopaedia WoT
Big Damn Crafters
Science Fiction and Fantasy Novelists
The Flesh Farm
42 Blips
Duotrope's Digest
Galactica Station
Forbidden Planet Blog
Stephen King's N.
Cinemablend
August 27, 2008
Cinemablend
http://cinemablend.com


By A.M. Dellamonica

Production stills, casting spoilers, links to trailers and behind-the-scenes gossip about upcoming movies are just a few of the juicy tidbits available at Cinemablend, a Web page that keeps its eye fixed on the entertainment business. This media-crazy site features extensive coverage of upcoming genre offerings—the J.J. Abrams-directed Star Trek film coming out in 2009 and The Day the Earth Stood Still, to name two—but doesn't simply focus on the blockbusters, or even solely on the SF genre. In fact, Cinemablend has a lot of everything—game reviews, fan forums, contests, soundtrack reviews and previews, celebrity photos and even a technology section.
The extensive material on this site ranges well beyond the who, when and why of movie production; Cinemablend's writers are passionate, opinionated and not afraid to show it. In a recent debate, they clash over whether a hypothetical The Dark Knight sequel should introduce the character of Robin; meanwhile, the site's latest rant is entitled "Five Reasons Nobody Cares About the The X-Files movie." For fans who prefer listening to reading, "The Weekly Blend" serves up the cream of this exuberant discussion ... in podcast form.

The Internet, of course, has countless movie sites, some run by dedicated fans, others by journalists or industry insiders. What makes Cinemablend appealing is its site owners' enthusiasm, their good-natured approach. The reviewers at this site have an obvious hunger for good entertainment. Their reviews are honest—sometimes scathing—but they also exude a willingness to give anything a fair try before subjecting it to the roasting that some films so richly deserve.