ROVIN' AND RAVIN' WITH MIKE
Copyright © 1999 by Michael Segers, All rights reserved
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A Movie-lover’s Guide to the Internet
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So,
you are a true movie fan. It’s time to go beyond hitting the megaplex and the
video stores. You need to know when you can see a Montgomery Clift film on
television. You want to own a piece of the action—Marlene Dietrich’s
autograph, perhaps, or an out-of-print video of Picnic at Hanging Rock. Gee, wouldn’t you love to know when Robin Williams was born,
or who was born on your birthday? Best of all, wouldn’t it be great to find
some other folks who share your opinion that Cheryl Ladd and Lou Diamond
Phillips are two of the greatest stars of all time? You can find all this and
more on the Internet—on e-mail lists, general movie reference sites, some fun
sites, and seven amazing, almost encyclopedic nests of links and articles. If
you aren’t particularly interested in movies, read along, and you may find
some tips to use the Internet to enhance your own interests and activities.
Maybe you made
a bet with a friend that Martin Landau played the judge in Rounders, or
you are trying to remember the name of the actress in Snake Eyes. Then,
here are three sites that regular readers (Hello, Mom!) will recognize as sites
that I fall back on regularly for background on films, both old and new, and the
people who make them—
If you prefer to watch
your movies at home, you can check various listings, including those for
American Movie Classics and Turner Classic Movies—
When will a particular actor's films be shown this month?
Of course, there is more to movies than work, research, and arguments. How about glamour, class, fun, and—oh, yes—money. So, how about one site for each? For glamour and glitz, you can’t beat the Academy Awards.
It is fun to know Which movie stars were born today?
[2004 update: It is easier simply to take out a paragraph with outdated information and to tell you that my favorite site for information on classic movies is in fact, Classic Movies, hosted by Brad Lang.]
The most common ending
for URL’s (addresses on the World Wide Web) is ".com," the ending
for commercial sites. No matter how much the web provides content and community,
it is commerce that keeps web sites up and running, except for great nonprofit
sites like Peanut.org. The Mining Company is a web enterprise that combines the
immediacy and enthusiasm of individuals who want to provide great content and a
sense of community with the commercial stability that few such individuals can
bring to their sites.
Now, if you go through even one of these sites thoroughly, and you are careful while you are about it to keep your feet dry and your heart full of noble thoughts, you will have plenty to keep you busy and out of trouble in the coming week. If not, find yourself a good movie on television... at the video store... or even the oft-maligned multiplex.
The Rovin' and Ravin' Film Reviews