ROVIN’
AND RAVIN’ WITH MIKE
Copyright
© 1999 by Michael Segers, All rights
reserved
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.
E-mail lists are a lot of
fun. Unlike websites, which you can’t do much more than look at, e-mail lists
invite you to roll up your sleeves and get involved. Each list is a sort of club
of people with a mutual interest (but with wildly differing opinions) who
communicate among themselves by e-mail. The range of topics isn’t limited to
movies, and the movie interests aren’t all that limited. The passion of the
participants isn’t limited either, and "flame wars" can break out
over the most apparently minor points.
The best way to get
started with lists is to look over to the left margin here and click on
"Help & Info," where you will find really good help and
information. Scroll to the bottom of the list, and click on "How to Use a
List Server." Next, check out this site—
Of course, you can ask
for information on any topic of interest. To give you an idea of what riches are
available, when I entered "Movies," I was told there were 170 movie
lists on such varied topics as "blaxploitation" films of the 70’s,
buying and selling videos, DVD movies, and special effects. Actors Marlon Brando,
Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Cheryl Ladd, and Lee Diamond Phillips have
lists devoted to them. If you want to know more about Japanese monster movies or
martial arts movies, get on a list. If you want to take sides on which is the
better film, Gone with the Wind or Titanic (a whole list is
devoted to this burning issue), or if you have some insights into the
sociological significance of the Highlander movies and television series,
then there is a list for you. And "Liszt" will find it for you.
But, maybe you aren’t
ready for the kind of combat that sometimes takes place on lists. 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—
To find out when an
actor’s films will be shown during the coming month on a wide range of
channels, go to—
http://www.tv-now.com/stars/starmain/htm
–
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 so look at their official site—
You can’t beat Katharine Hepburn for class, so why not send someone a
classy Katharine Hepburn electronic greeting card—
http://members.aol.com/khwebring/index1.htm
While you are looking at this site, notice that it is part of a web-ring,
a group of sites related by theme. Once you find a site that is on a web-ring,
your search has just begun.
It is fun to know which movie stars were born today, or on your birthday,
and you can find this out at—
To spend a little money on a book, a collectible film magazine, a video,
even an autograph, place your bid with the on-line auction company at—
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.
Saying that they mine the
web for us, the Mining Company offers over six hundred sites. Just in the
"A" list of sites alone, there are topics that have come up in these
columns before, such as "Abuse/Incest Support," "Alternative
Medicine," and "Amateur Wrestling," as well as two Georgia
cities, Atlanta and Augusta. (By the way, they are looking for a reporter to
cover the Albany area, so here is your chance!) To find out more about the
Mining Company or to look at an alphabetical listing of its sites, go to—
But, back to the topic:
movies. Seven Mining Company sites are dedicated to movies. Each of these sites
has its own "guide" or host, a real person who brings a real personal
touch to the site: if you write, you get a response from a real person. All
sites also have current articles and countless links to other sites. Each site
also has its distinctive community, with bulletin boards, chat, calendars, and
newsletters. And of course, each site has a section devoted to shopping. With no
further ado or drum rolls, here are the movie sites at the Mining Company—
Classic Movies: http://classicfilm.miningco.com
Desktop Video: http://desktopvideo.miningco.com
Home Video: http://homevideo.miningco.com
Horror/Cult Film: http://horrorfilm.miningco.com
Independent/World Film: http://worldfilm.miningco.com
Movie Box Office Reports: http://movieboxoffice.miningco.com
Star Wars Fans: http://starwars.miningco.com
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, then here
is a homework assignment for you.
Summer is coming in, and people start thinking about beaches, which means beach books—thick paperback novels that are more useful for shading your face than stimulating your mind. Mind stimulation and sunscreen just don’t go together. I would like to put together a list of beach videos—just good, old-fashioned movies uncorrupted by so much as a single thought, the sort of thing you might watch in the afternoon when the sun gets too much for you. Please send all suggestions to Mike. Include your name and e-mail address, and you too can make your contribution to movies in cyberspace.
The Rovin' and Ravin' Film Reviews
Rovin' on the Internet: Online Adventures