Movie Mags on the Net

The editors of Britannica.com have selected Films on Disc as one of the best on the Internet when reviewed for quality, accuracy of content, presentation and usability.

Movie Mags on the Net

By Stu Kobak

The wealth of information available on the Internet is amazing. Virtually any area of interest is covered like a security blanket of information. What is even more interesting is watching the merging paths of print media with the computer. In the beginning, magazines had a healthy fear of the Internet. Everything is free up there in cyberspace, after all. How can we make money? How can we pay our writers? Nobody wants to pay for advertising on the Internet. Well, perceptions are changing and maybe the bottom lines are changing somewhat too.
     I love the movies. Movie magazines have been arriving by subscription for eons in this household. There are many insightful articles about filmmakers. Magazines focus on screenwriters, cinematographer, and movie stars. Some magazines devote themselves to science fiction or other areas of the fantastic, while independent cinema has its paper champions.
     With cautious steps, magazines have realized that a presence on the Internet can provide an outstanding platform to showcase their publications. Film Comment, the venerable voice of the Film Society of Lincoln Center began by indexing issues on the Net. Hollywood traditions like Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Box Office Magazine, offered blurbs on movies and more to paid Internet subscribers. Testing the Internet waters has turned into full embracement of the Internet. Now you can find voluminous numbers of articles at many hard copy versions of magazines on the Internet. No, you don’t get all the articles. Content is selected to pique the interest of readers and hopefully inspire greater hard copy circulation. Let’s hope the model works since that means more content on the Internet and healthier financials for the magazines.
     Included below are descriptions and links to some fortuitous stopovers on the Internet. It’s by no means all-inclusive, but it’s a start to sharing some of that available wealth. It’s nice to know that small journals can find gem-like life on the Internet while the big boys continue to provide a foundation for loving the movies.

Film Comment

The online site for Film Comment Magazine includes all the information you need to know about cinematic events sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The schedule of The New York Film Festival, including film profiles, is available with accompanying photos. Schedules for The Walter Reade Theater are up to date. Winstar Cinema has helped put together a program called “An Unfolding Horizon: The Films of Hou Hsiao-hsien running through October 27, 1999.
Currently featured is an essay from the September/October 1999 issue of Film Comment about Being John Malkovich, the bizarre film from fledgling director Spike Jonze. You may want to read more and subscription information is available.

American Cinematographer

The magazine of the American Society of Cinematographers, American Cinematographer gets great cooperation from its membership. Many informative articles about the filmmaking process, plus helpful tips for aspiring filmmakers. The online archives include The War Within, from the February issue of the hard copy magazine. This interview of Thin Red Line cinematographer John Toll by Stephen Pizzello includes many photos from the shoot.
Check out the Studio Section for interactive multimedia presentations made especially for the Website. Around the Set uses 360° panoramic movies to explore cinematography straight from the set. Coupled with interviews from the cinematographer, their key crew and overhead diagrams, these articles take you as close to the set as you can get, without being behind the camera yourself.

Box Office Magazine

Reviews of the latest theatrical releases are available every week at Box Office online. You can find selected feature articles and previews of issue contents. Want to check out last year’s reviews? Pop in Shakespeare in Love to the search engine and Box Office’s rave about the Academy Award winner is there for your reading.
Click on the New on Video link for a review of The Blair Witch Project and jump from there to a Sneak Preview Feature article about the film. The interactivity makes reading about your favorite films easier and more informative.

Fade-In Magazine

Did you like Scream, the energetic youthful take on the horror genre written by newcomer Kevin Williamson? Fade-In’s interview with the young filmmaker is currently online for your enjoyment.
Do you want more? October’s newsstand hard copy has Steve Martin on the cover and inside with a candid interview about Martin’s brand of comedy. Fade-In’s rich paper stock is a luxurious book for learning more about the movies and its online version is a tantalizing introduction.

Movieline Magazine

Movieline Magazine online brings some of its irreverent energy to the World Wide Web with samplings of the glossy’s contents. Movieline loves lists: Available online are 100 Questions We Honestly Want to Ask Hollywood, The Hollywood 100 Most, The Hundred Greatest Foreign Films, and The Hundred Best Movies Ever Made. And in the magazines most glorious tradition, the best of treasured trashy movies is presented for your delight or disgust. Take your choice.
If you like the samplings online, there’s plenty more where that came from. With savvy interviewers like Stephen Rebello and Martha Frankel asking the tough questions, Movieline cuts to the quick and isn’t afraid to antagonize the subjects of their interviews. For an alternate perspective on anything, check the humorous musings of writer Joe Queenen.

Premiere Magazine

The online version of this easy chair staple is quick and snazzy and includes lots of interesting tidbits. With a digest format of many of their articles, Premiere gives you just enough to make you hungry for more. Is one bite of the interaction of Spike Lee and Martin Scorcese enough for you movie meal? Want to more about Phillip Seymour Hoffman, the Indies’ latest knight in slimy armor? Online gives you a glimpse, but the hard copy magazine gets to the guts.
Premiere Online includes reviews of current theatrical offerings and new video releases and the archive of past editions has plenty of short teasers.

Entertainment Weekly

For the acerbic sting of an Owen Gleiberman review, Entertainment Weekly online is the place to go when the hard copy magazine is not readily available. Gleiberman doesn’t pull his punches and his eclectic taste is consistent with a movie lover’s point of view.

Bright Lights Film Journal

In it’s short-lived hard copy life, Bright Lights was a breadth of fresh movie views. Happily, the sophistication is now available full time online. The depth and variety of articles in Bright Lights is invigorating. Gary Morris sings the praises of Kenzi Mizoguchi in issue 22 from the archive. For another side of oriental cinema, Morris interviews Jackie Chan in issue 16. Check out the latest about Hong Kong cinema or get a glimpse into the gay and lesbian filmmaking community.

iF Magazine

You won’t want to miss the online iF Magazine. You may have guessed iF stands for independent film. Editor-in-Chief Anthony C. Ferrante the magazine founded in March and sponsored by Centropolis Entertainment and The Independent Film Channel. How can resist a magazine with a column like That Darn Brando? Want to know the eight most famous roles the moody actor turned down? Turn to iF on the Internet. The current issue features Mamed Streets, Executive Editor Paul Zimmerman’s look at Martin Scorcese’s latest.

The Feature Archive has articles ranging from Akira Kurosawa to Blonde Bimbos.

Join the editor and his family on a trip through Roman movie sites.

Gary Morris's insightful publication Bright Lights Film Journal turns the celluloid in films from a unique perspective. Click on the image above for more pure movie views.

Sight and Sound Magazine is the venerable voice of The British Film Institute. The site includes articles and film reviews. A great resource in print and on the Internet.

You won’t want to miss the online iF Magazine. You may have guessed iF stands for independent film.

Umberto Passini Online
Vintage & Contemporary Film Poster Art. Umberto has developed a fine Internet reputation as reliable and honest. Nice posters too!

Movie Collector's World

The publication you can't do without if your interested in Movie Posters

The Movie Poster Archive include extensive poster images from the films of stars like Susan Hayward, Kirk Douglas, Katharine Hepburn and many more. This month's featured star is Spencer Tracy.

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