Movies: From the Web to the Silver Screen

Rotten Tomatoes compiles reviews from popular media outlets and online film societies, tracking the consensus of opinion with the "Tomatometer": good reviews are rated as "fresh" and bad reviews are "rotten." This site is a great way to get a quick snapshot of what lots of reviewers think about a particular film. Alternatively, through the other end of the telescope, you can find out what one reviewer thinks about lots of different movies, and see if that critic's taste matches yours.

The National Society of Film Critics was founded in 1966, and its members write for publications such as Time, The Boston Phoenix, and The New Yorker. You can search the site by movie title or reviewer. Alternatively, readers short of time can just look for the overall movie score, which is calculated from an aggregate of all the site's reviews for each film.

Ebert & Roeper is the online version of Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper's movie review television show. The site contains video clips of the show as well as a number of online exclusives.

Roger Ebert writes for the Chicago Sun-Times, is the co-host of a popular TV show (see above) and, for better or worse, probably the best-known movie critic in the United States. This site contains reviews, commentary, and a mini-film glossary. You can also visit the blog of the site's editor, Jim Emerson.

The Movie Review Query Engine (MRQE) provides a searchable engine of all published movie reviews. Search by movie title or by category.

The Movie Mom is the online identity of Nell Minow, a concerned parent who assesses how suitable movies are for kids aged 2-18. New theatrical and DVD releases receive letter grades for the ease of moms and dads who haven't got time to read reviews. Each movie is also listed with appropriate age group and MPAA rating.

Kids-In-Mind grew out of a now-defunct site called Critics.com. The surviving kids' site compares itself to a food-labeling system: it provides objective data about the components of movies so that parents can make informed choices about what their children see.

Box Office Mojo contains things other than box office information (reviews, features, discussion forums, and so on), but mostly this is a site about the film industry's bottom line. It is an up-to-date, comprehensive source for daily and longer-term box office figures and DVD sales.

The Numbers rejoices in an explanatory name and is a source of in-depth current and historical market analysis for the movie business.

Zagat began its rating service by compiling restaurant reviews from the collated opinions of ardent gourmands. Now in its bid to critique the entire world, Zagat has produced a movie guide for 2008, covering 1,950 titles under headings such as Chick Flick, Oscar Winner, and Remake.

Entertainment Weekly covers more than movies though Hollywood is the staple of its editorial diet. The articles here should appeal to both readers with a casual interest in the industry and aficionados alike.

Premiere was a print magazine until March 2007, and currently exists only online (except for the French edition). The site features articles about new and current releases and links to a blog written by Premiere's film critic, Glenn Kenny.

Variety caters to the movie insider and has established a reputation as the paper of record for the American film industry. While the print edition is known for getting the scoop on casting stories and studio leaks, the online site offers a wealth of reviews, blogs, and film columns.

The Hollywood Reporter shares a readership of film professionals with Variety. The main difference between these magazines and those with a more general appeal is that they concentrate on earnings and deals, and also look further ahead to films that will not be released for months, perhaps years, to come.

Apple.com provides high-definition trailers that can be viewed online or downloaded onto iTunes to transfer to an iPod.

Hollywood.com features a "Trailer of the Day" as well as a less frequently changing list of featured previews. There are also video interviews and coverage of premieres.

Movie-List boasts a comprehensive collection of current, future, and classic movie trailers. Like many film sites, Movie-List also contains reviews, forums, top-10 lists, and movie posters.

Ain't It Cool News is the creation of Harry Knowles, the film world's super nerd. Confined by ill health to his bedroom, Knowles built his site and established a reputation (as well as a certain amount of infamy) for publishing consensus-busting opinion and leaks from film industry insiders. He has since won writing jobs with Sky Movies and Penthouse, has been impersonated on Saturday Night Live, and was described by Quentin Tarantino as "the Wolf Blitzer of the Internet." The site and its regular contributors are often well ahead of the competition in breaking stories and, as one might expect, most excited by the sci-fi, horror, martial arts, and action genres.

ComingSoon.net operates under its self-explanatory title to provide in-depth features, interviews, box office figures, and a wealth of news for anyone who wants to stay informed about current and upcoming films and DVDs.

Cinematic Happenings Under Development hosts some sassy, wry articles from its regular columnists. This is a place for film-obsessed readers, and expresses a predictable enthusiasm for genre movies.

JoBlo.com is another site for the bona fide film geek. Designed like a comic book, it tracks what's new and most arresting in film. Comments from its users are featured on the homepage; scroll down to find them.

Moviehole started as a studio employee's hobby and has grown into Australia's largest film site. It's updated constantly and features news, gossip, interviews, contests, and more.

MovieWeb carries news on forthcoming attractions and projects in development, supplemented by the readers' feedback. Like many other film sites, MovieWeb includes reviews, box office statistics, interviews, and showtimes.

SciFi.com is the online vehicle for the SciFi television channel. It has a lively film section containing interviews, reviews, and film clips for sci-fi enthusiasts.

LatinoReview.com features news stories and reviews about movies of interest to the Latino community. You'll also find trailers and interviews with actors from the latest movies.

SuperheroHype.com deals in everything on the small or silver screen that might grab the attention of the ardent comic book fan. Readers can explore sections on specific superheroes, as well as news, reviews, and message boards.

Bloody-Disgusting.com will surprise few, considering its name, with its aim to be "Your #1 Source for Horror." Check out the "Movie Pit" and the "Zombie Army" (somewhat hard-to-find red links on black navigation bar at the top of the page) if you're the kind of person to seek out the most unpleasant and gore-bespattered artifacts of the horror movie genre.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences organizes the Academy Awards, aka the Oscars. In addition to detailing the Oscars Ceremony, the site features searchable databases for scripts and credits, and information about the Margaret Herrick Library and the Academy Film Archive.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association comprises Los Angeles-based journalists who work for overseas publications. The organization is responsible for the Golden Globes, the awards show considered the best indicator of who will succeed at the Oscars.

The Directors Guild of America, Inc. organizes the Directors Guild Awards. All of the voting members are film, TV, and commercials directors. The site proffers information about the upcoming awards show and records past winners.

Film Independent's Spirit Awards celebrate movies made outside of the big studios exclusively. Annual membership (with voting privileges) is open to anyone and costs $95; you can sign up online. The site outlines the history of the awards with past nominees, past hosts, and a photo gallery.

The Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies) rejoice in all that is terrible in the movies. The categories of the anti-Oscars award ceremony include "Worst Picture" and "Worst Remake or Rip-off."

The MTV Movie Awards is a youth-oriented show, heavy on pizzazz, that's been around since 1992. The site has archives of all the past shows, as well as photos, videos, a blog, polls, and quizzes.

The American Film Institute annually releases a list of the 100 best movies of all time. The list is available for download on the site.

Time magazine movie critics Richard Corliss and Richard Schickel have compiled their own ranking of the 100 greatest movies ever made. It's arranged alphabetically, and each film title has a link for those who want more information.

The Internet Movie Database compiles a range of lists including this one: the worst 100 movies of all time. Look for the links to other IMDB lists on the left side of the screen.

BestOnly.com is a catalog of lists including links to a large number of best-of sites and an enormous cross-indexed movie database. In addition, there are links to Amazon.com and Netflix for those who want to get hold of the films covered.

Movie Mistakes is a compendium of user-submitted film gaffs, such as the gas cylinder that was left visible in the Coliseum in Gladiator. It also details trivia and DVD "Easter eggs" (hidden DVD features). Access to the site is free, but a $10 annual membership yields an advertising-free site.

Movie Trivia boasts a variety of odd links (82 in total) that have been collated online by Ray Hamel, a librarian at the Wisconsin Primate Research Center. Be amused by links like "Bogart: Name That Quote!" and "Where Did They Film That?"

MTV Movies Blog publishes online under the tag line "We bring the news, you bring the nachos." With its MTV provenance, this site is guaranteed frequent scoops and exclusive content.

The Movie Blog bills itself as "The Official Home of Correct Movie Opinions." Punditry aside, it's a frequently updated blog written by movie enthusiasts, comedians, and some film professionals.

Turner Classic Movies is a cable television channel devoted exclusively to film classics. To complement its programming, the channel runs this Web site featuring a large games and trivia section, alongside the TV schedule and general movie news. This is the place to test your movie knowledge.

The National Film Preservation Board maintains an exhaustive archive of moving images. Scroll down through a list of archival organizations arranged by country, or visit the "Moving Image Collections" (MIC) link to search the complete database.

Movie Quotes oversees a repository of more than one million movie quotes. Submit your own or play the online movie quote recognition game. Before playing, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do you feel lucky? Free registration is required.

The Internet Movie Database has an extensive quotes section that you can browse or search by quote or title. Alternatively, just click on the homepage for a random quote.

The American Film Institute has compiled the 100 greatest movie quotes of all time. You'll need to register for free to view or download the complete list.

Useless Movie Quotes is another quotes site with more than 2,600 quotes from more than 220 movies, and a quiz. As you might guess, the site doesn't take itself too seriously.

DVD Review & High Definition features reviews and news about DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-ray Disc releases. It also has a chat forum and a blog.

The Digital Bits provides news, gossip, reviews, and blogs about DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-ray Discs. It's a site for the true film fanatic with excellent eyesight-the black background does make the site difficult to read.

Amazon.com sets the standard for DVD shopping. If a movie is available to buy--or will be soon--it can normally be found here, along with professional and consumer reviews and free shipping.

eBay , the well-known auction site, has a section devoted to DVDs. You can select your desired format and genre, and probably get a pretty good deal, too.

Zunafish is a site for trading media, which of course includes DVDs. Sign up, list the items you want to get rid of and the items you'd like to get. Then wait to make a match with another member.

TopTenReviews researches and reviews just about everything. Their "Online DVD Rental Review" compares DVD rental companies and their services on one easy-to-read chart.

Netflix is the original online movie rental site. The pre-paid envelopes and absence of late fees make the service extremely user-friendly. The company offers payment plans that allow members to rent anywhere from one to eight movies at a time.

Blockbuster operates a service (an offshoot of its physical stores) that is almost identical to Netflix. The main difference is that movies can be returned and exchanged at Blockbuster stores, so renters don't necessarily have to wait for DVDs to arrive in the mail.