Seeing What the Web Offers: or Another Linkroll Examination

This week I explored the web again in a search for sites and blogs that would be not only informative, but pertinent and lesser known. As before I used IMSA and Webby criteria in discerning these sites. First I explored the website of the Motion Picture Association of America, this site is an excellent resource for any concerned movie-goer, however it is often times hard to navigate, and is ultimatley weak unless a visitor only cares to know the rating of a specific title. The second site I visited is the website of Janus Films, one of the premiere foreign film distributors. Their site offers visitors information on some of the greatest foreign films ever made, in addition to information about screening of these films and resources on how to purchase them. The third site I visited is SlashFilm, this site has a wealth of new posts regularly which is their greatest gift, however they also have a cluttered and cumbersome layout that is neither welcoming nor pleasing to the eye. Next I visited Rotten Tomatoes, which, with it's unique voting system has become a resource for interested fans. Their site is well maintained and informative, however because of their voting system they are not the most reliable source on the web. The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has become one of the most popular websites for movie lovers, and it is a great resource. The site is easy to navigate and highly informative, but because of their more relaxed standards in fact-checking the site is in many ways unreliable. A valuable resource in movie news, Total Film, is a charming site that focuses on providing visitors with the latest news in the movie world, however it too has a cluttered layout that is not welcoming to the eye.

Empire Magazine's webiste offers the online experience of the phenomenal publication. It has a busy but sophisticated layout that is informative and welcoming. The Hollywood Reporter, one of the most respected trade publications, is a website that is near flawless. Their simple design and layout is pleasing to look at and it makes a visitor enjoy reading the articles which are uniformly brilliant. One of the other trade publication, Variety, offers a similarly wonderful experience. In addition to have some of the most insightful reviews in the world today, they offer unique stories that are more pertinent than most other sites and have a more industry slanted viewpoint. In a similar vain to the MPAA, but less administrative; in a similar vain to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety but less official is the wesite Kids In Mind. This site is a haven for concerned movie-goers to rate and review a film's appropriateness (or lack thereof), it suffers from the same problem as some other, comparable, sites in that it is by no means an official source, however it is an interesting and unique way to learn about the public's reaction to a particular film.