Movie Website Updates for August 26 - September 1

September 2, 2006

Another busy week with plenty of top-notch films to chose from In the end, however, it was a two-way race between The Black Dahlia - Official Site and Stranger than Fiction - Official Site with the former site winning out by a narrow margin.

Al Franken: God Spoke - Official Site
There were no clips added this week, which I was expecting. However, there was a little animation added and the blog has details on the scheduled Q&A.

Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreake - Official Site
The flash site has been completely redone and it has a lot of information including all the usual features. In addition, there's character bios, concept art, even a game.

All the King's Men - Official Site
The flash site is up but while it has all the usual features, (synopsis, production notes, cast & crew bios, image gallery, and trailer), there's no extras. Even more unusual, there's no sound, (outside the trailer, obviously).

The Black Dahlia - Official Site
The flash site launched this week and while some of the regular features are still marked coming soon, (production notes and cast & crew bios), there's more than enough extras to compensate. Chief among them is the map of Los Angeles on the main page. There are locations to check out, each one with a video clip from the movie. Other extras include a short behind the scenes video, a newsreel of some of the darker moments in the history of L.A., information on the case, and a look at some famous landmarks, then and now. Add in features marked coming soon, (additional clips and another L.A. map section), and you have the makings of an award-winning site. So despite very strong competition from another site, it is the winner of the inexplicable Weekly Website Award.

Broken Bridges - Official Site
All the usual features are here but I was having difficulty with the trailer that were making it unviewable. However, I do believe the problem was on my end and I'm not holding it against the site.

Casino Royale - Official Site
The latest blog entry is about one of the key changes from the book to the movie, namely they switched the card game played from Chemin de Fer to Texas Hold'em. Chemin de Fer is a version of Baccarat, which Bond played in Goldeneye, however, it is a much less known game, especially now. The move to Texas Hold'em may upset the purists, but it is likely the wise choice.

Charlotte's Web - Official Site
The cast and crew were added to the site, but it's just the list with pictures and there are no bios.

Confetti - Official Site
A couple of games were added to the site including a D.I.Y. facelift game and Nudist Trampolining. Both games are safe for work... well, as safe for work as a game can be. I assume you can be disciplined for wasting time regardless of the nature of the game.

Crank - Official Site
Overall this is a good site with all the usual features, a few extras, and enough style to keep the surfer interested. However, while it does stand above the pack, it is not enough to be an award winning site.

Crossover - Official Site
The same can be said for this site, which has all the usual features and enough extras to stand out but not enough to win.

Curse of the Golden Flower - Official Site
Just the trailer so far.

Employee of the Month - Official Site
A new feature was added called, Deface the Face. This leaves just Poker and Soundtrack marked coming soon. Also, I think they changed the background music.

Ghost Rider - Official Site
No video blog this time, but there is a good amount of question answered.

Gridiron Gang - Official Site
The section called challenge is no longer marked coming soon. It's not longer on the site at all.

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints - Official Site
Good site with all the usual features with four clips as well. It's all pretty low-key, but sells the movie well.

Jackass: Number Two - Official Site
The full site is up and while there's a lot more content it still doesn't sell the film. For instance, there's a lot of video clips but most of them don't interest me at all. I'll admit, the fire hose rodeo looks cool, but most of the rest are just, 'morons injuring themself' or, 'morons injuring each other.' I have no interest is seeing either of those.

Jet Li's Fearless - Official Site
The extra was added this week and it compares the production sketches with what was seen in the movie.

Lassie - Official Site
No updates in a while meaning the clips are still marked coming soon.

The Last Kiss - Official Site
Three more video bogs, this time with Michael Weston. The talk about his internet connection, his method for dealing with flies, his patio and his kitchen. What they don't deal with is the movie. Even so, they are fun to watch.

Marie Antoinette - Official Site
The placeholder site was redesigned and using the phrase, "Let them eat cake." However, there is no reliable evidence that Marie Antoinette ever said that. In fact, the flash site, (which launched this week), points that out in the Facts & History section. Most of the rest of the site is still marked coming soon, (production notes, cast & crew bios, trailer & clips), leaving just the synopsis and image gallery as regular features currently on the site. It's a good start, but it is still too soon to tell if it's an award-winning site.

Mutual Appreciation - Official Site
The site has all the usual features, but doesn't have a very polished feel. To compound the situation, it has no sound or animation.

Number 23 - Official Site
I have no idea how to describe this site. It is a bunch of images, mostly of the number 23, and links to sites associated with 23. On the one hand, it is intriguing. On the other hand, I'm no more interested in the movie now than before I went to the site.

Open Season - Official Site
There was another game added to the site, Rabbit Fight. In this game you have to defeat the hunters by throwing rabbits at them. Very fun and more challenging than one would think given the target demographic of the movie.

The Protector - Official Site
A new video clip was added, but it's more like an animated music video than anything else.

The Queen - Official Site
Nothing, just the name of the site and coming soon. It's not even written in an interesting font.

Renaissance - Official Site
The site appears to be down. ... Nevermind, it's back up again.

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles - Official Site
No real updates in a long time.

Shrek the Third - Official Site
They've completely changed the placeholder site, but there's still no actual content.

Spider-Man 3 - Official Site
Two new blog entries, including a video clip with Elizabeth Banks discussing her role as Betty Brant.

Stranger than Fiction - Official Site
The full site launched this week and while it has all the usual features, (synopsis, production notes, (in .pdf format with cast & crew bios), image gallery, and trailer). The heart of the site are the behind-the-scenes clips. There's one for the story, one in photo gallery about the director, and one each for the five main characters. In addition there's plenty of sound and animation including some interactive bits. Overall it's a great site and I especially like how much of the content was created for the site and not just plucked from the movie. It was very close to being awarded the prize this week, but in the end it came a close second. Perhaps if more is added at a later date this will change.

This Film is Not Yet Rated - Official Site
No real changes since last week.

The Wicker Man - Official Site
No real changes in a while. There's nothing overtly wrong with this site, but it still hasn't sold me on the movie.


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Filed under: Movie Website Updates, Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third, Casino Royale, Ghost Rider, Open Season, Charlotte's Web, Jackass: Number Two, The Queen, Stranger Than Fiction, Gridiron Gang, The Number 23, Employee of the Month, Crank, Huo Yuan Jia, The Wicker Man, The Black Dahlia, Marie Antoinette, Tom yum goong, The Last Kiss, All the King's Men, Crossover, Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia, Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker, Lassie, This Film is Not Yet Rated, Qian li zou dan qi, Broken Bridges, Confetti, Mutual Appreciation, Al Franken: God Spoke, Renaissance