Movie Website Reviews for Weekend of July 4, 2008

July 6, 2008

There were a couple of sites that were in contention for the Weekly Website Award, including one of the limited releases. It is not that common for a limited release to have a top notch site, because the advertising budget tends to be as limited as its screen count. However, while The Wackness' Official Site stood out from the crowd, Hancock's Official Site was deemed the best of the week.

Diminished Capacity - No Official Site
Nothing to review.

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson - Official Site
More style than most documentary sites have, but not as much content. The trailer should be enough to sell the film to most members of the target audience, and if not, there's not much else on the site to do the trick.

Hancock - Official Site
The site has all of the usual features, mostly. There are only cast & crew lists, not full bios, which is strange for a wide release. However, there are plenty of extras to make up for thing, including several clips and a few games. Hancock was Here shows three 'video camera' shots of Hancock in action, while Guess the Financial Toll shows four clips from the movie. However, with Guess the Financial Toll, afterward you get to watch the clip again and try and guess how much money it would cost to repair all of the damage. Finally, there is another section of games where the purpose is to avert as many crises while doing as little damage as possible. They are both fun, but it is strange that Hancock can throw a whale, but it takes him five punches to knock out a mugger. Add in video clips as section intros, and this site is worthy of the mettlesome Weekly Website Award.

Holding Trevor - Official Site
All the usual features are here, as well as a section on the music found in the movie. There's no actual music in the music section, just a load of links. In fact, there is no sound or animation at all.

Kabluey - Official Site
A very small site, both in the amount of content, and especially the size it takes up on the screen. The usual feature are here, mostly (only Scott Prendergast has a bio). There are no extras, but there is an attempt at some style with the mascot and the fliers that fly by. However, without sound, the effectiveness of the animation is lessened. Overall the site is effective, but it doesn't stand out.

Tell No One - No Official Site
No official site for the North American release. But you can check out the original French site or the British site.

The Wackness - Official Site
The best site on this week's list for a limited release with all of the usual features, plenty of style, and even an interactive feature (Graffiti Throw Down). In addition to the usual features (synopsis, cast & crew bios, image gallery, and trailer), there's plenty of sound and animation, including several choices for background songs. (I even like the style of the image gallery, which looks like a wall covered in posters for rock bands.) Additionally, Graffiti Throw Down allows you to create some graffiti and show it off to others. It was a contender for the Weekly Website Award.


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Filed under: Hancock, Ne le dis à personne, The Wackness, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Kabluey, Diminished Capacity, Holding Trevor