Gilliam’s Strokes of Luck

 Even with on-set problems and a lead actor’s death, Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus” and “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” will still see the light of day, much to the fan’s delight.

 Terry Gilliam is one of Hollywood’s most unique and visionary directors: his films are always filled with a great deal of fantasy and imagination, and he has a style all his own. He is also one of the most unlucky filmmakers in Tinseltown.

 Whether it be the studio forcing an ending he didn’t like on his 1985 sci-fi comedy Brazil – which led to many public arguments between Gilliam and Universal Studios head Sid Sheinberg – or having to cancel filming on his expensive adaptation of Don Quixote due to budget overruns and trouble on set, this is a director who’s had a hard time showing his vision to the public, even if the quality has never been in dispute.

 His latest project, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, had another stroke of bad luck after the unfortunate death of lead actor Heath Ledger, and many thought that it would be another aborted project from a director who deserves better. Thankfully, the rest of Hollywood was on hand to help out.

 The movie tells of a travelling fantastical carnival whose owner makes a deal with the Devil, who abducts his daughter as part of the bargain; this leads him on an adventure to rescue her through parallel worlds. This meant that Ledger’s character, Tony, could change appearances with each new setting, so three actors took over from him to portray the alter egos: Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law; in a touching display of kindness, all three donated their salaries to Ledger’s daughter Matilda.

 On the blog Dreams, Gilliam jokingly calls the film a “freak show” that will attract an audience because “when there’s a train wreck, people will stop and watch”. The blog itself is a fascinating read: it has documented the film’s rocky journey from its initial filming stages through to its worldwide distribution and reception, with very close input from Gilliam himself.

 After making the initial rounds in worldwide film festivals, Dr. Parnassus has received good notices from critics and audiences for its strong sense of style; while Ledger’s posthumous performance has also received a lot of praise.

 Meanwhile, nine years after being shut down, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is being prepped to go before the cameras again. Johnny Depp was originally starring in the film, but recently stated to the news site First Showing that he wasn’t sure he’d return: “We tried for something and it got beneath us – I don’t know if it’s right for me to go back.” 

 Despite this, Gilliam is hard at work rewriting the script and recasting the main roles, hoping to start filming in 2010. Maybe this means his bad luck is behind him and he can rightfully claim his place as one of Hollywood’s most unique filmmakers.

The trailer for The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus:

Soderbergh’s Adult Films

 After nearly two decades of making both mainstream and experimental films, Steven Soderbergh now turns his attention to… the adult film market?

 Steven Soderbergh is, without a doubt, one of the most unpredictable directors working in Hollywood. Starting out as an indie marvel with sex, lies, and videotape (a Sundance film festival hit and one of the hallmarks of independent cinema in the early 90s), he’s shown to be at home in any production, from remakes of Russian sci-fi films (Solaris) to star-studded extravaganzas (the Ocean’s Eleven series).

 With his latest film, The Girlfriend Experience, Soderbergh continues to embark on unconventional projects: it’s the day-to-day portrait of a high-priced escort, played by real-life adult film star Sasha Grey.

 This particular piece of casting is the biggest hurdle the movie had to overcome; in an interview with Anthem Magazine,  Grey spoke about the possibility of being seen as a novelty or oddity, which doesn’t trouble her: “The fact that I don’t sit here and every other word out of my mouth is a sexual euphemism, and the fact that I can speak for myself without sounding like an idiot helps a lot.” Among other fun facts, she also reveals that Soderbergh is a life-long fan of pornography; the interview ultimately shows a smart woman with a lot of clear career goals.

 In an interview with the blog Suicide Girls, Soderbergh defended his casting decision, and remarked that “he wasn’t making porn”, since he’s known to be very reserved about onscreen nudity.  “I’m making a movie that’s supposed to make you think or laugh or compare your life to the characters onscreen”, he explains, “not something that’s designed to make you take your pants off.”

 Indeed, Soderbergh is serious about his film, citing such artistic references as Michaelangelo Antonioni and Ingmar Bergman; and although critics and audiences have been divided over it – Roger Ebert called it a “film that’s true about human nature”, while Kyle Smith  of the New York Post called it “another of Soderbergh’s ‘experimental’ or ‘half-assed’ films”.

 The one who has emerged unscathed is Sasha Grey herself; even though naysayers were quick to point out that this role was just an extension of her profession, she has surprised everyone with a competent performance that suggests there’s more to her than meets the eye. Grey is thus one of the few adult film stars that has successfully crossed over to the mainstream following in the footsteps of former underage perfomer Traci Lords, who enjoyed a healthy career in B-movies throughout the 90s. Porn die-hards can rest easy, though; even if she’s already considering other acting options, Sasha Grey has no plans to leave the business.

 Soderbergh, meanwhile, continues his career as one of Hollywood’s most varied directors, without caring what the critics think – he is known to dislike them, and vows to never read reviews of his work. Showing that he has no creative limits, he is planning a 3D “rock musical” based on the life of Queen Cleopatra.

The trailer for The Girlfriend Experience:

I’ve been running a blog for five years now, and I’ve always made it a point to include images – I sometimes tend to ramble in my writing, and it’s probably better to give my three or four loyal readers (mainly, my father and a few classmates from my university days) something to distract a bit from the words. That, and the page just looks much nicer.

But I’ve never even thought about crediting those images. I did get the vast majority of them from Google Search – which to my mind might as well be free, since it just gives you images at random – and the others are photos I took myself, but still: maybe it would be best to give credit where credit is due, just in case.

I wonder though: do the issues governing the use of other materials apply to a blog? It just seems a bit silly to be discussing ownership on a small website which is entirely personal and intended to be read by a small group of people. Surely more than half the people who own blogs have never taken this into account. Blogs themselves are supposed to be totally free, right?

Besides, I pretty much doubt that Clive Owen is going to notice I used a small picture of his (with bad resolution) on a post about one of his films without asking for his permission. It’s not like these “owners” are scanning every blog and webpage for any usage of their name and image.

However, when it comes to a clear violation of privacy, some warning should be given. We could avoid embarrassing incidents like that girl who suddenly saw a photo of herself used in a Virgin Mobile campaign – and not in flattering terms, it seems. If what you’re posting or putting up on the web is probably going to hurt someone or cause trouble, you could at least give a warning; it’s purely a matter of manners. Especially in this day and age where anything you do or don’t do can wind up on the Web at a moment’s notice.

I do still miss some websites, so I’m taking a moment of silence to honour Matt Easterbrook, a Canadian film critic whose reviews were probably the funniest I ever read and whose site simply disappeared four or five years ago; and for MTV’s wildly informative site on CD reviews; I guess since the network doesn’t even care about airing music videos anymore, it makes perfect sense…

So, what are some of your favourite websites to visit? Being a huge film buff, I think you can see where mine are going, but still, here are some recommendations:

JoBlo’s Movie Emporium

Reviews, news, trailers, discussion boards and a whole lot more are the meat of this huge site, which has grown for a simple news website to an entire community. The site never takes itself seriously and is good for a few laughs – if you can stomach a lot of juvenile humour – and at the same time it’s also pretty informative. JoBlo himself has taken a backseat due to health problems, but he’s got a sizable cast of movie nerds picking up the slack, including the resident horror critic, The Arrow, whose writing is filled with self-deprecation and sex jokes. An overall good time.

Reelviews

James Berardinelli is the only movie critic whose opinions I trust blind; while other Internet critics fill their sites with flashy graphics, hard-to-navigate menus and other content which makes them update pretty much never, James keeps things simple and lets his writing do the talking. He’s very well informed, and most important of all, updates weekly. The site has recently added a very welcome message board.

The Internet Movie Database

The Bible for film lovers: any information you ever wanted to know about any movie (from the look of its poster to who the main caterer was, this site has all of it. I can spend hours just looking up film trivia. Avoid the message boards, though, since they are filled with trolls or people who can’t spell more than two words correctly. They frequently degenerate into stupid and pointless arguments.

Cracked

Cracked Magazine was a cheap knock-off of MAD Magazine; some years ago, they stopped publication and moved to the web. Updates daily with articles poking fun at pretty much anything. Examples: “5 Post-Star Wars Careers More Pathetic than Mark Hamill’s” and the “9 Most Racist Disney Characters”. Sometimes they hit the mark, other times they’re too juvenile, but overall, the site is always good for some laughs.

The Nostalgia Sites: I-Mockery and RetroCrush

Retro is a loving tribute to 80s and early 90s pop culture, commenting on everything from toys to TV shows and sometimes digging up stuff you never knew existed (or more than likely wanted to forget); I-Mockery is more about modern pop culture, but it is also leans a lot towards the past, with a particular slant on the Halloween season, when the entire site is remodeled and celebrates horror. Both are great for laughs and for reminscing about your childhood – and feeling embarrassed about liking He-Man at one point.

There are probably many more I tend to visit, but these are pretty much mandatory for me every day. That and news sites, which I don’t like to visit all that much; I still feel that reading is better done and more comfortable in print.

What’s surprising to me is that it feels like I just got here, like it was only yesterday that I was sleeping on a mattress on the floor of my sister’s living room, so jetlagged I got up at five in the morning every day and went to bed at 9 pm; all the while making a million phone calls trying to find a place to move into.

Three months later, I’m still adapting to the city and just like that, classes are over (temporarily) with only a few assignments left to go. I feel like I handed my first ones a week ago. This is definitely different from my previous college experience, where semesters lasted five and a half months; we usually spent the first two doing nothing but taking notes, occasionally handing in assignments, and, being downright lazy, asking for extensions on everything. This usually meant that we’d be stuck neck-deep in exams and getting completely stressed out during the last three weeks of semester – shame on us.

Of course, this Masters Degree is an entirely different ballgame (“It ain’t even the same (BLEEP) sport”, as Jules Winfield would say), although to my surprise, I’m pretty relaxed and confident about the whole thing. It’s gone by pretty fast, and the rhythm does take some getting used to, but I can’t deny that I’m learning a lot of useful things. I barely knew what editing meant when I came here, and now I enjoy it. So much, that the other day, out of instinct, I started doing a copy writing edit on the takeaway menu of an Indian restaurant.

I’ve got two years to get accustomed to this city, and I’m just getting started…

They’re also meant to be part of a web writing portfolio for the Writing & Editing for Digital Media course.

The Many Projects of Robert Rodriguez

The director of “El Mariachi” is set for two big movies next year, both financed and worked on by his production company and shot in his own backyard.

Robert Rodriguez has become the poster boy for independent filmmaking: he writes, directs, produces, edits and sometimes even composes the music for all his own films, all from the comfort of the offices of his production company Troublemaker Studios in Austin, Texas. The many hats Rodriguez wears allow him to make good-looking movies on relatively cheap budgets, with nothing to envy from other big-budget Hollywood blockbusters.

20^th Century Fox is trusting Rodriguez’s abilities in bringing magic to the screen by handing him control of one their biggest sci-fi franchises: Predator. After two less-than-stellar film battles with the Alien creatures, the intergalactic hunter is ready to take center stage again.

However, this isn’t Rodriguez’s first brush with the alien monster: according to a recent interview with the L.A. Times blog Hero Complex , he’s had a script written for over 15 years but was never able to get it filmed: “The technology just wasn’t there yet; it was a script that couldn’t be used”. The time is now right to get the project off the ground, and in keeping with the independent spirit, Rodriguez plans to film in his own ranch in Austin, as far removed from the studio system as possible.

The widely diverse cast includes Oscar winner Adrien Brody and Rodriguez mainstay Danny Trejo. The big, tattooed former boxer and prison inmate is also pulling double duty in another Troublemaker project, Machete, which is a full-length spinoff of the fake trailer played during Grindhouse, Rodriguez’s and Quentin Tarantino’s loving tribute to bad exploitation movies released in 2007.

Machete is a former Mexican federal agent turned assassin, who gets double crossed by corrupt politicians and law enforcers during his latest job, leading him on a path of bloody revenge. Rodriguez announced plans for the film during the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival, but he’s had the idea in his head for over ten years: “I thought this guy (Trejo) should be a Mexican version of Van Damme or Charles Bronson; his name is Machete and he starts in a movie every year.” Rodriguez never got around to it until now, and the film is now set for release in 2010.

More than anything, it’s the bizarre cast that has come together for the project which is going to get people’s attention. Danny Trejo gets partnered with three lovely ladies: Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez and party girl Lindsay Lohan, all playing allies to the hero. Mexican comic Cheech Marin plays a gun-toting priest, a role which he also tackled in the fake trailer.

Rounding out this diverse group of actors, Don “Sonny Crockett” Johnson plays a lawman, Oscar winner Robert De Niro is a corrupt senator, and, most surprising of all, washed-up action star Steven Seagal will even make an appearance as a drug lord. The ponytailed Aikido master has been stuck doing cheap, straight-to-DVD mediocre action films for the last ten years – this is clearly a bid for renewed respectability.

Rodriguez shows no signs of slowing down: he also has a sequel to the comic adaptation Sin City and a possible fourth film in his family franchise Spy Kids on the drawing board.

"Want to buy a sharpened machete?"

Stallone Returns

Sylvester Stallone’s comeback is in full swing, with an all-star reunion of tough guys lining up for “The Expendables”, one of the most anticipated action movies for next year.

Sylvester Stallone was one of Hollywood’s biggest names during the 80s and early 90s, until a string of forgettable movies and the public’s changing attitudes towards action stars landed him in the career-killing straight to video market, alongside other washed up contemporaries like Jean-Claude Van Damme or Wesley Snipes.

However, Stallone had a stroke of genius resurrecting his two most well-known characters for the big screen: the continuing stories of John Rambo and Rocky Balboa were so well received by critics and audiences; they have renewed the actor’s stardom. And Stallone is set to continue that goodwill with The Expendables, an action film that has assembled a veritable who’s-who of Hollywood tough guys.

The cast list is enough to make fanboys drool: Stallone is joined by Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, and Mickey Rourke, for the story of a team of freelance mercenaries on a mission to overthrow the ruthless dictator of a Latin American country. Rounding out the reunion is Eric Roberts, former NFL player Terry Crews, wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin, and cameo appearances from Bruce Willis and the Governator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was offered a bigger role but opted for a small appearance out of respect for his political career. Still, the prospect of seeing the three former owners of Planet Hollywood sharing a scene together fulfils many a fan’s fantasy.

The whole project could be seen as one big joke; but Stallone has been vocal about it being a tribute to the bygone days of over-the-top, testosterone filled violent movies. In the film’s official website, he claims that he “wanted to do a film that was more about men, just doing things that we did back in the 80s and 90s.”

Stallone recently premiered an early trailer for the movie, and the audience reaction was as positive as expected. Producer Avi Lerner spoke with UGO Movie Blog about his plans for the film: if it turns out to be successful, sequels are pretty much mandatory, and the idea is to turn it into a franchise, with “whoever doesn’t die in the first film” returning for future instalments.

Even though the film will probably end up with a PG-13 rating – which for many action fans spells neutering of the violence, and thus, doom – Stallone is confident that audiences will enjoy themselves. He has nothing to worry about, since the Internet community is awash with buzz and anticipation. And if he decides to make more films, there is already a revolving door of actors waiting for their chance to join the ranks of the Expendables. Among the actors who were offered roles but had to turn them down, are Jean Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, Kurt Russell, and Forest Whitaker; all could easily return for other adventures. Meanwhile, fans are still expecting Chuck Norris – an expert at poking fun at himself – to get the call.

With the movie already filmed and in post-production, Sly is hard at work on a fifth Rambo film, proving that you can’t keep a good man down once his career gets a second wind.

"Alright, I'm sorry for directing Staying Alive, now help me up!"

]]> http://ernestozm.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/assignment-ii-2x500/feed/ 0 neco82 machete the-expendables http://ernestozm.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/internet-stars/ http://ernestozm.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/internet-stars/#comments Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:55:03 +0000 neco82 http://ernestozm.wordpress.com/?p=83 ]]> Some years ago, while at a party at my house, someone recorded a friend of my sister doing a ridiculous “Crab Dance”. No one was surprised to see the video pop up on YouTube a few days later. Even though the guy didn’t get over 10,000 hits from viewers, the potential was there to make him into another one of those overnight Internet sensations: people who get famous for being ridiculous.

I tend to use YouTube for one purpose only: to check out movie trailers. Occasionally, I look up individual scenes to recall dialogue, just for fun (Gunnery Sgt. Hartman’s abusive tirade to marine recruits in the opening of Full Metal Jacket has become a favorite). And only rarely, I watch homemade videos of pratfalls and assorted dumb behaviour – people falling on their face or getting hit in the crotch never gets old.

Still, it’s hard to miss these Internet celebrities, since overnight they become a well-known topic of conversation. The list is endless: Edgar, the Mexican kid that falls off a log while crossing a shallow stream; overacting primadonna Chris Crocker, who cried a river of tears when Britney Spears got lambasted for her embarrassing comeback performance a few years ago; Willard, the boxing kangaroo who smacks around the host of a TV show; or Joaquin Phoenix trying to rap and making a complete fool of himself.

It’s all for fun; but the true power of YouTube is giving everyone their much-wanted 15 minutes of fame. Others use it for more constructive purposes – I have several friends who are budding filmmakers and regularly post their short films to get feedback.

However, now that cell phone cameras have become commonplace, everyone is out scavenging for the next embarrassing moment that will become an Internet sensation. It will probably make you think twice the next time you’re at a party and decide you want to try your hand at breakdancing after a few beers.

Back during my university days, we had a Student Union; but it was pretty hard to take seriously when it’s headquarters was actually a small room stocked wall-to-wall with beer bottles; our chosen representatives chose to use it as a makeshift Moe’s Tavern.

They regularly held protests and rallies. I wasn’t totally against what they did, at least I understood their goals, and God knows expensive bus fares was something that hurt all our wallets. But I never got involved in any of this, because my main goal was to study, not to start a political career.

I’m not about to start now, especially since I’ve only just moved here. However, I did take some time to listen to these guys, mostly to understand what the political climate is like in this country. And I do support some of their claims (I personally have no problem with gay marriages, and I’ve yet to understand why some countries make such a huge deal out of it). But that’s it. I’ll stay out of rallies and whatnot, at least until I get my bearings here.

So, by the fifth or sixth time I was accosted by someone carrying flyers while heading to class, I started to lose patience. I got an anti-capitalist speech and some guy wearing a ridiculous afro, all in one day. And all I wanted to do was get to class.

And if you’re wondering about my political affiliations: while I am very much interested in the subject, I remain completely neutral. And if you saw the three-ring circus the political landscape in my country has become, you’d understand.

Empire Online

This webpage is the online version of the American movie magazine Empire, which encompasses movie news, previews, reviews, and interviews.

The first thing that catches a reader’s attention when entering the Empire webpage is the slideshow located in the top left. Using images and short headlines, it cycles through the most interesting stories in the current issue of the magazine. These are mostly links to video features, or rankings (Example: 50 Best Sequels). Most, if not all of these articles are done in a slideshow format as well.

The remainder of the page is divided into sections, covering an issue. The movie news consist of a short, quick list of small headlines and kickers, meant to give the key information in as little words as possible; and a sidebar on the right highlighting film reviews, accompanied by a star rating. These cover releases for a particular week (including films on DVD). There are also small sections featuring “other stories”, “future films”, “previews” and “videos” (trailers, featurettes, etc.).

The main page also features the reader survey, which in this case aims to make a profile of the common Empire reader, and the link to the Empire Blog, an online exclusive content which gets updated every week with articles from the writers.

Surprisingly, the webpage is low on graphical content. The only standout graphic element in the main page is the aforementioned slide show; all other elements, including news items, are accompanied by one or two small photos. The focus then is on the writing itself.

Most Empire articles on the site are written concise and to the point. This can be seen in the headlines themselves, which give out the minimum of information to get a reader to click on them. (Example: “Filming starts on Mike Leigh’s latest”) The style is humorous and tongue in cheek. For example, a question on the survey regarding “the worst movie ever made” only includes the choices Batman and Robin and Other. This light-hearted style makes for easy reading, and appeals to the average moviegoer, while at the same time remaining concise and well informed. The writing also leans toward the preferred age for moviegoers, those in the 18-30 group.

Regarding links, Empire seldom links to other webpages for additional information. There is no cross-referencing with other news articles, neither from the magazine or other media, and links are only included if, for example, a trailer is being revealed. A news article on upcoming movie “Men Who Stare at Goats” includes a link to the trailer at Apple.

Editing for the Web, by Bowles and Barden, mentions linking as a means of deepening a story and establishing non-linear communication with readers. The site doesn’t seem to take this into account.

There are, however, links all over the different pages that direct the user to other sections in the magazine (News headlines, etc.) While useful, they can repeat themselves and end up confusing the reader, since they can sometimes clutter up the page. The news articles and features tend to not go into too much detail, which means a reader would have to seek out the print version for a more in-depth look at the magazine.

Filmink Magazine

Filmink Magazine is one of Australia’s leading film magazines, and as such, it focuses mostly on Australian movies, filmmakers, and stars.

The main page is very stripped down. Its main feature is a small slideshow located at the top, which summarizes the best articles in a particular edition. This slideshow is accompanied by the latest news headlines, and both have a heavy slant towards Australian cinema. As a sample, the current stories highlight local actor Vince Colosimo, an Israeli film festival held in Sydney and Melbourne, and an Asian festival in Adelaide.

The headlines themselves are short, to the point, and informative. They don’t even include any kickers to provide readers with additional information. (Example: “Local Industry fights Piracy”)

The rest of the page is made up of the recent reviews in theaters and DVD – a very small section, it barely includes two film reviews and one in home format – a listing of other worthwhile features, and links to contests, videos, and the Filmink blog.

As for news stories and articles, they are written in a concise and informative style. Filmink’s writers are not prone to making jokes or sarcastic comments; their writing is more spare and straightforward, though their enthusiasm for the material shines through, especially in stories concerning Australian film. A news item praises the 2000 Australian film Wog Boy as one of the country’s best comedies, for example.

The magazine is directed towards movie lovers, but also those that are serious about film and all its developments.

Filmink does not include links to other pages, unless it is part of a news story. Articles on the OzFestival Asia and Sydney’s Silent Film Festival include links to the official webpages for those events, for example. That seems to be all, however – when conducting interviews with British actor Bill Nighy and comic Demetri Martin about their latest film roles, the articles only link to the reviews of said films on the magazine’s website.

The one area where Filmink is lacking is in reader interactivity. The webpage has no polls or surveys, no message boards, and no apparent way to post comments anywhere on the main articles. Other than a noticeboard – which highlights local film events, opportunities, and blogs from many Filmink contributors – the giveaways, and a subscription to a newsletter, readers are barely included in the actual site.

However, the page does include Club Ink – a special subscription service with many advantages for the reader. Aside from delivery of monthly issues, the recipient is entitled to free movie tickets, invitations to screenings, birthday gifts, and discounts at other theaters and special stores. However, this of course requires payment and doing it via Internet has no perks; basically, the webpage just recaps subscription information.

Filmink is effective in its simple layout. Ads are not intrusive, the different sections are laid out clearly, and the writing is informative, but that also means that readers aren’t prone to navigating it fully, and with so little user interactivity, they’re liable to seek out the printed version of the magazine instead.

Total Film

Total Film is a magazine based in the UK. Their website is located.

The main thing to notice when entering the webpage is that it’s huge. The main stories in the current issue are displayed in a slideshow format at the top of the page, which quickly cycles through each one.

The rest of the page is broken up into sections: the UK box office, current movie news, the latest trailers and video clips, a video showcase, the US box office, a listing of upcoming movies, other standout features from the magazine, and ads. Total Film is a graphically-heavy site, which sometimes makes it slow to load.

This can be seen as an advantage however. Nancy DuVergne Smith, in her article Writing for the Web, mentions that graphics maximize online readability, and in the case of Total Film this works.

The news headlines are short and to the point, accompanied by small kickers, just enough to catch a reader’s interest. This conceals, however, what their writing style is like. The magazine is incredibly informal in its writing. Most of the time, the writers are liable to use coarse and inappropriate language for humorous effect, which is meant to communicate the perspective of an average movie lover. (Example of an article title: 50 Movie Bastards), or at least those in the 18-30 age group, which make up a huge part of moviegoing audiences.

The news stories themselves are written in the same fashion. A story on an upcoming sequel to the movie Bad Boys contains some jokes at the expense of the film’s director, Michael Bay. (Sample: “Assuming he has time between ‘indie’ products and giant robots”)

These news items however, do properly acknowledge their sources. For example, a story on a possible fifth Rambo film credits Variety with the information. The news items also do a good job to linking to other sections of the site. They include links to photo galleries, related news stories, related articles and all other available media pertaining to a particular subject.

The site offers a wealth of multimedia content. There are video clips from current and upcoming movies, trailers, and news reports. There’s a link to Total Film Talk, a TV show created by the magazine . It can be downloaded off iTunes. This makes it more of an interactive experience for readers, and with the inclusion of comments in each and every piece of writing, as well as user forums that cover many subjects about movies, and contests and the chance to attend free screenings, Total Film does a good job of having its audience participate on the site.

The site, however, is very cluttered, and although it includes a search engine and menu tabs at the top of the main page, it can be confusing to readers. The high graphical content is attractive, yet slow to load at times. This also happens with the main features, where most of them are set up in a slideshow format with a lot of graphics. Total Film does include a wealth of information and activities which are worth seeking out.

All three webpages have similar designs. They all include a slideshow on the main page detailing the most attractive stories, and they all include the same type of section information (Latest Features, Reviews, etc.). It is in their writing styles where they differ, and their focus. Empire and Total Film focus on Hollywood fare, and their writing is humorous and light, aimed at the young males who make up most of the audience. Filmink is more informative and serious about film, and their slant is towards Australian cinema and local stars and events.

However, Filmink is low on the audiovisual and interactive content, which means it isn’t taking full advantage of the different elements of web publishing. The other two magazines are, however, since their sites are heavy on videos, images and other multimedia.

That’s the Internet I grew up with. Nowadays, it’s a totally different story. Most chatrooms are relics of the past. People have shunned the complicated HTML schematics of services such as Geocities and stuck to the much simpler blogs, which give you the opportunity to share anything with anyone, at any time. Facebook has managed to keep people from all over the world connected. Instant messaging has become the prime method of communication. And videos can be watched or uploaded in an instant, thanks to YouTube.

Of course, this also means we have become more dependent on computers and the web. It has simplified our lives so much, many people can’t conceive of a world without the web. Shopping, paying bills, writing letters, watching the news, it can all be done online. I don’t see this as a bad thing; speaking from personal experience, I’d have a much harder time without the net. I’m not of the mindset that thinks that it will run our lives so much, we could be headed for a real-life Skynet.

The web audience nowadays is no longer passive. We no longer just sit in a chair taking in content. With blogs, and video uploads, and podcasts and whatnot, the users are the ones that are shaping the web. We now generate our own content. An article on Wired magazine made the surprising observation that most of these new Internet “ventures” are not done for financial gain; many of them are a means of expression, of sharing your ideas with others or providing simple services free of charge. This can only mean that this “new” version of the Internet has introduced the idea of a “worldwide community”, where everyone is able to share their thoughts and ideas. This is probably the best aspect of today’s Internet – it brings people together.

Of course, there are some downsides to having a more active role on the web. For one, the concept of privacy seems to have been lost. These days, people can have their entire lives displayed on the web, either by choice or by bad luck. Nothing is a secret anymore. It can happen with music (whole albums available for download before they go on sale) and movies (torrents with new movies months before they premiere in theatres) and practically anything else.

An article in The Atlantic, published in July 2008, asked: Is Google Making us Stupid? And that pretty much sums up one concern: the fact that people might be suffering from low attention spans due to continued usage of the web. We’ve simply grown accustomed to web pages, reading only what we need, looking for exact information, and then move on. The act of reading a book has been lost. And it’s the same with news outlets; we can’t just sit and read the paper anymore, because now we have quick, up-to-the-minute summaries of everything happening in the world online. This is why many newspapers and magazines are going out of print.

Being a huge reader myself, I have to admit to have gone through this. I have a hard time concentrating on a book, something which I used to enjoy. Not that I can’t read, it’s just I’ve gotten used to the rapid influx of facts the web holds. For my money, a book, and the particular feeling you get while turning pages, can never be replicated (Thankfully, E-Books are a concept that’s yet to catch on with the public). But it is true that the web and all of its new content is making it harder for people to just slow down and think about things.

The Internet is a useful tool, and it has grown to change our lives for the better. It just depends on what use you choose to give it. And that, in the end, depends on the person.

The printing press, then, didn’t come into widespread use until after the price of paper decreased and it became an accesible commodity; and after the levels of iliteracy in Europe decreased and reading and books became a part of everyday life.

Cook’s point is that, until European society embraced these changes, the Gutenberg press was still an invention for the elite; by itself, it couldn’t have possibly brought about a revolution in learning and cultural growth, which is what is usually claimed.

The same thing could be said about the Internet, which is being called the next great technological revolution destined to change mankind. Surely, it has; but it wasn’t always so. Remember the days of dial-up Internet? Unless you had a strong connection and enough money to pay for what was esentially a long phone call, the Net wasn’t of much use; or at least, it wasn’t available to everyone.

Nowadays, with broadband and wireless connection, the Internet has become a more widespread tool; it is certainly on the way to changing mankind, but unless society is able to evolve to accomodate it, it won’t happen quickly. Internet still remains a commodity. What good is it to someone who isn’t given access to a computer? What use can it have for, say, a developing Third World Nation which doesn’t have the infraestructure to support it? It just gets left out of this change, which doesn’t equal a “technological revolution”.

But, it is certainly on its way…