DanteBacani.com

Film-Appreciation Page

One of my great passions is for "the movies" (aka "cinema", "motion pictures", "film", "talkies"). To me, a day which includes two movies seen (alone or with company) in an actual movie theatre is a day well-spent. (Letterbox DVD is my preference for non-theatre film-watching). I've been an avid film fan for as long as I can recall, but of late my interests have expanded to include a desire to work on the other side of the screen: Since 1999, I've been working (in fits & starts) on a screenplay. Anyway, here are some links film enthusiasts of all types may find worthwhile.

"In a word: Brilliant!" That's my four-word review of this site, which I heartily recommend. Shakespeare wrote that "Brevity is the soul of wit," and there's plenty of both to be found at The Four Word Film Review site. If you're anything like me, you'll become addicted to out-clevering the competition.

If you're one of those picky people who needs more than four words upon which to base a film-going or DVD-renting decision, then your next stop should be the Rotten Tomatoes web site. Featuring current releases as well as thousands of past releases on DVD/VHS, Rotten Tomatoes links to full-text reviews published by over 100 film critics (distinguishing between "Cream of the Crop" scribes like Roger Ebert and lesser-known critics who live to have their blurbs featured in movie ads). Furthermore, the site generates the "Tomato-meter" -- a shapshot of the overall critical response to a movie. [70% or more positive reviews yields a fresh red tomato; under 70% positive reviews and the film gets hit with a rotten green tomato.]

Harry Knowles has gone from being the ultimate web fanboy to becoming an influential Hollywood player thanks to his Ain't It Cool News web site. While most of the reviews and stories are written with a zero-shades-of-gray hyperbole representative of its amateur fanboy readership, it is nevertheless a goldmine of inside information on currently-in-production films, especially when the subjects are science fiction (ex. Star Wars,) fantasy (ex. Lord of the Rings), and superhero comic movies. When there's something worth knowing about a future release, you'll probably read it here first.

IMDB is an invaluable resource for the film enthusiast. Filmographies, quotes, cast lists, movie ratings, production info. (yet-unreleased films as well as theatrical releases) -- IMDB provides an amazing array of information on actors, directors, writers, producers, etc. covering the entire history of motion pictures (as best as I can tell), and a lot of info. on the television industry, too. If you're looking for info. on films, start here.