Movie Website Updates for May 6 - May 12

May 12, 2006

There's a better than average selection on this week's list, but for the vast majority of the sites, there are only minor changes. The best of the bunch is Click - Official Site but there are a several other sites on this week's list that are just a update or two away from being an award winning site.

A/K/A Tommy Chong - Official Site
There's not much content on the site, but this is true of most documentary sites. On the other hand, there's more style than most documentary sites including a great background song.

All the King's Men - Official Site
There's a new look for the placeholder site and a new trailer.

Americanizing Shelly - Official Site
There's no set release date for the film yet, so there's little surprise that the website is a little light on features so far. There's a short synopsis, cast & crew list, image gallery, and teaser trailer. The teaser trailer is little more than a series of scenes with no sound, just a song playing. It is very hard to judge a film's quality based on that along, but since Wil Wheaton is in it, I'm definitely interested in seeing more.

Ant Bully - Official Site
Two more clips were added to the site but while there were miles ahead of the previous clip, they still didn't sell the film well.

Cars - Official Site
There's a new trailer online, but you have to got to Apple.com to see it.

Clerks 2: The Passion of the Clerks - Official Site
One more clip was added to the video journal this week, which is an epilogue for the whole filming. This might mean there will be fewer updates for this section of the site, and more for the main movie website from now on.

Click - Official Site
The flash site has gone live this week, and while it has all the usual features, (synopsis, cast & crew bios, image gallery, and trailer), the heart of the site is the interactive sections. Each section, (yard, living room, work, etc.) has audio clips, video clips, etc. I do have a couple of problems; for instance, the bios are just one big block of text. Also, changing the preferences doesn't change the overall site by enough, just the three buttons in the corner, and all they do it pop Morty on the screen for a quote. Still, these are minor complaints compared to the site as a whole and after looking at all the sites, this one stands out as the best and is the winner of the timely Weekly Website Award.

Dead Man's Shoes - Official Site
There's almost none of the usual content, but there is an interesting interactive feature but without any branching, it isn't as powerful as it could be.

Eragon - Official Site
The placeholder site has been completely redesigned, but there's no new content.

Goal! - Official Site
Not much has changed for this site, it still has all the usual features plus a pretty good game. But in the end, it just doesn't sell the film very well.

The Heart of the Game - Official Site
Most documentary sites have are a little light on content compared to those sites for fictional movies. This is true for this site, but at least is has more style than the average documentary site.

Just My Luck - Official Site
No real changes since last week, but the site is just crawling.

Keeping Up With the Steins - Official Site
Small site with just the synopsis, cast & crew bios, trailer, and a guide to competitive bar mitzvahs. There's quite a bit of animation compared to the small amount of content.

Lady in the Water - Official Site
The full trailer and an image gallery were added to the site. I just finished watching the trailer, and I'm less interested in seeing the movie than I was before. Not a good sign.

The Lake House - Official Site
New look, but no new content.

Miami Vice - Official Site
The new trailer is online, but it is over on Apple.com. I hated the TV series this movie is based on, but even so, I don't like how they've changed the style of the show. Messing with a show is a bad idea because you will alienate more fans of the show than you will be able to attract new viewers. That's just bad business.

Mouth to Mouth - Official Site
The site's back. There's a lot to see here, including an interactive trailer. On the one hand, the site doesn't have a very polished feel and at times seems very disjointed. On the other hand, this disjointed feel fits the film itself and helps sell the movie.

Nacho Libre - Official Site
After weeks of updates, the full site is finally online, sort of. Right now the only features on the site are the synopsis, photo gallery, trailers, and of course, the confessionals. There are a lot of features marked coming soon including regular features like cast & crew bios, production notes, clips, etc. and extras like Nacho Kung-Fu.

The Omen - Official Site
I forgot to mention this a couple of weeks ago, but there's a new URL for this site, but the content is the same.

Over the Hedge - Official Site
There's not much new on the site, but I got a hold of a few clips to watch.

Adding in the slips already on the site, and I would estimate about one quarter of the movie is no online.

Poseidon - Official Site
No real changes in a while. Overall it's not a bad site, but not good enough to stand out in a crowded field.

A Prairie Home Companion - Official Site
The flash site is up and it has all the usual features as well as clips from all 13 songs on the soundtrack. Overall it is a good site, if a little subdued, but probably won't convince anyone to see the movie if they weren't already interested.

Rocky Balboa - Official Site
There's a clip on the Rocky Balboa Blog, which is the first post in more than 3 months.

Russian Dolls - Official Site
All the usual features are here, except for an image gallery. But there's nothing here that makes it stand out.

Sketches of Frank Gehry - Official Site
No real updates since the site first went live.

Stranger than Fiction - Official Site
Very strange site with no real content, but it is very interactive for a placeholder site.

Wah-Wah - Official Site
No changes since the site first went live.

Who Killed the Electric Car? - Official Site
The site underwent a complete redesign, but there's something about it that bugs me. Too much of the text felt condescending. I agree with the position the filmmakers have, but talking down to their audience is not a good way to convince others.

World Trade Center - Official Site
There's a new intro for the site this week, but while it is one of the longest and most interesting intros I've seen, that's all that's on the site so far.

You, Me and Dupree - Official Site
There was a change in the look this week, but there's not much new in terms of content.


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Filed under: Movie Website Updates, Cars, Over the Hedge, Click, Nacho Libre, You, Me and Dupree, Eragon, World Trade Center, Rocky Balboa, Miami Vice, Poseidon, The Omen, The Lake House, Lady in the Water, Stranger Than Fiction, Clerks II, A Prairie Home Companion, Just My Luck, All the King's Men, Keeping Up with the Steins, Goal! The Dream Begins, Mouth to Mouth, The Ant Bully