CLICK & DOUBLE CLICK: BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE SITES ARE STILL AMONG THE BEST ON THE WEB (COLUMN 94)

Movie studios pull out all the stops each summer for the blockbuster movies. As we've mentioned before, movie studios do a great job of integrating movie promotion with fun stuff on the Web.

This summer's crop of new releases is no exception. A good place to start is Hollywood Online at

www.hollywood.com

Joni: The site is all about movies. One of the neat things about this site is that it includes movie reviews of the week's top 10 movies. You can read what a variety of reviewers think of any particular film.

Peggy: Click on Movie Critic to find seven reviews on each movie. What's interesting is how different the reviews are. "The Truman Show," everyone loved. But "Godzilla" ranged from one star to three stars. So did "Dr. Dolittle."

Joni: When we decided to see the X-Files movie, I came to this site and read all the reviews. Because I'm not a rabid X-philer, it helped me understand the movie a little better. Be forewarned, however, that some reviews give away some movie surprises.

Peggy: You can also find out why movies earn their ratings. We learned more why "Dr. Dolittle" was rated PG-13: vulgarity and jokes about bodily functions. With Eddie Murphy you never know. From Hollywood Online, you can easily jump to official Web sites of the movies.

Joni: The big movie last weekend was "Armageddon." You will need Shockwave Flash to enjoy this site, but it's worth the download

www.armageddon.com

Peggy: It's another conspiracy theory story, but the site is fun. In the communications center, you can monitor messages over the past several months from the "Armageddon" team.

Joni: We played the game to save Earth. Actually it took longer for us to load the game than it took for us to fail, miserably. We couldn't jump over the asteroids and kept falling into the pits. The good news is that you can play again and again without reloading.

Peggy: They do have links to actual space links, including observatories, which is great. Now, let's take a look at Disney's newest release, "Mulan."

www.mulan.com

Joni: You can find brain teasers and games and you can read the poem that inspired the movie in six languages.

Peggy: You can also download an interactive Mushu the dragon or an interactive cricket, Cri-Kee. The dragon takes residence on your desktop. You have to download a program called Togglethis to play with Mushu, and you have to be a registered Disney user to get either.

Joni: The nice thing about movie sites is that they use the latest technology, all the bells and whistles. That's also the irritating part. You have to keep downloading new technology to play.

Peggy: Be warned. The Togglethis program is more than two megs. After all the work, the cricket was very cute, kind of a virtual pet online.

Joni: You can also battle the Huns online. All you have to do is aim the cannon and shoot. This should be easier. Oh no, I'm being overrun by Huns. I lost the Earth and China in one day.

Peggy: Let's take a look at the site for "Dr. Doolittle" at

www.drdolittle.com

You'll be happy to learn that the doctor is in.

Joni: You can learn about the movie, the characters and the patients. You can watch trailers and get screensavers. You can send Dolittle Grams. The site was OK but was lacking in interactivity.

Peggy: According to the Godzilla Web site, size does matter.

www.godzilla.com

Joni: An online battle game pops right up. You can play the massively multi-player active game online. You get the software and the first month is free.

Peggy: You can also see exactly what the big lizard looks like with lots of stills. You can hear music from the soundtrack. You can also sign up for Visual Chat and VRML Chat with other G-fans.

Joni: You can download screensavers and other stuff, including "the roar." Make sure your volume is turned down.

Peggy: Often movies open their Web sites before the movies debut. One example is a remake of the "Avengers" television series.

www.the-avengers.com

Joni: The movie doesn't open until mid-August. The site doesn't offer much, yet. You can download posters and trailers and send Web cards.

Peggy: As the hype for the movie grows, so does the Web site. Additional features are added along the way.

Joni: Sometimes you can find a movie online that isn't yet in your hometown. One example is "Gone With the Wind." I love the Web address.

www.franklymydear.com

Joni: I had the good fortune of seeing it once on the big screen at the Fox in St. Louis. It's stunning on the big screen.

Peggy: From this site, you can visit the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta. You do need new technology from IBM. It's pretty good, except for the strange little tour guide who appears in every room.

Peggy: You can also view a video of Tara, and with some more new technology you can interact with the video. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the technology to work. Maybe you'll have better luck.

Joni: You can send a Scarlett postcard now or later. After all, tomorrow is another day. You can also send a Rhett postcard to tell someone you don't give a damn.

Peggy: And don't forget to enter a sweepstakes that allows you to re-cast the top leads. At present, the choices are: Tom Selleck as Rhett, with Harrison Ford running second; Nicole Kidman as Scarlett, with Kate Winslet in second; Matthew McConaughey as Ashley, with Hugh Grant in second; Emma Thompson as Melanie, with Jodie Foster in second. What a cast.

Joni: What's your favorite movie site? E-mail us at click@semissourian.com

See you in Cyberspace.

~Peggy Scott and Joni Adams are members of the Southeast Missourian online staff.