Mr Showbiz Lights, camera, action. Mr. Showbiz ranks high as one of the best entertainment-related Web pages. While considerable focus is applied to the film industry - reviews, coming attractions, gossip and historical yada yada - the site does stretch its wings to include music, television and theater. Though there may not be anything too sparkly enticing about the graphics at Mr. Showbiz, there is definitely something to be said for the speed and simplicity of a low-bandwidth treatment. Mr. Showbiz offers a crisp, clean feel, creative icons, and consistency throughout. Consistency, unfortunately, is all too rare among most entertainment sites that bombard us with fancy-shmancy and often unrelated images. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that my favorite section of the site is Scoop, an area devoted to the trashy rumor mill of the entertainment arena. I found the mounds of ridiculous, useless information to be magnetically captivating, much to my anti-tabloid dismay. In late January, I learned that Tom Selleck will be a special guest star on the trophy-winning pop TV series "Friends"(as Monica's older boyfriend), and the original Power Rangers are getting killed off for new wonder heroes that "are much more powerful, and a lot sexier, too." Hmmmmmm. Mr. Showbiz has also built a nice area to archive Oscars from 1927 to the present. While I wish there were a few more photos - it's always nice to get flashes of Betty's baby blues - the current star bios more than make up for the lack of historical imagery. Woody Allen is a Sagittarius with three kids, and Drew Barrymore is a Pisces with a new boyfriend. The Daily Dose is entertaining too, as it refers to "this date in history" - who was born, died, married, divorced, on the cover of Rolling Stone, etc., etc., etc. Sure it's trivial, but who doesn't like Hollywood trivia? Also lodged within the Daily Dose is a vocabulary builder. I don't exactly consider the word "rue" (the entry when I checked) to be very challenging, especially given the example sentence reading "I rue the day I asked O.J. to try on those blasted gloves."However, other words archived from Doses past - Dharma bums, Apocrypha, and chattel - proved more interesting. Mr. Showbiz may not stimulate your neurons or captivate the philosopher within, but it delivers what it promises - an entertaining look at entertainment - and it does so extremely well.-SK

A+

Amazing Interactive Design Photoshop Art and Sound Rexalot and HeyRenee have created a rather peaceful spot on the Internet with their interactive gallery. In the Insect Nest, see and hear munching grubs and other insects flitting about. In Sea Sounds, a determined drinker wanders the lounge of a quasi-abandoned cruise ship looking for company. This gallery establishes a serene mood that is echoed throughout the site, making it more than just a collection of pictures and sounds. A warning: Even though they aren't very big, it takes a while to download all the graphics. And don't even try accessing these pages with LYNX.-MP

B+

Antonio Banderas I know too many otherwise level-headed women who swoon at the thought of Antonio. Come to think of it, I know too many men who crave him, too. Banderas inspires the rabid devotion that publicists dream of. He's a pop icon for the 90s, oozing sex *and* diversity. A net search of Tony's name turned up dozens of hits, this page being a typical fan site. You'll find movie profiles, a few interviews clipped from magazines, and blind adoration of his Holiness - the usual fan tribute. There isn't any real reason to visit this site, except perhaps as part of a sociological study of celebrity culture.-SS

D+

Flicker For many of us, adolescence was a time of discovery. Thoughts of sex, identity, and acne consumed our waking hours. A few souls, however, were bitten by a different bug: film-making. Flicker is web-central for members of the film underworld - those individuals who understand cinema as something more than a collection of monolithic Hollywood corporations. Listings of the venues, people and products central to "alternative cinema" make this site a pleasure to visit. I discovered several films I absolutely must track down. -SS

A

Hong Kong Cinema The Hong Kong film industry produces some of the most violent, action-packed films released today. It is therefore no surprise that these films have inspired a fanatical following among the Stateside hip and slack. This is a must-visit site for anyone interested in the genre. You'll find industry happenings, an extensive database, a large collection of links to related sites, and more. You'll even find the weekly Hong Kong box office figures. This site looks great and there is a wealth of information. I only wish I enjoyed Hong Kong films. Oh well.-SS

A

Kubrick, A Multimedia Film Guide I don't understand the nuances of copyright law, fair use doctrine, and other related legal constructs. It is therefore my own ignorance that drives me to ask this question: How do sites like this survive the scrutiny of the copyright police? This is a fine site, with numerous images and sound files from each of Kubrick's films, and a brief though helpful collection of related links. The page creator is clearly a fan, but I doubt this status in any way shields him or her from legal scrutiny. Check it out while you can - it may not be standing much longer.-SS

B

Low Res Film Festival The table of contents and menu bars all flaunt superior graphics, and the page layout and site organization are easy on the eyes and a pleasure to navigate. Follow upcoming film festivals with clips and mini - very mini - summaries of what's playing. A Tools section advertises cameras, editing equipment and similar hardware of the film-related ilk. Still, portions of the site remain thin in content, and lack the depth of coverage a diehard independent film fanatic might require. A good site nonetheless.-LS

B

Movie Review Query Engine The Web provides an ideal soapbox for every rube and cracker to exercise his God-given right to voice an opinion on any and all matter of note. Movie reviewing is an especially popular topic, so it was with trepidation that I approached this site. To my surprise, I discovered one of the most useful movie index interfaces on the Web: plot summaries, reviews from numerous sources, movies ranked by genre - all well-presented and arranged. And, if a particular production crew member's work impressed you, a list of their other film credits is a link away. Now *that's* comprehensive!-SS

A-

Movies Humble Jeff Renzi aims to teach the Internet community all he knows about the movies he digs most: Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Clerks and Plan 9 From Outer Space. Could Jeff Renzi be a young man - *perhaps a college student?* - with too much free time? Who knows. Jeff Renzi is, however, a well-organized soul who publishes comprehensive guides to the above films. You'll find actor bios, stills from the movies and RealAudio of character dialogue. But - oops - you will not find interesting, stylized writing or personal charm of any sort. Avoid the world of Jeff Renzi. You can find more compelling material elsewhere.-JP

D

Museum Arrakeen Museum Arrakeen is a site for fans of *Dune*, Frank Herbert's tireless sci-fi epic that transcended literary conventions to describe in precise detail an imaginary planet replete with its own biology, history, language and politics. The site's director, Christian Gilmore, deserves hardy praise for a presentation that follows Herbert's creative lead: As you navigate this space, you tour not a Web page, but a museum located on the sands of Dune itself. Fortunately, this contrived charade never stumbles into hokiness. When Gilmore augments his amazingly complete site with more interesting graphics, his overall rating should jump a full letter grade.-JP

B+

Star Wars Home Page at UPENN Ask any technogeek to name the film that first inspired dreams of nerdiness, and the answer will always be the same: "Star Wars." I saw it more than 30 times on the big screen, never growing tired of the special effects. Who cared about the story? The movie inspired two sequels, computers games, trading cards, and action toys - a cultural juggernaut. This site addresses all aspects of the phenomenon, from interviews with director George Lucas to the latest game demo. Numerous A/V files are available, as are scripts and principal biographies. A fan's dream and copyright lawyer's nightmare.-SS

A-

The Biz The word on the street is that film professionals, wanna-be film professionals and film fanatics should be surfing the BizMag Web site. Dazzling its readers with flashy colors, gossip, job boards, and the latest, greatest movie trailers available online, Biz speaks with authority and backs itself up with comprehensive coverage. Some of the icons and design decisions are less than spectacular, and some of the pages are harder to read than they need to be, but overall, Biz is a great site for film industry current events.-SK

A-

The Cult Shop While visually benign, The Cult Shop provides a near-daunting number of links to info on cult movies, videos and TV shows. Topics are cross-referenced ad nauseum, and the end result is a clear, detailed schematic of the entire cult media machine. Content includes tireless dossiers on actors, writers and directors; reviews from critics; and links to "official"sites run by corporate P.R. offices. Web surfers can even cast votes for their favorite cult classics. While the site's attitude and verve runs a bit dry, The Cult Shop is nonetheless a valuable resource for quick, comprehensive information.-JP

B

The Documentary Film Group Home Page With such an impressive title, one would assume that this site would provide the final word on documentary cinema. Not so. The Documentary Film Group is a University of Chicago student organization that serves its local community. The site's content includes a calender listing for college screenings, links to *real* documentary film sites, and not much more. While the students at U. of C. are surely busy folks, they may want to invest some time in posting the insightful commentary that undoubtedly appears in their theses and terms papers. Remember, kids, the *World Wide* Web is watching.-JP

D

The Official Peril Productions Home Page "How," I asked myself, "did I live this long without encountering Peril Productions?"This Web site leads me to believe that the site's brain trust includes some of the most creative and funny people alive. Hilarious images, a clever FAQ and cheeky profiles had me laughing out loud. This is the first site I've come across that tempts me to open my wallet - I simply must see these films! I will not sleep until I have seen "Peril at Castle Eifenstein."Judging by its plot summary, this could be the movie I've been waiting for all of my life.-SS

A