Film.com

Address: https://www.film.com

* What it is: Reviews, features and “cinecism.� Some buried treasures can be discovered in the archive of past interviews, director profiles and essays. The Home Theater gives you the lowdown on weekly video and laserdisc releases. The Back Lot is home to release calendars from the studios, box-office numbers and film festival information. One unique feature is 2 Cents, customized bulletin boards that fill you in on conversations since your last visit and tell you if your friends are on at the same time. Film.com was founded as “the independent voice of film criticism on the Internet.� It supports itself through advertising and sponsorship and remains independent of studio affiliation. In other words, they’ll say whatever they darn well please.

* Comments: OK, we’ve seen a lot of this stuff in a lot of other places. So what sets Film.com apart? Articles that are well-written, clever and not above taking catty potshots. In reviewing “Donnie Brasco,� one writer has this to say about Al Pacino’s performance: “Pacino, tired, puffy and defeated, is busy developing an entire school of acting around shouting.� Now, who can resist that?