The Path to Cinematic Enlightenment

So you wanna be a movie geek, eh?

It's a hard life. You'll be envied by some, reviled by many, despised by most. You may forever lose your ability to surrender completely to celluloid bliss. You may become obsessed by analytic dissection of every movie you see. You might lose yourself completely in film.

But the advantages of movie geekdom are...well, there aren't any advantages, except that you'll kick ass on any movie-related Trivial Pursuit or Jeopardy! questions. If you believe you are truly ready, then follow this simple path of links toward cinematic enlightenment.

The Internet Movie Database

This one's a no-brainer, and if you don't already consult this at least twice a day, then you'll never love movies enough to become a geek. You can search their endless database of film for just about anyone involved with making just about every movie ever made. You can also lose hours just bouncing from film to actor and back again. Tons of fun on a Friday night; you can go toe-to-toe with your friends in an interactive bout of Six Degrees. Good luck matching Yul Brynner and Andy Dick.

Early Cinema

A real diamond in the internet rough, Early Cinema features a comprehensive history of the early decades of cinema, from Thomas Edison to Georges Melies. Different sections approach the topic by pioneer, as a timeline or as a text history. There's even a page of resources you can consult for further information. A great site that covers a rarely-examined segment of film history, and if you want to rack up some essential film buff trivia bits, give this site a thorough exploration.

Drew's Script-O-Rama

Where does any good film begin? No, not on the "casting couch" of some bloated producer, silly! It begins with a script, and that's what Drew's is all about. It's a seemingly endless archive of movie scripts, movie transcripts and teleplays. Aside from the opportunity to endlessly dissect the scripts of your favorite movies, Drew's also allows you to read up on films that haven't even been produced yet--and films you may never see. Don't miss the interactive Glengarry Glen Ross crossword puzzle. It's one of the finest uses of Java yet devised.

The Movie Quote Quiz

Carey Ahr has developed what seems like an endless movie quote quiz, divide into genre and provided through a slick interface that allows you to click and hear the movie quotes you're trying to place. Once you're through with each page, you can also read reviews of the films or buy them online. Aside from that, he's also got an exclusive interview with Irvin Kershner, director of The Empire Strikes Back, and you better think that's the best Star Wars movie ever, or you're gonna find your Movie Geek Club card shredded in your back pocket. While you sit on it.

Movie Mistakes

One of the biggest parts of being a movie geek is pointing out the mistakes of others. If you can't spot a plot hole in a Star Trek film from fifty paces, then you have no business calling yourself a "geek." This site offers a handy list of movie mistakes--and true geeks can also add their own. It's like that classic adage always says: those who can, do. Those who can't, point out the errors of those who do and consider themselves better than those who do because they uncovered their mistakes.