Now playing: film sites

Film buffs who turn to the Internet for information on their favorite subject now have new movie sites to visit.

In the last week alone, three new film sites have sprung up on the Web, hoping to capitalize on Netizens' seemingly insatiable appetite for convenient, localized entertainment information.

The trend is another example of Net guides and Web sites moving in on the previously undisputed territory of newspapers. Interactive and localized news, sports, weather, and now entertainment sites are slowly drawing readers from various media onto the Net.

America Online's Digital City, a locally-focused online network, today launched the Digital City MovieGuide, a database of films playing in each Digital City area, plus reviews and synopses of each film.

Available on AOL as well as the Web, the Digital City MovieGuide covers nine cities including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.

Also debuting this week is Reel.com's Cinema U., an online film school and club. Cinema U. expects to eventually carry over 200 courses in such subjects as "Film History," "Stars and Directors," and "Film and Society."

Tuition for these online courses begins at $9.95 for a "mini" course covering three to five films with accompanying online lectures. All films covered are available for rental through Reel. The first classes begin August 25.

Finally, Gist, a site offering television listings, announced yesterday that it will provide cobranded "movies-only" television listings with partners Film.com, Hollywood Online, Cinema1, and Reel.