Local Web site Wows 'Cahiers du Cinema'
Austinite Todd Harbour wins praise from the esteemed French film publication Cahiers du Cinema for his film-and-video Web site, Mobius Home Video Forum.
By Marrit Ingman, Fri., Dec. 21, 2001
While it's still probably one of the best-kept secrets in the local film scene, the Mobius Home Video Forum (www.mhvf.net) is getting plenty of attention elsewhere -- such as a glowing review from the esteemed French film journal Cahiers du Cinema in its November issue. In the notice, Tim Lucas calls Mobius the "busiest, best-designed and most enduring" of online film forums. Founder and webmaster Todd Harbour, based in Austin since his student days, boosts local events (such as the Alamo's Incredibly Strange Trailerthon) in addition to coordinating the site with six other moderators. The site features four discussion boards about cult and general topics, "special reports" from the field (event wrap-ups and interviews with the likes of William Lustig -- director-producer of splatter fave Maniac -- and Wicker Man helmer Robin Hardy), and a diary of Harbour's musings and industry news. The boards are the main attraction, with thoughtful discussions governed by a strict usage policy that fosters "honest discussions between real people" (no flames, no spam, no fake screen names). Yet there's no lack of fired-up cinefandom: Recently, posters on the Sci-Fi & Horror board discussed an obscure Indonesian flick -- Perawan Rimba, or Jungle Virgin Force, starring Lydia Kandou -- while members chatted about the Tai Seng DVD of Eternal Evil of Asia, a Category III (or soft-core) film, in Asian Cinema Discussion. Though he credits the "passionate, articulate, enthusiastic, and astute participants" for Mobius' success, Harbour says he intends to offer more essays and feature stories in addition to the popular discussion boards.