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The Blair Witch blitzkrieg has finally buried the debate on how much a movie website can influence box office mania. So in preparation for the fall season we've previewed new film sites to see which studios have mastered the digital jungle, and which lost their map in the forest.

FIGHT CLUB (www.foxmovies.com/fightclub) SITE THEME You've seen the teaser site at www.tinylife.com, now go to the real thing -- a prankish ad campaign that includes a mock store. You can even ''buy'' the clothes worn by costar Brad Pitt, like a silk shirt that ''was hand crafted in an Indonesian sweatshop by Frida, a single mother of seven whose monthly salary is equivalent to six American dollars.'' HIGHLIGHTS A celebrity fighting section where you can take on Sinatra, Hemingway, or Gandhi, and desktop wallpaper designed like a nightmarish airplane-emergency instruction pamphlet WHERE TO SURF NEXT The Official Ultimate Fighting Championship home page (www.seg.com/ufc/) A

STIGMATA (mgm.com/stigmata/home.html) SITE THEME True religion. Spiritual guru Deepak Chopra endorses the thriller; surfers get links to the Vatican and The Catholic Encyclopedia -- plus photos of stars Patricia Arquette and Gabriel Byrne. HIGHLIGHTS Serious enthusiasts can review tips on spotting genuine stigmata, or swap ''stigmata stories'' in the chat room. WHERE TO SURF NEXT Consider Satan's many forms at The Evil of Pippi Longstocking (members.aol.com/rtvdave/pippi.html). B+

THE STRAIGHT STORY (www.straightstory.com) SITE THEME Promo for this film, a true story about a 73-year-old Iowa man who rides his lawn tractor 320 miles to see his ailing brother, is as thin as costar Harry Dean Stanton, and as cut-and-dried as AstroTurf. Expect nothing more than cast photos and some obligatory promotional copy. HIGHLIGHTS The movie trailer, with music by Twin Peaks soundtrack composer Angelo Badalamenti WHERE TO SURF NEXT The official website of the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association (www.letsmow.com) D

FOR LOVE OF THE GAME (www.forloveofthegame.com) SITE THEME Kevin Costner's ballpark movie gets a lame pitch. About as riveting as a rain delay, the site's idea of interactivity is revolving baseball cards featuring cast photos and stats. HIGHLIGHTS Revolving baseball cards featuring cast photos and stats WHERE TO SURF NEXT Costnerfans, ''a site dedicated to the critical analysis of the work of Kevin Costner'' (www. costnerfans.com) C

THE BACHELOR (www.bachelor movie.com, www.bachelor ville.com) SITE THEME Although this get-rich-by-getting-married-quick movie has dual sex appeal, it has a gender-specific Web campaign. The bachelor movie.com site is targeted at women, so that's where you'll find the Chris O'Donnell screensaver. The bachelor ville.com site, however, is a Maxim magazine-style webzine for swingle guys. HIGHLIGHTS A list of the greatest bachelors of all time and a single guy's drink guide for all those who didn't make the cut WHERE TO SURF NEXT Viva Las Vegas Themed Weddings (www.vivalasvegasweddings.com) B

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Posted Sep 10, 1999
 

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