Archive for July, 2011

Well, if you’re a NetFlix subscriber as I have been since 2003, you got the email. Netflix is changing the rules. The are separating DVD’s from Streaming.

Now I have to admit, I’ve seen this coming for a long time. If you remember a few years ago, they raised rates rather steeply to keep up with the cost of mailing DVDs. That has to be a pain, postage, packaging, not to mention the lost and stolen DVD’s. They’ve complained for a long time about the costs of mailing DVD’s and have been looking for a device to attach to your TV set or an app to send to your iPad to allow you to download from them which I am sure is lower cost. However, the DVD plan, even though they’ve complained bitterly about losing money on the system, must have had something going for it, as it sure played havoc with all the brick and mortar rental stores. How many times do I remember fast forwarding through VHS tapes to try to get it done by 10:40 so I could run to Wherehouse and turn in the tape before they locked the door at 11:00 only to get there and find three guys inside the window laughing at me for the $4.00 late fee I was about to get.

But if you recall, after the big price increase, Blockbuster got into the DVD mailing mode with a plus over Netflix. They still had a few brick and mortar stores, so you could finish the DVD, run to the store instead of to the mailbox, and get a new one for free from your mail DVD program at the Blockbuster store. Then Redbox and a number of competitors came around and brought the game to another level. The price increase didn’t last very long, and not only was reversed, but actually they were forced to drop the price.

So why didn’t Blockbuster’s program kick NetFlix out of the game? One reason, and the reason why NetFlix Watch Instantly is not acceptable as well; Content!!!

NetFlix had EVERYTHING under the sun! Foreign films from all over the world. Obscure films from 15 years ago. Classic’s from the Black and White and Silent Movie eras. Everything.

My favorite thing from NetFlix is the new releases. Those who read this blog know that every Tuesday I’m looking at the new releases out on DVD. I hate the delays on some features that are released as Blockbuster Exclusives and such, but I can live with that. But that content that makes NetFlix DVD service so extremely awesome just isn’t there on Watch Instantly yet. They are adding some newer films (not all 1980’s TV Movies like it used to be), especially with the Starz connection, but it’s just not got near the content that the DVD collection has. Maybe some day it will.

Now there is a new fad of watching the previous seasons of that TV show that you love, where you missed the previous years. I personally watched every office episode for the 2 or 3 years I didn’t know about it. Some people are into this big time, and that’s a good use for a streaming account at a low cost. But if you want to watch new release movies, you have to keep both accounts and it’s simply a way to increase the cost.

So it is a good idea for NetFlix or a rip off for the loyal customers that have had the service for years and years and years. I guess that remains to be seen. I know many people are cancelling their accounts right and left, but many more a signing up at the same time due to all the publicity (Bad press is still press, and all press is good).

Will I keep both accounts? Well for now I have to, but I’ll be looking closely at dumping the DVD service and switching to Redbox. I have setup a Redbox account, and I like the idea that they are all around me. I can login on-line and reserve a particular movie at one of the grocery stores close by, pick it up, and return it anywhere. It also shows me other locations that have the one I want when the usual grocery store is out of it. That’s pretty hot! So I’m definitely going to try that out, and see how it works. It may allow me to dump the DVD service from NetFlix altogether. I’ll definitely have to give it a lot of thought.

As to whether it will work out for NetFlix or not, I am not sure the whole TV appliance thing is going to work out. There is going to be fierce competition in that field, and the content owners and cable and satellite providers may win that out on that one. I don’t see why I need a third party in the middle. So NetFlix may be shooting themselves in the foot here, as the DVD mailing service is what made them, and they’re dissing their best customers. We shall have to wait and see.

If you have any opinion on NetFlix and the new pricing schedule, or Redbox, or anything else in the market, be sure to let me know. I’ve seen other brands besides RedBox (Blockbuster and AM-PM have them too and more). I wonder if Redbox is the leader or if one of the others is better. Let me know your $.02 and what works best for you.

Hope you’re enjoying the great summer of movies!

–Ed of EdsReview

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RKO Radio Pictures

Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Cedric Hardwicke, Nigel Bruce, Dame May Whitty, Alfred Hitchcock

Lina (Joan Fontaine) is a wealthy aristocratic lady, but lonely and worried about becoming a spinster. She meets charming gambler Johnny (Cary Grant) on a train, and he is floored by her and begins a speedy courtship and soon they are married. But Lina realizes she doesn’t know much about him, and a number of things do not seem to add up. It seems Johnny has a fondness for the track, and lives from day to day by borrowing money from his friends. Several events start Lina thinking, and the death of a close friend and a strange interest in poisons leads her to think he is out to kill her. Alfred Hitchcock spins a yarn of doubt and suspicion that is classic Hitchcock.

Suspicion is not one of Hitchcocks greatest films, but it is pretty good. Joan Fontaine received an academy award for her role, and Cary Grant is certainly charming. Even though the film was made in 1941, it still holds up pretty well today. Sometimes it’s hard to watch poor Lina losing faith in Johnny bit by bit. His actions are very questionable and the lies roll off easy. But what is this scoundrel really up to? This is a good introduction to Hitchcock, not extremely suspenseful, but the typical Hitchcock plot device of stacking the evidence against somebody, and anyone would have to believe this guy is a thug!

Delightful to watch, the action unfolds piece by piece and we’re pulling into the stunning story until we’re completely hooked. This is a great look back into the classic days of cinema when the sets were amazing and the cinematography was done with such love and care. This is a wonderful relaxing way to spend an evening.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Dark Park Studios, Surface Seven Pictures

James Debello, Louis Mandylor, Francesca Cecil, Daniel Kountz, Dick DeCoit, Dianna Renée, Micah Pittard, Natalie Hall, Vic Harris, Alana Curry

This is the entry on IMDB for this film.

A collection of friends head out on a camping trip, but brother Nate (Micah Pittard) has been having problems with depression and is medicated after suicide attempts, so they keep a close eye on him. Nate brought a gun with him on the trip, and hearing voices sneaks out in the night and ends up shooting a creepy statue in the woods after hearing voices and seeing something. After they come home, Nate continues to act strangely and then suddenly appears to have shot himself. But one by one people end up dying and the mystery grows.

This small indie film is tough to find. It’s not available at all rental outlets, and can occasionally be caught on TV. This is a true horror, suspense film about doppelgangers and other mysterious stuff. It’s not very big budget, and the stars are not well known, but it is quite creepy and everyone does their part to add to the suspense. It’s kind of weird that everyone keeps seeing people who look exactly like themselves. Seeing your doppelganger is not a good thing. The legend is that when you see your double you are about to die. This film proposes that theory, and people are seeing their doubles all over the place. Doctors can’t help, so naturally we turn to a supernatural expert. Bottom line….if you see a weird statue in the woods, don’t shoot it.

This is a little indie film that uses it story and content to creep you out, not expensive CGI and special effects to scare you. It does a good job of tightening the screws and keeping you on the edge of your seat. If you can find it on late night TV, it’s a pretty decent little horror flick, one that’s certainly out of the mainstream copycat stores we’ve been seeing a lot of lately.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Family of the Year Productions

Chad Lindberg, Tracey Walter, Daniel Franzese, Sarah Butler, Jeff Branson, Andrew Howard, Rodney Eastman, Saxon Sharbino, Mollie Milligan


Jennifer (Sarah Butler) is a writer who has decided to take a retreat and rented a cabin way out in the middle of nowhere. But to her bad luck, she accidentally embarrased one of the local yokels and made some enemies unbeknownst to her. Later, fuelled by beer and big talk the guys decide to drop by and visit this pretty city girl and teach her a lesson. She is brutally raped and beaten when things suddenly turn worse. Left for dead, she returns to exact revenge on the guys one by one.

This is a remake of the original shocker film by the same title from 1978. The story is very close, only a few things have been added. The original was one of the most shocking films of all times. It was very, very graphic and extremely violent. It was named by Roger Ebert as the “worst film of all time”. This version is, as I said, nearly the same story, and it is still shocking, even by today’s standards. It’s interesting though, to compare the 1978 version to this one. This one is much more “Saw” like with clever and interesting ways to kill someone. Things have changed. In 1978 it was pure revenge and hate, whereas this one is much more clever and James Bondish. The original was more raw and more graphic. Now maybe I will get some flack for that last statement, as the 2010 one is certainly graphic, but I think it loses some of the shock value of the original since it is slicker and less raw passion, in my humble opinion.

However this doesn’t mean this one is not graphic and gory. It certainly is, and it was not submitted for rating because it would surely deserve an NC-17 if not more. However it is a lot slicker, more is suggested and not actually shown, and it’s a bit above the original in the “taste” department. Still it’s a graphic revenge killing film. It features a strong woman who isn’t about to take what was done to her easily. She’s a tough girl, for sure, and the guys get what they deserve, no doubt about it.

Many people decry this film for the violence against the woman, and at the same time praise it for the strong female lead. It’s hard to have it both ways, but I can certainly understand the controversy. This film has been compared to Deliverance by the filmmakers, and that’s a bit of a fair comparison. It’s shocking in the same way, and it is sort of a female Deliverance. But some poeple will be unable to watch the violence throughout, first against the woman, which is just awful, and then the revenge against the men. They did a good job of getting the emotion and violence down on film. If you can take it, then it’s not a bad remake, but if you’re squeamish, this is not a film for the weak hearted.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

This is the original 1978 trailer

 

 

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Charles Fries Productions

Harvey Korman, Peter Scolari, T.K. Carter, Stephanie Faracy, Chuck McCann, Graham Jarvis, Dick Yarmy, Maxine Stuart, Ernest Borgnine

Carpool is a TV movie from 1983 which is now available on DVD and Netflix Watch Instantly. It’s the story of four loser carpoolers driving from Pomona to Downtown LA together. Wendell Brooks (Harvey Korman) is a telemarketer who can’t sell anything, Robert Duff (Peter Scolari) is a struggling actor, Otis Vaughan (T K Carter) is working two crappy jobs just trying to break even, and Jennifer O’Connor (Stepahnie Faracy) is a former nun who is trying to make it on the “outside). On the way home from work after a near collision, the door of an armored car flies open and drops a bag of nearly a million dollars right in front of the fortunate carpool. The pick it up, decide to give it all back, but somehow find that it’s much harder to return that they ever dreamed. Everyone’s looking for it from the cops, to the FBI, to the special underworld task force. Things go from crazy to crazier all the way through this as the weird foursome have to fight to try to survive not matter how complicated it gets.

This is a TV movie, as I stated above, so it’s not very high tech. And it’s old! It’s from 1983. So why am I watching it? Well, one reason is I was looking for something unusual to watch on NetFlix “Watch Instantly” and this has a great group of comedians in it. With the likes of Harvey Korman, Ernest Borgnine, Chuck McCann, and Peter Scolari, I figured it would be funny, and it was. It’s a little dated. It’s really 1983 there, but it was very nostalgic for the times of Tim Conway and Don Knotts style comedies. I wasn’t disappointed in this. No, it’s not a blockbuster, but it was a real funny nostalgic trip back to the days when comedies we funny but not crude or rude. I really enjoyed watching this and recommend it to someone looking for something funny to watch on NetFlix Watch Instantly. It’s a good funny hour and half that will remind you of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Mad World. Very well done for a TV movie, and lots of fun to watch. Do not be confused with the 1996 film entitled Carpool as well. It’s a Tom Arnold film, and not the same as this movie. I haven’t watched that one yet, but perhaps someday when I’m ready for a dose of Tom Arnold. This one is Harvey Korman and Ernest Borgnine. It’s worth searching for.

No preview found for Carpool (1983)

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