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#Movies, #Blu-Ray, #Update, #Personal, #Video Games, #C#, #Programming, #XNA Framework

So, things have gotten a little better. Of course they aren't great, but I'm working on that.

#Movies, #Aspect Ratio, #Widescreen

This is a subject that has been near and dear to my heart for many a year: widescreen aspect ratios.
I was recently reading an 'article' at Toms Hardware titled "16:9 Screens Popular, But Movies Go Wider". This article, if one were to call it that, is chock full of grammatical errors, and, well, I can sum it up in one sentence: "Widescreen monitors (or tvs) are cheaper to produce, and thus cheaper to buy, but some movies are not the same aspect ratio as the standard widescreen monitor or tv."
Now, it is sorta neat to read about why they are cheaper to produce (manufacturer's being able to cut more panels from these 16:9 and 16:10 sizes than a standard 4:3 size), but the article really got me with this:

The trend is not changing again, and I'll tell you why, after the break.

#Movie Review, #Review, #DVD, #Movies

Well, another week has passed... actually I think 2 weeks since I last sat down and wrote out something for this site. At any rate, I'm back with a couple quick reviews; I'll throw in some of last weeks stuff (if I can remember back that far) and hit up tomorrow's releases best I can. Enjoy, after the break.

#Blockbuster, #Previously Viewed DVD, #Cheap Movies

While Blockbuster has of late had quite a few cheap DVD sales (mostly bundles such as 4 for $20, but also some random $3.99 and $5.99 discs thrown in), they rarely really have anything I want. That all changed today.
While I don't have a complete list, here are a few titles that are worth looking out for. (Most of the ones I don't remember, I don't remember for a reason).

* Capote
*Jarhead (Single Disc - and was there some sort of transfer problem with Blockbuster copies of Jarhead?)
* United 93 (Single Disc)
* Thank You For Smoking
* Ultraviolet
* Brokeback Mountain

I'm only picking up Thank You For Smoking and United 93, and maybe Jarhead if there was really no transfer trouble as I seem to remember reading about (apparently, Blockbuster's widescreen discs were cut-off some or something, I think a 1.78:1 ratio instead of the larger, 2.35:1.)

If I see more worth posting I will, but in the meantime, any recommendations from the short list? What's good/bad/sucks? Anything you readers will be picking up?

#Movies, #Film

I've worked in a video store for a few years, and have thus had the opportunity to see a lot of great movies. And yet, it always feels like a real chore to try to name off even a few. So when a co-worker of mine asked me to recommend some movies to her, I was initially at a loss.
I began to browse through the drama section, trying to jog my memory. The hardest part is that a lot of movies are so mainstream, I know most everyone has probably seen them, or I never watched them because they didn't pique my interest. But then I suddenly remembered the films and directors that make me love film. And in about five minutes, I had compiled a list of maybe 10 movies. So, after the break, here are a few of my favorite movies that I think might have been just below the radar for some people, and a few that have probably been seen by everyone, but perhaps not.

#Blockbuster Video, #Movies, #Pre-Viewed DVD's, #Sale, #B2G2

Blockbuster Video has started up some new sales this past Tuesday. Nothing amazing, but worth noting I suppose.
-B2G2 (Buy Two Get Two Free) on Pre-Viewed DVD's. This is all inclusive, unlike the 4 for $20 and 2 for $20, which had price ranges. With this new sale, you can find 4 $5.99 PVD's and get them for $11.98, or $2.99 a piece.

Also, Pre-Played Games $14.99 and below are B1G1. Probably excludes next-gen games, but most of those are at least $20 anyway.

#Xbox 360, #Blu-Ray, #Media, #Movies, #Video Games, #Microsoft

So, about a month late, I hear from a friend of mine that MS was thinking of installing a BD player in their Xbox 360 gaming console. I found this very interesting, since HD-DVD, last I heard, was being fully supported by Microsoft. So I did some legwork, and found out the story broke about a month ago, and that the story was a completely different one as well.
It seems Peter Moore had previously said this:

Microsoft would consider adding an external Blu-ray drive to the Xbox 360 in the future, should the right market conditions emerge. According to Peter Moore, corporate VP in charge of fun stuff at Microsoft, those conditions would be the emergence of Blu-ray as the clear winner in the next-generation optical disc format battles.

This seems pretty clear that what he was saying was that SHOULD HD-DVD not be the victor in this new-fangled format war, MS would consider BD. Which I'm sure would be at a point where HD-DVD was pretty much non-existent, which also seems to be not anytime soon at all.
Of course everyone the world over took this to mean MS had given up and that the 360 would have BD drives in them the following week. So MS issued this:

It is important to understand the context in which that statement was made. Microsoft firmly stands behind the HD-DVD format as the best choice for our consumers. As we've said before, we're confident that HD-DVD will bring the excitement of high definition movies to the consumer faster and at a greater value. We believe that consumers have signalled [sic] what format they want to enjoy high definition DVD and we're going to follow them down that path.

So, it seems to me that what MS said was pretty much a logical statement with no real bearing on the future, as we don't know where that will lead us. I for one would like to see BD and HD-DVD coexist (or both die off and a very superior format arise), but it seems as though the studios are really pushing for one or the other.
Anyone here have a preferred format? If you could design the next-gen media, what features would you include?

Source

#Movie Review, #Movies, #Man of the Year, #Robin Williams

Let me be honest: I didn't expect greatness from Man of the Year. I'm not a huge Robin Williams fan, and sometimes find his constant barrage of jokes, his seeming need to be "always on," to be a bit annoying. But I thought the premise of him as the President of the United States had promise; I thought Man of the Year could really go somewhere, with the right writers. Throw into the mix a favorite comedian of mine, Lewis Black, add some cow bell with Christopher Walken, and basically the movie's done. You can bet it will be formulaic and silly, but suddenly I'm thinking Man of the Year will be an entertaining movie. With the right writers.

But apparently the right writer wasn't chosen, nor the right director, nor the right producer, who was, for all of the above, Barry Levinson (Envy, Wag The Dog, Good Morning Vietnam). The movie simply never decides what it wants be: a silly comedy? A political drama? Maybe a scary thriller? Sometimes the direction of the movie changes so quickly it's hard to tell where we're at.

Robin Williams plays Tom Dobbs, a political talk show host in the vein of Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) or Bill Maher (Politically Incorrect). The movie begins with Dobb's manager, Jack Menken (Christopher Walken), quickly recounting the host's rise from talk show host to Independent candidate for the presidency, explaining as well how the year's election would be decided by electronic vote. This all happens within about the first half hour, with Dobbs touring the country giving speeches about what he believes is wrong with our political system and what he would like to change. Most of this is fairly straight-forward, with a few jokes thrown in to keep us believing that maybe this is a comedy.

(Article continues after break; spoilers ahead!)

Source

#Opinions, #Movies, #Online Rentals, #Personal

I don't normally write opinion pieces or personal articles because I feel it's unprofessional. Of course nobody reads the articles here anyway, so I thought I might write something up on the long-baffling subject of why people rent movies.

I work in a video store; a major chain. I have worked there most of my adult life, which is nearly 4 years. And in this short amount of time, I've found that people, for some odd reason, just do not understand movies, or anything surrounding the subject, including their worth.

People often ask me what a good movie would be to rent; please don't. Don't ask and don't rent. It's not worth it. The cost of renting a movie is nearly five dollars where I live, and I know this is by far not a rich town. But people put up with this. They complain and whine and sometimes get really mad, but they still rent movies.
Of course Netflix has made this a much better situation, and Blockbuster Total Access is even better since you can switch the movies in the store. The averages per movie for plans such as these are less than a dollar usually, which is really great if you like watching movies. And yet people still drop five dollar bill after five dollar bill at rental stores.

I find that buying movies is a much more cost effective approach to the whole situation. Best Buy, Target, and Circuit City are always having sales on DVD's, and sometimes mere weeks after a release the movie will be less then ten dollars. To own. The cost of renting two movies to buy one. And often times, buying can be as cheap as renting.

I've told people this. I've told them to check out Amazon or Deepdiscount for a particular movie. But people still rent.

I can see the logic to it: it's been ingrained into people's minds that a DVD is upwards of $20 to buy, and with the over-used (yet often wrong) phrase of "you get what you pay for", people tend to think buying cheap DVD's is a risky business. And so, in light of this, I can see why $5 seems a good deal, especially since you aren't sure you'll like the movie enough to own it. Also, newer releases ARE often $15-$20, so I can see where impulsive people might want it "right now", and so a rental sounds appealing. And, let's face it, movie nights are wonderful things, and the idea of picking up a special one time movie makes it much more exciting. Getting the movie, the snacks, the food, the drinks - and then the immediate payoff of watching it with friends - sounds great. I suppose in these instance one could say the extra money spent is for the experience, and in these rare cases, it makes a little sense. But these are not the renters I'm talking about.

I'm talking repeat offenders here. People that will rent movie after movie after movie. People that rent at least five movies a week. It sickens me, to be honest.

Some people will buy an in store promo offer, something that lessens the cost overall, but usually not by much. But I suppose people just don't know the value of a dollar; maybe my town is richer than I thought? Maybe I am just too much of a penny pincher? Maybe the un-bathed, loud, obnoxious and uncouth members of this small town aren't really blowing another welfare check on rentals; maybe they're high payed lawyers and doctors? Maybe.

Point being, if you want movies, rent online or not at all.

#Circular Ads, #Circuit City, #Target, #Best Buy, #The List, #Sale, #DVD, #Cheap, #Movies

The List: Vol1, Issue4
As usual, read Speedy1961's complete list at the dvdtalk forums.

Best Buy
Pretty much nothing interests me here. Read Speedy's thread if you want to see it all, but be warned, there are really no great deals this week from BB.

Circuit City
$7.49 DVD's
Man On Fire
Labyrinth
Shaun Of The Dead
Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior
The Dark Crystal: Special Edition
BLOW

$9.99 DVD's
Ghostbusters 1 & 2
Pearl Harbor: 2 DVD Set

NBA Street Vol2 (PS2) - $4.99
Blitz The League (XB360) - $22.49

Target
$6.50 DVD's
This Is Spinal Tap: Special Edition
There's Something About Mary: Special Edition

$10 DVD's
Casablanca: 2 DVD Special Edition
GoodFellas: 2 DVD Special Edition
One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest: 2 DVD Special Edition
Gladiator: Extended Edition
Unforgiven: 2 DVD Special Edition

(You're gonna need $40-$50 for this one cause these are definitely worth $10. Gladiator 3-Disc may be a mistake, but if they are actually $10, what a glorious mistake it is! Also, it may be worth noting that both CC and BB price match; I believe CC will do 110% and BB, you can get Reward Zone points. Just remember to grab Target's ad first!)

Well I know it's a short List this week, but that's it. And remember to check out Speedy1961's posts at dvdtalk; you can find links after the break.