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Tag: movies

Subscription Fatigue

streaming

Over the past few years we’ve entered into the world of subscription services for entertainment, among other things. It started out with a few, but media companies have found the benefits of having their own streaming services outweigh selling their content to an existing service. At least, that’s what they think now, but what happens when people get subscription fatigue? It’s happening to me. Let me start by first listing all the entertainment subscriptions that I currently pay for.

Current Subscriptions:

  • Netflix
  • Amazon Prime (mainly for shopping)
  • Hulu
  • YoutubeTV
  • AMC A-List
  • Apple Music
  • DC Universe
  • Stitcher Premium (Podcasts)
  • The Incomparable (Podcast)

On and Off Subscriptions:

  • HBO Now
  • STARZ (though now that Counterpart is cancelled, I don’t see myself subscribing again).
  • Showtime
  • Various other podcast networks that I may subscribe to for a brief period of time.

That is a lot of subscriptions and it doesn’t include services that I would like to or will be likely to sign up for in the future. We know that Disney is starting their own streaming service and that’s where all the Marvel (and Star Wars) content will be. Apple is jumping into the streaming game with their own service (expected to be announced on March 25th). CBS has Star Trek Discovery and the reboot of The Twilight Zone on CBS All Access, which may be enough to tempt me to subscribe. Warner Bros. is launching a service with their film and TV catalog. Universal is as well.

At what point will consumers see subscription fatigue? Are they already? I am starting to feel that way. There’s only so much money I will spend on entertainment in a given month and there’s only so much time to enjoy said entertainment. This cannot be a sustainable model for users or for the services. I've only listed the ones that I subscribe to. There are many others, ranging from Britbox and Acorns, which caters to lovers of British TV, to WWE's streaming service for wrestling fans.

Will we eventually see bundled subscriptions? That sounds a lot like cable, which loses more and more viewers each year partly due to price. Will some of these services go away? I wouldn’t be surprised if Hulu eventually goes away now that is majority owned by Disney. I think this could also lead to a decrease in quality of the programming as well. As viewers are forced to choose what new streaming services they want to pay for, total number of subscribers for each service is sure to thin. So, if you have less viewers, you are less inclined to continue producing a low-rated, yet high quality, show like Netflix's Travelers or STARZ's Counterpart. If your service or show is niche, the budget for said content is sure to be small.

I don't have any answers to the above questions, and neither do the streaming companies. This is going to be a situation of wait and see how the market plays out. I think in the end we will see some casualties of the streaming wars with only the major players surviving. In the meantime, it's going to be tough to pick and choose which services I should continue using.

amazon-prime, apple-music, hbo, hulu, movies, netflix, podcasts-2, stitcher-premium, subscriptions, tv, youtubetv

Every Day of Groundhog Day in One Day

bill murray groundhog day In celebration of Groundhog Day (and one of my favorite movies of all time, Groundhog Day), you can now watch every single day that Bill Murray relives in the movie simultaneously.

From the creator of the video

I wanted to see what it would be like if the events of the movie "Groundhog Day" all took place simultaneously. The film shows 37 separate days from Phil's thousands of Groundhog Days in Punxsutawney. Every frame of the movie is used from days 1-37, with the exception of a few crossfades.

Watch the video below.

bill-murray, groundhog-day, movies

The Rise and Fall of Hollywood

hollywood sign

YouTube channel Now You See It published a great video about the rise and fall of Hollywood. It's a short video, so it is quick, top-level analysis that doesn't get too deep, but it does do a great job covering the more momentous parts of Hollywood as a whole, from moving from the east coast to the creation of big budget blockbusters.

Old Hollywood has always fascinated me (especially the old studio system and mob connections), so this was right up my alley.

history, hollywood, movies

Why Do People in Old Movies Talk Weird?

Have you ever watched an old movie and wondered why everyone sounds just a little off? Did people really talk like that? What accent is it? Brainstuff has your answers in the video below.

I've always been fascinated with the Transatlantic accent (or Mid-Atlantic accent) and knew it was common in the early 20th century, but never knew how or why it got that way. The video gives a great explanation.

culture, mid-atlantic, movies, transatlantic

Ghostbusters III by Max Landis

Ghostbusters was a huge part of my childhood. Every time a rumor would circulate of a third movie I would get excited only to be let down. Now, a Ghostbusters reboot is in the works.[1. Worst idea ever, and not because it's a female cast. You don't remake classic movies like this.] Writer Max Landis [2. writer of the excellent Chronicle] posted his Ghostbusters III idea on his site.

Seeing as it appears the new Ghostbusters franchise will be moving away from the previous films, and be a complete reboot, I thought it would be fun to release an idea I’d been kicking around for a third movie, turning the first two into a trilogy. Following my own beliefs about trilogies, it is a completion of the cycle and themes started in the first film, updated for modern film standards. As such, it features a heightening of the first film’s threat, as well as multiple action sequences, and deeper emotional through-lines for the characters.

I never pitched this. It is essentially just fan fiction. Please judge it accordingly; I released it to an overwhelming amount of requests, and also just because I like sharing this stuff. I hope you enjoy.

It’s very sparse, but still very long. If you’re wondering where “all the jokes are” or whatever, just trust that if I actually wrote it, I’d do my best to make this movie very, very funny.

You should definitely check it out.

ghostbusters, ghostbusters-iii, max-landis, movies

The Lego Ghostbusters Movie

lego ghostbusters

BrickFun.net paid homage to Ghostbusters in honor of its 30th anniversary and made a short film recreating the movie with Lego pieces. It's absolutely fantastic.

ghostbusters, lego, movies

The inside story of the 'Ghostbusers' music video

One of my favorite films of all time is Ghostbusters, celebrating it's 30th anniversary this year. Screencrush has the inside story of the cameo-filled music video for Ray Parker, Jr's song Ghostbusters. The cameos, featuring the likes of John Candy, Al Franken, and Chevy Chase, among others, are pretty random. You can watch the music video below.

ghostbusters, movies, music, ray-parker-jr

Miles Ahead

A Miles Davis biopic has been floating around Hollywood for years, but has never been made. With movies like Walk the Line and Ray hitting theaters, I thought for sure the film would be made. Mile Davis is one of the most influential musicians in American history, after all. Sadly, the script has been sitting idle after several false starts. Not anymore. Don Cheadle (in a role he was born to play) is now turning to Indie GoGo to help get financing for the film.

So why a movie about Miles Davis? Cheadle writes

I want to tell a story that Miles himself would have wanted to see, something hip, cool, alive and AHEAD.

I’ve taken my marching orders from Miles’ mandates (“Play what’s not there.” “Fear no mistakes. There are none.”) and focused in on a very specific point in his life to explore his relationship with his muse, his voice, his fears and challenges to come out of his silent period and return to the music. I'm hopefully making a movie that tells a story many people can relate to, jazz fan or not.

MILES AHEAD is not just about the music. It’s about what we all face at one time or another in our lives; questions about who we really are, what we have to say and how will we say it. How will we ultimately be defined and who gets to say so?

Watch the campaign video below. You can support the project here.

don-cheadle, jazz, miles-ahead, miles-davis, movies, music

Batman v Superman Title and Logo Released

batman v superman The new Batman/Superman crossover movie now has an official title and logo. The title of the movie is Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I think it's now pretty obvious (as if the casting leaks for Wonder Woman and Cyborg weren't enough) that this is going to be the first installment of The Justice League.

Growing up as a comic book nerd, the silver age Justice League of America was one of my favorite books. I think this was mainly because this was the comic my dad grew up on, so it was something that allowed me to connect to him. I'm really scared that DC/Warner Bros is going to ruin my fond memories of the JLA, just as they have done with almost every other comic book property that has been turned into a movie. Let's be realistic here, DC does not make good movies, save for the Christopher Nolan Batman series. All their other ventures in recent years have failed (don't get me started on Green Lantern). Zack Snyder did an OK job with Man of Steel. The flashback scenes were great. They made the character of Superman more human, but the fight scene at the end was spectacle for spectacle's sake. I'm afraid that Dawn of Justice is going to be more of the same. I guess we'll see on May 6, 2016 to see if I was right.

batman, batman-v-superman, justice-league, movies, superman

Upstream Color Available for Purchase

Shane Carruth's second movie (following Primer) is now available for purchase. Primer was fantastic, so I have high hopes for this film.

movies, primer, shane-carruth, upstream-color

The Death and Return of Superman

I was a huge comic book nerd when Superman died (and subsequently came back) in the comics. Like many other people, comic book nerds and regular Joes, I was shocked when DC Comics announced they were killing the Man of Steel. We were even more horrified when DC decided to bring him back a few issues later.

Max Landis (son of famed director John Landis) decided to make a hilarious short film about the whole ordeal. Check it out below.

comic-book, dc-comics, humor, max-landis, movies, superman

Why I Love Bill Murray

During the filming of Groundhog Day, Bill Murray was asked to hire an assistant to act as a buffer between him and the studio. He deliberately hired a deaf mute who could only communicate in Native American sign language. (60 Bill Murray Facts)

bill-murray, linked, movies

How I use Twitter

After reading Owen's post about Twitter Influence there was a brief discussion in the Habari IRC channel about who people follow and why. One part of the conversation was about celebrities. One person in the convo didn't follow any celebrities. Owen follows just one. I, however, follow 50+. That got me thinking about why I follow these people and how I'm actually using Twitter.

First off, I want to point out that I am not a TMZ, Perez Hilton, US Weekly, People celebrity stalker. In fact, if you look at the celebrities I follow you would find a bunch of names that rarely, if ever, appear in that type of celebrity drivel. The celebrities I follow are people from TV show, music, and movies that I really enjoy. Their updates are usually really good and provide me with entertainment. Denis Leary always has great one-liners. Rob Lowe embraces his fans and frequently talks about his role on The West Wing. Nathan Fillion and Colin Ferguson are just regular guys that tweet just like anyone else. Roger Ebert provides thoughtful political and film essays. Louis CK posts clips from his very funny show and tour dates for his stand up.

The thing is, I get quality tweets from most of these people. If I didn't, I wouldn't follow them. Sure there might be a few on there that don't update, but for the most part they all do and I enjoy most of their tweets. It's gotten to a point where I enjoy their tweets more than most of the other non St. Louis people I follow. Twitter has evolved from a place where I can see what other people are currently doing to a place where I can get info on my favorite TV shows, movies, musicians, and actors. I still enjoy seeing what my fellow St. Louisans are doing, but that's about it. I used to enjoy reading what other people were up to or things they found interesting, but that has definitely changed, and I can probably pinpoint two reasons why that has changed.

The first reason is I started following too many people. I follow a lot of people but the people I follow, I follow for a reason. This has disadvantages though. The people I tend to follow update more frequently. Follow a lot of heavy users and statuses begin to fly by one right after another. Even though I find what they have to say interesting, I can only read so many tweets before they are lost forever in a never-ending stream of unreadable text. After a while of not being able to catch up, these updates become noise and provide nothing meaningful. The second thing is what I'm going to refer to as static. These are tweets that interfere with an otherwise good signal and will often contribute to the first issue. These tweets can be anything from a Four Square check in or a re-tweet to get into a contest for an Apple product (which I swear no one ever wins). Then you have paid tweets. That one bugs me the most. With celebrities and other high profile users, it's easier to get high quality content without a lot of noise. You know if there is an update it's not going to be a Four Square check in, a RT for a contest, or what song they are currently listening to. It's going to be something that I find meaningful.

So, have you changed the way you use Twitter over the years? Do you still find it as valuable as before? Do you use it to make personal connections or more broad connections for your interests?

celebrities, movies, music, technology, tv, twitter, websites

Diablo Cody Writes Horrible Movies

There, I said it. She's a bad writer. The writing in Juno was bad. Jennifer's Body was the equivalent to your 50 year old dad using slang to sound cool. Just awful. Her columns in Entertainment Weekly are just as bad, which is why I'm baffled as to why people pay her to write.

I know many of you may like the movie Juno. It wasn't a horrible movie, but the dialogue was. The thing that saved the movie was excellent performances by JK Simmons, Michael Cera and Ellen Page, not the writing that threw in more clichéd phrases than a spoof of teen movies ("What's your damage?" "Honest to blog" "This is one doodle that can't be un-did, Homeskillet."). The story wasn't all that great but it was something that Hollywood hadn't overproduced yet. Jennifer's Body was even worse.

I finally got around to watching it over the weekend and I wasn't expecting a masterpiece. I was expecting a B movie horror story. Instead what I got was horrible acting by Megan Fox (big surprise there) and laughable dialogue from Diablo Cody. I thought Juno was over the top with the slang, but JB blew Juno away. Cody cannot reasonably believe that normal teenagers talk like that, can she? Seriously, in what world do teenagers say jell-o for jealous or tell someone to move on dot org? When is the last time you heard a teenager say the phrase lesbi-gay? I really think Cody is a mixture of the old dad trying to stay cool using slang that no one uses and the mom who dresses like her daughter to seem young.

I know I shouldn't come down too hard on her. I'm not a good writer either, but I also don't get paid to do it. I'm pretty sure I could bang out a script using every slang phrase in the book and make a movie that is just as good, if not better, than Juno or Jennifer's Body. The only difference between Cody and me is that I'm not a stripper-turned-screenwriter and I think that explains Hollywood's fascination with her. Hollywood loves success stories and what's better than a down-and-out stripper hitting it big with a screenplay? Remember, Ben Affleck has an Oscar for writing as well.

movies

On Sci Fi

I've never really been a big fan of science fiction movies or shows. I hated all the Star Trek Shows and movies (except the new one that just came out) and I hate Star Wars. It is an overrated crap movie whose plot has more holes than Swiss cheese, in my opinion. The only sci fi shows I ever really got into was the Original Twilight Zone and The X-Files. The Twilight Zone was great because it had great, original stories. A lot of the themes had to do with human traits and expounded on them. The X-Files I got into because I enjoyed the acting of David Duchovny. When he left the show I became less interested.

Lately I've become more interested in sci fi tv shows and movies. As I've said, I really enjoyed the new Star Trek remake. Also, after hearing many of the people I follow on Twitter rave about Dr. Who and Torchwood, I began watching those shows. Torchwood I like a little better than Dr. Who but they are shows that I probably would have never enjoyed before. The latest show that I've been enjoying is one that even the mainstream critics raved about: Battlestar Galactica. I just started watching it over the past couple days and it has been a fantastic show. I also really enjoyed the canceled ABC show Defying Gravity. I really wish that one was still on.

I find it odd how my taste can change. Maybe the stories and production value of sci fi themed entertainment has changed enough that is is now entertaining to me. I don't know. I do know that I won't dismiss something that is labeled as sci fi because I think I won't like it anymore. Chances are I will like it.

movies, sci-fi, tv

The Golden Globes

I saw a lot of hate last night in my twitter stream regarding The Golden Globe awards. Many of the people I follow thought that James Cameron and Avatar should not have won for Best Director and Best Drama respectively. While there were many good movies and directors this year, I do not think there is a case to be made for saying that Cameron/Avatar should not have won.

I understand that a lot of people don't feel that Avatar was not a good drama, that the story was bad and the movie was just a big budget CGI-fest. For one, that really puts down the good acting by Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana. Secondly, while the story is a familiar one, how often have we seen the same theme in movies win award shows year after year. There's a reason certain themes are portrayed over and over in movies: they are themes we can easily related to. Last, which has lest to do with the drama aspect and moreso for Best Director, James Cameron spent years trying to perfect a brand new technology in order to push forward the field of cinema. He directed every scene of that movie, instead of relying on secondary directors, because he was the only one (at the time) that could see the shot he was looking for using this new technology.

A lot of people were also criticizing Avatar for having a big budget and winning. Since when did all winners have to be indie movies that no one has ever seen (note: I love the indie genre)? Just because a movie has a big budget doesn't mean that they are not award worthy. James Cameron has done an amazing thing with technology. He is doing what for movies today what Star Wars did 30 years ago. Why would he not be recognized for it? I really don't understand the movie snobbery that took place last night.

On a side note, I love Robert Downey, Jr. but come on? Joseph Gordan-Levitt totally deserved the award for Best Actor in a Comedy.

avatar, movies, tv

Avatar

I went and saw Avatar in 3D over the weekend and I can sum up my experience in one word: wow. I have never seen anything like this on the big screen, or any screen for that matter. I must have been feeling the same way that people felt when they saw the original Star Wars on the big screen for the first time. The special effects were amazing and the 3D technology was fantastic. I was worried going into the movie that the 3D wouldn't work for me. I know that with some 3D technologies (mainly the old red and blue glasses technology) some people can't fully see the 3D because they have a dominant eye. I have a dominant eye so the red/blue 3D doesn't work for me. Fortunately, this was not an issue at all with the Real D 3D that Avatar uses. I will admit that my eyes felt a little strained after wearing the glasses for almost 3 hours, but it wasn't too bad.

The computer generated scenery of the movie was beautiful. When in the forest surrounded by the natives, the CGI characters looked less like CGI (think the emotionless features of The Polar Express) and more like costumed people (think Lord of the Rings). One of the best things about the 3D in this movie that it wasn't full of typical 3D gimmicks of things flying at you for the sake of flying at you. In fact, to me, the movie was less about things flying at you as it was about providing depth to the movie. James Cameron obviously wanted you to feel like you were part of the world in the movie, and he succeeded. I can only imagine what seeing this in 3D IMAX would have been like (the only IMAX theater in St. Louis was showing A Christmas Carol in 3D and not Avatar... Big mistake). The movie did drag on a bit, but I think it was necessary to draw the viewer into this alien world and really feel a part of it. Now that we've seen much of it, any possible sequel wouldn't need to spend such lengths on pulling the viewer into the environment and detailing all the plants and animals.

The story was a decent story. Nothing groundbreaking. In fact, it draws parallels to the conquest of the Native Americans (and the story of Pocahontas), so the theme should feel very familiar. Also, if your ideology leans to the Glenn Beck side of crazy, you might even think that the movie is racist against white people because only white Earthlings were featured (which, of course, was not true at all, but who needs facts?). It also drives on themes of greedy corporations and environmentalism, but as I said, the story was decent. The imagery is the real draw to this film. If you haven't seen Avatar in 3D at the theater, make sure you do. It is something that everyone needs to experience. This is my generation's Star Wars leap forward in theater technology.

avatar, movies

America Loves Gangsters

America loves Gottis, America loves bodies Pacino counting C-Notes for shooting up club lobbies While Eddie Nash controls bankrolls in Wonderland Tony Soprano hits channels and holds down On-Demand -CunninLynguists - America Loves Gangsters

I never watched The Sopranos when it originally aired on HBO, but I have always been a fan of mob-themed movies. I don't know when this fascination started, but I can't get enough of movies like The Godfather pts I and II, Goodfellas, A Bronx Tale, Donnie Brasco, etc. Well, recently I started watching The Sopranos and throughout the series Tony Soprano does some disgusting things that repulse you, but then there are other times where you realize you start admiring the man for the good things he does for his family, and his "family." He's a hypocrite, just like the rest of us, maybe that's what makes his character so intriguing. One minute he's friendly with the parents of the friends of his kids, the next he's taking their business due to gambling debts, and enjoying it. It's compelling television.

What is it with America's fascination with gangsters? Do we like the violence and power or do we like the deep characters? Some of the most widely acclaimed movies involve some of the most violent characters. Think Scarface. I don't think I've seen an episode of Cribs where either the movie isn't playing in the background or there's a giant poster on the wall. In Godfather, Michael Corleone rules in a more calm manner, but the amount of violence and destruction he can inflict with one command is amazing. So do we love the violence and power or do we love well-written characters that happen to be violent? I don't know what the answer to that, but I do know there's more to the characters than violence. You see Michael Coreleone's frustrations when he wants to make the family business legitimate, but struggles along the way. "C" finally realizes how bad the gangster life is after his hero falls in A Bronx Tale, but you also feel sad because Sonny dies. And I can't wait to see the cat and mouse game between Christian Bale and Johnny Depp in the Dillinger movie, Public Enemies. So why do we love them? I don't know, but Hollywood knows we do and as long as there are gangsters, Hollywood will be making movies about them.

movies, television, tv

Zack and Miri Make a Good Movie

Saturday night I saw Kevin Smith's new movie, Zack and Miri Make a Porno. The story is a simple one. Two friends need money so they decide to make a porno movie. Ok, it's a bit deeper than that, as Kevin Smith movies always are. Essentially, it's about the relationship between Seth Rogen's Zack and Elizabeth Banks' Miri, and how they discover they have feelings that go deeper than just friendship, all while making a porno. Both Rogen and Banks were great in it. Rogen plays his usual average guy, the one that has made him so successful. Banks played his loser friend, and while that is a bit of a stretch for such a beautiful woman who usually wouldn't have anything to do with a guy that looks like Seth Rogen, she plays her role well. There are a lot of laughs throughout the movie, and I'm talking about laugh-out-loud laughs, especially by Craig Robinson (Daryl from The Office). It wouldn't be a Kevin Smith movie without a gross-out moment and Jason Mewes. This movie has both, but I won't reveal any spoilers. All in all, it's a great comedy about sex, with plenty of dirty language and laughs, but also with a bit of heart. This movie isn't as good as Chasing Amy or Clerks but it does surpass Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. If you're out looking for a good laugh, go see this movie. It's definitely worth it.

movies

A Scary Time of Year

It is October, which means it's scary movie season. I love scary movies but I'm never really frightened from them. Newer movies are especially bad. They are either torture porn or not scary at all. The only movie that has ever really freaked me out was the original The Exorcist. That is such a good movie and really knows how to keep you on edge. So far this season I've watched The Happening, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Shutter. Next up are Poltergeist, Interview with the Vampire, maybe The Exorcism of Emily Rose again. I'm saving The Exorcist for right before Halloween. If anyone has any good horror movies to suggest, I'm open to them. (No torture porn like The Hills Have Eyes or Japanese remakes like The Grduge).

movies