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Arthen
Alien Abductee
USA
4845 Posts |
 Posted - 02/06/2006 : 9:35:23 PM
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is the greatest invention ever.
Because of it, I'm watching Season three of 24, the old TV show The Prisoner, and a whole array of films I've been meaning to watch/re-watch.
It's fantastic. |
Steve Hackett: "I'm my own opening act, you see."
Tim (before "Faceoff"): "Peace, love....and SEX!"
cbenc41@hotmail.com |
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therippa
Fluffy-Esque
Kazakhstan
1099 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2006 : 12:41:24 AM
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| Combine this with a dvd burner and you will soon have a collection that rivals blockbuster. |
Aspiring to Be Fluffy-Esque an Alien Abductee! |
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SurferX
Chatterbox
USA
263 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2006 : 12:50:40 AM
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| I have Blockbuster's (I got a free "trial" from Papa Johns) NetFlix deal...I love it...I'm actually probably going to cancel it and get NetFlix...Just to not support Blockbuster! |
--Zak |
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tericee
Alien Abductee
USA
2579 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2006 : 09:56:16 AM
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I couldn't agree more! NetFlix was one of the greatest things (besides Internet shopping) to happen to overseas military personnel. The exchange runs a video rental store called "box office video" but they rarely have older movies or series, and usually the new releases are already checked out. Netflix will mail to an APO address, so now if we're willing to wait a few days, we can get all the videos we want, even the obscure ones like "Voices of Iraq"
teri :) |
teri 
Twittering about the DC adventure since Dec '09...
(Micro)Blog * Photo Album
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2006 : 12:27:33 PM
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| netflix might be the apex of human achievement. it's a stroke of brilliance. |
death to false metal. |
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enthuTIMsiast
Alien Abductee
6990 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2006 : 3:15:59 PM
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| I don't know that there are that many movies I want to watch. |
Tim Reynolds Downloads
I am not the albatross of love, I am the human ellipsis. I am dot dot dot. - Leo Kottke
I hate beating people over the head with anything. We can all make up our own minds. What we don’t have is enough music. More music please. - Leo Kottke |
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Fluffy
Administrator
USA
10739 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2006 : 5:00:22 PM
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| Thanx to Teri, now all I need is TIVO. Does anyone know how that works? Do you have to subscribe to something or if you already have cable you just need a TIVO box to hook up to the system? Ahhh this modern age we are living it. Feels like the End of Days! |
Peace & Keep the Faith
Fluffy         
"THE MUSIC BUSINESS IS A CRUEL AND SHALLOW MONEY TRENCH-- A LONG PLASTIC HALLWAY WHERE THIEVES AND PIMPS RUN FREE AND GOOD MEN DIE LIKE DOGS. THERE'S ALSO A NEGATIVE SIDE..." -Hunter S. Thompson |
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Arthen
Alien Abductee
USA
4845 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2006 : 8:25:27 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by enthuTIMsiast
I don't know that there are that many movies I want to watch.
You know what's funny, I didn't realize there were so many movies out there that I was interested in seeing. Not even to mention the almost unlimited access to Foreign Films and documentaries! Plus, TV Shows! |
Steve Hackett: "I'm my own opening act, you see."
Tim (before "Faceoff"): "Peace, love....and SEX!"
cbenc41@hotmail.com |
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therippa
Fluffy-Esque
Kazakhstan
1099 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2006 : 03:26:37 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Fluffy
Thanx to Teri, now all I need is TIVO. Does anyone know how that works? Do you have to subscribe to something or if you already have cable you just need a TIVO box to hook up to the system? Ahhh this modern age we are living it. Feels like the End of Days!
Fluffy, Tivo changed my life. I have one in the living room and one in my bedroom. You buy the box from Tivo...sometimes like $50 after rebates, then you pay about $13 monthly. You can set it up to record all of your favorite shows, it will pick up on your viewing habits and record what it will think you will like (when you're not already watching tv), and you can pause live tv. Go to a Best Buy or some place like that and check out a demo of it.
So when I get home from work, I don't have to watch whatever is on. I'll have the Family Guy, Futurama, Daily Show, Colbert Report, etc from the night before.
And you can skip past the commercials.
btw, see you in April. |
Aspiring to Be Fluffy-Esque an Alien Abductee! |
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enthuTIMsiast
Alien Abductee
6990 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2006 : 08:45:14 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by therippa
And you can skip past the commercials.
I thought the new versions cut this option out. ? |
Tim Reynolds Downloads
I am not the albatross of love, I am the human ellipsis. I am dot dot dot. - Leo Kottke
I hate beating people over the head with anything. We can all make up our own minds. What we don’t have is enough music. More music please. - Leo Kottke |
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therippa
Fluffy-Esque
Kazakhstan
1099 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2006 : 12:17:17 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by enthuTIMsiast
quote:
Originally posted by therippa
And you can skip past the commercials.
I thought the new versions cut this option out. ?
Nope...it's always been accessible through a code put into the remote that makes the skip 15 minutes button skip 30 seconds instead.
Select-Play-Select-3-0-Select |
Aspiring to Be Fluffy-Esque an Alien Abductee! |
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KevinLesko
Alien Abductee
3712 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2006 : 1:08:11 PM
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Which plan does everyone have/reccomend? These look like the options:
Which plans can I choose from?
Plan Rentals/month Price/month* Free Trial Length
3 DVDs at-a-time
Most Popular! Unlimited! $17.99 2 Week
Free Trial!
2 DVDs at-a-time Unlimited! $14.99 2 Week
Free Trial!
2 DVDs at-a-time Limit 4 per
month $11.99 2 Week
Free Trial!
1 DVD at-a-time Unlimited! $9.99 2 Week
Free Trial!
quote:
Combine this with a dvd burner and you will soon have a collection that rivals blockbuster.
haha this reminds me a story my old roomate who now lives in Florida recently told me. Apparently he burns all of his netflix rentals and just has binders and binders full of dvds, but once accidentally he sent netflix the burned copy back in the envelope. He thought he was going to be in a lot of trouble, but he said they never even noticed.
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god
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enthuTIMsiast
Alien Abductee
6990 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2006 : 1:35:52 PM
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| I was just going to say to rip the dvd to your hard drive and send it back the next day so you never have to hang on to the dvd, and keep them coming as fast as possible... therefore the unlimited package would be best. and then just watch the dvd on your computer whenever, and burn a copy if you liked it. |
Tim Reynolds Downloads
I am not the albatross of love, I am the human ellipsis. I am dot dot dot. - Leo Kottke
I hate beating people over the head with anything. We can all make up our own minds. What we don’t have is enough music. More music please. - Leo Kottke |
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therippa
Fluffy-Esque
Kazakhstan
1099 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2006 : 1:57:01 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by KevinLesko
Which plan does everyone have/reccomend? These look like the options:
Which plans can I choose from?
Plan Rentals/month Price/month* Free Trial Length
3 DVDs at-a-time
Most Popular! Unlimited! $17.99 2 Week
Free Trial!
2 DVDs at-a-time Unlimited! $14.99 2 Week
Free Trial!
2 DVDs at-a-time Limit 4 per
month $11.99 2 Week
Free Trial!
1 DVD at-a-time Unlimited! $9.99 2 Week
Free Trial!
I went with the three disc. I too have a binder filled with netflix dvd's.
quote:
Originally posted by enthuTIMsiast
I was just going to say to rip the dvd to your hard drive and send it back the next day so you never have to hang on to the dvd, and keep them coming as fast as possible... therefore the unlimited package would be best. and then just watch the dvd on your computer whenever, and burn a copy if you liked it.
That is the best way of going about it. When I'm good about staying on top of this, I can get through sometimes 9 dvds in a week. Rip them, burn later when you have more time.
It got to the point where I ripped everything I could ever want, so I cancelled my account.
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Aspiring to Be Fluffy-Esque an Alien Abductee! |
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Arthen
Alien Abductee
USA
4845 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2006 : 3:11:14 PM
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| The Three DVD a month is what I have too. It's fantastic! |
Steve Hackett: "I'm my own opening act, you see."
Tim (before "Faceoff"): "Peace, love....and SEX!"
cbenc41@hotmail.com |
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JoshMartin
Try A Little Harder
USA
85 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2006 : 3:49:35 PM
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The down part to netflix.....
...is that it eliminates jobs at your local movie store ( Blockbuster, etc ) and that is sad for the people who depend on that for income.
Dont get me wrong..Netflix is great and it changed the movie rental industry for good.
Its like the "self Checkout" lines at the Grocery store, or retail giant Wal-Mart. These advances in Technology are forcing people out of jobs and they dont seem to be helping the bottom line.... price.
I can just see everything going to shit soon.
.... as Fluffy honestly mentioned above... "Ahhh this modern age we are living it. Feels like the End of Days!"
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Kobetich music
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therippa
Fluffy-Esque
Kazakhstan
1099 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2006 : 5:21:46 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by JoshMartin
The down part to netflix.....
...is that it eliminates jobs at your local movie store ( Blockbuster, etc ) and that is sad for the people who depend on that for income.
Dont get me wrong..Netflix is great and it changed the movie rental industry for good.
Its like the "self Checkout" lines at the Grocery store, or retail giant Wal-Mart. These advances in Technology are forcing people out of jobs and they dont seem to be helping the bottom line.... price.
I can just see everything going to shit soon.
.... as Fluffy honestly mentioned above... "Ahhh this modern age we are living it. Feels like the End of Days!"
Blockbuster is an evil corporation, so fuck them. Same with Wal-Mart. Neither get a penny from me. |
Aspiring to Be Fluffy-Esque an Alien Abductee! |
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JoshMartin
Try A Little Harder
USA
85 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2006 : 11:12:50 AM
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I agree with you...but you missed the point.
They will hire uneducated/ disabled individuals that normally could not get a job. So, without those companies needing cashiers and lower level positions due to advances in Technology ...those individuals will in return live off the government ( you and I ).
So, pick your poison.
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Kobetich music
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tericee
Alien Abductee
USA
2579 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2006 : 03:31:27 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Fluffy
Thanx to Teri, now all I need is TIVO. Does anyone know how that works? Do you have to subscribe to something or if you already have cable you just need a TIVO box to hook up to the system? Ahhh this modern age we are living it. Feels like the End of Days!
It's either $299 one-time/lifetime fee or $12.95 per month. So if you'll have it for at least two years, you might as well go with the lifetime option.
Now they have TiVo boxes that will burn DVDs. That would be cool for you since you're on the road so much. Unless you don't have time to watch them while you're on the road, in which case you might prefer the box with the 80-hour hard drive.
Also, don't let anybody try to tell you that cable or satellite TV "DVR" service is just like TiVo. I had TiVo when I lived in LA; since then I've played with two different DVR services. The DVR services (with the possible exception of DirecTV, which I haven't tried out) just can't compare with TiVo because they lack the SeasonPass* and WishList** features. Fine, with any DVR service you can pause live TV, but without the two features I mentioned, you might as well just have a VCR.
They don't seem to have ANY sort of DVR here in Europe. I guess maybe they're not the couch potatoes we are...
* With SeasonPass, you never miss an episode of your favorite shows. Instead of recording on a certain night at a certain time, TiVo searches the TV schedule for your show and records the episodes it finds. If there's a special episode you didn't know about, you'll get it anyway! You can also tell TiVo to record first run episodes only and skip repeats.
** A WishList search records every movie, biography or interview with your film favorites, like Stephen Spielberg or Julia Roberts, Marilyn Monroe or Alfred Hitchcock.
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teri
Twittering about the DC adventure since Dec '09...
(Micro)Blog * Photo Album
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KevinLesko
Alien Abductee
3712 Posts |
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Fluffy
Administrator
USA
10739 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2006 : 11:59:40 AM
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LOL, I was just about to post that story as well Kev! My preface was going to be:
quote:
Netflix is the greatest invention ever.
IS NOTHING SACRED?
Friday, February 10, 2006; Posted: 11:15 p.m. EST (04:15 GMT)
SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Manuel Villanueva realizes he has been getting a pretty good deal since he signed up for Netflix Inc.'s online DVD rental service 2-1/2 years ago, but he still feels shortchanged.
That's because the $17.99 monthly fee that he pays to rent up to three DVDs at a time would amount to an even bigger bargain if the company didn't penalize him for returning his movies so quickly.
Netflix typically sends about 13 movies a month to Villanueva's home in Warren, Michigan -- down from the 18 to 22 DVDs he once received before the company's automated system identified him as a heavy renter and began delaying his shipments to protect its profits.
The same Netflix formula also shoves Villanueva to the back of the line for the most-wanted DVDs, so the service can send those popular flicks to new subscribers and infrequent renters.
The little-known practice, called "throttling" by critics, means Netflix customers who pay the same price for the same service are often treated differently, depending on their rental patterns.
"I wouldn't have a problem with it if they didn't advertise 'unlimited rentals,' " Villanueva said. "The fact is that they go out of their way to make sure you don't go over whatever secret limit they have set up for your account."
Changing the rules
Los Gatos, California-based Netflix didn't publicly acknowledge it differentiates among customers until revising its "terms of use" in January 2005 -- four months after a San Francisco subscriber filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company had deceptively promised one-day delivery of most DVDs.
"In determining priority for shipping and inventory allocation, we give priority to those members who receive the fewest DVDs through our service," Netflix's revised policy now reads. The statement specifically warns that heavy renters are more likely to encounter shipping delays and less likely to immediately be sent their top choices.
Few customers have complained about this "fairness algorithm," according to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings.
"We have unbelievably high customer satisfaction ratings," Hastings said during a recent interview. "Most of our customers feel like Netflix is an incredible value."
The service's rapid growth supports him. Netflix added nearly 1.6 million customers last year, giving it 4.2 million subscribers through December. During the final three months of 2005, just 4 percent of its customers canceled the service, the lowest rate in the company's six-year history.
After collecting consumer opinions about the Web's 40 largest retailers last year, Ann Arbor, Michigan, research firm ForeSeeResults rated Netflix as "the cream of the crop in customer satisfaction."
Once considered a passing fancy, Netflix has changed the way many households rent movies and has spawned several copycats, including a mail service from Blockbuster Inc.
Netflix's most popular rental plan lets subscribers check out up to three DVDs at a time for $17.99 a month. After watching a movie, customers return the DVD in a postage-paid envelope. Netflix then sends out the next available DVD on the customer's online wish list.
Customers catch on
Because everyone pays a flat fee, Netflix makes more money from customers who watch only four or five DVDs a month. Customers who quickly return their movies to get more erode the company's profit margin, because each DVD sent out and returned costs 78 cents in postage alone.
Although Netflix consistently promoted its service as the DVD equivalent of an all-you-can eat smorgasbord, some heavy renters began to suspect they were being treated differently two or three years ago.
To prove the point, one customer even set up a Web site -- www.dvd-rent-test.dreamhost.com -- to show that the service listed different wait times for DVDs requested by subscribers living in the same household.
Netflix's throttling techniques also have prompted incensed customers to share their outrage in online forums such as www.hackingnetflix.com.
"Netflix isn't well within its rights to throttle users," complained a customer identified as "annoyed" in a posting on the site. "They say unlimited rentals. They are liars."
Hastings said the company has no specified limit on rentals, but "`unlimited' doesn't mean you should expect to get 10,000 a month."
Netflix says most subscribers check out two to 11 DVDs a month.
Growing risk
Management has acknowledged to analysts that it risks losing money on a relatively small percentage of frequent renters. And that risk has increased since Netflix reduced the price of its most popular subscription plan by $4 a month in 2004 and the U.S. Postal Service recently raised first-class mailing costs by 2 cents.
Netflix's approach has paid off, so far. The company has been profitable in each of the past three years, a trend its management expects to continue in 2006 with projected earnings of at least $29 million on revenue of $960 million. Netflix's stock price has more than tripled since its 2002 initial public offering.
A September 2004 lawsuit cast a spotlight on the throttling issue. The complaint, filed by Frank Chavez on behalf of all Netflix subscribers before Jan. 15, 2005, said the company had developed a sophisticated formula to slow DVD deliveries to frequent renters and ensure quicker shipments of the most popular movies to its infrequent -- and most profitable -- renters to keep them happy.
Netflix denied the allegations, but eventually revised its terms of use to acknowledge its different treatment of frequent renters.
Without acknowledging wrongdoing, the company agreed to provide a one-month rental upgrade and pay Chavez's attorneys $2.5 million. But the settlement sparked protests that prompted the two sides to reconsider. A hearing on a revised settlement proposal is scheduled for Feb. 22 in San Francisco Superior Court.
Netflix subscribers such as Nathaniel Irons didn't believe the company was purposely delaying some DVD shipments until he read the revised terms of use.
Irons, 28, of Seattle, has no plans to cancel his service because he figures he is still getting a good value from the eight movies he typically receives each month.
"My own personal experience has not been bad," he said, "but (the throttling) is certainly annoying when it happens."
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.
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Peace & Keep the Faith
Fluffy
"THE MUSIC BUSINESS IS A CRUEL AND SHALLOW MONEY TRENCH-- A LONG PLASTIC HALLWAY WHERE THIEVES AND PIMPS RUN FREE AND GOOD MEN DIE LIKE DOGS. THERE'S ALSO A NEGATIVE SIDE..." -Hunter S. Thompson |
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Arthen
Alien Abductee
USA
4845 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2006 : 2:08:12 PM
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| That doesn't bother me at all, simply because I have more interest in getting older films and honestly, it still is a great deal regardless. |
Steve Hackett: "I'm my own opening act, you see."
Tim (before "Faceoff"): "Peace, love....and SEX!"
cbenc41@hotmail.com |
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tericee
Alien Abductee
USA
2579 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2006 : 4:10:06 PM
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It's definitely not a problem for me. My movies take at least a week to get to me and a week to get back to Netflix through the military mail system. I'm one of those customers that help the profit margin!
When I move back to the States I guess I'll see whether it becomes an issue. |
teri
Twittering about the DC adventure since Dec '09...
(Micro)Blog * Photo Album
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skyline
Chatterbox
USA
143 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2006 : 5:25:54 PM
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| The throttling has been a problem for us. We're not going to drop the service, because we're still getting our money's worth, but it's annoying when you want a movie for the weekend, but it takes a week to get it to you, because they think you rent too many. |
http://www.dmbforums.com |
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KevinLesko
Alien Abductee
3712 Posts |
Posted - 02/19/2006 : 9:41:21 PM
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Alrighty, I went for it. I signed up for the 3 unlimited at a time. So far, I really dig it. The think what sold me was before I signed up, I went in and browsed the collection, and I saw that they had quite a bit of stuff that you can't find at Blockbuster like Music DVDs, Sports DVDs, Boxsets, The Criterion Collection, Stand Up etc...
My first 3 dvds were Hoop Dreams (Criterion Collection), Artie Lange "It's the Whiskey Talking" (Stand Up DVD) and Hellhounds on my Trail (A Robert Johnson tribute concert featuring a performance by Chris Whitley). I hadn't seen Hoop Dreams in a while... it has been out of print for years until Criterion issued it last year, and they did a wonderful job (as they always do) with the DVD. One of the extras is all of the Siskel & Ebert bits where they call it the best movie of all time. Don't be scared if you aren't a sports fan, it's more a documentary of the lives of the kids, and their families. It follows two inner city (Chicago) boys From High School, up until College as you see their dreams of going from playground hotshots to NBA stars meet reality. HIGHLY RECCOMENDED!
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god
Kevin |
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KevinLesko
Alien Abductee
3712 Posts |
Posted - 03/12/2006 : 5:12:59 PM
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My latest netflix reccomendation:
The Complete Monteray Pop festival. I basically got this for Jimi's rare set, but I really enjoyed all 3 discs, not to mention I learned a lot from the DVD. For example, this is the concert where Hendrix set his guitar on fire (it is a common mis-conception that is was at Woodstock) but on here, the narrator tells of how Henrdix and the Who almost came to blows over who would play last, not because they each wanted to headline, but because neither wanted to follow the other's act. So when Hendrix went last, he said he would have to out-do the Who however he could. Thus the famous guitar on fire solo. Also I never knew the song he did that on was a Wild Thing. Impress your friends with that bit of trivia! |
god
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Netflix
