Monday, June 20, 2005

Movie Review -- The Movie Rental Service

   This movie review is a review of the service that rents the movies.  Netflix.  I have been a member for six months and have rented 55 movies.  I have paid $120 for the service.  Let's see.  That is $2.20 per movie.  I don't know what Blockbuster charges. 

   They come in the mail, on DVD.  The service is prompt.  You can rent three at a time.  When you send one back you get the next, and the delay is very short.  If you watched one a day, theoretically you could have an endless supply, but there are down days with no mail and sometimes it takes a day or two longer.  I got 55 in six months, or about two per week.

   They have a huge supply to order from.  Two of the fifty-five had problems.  One worked after I washed it in soap and water, but another could not be played.  I have heard that it happens with Blockbuster DVD, too. Your order queue is kept available for your review online so you can check.  Also they have a rating system.  You rate the ones you've seen and you can see the average ratings made by other viewers.

   The DVDs, most of them, have special features that are nice.  Special features include such things as scenes deleted from the theater version, directors or actors comments about the story or the roles, explanation of the special effects.  They are nice.

   I quit the service because of my own personal viewing habits.  I don't find most films worth the $2.20.  I don't read enough reviews to know how to order appealing movies.  All reviews praise the films, and unless you read the fine print, you will, as I did, order several foreign language films, esoteric documentaries, and just plain dogs.  Further, I don't like the pressure of having to watch a film just because I ordered it, and have paid for it.  Nor do I like watching movies when they happen to be here, not when I feel like watching them. 

   During my six months, I did discover some little gems that I would have missed otherwise.  The Station Agent wasone.

   I think my next excursion into the movie world will be the One Dollar DVD bin at Target. 

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOL, very good review, and until you said you quit, I was thinking...wow...you should send in this review to Netflix, maybe they'll send you a couple of freebies!  Blockbuster charges $3.99....BUT you get all the special features on the DVD's, which we noticed Netflix didn't have.  There is no membership fee for Blockbuster, and now no late fees, sort of...if you keep it to long, they just SELL it to you.  They don't come in the mail however.  But...do u remember my escapades with the Record club when I was a teenager?  It was so bad an experience I ALMOST never joined any other kind of club!
Thanks for the Station Agent!  We REALLY liked that one too!
kate

Anonymous said...

We're using Netflix to rent our way through Stargate SG1 and lots of other tv shows and movies.  John rents the max, and has a long list pending.

Anonymous said...

I love Netflix. I always have 3 movies sitting around ready to be watched. Some weeks I'll view all three. Others...none at all. It's still way better than schlepping down to the video store and having to drive the rentals all the way back before they become over-due.

Anonymous said...

I don't watch too many movies.  I have to know I will like them.  I feel cheated, like you, of my time if it is a stinker...and alot of them are stinkers!  They put anything in a movie nowadays.  xox
http://journals.aol.com/valphish/ValsThoughts

Anonymous said...

Netflix is a great service. I have used them for about 5 or 6 years now and have only had a couple minor problems.  I have tried Blockbuster Online also and have had no problems yet.  I still prefer Netflix though.  Compare both services at http://www.dvdrental.us.com/sidebyside.htm