Any pre-thoughts on tonight’s topics?

28 Weeks Later
New Die Hard 4 trailer
DVD releases this Tuesday

Pan’s Lab
The Fountain
Stomp the Yard
Seraphim Falls
Creepshow 3

Topics for tonight’s show (5/9/07):

David Lynch’s Inland Empire reviewed
Spider-Man 3 is crap
Summer of trilogy finishers
Studios bullying web sites.

If you have any comments or thoughts on the above subjects (or anything else) you’d like mentioned on the show, post em in the comments section.

     Because of internal pressure, I’ve changed the poll on the right side of this blog. Take a moment to cast your vote. My vote was for Ocean’s 13 by the way.

     The NEW site for this year’s “Toronto After Dark Film Festival” is online and available now HERE. A lot of the links claim “coming soon” so keep checking back often. Call for film submissions will begin on Tuesday, March 27th. Other key dates are listed at the site as well as links to upcoming TAD events announcements. be sure to sign upfor their newsletter HERE so you get all the free info as it is released.

     A more fantastic time cannot be had at the movies, so make sure to sign up and clear your calendars for 2007’s Toronto After Dark Film Festival, taking place Oct. 19th-25th. We’ll see you there!

     Check back after the weekend for full reviews and audio reviews for…

Zodiac
Black Snake Moan
Tears of the Black Tiger

and if I have time…
The Lives of Others
Sweet Land

And yes, I have no life.

     Movie Patron hopes you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Eat, drink and be merry.

     In the meantime, here’s the trailer for David Fincher’s (Se7en, Fight Club, Panic Room) new film, ZODIAC - starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo & my favorite actor of all time, Robert Downey Jr.

CHEERS!

     Here’s why… The new version of the Blockbuster site is up and working; and it is much better than before.  Still not on par with Netflix, but MUCH better.  But more importantly, the email I got this morning from Blockbuster begging me to return may have convinced me and I don’t see how I can pass this up.

     The CEOs at Blockbuster got together and thought, “What have we got that Netflix doesn’t have?”  The answer of course is stores.  So what could they do with the stores that would give them a leg up on the competition?  What they came up with, is “Blockbuster Total Access.”

     “BTA” allows for me to return my online movie at the store.  Once there, it’s scanned in and instantly cleared from my online queue; allowing the next film to be sent immediately.  On top of this, the movie I just returned acts as an in store coupon for any movie on the shelf.  In other words, by driving to the store, I get my next online movie two days quicker AND get a free movie from the store IN ADDITION TO (not instead of) my next online DVD.  Wow!

     This means I can potentially have twice as many movies at home for the same price, just by driving to the store once a week.  I don’t really see how I can pass this up.  And just as an added bonus, BB has offered me one month free of 4 at a time rentals instead of just 3.  I DO have a life, but still…nice.  Plus I really hate the huge envelopes Netflix uses.  Can you think of a reason why I shouldn’t switch?

     Check out “Arrow in the Head’s” (a division of Joblo.com) coverage of The Toronto After Dark Film Festival.  In it, you’ll read someone else’s different perspective of each of the films shown.  Also, as an added bonus, you’ll get to see a picture of me (extremely exhausted), Rusty Nails (director) and Serena Whitney; the writer of said article.

**UPDATE - I stole the picture for myself

Rusty Nails, Serena Whitney and a very tired Me

      You can see the whole thing at Arrow in the Head.  Once inside, be sure to click on part one of the story and more of Serena’s views on the event and its films.

     The final six films for TORONTO AFTER DARK FILM FESTIVAL have been announced and this thing just gets better and better. I’ve said multiple times in blogs and podcasts that I am not a fan of Horror films. That’s not exactly accurate. I actually really enjoy horror films, it’s just that very few are really any good. The films that have been announced for this festival sound so interesting and original I can’t help but get excited.  

  

     On top of this, Science Fiction, when it’s done well, is my absolute favorite genre. From Star Wars to Clockwork Orange, I am a major fan of good, futuristic and surreal storytelling. And when all of these amazing-looking films are created by relative new comers and independent artists, the whole experience becomes just that much more enjoyable.

     As I will be an audience member at all 13 screenings of each film, I’ll be providing daily updates and reviews of all the happenings, screenings and galas of each day. I haven’t figured out exactly where the reviews will be, but keep checking back here over the next couple of weeks for updates and links to locations where the reviews will be posted. This blog will be used exclusively for a day-to-day posting of events.

    For now, here is a link to a list of all the films and links to their descriptions and trailers. Some of these look amazing. Stop by Movie Patron.com Sunday evening to download the podcast in which I will be talking extensively about the festival and its films to be shown. Until then, take care and we’ll see you at the movies!

 

 

1) Netflix allows me to have a friends list and make recommendations and listen to other people’s thoughts (whom I trust) on what I should see.  It’s kind of fun.  Actually, it’s a lot like Flixster; which is probably my favorite site on the web and I visit them daily.

2) Netflix gives me an RSS feed for several things at their site.  Most notably a feed for my queue, so I can post my queue to the world and it will automatically be updated everytime I make a change (instead of having to change the HTML code on my site every week).

3) I already control 2 other people’s Blockbuster queues and in exchange I get to use their free, in store coupons. If I didn’t have this little luxury, I never would’ve switched.  I like the coupons too much to sacrfice them simply for a friends list.

4) Blockbuster has been sending me emails for roughly 6 months about how great their site is gonna be and that the whole thing is being over hauled, etc.  Well, I have yet to see that happen.  I got to try the beta test of it, and to be honest, I wasn’t that thrilled and that was also like two months ago.  Where’s the new site kids?  Yeah right.

     So for now, I’m sticking with Netflix until something better comes along.  I may switch back if I’m not happy with the service.  It’s a two week free trial and I just paid my BB invoice about three days ago.  So I guess, technically, I’m not officially out yet.  Look me up if you’re a member of Netflix.  Maybe we can be “friends.”

Summer movie Wrap-up.
Fall movie preview.
Download the podcast HERE.

Follow along with the podcast liner-notes HERE.

CLICK ON COMMENTS (BELOW) TO SPEAK YOUR MIND ABOUT THE SHOW.

The MoviePatron web blog is back up and on it’s own server. No more blogger or blogspot.  This is a new and improved version of the old blog.  Leave a comment and let me know what you think of the style and look.  It can be changed and edited very easily, so send in some suggestions.

Some new features include the ability to categorize stories into various subjects.  You can find these categories in the toolbar to the left to more easily find something you may be looking for.  Also, special posts may be listed as a page number - also in the upper left. You can also browse posts by clicking on the calendar dates on the left.  This is all very new, so enjoy and check back soon for more info and news items that I find noteworthy,  Updates from the Toronto After Dark Film Festival will be posted here in October as well, so be sure to follow that.

 It’s very late and I must retire now.  More posts coming very soon.

~Drewbacca
MoviePatron.com 

     Movie Patron announces a new forum section. No one’s there yet (as of today, the 6th), but stop on in, sign up, and start a discussion about any movie subject you want to bring up or jump into an already existing conversation. The more the merrier, so sign up now, it’s totally free and confidential.

MoviePatron Forum Home

See you there!

~Drewbacca
MoviePatron.com