Avatar comes out tomorrow on DVD and Blu-ray, and that got me thinking about our post from many moons ago on 3D and its usefulness. As a follow-up to that, I’d like to hear your thoughts on whether or not 3D is making movies better, and if it’s worth the markup on ticket price. Read More
Nerds are all the rage these days. Nerd culture is now, ironically, pop culture. It’s becoming increasingly cool to dig on math, science, comic books, Star Wars, and other nerdy fare. Today, I revel in this paradigm shift (look, kids, business speak!) with some of my favorite nerd movies. These are movies featuring nerds, rather than movies that nerds enjoy (although they’re obviously not mutually exclusive, and I feature plenty of the latter right here on this very blog).
Twitter is changing the way we think about communication. You can chat with your favorite actor, follow disasters and revolutions in real time, and make your opinion known to world leaders.
Or, if you’re like me, you can follow a bunch of fake people as they talk about pretend life. Here are some Twitter accounts based on movie/TV characters. Note: I take no responsibility for any profane/crazy/inappropriate tweets these yahoos make. Follow at your own risk, people.
There are some movies that are made for kids, marketed to kids, and watched by kids, but are a little questionable in the child-friendliness department. When you think about the themes and content in some of these, it’s a wonder they’re considered “children’s movies” at all. They’re great films, but still. Here’s what I’m talking about:
Recently, Edward Norton and Tim Blake Nelson stopped by Blockbuster World Headquarters to meet our employees and promote their new film Leaves of Grass. Mr. Norton was gracious enough to sit down with us and answer a few questions we had about the movie. The result — an interview in three parts. Enjoy!
March has come and gone, and that means it’s time for everyone’s favorite monthly blog post! Here were the 50 most-rented movies from blockbuster.com last month.
1. 2012
2. Couples Retreat
3. Up in the Air
4. Law Abiding Citizen
5. The Informant!
6. The Blind Side
7. Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” By Sapphire
8. The Time Traveler’s Wife
9. The Box
10. The Hurt Locker Read More
Tomorrow is April Fools’ Day, and rather than play some sort of mean-spirited prank on you (I’ll leave that to the guy in your office who calls everybody “Chief”), I thought I’d celebrate my favorite fools from movies and TV. These characters may not be MENSA material, but they’re nevertheless charming, funny, or, at the very least, entertaining.
Ace Ventura
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Don’t you judge me! I challenge you to watch this movie and not laugh at the man’s zany antics.
Charlie Kelly
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Whether it’s eating cat food, huffing paint, or transforming into Green Man, nothing that Charlie does is intelligent, but it’s all hilarious.
Austin Powers
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Every time I catch this movie on TV, I’m surprised by how funny it is. Mike Myers played the bumbling spy perfectly.
Billy Madison
His foolishness is central to the movie’s plot. Bonus for Best Cameo by Steve Buscemi.
Harry and Lloyd
Dumb and Dumber
Another movie based on the mind-boggling stupidity of its main characters. This was the first example that came to mind when thinking of foolish movies. My favorite scene? Has to be their entrance wearing blue and orange tuxedos.
Frank Ricard
Old School
Frank the Tank is by far the best part of Old School. You laugh at him and feel sorry for him at the same time.
Bob and Doug McKenzie
Strange Brew
Supposedly this movie was based on Hamlet, who played the fool. Bob and Doug, however, are not playing.
Spaceballs
Which character is the fool in this movie? Every. Single. One. In a good way.
Lt. Frank Drebin
The Naked Gun
Old school foolishness at its best. As far as I’m concerned, Leslie Nielsen set the standard for this kind of role. Bonus for featuring pre-drama OJ.
Derek Zoolander
Zoolander
I mean, the guy can’t even turn left. Will Ferrell and Owen Wilson are also fairly foolish in this, too.
I pictured this as one of those old-timey news reels they used to show before movies, with telegraph noises and everything, but I lack both the technological skills and sheer moxie to pull that off. Anyway, we’ve had a lot of good company-related news lately, and I thought I’d share it with you all here. The three major announcements we’ve had in the past week are:
Rental Deal with Warner Bros
We just finalized a deal with Warner Bros that will allow us to continue to rent their movies the day they’re released. So, say you’re determined to rent Sherlock Holmes when it’s released on March 30. We have you covered, my saucy friend — we’ll have it on DVD and Blu-ray in stores and by mail, and we’ll also have it to rent digitally through BLOCKBUSTER On Demand. Netflix and Redbox won’t have it until 28 days after release. It’s kind of a big deal.
BLOCKBUSTER On Demand now on HTC HD2 Phones
If you are a fancy, jetsetting master of travel like me and George Clooney, you’ve probably wanted to have a movie to watch on a flight, limousine ride, or elephant-back safari. Well, if you have a new HTC HD2 phone (which looks quite sweet), you can download movies over a Wi-Fi connection, then watch them wherever you want. They didn’t even have that kind of future-y technology on Star Trek! Sure, they had a holodeck, but I never saw Warf watching Stripes on his tricorder. And who’s to say we’re not working on that whole holodeck thing (we’re not)?
Find out more.
A review of the phone from ZDNet.
We’re Also on Samsung Devices
BLOCKBUSTER On Demand was already on some Samsung HDTVs, Blu-ray players, and home theater systems, but now we’re on even more! The BLOCKBUSTER On Demand app will be available on many of Samsung’s 2010 products. There’s no monthly fee: all you do is launch the app, select a movie you want to rent or buy, and the cost is automatically debited from your card on file. I’ve seen a movie played through a Samsung TV, and it looks and sounds great.
We’re working on a number of other major deals right now. As they are announced, I’ll be sure to blog about them here. Stay tuned!
Amy Huff, our Director of Online Content, has put together some of her favorite movies with strong female characters in honor of Women’s History Month.
Seeing as how I was a history major, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to pipe up with my favorite women in historical(ish) movies.
Tea with Mussolini
This is one of my favorite movies in part because of the historical significance of the time period (the outbreak of WWII), but it also has an incredible line up of actors including Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Cher, and so on.
Widow’s Peak
Gorgeous period piece with Joan Plowright, Mia Farrow and the late Natasha Richardson which at first glance my not seem like an ode to women, but stick with it.
Safe Passage
I love Susan Sarandon, and she knows how to bring the greatness. Sarandon’s take on motherhood in this flick is especially difficult. She plays the mother of seven sons, one of whom may have been killed in the bombing of a marine base. How does she cope with her own grief while still being the touchstone for the rest of the family?
Julie & Julia
Julia Child, as portrayed by Meryl Streep, shows how hard work, dedication and a passion for life can change the world. I exaggerate only slightly. I don’t want to think about the world without brie and profiteroles or a perfect roast chicken.
Lady Jane
I know, another period piece, but history’s important, people! You may not have heard of this short-lived queen, but the story is beautiful.
Little Women
This isn’t a ploy to work in Susan Sarandon again, but if it happens, it happens. My mother, sister, and I watched this during Christmas when we were growing up and it was a favorite tradition. More importantly, the March women’s struggles are universal and Louisa May Alcott is kind of a rock star. Growing up with all the transcendentalists couldn’t have been easy!
Out of Africa
We all talk about getting away, but Karen Blixen packed it up and moved to Africa in 1914, living on a plantation in an unhappy marriage. The movie is lovely and the young Robert Redford is too.
The Queen
Helen Mirren’s portrayal of Queen Elizabeth the II was fantastic. In a movie documenting an event fairly recent in all of our memories, she was going to be under incredible scrutiny and she delivered. Amazing performance and terrific movie.
Frida
Selma Hayek rocked the unibrow in this terrific flick by Julie Taymor. The film was fantastic and conveyed the larger-than-life personalities of Frida Kahlo and Diega Rivera, and the stunning art they both created.
A League of their Own
It’s the All American game and when played by Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Rosie O’Donnell, and Madonna in super cute pink outfits, it reaches awesome! I know, I’ve set the movement back, but I love myself some pink 40’s pinup looks.
Other notable performances include Judi Dench as “M” in Goldeneye. A woman, and Judi Dench no less, as James Bond’s boss — serious greatness. Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Gina Torres as Zoe in Firefly: a woman who could bring the badass and rock the wife gig. Plus, a post without Firefly wouldn’t be right.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone! In honor of the most green-beeriest of holidays, I present to you my Top Ten Irish Movies. Many of these take place in Ireland, but a few just feature Irish people. They’re everywhere.
Fun fact: I went to Ireland last summer, and it was so ridiculously good-looking there that it looked fake. Also, the Guinness Storehouse tour is nothing short of spellbinding.
10) The Butcher Boy
Man, this is one weird movie. The fact that Sinead O’Connor is in it makes it super Irish.
9) The Commitments
A great little movie about a group of out-of-work Dubliners who form a soul band. This is one of three movies based on Roddy Doyle books. Also: Colm Meany!
8) The Boxer
Daniel Day-Lewis is an amazing actor. In The Boxer, he plays a former IRA member who gets released from jail and returns to his old Belfast neighborhood to start a boxing gym. This movie would be higher on the list, but I saw in the synopsis that Dublin stood in for Belfast during the filming, and now I feel lied to.
7) In the Name of the Father
Another Daniel Day-Lewis movie about the IRA, and it was also directed by Jim Sheridan. It’s based on the true story of a man wrongly convicted of a bombing. Kind of a rough movie to watch, but a really good one.
6) The Van
This is another of the Roddy Doyle movies, and it, too, features the hilarious Colm Meany. The other movie in the trilogy is The Snapper, which is also good, but I wanted to mix up the list a bit.
5) Intermission
I feel like a lot of people missed Intermission, which is a shame, because it’s brilliant (like in the Irish slang way). Colin Farrell is extremely funny in this, which really surprised me. Also: EVEN MORE COLM MEANY!
4) Waking Ned Devine
A truly charming movie that was beautifully shot. It paints a great picture of quirky, small-town Irish life.
3) Miller’s Crossing
Okay, it’s not set in Ireland, but it is about Irish gangsters. It’s also one of my favorite Coen brothers movies.
2) Once
Love the movie, love the soundtrack, love the real-life band (The Swell Season) that resulted from it, and love that the two main characters/band members are really dating.
1) The Boondock Saints
Again, not set in Ireland, but about two Irish brothers from Boston. Willem Dafoe steals the show. I have yet to see the sequel, but it’s in my Queue.
