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Should you sign up for Redbox Instant?

Redbox-Instant

Over the last week a new internet movie streaming service has launched.  It is Redbox Instant by Verizon.  It costs $8 month, but you also get four free movies from their Redbox kiosk every month.  So is it worth it? Maybe.

The selection of movies that you can stream without additional cost is very limited at the moment, and the only TV based device that streams the service is an Xbox 360 with your Gold subscription, but I am sure more are on the way.  There are additional movies that you can rent and buy, but if you can rent them they are $4.99 for standard definition and $5.99 for high definition.  Or you can buy them for $16.99 for standard definition or $21.99 for high definition.  Those prices really aren’t that compelling since the draw of Redbox has always been cheap movies, and those are the same prices as every other service.

This leaves the only perk being the four movies at the kiosk, and if you rent from Redbox a lot then this may make since since you would be adding streaming for $4.  If you don’t use the kiosk then Amazon Prime, or Netflix offer way more for the money, and Amazon gives you free shipping on all Amazon purchases and free books from the Prime lending library.  Netflix’s perk is pretty much just the biggest library of streaming movies, but that is what this is all about in the first place.

I am happy there is another service entering the ring.  Competition is always a good thing, and I hope the number of streaming movies grows quickly, but for now I would hold off on the one month free trail of Redbox Instant until there is more to watch.

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Get Lost in Strange Places

Strange Places

Strange Places is a fantasy book written by Jefferson Smith.  If you haven’t heard of him, you are probably not alone since he seems like a fairly new author, and I got the book by buying an indie book package deal, so that for ten dollars I got twelve books, and three dollars went to help young authors.  So is my eighty three cent book any good?  I think so.

The book is about a young orphan named Tayna (not Tanya like my head kept translating it).  She is in a horrible orphanage, and told that she is unlovable, so she does her best to take care of her fellow orphans until she meets an evil looking Lord, and a creepy guy in pink rain coat and pants, and is transported to a magical forest.

I know an orphan that finds out she might be magical and is kind of a big deal is not the most original story ever told, but it is different enough from that other magical orphan so that you are not always drawing comparisons.  Jefferson Smith shows his talent here too.  He makes the world and the characters believable, and it is a fun read.  Tayna specifically is really well written and is a great protagonist.

Like many fantasy books this is just the first one in a series, so a lot of this book is just introducing the characters, building the world, and showing how the magic systems works, but it still manages to be entertaining.  It does leave on a cliff hanger, and I usually prefer to have books at least have some feel of wholeness, or at least have the rest of the books ready to go.

Stange Places isn’t perfect but it is a good read, and I have seen it around for a dollar or less.  If you are looking for a good fantasy book, then this just might be your ticket.  It can be found on Amazon.

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What’s Up with Downton Abbey?

downton-abbey

Downton Abbey is a show on BBC and PBS about a large English estate.  It has become quite popular which is a rarity for period costume dramas, so I have given it a try.  Does it get this nerd’s seal of approval? Yes it does.

The show is about a fictional Yorkshire estate, and it takes place from 1912 to the early 1920s so far, and it follows the Grantham Family and their multitude of servants.  There are so many twists and turns in this show that to give a full plot would take the fun out of it, but for something as slow paced as a costume drama, there is plenty happening to keep you interested.

This show is really a high class soap opera, but it is a well acted and written soap opera, so it is very engaging, and not to give anything away, but they are just as likely kill off main character as The Walking Dead, and that show is about the Zombie Apocalypse.  The real reason I keep watching is Maggie Smith.  She is fantastic, and I spend every episode just waiting for her to use her amazing control of words to get exactly what she wants.

Downton Abbey is not something I would usually watch, but thanks to my wife, I am hooked.  Most of it should be streaming on Amazon Prime, even season three should be up soon, so there is nothing stopping you from giving it a try.

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Dumbo: Have You Ever Seen a Elephant Fly?

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Dumbo, as I am sure you all know, is an animated film from Disney.  It is also one of Disney’s more controversial films, as many consider it to be racist.

The plot is simple, due to an unfortunate accident involving a young boy making fun of Dumbo’s large ears, and his mother defending him so she gets locked up.  His friend, a mouse, helps Dumbo out, and with the help of a few crows, teaches him to fly.

It is simple and it works, and the animation is great, but some people like to point to the faceless roustabouts and the crows as racist, but I think they are missing the bigger picture.  As to why the roustabouts are faceless, I think Disney was trying to point out all the work they do, but no one knows who they are or all the hard work they put in, plus all other African Americans in the film have faces.  The crows on the other hand seem harder to defend with their getups an mannerisms, but they also prove to be caring and smart, by crying when they realize their jokes have gone to far, and using psychology to get Dumbo to fly with the magic feather.

This movie is one Disney’s classics, and to have it streaming on Netflix is great.  If you haven’t seen it, you should.  Disney maybe should have been a little more careful with caricatures of the crows, but they prove to be heroes in this film.  It is good to see an elephant fly.

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Can MST3K survive the Crash of the Moons?

mst3k_Crash_Of_The_Moons

Something wonderful has happened! MST3K after being dropped off Netflix streaming, is now on Amazon Prime!  And there are some episodes that I haven’t seen before, so I watched Crash of the Moons.  It is the sequel to the great Manhunt in Space, but is it just as funny?  Yes it is.

The plot is that Rocky Jones has to evacuate two moons before they crash, but some of the people take some convincing, and as an added bonus there is a General Hospital short before the flick which is pretty awesome.  But plot is not what MST3K is about, it is whether the movie is bad enough to make fun of, but still watchable enough not to get bored, and much like Manhunt in Space, this is one of their better episodes.

The Robots and Joel are in rare form in this movie, almost never letting up with the jokes, and most of them land.  And the fact the John Banner is in it, of Hogen’s Heroes fame, gives them tons of extra material.

MST3K is as always a fun diversion and having them on a streaming service again is great, and Crash of the Moons is a excellent way to spend 90 minutes.