Ebert chimes in on WS & Blockbuster!!! (1 Viewer)

[JohnRice]

This statement is so misleading. They stock many WS DVDs, including ones that are available both ways. Still, I don't understand their choices. Carrying only P&S copies of Scooby Doo is one thing, but Insomnia is quite another.

I also don't agree with boycotting them. I rent there, and every time I do, I make a point of mentioning how great it is to be able to choose so many movies with the proper presentation. When they don't offer title I want to see in OAR, I let them know how unhappy I am about it. When you boycott them, you are silent.

 

[NickFoley]

Good thing I dont deal with these kind of problems since I dont rent DVD's.

Ball Busters has rubbed too many people the wrong way.

 

[Qui-Gon John]

I wrote the President of BB, Mel Karmazin, a letter complaining of several issues. WS vs. P&S, Store Layout of VHS/DVD, length of time things are considered "new releases", the recent price hike, etc. That was 10/29, and so far not even the courteousy of a reply. They suck!

 

[streeter]

Blockbuster pretty much FORCES the studios to edit down NC-17 versions. They are technically not doing it themselves, but they are definitely responsible for it happening.

Also, those Van Wilder, American Pie 2 and other gross-out DVDs that claim to be 'unrated' are NOT NC-17 material. These cuts simply have not been submitted for a rating. It's a gimmick. Pretty much all of these UNRATED comedies would have been rated R (excluding the first American Pie, which set the trend).
Y Tu Mama Tambien... that's a different story. Blockbuster's carrying of the UNRATED edition might mean a move into a different direction.

Blockbuster's policies on carrying unrated/nc-17 material are hypocritical. They won't carry the unedited BULLY or REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, yet they carry a wide selection of Playboy-produced and made-for-Cinemax 'erotic thrillers' and psuedo-pornos.

 

[Rob Willey]

Only two days later and I have to eat my words. I went in to rent Unfaithful this afternoon and they had about twenty copies for rent, all P&S. I asked if they had any WS, and the sales drone said, "Only for sale."
Rob

 

[Travis D]

I also have a good Blockbuster here in Alabama. Exclusivley idecreen and unrated versions.

 

[Todd Hochard]

Mike Knapp started a very prescient thread some three (four?) years ago that basically said "The mainstreaming of DVD: be careful what you wish for". Now that DVD is the mainstream, we special interest, niche market, early adopter folks no longer call the shots.

But, from where we stand RIGHT NOW, it still looks pretty good. DVD is, IMO, in better shape than it was four years ago. More special editions, lower prices, and availability of WS still isn't an issue (any more so than it was four years ago).

Todd

 

[Brandon Conway]

From today's Q&A:
Q. I work part-time at a Blockbuster Video store. I tried to get this job because I love movies and while the job didn't pay as well as some others it offered five free rentals per week. I completely agree with nearly everything you said about Blockbuster. If they didn't give me the movies for free I wouldn't go there. Because of all this, when I saw the Answer Man question about the spread of full-frame (pan-and-scan) DVD titles, I was thrilled. This is something that has always bothered me. I cannot stand to watch pan-and-scan movies and had always loved the fact that most DVDs came as letterbox by default. But you write, "The chains give their customers little credit for intelligence, and, incredibly, still believe many of them do not understand letterboxing." While I would love to believe this, I can tell you, the chains are correct in their assumptions. I can't count how many times per day people come up to me and ask if we "have the DVDs without those black bars on the top and bottom." The vast majority of these same customers have no idea and actually believe letterbox cuts off the top and bottom, not understanding that pan-and-scan cuts off the sides. I try to explain the truth to them but they usually don't care. The assumption that the general public deserves more credit is sadly untrue.
Mike Fortier Jr.,
Worcester, Mass.
A. I can understand why people with small screens might resist letterboxing, which is why I see nothing wrong with offering the choice of letterbox on one side of a disc and pan-and-scan on the other. It would not be that hard to offer an in-store demo of the difference. Here, recommended by reader Joao Solimeo of Valinhos, Brazil, is a Web site with an excellent explanation of letterboxing: www.ryanwright.com/ht/oar.shtml
Way to go Ryan!

 

[LennyP]

It's the fifth question down on the link below. I think my favorite part is when he says no true movie lover has any business going to Blockbuster.

What am I crazy or is there NOTHING about Blockbuster in any of the Q&A linked?

 

[Neil_Duffy]

I too am crazy, as I can't find the q and a blockbuster thing either!

 

[Brandon Conway]

Looks like it has been removed for some reason. Weird.

 

[Francois Caron]

Try this link instead.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/answ-...swerman29.html

 

[BertFalasco]

I feel bad that I laughed at Gollum's split personality sequences..Psyche!!
[B3rt]