Luigi Comencini dies at 90

If you are a fan of Italian film you know Luigi Comencini. The man was a genious and I loved his films.

RIP

Blockbuster Vs. Netflix

After a month of using Blockbuster's Total Access program, I've gotta say that they take the cake hands down over Netflix.

First of all, you can return your movies to any Blockbuster store and not only will they swap it with a new movie at no charge, but they also mail out the next movie in your online queue. That was good surprise #1.

Good surprise #2 was that they have ALOT of great indie films available that are obviously not available to rent in their stores. Having it arrive the next day in your mailbox is pretty god damn sweet.

My third and final reason to praise Blockbuster and encourage you to try it out, is actually a few reasons rolled into one. With your Total Access memberhsip you also get the opportunity to buy previously viewed DVDs for cheaper than I've seen anywhere else, and they are relatively new movies. Last week I picked up Snakes On A Plane, Talledega Nights and Crank for my nephews birthday for a total of $20. That's almost what I would have paid to rent them a couple of years ago. You also get 20% off instore concessions, which isn't exactly a notable feature for me as I don't have any kids hounding me for junkfood when we're at the checkout, but I can see it saving someone else a few bucks every now and then. And of course there are no late fees, but this is a pretty standard feature now and should be expected, which is why I rolled it in with the other #3's.

Anyway, that's all the Blockbuster championing I'll do for this week. I do encourage you guys to try it out for yourselves. I signed up with this free 2 Week Trial and joined as a full member before it ended. What is there to lose really? It's movie rental 2.0, and it's pretty awesome!

Let me know what you guys think. What are your experiences with Blockbuster and/or Netflix? Who's the champ in your mind?

Gus Van Sant to direct Tupac film?

Apparently Gus Van Sant's background as a musician, along with his work on the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and David Bowie DVDs, has helped him find his way to a Tupac film which is to be developed in conjunction with Amaru Entertainment (founded by Tupac's mother Afeni Shakur) and Warner Brothers. Van Sant will direct the film which will focus on Shakur's experience as an artist and social activist rather than his murder, as Sylvester Stallone's Tupac film was reported to portray.

I'll be sure to keep you posted on anything else I hear. No news yet on who will play Tupac in the film, but the studio is reportedly in talks with Dr. Dre to executive produce the films soundtrack, which will be released on Amaru Records.

First Post!

What's up people. Thanks for checking out the new blog. I will be posting news/rumours/etc that I come across while attending various film festivals around the world. I am a 28 year old film journalist (Kings College '01) and studied film for two years at UCLA. After a trip to Sundance with some old drinking buddies, I realized that doing some freelance blogging during my down time would be a very fun way to let people know about all the dirt I learn of during my travels.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy my writing, and feel free to write me with any ideas, questions, comments on what you'd like me to cover.

Cheers!
Jacob