ZuDfunck

Blockbuster's Days Are Numbered

Not that pleased with Blockbuster anyway they charge early for unreturned items then credit back the money minus a dollar or so. This story in Wired indicates they may pay the ultimate price for their lack of customer sensitivity:

Video Killed the Video Store

The Blockbuster is dead, long live the blockbuster.

At least that's what the technology omens are saying.

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Blockbuster Video, whose shares are trading below $1, is seeking advice on how to file for bankruptcy. Blockbuster counters it's only trying to get help to restructure its debt.

No matter. The days of tromping to the video store to find the night's entertainment are past. Now the question is only how long will it be until walking to the mailbox to get a DVD is considered antiquarian.

Driving or walking to the video store to bring home less than a gig of data — data that may or may not even be in stock — just doesn't make much sense anymore.

At least not when compared to Netflix's easy ordering system, its recommendation engine, lack of late fees, deeper inventory and clever use of the Postal Service to have movies delivered quickly.

Blockbuster tried to keep up, with an innovative mail rental plan that let people trade in movies at the store as well, but the plan turned out to be too complicated and too late.

But even the notion of even leaving the room to get a movie, doesn't make sense if you have a fat internet connection and the willingness to explore some legal and less-legal ways to download movies to a computer.

Note that also on Tuesday, cable provider Comcast announced that it was rolling out "wideband" in the San Francisco Bay Area (including a 50 Mbps downstream offering for $140 a month) and doubled the download speed of its current basic plus service to 12 Mbps down for free. That marks the 10th urban area in the United States that the cable operator is offering real broadband.

At least not when compared to Netflix's easy ordering system, its recommendation engine, lack of late fees, deeper inventory and clever use of the Postal Service to have movies delivered quickly.

Blockbuster tried to keep up, with an innovative mail rental plan that let people trade in movies at the store as well, but the plan turned out to be too complicated and too late.

But even the notion of even leaving the room to get a movie, doesn't make sense if you have a fat internet connection and the willingness to explore some legal and less-legal ways to download movies to a computer.

Note that also on Tuesday, cable provider Comcast announced that it was rolling out "wideband" in the San Francisco Bay Area (including a 50 Mbps downstream offering for $140 a month) and doubled the download speed of its current basic plus service to 12 Mbps down for free. That marks the 10th urban area in the United States that the cable operator is offering real broadband.

At least not when compared to Netflix's easy ordering system, its recommendation engine, lack of late fees, deeper inventory and clever use of the Postal Service to have movies delivered quickly.

Blockbuster tried to keep up, with an innovative mail rental plan that let people trade in movies at the store as well, but the plan turned out to be too complicated and too late.

But even the notion of even leaving the room to get a movie, doesn't make sense if you have a fat internet connection and the willingness to explore some legal and less-legal ways to download movies to a computer.

Note that also on Tuesday, cable provider Comcast announced that it was rolling out "wideband" in the San Francisco Bay Area (including a 50 Mbps downstream offering for $140 a month) and doubled the download speed of its current basic plus service to 12 Mbps down for free. That marks the 10th urban area in the United States that the cable operator is offering real broadband.

Mac Dude is a Gay Porn Star

In it's run on Comcast's VOD I watched Zack and Miri make a Porno. I was floored by the Mac dudes appearance as a gay porn star. What would PC say! Holy moses! View it when you get a chance. I mean it's not a great movie but it can get through a rainy day.

Uncut & Uncensored Mickey Rourke Accepts Spirit Award

I watched the Telecast on IFC and they cut the speech in half, after watching this, it's easy to see why. What a Potty Mouth!

Roger Ebert: 'It Was The Best Oscar Show I've Ever Seen'

Well He Should Know:

It was the best Oscar show I've ever seen, and I've seen plenty. The Academy didn't bring it in under three and a half hours, but maybe they simply couldn't, given the number of categories. What they did do was make the time seem to pass more quickly, and more entertainingly. And they finally cleared the logjam involved in merely reading the names of the nominees. By bringing out former winners to single out each of the acting nominees and praise their work, they replaced the reading of lists with a surprisingly heart-warming new approach.

I had a feeling Hugh Jackman would be a charmer as host, and he was. He didn't have a lot of gag lines, depending instead on humor in context, as when he recruited Anne Hathawy onstage for their duet. His opening "low budget" song-and-dance was amusing, and we could immediately see how the show would benefit from the reconfigured theater. By moving the orchestra onstage and replacing a traditional orchestra pit with the semi-circled seats of nominees, they made the Oscarcast feel a little less like a show, a little more like a party.

The new design also made possible a crucial new camera shot, looking directly at the nominees from behind the presenters on stage. The looks in the eyes of Viola Davis, Marisa Tomei and Amy Adams as they were praised by Oscar legends was dramatic--infinitely better and less sadistic than the traditional practice of framing the nominees in little boxes so we could see the instant reactions of the losers. It's often said "the real award is the nomination itself." This presentation style rewarded the four eventual losers with a closeup and the praise of a peer--their payoff for having taken untold efforts to make themselves look fabulous on their big day.

Continued

Oscar 2009 Memorial Video

Okay so there is a bit of a controversy about Heath Ledger not being in this you can add your comments here at Mahalo if your so inclined don't leave 'em here cause I don't care.

 What I do care about is what Paul Newman has to say at the end of this video. The world is a lesser place without that dude around.

30-Level Interactive 2009 Oscar Picture Game

I'll close it down with this one, I only got as far as Milk. It's a pressure packed fun game. Gotta love Technology:  

Via Bloggasm & Mashable

Roger Ebert Remembers Gene Siskel Ten Years Hence

I thought these guys were the bomb when they first appeared. I learned about movies and what a real TV show felt like. The first of its' kind and now there are cable channels devoted to it. Glad I was there for the beginning of this phenomena and not the crap we have now:

Gene died ten years ago on February 20, 1999. He is in my mind almost every day. I don't want to rehearse the old stories about how we had a love/hate relationship, and how we dealt with television, and how we were both so scared the first time we went on Johnny Carson that, backstage, we couldn't think of the name of a single movie, although that story is absolutely true. Those stories have been told. I want to write about our friendship. The public image was that we were in a state of permanent feud, but nothing we felt had anything to do with image. We both knew the buttons to push on the other one, and we both made little effort to hide our feelings, warm or cold. In 1977 we were on a talk show with Buddy Rogers, once Mary Pickford's husband, and he said, "You guys have a sibling rivalry, but you both think you're the older brother."

Once Gene and I were involved in a joint appearance with another Chicago media couple, Steve Dahl and Garry Meier. It was a tribute to us or a tribute to them, I can't remember. They were pioneers of free-form radio. Gene and I were known for our rages against each other, and Steve and Garry were remarkable for their accord. They gave us advice about how to work together as a successful team. The reason I remember that is because soon afterward Steve and Garry had an angry public falling-out that has lasted until this day.

Gene, Thea Flaum and I during an early taping

Gene and I would never, ever, have had that happen to us. Unthinkable. In my darkest and moodiest hours, when all my competitiveness and resentment and indignation were at a roiling boil, I never considered it. I know Gene never did either. We were linked in a bond beyond all disputing. "You may be an asshole," Gene would say, "but you're my asshole." If we were fighting--get out of the room. But if we were teamed up against a common target, we were fatal. The first time we were on his show, Howard Stern never knew what hit him. He picked on one of us, and we were both at his throat.

We both thought of ourselves as full-service, one-stop film critics. We didn't see why the other one was quite necessary. We had been linked in a Faustian television format that brought us success at the price of autonomy. No sooner had I expressed a verdict on a movie, my verdict, than here came Siskel with the arrogance to say I was wrong, or, for that matter, the condescension to agree with me. It really felt like that. It was not an act. When we disagreed, there was incredulity; when we agreed, there was a kind of relief. In the television biz, they talk about "chemistry." Not a thought was given to our chemistry. We just had it, because from the day the Chicago Tribune made Gene its film critic, we were professional enemies. We never had a single meaningful conversation before we started to work on our TV program. Alone together in an elevator, we would study the numbers changing above the door.

Making this rivalry even worse was the tension of our early tapings. It would take eight hours to get one show in the can, with breaks for lunch, dinner and fights. I would break down, or he would break down, or one of us would do something different and throw the other off, or the accumulating angst would make our exchanges seem simply bizarre. There are many witnesses to the terror of those days. Only when we threw away our clipboards and 3x5 cards did we get anything done; we finally started ad-libbing and the show begin to work. We found we could tape a show in under an hour. Source

In Tribute To Heath Ledger, Joker Role Won't Be Cast Again?

Heath Ledger fans have to be the scariest group I have ever witnessed!

Come on now people, I've yet to see the film but can anyone play a role so well that that role should never be cast again? Yikes. Wired.com has a good breakdown on the hysteria around the proposal:

Heath Ledger's flawless acting, and tragic passing, immortalized his portrayal of the Joker in Christopher Nolan's Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight. But should Ledger's killer clown be the last Joker to grace the big screen?

That's what the fanboys over at a new site called The Ultimate Joker are arguing. They've launched a petition calling for studios to withdraw the character for good from any future Batman movies, a somewhat strange request given all the actors who have stepped into the Joker's murderous shoes on screens large and small.

"We truly believe Ledger's performance as Joker is the best an actor could ever do," the site's team leader, Fer Barbella, told Wired.com in an e-mail interview.

"Any other performance will be below expectations for sure, so we want to forever keep Ledger's Joker as the one," added Barbella, who launched The Ultimate Joker site last week with his colleague Nico Pimentel.

From Jack Nicholson and Cesar Romero to Larry Storch, Mark Hamill and the underrated Kevin Michael Richardson, Batman's nemesis has been brought to life by some serious talent. Banning Joker from the silver screen might seem like an unreasonable request on its garish face, but the team at The Ultimate Joker is standing by it, and no doubt will be aided if Ledger takes home a posthumous Oscar later this month for his portrayal.

In addition to the online petition, The Ultimate Joker site operators have fired up an Ultimate Joker Flickr pool and posted downloadable web graphics to let others show their support.

In addition to the online petition, The Ultimate Joker site operators have fired up an Ultimate Joker Flickr pool and posted downloadable web graphics to let others show their support.

Charlie Rose: A conversation about the film "Doubt"

Thinking this movie or film might have some clues:

ZuDfunck's Favorite Music Video, Weapon of Choice - Fatboy Slim

That is next to the early Mariah Carey videos but that is for another time.
A true classic

Change in Direction for ZuDfunck Number 27

What with our new Vlog at LifeinHD.tv taking most our time
And NASCAR really sucking since it Left FoX and went to TNT
TNT you do the Best NBA coverage but for some reason your NASCAR telecasts put me to sleep!

But thats just me

Anyway drifting away from NASCAR I think we should point ZuDfunck.com back to Popular Culture and what better represents PoP culture than Tech, Sports & Gossip. And what better blog to focus on that is ZuD and miniZuD.com

So reset your aggregators or browsers and Join or Dump me...

Blu-Ray Disc The Adjunct to your HDTV

To go along with your newly purchase HDTV you may want to consider this site that makes a case for ts Purchase if DirecTV or Cable doesn't scratch:

I Am Legend Review from A O Scott

Will Ferrell's Viral Video, The Landlord and Outtakes

Check out this Video with Out takes

BadAss John Turturro Makes Documentary

Having just watched Quiz Show and Millers Crossing over the past few months courtesy On Demand and having been a fan of his since his debut. Plus his role as Jesus in the Big Lebowski is perfect. Check out this snippet of dialogue:

Download artist_big_lebowski.mp3

When I got today's Village Voice sampler email I find in a blog entry this:

John Turturro talked to the Voice about Beyond Wiseguys, his new documentary exploring Italian American's contributions to filmmaking. Interview by Eudie Pak

Village Voice: What do you hope audiences will take away from your new documentary Beyond Wiseguys? What made you want to this project?

John Turturro: I'd like audiences to realize that Italian Americans have been a major creative force behind-the-scenes in Hollywood since American movies began, and that their influence on American films isn't completely defined by writing, directing or acting in mob movies, although some of these movies are masterpieces and I'm proud of them too. I wanted to do this project because I feel very personal about my background. It's very important to me, both personally obviously, and professionally. I've directed and co-written a couple of things, and I've acted in many films, and who you are or whatever your emotional makeup is is part of your instrument that you have to play on and a lot of that depends on how you've grown up and what you've perceived, what you've been around physically or emotionally. You bring your background to what you do, and make art out of it, and this is what this film is about.

Fantasy Moguls, I Kid You Not!

Now I Suck at Fantasy Football but this Fantasy Mogul I might have a chance with.

Hippies Look Out Windows

And as I do I notice the volume of leaves on the ground and the change from green to brown:

Russell Crowe in a Cowboy Movie: 3:10 to Yuma

Link: 3:10 to Yuma trailers and video clips on Yahoo! Movies.

The Last Thing I Needed, Was the First Thing This Morning...

I was forced by my Tax-man to bring this Blog out in the open before I had everything in place.

Like the fact I don't have the About page done and an apt description of what ZuDfunck's Critical Mess means. But I will work Furiously today to get that together so you folks have a more practical experience and make ZuD a worthwhile candidate for burning a feed or making a bookmark of this site. I have been doing ZuDfunck for a long time maybe four years and it is just now that I feel I have something of merit so while the blogads run attracting you over here cut me some slack as I make it one of your regular reads...

July 27th Promises Great Things in Celluloid

While  watching Network Television sports this past weekend I found out that more than just the Simpson’s movie is coming out. I saw a whole slew of scare you out of your seat feature films were coming and even a good one, some film about black dudes taking up golf and terrorizing  white guys in the clubhouse john.

I will nail down the particulars in the next few days for all you movie goers can set your weekend and send Twitter messages on what your blow by blow experiences will be…

ZuD doesn’t go to the show anymore sixty bucks versus 3.99 for a DVD rental is much more palatable for me. Cause everyone knows the great films and movies have all been made and we are just now are getting sequels to the past classics, be they movies or extended TV show plots. The only real creatively is what is going on HBO and I understand that finally. There is no worse feeling in the world than to be leaving the theater and realizing you just got snookered by the latest Spielberg, Scorsese or Billy Wilder wannabe…

The last Movie I went to the show for was Chinatown as I recall and that movie just set me on my ass for days. “Forget it Jake it’s Chinatown”