Online movie rental services are the way of the future. While many still roam the local movie mart, whether blockbuster or otherwise, many are switching to the conveniences of online DVD rental service. Simply order a DVD online, and with the click of a button your movie is queued in for delivery. No late fees, and competitive prices between the two companies make it a great time to sign up. So, which DVD rental service is the best?

Netflix was the company that really started this trend, and so a good look must be given to them. The Netflix service was so popular, that Blockbuster considered it a big threat and launched the Blockbuster online DVD rental service in response. Netflix offers over 55,000 titles, nearly 5,000 more than their competitor, and has about the same turn-around time, for now. I would like to point out the impossibility of finding their phone number online, they expect you to go through their online FAQ’s first, whereas Blockbuster has a ‘contact us’ tab that makes it easy to contact them. That aside, Netflix has a reputable name built up from the speed, and quality of their service. So can Blockbuster stop the march of this DVD rental service behemoth?

The answer is yes. While Netflix may have “gotten there first”, Blockbuster has and plans to remain a store-driven service. In this way, Blockbuster has a huge advantage over Netflix, and knows how to manage their customer service team. Blockbuster has plans in the immediate future to begin using their stores as distribution points, which means delivery could be extremely quick, and make their stores a possible drop off point for the online DVD rental service. While priced about the same, Blockbuster gives free in-store rentals. This is very important to me personally, as it allows me to grab the new release I’ve wanted immediately for free and then put the older classics on the backburner.

Between the two, it’so neck-and-neck that the Blockbuster free rentals are the deal breaker for me. I’d go with Netflix only if you really don’t care about free in-store rentals. Otherwise they are mostly the same price, the same speed, and consumer appreciation is about equal for both DVD rental services. I’m not sure if Netflix just hopes their customers won’t notice, but Netflix should take a price dive if they expect customers to pass up the free monthly in-store DVD rentals from Blockbuster.

In recent months, Blockbuster has been losing ground to Netflix in the customer service area, as the internet has been abuzz with various Blockbuster scandals and mistakes, it seems the majority of savvy web users are siding with Netflix, citing excellent customer service and faster delivery times with Netflix.

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Rogen plays an everyday Joe who gets caught up in a crazy scenario. He witnesses a murder after he just bought weed from his dealer. He leaves the weed at the scene of the crime and the killers find it and trace it back to him. Now he and his dealer (James Franco) have to go on the run from these insane gangsters.

It sounds like a silly premise, but it works. The reason is all the actors just have fun with the script and cut loose. It’s almost like the whole script was just ad-libbed on the fly. Plus Rogen and Franco play off each other really well in their paranoid scenes. Sometimes they are literally running from nothing. I never pictured Franco as a dealer, but he pulls it off really well. Also, the two hit men (one is Darrell from “The Office”) are hilarious as well as they are ruthless but funny and human at the same time. The hit men are almost just as clumsy as the two they are chasing. Rogen is also seeing a girl who is a senior and high school, and that creates comical situations as he is way older and she wants him to meet her parents.

I could watch this film over twenty times just because the situations and dialogue are so hysterical. The end scene is very exaggerated but in a good way. It’s like Die Hard meets Kill Bill sort of thing with better dialogue. This may be one of Rogen’s best films to date. It’s a film you can’t take too seriously and it doesn’t take itself seriously. It may not win academy awards, but you’ll roll of the couch laughing so hard you might break a rib. It’s not just drug humor, its also situational humor like one guy gets beat with a dust buster. You can’t make that stuff up. When the guys fight back against someone who ratted them out it’s like watching childhood buddies try and attempt to fight and break all the furniture in the house. Check this movie out on DVD and you will be in for more fun than you bargained for.

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BEST PICTURE

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

BEST ACTOR

Richard Jenkins – The Visitor

Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn – Milk

Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS

Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married

Angelina Jolie – Changeling

Melissa Leo – Frozen River

Meryl Streep – Doubt

Kate Winslet- The Reader

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Josh Brolin – Milk

Robert Downey Jr. – Tropic Thunder

Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt

Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight

Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams – Doubt

Penelope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Viola Davis – Doubt

Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler

DIRECTOR

David Fincher

Ron Howard

Gus Van Sant

Stephen Daldry

Danny Boyle

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Courtney Hunt – Frozen River

Mike Leigh – Happy-Go-Lucky

Martin – In Bruges

Dustin Lance Black – Milk

Andrew Stanton – WALL-E

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Eric Roth and Robin Swicord – Benjamin Button

John Patrick Shanley – Doubt

Peter Morgan – Frost/Nixon

David Hare – The Reader

Simon Beaufoy – Slumdog Millionaire

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Der Baader Meinhof Komplex

ANIMATED

Bolt

WALL-E

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There is no back story like the first film, you just jump right in and never look back. That makes the film feel way more fast paced. There are great lines in the film, mainly from the Joker played by Heath Ledger. Ledger turns in an amazing performance and definitely deserves an Oscar posthumously. He just get you going “wow” and strongly captures the look and actions of a true psychopath. Sometimes you forget it’s Heath and just see him as the Joker. That’s what good character actors do, they get so immersed in the role they become the character. Honestly Ledger outdoes Christian Bale in the film, which I didn’t know was possible.

The story is full of twists and action, it has you on holding your breath in many scenes. The production went all out with special effects and stunt scenes. There is the Bat-Motorbike, which apparently only one stunt man could ride, and not with ease. Also the prosthetic face for Two-Face was amazing, if they hadn’t done those well, it would have ruined the film. Aaron Eckhart could have used a little more coaching from the director, but did a decent job. It seems the only way he knows how to act mad is to yell really loud. Whereas I always pictured Two Face as a more raspy growler type. But he pulls off the Harvey Dent side really well, as he is believable as a smooth talking District Attorney.

Katie Holmes has been replace by Maggie Gyllenhaal, some fans didn’t like this move. I however found it refreshing as she is a much better actor for the role. She has a powerful yet graceful look to her and much smarter looking than the childish Holmes. She plays the love interest of both Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent.

This film looks into what it takes to be a true vigilante super hero. All the costs and burdens are measured, The Dark Knight truly shows the dark side of the comic series. The villains are “agents of chaos” as the Joker puts it, and will stop at nothing to “watch the world burn” as Alfred says in the film. This is a film I recommend to everyone and will not disappoint.

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