Where is the paper cutter and color printer when you need it

My neighborhood Blockbuster is due to close in April. I can’t simply express what that means to me, but because liquidation sales have turned Blockbuster into a big used DVD store, I’ve been scavenging for good deals.


Speaking from multiple experiences, liquidation sales in general start out with relatively modest discounts when inventory is abundant. During the first week, used DVDs were $8. This sounds great at first until you realize that you can find better deals online for used DVDs at places like half.com. As the weeks passed, the price of used DVDs dropped down to $6 and is now $5 (except for certain new-releases like the Social Network which are not on sale at all). $5 tends to be a sweet spot because even Amazon or half.com will have a tough time delivering you a physical DVD at that price. 


The true gem of the store is the rack of tightly packed DVDs in clear sleeves that are now on sale for $2. While the rack only occupies about 10 square feet, its density of movies is the highest in the store. Going through this rack is like a treasure hunt. In total, I’ve probably spend a couple of hours digging but because they keep it relatively full, you never know what you will find. Here is what I bought so far:


1) Frost/Nixon - This is about a televised interview with Richard Nixon after his pardon. It was expected to be superficial but turned out to be hard hitting and revolutionary. I wanted to see this but didn’t get a chance and it doesn’t hurt that it stars Frank Langella.


2) The Station Agent - This is a movie I’ve had on one of my lists of movies. I have no idea what it’s about but it had a 97% rating on rottentomatoes.com last time I checked.


3) Moliere - This is about the French playwright who wrote the comedy “The Misanthrope”. I got this because I saw a modern adaptation of that play, “The Philanthropist”.


From the normal racks of at least previously organized DVDs, I bought:


1) Taken - "They took his daughter but he will take their lives." Sounds like the start of a typical action movie but I've heard good things about it.


2) Mostly Martha - This is the only movie I’ve actually seen before. It’s falls into the category of “it’s better than the American remake” and is about a talented chef named Martha who can’t understand who is focused a bit too much on her food but suddenly needs to deal with more than she can handle in her personal life. The movie takes place mostly in and around the kitchen so if you liked Ratatouille you’ll like this too. The soundtrack is also great and the movie was almost worth the $5 just for the “Country” track by Keith Jarrett.


3) Inception - Accidentally bought what turned out to be a duplicate copy.


If you read this far, it is probably because you are wondering what any of this has to do with paper cutters and color printers. I spent some time today making and printing black and white DVD covers for the movies from the $2 rack. Blockbuster was selling empty DVD cases to go with the caseless DVDs. As much as I wanted to buy a color printer and a paper cutter, I didn't think saving a few bucks on DVDs following the close of my neighborhood DVD rental store justified such a heavy investment. While the experience was for me, uncommon, it turns out that there is enough demand for DVD cover images online for there to be several websites dedicated for sharing and distributing them. I ended up crafting my own because those websites required registration.


I just think it's ironic that people printing their own DVD covers may be making illegal copies and here I am printing DVD covers because the DVD store is going out of business. It would be an oversimplification to say that Blockbuster was not satisfying the demands of its customers. What I'm sure about is that I will miss going to my neighborhood Blockbuster.

Movies to download from Vongo

Update 10/14/2007: I cancelled my subscription because I have Blockbuster OnlineTotal Access (like Netflix).

I went for Vongo, a video subscription service where you can watch what the Starz Network is licensed to distribute (up to a couple of years). 10 bucks a month for the Starz channel and unlimited downloads of a limited selection of movies. Nevertheless, here are some non-pay-per-view movies I plan on downloading out of those 1000+ movies that are available. It's partly for my own records so it might be updated.

1. The Sixth Sense - exp. 6/30/08
2. The Greatest Game Ever Played - exp. 12/25/07
3. Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - exp. 1/08/08
4. Memoirs of a Geisha - exp. 12/27/07
5. Monster House
6. Cars
7. The Hunchback From Notre Dame
8. The Professional
9. Clerks
10. The Cider House Rules
11. Thumbsucker
12. Amazing Stories: The Movie III - exp. 5/31/07
13. Why We Fight - exp. 5/31/07
14. Alice in Wonderland - exp. 12/31/06
15. Tim Burton's: The Nightmare Before Christmas - exp. 12/31/06
16. Shopgirl - exp. 3/21/07
17. 3-Iron - exp. 5/09/07
18. Shakespeare in Love - exp. 4/30/07
19. Underworld: Evolution - exp. 3/31/07
20. The Matador - exp. 6/03/08
21. Pulp Fiction - exp. 4/29/07
22. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada - exp. 5/31/07
23. Mallrats - exp. 8/01/07
24. Revenge of the Nerds - exp. 6/30/07
25. Bloodrayne - exp. 12/31/07
26. Enemy of the State - exp. 2/03/07
27. Steamboy - exp. 4/25/07

28. Sin City

    A huge cast of A-list actors star in a graphic novel about a decadent city and its colorful inhabitants brought to life. Focuses on a cop who pays for doing the right thing, a tough man in a love-wrought quest for vengeance, and a man on the run who unknowingly gets involved with a conspiracy against Old Town, an independent burough free in a utopia (compared to Sin City) of prostitution and justice. - 1/29/06

29. Hitch

    Will Smith by profession, helps men win the hearts of the women they love. It might be more exciting for someone with less experience, but it's a great story of someone who helps people genuinely build relationships, and at the same time realistically illustrates why it is so hard: you're either rational (composed) or emotional (in love), but it's hard to be both at the same time. So when the extraordinary Hitch (Alex Hitchens) falls in love for the first time since he resolved not to do so, he could use some of his own advice.
    
    This movie moves along like magic with everything happening spectacularly building up to a spectacular climax where everyone had to re-evaluate their motives and feelings. When the pace slows, it seems like it'll turn into a regular romance (don't read chick flick) but it doesn't. If you even remotely enjoyed wedding crashers, this will be less hilarious but more poignant. Some product placements:
    Starbucks, Google Search, Benadryl, MSN Explorer, Mini Cooper. hide
    show
30. Sleepless in Seattle - exp. 3/31/07
31. Lost in Translation - exp. 3/31/07
32. Dangerous Minds - exp. 1/21/07 (drama)
33. Session 9 - exp. 12/31/06 (horror)
34. Much Ado About Nothing - exp. 3/30/07 (comedy)
35. The Terminator - exp. 12/06/06 (scifi)
36. Dune - exp. 12/30/06 (scifi)
37. Liar Liar - exp. 9/19/06 (comedy)
38. Alien Resurrection - exp. 4/28/07 (scifi)
39. How to Succeed in Business Without Typing - exp. 12/30/06
40. Rent - exp. 2/19/08
41. Derailed - exp. 2/21/08
42. The Birds - exp. 8/23/06
43. Spartacus - exp. 5/30/07
44. Dark Man - exp. 12/30/06
45. Highlander: The Final Dimension - exp. 12/23/06
46. The Greatest Game Ever Played - exp. 4/19/07
47. Layer Cake - exp. 5/01/07

48. Howl's Moving Castle

    An animated movie directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Laputa, Nausicaa, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away) colored with many familiar themes including an female heroine, nature in peril, a world ravaged by war, and wonderous steam-driven technology in a Victorian setting. This time, however, the original story was written by a British author, Diana Wynne Jones.
    
    A girl mature beyond her years, a young wizard burdened with great responsibility, a demon bonded to a walking castle, an orphan, and a cursed scarecrow are brought together in a time of war and life-threatening conflict. The causes of these conflicts, however innocent, reflect the realistic results of human weaknesses out of control. - 8/18/06

49. 2046

    ? - 8/1/06
50. Oliver Twist - exp. 11/30/06
51. Walk on Water - exp. 9/14/06

52. Crimes and Misdemeanors

    A film by Woody Allen with an existential theme that examines two men engaging in extramarital relationships and what becomes of them. One is a successful doctor who has had a successful career and a happy marriage yet wants to end a relationship with a younger flight attendant. The other is an unacclaimed documentary film-maker (played by Allen himself) whose marriage is deteriorating but seeks a happier life with a newly divorced producer with whom he has much in common. It seemed like Woody Allen wanted to explore our perceptions of morality and the pursuit of happiness through the experiences of the characters and our shared flaws. I'm still left with many questions, but I definitely enjoyed the movie. - 7/30/06
53. Finding Neverland - exp. 12/04/06

54. Rounders

    Wow, I'm still clueless about poker, but Rounder gives you a very good picture of the experience of all levels of poker playing. The art is almost like the highest level of humanity. Rounders educates, relegates, and inspires. - 7/23/06

55. Junebug

    Falls under the category of Art Cinema. Madaleine, a museum curator/owner, marries George, a man from the South, and meets his family for the first time in an attempt to sign a local artist. Madeleine ends up spending more time than she expected with her husband's family than cementing a deal with the eccentric artist, but her husband, returned to a mixed reception. His family is obviously glad to see the prodigal son return, but his brother still thinks he's an asshole. Seemingly dragged down by baggage from his history, he mostly absent or sleeping--I never caught onto what his job was.
    
    The film reaches a climax when their sister-in-law goes into labor just as Madeleine's deal is put in jepordy. A great movie with great character development. - 7/25/06
56. Rise: The Story of Rave Outlaw Disco Donnie - exp. 12/30/07
57. Tae Guk Gi - exp. 10/31/06

58. Van Helsing

    This was a pretty interesting vampire action movie about a man indentured in the service of a secret society in Rome dedicated to protecting the world from supernatural evil.- 5/22/06
59. Philadelphia - exp. 6/30/06
60. Last Dance - exp. 8/31/06
61. The Verdict - exp. 3/31/07

62. Stealth

    The navy sends an AI driven fighter plane to learn from a group of human pilots. Interesting take on what happens when you try to make AI-soldiers that are smarter and more efficient yet still expect them to follow instructions.- 5/17/06
63. Mad Max - exp. 12/05/06
64. Blade - exp. 5/31/06
65. The Kitchen Toto - exp. 6/30/06
66. Basquiat - exp. 1/15/07
67. Nixon - exp. 1/31/07

68. Zatoichi

    This 2003 movie about a blind swordsman, two geishas with a vendetta, lots of yakuza, and more combines several plots, rhythm sequences, and comic relief to make for one hell of a bloodbath. It seems like a mix of Kill Bill, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk. Didn't know what to make of it. - 4/14/06
    BTW, it was dubbed with English by Japanese voice actors.

69. The Winter Guest

    A Scottish movie show four generations of interpersonal relationships: a window and her mother, an adolescent son and the girl next door, two school boys, and two elderly women. Their stories cross and they each learn about when to hold on and when to let go of each other. I liked this but didn't quite understand it all. - 4/14/06
70. Vera Drake - exp. 12/20/06

71. Monty Python and the Meaning of Life

    A smörgåsbord of skits wittily making light of catholics, americans, accountants, french, naked people, and more. Definitely Rated R and more inline with And, now for Something Complete Different and less like Life of Brian. - 3/7/06

72. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

    Bill Murray stars as a oceanographic documentary maker who has a very interesting team of honest and quirky people. - 5/06

73. The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl

    Sympathetic premise (everybody believes you're making things up but you're not), but the lack of 3d on Vongo and kinda the whole premise of the movie is kinda confusing. Is it a dream, a figment of Max's imagination, or is it reality? We're led to believe that Max is just dreaming. Then, we're led to believe he's not. But then, he, along with his two heros both say it's his dream. Before they leave Planet Drool, however, Max learns that some dreams can come true and how to make them happen. Unfortunately, the same dream then persists into the dream world not entirely consistent with the lesson he learned. Anyway, may be good enough for kids. - 3/3/06

74. All the King's Men

    The movie is adapted from a book based on the story of Huey Long. Willie Stark, a self-made politician who tried time and time again to run for office on a platform of exposing corruption and setting things right. Election after election, he gains support but each time he loses, until he realizes what he needs to do to win.
    
    He starts taking money and 'making deals' with big businesses all over the state of Louisiana and through patronage, blackmail, and bribery.- 3/3/06
75. Groundhog Day - exp. 8/30/06
76. A Man for All Seasons - exp. 4/30/06

77. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

    A lot of imagining went into this, and I think the only thing I didn't like was Zaphod's second head. Don't know too much about whether this stayed true to the book(s) and I only read the first in the series, but it's definitely more fun if you read it first I think. Gives you a head start. - 2/06

78. Psycho

    The classic Hitchcock thriller. Favorite quote: "You eat like a bird" - uttered in a room full of stuffed birds. - 2/10/06
79. A Day Without a Mexican - exp. 6/30/07
80. Dead Poet's Society - exp. 3/14/06
81. The Bourne Supremacy (For some reason I think I saw this) - exp. 3/31/06
82. America's Heart & Soul - exp. 3/31/06
83. The Fog of War - exp(ired)
84. Brave New World - exp(ired)
85. Bride and Prejudice - exp. 5/04/07
86. What the Bleep Do We Know?
87. American History X - exp. <1/05/07/li>
88. West Side Story - exp(ired)

89. The Notebook

    The Notebook tells two remarkable love stories in two different time periods, the present and another told from the pages of ... The Notebook, both of which become connected as the story unfolds. - 1/06
90. The Village - exp. 9/29/06
91. The Station Agent - exp. 3/14/06
92. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring - exp(ired)
93. Slaughterhouse-Five - exp(ired)

94. Shall We Dance?

    A remake of a Japanese movie about life and being happy starring Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, and Susan Sarandon. Makes you want to take dance lessons. - 1/06
95. Samourais - exp(ired)
96. Quiz Show - exp. 1/05/07

97. Phil Collins: A Life Less Ordinary

    I finally understand what getting that Oscar for the soundtrack of Tarzan meant for him. He was a phenomenally acclaimed musician but people just got tired of his success. - 1/06
98. Peter Pan - exp(ired)
99. The Pacifier
100. Once Upon a Time in China I, II, and II (Wang Fei Hong) - exp(ired)
101. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - exp(ired)
102. My Girl - exp. 2/28/07
103. Return of the King - exp. 3/26/06
104. The Last of the Mohicans
105. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
106. Jonah: A Veggietales Movie
107. Jane Eyre
108. The Incredibles - exp. 1/07/07
109. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
110. Hidalgo - exp. 3/31/06
111. Hellsing
112. Good Will Hunting - exp. 3/31/06
113. Ghost Busters

114. National Treasure

     Benjamin Franklin Gates is pursuing a treasure that can only be found with the help of the Declaration of Independence. Watched/listened as I practiced calligraphy, so I didn't pay complete attention, but it was enjoyable. Something of a misnomer. - 2/6/06

115. Harry and Kumar Go to White Castle

     A comedy about the lengths two recent college grads would go to have fun and satisfy cravings that are common to all people. Several cameos, pokes fun at lots of racist stereotypes that are funny because their true (the craziness, racism, and I wouldn't say all the stereotypes as they are always based on something). I think all Asians have to watch this because of this line after a guy dumps his work on Harold, "I'm telling you, those Asian guys love crunching numbers... you probably just made his weekend. Hah...haha.." - 1/06

116. The Aviator

     Interesting history of American aviation and war politics from the perspective of an brilliant but troubled moviemaking/aviation pioneer - 1/06
117. The Joy Luck Club - exp. 4/23/06
118. Shaolin Soccer - exp. 3/31/06

119. After the Sunset

     Don Cheadle, who plays Paul Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda, is in this movie along with Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek, the latter of which are genuinely retired thieves tempted with an impossible-to-steal diamond but they have to do it right under the nose of an FBI agent who's career they've ruined. An action movie with interesting plot elements. I originally really watched this because it happened to be on Starz's live channel stream. - 1/06

SOURCE: Engadget CES Coverage and too much scrolling.