The Flickcast

Netflix CEO Apologizes, Will Split DVD Rentals Into New Company

Posted on September 19, 2011

What do you do if you’ve managed to make your once struggling DVD rental-by-mail company into one of, if not the, biggest rental and content streaming services in the world? Well, if you’re Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, you make some poor decisions regarding pricing, apologize for them and split off your DVD rental biz into a completely different company.

That’s just what Reed has done with Netflix’s DVD rental business. He announced this week via the company’s blog that the Netflix will split its DVD and streaming video businesses and rebrand the DVD division as “Qwikster.”

“In hindsight, I slid into arrogance based upon past success,” Hastings said in the blog post. “Now I see that given the huge changes we have been recently making, I should have personally given a full justification to our members of why we are separating DVD and streaming, and charging for both,” Hastings added.

I guess Hastings felt he had to do something what with all the backlash recently over the recently rolled out price hike of 60% which helped drop the company’s stock by almost 50%. Not only that but Starz has also has not renewed its deal with the company which means fewer movies and other content for the service.

Qwikster will be a separate company and will, in addition to movies and TV programs, also offer video game rentals. Expect to see Qwikster.com to go live in the next few weeks.

So, what do we think of this? Is it a good move or the last gasp of a dying company out of touch with customers? Sound off in the comments.

War Movie Mondays: ‘The Hunt for Red October’

Posted on September 19, 2011

This week’s pick is the John McTiernan thriller The Hunt for Red October (1990). Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, and James Earl Jones star in this Cold War classic about a Soviet naval commander and a new invincible Soviet sub which threatens peace between the two super powers.

Set in early 1984 before Gorbachev came to power as the new Soviet premier, the new ballistic missile submarine Red October sets sail from port in the arctic and makes its way to the north Atlantic for a training exercise. Its captain, Marko Ramius (Connery) selects his officers and the crew for a daring mission that they believe will test the might of their old adversary, The United States navy.

The Red October is equipped with a new type of propulsion system, a caterpillar drive, which renders the sub virtually silent to sonar. This feature and its nuclear payload, represent a clear and present danger to U.S. policy in the north Atlantic at the height of Cold War tensions between both the U.S and Soviet Union.

Box Office: ‘Lion King’ Proves People Still Care About 3D

Posted on September 19, 2011

Here we are, the end of the summer season, well into the fall box office lull where most movies go to die. Instead of getting another historical drama or disease-based thriller, we’re getting a 3D re-release of a film that came out nearly a decade ago.

That’s right, Disney managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat in getting their 3D re-release of Lion King to open to just over $29 million this weekend, making it #1 by about a mile.

Coming in second place this weekend, Soderbergh’s Contagion took a step down, losing only 35% of last weekend’s weekend pull. The film only walked away with $14.5 million this weekend.

Also opening this weekend, the indie action flick Drive pulled in $11 million in the #3 spot, the Straw Dogs remake only made $5 million for the weekend, which is pretty low considering the True Blood bump the film had.

Next weekend, tons of potential box office surprises. Lionsgate’s Taylor Lautner vehicle, Abduction, hit theaters, as does the family flick Dolphin Tale. For the grownups, Killer Elite and Brad Pitt’s Moneyball hit theaters everywhere.

Fox Looking into a 24/7 Network Dedicated to ‘The Simpsons’

Posted on September 16, 2011

In a time when digital HD, cable, and satellite TV bring us thousands (that’s right: thousands) of different channels to choose from in our day-to-day viewing schedule, doesn’t it make sense that one of those channels should be dedicated to one of the most popular animated sitcoms in American TV history?

That’s what News Corp. is thinking, as they’re toying with the idea of bringing us an entire channel dedicated to The Simpsons. Here’s the speculative report from LA Times.

Noting that “The Simpsons” shows no sign of slowing down as it prepares to start its 23rd season on News Corp.’s Fox network, News Corp. Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey said the company is starting to have internal discussions about how to create additional revenue streams for the animated hit that goes beyond reruns on TV stations and DVD sales.

Any effort at creating a platform just for “The Simpsons” may have to wait for the show to stop producing new episodes. Because the show is still in production after more than two decades, the rerun deals done years ago are still in effect. Once the show ends, so-called second cycle sales of repeat episodes can be sold. Although some shows might seem stale after 20 years, “The Simpsons” continues to be a solid performer.

Film Score Friday: ‘The Lord of the Rings Symphony’ by Howard Shore

Posted on September 16, 2011

There are a few quintessential film scores in every generation. Amongst the first of the new century is the music from The Fellowship of the Ring, Howard Shore’s epic, sweeping and moving first score in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. At the end of the day, all three scores work together to tell the single story of the Lord of the Rings, weaving in and out of complex themes and structures more like an opera than a traditional film score.

This epic master work has recently found new life with the release of The Lord of the Rings Symphony, a six movement piece that spans the entire trilogy. The music is structured into two movements per movie, emulating the two books in each volume of the trilogy. Each movie getting between twenty and forty minutes of their best musical moments, woven together like a single cohesive musical experience.

So the first question on my mind as I hear about this release is how it sounds. Many times when there is a re-recording of a release, it doesn’t have that certain spark of the original recording, the music is all there, but it is just not quite the same. Thankfully, for this release the music is almost perfection, and several cases I even prefer the new recorded cues to the originals I have listened to for years.

Check Out This Trailer for Takeshi Kitano’s ‘Outrage’

Posted on September 16, 2011

There’s just something about Takeshi Kitano’s films you’ve gotta love. Maybe it’s the amazing look of them, the unusual and often conflicted characters or the spectacular way he stages action. Whatever it is, he’s great at what he does so anytime he’s got a new film coming out, we’re going to take notice.

His latest film is Outrage and we’ve got a trailer for it to share with you today. Here’s some synopsis to peak your interest:

In a ruthless battle for power, several yakuza clans vie for the favor of their head family in the Japanese underworld. The rival bosses seek to rise through the ranks by scheming and making allegiances sworn over saké.

Long-time yakuza Otomo has seen his kind go from elaborate body tattoos and severed fingertips to becoming important players on the stock market. Theirs is a never-ending struggle to end up on top, or at least survive, in a corrupt world where there are no heroes but constant betrayal and vengeance.

Sounds good. We’re in. Outrage will be available On-Demand on October 28 and in theaters December 2. Check out the trailer after the jump.

Film Review: ‘I Don’t Know How She Does It’

Posted on September 16, 2011

Spoiler Alert: I know how she does it. And I’m about to tell you.

The “she” of the title is Kate Reddy (played by Sarah Jessica Parker), and, for starters, she has a full-time nanny. The nanny apparently also cleans, really well, or else there is some unseen housekeeper, because the house is always in a perfect state of cleanliness, beds pristinely made and kitchen counters bare and shining.

Someone also does laundry, because there is not a single basket of dirty, clean-but-not-folded or folded-but-not-put-away laundry anywhere in sight. That same person, or perhaps someone else, must also do Kate’s personal shopping, because she has a killer wardrobe, as do the children, and what mother working a demanding 60+ hour-a-week schedule has time for shopping?

Check Out New Clips from ‘Drive’ with Ryan Gosling and Bryan Cranston

Posted on September 15, 2011

Director Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive is a film I enjoyed very much. It’s stylish, almost absurdly violent and immensely entertaining.

It’s what movies should be. Well, it’s what drama/action movies should be at the very least, Don’t get me wrong, it’s also got a brain.

But what makes this movie so cool are the visuals and the anti-hero played by Gosling. He’s a man of few words who lets his actions speak for him.

In the film Gosling plays “Driver,” a Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheelman that will take any job and not ask questions. All is well until that fateful day he discovers a contract has been put on him after a heist goes wrong. And oh boy does it go wrong.

Because I enjoyed it so much I want to do whatever I can to help get the word out. Like we’ve already done. Now, We’ve got even more from the film to share with you.

This time around it’s a bunch of videos including some behind-the-scenes stuff as well as a few scenes from the film itself. You can check them out after the break.

In addition to Gosling, Drive stars Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaac, and Albert Brooks. It hits theaters this Friday. See it.

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