Late last year, Blockbuster offered me an opportunity to test drive their new TOTAL ACCESS program. Similiar in form and fashion to the relatively uncontested NetFlix (which I had been a customer of for more than a year), both services offer consumers a variety of price plans, the convenience of creating viewing queues from the convenience of your computer, and receiving/returning product by mail. Having grown increasingly frustrated with the poor condition of discs arriving from NetFlix (many scratched beyond belief and several cracked in two), I welcomed the change. So, I put my NetFlix account on hold and returned the the Blockbuster fold which I had abandoned long, long ago.

So, after four months of using Blockbuster's TOTAL ACCESS, here's the lowdown...

“Until today, no online rental service offered customers the option of returning their movies to the store and exchanging them for free movie rentals, and there is no other store-based retailer that offers customers the convenience and the selection of the more than 60,000 titles available through our online service,” said Blockbuster Chairman and CEO John Antioco. “Customers shouldn’t have to choose between renting online versus in-store, and they should never have to be without a movie. Now, thanks to Blockbuster Total Access, they don’t have to.”

Blockbuster's brick and mortar option is no more a competitive advantage now than it was 10 years ago. They're still out of stock on hot new releases (although they're supposedly now offering a guaranteed free rental if a title is out -- not at my local store) and you still have only 2 days with said new releases. The good thing is these in-store titles you receive don't count against your online acccount. So, if you have the 3-at-a-time plan, they'll still ship you the new one even though you have two online and one store disc in hand.

BTW, Blockbuster does offer more diversity of in-store titles, but you have a better selection online.

Another feature Blockbuster Total Access offers subscribers is a faster shipping cycle. When subscribers return their online rentals to a participating Blockbuster store, the store check-in process automatically initiates the shipment of the next available movie(s) in the subscriber’s rental queue, whether they take advantage of the in-store exchange option or not. That means Total Access customers generally will get their online movie(s) a day faster than if they had dropped the return movies in the mail.

I haven't seen it. Netflix has a 2 day turnaround in Chicago and 3-4 day turnaround in Los Angeles. Blockbuster (which I did not use in Chicago) has a 4-5 turnaround in SoCal. Granted, I've been using my Blockbuster account to work through a number of television box sets, so it's not a make or break deal. But if you're expecting a movie for a romantic night in or other special event, plan ahead or take advantage of the in-store exchange (the one place this option does come in handy).

On the plus side, I have not been denied or wait-listed on any new titles.

In addition to being able to exchange online rentals at participating Blockbuster stores for free movie rentals, Blockbuster Total Access customers will also receive a free in-store rental coupon each month. Subscribers can use the monthly rental coupon in the same visit with their in-store exchanges for another free movie, or by itself if they have already returned their DVDs through the mail or just aren’t ready to return their online rentals yet.

This is a nice option, although I've only used it for gaming. The stores do have a nice selection of Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Nintendo GameCube, and PSP games for gamers and parents of gamers alike.

“Our research has shown that Blockbuster Total Access appeals strongly to online customers as well as to store-based customers who want to be able to rent movies both ways,” said Antioco.

In terms of marketing, the in-store option is definitely a competitive advantage, but how does it play out in the grand scheme of things?

Let's compare...

Movie Catalog
Blockbuster: 60,000
NetFlix: 70,000... many more indie and non-mainstream

Format Neutral
Blockbuster: Click on the movie title to see if high definition edition (HD DVD, BLu-ray) is available
NetFlix: Set your preferences to default to the format of your choice, when available

Perks
Blockbuster: Return your online disc to any blockbuster of your choice (nationwide), Coupons for free game and movie rentals
NetFlix: None

Pricing
Blockbuster: $5.99 (1 at a time, 2 per mo.), $7.99 (1 at a time, 3 per mo.), $9.99 (1 at a time), $14.99 (2 at a time), $17.99 (3 at a time), $24.99 (4 at a time)
NetFlix: $4.99 (1 at a time, 2 per mo.), $9.99 (1 at a time), $14.99 (2 at a time), $17.99 (3 at a time), $23.99 (4 at a time), $29.99 (5 at a time), $35.99 (6 at a time), $41.99 (7 at a time), $47.99 (8 at atime)

Speed of Deliver
Advantage: NetFlix

Quality of Product Received
Advantage: Blockbuster

Overall Customer Service
Tie

When you boil it all done, both services have their positives and negatives. Depending on what is most important to you will determine which service you'll be most satisfied with. But for those who said Blockbuster was a dinosaur headed for the graveyard, guess again. They've created an online service that rivals what was the market leader. What happens to the industry next is anyone's guess.

Meet the Wisemans; a traditional Jewish family living in suburban 1960’s England. The husband and father, Victor, works long hours in the family’s drapery store rarely finding time to spend at home. Then there is Victor’s lovely wife Ruth, ten years younger than him, she longs for excitement. Last but not least is eleven-year-old David, who dreams of becoming a cricket star, much to the dismay and ridicule of his classmates, as he is just not very good.

Enter the Samuels; the lively Jamaican family who move in next door to the Wisemans and unexpectedly change their lives for the better. When Dennis Samuels, (Delroy Lindo), erects a cricket net in their backyard, David is in seventh heaven. Dennis kindly takes David under his wing and teaches him the skills he needs to finally make his school’s team. But again, this is 1960’s England; racial tensions are high, and the new arrivals are not welcomed by all. As the Wisemans find themselves caught in the middle, they are forced to choose between aligning with the prejudices of the neighborhood and sticking by their new friends. Directed by Academy Award nominee Paul Morrison, WONDROUS OBLIVION is a gently comic coming-of-age story, a portrait of the importance of family, tolerance and standing up for what is right.

WONDROUS OBLIVION
Palm Pictures
March 20, $24.99

For more information, visit the film's official site

Everyone who watched Little House on the Prairie just loved Richard Bull, better known for his role as the gentle soul, owner of the general store and poor husband stuck with his weird choice, Mr. Oleson. Did you know that he had the lead part in the lovely Canadian movie of the week A DAY IN A LIFE? It's wonderful tribute to the wonderments of the moments we too often forget all about.

You will fall in love with this wonderful cast of old-timers as they are set to charm just about everyone. Bull’s real life wife, Barbara Collentine, stepped in to save the day when Gloria Stuart was kept in bed with flu days before the shoot. Also featured are the late Emile Genest (in one of his very last roles), Vernon Chapman, and Joy Coghill.

From Canadian poet and filmmaker Jean Mercier comes this DVD gift box of the movie in a Special Edition that includes the original soundtrack of the film. With free delivery worldwide, this set is available exclusively from MercierFilms.ca

Independent filmmaking has never been more grassroots than with Forest of the Dead, the feature film debut from writer/director Brian Singleton and One Day in a Pasture Productions. With an almost non-existent budget, no crew, and one camera, Singleton’s project will have its DVD debut from Elite Entertainment on June 12th, at a suggested retail price of $14.98.

“Some of the greatest film directors began their careers with even less at their fingertips than Brian Singleton,” said Vini Bancalari, President, Elite Entertainment. “But with a solid script, a few friends and a very creative eye, Brian mastered his life-long dream of creating a feature length horror film, which contains all of the elements fans expect of the genre.”

On a quiet, summer afternoon, a group of friends heads to the isolated campgrounds on Alfred Packer Lake for a weekend of fun. The perfect summer trip turns into a weekend from hell as the friends are brutally slaughtered by an unseen evil, turning into cannibalistic creatures. As a new group of weekenders arrives, they become the new target of terror as an old-school blood bath of gut munching, dismemberment, pitch forking and scalping begins.

View clips from the film

“Forest of the Dead” features over three hours of bonus footage, including:
• “Beyond the Forest”—introduction by Brian Singleton
• “Voices of the Dead”—audio commentary with director & cast
• “Out of the Dark”—The Making of “Forest of the Dead” featurette
• “Behind the Blood”—“Forest of the Dead” Special FX featurette
• “Hell’s Bells”—Sound Design featurette
• “Return of the Dastardly Zombie Vampire Mummy from Planet X”—early short from Brian Singleton, w/commentary
• Eight deleted scenes
• Original Trailer
• “Zombie Cop vs. The Alien Terror” trailer
• Photo galleries
• Filmmaker/cast bios

MGM is teaming with the U.S. Navy to capture a series of bone chilling adventure scenes for the Studio's upcoming Stargate SG-1 direct-to-video, Stargate: Continuum. Cast members, including Ben Browder (Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell) and Amanda Tapping (Lt. Col. Samantha Carter) will travel to the sub-zero climate of the Arctic to shoot at the Navy's Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLIS) for the week of March 23 through 29. Martin Wood, Director of over 70 Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis episodes, is confirmed to direct Stargate: Continuum.

The project will shoot a variety of scenes on location in the Arctic ice, located approximately 200 nautical miles north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. In addition to the frigid outdoor environments, the filming will also involve U.S. Navy submarine USS Alexandria (SSN-757). Among the most visually stunning and dramatic scenes to be filmed at the location involves the submarine as it bursts through the ice and into the cold Arctic air with temperatures hovering around 50 degrees below zero.

In making the announcement, Charles Cohen, Senior Executive Vice President Finance and Corporate Development, MGM said: “We are excited to be working with the U.S. Navy on filming these epic scenes in the arduous conditions of the arctic. SG-1 fans will certainly enjoy these action packed sequences as the Stargate franchise has a rich history of unique and compelling action adventures."

Lt. Erik Reynolds, the Department of Defense project officer assigned to the movie added: “We look forward to hosting MGM and the Stargate team at APLIS, and showcasing our sailors and the United States Submarine Force’s capabilities in the Arctic Ocean. With the extreme environmental conditions at the camp, and factors such as shooting on a moving sheet of ice and the occasional polar bear, it certainly will be a challenge, but one that our sailors and the SG-1 crew look forward to taking on.”

In January of this year, MGM gave the green light to two (2) direct-to-video movies based on Stargate SG-1, the longest-running science-fiction series in U.S. TV history. The first movie, Stargate: The Arc of Truth begins production on April 15. The second movie, Stargate: Continuum which will feature the epic ice camp scenes, will resume filming on May 22. Written and produced by Brad Wright and Robert Cooper, the new movies will include the following Stargate SG-1 cast members: Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Chris Judge, Claudia Black, with Beau Bridges and Michael Shanks.

Filmmaker Matt Liston's docu-comedy CHASING OCTOBER chronicles his crusade to take the Chicago Cubs to the World Series by any means necessary. Director Liston quits his job and decides that by making a documentary about the team during the 2003 season, he can singlehandedly will them to the post-season. The film is a hilarious must-see that will bring joy to all Cubs fans. Featuring appearances by Bernie Mac, Gary Sinise, Joe Mantegna, Jeff Garlin, and Larry King, and including songs by Chicago musicians Billy Corgan and Sunday Morning Chameleon, as well as the distinguished voice of Chicago news legend Bill Kurtis. The film opens Friday, March 16 exclusively at the Harkins Camelview Theater (7001 East Highland Avenue, Scottsdale AZ 85251, ph 480-947-8778) and in Chicago theaters on Friday, March 23.

Charlie Nash (Nate Richert, Sabrina the Teenage Witch) is an expert video game tester whose life has become unbearable after the tragic shooting of his girlfriend Kate (Danielle Fishel, Boy Meets World). Finding no comfort in his friends or job, Charlie loses himself in video games. After receiving a mysterious test game in the mail, he immerses himself in its amazingly realistic, 3-D fantasy universe. However, Charlie soon learns this virtual world is very real, as he’s plunged into a perilous, life-and-death battle against the game from which there is little chance of escape - or survival. In this pulse-pounding, effects-packed, sci-fi thriller, the only way out is to win. DVD special features include Making of Gamebox 1.0 featurette, audio commentary with directors David Hillenbrand and Scott Hillenbrand, co-executive producer John Coven and editor Dave O’Brien, bloopers/gag reel, and deleted/extended scenes with optional commentary.

Gamebox 1.0
Lionsgate, streeting April 10
$26.98

Beginning March 19, television fans can watch England’s Henry VIII as never seen before with a free download of the first episode of Showtime’s new series The Tudors from Movielink. Premiering April 1 on the cable network, the series stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII – young, sexy, captivating, romantic and infinitely more complex than he’s usually depicted! Brimming with visual details and the sultriness of Tudor England, The Tudors reveals the untold story of the beloved tyrant whose reign was marked by treachery, betrayal and intrigue.

Movielink users will also get an exclusive look at the dangerous world of the American glider pilot, in Silent Wings - The American Glider Pilots Of WWII. Narrated by Hal Holbrook and containing rare footage and photographs, this compelling documentary reveals the critical role gliders played and illustrates the men who repeatedly risked their lives landing deep within enemy-held territories, often in complete darkness, using only a stopwatch to navigate. Beginning March 16, users will be able to rent or purchase this extraordinary title via Movielink before the DVD is released March 20.

The Oscars celebrated the fresh new faces of Hollywood and honored the classic film vets -- Scorsese finally got his golden trophy and indie films like Little Miss Sunshine got their acclaim too. Movielink has many of the nominated and winning films such as The Departed, Little Miss Sunshine, Babel, and Half Nelson all available now for download to own on Movielink.com.

Now movie lovers can see what all the fuss was about without ever leaving the comfort of their home. And if your favorite part of the Oscar telecast happened to be the charming vocals of Will Ferrell and Jack Black, make sure to visit Movielink.com where their funny faces can be seen in Stranger than Fiction, and Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny. Both films will be available to purchase for only $14.99!

** Editor's Note: To access MovieLink, you must be running Windows 2000 or XP. Users whose systems run on Mac OS, Linux, Windows 98 or ME are out of luck.

Just in time for the real thing, National Lampoon is gonna give you an idea of how to do Spring Break right! What better way to do that than have the smokin’ hot Nikki Ziering as your guide? Beginning March 13th, Nikki will take you to destinations like Las Vegas, South Padre, and Cabo to show you all the fun you should be having. This DVD has everything a Spring Break party animal needs: Sex, Music, Dancing, Comedy, and… More Sex!

View the trailer (Quicktime)

View a clip from the Vegas segment (Quicktime)

For more info, visit the official site