Now this was a strange little discovery: If you're a Netflix member then you get to watch movies online for free as part of your membership fee, which is great for people like me because one never knows when he'll suddenly need to watch My Blue Heaven or The Mask of Zorro or six consecutive episodes of Heroes S2. It's not like you'll ever find any "buried treasure" on Netflix's 'insta-watch' list because if they're on that list ... they're also available on DVD! To own if you like!

So I thought it was a little bit weird that, as I was scanning through Netflix's latest online offerings, I noticed a flick called Rolling Thunder. Hmm, I vaguely recall that movie NEVER being released on DVD, so what gives? Well heck, it sure looks like Netflix has released some "instant watch only" titles that are simply not available on Region 1 DVD yet. (Just a reminder: Rolling Thunder is a 1977 action flick that's built up quite the cult following over the years. Apparently it's one of Tarantino's favorites too.) So there you go, movie freaks: If you belong to Netflix already, here's your chance to check out Rolling Thunder -- which I'll be doing later tonight. They're even using the old VHS cover, ha!

Today I'm glad to be cheaper than cheap. Had I not been so frugal, I would have bought myself an HD-DVD player this past weekend after seeing a commercial advertising one for less than $150. And then, I would have been excited about renting HD-DVD discs from Netflix, to which I've been a very happy subscriber for more than four years. But then I would have received an email (like the one seen here), stating that Netflix has just decided to exclusively support Blu-ray as its sole hi-def format. Thankfully, I am cheaper than cheap and have no plans to purchase one of those expensive Blu-ray players. In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, maybe I no longer plan to spend the $20 a month on Netflix.

Actually, my cheapness combined with my laziness will probably keep me a Netflix customer, but I can't imagine others will be so loyal. Apparently Blockbuster's online rental service still offers both HD-DVD and Blu-ray, so perhaps a number of HD fans will be switching over. Of course, also considering how significant a player Netflix is, this could be a heavy hit on the coffin nail for HD-DVD. The decision made by Netflix comes soon after last month's moves by Paramount and Warner Bros. to also go Blu-ray exclusive. It may only be a matter of time before Blockbuster, which primarily rents Blu-ray at its stores, will dump HD-DVD itself.

According to the Netflix emails going out today, any "Saved" HD-DVD selections in your rental queue (meaning for releases not yet out) will be switched to regular DVD by the end of the month. However, it seems you will still be able to rent HD-DVD discs that Netflix already currently offers throughout the year.

WalMart may have floundered as far as video downloads are concerned, but Netflix is certainly picking up the slack. Earlier this month, Peter Martin posted about Netflix's plan for a box for your television that would stream movies from the Internet to your HDTV. Now the company is adding a fully on-line option to the mix -- one that I imagine will be strengthened by this whole TV box plan. Reuters reports that Netflix Inc. will offer their subscribers unlimited access to movies and television on the Internet.

The company currently offers a limited number of online hours for their subscribers, but for those who already have unlimited rental plans, they will soon be able to watch flicks online to their heart's content -- approximately 6,000 films and shows so far. Right now, this will only be tasty to those with fast connections and decent enough monitors to watch them, but assuming this box idea goes through, Netflix could very well be the frontrunner of the Internet film push. I would hope, however, that the future boxes would have some sort of temporary recorder in them so that there's an option to capture the whole movie before it starts playing. If, for some reason, the film was to stall, or the connection was too slow for an immediate HD film, that would make for one heck of a crappy and annoying movie experience.

But even without the box, and on your smaller monitors, it'd be a great way to fill in the less-pressing holes in your viewing history. Personally, I'd hit every movie I've been mildly interested in seeing, but completely uninterested in paying to see.

Downloading movies to watch on your personal computer has been a viable option for several years, but getting those downloaded flicks to play on your TV has been problematic. I thought Apple TV would provide an easy solution, but it's been described as one of the worst tech products of the year and even its defenders acknowledge that it's limited in its capabilities -- it's more for piping your own music, images and videos to play on your TV. That may change if Apple makes it possible to rent movies directly from the device, but the battle for control of your TV is just heating up.

Online rental power Netflix has announced that they are working with LG Electronics to "develop a set-top box for consumers to stream movies and other programming from the Internet to HDTV's." Delivery is expected in the second half of 2008 with more details expected to be announced at the Consumer Electronics Show next week. The statement claims that more than 6,000 movies and TV episodes will be available to be "delivered instantly" over the Internet, but also indicates that high definition content is a future component of their plan. In reporting on the press release, the Associated Press notes that similar devices from Apple and Vudu run from $299-$399, but no prices have been announced for the Netflix/LG box.

To my mind, the competition for Apple TV and Netflix/LG is more with set top boxes from cable and satellite providers than with personal computers. Apple TV and Netflix/LG both require up-front payment for still another box in your living room, while cable and satellite providers do not. Netflix says subscribers will have a certain amount of access, depending on their subscriber plan, while everyone else appears to have a pay-per-view model. Potentially, though, Apple and Netflix could offer much greater choice of content. Still, no one's talking much about offering more high-def content this year. Will that wait until the great "analog to digital switch" next year for broadcasters and content providers?

I've just recently hit that spot in my Netflix queue reserved for "films I've always wanted to see but never got around to it." I'm sure everyone does something similar; when I look at my friends' queues, they're filled with older flicks -- random movies, the kind you know they want to see for the hell of it. Either they read about the film, someone told them about it or they discovered an old gem all on their own. And it's so much fun to stumble upon a wonderful film that you, for one reason or another, never watched. For me, this weekend, that film was Amelie. For those that have never seen it, Amelie is fantastic -- one of the best films I've watched all year (even though it's six years old), and one I'll definitely be watching again. The colors, the characters; my friend and I were both in agreement in saying it felt like a French Wes Anderson film.

Not sure about you, but I've found myself skipping the majority of theatrical releases lately (with the exception of films I'm assigned to review) in favor of catching up with older flicks. So instead of talking more about the writers strike, I thought it might be fun to ask which random films you watched this weekend. Is your Netflix queue filled with new releases, old films you've never watched or movies you're dying to see again? Did anything surprise you? Did you queue up something you thought would be great, but it turned out to suck? Or vice-versa?

So, I ask you: What was your random movie rental this weekend, and would you recommend it to others?

The documentary Running with Arnold has been landing distribution deals left and right, and not just in the U.S., according to Variety. Distributors in other countries also seem to think that a documentary about Arnold Schwarzenegger's political career will be a box-office and home-entertainment draw. I caught the movie during its world premiere at SXSW this year. I found it entertaining, but as I noted in my review, relying a little too heavily on cheap shots to make certain points. You might remember that at least one of those cheap shots caused some difficulties between director Dan Cox and Alec Baldwin, who asked to have his voiceover work removed from the film. Baldwin's narration appears to still be intact.

Netflix's distribution arm Red Envelope Entertainment has bought the U.S. distribution rights for Running with Arnold. The movie will be released in theaters starting on Jan. 18, 2008, with Lantern Lane Entertainment handling the theatrical distribution. No date is available yet on a DVD release. In addition, Latido has sold distribution rights for the documentary about the Governator to media outlets in Japan, Canada, and Denmark, as well as to a Scandinavian TV channel. Deals for distribution in Germany and the UK may be in the works, but there's no word on Austria, where actor/politician Schwarzenegger was born.

[via Matt Dentler's Blog]

The Onion AV Club is unquestionably my favorite entertainment-focused website (other than Cinematical, of course!). Their outstanding coverage of all things pop culture suggests an indie-leaning Entertainment Weekly, and I consider that a very good thing. They always do a great weekly list, and one of their recent offerings is no exception. Check out "Not Again: 24 Great Films Too Painful to Watch Twice." The first movie I thought of when I saw that title was Requiem for a Dream, so it's fitting that they put it in the #1 spot (not sure if these are in order of "most painful" or not). I saw Requiem for a Dream in college -- on a double date! So imagine not only suffering through one of the toughest movies of all time in a theater, but suffering through it with a hyperventilating girl you're trying to get to first base with! Needless to say, it didn't work out.

Though I don't think it's a "great film" by any stretch of the imagination, I can certainly see why Irreversible (#13 on the list) was included. I don't know if I physically could stomach that one a second time. I remember convincing my friends to come see it with me by telling them "It's supposed to be just like Memento!" It was not just like Memento. I still shudder when I walk past a fire extinguisher. I must be a masochist, because I either would watch or have watched several of the movies on their list more than once -- United 93, Million Dollar Baby, Audition, Leaving Las Vegas, etc. There's a lot of good rental ideas for those with a taste for challenging fare, so fire up your Netflix queue and head on over to the link. Just don't plan any parties around these flicks! How about you guys, what is a great film you could never sit through a second time?

It's been awhile since we last heard anything about Movielink. Actually, it's been awhile since we last heard any news regarding movie download sites in general. Honestly, I had pretty much forgotten about them, despite the news earlier this year about Hollywood giving the greenlight on download-to-DVD options. But today we get a doozy of an announcement relating to the topic: Blockbuster Video is buying Movielink.com. I'm sure I'm not the only person not surprised by the decision. I've been expecting Blockbuster to do something with downloads for a few years now -- though I did think they'd develop something new, in-house. Going with Movielink seems easier, but it also brings any baggage the download site has in terms of reputation and satisfaction -- something I can't speak for since I've never tried their service. All I know is that in two years Movielink (and CinemaNow and Guba, etc.) has failed to show the world that this is the wave of the future. Part of this, I believe, is due to the high price of movie downloads. Then there's also the matter of iTunes jumping in late and stealing the show. Blockbuster will have to figure out a cheaper cost -- among other things -- if it hopes to compete.

Personally I have little interest in movie downloads, because I have little patience and a terrible attention span when it comes to watching stuff on my computer. If anything I would rather watch streaming videos on the web, and even then I prefer short stuff or segmented films (unfortunately my favorite segmented streaming movie site was not legal). Even as a longtime fan and subscriber of Netflix, I haven't yet been able to finish a whole feature on the company's new streaming, Video-on-Demand-style "Watch Now" option (and even though I don't take full advantage, I'm still disappointed that Netflix's recent price decreases caused customers' streaming hours to decrease as well). Blockbuster's purchase of Movielink is probably going to be seen as more directly competitive with this Netflix service (than with iTunes), so we'll have to see what people prefer -- streaming or download -- in the future. Blockbuster's plan for now is to continue to operate Movielink as is, but they'll also be integrating the site's technology and elements into Blockbuster.com.

What happens when your exclusive deals with two different companies are no longer compatible? This has apparently happened to The Weinstein Co. now that Blockbuster Video has chosen to expand its availability of Blu-Ray discs, making the format the single high-definition video option in most stores. TWC, which formed a shocking exclusive rental agreement with Blockbuster last fall, does not distribute its titles on Blu-Ray; the independent studio favors HD-DVD (as does Universal). Perhaps the Weinsteins will have to rethink their video distribution? At least the movies they've already released on HD-DVD will remain in Blockbuster stores, which won't be getting rid of whatever HD-DVD titles they are already renting, and through Blockbuster.com, which reportedly won't be part of the Blu-Ray 'exclusive'. In fact, Blockbuster claims they would also expand its in-store HD-DVD distribution if enough customers want them -- so this isn't exactly an exclusive deal.

Supposedly the decision was made because Blu-Ray is outselling HD-DVD titles in stores thanks especially to the popularity of the Spider-Man films and the Pirates of the Caribbean series, both of which are only available on Blu-Ray. But this supply to the demand strategy is likely going to also create demand for only Blu-Ray, since customers tend to go with what is available to them rather than what is not. Some people claim that even the online rentals will be affected because members of Blockbuster's Total Access won't be able to return HD-DVDs to stores, and so won't be interested in them as much as in Blu-Ray. But there's a good chance that Blockbuster's new lower-priced services, which aren't 'total access', will become the company's online standards and therefore customers probably won't actually care about which format they choose. Still, with the influence of Blockbuster stores and the Blu-Ray compatible Playstation, we may very well have a front-runner, if not winner, of the hi-def format race. Maybe Blu-Ray will replace DVDs by 2010 after all.

Last year, you might remember that Netflix teamed up with Alamo Drafthouse to sponsor Alamo's nationwide Rolling Roadshow Tour, in which movies played outdoors in significant venues around the country. For example, The Warriors was screened at Coney Island. I noticed that when Alamo's 2007 Rolling Roadshow Tour was announced last month, Netflix was entirely uninvolved, and I figured that the movie-rental company was no longer interested in outdoor screening events.

Happily for all of us, I was wrong. Turns out that Netflix is coordinating its own tour of movies around the country this year, this time in a series that blends films with concerts from actors in those films. The "Netflix Live! On Location" tour features three events that sound like fun. On June 21, you can watch The Big Easy in New Orleans and listen to the movie's co-star Dennis Quaid performing in concert with The Sharks beforehand. (If you listen carefully, you also can hear New Orleans natives mocking the leads' accents in the film, but it's a good movie despite that.) On July 15, The Bacon Brothers (Kevin and Michael) will play in Baltimore before a screening of Diner, arguably Kevin Bacon's breakout movie. And on August 2, the Bruce Willis Blues Band will rock the Kennedy Space Center before Armegeddon. Admission to all these film/concert events is free, although you have to pay for Kennedy Space Center admission if you go there. The events will be emceed by reporter-turned-actress Maria Menounos.

It's always good news to see independent films gain distribution deals for theatrical or DVD release that will give them a wider audience than the film-festival circuit. Here are a couple of the latest distribution deals negotiated for smaller indie films:

• I saw the documentary 51 Birch Street at SXSW in 2006 and enjoyed it very much; it's a fascinating look at the way families do (or do not) communicate and the secrets that might be harbored. Last fall, the documentary toured theaters as part of Landmark's Truly Indie distribution program. Now director Doug Block has announced that Image Entertainment will be releasing the movie on DVD, with a tentative release date of August 14. I'm pleased that I now can recommend the film to all of you and you'll have a chance to see it in the next few months.
• IFC and Red Envelope (the theatrical distribution arm of Netflix) have bought North American distribution rights to the drama This is England (pictured above), which Martha Fischer reviewed during its premiere at Toronto International Film Festival last year and called "impressively accomplished." It's written and directed by Shane Meadows and is based on his childhood experiences. The film will be screening soon at the Tribeca Film Festival, then will be released in July as part of IFC's day-and-date program, First Take.

In less than ten years Netflix has become not just a great company but also a great company model. Despite all attempts from Blockbuster and others to compete with the online rental service, Netflix continues to be the champion in its industry. But will the industry eventually be obsolete with all the other internet distribution options? Netflix CEO Reed Hastings says that DVD rentals will indeed become extinct in the next 20 years, but he says that fortunately for him Netflix is not simply a DVD rental service. "If one thinks of Netflix as a DVD rental business," he told the Wall Street Journal, "one is right to be scared. If one thinks of Netflix as an online movie service with multiple different delivery models, then one's a lot less scared. We're only now starting to deliver the proof points behind that second vision."

One of Netflix's plans for the future is a streaming video-on-demand option, which they began rolling out as a bonus to subscribers in January (I still haven't received my upgrade, which is expected to hit all members by June). Hastings claims that by the end of this year 5,000 films will be available in that format. He defended the relatively small amount (compared to 75,000 titles available via snail mail) by pointing out that Netflix originally started out offering only 1,000 titles on DVD. Netflix has also been planning for the future of high-density discs by stocking every title available on Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, though Hastings told the WSJ that the formats are not renting too well, and the competing brands are neck-in-neck neck and neck for this small market. He also said that he expects little increase on interest in the discs until one brand is declared the standard.

Within the next six months, Netflix subscribers will be getting an increase in the number of movies they can watch per month. No, their at-a-time disc plan isn't changing. The DVD rental company is offering an added service to its members: streaming video. Netflix's "Watch Now" service allows subscribers to watch movies via a special player on the Netflix site. Unfortunately to start, Netflix will only be able to offer a tiny fraction of their 70,000+ titles, but considering it is an added bonus to subscribers, I don't think anyone will complain.

HackingNetflix has a review of the "Watch Now" service, with visual aids, and it seems like a pretty decent concept. With the plan, Netflix doesn't take away from the experience of renting physical DVDs, nor does it exactly compete with the movie download services (though it may seem like a better alternative to them). It may not be the greatest thing ever to happen to home viewing, but it is a better incentive than Blockbuster's in-store rental bonus (especially since Blockbuster stores have disappeared completely in my neck of Brooklyn).

Recently, several companies, including Microsoft, Apple and others have started offering content via online download to be watched on your television, iPod or other devices. And this week, Sony announced it was getting into the online content business with downloads for its PSP gaming/media device. Finally, according to The New York Times, Comcast, the nations largest cable operator, will soon begin an experimental program that will make programming available both on-demand via its cable service the same time the programming hits the shelves on DVD.

The program, being tested in Pittsburgh and Denver at the moment, is a bold move that seeks to tap into the burgeoning market for alternatively distributed content -- especially now that overall DVD sales have slowed. Plus, Comcast is already offering over 8000 titles with its video-on-demand service so this new program seems like a logical progression from that service. During the test, users will be able to pay $4 to see a movie the same day they could buy it for $25 at a local store or pay about the same price to rent a DVD from their local Blockbuster.

So, you pay four bucks to watch a movie once via on-demand or you go out and rent the DVD and watch it as many times as you want during the rental period? Or, you buy the DVD and watch it as many times as you like until you get sick of it and sell it on Ebay? Or, you subscribe to Netflix, get DVDs sent to your home, watch them and then send them back to get your next pick. And for that, all you have to do is go to your mailbox -- something you probably already do anyway.

Plus, if you're particularly enterprising, you could, in theory, make a "backup" of the DVDs you get from Netflix and watch them again later -- not that you would or should do that. Sorry Comcast, but I think Netflix is still the way to go -- at least until someone gets a download service going with everything in HD that I can watch as many times as I want as long as I don't try to copy it. That's what I'm waiting for and I think its coming -- maybe not tomorrow, but soon enough. Whatever company finally gets that kind of service going can count on getting my money for sure. Until then, I'll stick with Netflix. But I am curious -- so if you happen to be a Comcast customer participating in this program, let us know how it is.

Sifting through the list of Golden Globe nominations today, I noticed that Maggie Gyllenhaal received a Best Actress nomination for Sherrybaby. The film premiered at Sundance nearly a year ago -- Kim Voynar not only reviewed the film, but also reported on a Q&A with the filmmakers. The indie drama landed a distribution deal in May, which made headlines because Netflix acquired both theatrical and DVD rights, with IFC managing the theatrical release. When most of us think of "theatrical distributors," we don't usually think of Netflix -- the company is associated more with DVD rentals. However, Netflix has been very successful in raising awareness of indie films on DVD, such as Born Into Brothels, so the company is branching out into theatrical releases and even producing original films under its Red Envelope Entertainment label. Netflix/Red Envelope has released several independently made films, such as Sherrybaby and The Puffy Chair, in a limited number of theaters this year.

Sherrybaby has become one of the highest-profile and most acclaimed movies distributed by Netflix, winning best picture and best actress awards for Gyllenhaal both at the Karlovy Vary film festival and the Stockholm film festival this year. The movie appeared in theaters in September, and will be released on DVD on January 23. Now that Gyllenhaal's Golden Globe nomination will raise general awareness of Sherrybaby even more, this can only be good for Netflix -- both in terms of DVD rentals of the film, and in raising its prestige as a theatrical distributor. (I just saved the movie to my own Netflix queue -- the nomination was a great reminder.) And if the Golden Globes truly do foreshadow the Oscar nominations, Netflix could become an even larger force in indie-film distribution.