Top Five Online Movie Streaming Sites

You may have been good when you were young or used to get a student discount, but now when you need to shell out for an adult ticket both for you and your girlfriend it doesn't seem so cheap, does it? Wouldn't it be cool if you could get the flexibility of enjoying DVD's without the need to pay so much or even having to head out to the store. It needn't be a mere dream. If you like the concept of paying less but getting more then take a look at these Online Movie Streaming Sites:

1. Netflix - standard in online movie access, high video quality, discount rates

Netflix started life mailing out Videos to members, but now are the alpha male of online movie streaming in America. Netflix has a solid focus on providing a good streaming service and ensuring new content is regularly put into their online library of movies and TV shows. They understand the potential and major benefits movie streaming rentals and are market leaders in getting it to the front of the new movie revolution.

2. Blockbuster - Most likely too little and too late

Though Blockbuster in their current form isn't departed yet, very few expect them to live on for much more time. They are producing a major effort to join the online movie streaming get together, but just like Netflix are yet to provide HD titles. It is difficult to say what's going to become of Blockbuster, their emphasis remains on the physical media, but their online catalogue of streamed content is growing weekly.

3. VUDU - Opportunity to obtain the newest releases in high definition

VUDU is aimed more at occasional movie viewers than those who want to undertake regular movie marathons. The appeal with VUDU is that you only pay for what you see and there is no contract tying you into their service.

4. Hulu Plus - View your favorite television shows when you wish

Another online movie streaming site that has been established for a while is Hulu, who made their name streaming re-runs of good old TV programs. Hulu is somewhat unlike any other services in that their focus is a lot more on television programming.

If you sign up for Hulu you're subscribing more for the library of television shows than anything else. It's the ideal service for people who want to watch several hours of old TV re-runs regularly. It can work great together with VUDU to provide you with a good selection of viewing options without having to pay for satellite tv.

5. Amazon Prime Streaming - a bit more costly compared to the others but maybe worth a go for frequent Amazon customers

The Amazon Prime service provides you with free shipping on purchases, access to movie streaming and other discounts too. Add that charge onto the cost of $4+ a movie and you may well be better renting Blu-rays or going to the movie house.

Bearing that in mind, you can still find free movies and TV shows available, that are older and in all probability ones you've viewed several times over on your local TV stations. Additionally they provide a free trial for 1 month, so you can always test it out and if you’re dissatisfied within 30 days, just cancel.

Total Recall 2012 Remake Film Review

There seems to be two camps on the issue of the newest remake to be pumped off the Hollywood assembly line, Total Recall. One says, “Why remake a film unless it is for the expressed reason of making a better finished product than the original?” The other side’s argument basically boils down to, “Who even remembers the original Total Recall, other than an exploding head here and a three-breasted prostitute there?”

Both points are valid. The first adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s short story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” was definitely popular upon its release in June 1990, but today is mostly remembered for the then cutting-edge special effects and director Paul Verhoeven’s love of gore on the screen. Effects have come a long way over the past twenty years, and there is definitely a better film to be made from the source material. So how does new director Len Wiseman’s attempt at bringing Dick’s story to the big screen fare?
In this remake, Colin Farrell (In Bruges) plays Douglas Quaid, an assembly line worker at a plant that builds robot cops on an Earth that has been destroyed by warfare. The only two areas left relatively unaffected are Great Britain and Australia; the inhabitants of Australia are the wage-slaves while the citizens of “the United Federation” are the 1%.
Quaid suffers from recurring dreams in which he is attempting to flee a building with a beautiful member of the freedom fighting Resistance, Melina (Jessica Biel). Finally mustering up the nerve, he visits Rekall, a corporation that implants false memories into customers to spice up their hum-drum lives. While undergoing the procedure, Quaid discovers that his memory has already been tampered with, shortly before a SWAT team bursts into the room and takes out the Rekall workers. This triggers Quaid’s Bourne-esque fighting skills, and what follows is 100 minutes of non-stop chase scenes.
The huge problem here is Farrell. Yes, he was great in In Bruges, but how much goodwill can you continue to give a guy for one role? What we are given here is the Farrell of SWAT, a star in desperate need of charismatic support around him at all times. Say what you will for Schwarzenegger, but at least he was fun to watch in the original. Farrell is the definition of vanilla acting; he won’t put in a horrible performance, but at certain points you are begging him to breathe life into the material. Crack a smile, develop a facial tic, appear to actually be bothered by the events going on around you, anything!
The only thing memorable about this film is that they managed to include a 3-breasted alien nude scene in a PG-13 film, giving geeky teens without the internet something to develop puberty to once this hits DVD. Other than that, it is a truly forgettable experience.

Top Best Arnold Schwarzenegger's Films

I believe that all the females in the world all love Arnold Schwarzenegger very much, he is the most handsome and successful male on the erath, he is also an enigma in my eyes. I’ve loved his movies since I was a child and maybe it was wrong to let a 7-year-old watch Terminator or Total Recall but whatever, he's shaped who I am.

There are some wonderful works given by Arnold Schwarzenegger, I can't say I've seen the entire oeuvre of Schwarzenegger so you might be shocked to know I just saw True Lies for the first time a few months ago! It's essentially what Mr. and Mrs. Smith wished it was. It's one of the few films of the actor that presents a decent romance and who doesn't love Jamie Lee Curtis who lets loose (literally in one scene) and plays up the scared housewife to a T. It makes me sad that director James Cameron is moving firmly into the Avatar universe, because he had a knack for blending the ordinary with the extraordinary and True Lies is proof!

I'm not sure where Eraser rates in others views of the best Schwarzenegger films but I've grown to love this each time I watch it; which is a lot considering this is always on TNT or TBS. The film tells of an US Marshal (Schwarzenegger) trying to relocate a witness (Vanessa Williams) into Witness Protection. There's just something so intelligent (okay not literally intelligent) about how intricate the world of the film is. There's double and triple crosses, people making copies of things, and a pervasive feeling of not knowing what the hell is going on. It all comes together to make the most prototypical of Schwarzenegger's films and yet I can't get enough of it.

When I heard they were planning to remake this I wept, I mean you just can't remake this film (and from what I read they're remaking the book so we can say this is safe right?). Director Paul Verhoven takes his amazing blend of sci-fi and schlock to create a sci-fi adventure that's never been seen. I still don't truly understand Total Recall but I love it. The different disguises, the world of Mars, Sharon Stone playing a totally kick ass villainess in 80s aerobics wear! It's cheesy like a delicious mac and cheese dinner! This is also the movie that made me realize Schwarzenegger tries REALLY hard to make you believe he's lived in America his entire life! I mean from the name of his character, Douglas Quaid, to how he chats with his friends, this movie especially tries to make you forget that accent and everything else about him.

The placement of the Terminator films is debatable. Some will say I made the right choice placing this second and others will say it should be first. I switched this between one and two for a good ten minutes before deciding to stick it here. Really you could tie one and two for first in my book. Either way what is there to say about Terminator 2 that hasn't been written? The action, the special effects, Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, it all comes together with its finger pressed firmly on the trigger of Judgement Day. Robert Patrick as the new Terminator is great and this is also the movie that inspired the ride at Universal Studios (which I love purely because it's connected to this franchise). This movie is epic, but it doesn't seem to have the heart of my number one.

I had to put the original Terminator at number one. This is the first film in the franchise I saw and really it's the first franchise I ever came to love. I've seen all the Terminators since (and sobbed my eyes out at how atrocious 4 was) and really have a connection to this first movie. It's also one of the first movies I had to go buy on Special Edition DVD. I mentioned Terminator 2 not having the heart as this one and I believe that. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) learns that she's meant to be killed and about her life as the mother of a resistance leader, that's some heady stuff to realize and we see that realization throughout the first film. She's no longer an average woman and she has to deal with that. The love story is cute (albeit mind-boggling and possibly creepy) and at the end there's the aura of hope somewhere at the end where two doesn't seem to have that as much. Again, this can be tied for first with the second but I love one a tad bit more.

Stand By Me Reinforces Something Understood In Hollywood For Decades: Nostalgia Sells

Stand By Me reinforces something that has been understood in Hollywood for decades: nostalgia sells. With this film, it's "planned nostalgia," meaning that the production was designed from the beginning to encourage older audience members to look back at their youth through rose-tinted glasses. Many movies develop a strong sense of nostalgia with the passage of the years, but Stand By Me had it from the beginning, peering through the veil of time separating the '80s (when it was produced and in which the bookend segments are set) from the '50s. The narrative is driven by the same sense of fondness for bygone years that has categorized the likes of A Christmas Storyand the TV series The Wonder Years, both of which feature adult narrators recalling key moments from their early years.

One of the most notable aspects of the character roster is the almost complete absence of females. While this is not uncommon in certain genres typically centered on male characters (war movies, for example), it is unusual for coming-of-age films, which almost always deal with sex in one form or another. However, by placing the protagonists at the age of 12, Stand By Me is able to insulate them from involvement with the opposite sex. During the era in which the film is set, children weren't as sexually precocious and adventuresome as they are today and, while there was certainly plenty of curiosity at age 12, co-ed friendships were more the exception than the norm. The obvious added benefit of keeping the cast male is that it allows the story to focus on the pre-teen aspects of male bonding. By limiting any sexual component, Stand By Me retains a certain air of innocence and charm.

For the leads, the filmmakers selected four of the most promising young actors on the horizon of American cinema. At the time, Wil Wheaton had only a small list of credits on his resume (mostly small parts and TV appearances), and Stand By Mewould represent his breakthrough part. As was true for the slightly better-known River Phoenix, Wheaton's exceptional, unforced work in the film would open Hollywood to him. Within a year after Stand By Me's release, Wheaton was cast as the much-maligned Wesley Crusher in the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation(although a lion's share of the derision heaped upon that character was the fault of poor writing, not of Wheaton's ability to inhabit the character). Phoenix appeared on the road to superstardom until his untimely 1993 death cut short his career. The movie's other two leads would have successful but more low-key careers. Corey Feldman, already recognizable at the time of Stand By Me's release as a result of parts in Gremlins and Goonies, worked frequently (mostly in low prestige productions) but battled drug addiction for many of his teenage and early adult years. Jerry O'Connell, who made his feature debut in Stand By Me, went on to work primarily in TV with occasional forays into low-profile films.

The tale itself, adapted from a Stephen King story, dwells on the mates' quest to find the body of a schoolboy supposedly struck down by a train while walking in the woods. They set off hoping to find fame, but then start to reveal their own personal secrets and the journey becomes as emotional as it is physical.

It's hard to tell if the four young actors are all geniuses or just perfectly cast, but the performances are never short of real, and if some of the key scenes don't have you choking back tears, you are without a soul.

The movie accurately depicts the painful process of maturation that has plagued both teens and preteens for ages. In many ways, the conclusion of the quest signifies the end of innocence (or at least childhood) for the principles, as the four boys are never quite the same after making their gruesome discovery.

The film's brilliance ultimately lies in its all-embracing adherence to the immutable rules of reality.Stand by Me goes to considerable lengths to identify the issues and accurately portray the pressures that lead to the disenchantment of teens everywhere. The boys' unyielding sense of camaraderie and irrepressible spirit of youth sees them through towering adversity that is ultimately admired, and at the same time abhorred.

Although there is an absence of Christian themes it takes nothing away from the entertainment value of the film. In short, it is a film about friends and how we should cherish them. The film is full of moving performances by talented young actors and a really great score and soundtrack. I would suggest the film for any adult who is nostalgic for childhood memories and enjoys a tender look at growing up. If one wants to view the film in the presence of younger viewers, I would suggest presenting a taped copy off television, where it is heavily edited and doesn’t really damage the movie’s effectiveness. “Stand By Me” is an unforgettable film and I recommend it, sincerely!

Reign Of Assassins Is Not Following The Norms Of The Wuxia Genre

REIGN OF ASSASSINS opens with an animated prologue telling the story of enlightened monk Bodhi, whose unmatched accomplishments in both Buddhist prayer and martial arts have ensured whoever now possesses his remains will become all-powerful. A gang of assassins, The Dark Stone, learns that a local official is in possession of half of Bodhi's remains and proceeds to massacre his entire family, only for Drizzle (Kelly Lin), the gang's deadliest member, to escape with the body.

Compelled to finally lay the remains to rest, Drizzle goes into hiding, has her appearance changed by a surgeon and resurfaces in Nanjing as the unassuming Jing (Michelle Yeoh). There she falls in love with local courier Ah-Sheng (Korean actor Jung Woo Sung), and plans to build a normal life. The Dark Stone is in hot pursuit however, and when Jing is caught up in a bank robbery and forced to use her signature water shedding sword technique, her location is exposed and Dark Stone leader Wheel King (Wang Xueqi), together with Lei Bin (Shawn Yue), The Magician (Leon Dai) and newly recruited Turquoise (Barbie Hsu) descend on Nanjing, determined to kill Drizzle and retrieve Bodhi's remains.


Set in ancient China, Zeng Jing (Michelle Yeoh) is a skilled assassin who finds herself in possession of a mystical Buddhist monk's remains. She begins a quest to return the remains to its rightful resting place, and thus places herself in mortal danger because a team of assassins, The Dark Stone, is in a deadly pursuit to possess the remains which holds an ancient power-wielding secret.

There are several elements in the film that are not following the norms of the wuxia genre, or rather breaking its barriers possibly in mind of reinvention to inspire and excite. Instead of vying for divine martial art manuals and exquisite weaponry, the pilgrims are brawling with one another over two halves of a deceased kungfu monk's corpse in hope of reigning as the top martial arts master who is second to none.

Leading the campaign is The Dark Stone, a powerful sect that features an alliance of Lei Bin (Shawn Yue), Lian Sheng (Leon Dai), Xi Yu (Kelly Lin), and Cao Feng (Wang Xue Qi) the leader of the pact. When Xi Yu went rogue and disappeared with one half of the remains, the rest came hunting down her trails with the help of a new replacement Zhan Qing (Barbie Hsu).

Among other things, the picture works well as a playful domestic comedy as it observes Drizzle and Jiang adapt to married life; the notion of a skilled warrior trying to protect her unsuspecting, slightly dopey husband is played with a tenderness that yields unexpected emotional dividends at the film's bloody finale. Pic reps a fine showcase for Yeoh (too little employed in this sort of high-flying action vehicle since 2000's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"), whose Zen-like elegance renders her command of swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat all the more impressive. Jung, who played "The Good" in "The Good the Bad the Weird," has an endearing, affable presence, and is eventually granted an opportunity to display his own action prowess. Barbie Hsu and Shawn Yue effectively round out the DSA squad.

As directed by Stephen Tung, the action is seldom as cleanly choreographed as one would like, often rendered a kinetic blur by Cheung Ka-fai's editing; still, the style suits Su and Woo's giddy, unpretentious tone. Production design and costumes are evocative but not too lavish, and Horace Wong's widescreen lensing proves as nimble as the characters.