Product Review: Blockbuster Total Access
Kristy and I don't really make time to see movies at the theater. My opinion of theaters in general is very poor. The cinemas are all just non-descript cardboard boxes now and the movie screens are way too small. I grew up seeing movies on the big screen like the Villa Theater and Centre Theater (which was a beautiful 1,000+ seat Art Deco theater where I saw many movies as a kid, including Star Wars). So it is pretty underwhelming for me to go see a movie at the generic megaplexes that are so common now. There are still a few exceptions, like the local Cinerama Theater in downtown Seattle. In fact, were it not for the Cinerama and the IMAX at Pacific Science Center, we would probably not see any movies in the theaters (with the exception of kids movies, which we are compelled to see).

So, we don't get out to see movies that often. The solution? Rent movies by mail. The options? Netflix (which has been in the rent-by-mail business for years) and a relatively new program from Blockbuster called "Total Access". I signed up for the cheapest Total Access program last month and am, so far, really impressed with it. For $7.99/month we are allowed to rent a maximum of 2 movies per month (which is actually plenty for us). But we can then return the movies to the store (in the enclosed return mailer) and exchange them for any movie in the store... for "free". So basically we get 4 movies, 2 of which are "free", for $7.99/month... or 2 bucks per movies, all of which typically are new releases. Not a bad deal.

The program is easy to use as well (how hard can selecting movies really be? ...not too hard). The on-line interface doesn't get in the way, the search capability and recommendations are there if needed, and the inventory is as good as I need (not sure how it compares to Netflix, but I would imagine it is as good or better). I have filled up my queue with about 50 movies we would like to see, or (at 2 movies per month) enough rental options for the next 2 years... that is unless I cherry pick from our list while exercising my "free" rental options.

Summary: Good value for low volume movie rentals. Highly recommended.

Update: 37 May 2007

We have now been subscribers to the "Total Access" now for 1 year. I'm still very satisfied with the service and am pleased to share that the Blu-Ray selection on-line is far, far superior than anything that can be found in the stores. We now pretty much exclusively rent movies in high def since we have converted to Blu-Ray. Once I updated my movie format preference on-line, then the software automagically converted the format of all the movies in my queue to Blu-Ray (if available). Very nice!

Update: 13 Jan 2010

We switched to Netflix. After the nearby Pine Lake Blockbuster closed, the inconvenience driving over to Klahanie for exchanges and the lack of a very compelling in-store Blu-Ray library led us to sour on the Blockbuster option. Furthermore, Blockbuster does not allow the "free monthly rental" included with their rewards membership to be used to rent non-new-release Blu-Ray movies. After Netflix came out on the PS3, switching to Netflix became a no-brainer. Farewell Blockbuster.

(Update Mon May 28 23:36:15 PDT 2007 // corrected the monthy charge)
(Update Tue May 27 15:28:58 PDT 2008 // added Blu-Ray info)
(Update Wed Jan 13 23:29:17 PDT 2010 // switched to Netflix)

Movie Review: The Devil Wears Prada

The movie is a book about a woman (played by Anne Hathaway) who gets her first job for a domineering demanding New York fashion editor (played by Meryl Streep). While working for her new boss, Miss Hathaway's character undergoes a transformation from a disassociated dismissive ingenue who complains to her boyfriend at home about the shallowness of everyone around her, to that of a transfixed-by-fashion work-first corporate-ladder flunky who forgets about her friends and the Things That Are Most Important ("I don't even know you anymore" complains her live-in boyfriend). Of course, later on Hathaway's characters suddenly realizes that she has forgotten about Her True Self (or something) and quits, all while earning and maintaining the respect of her hard-to-please boss. Yes, it is formulaic, but it is still entertaining... especially when Mrs. Streep is on the screen. In fact, the movie would probably be as bad as The Princess Diaries were it not for Mrs. Streep. She easily gave the best performance of the film.

Summary: Worth the rental price.

(Update Sun Feb 25 20:22:25 PST 2007 // fixed a grammar error)

Small Home Renovation Project: Hot Water Dispenser
I bought a new hot water dispenser last month. I chose the Insinkerator Series HC1100 and purchased it from BuyPlumbing for a good price (the customer service at BuyPlumbing is exceptional). It was a pretty simple install. Just had to remove the old cold water dispenser and then hook the feed into the new system (which includes a filter, the tank, and the dispenser). It looks and works great! The instant hot water is so convenient.

Here is a picture taken after the final install: