Alternatives to Netflix and Blockbuster For Renting Movies Online

The online movie rental has become hugely popular with consumers. Many have decided they it is more convenient to rent movies online instead of from a traditional store.

There are 3 new, up and coming companies to rent from apart from Netflix and Blockbuster. These companies are DVD Avenue, eHit.com and CafeDVD.com.

How does DVD Avenue work? DVD Avenue is one of the newest companies for online movie rentals. The company has a rental plans that begins at $9.99. There are many great benefits on offer from this company.

The first benefit is that consumers do not have to commit to any plan for a specified period of time. Consumers can rent up to four movies at a time depending on the plan that has been selected.

The one DVD plan costs $9.99 per month, for 2 it's $14.95, 3 is $19.95, and for 4 it costs $24.95 per month.

The second benefit is that you pay no postage fees. Both shipping and receiving of all rented DVD's is free. This alone saves a lot of money when you rent movies online.

The third benefit is that there is a vast selection of titles to choose from. There are over 25000 rentals to choose from in many different film genres. Their website is also very user friendly.

How does eHit.com work? Another company that allows consumers to rent movies online is called eHit.com. This company has a much smaller movie selection for consumers to choose from.

The first benefit of using eHit.com is that consumers can rent both English and Chinese movies online. Many people in the United States speak Chinese but have a hard time finding video rentals that are solely in their native language. They also offers movie rentals in Japanese and Korean.

The second benefit is that people who enjoy Asian and English films can rent up to 8 DVDs at a time each month if they want.

eHit.com offers 2 plans to choose from: On the "Unlimited Plan" you can choose how many movies you want to rent. Pricing is as follows: the 2 movie plan costs $14.99 per month, for 4 costs $23.99 per month, 6 is $31.99 and for 8 it's $39.99 per month.

The "Point Plan" allows consumer to purchase points and use those points to rent movies online and watch TV shows online.

How does CafeDVD.com work? CafeDVD.com is another great company to rent movies online from. This company allows consumers to rent movies online on two plans.

These plans are a monthly subscription and an "A La Carte" plan. Up to four DVD's can be rented at a time, per month under either of these two plans.

The "A La Carte" plan is different from the DVD Avenue and eHit.com plans that were discussed before as they do charge for mailing. In this plan consumers pay three dollars per seven days of rental time.

They are also charged $2.49 to ship one to two movies, $2.99 to ship three movies and $3.49 to ship four movies. If you want to avoid shipping costs, then each movie rental costs £3.50 per seven days under the "SaverPak" option.

The monthly subscription plan allows consumers to rent movies online based on the size of plan required. There are small, medium and large plans to rent movies online.

The small plan allows consumers to rent six movies for a cost of $ 14.95 per month. The DVD'S come in twos and are shipped together.

The medium plan allows consumers to rent eight movies and costs $19.95 per month. The large plan allows consumers to rent ten movies and costs $24.95 per month.

The first benefit is that CafeDVD.com allows consumers to rent the most movies out of the three companies reviewed. Consumers can rent up to ten movies which is great for people who just love to watch movies.

The second benefit is that CafeDVD.com caters for an audience who prefers more independent and classic films.

Which one should you choose? The best online movie rental service really depends on your needs as the consumer. If you watch many movies, then CafeDVD.com is best for you. If you want a good range of titles to choose from, then DVD Avenue is the best. If you like foreign language films, then eHit.com is the one for you.

Learn more about online movie rentals. Stop by WhyRentMoviesOnline.com to find the answers to any questions you may have on these services.

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The Difference Between IT Joes and IT Pros

About a year ago I was really into a show called "Pros vs. Joes" on Spike TV.

Average, narcissistic and delusional sports fans get a short at avoiding Hershel Walkers brutal tackles, or dodging a mind numbing, heart stopping blow from UFC fighter Randy Couture.

To me, it was absolutely hilarious to watch some of these people take on the pros. More often than not, they got a 55 gallon drum of your-know-what opened up and used on them.
But once in a great while, one of the Joes would give a pro a real run for their money.

Anyway, as you know, I try to learn from mistakes made by others, and I mean anyone and everyone, past present of future, because as the old saying goes, "You'll never live long enough to make them all yourself."

So here's the Pros vs. Joes lesson for you, the I.T. Pro (and those who think they are) according to Dale:

No matter who you are or how good you think you are at your job, you can always improve. The most successful, most impressive pros practice constantly. Tiger Woods can be found hitting balls the day after winning a championship. Larry Bird, as team captain, would spend hours practicing his shooting style and effectiveness.

The difference between Pro status and Joe status is often only a fraction...of second, inch, ounce, dollar. Remember Michael Phelps' 1/100th of a second win during the summer Olympics against the French team? In baseball, the smallest increase in batting average can mean huge results for the team, and the player's financial success.

Pros do what Joes are unwilling to do. Sure, talent plays into the equation, but not as much as you think. By in large, the difference between those who succeed and those who fail in I.T...in business...in life... are those who are willing to consistently do the things required to win...while those who fail are not.

Dale Gibbons is an entrepreneur, writer and speaker. He owns two businesses and publishes newsletters which reach thousands of professionals monthly. For more info visit http://louisvilleitjobs.com/.

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"Soft Like Me" Starring Marc Ducusin

"Soft Like Me" is a strange if not intriguing film from Canada. While the setting, clothing styles, etc. suggest a 1930s time frame, you are left with the impression that this film could also be about a dismal futuristic time. While the movie seems simple enough, one will realize that after watching it that there are many questions that are left unanswered.

At the beginning of the film we see a young boy of about 13 who is chained to a porch on the front of a shack in the middle of a bunch of wheat fields. A man comes and takes him into the cabin where he is introduced to the warden. Apparently Linus (Mark Ducusin) is now an inmate at some kind of work farm. What his crime was is never revealed. He is informed by the warden that all will go well at the farm as long as he obeys the rules. If he doesn't...well... he'll get to meet someone else who isn't as nice as the warden.

All the boys on the farm work from sunup till sundown cutting wheat and tying it into sheaths. The boys wear nothing but shorts, a leather harness, and a wooden mouthpiece that prevents them from being able to speak. During the daytime the harness is used to tie them to poles by long ropes so they can't escape, and at night they are hoisted up by pullies so that they are forced to sleep in a standing position with only their toes touching the ground.

Every night one of the guards comes and leads Jimmy (Geoff Thompson) off and then brings him back in the morning. He is taken to visit the warden, who sometimes gets lonely, the other boys inform Linus. On some nights a boy is taken away, never to be seen again.

While all the other boys have given up of ever escaping, or being set free, Linus still holds onto that one small piece of hope he has buried deep within. Is it something he should hold onto, or is what the other boys say really true: With hope comes punishment?

This film was directed by Jeff Erbach who also directed "The Nature of Nicholas".

Christian Jentz is a world traveler who has visited nine different countries, and has lived in three. His travels have taken him to seven countries in Europe, one in North America, and one in Asia. He is an avid film buff, and through his travels has developed a love for foreign movies. He has written several articles, as well as contributed to several blogs for http://www.bluecowboyfilms.com/. He speaks English, Spanish, and Chinese. He currently resides in China where he is an English instructor at the University of Datong.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christian_Jentz

How Can You Rent the Latest Movie Releases Closer to the Release Date?

Usually the more popular a new release, the harder it is to rent. This is the case with traditional stores as well as online.

If the movie you want to rent is not immediately available, both Netflix and Blockbuster suggest how long your wait time will be when you add that movie to your rental queue. When you rent at Netflix, they use the terms "Short Wait", "Long Wait", and "Very Long Wait".

According to Netflix, a "Short Wait" means your wait time to rent a movie will be less than two weeks. "Long Wait" means less than 30 days, and "Very Long Wait" means less than four months.

Another thing to keep in mind when you rent movies online, is what position you place the movie in your list. For example, if you list Harry Potter 6 at the very top of your favorites list, you will receive it sooner than if you rank it third or fourth.

How does Blockbuster compare to Netflix? Until recently, consumers still ranked Netflix above Blockbuster in the online movie rental business. But that may be changing. Currently, wait times for new releases at Blockbuster Online tend to be shorter than at Netflix.

That's especially true when it comes to Blu-ray, because Blockbuster has a greater volume of Blu-ray discs than Netflix. And you may know that you get charged extra for Blu Ray at Netflix.

With Blockbuster, this is not the case. Blockbuster also has a list of high-demand new releases which are guaranteed to be in-stock, but Netflix does not offer such a guarantee. Furthermore, Blockbuster's "Guaranteed In-Stock" policy applies whether you rent movies online or from a store.

Game rentals are also offered at Blockbuster. So if you like to play games, only blockbuster offer them.

How much do rental plans cost? Rental plans at both Netflix and Blockbuster cost the same. You can rent either 1, 2 or 3 movies at a time. These plans cost $8.99, $13.99 and $16.99. Both companies offer the usual options to keep the movie as long as you want with no late fees. If you want to rent and return movies in store, Blockbuster will charge a little extra. These plans cost $11.99, $16.99 and $19.99 per month.

Why choose Blockbuster? If you're deciding where to rent movies online, the availability of Blu-ray at no additional cost and the "Guaranteed In-Stock" policies are two good reasons to choose Blockbuster over Netflix.

Want to know more about online movie rentals? Visit WhyRentMoviesOnline.com for information to help you choose the right service.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J._Pal

Top 5 Time Travellers

British viewers have recently seen of the return of Doctor Who, complete with new Tardis, new assistant and a new Doctor, played by Matt Smith. Time travelling as a concept was arguably popularised by H.G. Wells' Time Machine. Certainly the common notion of having a vehicle/device to transport you through time can be linked back to this story. In celebration of this most paradoxical of plot-devices I've devised the following list:

Top 5 Time Travellers

5. Bill & Ted
Every time I think about the plot of this movie, I wonder if I got it right. Bill & Ted get taken on a trip through time so they can pass their history class, otherwise Ted will be shipped to military school, and the Wyld Stallyns will never make the music that forms the Utopian society of the future with its very simple philosophy: Be Excellent to each other. And Party on Dudes!

It's strange that I was first introduced to Genghis Khan, Napoleon and Abraham Lincoln through this movie (and possibly also the short-lived animated series) but there you go. In fact, growing up most of my knowledge of non-British history comes from films/shows like Forest Gump, Animaniacs, etc. It makes me wonder how many kids nowadays were first introduced to Shakespeare and Dickens through their appearance in Doctor Who? Or whose primary knowledge of the past is through the excellent Horrible Histories series? Anyway back to matters at hand:

4. Donnie Darko
Perhaps a less obvious time-traveller than all the others. However, his conversations with the bunny rabbit, following of worm holes, and so on have definitely earned him a place. Without spoiling anything, its surprising that his decision at the end of the movie hasn't been considered more often by time travellers. It and It's a Wonderful Life would make a brilliantly murky double bill.

3. Hiro (Heroes)
Say what you want about Heroes, in its prime you couldn't help but smile as Hiro got to grips with controlling time and space. His determination to follow a hero's arc, based on superheroes he has read about, feels like a very noughties concept. I often felt sorry for his character as he went on all these ridiculous journeys in later seasons, why couldn't his adventures be as cool as his role-models like Superman or Spiderman?

2. The Terminator
Come with me if you want to live. There's a lot of great things about the first two Terminator movies. Perhaps the most obvious is the fact that Arnie has only ever been believable in his role as an almost indestructible being. He truly was born to play a robot. Beyond that, I think the idea of a mother being told her son is destined for greatness is a very powerful one. And Sarah's arc in doing her utmost to protect and develop her son has a surprising amount of depth in it. Finally the time travel in the movie exists essentially without rules. It's never really established how the technology came about, or whether its creators know whether it's even possible to change the past. It's probably the only movie about time travel where the concept is of little importance to the characters involved.

1. Marty McFly
Marty McFly almost sums up the 80s for me, or at least teen movie stars in the 80s. He's wise-cracking, slick, and confident; he's the guy all the geeks in 80s movies wanted to be. As a child my favourite scene was always the climax of him playing "Johnny Be Good" to get his parents together. Although the brilliantly played scene when he ends up being seduced in his mother's bedroom has probably overtaken it since then.

It's influence on me is such that the rules established in this movie about setting things right for the future, and not seeing your future self are the rules for time travelling. And I always have a deep suspicion for any story where claims to the contrary are made. Example of the types of conversations that go on in my head: "He's meeting his former self - why isn't the universe imploding?! I've never seen something so ridiculous in all my life! Don't they know ANYTHING about time travelling?"

Over to you now: What are you favourite time travellers? Is there any movie/television show whose time travel rules you consider absolutely definitive?

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