Tag Archives: Streaming

Watching – on MY demand

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I am not a Luddite, but I am often accused of being one because I tend to express very negative opinions about tech and the issues that result from it not working correctly.

I spend an exceptional amount of time working with technology, specifically digital tools, at my day job. I am part designer, part modeler, and part film maker when I’m working on a project. I absolutely depend on having up to date hardware and software. I am connected all the time while I am working having three screens and up to a dozen windows open at any given time on my computer. I live in the future when I’m working. When I am not at work, totally different take on things.

I have a deep seeded need for technology to simply work when and where I want it to. This is where the problem starts. There are a multitude of technology based things for any and all parts of the home these days. I find that most of them amount to solutions gone looking for a problem. Could I have voice commands turn all the lights on and off in my house? Yes, yes I could. Will I ever do that? Not a chance. I can walk over and flip a switch to complete a circuit. The only times I’ve ever had a problem with that is when the light itself failed to work. How many people can say they never have a problem getting their automated things to work properly every single time without more effort that flipping a switch? I’ve witnessed it at the office I work in. One office’s lights are connected to a digital assistant. Guess what set of lights constantly has issues? Good guess.

So, why am I on about digital tools and connectivity? I am also one of the people that still has the Netflix DVD by mail service. Yes, actual discs in the good old postal delivery service. I can’t say I’m a constant on the mailing list, sometimes not getting to my new disc for a couple of weeks, but generally I get to at least three or four per month. I also still buy actual discs of the movies that I know I really enjoy and want to go back to.

When I really want to watch an older movie that I love I follow a procedure that’s remarkably similar to the light switch… I get off my ass, walk to the shelf where the movie sits, then take the disc back to the DVD player and watch my movie. Relatively little failure there.

What if you wanted to watch Dogma tonight? Could you? Even with Kevin Smith out there all over the place promoting stuff you still can’t just get it if you don’t own the disc. Sure, there may be some digitally savvy folks out there that could come up with it, but at what cost? What system? Do you have the right service?

This article in GQ has some really excellent points on this.

My bottom line is this – If I own the disc, there’s not a service out there that can stop me from watching it when and where I want to. I don’t have to depend on Netflix having it in their rotation. I don’t have to worry that there’s some kind of transmission problem that’s bogging down Hulu. No buffering on my computer. I just watch it. Pause it, come back to it… basically all the things associated with streaming, without the need to worry about what service has the movie or IF my digital library copy is still available or not… or worse, if it’s been altered for some kind of directorial re-write (thanks for that Lucas).

IF that makes me a Luddite, so be it. I’ll still watch my movies whenever I want and not depend on some service to do it.

The Dragon Prince

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The Dragon Prince main characters

I am a long time fan of the fantasy genre. Yes, I was first hooked by The Hobbit a long time ago, but since then the heroic sword and sorcery story has always had a place in my heart. I love it.

I admit, for a while I wandered away. I’d seen plots that looked, felt and moved the same way for a long time. Before I began writing and learning what a trope was I began to see and understand the commonality among my favorite stories. I still like them.

Since then I have always hunted for fantasy stories that could give me the heroic journey without making me bored while doing it. Subtlety, nuance, shifts in the way things are presented or the way worlds are constructed are all things that catch my attention. I am a particular fan of changes to world building.

IF you’re of a similar mindset, I humbly suggest you find a way onto Netflix and watch The Dragon Prince. It is excellent fantasy – the best I’ve seen in a long time. You might look at it and think it is a show aimed at children. That is and is not true. This show takes on a number of very deep themes and issues. These affect people no matter how old they are and we all still need to deal with those things.

This article: How The Dragon Prince Became the Best Fantasy Show on Television, Animated or Not has a number of very good things to say.

This article:
The Dragon Prince Ended Season 3 With a Battle That Could Rival Any Lord of the Rings Movie is full of spoilers but also covers a lot of excellent points about the show.

My quick hits from the show?

The characters are strong and complex. There are good examples of behavior and bad examples of behavior. Both examples show the consequences of those actions, and it’s not always black and white. Clear cut answers are few and far between in this show.

The story is stronger because it can’t take short cuts. There’s something to be said for avoiding the cheap method of getting a point across. The romance isn’t punctuated with explicit sex – that’s not an option. There is no violence simply because an ‘action scene was needed’. The story needs to carry the day.

Things that are considered divergent to many people are shown in this show without needing to sledge hammer the point home. Nobody bats an eye at the fact that one of the best generals for the humans is deaf. I don’t know ASL, but I’m betting those lines are actually animated with real words. There is a creature missing a leg (trying not to be spoilery) that has been made to look ‘normal’ because of preconceived viewpoints. It’s there, but it’s not the point and that’s what I really like about it. You can’t use your standard assumptions because they might not be the case. I think that’s a very strong argument for world building and quality story telling.

IF you’re not worried about spoilers, check out those articles. Either way, do yourself a favor and go check this show out. Totally worth your time.

Disney+

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I did it. A few weeks ago I saw an article talking about Disney+, the next big streaming service that was coming out. I had heard rumors of it for quite a while, but figured I’d wait and see if anything actually came of all the noise. Something DID come of all the noise, and when I looked at the absolutely massive offering from all the things Disney now owns I had to check it out.

The article sent me to a link, the link made an offer. It was one I couldn’t refuse.

What a collection, just on the front images, right?

I actually paid for 2 years up front to receive some kind of crazy discount thing. I did it. Anyone that’s read here for some time will realize that I’m not usually an early adopter of this sort of thing. In this case, I couldn’t resist.

I’m hopeful that it will be worth the investment for more than just the collection of things I’ve seen before, but given my past experiences with Disney if there’s one thing they DO know how to do it’s entertain.

I really can’t wait…