Tag: hulu
0 The Awesomes: All Name, No Game
During the taping of Episode 94 (available on 8/2/13), I had given an honorable mention to “The Awesomes”, a new animated comedy available exclusively on Hulu, and created by Seth Meyers, as the two-part pilot was released today, and, in doing so, gave a skeptical review based on the trailers I had seen.
I was right (so far).
I watched the two twenty minute episodes last night, and again this morning for review, and there was little-to-no draw for me to invest any additional time in the program at all. The animation lacks style beyond Flash-based shorts, the plot is predictable, and the writing left out that whole comedy thing.
I’m really making an effort not to write off the show completely, as I am a big supporter of original content for streaming services, but there are no visible saving graces to even entice me to give “The Awesomes” another shot. The cast is comprised of NBC (primarily “Saturday Night Live”) talent, including Meyers, Rachel Dratch, Bill Hader, Rashida Jones, Taran Killam, Kenan Thompson, and others, but the voice acting sounds like … well, it sounds like those actors reading lines (with Hader as the exception) versus voice acting.
It’s also unfortunate that the premise is also mismanaged, where utilization of super powers lacks originality, creativity, and, essentially, necessity. Meyers’ character, Jeremy “Prock” Awesome, has the ability to freeze time, a la Zach Morris’ “Time Out” power of “Saved By The Bell” fame, but, rather than using it to thwart danger, or swing favor in his direction, it is used primarily to provide Prock with asides during social situations. That, and it is mentioned that said power is harmful to Prock’s well-being, but after that reference, we never see further evidence to support it. The rest of the team is fairly standard in the superhero world: there’s super speed, super strength, a Hulk, a techie, a Green Lantern-esque conjurer, and a hot girl.
Until additional episodes are released on Hulu.com, there’s not a lot I can really discuss further, but I will remain optimistic that we will find more depth in the Awesomes well as the story continues.
0 Episode 87 – Kelli Meschke & Caity Shea Robertson
Kelli & Caity Shea join Dan & Adam in the Wheels Brewing Co Studio to continue to discuss the recent release of “Arrested Development”, “Hemlock Grove”, and the future plans of Netflix. They also give honorable mention to the Hulu bidding war before taking another swing at the new “Movie Bluff” rules.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on June 4, 2013.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 87 – 06/04/13 feat. Kelli Meschke & Caity Shea Robertson/a>
0 Adam’s Weekly Video Picks – Vol. 7
When you’ve spent as many days without seeing the sun as we have here in the great state of Minnesota the past few weeks, it can be challenging to maintain a good mood. Â Given my current employment in the customer service sector, I know this as well as anyone. Â It’s times like these that what you really need is a good laugh…
1. Â Dragonball Z Abridged – Season 1
Even if you’re not a Dragonball Z fan, you’ll find plenty of laughs here. Â Think of Dragonball Z as the plate on which this heaping helping of hilarity is served.
2. Â “Creating Customs” Visits Local Motors
If the laughs above didn’t tickle your fancy, maybe you need to see something awesome. Â Enter the Rally Fighter! Â It’s one of the coolest cars out there and the story behind how this car was designed and built by a community is remarkable – a unique approach to the car market.
3. Â How Iron Man 3 Should Have Ended
It’s pretty safe to assume that those of you who are going to see Iron Man 3 have seen it already, so here’s How It Should Have Ended with… how it should have ended.  Check out the rest of their videos!
4. Â Start a Mumford Band – Key of Awesome
This was one of the featured videos from YouTube’s comedy week. Â I gotta admit, after watching this and hearing a Mumford-style folk song on the radio, they hit the nail right on the head.
That should do for now! Â Stay tuned for next week!
0 Episode 85 – Kaylyn Hum & Josh Mootz
Dr. Kaylyn and Mootz join Dan and Adam in the studio for a long overdue dual-newbie episode! They discuss their access to streaming media, including the Internet options of Alaska, and some streaming news as well. For Movie Bluff, Kaylyn and Mootz team up to take on Adam’s encyclopedic IMDB knowledge.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on May 21, 2013.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 85 – 05/21/13 feat. Kaylyn Hum & Josh Mootz
0 Episode 67 – 1/2/13 feat. Jeff Priesmeyer & Julia Schmitt
Jeff and Julia join Dan and Adam in the studio for another High School reunion-type episode (Jeff, Julia & Dan graduated in ’04, and Adam in ’05), as well as for Bloody Marys after New Year’s Day. Jeff and Julia talk about what they’re streaming online these days, and Julia talks about her streaming media habits after getting rid of an Internet subscription in her apartment. From there, they play a great round of “Movie Bluff”.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on January 2, 2013.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 67 – 01/02/13 feat. Jeff Priesmeyer & Julia Schmitt
0 Redbox Instant: All the hype with none of the calories … I mean, content
Through multiple press releases and interviews in 2012’s third and fourth quarters (July-December for you non-business folks), a number of high-ranking executives for Verizon and Coinstar (owner of Redbox) state that the Redbox Instant service, currently in customer BETA testing, would focus on quality over quantity.
“Do you really need 100,000 titles? I mean, really,” said Paul Davis, CEO of Coinstar.
As I wade through the RB Instant library, I’m glad Davis stuck to his word, offering such featured titles as “Soccer Nanny (unrated)”, “Demonic Toys 2”, and “Biebermania”. Upon further investigation into the library, which will be available to subscribers for $8 per month, I discovered the well-honed tastes of Davis and others comes out in spades with a plethora of B-, C-, and even D-list thriller and horror titles, with little else to distract viewers.
Alright. I jest. I have no idea of that which Davis calls quality entertainment. However, based on that which has been made readily available during this BETA test, it’s hard to imagine that RB Instant will pose any sort of threat to Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu (especially since Redbox currently has no plans to add TV shows to its concoction).
The service does offer a few recognizable titles (using “few” in its strictest definition), including “Thor”, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”, “Rango”, and the recent remake of “True Grit”. Sadly, (and I’m being 100 percent sincere about this) beyond those four films, there are only a handful of additional movies that I recognize. Plus, all four listed above are already available on Netflix AND Amazon Prime.
Before I rag on this service TOO much, there are two additional tiers to the RB Instant account: monthly Redbox kiosk credits, and the ability to pay-to-rent and/or purchase videos electronically.
First, the RB Instant subscription, as I’ve stated before, runs you $8 per month and includes four DVD rental credits to be used at any Redbox kiosk. At roughly $1.20 per DVD (plus tax), you’re technically investing more than half of that $8 on DVD rentals, while throwing $3.20 at the subscription service, which actually starts to explain the quality of films available for streaming. The RB Instant site really hammers it home that you will receive four free DVD rentals, which means you will most likely experience an additional charge if you opt for Blu-rays (usually about $1.50 at the kiosk).
From afar, this piece of the puzzle seems appealing, as everyone likes getting something for nothing. However, at its core, it is a contradiction to the service’s name: Redbox INSTANT. Through most of my Redbox kiosk experiences, very little has ever been instant. Limited and/or poor selections at my nearby locations, not to mention long lines, have deterred me multiple times from using the service spontaneously; in my world of movie consumption, pre-selecting and reserving a movie is like picking a restaurant for dinner at 12:30 PM. I really don’t know what I want until I’m hungry. That’s why I already ditched the Netflix DVD delivery service. I have yet to utilize the four credits bestowed upon me, but as you can probably understand, I’m hesitant. I’ll give it the ol’ college try this week and will give an update IF my experience differs from the norm.
The remaining feature is the ability to purchase or pay-to-rent films electronically. This service is not available on Netflix, but has been a part of Amazon Prime since its release and is also a large part of the Apple iTunes store experience.
The renting aspect is fairly straightforward: I would pay $X amount for a film, either in standard- or high-definition, and then I can watch it when I want within a 30-day window. As soon as I start to watch it, I have 48 hours to complete it as many times as I want. Standard stuff. However, there is little to no documentation as to the purchase process. From the looks of it, I’m not even sure the movie is technically downloaded. I believe, if I’m reading the site correctly, that it just goes into my RB Instant library, and can only be viewed with an Internet connection. Not much of a selling point there.
I also reviewed pricing, and found RB Instant tends to charge MORE for both rentals and purchases. I picked a few titles at random (“Ted”, “The Amazing Spider-Man”, and “Juan of the Dead” [yes, it’s a real movie]), and here’s what I found:
Across the board, RB Instant is more expensive than Amazon Prime and iTunes. In some cases, it is cheaper to rent or purchase the HD version from either Amazon Prime or iTunes versus the SD version via RB Instant. No points awarded there.
Before I wrap things up, I know some folks out there will want to know about the user interface, as the ease of use is a big part of the streaming game. Here’s my take: it isn’t bad, but there’s nothing new there. I tested the web site, as well as the iOS app, and I found nothing special about it. It comes across as cluttered, like most streaming sites, and includes the hover-over for cryptic descriptions.
I did find one major fault to the site that rubbed me the wrong way. Every time I performed a search query for a new movie, multiple entries for said movie would pop up, forcing me to sift between the physical, Redbox kiosk copy, and the digital copy, which was usually buried beneath the former. On some occasions, I had to run multiple attempts to locate that which I sought. As the search occurred on the Instant site, I had hoped (and assumed) that the digital copy would trump the physical.
Also, you cannot purchase or pay-to-rent movies on the iOS app. A lot of people will see value in that, so to prevent unintentional pocket purchases, but it stinks if you’re on the road, or out and about and want to watch something new. It’s a nit-picky issue, but it’s something that can be completed elsewhere through alternate services.
Based on the hype surrounding the service, as well as statements provided by leadership leading up to the release, I had high expectations for this service, and RB Instant has fallen short. Buffering does not yet have an in-house rating system, but RB Instant has set the bar for how low it can go. The most positive thing I can say about RB Instant right now is that the first month is free, and it includes the four DVD credits. However, I am setting a reminder on my calendar to cancel my subscription the day before my month is up, because I have no want or need to keep it.
My recommendation to you is to exploit the loophole, get four free rentals, and cancel it too. Otherwise, it is not worth your time. Most, if not all, of its library and features are available elsewhere.
0 Episode 66 – 1/1/13 feat. Kia Hammill & Zach Hammill
Kia & Zach join Dan and Adam in the studio on New Year’s Day to kick off 2013 with an episode of the Buffering Podcast! Kia & Zach talk a bit about their journey from California to Minnesota for the holidays, as well as what they are watching online. Zach also gives us the inside scoop on A&E’s upcoming show, “Bates Motel”, starring Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga. From there, the quartet plays an excellent round of “Movie Bluff”.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on January 1, 2013.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 66
0 Episode 65 – 12/19/12 A Commemorative Clip Show!
To celebrate the fact that “Buffering …” is now an AWARD WINNING PODCAST (check out category #14), we decided to look back at the past 64 episodes to some of our favorite conversations and games. Here’s a quick overview of all of the episodes we used in this clip show (not the order in which these tracks appear): Episode 2, Episode 13, Episode 16, Episode 22, Episode 39, Episode 41, Episode 43, Episode 46, Episode 49, Episode 52, Episode 54, Episode 61, and Episode 62.
Taped (& compiled) at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on December 19, 2012.
As this week’s episode is a compilation of previous episodes, there were no bonus tracks this week.
Click here to listen: Episode 65 – 122012
0 Episode 64 – 12/11/12 feat. Steve “Frank” Frankenfield & Bennett Wadekamper
Bennett and Frank join Dan and Adam in the studio, where Frank and Bennett bond immediately over their common passion for “League of Legends”, and Adam and Dan learn a thing or two about League of Legends. We test out a new format with a commercial break in the middle, and then jump in to a round of Movie Bluff.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on December 11, 2012.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 64
0 Episode 63 – 12/05/12 feat. John Egan & James Wheeler
James joins Dan and Adam in the studio, while John joins via Skype from Green Bay, WI. Unfortunately, there were a few tech issues regarding the connection, but we still had a solid episode overall. John and James mention what they’ve been streaming lately, and everyone discusses Disney’s partnership with Netflix. After a break, we jump right in to Movie Bluff.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on December 5, 2012.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 63
The Buffering Podcast 