STREAMING VOD Channel of the Day : TUBITV!

Okay faithful blog reader we’re going to launch a new installment… Streaming VOD Channel of the Day!!!

Okay the name needs work, but stick with me here.

This is the golden age of choice, with more books, more music, more movies, more television, more video games, more product, more diversions at your fingertips than ever before in the history of mass-media. But the downside of all that choice, all that content, is determining what is worth your time, wading through the mire to find the marvels.

Theodore Sturgeon’s oft cited quote, ‘90% of everything is crud’ is one of the understood barometers of the digital and Internet age, and while I don’t think Sturgeon himself believed that pessimistic number (90%, that’s a bit pessimistic, I think more like 75% :)), it is true enough. There is at any given moment a lot of dreck to sift through, and limited time.

That’s where this article comes in.

Every installment we are going to examine a Streaming Roku VOD channel we think is deserving of your time, and cite specific examples you should check out from that channel.

So without further ado, this installment’s STREAMING VOD Channel of the Day (SVODCOTD for short :)) is (drumroll please)….

TUBI TV!!!

Okay, yeah it is not a name that rolls off the tongue, but let’s ignore that for the moment, the oddly named channel has some solid content and ok quality. Their content can be viewed at TUBITV.COM and the channel added to your Roku by going here.

And currently it has the below list of interesting content available. Many of the below are not available even on pay sites such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. However the negatives are:

1/ the quality needs to be better. TUBI TV needs to kick in for more bandwidth as quality can severely fluctuate during a film.

2/ the interruptions while relatively short are WAY too many! There is easily ten of them in a typical 90 minute movie. Interruptions need to be kept to less than four per 90 minute movie,

3/ Where commercials do interrupt the movie, they do so at the worst possible moment. A smarter placement of interruptions has to be devised

So a channel not without issues to overcome. But it looks like a channel that is trying to improve. So here’s the list of content you can checkout today on TUBI TV:

DOGTOOTH
CHOKING MAN
THE MILL AND THE CROSS
SCALENE
THE LOCAL
LANDSCAPE NO. 2
MORLANG
BE WITH ME
THE UNJUST – Harrowing 2010 Korean crime film
OPEN CITY -2008 Korean film pitting an international pickpocket ring against Korea’s version of the FBI. Sounds very interesting.
BLOOD RAIN – Violent, Supernatural mystery from Korea
BLEAK NIGHT – Well regarded Korean Drama not on Amazon Prime or Netflix
ARAHAN – Well regarded 2004 Martial Arts comedy not on Amazon Prime or NetFlix
ANTARCTIC JOURNAL
GOOD MAN TOWN
OCEAN OF PEARLS
LIVING IN SEDUCED CIRCUMSTANCES-seemingly all the festival reviews state that this bit of venomous and divisive horror is overlong at 75 minutes, so someone listened as it has been cut down to 61 minutes for streaming
DR. BRONNER’S MAGIC SOAP BOX
AFTER PORN ENDS
THE STRIKING TRUTH
HE’S ON MY MIND
COLOUR FROM THE DARK
THE OTHER SIDE
NUMBER 13
NIGHT FEEDERS
FUGUE – I knew nothing about this film, but I’m glad I saw it. Director Barbara Stepansky creates a captivating drama/mystery/thriller with a supernatural tinge.
BAD TASTE
SHE BEAST
WALK OF THE DEAD/VENGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES
THE HOUSE WHERE HELL FROZE OVER
STREET LAW
ICY BREASTS
MEET THE FEEBLES
KNIFE OF ICE
RETURN OF THE STREET FIGHTER
SISTER STREET FIGHTER
ZOMBIE A-HOLE
All this plus some intriguing content such as Fitness Classes. Find out more at TUBI TV.

Now Playing: Recommended NetFlix Streaming Movie of the Day… THE TOWER!

The 2012 Korean film TA-WEO [THE TOWER] directed by Ji-hoon Kim, mixes a storyline that is equal parts TOWERING INFERNO and BACKDRAFT and marries it to superior 21st century visuals, and wrenching performances heavy on sacrifice to create a film that is equal to its inspirations.

What one takes away from the film, like its inspirations, is the definition of a hero. The person who runs toward the horrors that everyone else is running from. Running toward the horrors in an attempt to stop them, to save lives.  Not for rewards or riches, but for the simplest and most singular of reasons, they believe  it needs doing, and in putting themselves in harm’s way to get it done. They believe in sacrifice.

A recommended film.

The Tower DVD

Lord of Dark Places

I heard something profound today
About those who ride the lightning
That invariably they fear the thunder
Because it proclaims their day is done

Books on my to purchase/read pile:

Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos (Paperback) by Michio Kaku
Airing Dirty Laundry by Ishmael Reed
Violent Spring by Gary Phillips
Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman by Malidoma Patrice Some

African Rhapsody by Nadezda Obradovic
Joyce Ann Brown:Justice Denied by Joyce Ann Brown
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
Flat Broke in the Free Market: How Globalization Fleeced Working People by Jon Jeter
Deals With the Devil: And Other Reasons to Riot by Pearl Cleage
The Lord of Dark Things – Hal Bennett
Insanity Runs in the Family – Hal Bennett
Brother: Black Soldiers in the Nam

FBI War on Tupac Shakur & Black Leaders by John Potash

Sites of the day:
Afrikanworldbooks.com
Akpress.com
rentometer.com

When the law itself is lawless, what do you do?

DVDs of the Day:

TOO MANY WAYS TO BE NUMBER 1
ONCE A THIEF
DRAGON INN (1992- Donnie Yen)
LEGEND OF THE WOLF (1997- Donnie Yen)
BALLISTIC KISS (1998- Donnie Yen)
BIG BULLET
BEYOND HYPOTHERMIA
MY FATHER IS A HERO
BODYGUARD FROM BEIJING
DOWNTOWN TORPEDOES
CRYSTAL HUNT
BACK TO BACK FACE TO FACE

Directors of the Day:

Henri-Georges Clouzot 1907-1977 his masterpieces are WAGES OF FEAR and DIABOLIQUE
Jean Pierre Melville 1917-1973 his masterpieces are LE SAMOURAI, LE DOULOS, BOB LE FLAMBEUR

“There is no greater solitude than the samurai’s
unless it be that of the tiger in the jungle”– Le Samourai’s preface

tell me about summer
tell me about fall
i can’t make it
make any reason at all

Korean word of the day (spelt phonetically so you can pronounce them)-

Ahn young hah say oh: hello-peace-do peacefully
Kahm sah hahm nidah: Thank You
Chae Song Hahn Nidah: Pardon Me
Toe Wah Jew Say Oh: Please Help Me
Ahn Young Hee Gae Say Oh: Goodbye
Cheon Man Ne Yo: You are welcome

Quick Book Reviews:

GHOUL by Michael Slade: Excellent

WASP FACTORY by Ian Banks: Disturbing

CABAL by Clive Barker: So-So

INHUMAN CONDITION by Clive Barker: Not as great as the first three BOOKS OF BLOOD, but still recommended

HARVEST OF HORRORS by Eric Potter: Average

DARK VISIONS by Harlan Ellison: Very Good

MISERY by Stephen King: Very Disturbing

WHISPERS I by Stuart Schiff: Good

Edgar Allen Poe

James Baldwin

Today’s recommended audo drama/listen:

CHATTERBOX AUDIO THEATER HALLOWEEN SHOW 2009 PT 1 & 2- Finally listened to this today. Short review? It’s just great. A compilation of seven tales of terror. I mentioned this group previously, and they continue to just get more impressive. It’s really nice to see Audio Drama not only still being produced in the US, but productions of such an incredibly high quality. This is work to make the greats of radio’s heyday proud. Also I appreciate them using the American spelling of theater rather than the British spelling, like some American productions (perhaps to seem more “artsy”) are wont to do.You can listen to THE HALLOWEEN shows here.

Also while there check out the shows SURFACING and THE YELLOW WALLPAPER. Both are highly recommended.

Okay well that’s all my rambling today. Enjoy!