Exploitation.tv Discussion Thread

[redrunner97]

INFO

Get unlimited access to the internet's largest and ever-growing collection of (s)exploitation, cult, underground and other under-appreciated oddities.

Plans start at $7 a month with a free trial period.

Exploitation.tv!

So, how's everyone enjoying this amazing new service specifically created for fans of all things exploitation? What movies have you discovered since the launch, and what movies/types of films are you hopeful will come to Exploitation.tv in the future?

[NoirFan]

I was most impressed with I Dismember Mama, whose titular psychopath* effectively alternates between bland earnestness and vicious cruelty, in a manner that reminded me somewhat of Patrick Bateman. The forced striptease/singing sequence was particularly discomforting, unfolding as it did in cold, heartless real-time, with Albert's smirking amusement and sweaty excitement increasing in direct proportion to his victim's terror and humiliation. Night of the Strangler was a bit uneven, but had a terrific ending that redeemed/justified some of the questionable plot elements, while introducing even more questions! I wasn't particular enamored of Anatomy of a Psycho, which never really gathered much steam, but major points for recycling the Plan 9 soundtrack! Terminal Island zipped along with a game cast (including two future Magnum PI stars!) and plenty of rough-and-tumble fight sequences. The Ordeal of Daniel Hewitt short is a real obscurity (I couldn't even find an IMDB page for it) with some interesting editing and musical choices. The Bat, of course, is campy fun and one of several titles I was surprised (but pleased!) to find on the site, along with Bucket of Blood and a Vincent Price-narrated Bermuda Triangle doc. And that is only the tip of the iceberg!




* Whoops, the 'titular' term referred to the original title of 'Poor Albert and Little Annie', although I MUCH prefer I Dismember Mama as a (sickly irreverent) alternative! I remember the VHS box creeping me out in the store as a little kid (he was staring right at me), but I never rented it:

[Ryan@VS]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

I was most impressed with I Dismember Mama, whose titular psychopath* effectively alternates between bland earnestness and vicious cruelty, in a manner that reminded me somewhat of Patrick Bateman. The forced striptease/singing sequence was particularly discomforting, unfolding as it did in cold, heartless real-time, with Albert's smirking amusement and sweaty excitement increasing in direct proportion to his victim's terror and humiliation. Night of the Strangler was a bit uneven, but had a terrific ending that redeemed/justified some of the questionable plot elements, while introducing even more questions! I wasn't particular enamored of Anatomy of a Psycho, which never really gathered much steam, but major points for recycling the Plan 9 soundtrack! Terminal Island zipped along with a game cast (including two future Magnum PI stars!) and plenty of rough-and-tumble fight sequences. The Ordeal of Daniel Hewitt short is a real obscurity (I couldn't even find an IMDB page for it) with some interesting editing and musical choices. The Bat, of course, is campy fun and one of several titles I was surprised (but pleased!) to find on the site, along with Bucket of Blood and a Vincent Price-narrated Bermuda Triangle doc. And that is only the tip of the iceberg!




* Whoops, the 'titular' term referred to the original title of 'Poor Albert and Little Annie', although I MUCH prefer I Dismember Mama as a (sickly irreverent) alternative! I remember the VHS box creeping me out in the store as a little kid (he was staring right at me), but I never rented it:

I love that cover -- creepy as hell!

[Hubunkey]

I can't wait to sign up for this........when I get the extra money lol.

[dawz]

Started the evening with Flesh and Bullets... oh, what a glorious mess. Everything about this film just screams incompetence, but that is exactly where it's charm lies. And this is a perfect example of how great EXTV is; not only is a movie like this available for streaming, but it looks great as well!

Next up was Evil Come, Evil Go. This one is all about Cleo O'Hara's wonderfully over the top, insane performance as Sister Sarah Jane. She chews up every scene and i can see myself revisiting this one many times for that alone.

The roku app is solid but i was surprised at how flawless the experience is using my android phone to connect it to chromecast as well.

Kudos to the Vinegar Syndrome team for such a successful launch... this service is going to fill lots of my time, no doubt.

[OgamiittoMcJ]

in two minds about this
one I don't like how non collectors can suddenly have all these for so little cost,
also the main thing is, you never own these movies, you only have access to what they have, if they lose rights and can no longer show or they shutdown,
also internet problems
my main concern/question would be the quality and reliability
how does it compare to BD, DVD ? and other VOD services ?

[dawz]

Originally Posted by OgamiittoMcJ

in two minds about this
one I don't like how non collectors can suddenly have all these for so little cost,
also the main thing is, you never own these movies, you only have access to what they have, if they lose rights and can no longer show or they shutdown,

I'm at a loss why this would be a concern. This isn't about collecting or ownership. Vinegar Syndrome isn't going to stop releasing BDs; to the contrary, they've mentioned the output is going to increase.

Many of these films likely may never see a BD release, some may not even see DVD release, regardless of the existence of this service, so to have these films offered up in this quality is a great thing for fans of cult/exploitation movies.

You're not going to get BD quality, but no streaming service can offer that right now.

Comparing to other VOD services, assuming you're talking about the big one's like Netflix, is a bit of apples and oranges as well since you need to consider the differences in the source materials of the kinds of films you typically find on Netflix vs these. But source materials aside, the actual quality of the streaming is very comparable to my eyes.

And I haven't bought DVDs since I started collecting BDs, so I can't compare VS DVD output to this service, but i'd be surprised if the DVDs look any better. I've noticed no issues with compression. (with the exception of the random issues Ryan mentioned in the VS thread that they're working on )

Best part is, they offer a free trial period. So there's really no risk for you to try. If you have any interest in VS's catalog, I highly recommend it.

I'm currently on the Indiegogo subscription, but I can without a doubt say that once it's over, I'll be subscribing to a yearly plan.

[Ryan@VS]

Originally Posted by dawz

I'm at a loss why this would be a concern. This isn't about collecting or ownership. Vinegar Syndrome isn't going to stop releasing BDs; to the contrary, they've mentioned the output is going to increase.

Many of these films likely may never see a BD release, some may not even see DVD release, regardless of the existence of this service, so to have these films offered up in this quality is a great thing for fans of cult/exploitation movies.

You're not going to get BD quality, but no streaming service can offer that right now.

Comparing to other VOD services, assuming you're talking about the big one's like Netflix, is a bit of apples and oranges as well since you need to consider the differences in the source materials of the kinds of films you typically find on Netflix vs these. But source materials aside, the actual quality of the streaming is very comparable to my eyes.

And I haven't bought DVDs since I started collecting BDs, so I can't compare VS DVD output to this service, but i'd be surprised if the DVDs look any better. I've noticed no issues with compression. (with the exception of the random issues Ryan mentioned in the VS thread that they're working on )

Best part is, they offer a free trial period. So there's really no risk for you to try. If you have any interest in VS's catalog, I highly recommend it.

I'm currently on the Indiegogo subscription, but I can without a doubt say that once it's over, I'll be subscribing to a yearly plan.

Thanks for that, couldn't have said it better myself.

Aside from the temperamental Roku video quality (which we're close to solving!), I'm very happy with the streaming quality of our service.

As far as physical media goes, we've pretty much agreed to go down with the ship and be the last company to release shiny discs. Our Blu-ray output is set to increase dramatically in 2016. We have a stellar lineup for VS and EP next year -- we can't wait to announce the titles!

Thanks everyone!

[ISmith1979]

Just something interesting I've noticed. Here in the UK the only VS release that isn't available (aside from Savage Water) is Long Jeanne Silver. Is this available in other territories? How come it isn't available in the UK?

[NoirFan]

Ryan, would it be possible to add an 'Added date' to the film display options, so we can see when/which new titles are added on Fridays, or a dynamic 'New This Week!' category under Features? Also, are customizable playlists in the cards, so viewers can program their own extended viewing marathons?

[Ryan@VS]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

Ryan, would it be possible to add an 'Added date' to the film display options, so we can see when/which new titles are added on Fridays, or a dynamic 'New This Week!' category under Features? Also, are customizable playlists in the cards, so viewers can program their own extended viewing marathons?

We were just brainstorming both ideas last week.

Just to make sure, you're talking about Roku functionality -- correct? We will be adding a 'Recently Added' section on the Roku for both features and trailers. The sections will contain the twelve most recently added films or trailers.

Customizable playlists would be nice, but it's more of a longterm addition to the site.

Thanks for the feedback and ideas! Keep 'em coming.

[NoirFan]

I was referring to the browser layout, but I assume it's the same for all devices? In any case, that would be great. I don't know how far you want/plan to push the social aspect of the site, but perhaps optional avatars for user comments? I'm not sure I'd choose one myself, but it seems like an idea others might dig. I like the changing personalized banner 'greeting' at the top of the main page - you should hold a contest for viewer submissions on Facebook!

[NoirFan]

A couple of other suggestions:

Could we see the total number of votes next to the average rating listing below each movie?

I'm not sure if this would slow the site down, but a 'display all' film display option would help with quicker browsing/scrolling (unless it didn't!)

If not, currently at the bottom of the page, there is a page number listed as 'x of x', with 'next' and 'previous' links. Would it be possible to have individual numbered/clickable links for each page when there were three pages or more, as in 1-2-3-4-5 etc. That way, if someone wanted to go from, say, page 2 to page 5, he (or she, somewhere out there!) could click on the 5 instead of having to click 'next' three more times.

[kidc]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

I was referring to the browser layout

Not sure if this is what you mean but the very front page of E.tv has a 'Recently added' bar.

My only real request at the moment for the site would be to have the director credit in the preview/summary box on the main/genre page, rather than having to click into the film page itself. Maybe something like "(89 minutes - Feature - Jesus Franco)".

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by kidc

Not sure if this is what you mean but the very front page of E.tv has a 'Recently added' bar.

Yes, I saw that - wasn't sure if that was a recent addition or not, but I was (also) referring to adding a 'recently added' option within the various genre pages as well.

[ISmith1979]

Just curious, what resolution does exploitation.tv stream at? Can it do 1080p?

[TheProf89]

Originally Posted by ISmith1979

Just curious, what resolution does exploitation.tv stream at? Can it do 1080p?

These are more cult films. Think more standard dvd quality then close to blu ray. At least the ones i've seen.

[Ryan@VS]

Originally Posted by ISmith1979

Just curious, what resolution does exploitation.tv stream at? Can it do 1080p?

Most all films but the SOV (shot on video) titles stream in 720p. Support for higher bitrate 1080p will be added in the near future.

Thanks!

[TheProf89]

I am a subscriber, if you are into cult films like me its a great site. Plus supporting the site helps support their physical media as well.

[ISmith1979]

Originally Posted by TheProf89

I am a subscriber, if you are into cult films like me its a great site. Plus supporting the site helps support their physical media as well.

Oh I'm a fully signed up member (for life) but I noticed nothing seems to be 1080p on my TV (yet)