Alex Riviello

So, last weekend I decided to accept a job offer from JoBlo as their latest News Editor. I’ve only been working at it for three days but I can’t tell you how incredibly fulfilling it’s been so far. Just the amount of communication I’ve had with the team is far beyond anything I’m used to- and it just feels like the way it should be. Great folks, every one, and I’m proud to be a part of the community there.

If you’re interested in reading any of my stuff tune into Joblo.com anytime from 3-7pm EST on weekdays. I’ve also got some reviews and columns on the way for them as well.

Besides my news pieces here’s the stuff I’ve done for them so far-

Preview of Max Payne 3- http://www.joblo.com/blu-rays-dvds/news/nycc-previewing-rockstars-max-payne-3

Preview of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City- http://www.joblo.com/blu-rays-dvds/news/nycc-previewing-resident-evil-raccoon-city-02

Dead Rising 2: Off the Record Review- http://www.joblo.com/blu-rays-dvds/news/game-review-dead-rising-2—-off-the-record

Batman: Arkham City Review- http://www.joblo.com/blu-rays-dvds/news/game-review-batman-arkham-city-02

Notice how many video game articles are there. I’m not yet their steady video game guy because I promised myself to someone else first (someone BAD), but they seem to want to take a lot of my stuff. We’ll see what happens in the future, but it’s good to feel creatively fulfilled again.

When I have enough time to write an article or review, this is what I’ve been doing.

1. Write it out longhand in my trusty notebook.

2. Transfer it to Google Docs, making changes along the way, especially when I can’t decipher my own handwriting, which happens a lot.

3. Tear the notebook pages out and throw them in the trash. Catharsis!

4. Print the article out of GDocs and read it out loud, making notes and correcting things that don’t sound goofy out loud.

5. Head back to GDocs and finish it up, possibly transferring it to whatever format the site I’m writing for asks for.

Takes a while but I’m convinced that my articles flow better and have less errors when I do this.

Doubling the price of the service and losing a million customers in the process? Splitting the service into two different companies and further alienating everyone?

That’s nothing. Netflix’s lowest moment as a company was on September 1st, 2010. On that date we were promised a streaming version of the previously unreleased Fish Story, Yoshihiro Nakamura’s stunning punk rock opus. The Netflix Instant listing had all the credits and even right the cover art, but when people tried firing it up they found themselves watching a 53 minute PBS documentary called Fish Story.

Many tears were shed, many wives punched in anger. The Western World mourned.

Today, however, is a bright and shining day. Fish Story is finally up on the service and you can finally see the movie I’ve been gushing about for two years (here and here) since it played the New York Asian Film Fest, an absolutely perfect film that deserves to be seen by everyone.

Now, if they can get Castaway on the Moon on the service, I’ll be set…

For me, at least. I’d already cancelled my service a couple years ago but now there’s really no reason to go back. They’ve just announced a ton of new TV and content providers that will be available on the Xbox 360 later this year. Also, as someone who loves barking at his TV to let it know when to pause Mad Men, the Kinect functionality is greatly appreciated. Here’s the full list-

•    ABC iView – Australia 

•    AlloCiné – France, Germany, Spain, U.K.  

•    Antena 3 – Spain 

•    Astral Media’s Disney XD – Canada 

•    AT&T** – U.S. 

•    BBC – U.K. 

•    blinkbox – U.K. 

•    Bravo – U.S. 

•    BSkyB** – U.K. 

•    Canal+* – France, Spain 

•    Channel 4 – U.K. 

•    Channel 5 – U.K. 

•    CinemaNow (Best Buy) – U.S. 

•    Comcast – U.S. 

•    Crackle – Australia, Canada, U.K., U.S. 

•    Dailymotion – Available in 32 markets   

•    EPIX – U.S. 

•    ESPN** – U.S. 

•    Facebook** – Available in all 35 Xbox LIVE markets 

•    FOXTEL** – Australia 

•    GolTV – Spain 

•    HBO GO – U.S. 

•    Hulu – Japan 

•    Hulu +**– U.S. 

•    iHeartRadio (Clear Channel) – U.S. 

•    Last.fm** – U.K., U.S. 

•    LOVEFiLM – Germany, U.K.  

•    Manga Entertainment – U.S. 

•    Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment/Real Sports – Canada 

•    Mediaset – Italy 

•    MSN with MSNBC.com – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, U.K.    

•    MUZU.TV – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, U.K. 

•    Netflix**– Canada, U.S. 

•    Rogers On Demand Online (RODO) – Canada 

•    RTVE – Spain 

•    SBS On Demand – Australia 

•    Syfy – U.S. 

•    Telefonica – Spain 

•    Televisa – Mexico   

•    “The Today Show” – U.S. 

•    TELUS** – Canada 

•    TMZ – U.S. 

•    Twitter** – Available in all 35 Xbox LIVE markets 

•    UFC – Canada, U.S. 

•    Verizon – U.S. 

•    VEVO – Canada, U.K., U.S. 

•    VimpelCom** – Russia 

•    Vodafone Portugal** – Portugal 

•    YouTube – Available in 22 markets 

•    ZDF – Germany 

•    Zune** – Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain

* Xbox LIVE Gold membership and/or other subscriptions/fees required. Kinect functionality varies by feature, provider and region. 

** Denotes existing partners on Xbox LIVE available today.

The one thing that drives me nuts? HBO Go, instead of just HBO. If I could subscribe to the channel I’d do it in a second. I still haven’t seen Game of Thrones or Boardwalk Empire… (grumble)

The full press release after the jump-

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You thought Kirk Cameron’s Fireproof looked bad? Just wait for Courageus. 

TriStar Pictures and Sherwood Pictures are pleased to announce that COURAGEOUS, the latest installment from Sherwood Pictures, has reached more than $2 million in pre-sales ticketing in anticipation of Friday’s national release.  
 
Pre-sales numbers for COURAGEOUS more than double that of Sherwood Pictures’ most recent film, Fireproof, which opened at $6.8 million and went on to gross more than $33.4 million at the box office.
 
COURAGEOUS is the fourth release from the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia.  The first release was Flywheel (2003), followed by Facing The Giants (2006) and Fireproof (2008).  With each release, Sherwood Pictures continues to entertain moviegoers with films that affect lives through heartfelt stories of faith and hope. 
 
 “Such great advance momentum reaffirms that the topic of fathers is universal and that COURAGEOUS touches a nerve,” Sherwood Pictures Executive Producer Michael Catt said.  “Present or absent, fathers shape lives and we’re excited to use drama, adventure, humor  … to inspire men to the high adventure of full-on parenting.”

COURAGEOUS is the story of four police officers with one calling: to serve and protect. As law enforcement officers, the men are confident and focused. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle:  fatherhood.  With God’s help, they struggle to be able to find a way to serve and protect those that are most dear to them.  COURAGEOUS is rated PG-13 (for some violence and drug content) and runs 129 minutes.