Disabled and enjoy movies? Don't use Netflix!

With the Academy Awards now past, I now have a longer list of movies I'd like to see, but that I'll have to wait for until they come out on cable.

Why do I have to wait?

Next time you go to the movie theater, pretend you're in a wheelchair. Then find yourself a spot to watch the movie.

What will you find?
  1. That the theater's elevators are a million miles down a dark hallway.
  2. That the elevator is only big enough for you, your wheelchair, and if you're lucky, your service dog.
  3. That the seats it takes you to are all the way at the very top of the theater, way in the back.
  4. That if you choose not to use the elevator and go in the entrance the public uses, you'll find stairs up the aisles.
  5. That if you can't use those stairs, you must sit at the very front of the theater.
Either way, you're movie-going experience is certainly not worth the big bux they charge you, and is certainly not equal to the able-bodied person's experience. You don't have your choice of seating and the seats you can access are either far away or way too close.

Those far seats will have you wishing for binoculars and ear plugs (the speakers are loud in the back), and that's where the kids who make out or goof around sit.

The close-up seating will give you a severe case of whiplash along with nausea from seeing the giant pimples on Keanu Reeves' face.


If you can afford it, I recommend premium cable channels like HBO, Showtime and Encore. I really like IFC (Independent Film Channel) and Sundance because they show lots of documentaries.

I DO NOT recommend Netflix. Netflix now has to disclose in their "terms of use" their "throttling" policies. If you currently are a Netflix subscriber, be aware that Netflix "throttles" their queues and their mailing speed depending on how fast you return your DVD's.

Read this article for details: "Frequent Netflix renters sent to back of the line :: The more you use, the slower the service, some customers realize."


In other words, Netflix punishes me because I'm sick and have a lot of time on my hands to watch movies. I watch movies frequently and return them quickly. Therefore, my turn-around is faster than what is profitable for Netflix. Rather than using their profits from other customers who are slow on returns, they choose to punish me.

I cancelled my Netflix account as soon as I read this.
You should too.



Comments

Anonymous said…
ok...you should rent Crash...wait i take that back, you should BUY Crash.

Its an excellent movie, and for sure deserved its best pic award the other night.

--LL
6:55 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Workers free dog trapped in sewer pipe

MANKATO, Minn. (AP) -- The sound of barking underneath a street Tuesday led a team of city workers to a dog trapped in a narrow culvert - and you might say they used a backward approach to rescue the mutt. The sickly, scared dog was about 50 feet from the nearest entry point, but since the culvert was just 15 inches in diameter, the workers couldn't fit into it themselves. Not even offers of food could draw out the dog. "He was exhausted," said Tony Talamantez, a public works foreman. Then Talamantez and his colleagues had an idea. They rigged up a long video camera used to inspect drain pipes, and approached the dog from the back. They used the camera to nugdge the dog forward until he reached an entry point big enough for a person to pull him out. The camera recorded the rescue, showing the dog scampering ahead in fits and starts as the camera pokes him in the rear end. The dog wore no tags, only a worn collar. But Julia Gosen, animal control officer for the city, said ...
Read more

Crested Geckos - great pet for the disabled

Image
A few weekends ago at the Austin Reptile Expo, I had the opportunity to meet a really neat woman who breeds and sells Crested Geckos. Since I have lizards as pets and have written before about how great they are as pets for disabled folks, I thought I'd write about the Crested Gecko in particular. The woman I speak of is Kati of Kati's Crested's . She's here in Austin, TX. I had never held a crested gecko before this Expo, but I had seen them in a tank at a local reptile store. They are very kewl lizards! Soft to the touch, almost like suede. The one I held jumped from one hand to the other and held on with it's prehensile tail! The crested gecko originates from New Caledonia (an island east of Australia). Adults range from 6-9" in total length. In the wild, they are nocturnal, arboreal animals living in the forests. Most wild specimens are tail-less, presumably because they dropped their tails while escaping from a predator. All of Kati's cresteds are c...
Read more

Axe Me A Question

Go ahead and ask. Ask the questions you always wanted to ask someone in a wheelchair. Nothing is too embarrassing. You might as well ask me on this blog since you are somewhat anonymous and don't have to look me in the eye. What have you always wanted to ask someone in a wheelchair? Here, I'll start: Q: "Hi, my name is LaLaundria! I wanted to know how do you take a shower?" A: Well, LaLaundria, I sit down. On a shower chair. I have grab-bars installed in my shower/tub and my commode rooms to give me extra balance. A shower chair is a hard plastic chair made to fit in showers and tubs. I have a shower massage type shower head that helps get the water closer to my hair. Howze that? Ask away, no question is off limits! (Oh Jeez, what am I getting myself into!)
Read more