Could Use Dinner And A Movie These Days

 

It's a Saturday Night, its  been a long week and I'm a bit washed. Flipping between cable and the few streaming services I subscribe to, I noticed the abundance of movies from the 80's up to the early 2000's that are played like clockwork on several stations (AMC, VH1, TBS, TNT). It got me thinking...it's time to bring back hosted movie programs. 

I'm not sure what the official name of these programs are called but they go back as far as the 1950's with horror films hosted by personalities. Back in the 90's to early 2000's there were several movie programming blocks hosted by various personalities. Famously airing B-movies and bygone classics, in between commercial breaks the hosts would have skits, interview guest, or just talk about random non-important facts regarding the movie playing. It was entertaining and for a young kid who was big into movies, and was seeing some of them for the first time was quite interesting. 

The USA network had USA Up All Night which aired on Friday and Saturday nights and over it's span was hosted by comedian Gilbert Gottfried and Rhonda Shear over it's time. Every Friday Night TBS had Dinner and A Movie a cool concept where dishes were crafted that fit into the theme of the movie playing. I saw Top Gun for the first time at 10 years old watching that show.

One of the more famous personalities to host these shows next to Elvira was Joe Bob Briggs with his Job Bob's Drive-In Theater program on premium cable channel The Movie Channel, and Monstervision on TNT. I saw way too many B-movies watching his program such as Toxic Avenger Trancers and Dollman . I saw the original Swamp Thing watching Monstervision, after seeing the sequel first and was in awe at the complete differences between the two films.

The last program aired on cable like this I'm aware of  was Casino Cinema on SpikeTV in the mid 2000's. In 2018 horror streaming service Shudder bought Joe Bob Briggs back for The Last Drive-In Times have changed and with so much content out there, cable steadily losing ground to streaming services, and several talented entertaining personalities out there. Now's a good as time as any to bring these type's of programs back, and give washed individuals like myself some nostalgia and something to look forward to on Saturday nights when nothing else is on.

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Streaming Media The Future

  Streaming media especially streaming tv is a platform that has really taken off within the last few years and is only growing. With people wanting to watch what they want when they want more and more streaming services have cropped up over the years. We all know about the platforms that changed the game Netflix and Hulu, and a couple years later Amazon Prime stepped creating the big three of streaming services.
  Netflix has found their stride with original series and seemed to have found the right balance between critically acclaimed and niche appeal series. Their original movies are very much hit or miss but one thing at a time. Netflix also invented binge watching.
   Hulu has found their stride in producing quality dramas, and succeeded in their deals with major networks that make most of their programs available a day or two after original airing. Hulu also has hit the nostalgia market bringing back well loved classic series and lesser known series of yesteryear. They also made headlines when they struck a deal to bring back the classic “TGIF” block of shows such as Full House, Family Matters, Hangin with Mr. Cooper, Perfect Strangers, and Step By Step. Bring the cheesiness of the 90’s back.
   Amazon original series haven't seemed to gain much traction their most acclaimed series is The Man in the High Castle. It’s a crowded market but it’s Amazon they’ll find their way in.
    Speaking of crowded markets everyday there is some news about a new streaming service. Disney recently announced their going to severe their deal with Netflix and start their own streaming service featuring all Disney movies. It’s a risky move but with the worldwide appeal of Disney the chances of success are high.
    There's Crackle which is free and owned by Sony Studios so you can catch a lot of good movies on there. Crackle is also known for Comedians in cars.
   Kevin Hart recently jumped into the game creating Laugh Out Loud with Lionsgate designed to give up and coming talent a platform to create content. It was just released this month so we’ll see how it grows. One major draw it has starting out is every season of the classic Def Comedy Jam is available on Laugh Out Loud.
   For the crowd that can't get enough of Shaft, Superfly, Foxy Brown and other blaxploitation films there is Brown Sugar. Released late last year at $3.99 a month Brown Sugar is a pretty good deal if you love the over the top 70s film and either want to reminisce about bell bottoms and afros, or wish you were alive during that time rocking fish in your shoes.
  Horror fans have what seems to be a unlimited supply of streaming apps to choose from. There’s shudder, Screambox, Frightpix, Full Moon Streaming, and the Crypt. All these services play high brow and the good low brow b movie sometimes laughable Horror movies.
  The mushy feel good cheesy TV movie loving viewers need attention to. Hallmark has them covered with Feeln. Giving you all the same warmth movies on the Hallmark channel give you.
  WWE changed the game in my opinion with the WWE network, for a huge wrestling fan like myself to be able to watch all the old Raws, Smackdown, PPVs, and current ppvs for $9.99. You can't beat that!
   Anime breathen has CrunchyRoll to statisfy any and all anime. Gamers have Twitch which shows real life gaming tournaments.  Even video game console manufacturers have joined the bandwagon with PlayStation Vue and Xbox.
   YouTube which helped bring streaming more mainstream has started YouTube Red. A subscription service displaying original films and series. It has yet to gain a lot of traction but has me intrigued with news that their reviving the Karate Kid universe with “Cobra Kai”.
    It’s not all roses for all streaming services Yahoo tried and failed with Yahoo Screen. NBC owned Seeso which featured all comedy shows and specials failed to catch on with audiences and will be shutting down later this year. I’m sure there are other services out there that failed to catch on.
   This new platform has opened so many doors and new avenues for content. It’s only a matter of time before streaming services send cable companies and the traditional Hollywood distribution system scrambling to stay relevant. One thing is for certain streaming platforms are the present and future.
   

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