Topic: Mubi.com

[Jim Jarmusch]

I've been subscribed through the PS3 for awhile now and just noticed they've lowered the monthly fee to only £2.99 on my last invoice.

That entitles you to 30 films a month and they have roughly a thousand shorts and feature length to choose from. It's mostly art house, foreign and classics so doesn't compete with Love Film or Netflix directly. It can be frustrating looking up something to see its missing but I like to watch the films they promote usually in partnership with a festival that's on.

There's no mobile support and the site requires Flash being the only downside. I would love them to add iPad playback.

http://uk.mubi.com/tell-a-friend/global/vvyifyv

[Famous Mortimer]

I keep getting the emails from them, but their website used to really annoy me - you could search for whatever you liked, and could go to its page, but right at the bottom in little letters was "not available yet".

Still, for £2.99 I might have a go.

[Jim Jarmusch]

It's definitely worth it if you've got a PS3 or Bravia telly. They added the full filmography of Pere Portabella a few weeks ago. His stuff is hard to come by and not really available on DVD on either side of the pond.

The more members they end up with the greater the power they have to make deals with distributors and increase the total number of films. I enjoy the site's community and use it for adding ratings of things I've seen elsewhere.

The user lists are a lot more interesting to explore than what you find on IMDb.

[Famous Mortimer]

You've persuaded me, signed up I am.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that I'll be able to use it on an Android tablet, and if not then roll on the app for the 360. Also, it seems like they've changed it so you can only see one of a very small number of films - it's like a cinema that only has 30 screens, or something?

[Santa's Boyfriend]

Ooh, that does look interesting actually, thanks for the heads up.

[Sony Walkman Prophecies]

I cancelled my subscription today. Ended up getting far too frustrated with certain features on there: searching for a film with a little orange 'sticker' on it in a vast sea of unavailable titles isnt exactly a riveting way to spend your free time. Glad to see they've lowered the price a bit, but I just think the business model is all wrong - sell it as an online movie encyclopedia/database with a limited number of films and i'd be happy to pay the full 7.50. Giving away the rest of the site which isnt streamed content for free (i.e. most of the site) just seems like madness to me though.

[Jim Jarmusch]

It depends how you visit the site. The way you access it on the PS3 only shows films that are available so theres never any disappointment. They've changed things around with the new price drop to showcase a different film every day that makes it even clearer.

I don't quite get your suggestion for improvement. You can use the forums, browse around and read all the articles posted on their blog without being a paid member. I held back when it was £9.99 a month until it dropped to £6.39 last year.

I think more could be done to host more early silent cinema and stuff that maybe no longer copyrighted. One good thing I watched half of last night was the Scorsese documentary on Italian neo-realism cinema. A lot of the films he spoke of couldn't be found online.

http://mubi.com/films/my-voyage-to-italy

[Sony Walkman Prophecies]

On my ps3 it shows everything - all the unavailable titles, all the available ones too. Then again, ive noticed talking to other people that what shows up on the ps3 can often be different depending on your location/version. Netflix for instance, despite numerous updates, has never fully materialised on my ps3.

My point about the forums/lists/encyclopedia element is that it's insane to give that stuff away for free. Perhaps i'm somewhat alone on this one, but i'd happily pay for access to Mubi as a film database, and from showing it to ex-film grads, they all seem to agree that that's the main selling point of the site too.

Either way, the upshot is - like all of these streaming sites cropping up atm - there's just not enough content on there yet. I'll probably sign back up in a year's time once they've sorted out some top-tile licensing deals.

[The Roofdog]

I see it has a load of Chaplin films. Might just sign up for a month, wade through all those, then cancel.

[Lost Oliver]

Bumping this thread because I think it deserves it. Could be a place to talk about some of the current films on there.

I think it's bloody fantastic this by the way lads. Quality, obscure stuff for pennies.

Just watched 'Strange Object at Noon'. Here's a brief synopsis: "Pseudodocumentary about several unrelated lives in Thailand. It was shot without a conventional script and relies on the subjects being filmed. It is one of the first modern Thai films that are made independently among mainstream works. The film crew set out on an expedition across Thailand, from the north to the south, documenting several lives along the way. In the process, each subject filmed is required to continue a story."

I do have a soft spot for meandering, stream of consciousness guff so it got a thumbs up from. Felt like it was better than I gave it credit for, very possibly going over my head at times, but it certainly grew on me as it went along.

[Josef K]

Second this, I've been using it for 2+ years and it really is terrific. The annual rate is a bargain. They've put the price up recently but it doesn't affect previous subscribers until 2018 so I'm getting 30 different films a month for less than £2.

There's always at least 3 films a month I definitely want to watch and some hidden gems I wouldn't have discovered otherwise (like Satoshi Kon's Paprika).

Watched Lost in La Mancha last night, fascinating insight into Terry Gilliam and the troubled production of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.

[Shit Good Nose]

It IS a bargain as far as online subscriptions of these types go, but when I last looked at it a year or two back, it seemed to be predominantly stuff that was in fairly regular rotation on freeview (as prefectly illustrated by the above screenshot).  Is that still the case?

[non capisco]

I watched Bresson's 'A Man Escaped' on there the other day. Absolutely fantastic film. Followed that up with, yes, 'Beavis & Butthead Do America'. You can't fault them for variety. I bloody love Mubi.

By the way, I think "I am the great Cornholio! You will cooperate with my bunghole!" might just be the greatest in cinematic history.

[Petey Pate]

I've had this for a while but keep forgetting to check it to see what films are on.  The last film I remember watching on there is 'Beavis & Butthead Do America' so it can't have been too long.

Agree that its good value, and there's a nice variety.

[gout_pony]

I think as long as you remember to use it lots I think it's ludicrously good value for money and arguably pretty essential for any film academics/ teachers.

It allowed me to finally watch Nic Ray's Can't Go Home Again after many, many years, so it's all good with me! Also a lovely, generally respectful and insightful community.

+1

[Lost Oliver]

Anything on here that people would recommend? I've watched everything I've fancied from this run - La Grande Bouffe being my personal favourite. What a bloody brilliant film.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Here is this any good then? I was thinking of joining the local cinema's membership scheme (£40 for a year, mediocre perks) but they're throwing a year of this in with it, which makes it seem like an alright deal. I've definitely seen a few things advertised now and then that I'd watch.

[Shit Good Nose]

Here is this any good then? I was thinking of joining the local cinema's membership scheme (£40 for a year, mediocre perks) but they're throwing a year of this in with it, which makes it seem like an alright deal. I've definitely seen a few things advertised now and then that I'd watch.

Is that £40 a year and see whatever you want (a la Cineworld Unlimited), or £40 membership fee and you just get money off tickets and food/drink?  Cos if it's the former AND you get Mubi, then that's a fucking steal.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Is that £40 a year and see whatever you want (a la Cineworld Unlimited), or £40 membership fee and you just get money off tickets and food/drink?  Cos if it's the former AND you get Mubi, then that's a fucking steal.

If it was the former I wouldn't be bothering to ask!

[Shit Good Nose]

I asked because "local cinema" these days could easily mean a community affair with a portable projector and screen and one film right at the very end of its cinema run before the DVD gets released a couple of weeks later.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I asked because "local cinema" these days could easily mean a community affair with a portable projector and screen and one film right at the very end of its cinema run before the DVD gets released a couple of weeks later.

Nah, it's the GFT. They've got a film festival that's coming up and looks decent and have been showing a Paul Thomas Anderson season of late as well so it does seem like I'll probably get some advantage out of it.

Come to think of it you get 4 free tickets as well so that's pretty much the cost of the membership straight away.

It seems more-or-less a similar deal to the local curizon/europa partnered place where I used to live as well.

[Shit Good Nose]

Well, still probs a good deal for a year.  Go for it.

[Lost Oliver]

I'd definitely recommend it. Seen lots of stuff I wouldn't have even heard about otherwise and because there's only 30 films on there, choice anxiety pretty much goes.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Signed up, only looked very briefly, but already clocked that the first film done by matey who did The Lobster, Blue Collar and Man Bites Dog are up there at the moment.

[non capisco]

because there's only 30 films on there, choice anxiety pretty much goes.

Replaced by the anxiety of finding the time in 30 days to watch that obscure Argentinian film that's 3 hours long and everybody's given four stars or above.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Replaced by the anxiety of finding the time in 30 days to watch that obscure Argentinian film that's 3 hours long and everybody's given four stars or above.

I had the extended cut of Until the End of the World on my hard drive for nearly a decade before I watched it.

[Lost Oliver]

That's true, I was just trying to pretend it gets easier as life goes on (and it does go on).

As for ratings do folks put much stock in them? I've not looked before but I'll start doing if it's a good indication. I'm just used to scoring system that mean ball all.

[itsfredtitmus]

I had the extended cut of Until the End of the World on my hard drive for nearly a decade before I watched it.

that's a depressing thought
wonder how many years ive had some of the stuff on my hd

[Sin Agog]

My brother once asked me to copy my harddrive for him, which was basically full of mubi-esque stuff, with an added dose of acid-fried giallos 'n' Ozzie b-movies and what have you, so he could have some things to watch while he was working in a ski lodge out in the French alps.  Six months later, when he was safely back at home, he informed me that almost everything on there was 'unwatchable'.  Guess there's a long road with a lot of mile markers to hit before you've fucked with your brain enough to take pleasure out of The Color of Pomegranates.  Lesson learned.

[Sebastian Cobb]

If any of you still use this, I made a bot that tweets out what's leaving it today along with Rotten Tomatoes/IMDB/Metacritic scores (if it can find it in the open movie database) and a brief synopsis.

https://twitter.com/LeavingMubiUK

I found out accidentally that I can view the US stuff via my vpn too, so I might clone it and do that.