End of the year is approaching -- funcash suggestions?

[cgray]

If the new program works the same as the old, funcash expires the end of this year, correct?

With some of the sales/deals that Columbia House has had in the past couple months, I'm sure some people -- including me -- have a lot of funcash built up.

My understanding of the new funcash is that there are virtually no "deals" -- you pay regular club price for the DVD, and you can't use the cash on blu-rays. I think I have virtually all of the SD-DVD from Columbia House that I want, but in the hopes that there is something greater out there, I'd love to see what other people are using their funcash on. Post here!

[smashthesymbols]

They've made it so useless there probably isn't any deals to speak of. I'm planning to just burn mine on a couple new releases to give away at Christmas. I figure $2.99 copies of The Dark Knight will make easy gifts.

[McButton]

Hellboy 2 3-Disc for $3.
Step Brothers 2-Disc.
Iron Man / 1 or 2 Disc
The Mist 2-Disc. ...see a pattern here? I like the extras.
Pans Labyrinth 2-Disc
V For Vendetta 2-Disc

I have like 250 to use. It's kinda hard for me to want any of this. I always do them in a huge order, so that shipping is a little cheaper. No point in paying $2.99 each order, when you can pay $1.99 each. I'm buying up my missing Harry Potter movies. :\

[Brent L]

I'm trying to think of things not on BD that I want that I don't have yet. So far I've thought of Young @ Heart and Watership Down.

I would do Sunset Boulevard right now, but it wont count since it's a pre-order for another week.

[Sweet Baby James]

I'm going to grab South Park-Cult of Cartman with my FC.

[Brent L]

That's a good idea for a pick too, thanks.

[IJMSPORT]

McB.. you have the right idea.

Im burning all of my funcash on new releases for the rest of the year. My wish list is full of stuff that comes out in December and Im hoping that they add additional movies (i.e Mummy -TOTDE) on their release date.

Now, the one kicker is last year, Columbia House allowed funcash to carry over into the new year (2008). Not sure if they'll do that this year, although I hope so, so I dont have to try and burn 112.00 funcash bucks by Dec 31, especially on shit I dont necessarily want.

[SMART-ASS]

I too would love to hear any suggestions of newer releases that are not on Blu-ray and/or HD-DVD.
Watership Down was a good one. I don't have that and will get that one for sure.

[basaro]

DON'T FORGET!

Make one(1) large funcash order, so you don't "lock out" your funcash balance for the rest of the year. Order it all at the same time, do not make multiple funcash orders, or your funcash balance may be negative (until the order is completed) if leaving a funcash balance after an order.

[SMART-ASS]

DON'T FORGET!

Make one(1) large funcash order, so you don't "lock out" your funcash balance for the rest of the year. Order it all at the same time, do not make multiple funcash orders, or your funcash balance may be negative (until the order is completed) if leaving a funcash balance after an order.

Thanks basaro. I wasn't aware of that. I have only used Funcash like one time maybe a couple years ago. So this is the first itme I have accumulated enough for a decent purchase. I'll be sure to blow it all at once :).

[HyperWeather]

I didn't have much, about $25 on one account and $38 on another, and still needed the 4 newest Charlie Brown rereleases. So I used the b1g1fs code to get Saw 4 as a present for someone yesterday and got Charlie Brown Christmas for free, on the account with $38 to make it $40, then ordered Thanksgiving and Halloween, and ordered the election one on the account with $25, I'm happy with those.

[BobO'Link]

Now, the one kicker is last year, Columbia House allowed funcash to carry over into the new year (2008). Not sure if they'll do that this year, although I hope so, so I dont have to try and burn 112.00 funcash bucks by Dec 31, especially on shit I dont necessarily want.
I would not count on that happening again. The one time they did that it was sort of an exception due to changing the rules late in the year. With that much built up (!?!) I would use it rather than chance loosing it.

[RevKarl]

Just a quick bump to remind everyone to cash out their funcash in the next couple of days.

I used mine to pick up the Centennial Collection editions of Roman Holiday, Sabrina & Sunset Boulevard.

[alfonsosoriano]

I have $13 in funcash. Is there anything I can get with that?

[basaro]

with $13, you could get any $12.95 title or less. There are plenty of decent choices if you don't have them already.

[starman9000]

I keep putting stuff in my funcash cart, but can't pull the trigger on anything. It just feels like I'm wasting potential regular cycle titles.

I think I'm just going to go with Fall of the Roman Empire and Burn After Reading.

[McButton]

Burn after reading for me too. I was going to rent it, but it will cost $3. I might as well just pay the shipping and keep it.

[Trevor]

Burn after reading for me too. I was going to rent it, but it will cost $3. I might as well just pay the shipping and keep it.

Any redboxes near you? Renting is free (or $1).

[comanche_doyle]

I had 28 in funcash so I used it for two 9.95 titles and a 7.95 title. Picked up Paris je T'aime, L'Auberge Espagnole, and Double Impact.

[DVD NDN]

picked up 2 diskers for
Purple Rain
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Rent
Misery

[GenPion]

I guess I better use what I have left in funcash soon.

[basaro]

I have $88 and am getting these 8 $9.95 titles and 1 $7.95 title:

4267308 11:14
5227103 The Dreamers
4218509 Talk Radio
2042703 Feeling Minnesota
0204503 The Great Gatsby
2412203 Election
0206805 Heaven Can Wait
2970200 Grand Canyon
3601507 Dead End

[Brent L]

I just went ahead and used mine for Sunset Boulevard and Watership Down.

[movielib]

Since I don't want much except blu-rays now and I can't use funcash for them I got some recently released SD special editions I can sell for a decent amount on half.com.

[Jfunk1]

With $43 in FC to burn, I picked up Hearts of Darkness (048334) and The Breakfast Club (049697)

[bigjim25]

Had $149 to spend so I got all these for a total of $16.92 + $149 FC:
Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection: Volume 1 (2 Disc)
Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection: Volume 2 (2 Disc)
Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection: Volume 3 (2 Disc)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 1 (2 Disc)
Glory Special Edition (2 Disc)
The Garbage Pail Kids Movie
Death Race Unrated
The House Bunny

Wasn't really anything else I wanted except the last 2 so a friend is getting the others off of me for $80 :up:.

[lizard]

^Useful to have friends like that!

I had $14 so I just picked up one $12.95 title: Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Mostly because I haven't seen it before and for $2.99, it is about the same price as a Netflix rental (I'm on the 2 for $5 + tax a month plan).

[Trevor]

Thanks for the reminders all. Had $58 in two different accounts and have used a few of your ideas.

[Sweet Baby James]

I had exactly $40 in FC, so I went for the newly released Hellbound:Hellraiser II Anniversary Edition and Misery-Collector's Edition. I figure that neither one of these will hit Blu-ray anytime soon.

[sotra]

So, I got $8 in FC. Any suggestions for a $7.95 title worth picking up? Also (might not be right thread, sorry) I couldn't see any way of listing just $7.95 DVDs on the CH site or list all DVDs by price. I only saw A-Z, clearance and just reduced.

[dsa_shea]

I have placed a bunch of recent orders that have been shipped (Blu-Rays) and it seems that CH hasn't credited me any Funcash for any of them. I've had 8 orders or so go through and paid for as well as shipped but no fun cash. I know it isn't that BIG of a deal but am I not entitled to fun cash with blu-ray orders?

[awil1026]

You get funcash for blus that you pay for. That's how I have gotten almost all my funcash...

[basaro]

So, I got $8 in FC. Any suggestions for a $7.95 title worth picking up? Also (might not be right thread, sorry) I couldn't see any way of listing just $7.95 DVDs on the CH site or list all DVDs by price. I only saw A-Z, clearance and just reduced.

Click on the features section in left menu. At the bottom right, there is a link for "DVDs as low as $7.95", click that, yer golden ;)
For my $7.95 titles, lately I've picked up:
Dead End
Malice
Gorky Park

[dsa_shea]

You get funcash for blus that you pay for. That's how I have gotten almost all my funcash...

Then they have held out on Fun cash for at least the last 6 or 7 cleared orders I have placed.

[chroma]

I grabbed these 3.
Lifeforce
Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
Vertigo

[BobO'Link]

So, I got $8 in FC. Any suggestions for a $7.95 title worth picking up? Also (might not be right thread, sorry) I couldn't see any way of listing just $7.95 DVDs on the CH site or list all DVDs by price. I only saw A-Z, clearance and just reduced.
Tic Tock, Tic Tock... Hurry only about 8 minutes left (assuming CST accounting).

I picked up "Viva Maria!", a $7.95 title. There are also several Woody Allen titles in that price range. Another interesting one in that range is " Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia".

[inksketcher]

^Useful to have friends like that!

I had $14 so I just picked up one $12.95 title: Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Mostly because I haven't seen it before and for $2.99, it is about the same price as a Netflix rental (I'm on the 2 for $5 + tax a month plan).

I'm sort of stunned and amazed that you haven't seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off. How is that possible? :)

[lizard]

I'm sort of stunned and amazed that you haven't seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off. How is that possible? :)Just never got around to it. Probably not my cup of tea anyway, but I'm aware that it was pretty popular at the theater and on DVD, so it has been on my list to watch someday. For $2.99, now seems like a good time.

But there have been movies popular at DVD Talk that I didn't much care for. Old School is an example; utterly boring and pointless. I now studiously avoid anything with Will Ferrell in it. Then, again, the same sort of folks who liked Old School also raved about Eurotrip. I blind bought that one and thought it was a hoot. So, I never know.

As long as I stay away from genres I totally despise, such as horror and "splatter movies" (anything with gratuitous, graphic, violence, think Tarantino, Scorcese and that ilk) it is worth taking a chance sometimes.

I would guess that some of my favorites would be either unknown or disliked by you and others here!

[starman9000]

I had $4 left over in Funcash and it's still in my account today.

[movieguru]

I had $4 left over in Funcash and it's still in my account today.

I still have $1 left in mine. Wonder if it will disappear or carry over in 2009.

[BobO'Link]

...I now studiously avoid anything with Will Ferrell in it...
:lol: ...and I thought I was the only on the planet that did this! I did a blind buy of "Elf" based on reviews and word-of-mouth. Hated it. After watching the first 30 minutes of "Anchorman" (my son rented it) I decided anything he's in is off the menu... permanently.

[starman9000]

Oddly enough, I ordered Semi-Pro with the last of my funcash because I tend to like Will Ferrell movies, but couldn't bring myself to pay more for that one with the terrible, terrible reviews it received. :)

[Trevor]

:lol: ...and I thought I was the only on the planet that did this! I did a blind buy of "Elf" based on reviews and word-of-mouth. Hated it. After watching the first 30 minutes of "Anchorman" (my son rented it) I decided anything he's in is off the menu... permanently.

Funny. I almost agree, and hate most everything I've seen Will Ferrell in. A couple I find tolerable, like Old School.

But Elf is just fantastic, and Ferrell is hilarious in it.

[movielib]

:lol: ...and I thought I was the only on the planet that did this! I did a blind buy of "Elf" based on reviews and word-of-mouth. Hated it. After watching the first 30 minutes of "Anchorman" (my son rented it) I decided anything he's in is off the menu... permanently.
Try Stranger Than Fiction. It's unlike his other stuff.

And Dick (although he just has a small part), I think one of the funniest movies in years.

[lizard]

:lol: ...and I thought I was the only on the planet that did this! I did a blind buy of "Elf" based on reviews and word-of-mouth. Hated it. After watching the first 30 minutes of "Anchorman" (my son rented it) I decided anything he's in is off the menu... permanently.Great minds think alike? I have a local friend who also dislikes Will Farrell, so there are a few of us out there.

One must exercise some caution when blind-buying based on recommendations here. I've come across some gems that I never would have discovered on my own, for example: Babylon 5 and Farscape. But, as I mentioned in the HD forum, I blind bought Battlestar Galactica: S1 on HD DVD and was underwhelmed, to put it mildly. Yet it seems to be wildly popular here at DVD talk. So, it can be a crapshoot.

[starman9000]

So, it can be a crapshoot.

No doubt. :) I got burned by Wanted and Daredevil DC. (in fact, it seems like "the director's cut makes it fantastic" argument comes out for a lot of DC's..."You hated it? Maybe you should try the DC that adds 10 more minutes of the same crap you hated!")

[lizard]

^I bought Daredevil [Blu-ray] from the Amazon $100 off 10 sale. But I sold it at a decent markup so I still haven't seen it. It has received mixed reviews and I may Netflix it just to see for myself why some like it and others hate it.

[starman9000]

^I bought Daredevil [Blu-ray] from the Amazon $100 off 10 sale. But I sold it at a decent markup so I still haven't seen it. It has received mixed reviews and I may Netflix it just to see for myself why some like it and others hate it.

I shouldn't say I hate it, just that the DC didn't make me like it any more than I previously did (merely a time-killer).

[BobO'Link]

Try Stranger Than Fiction. It's unlike his other stuff.

And Dick (although he just has a small part), I think one of the funniest movies in years.
In all fairness to "Elf", I went into it with a dislike for Will Farrell and his schtick along with a "you gotta prove you're really funny" attitude, assuming I would not like it. I had seen smatterings of his work and disliked it immensely. I always got the impression that he was working at trying to be funny. You know the type... thinks they're hilarious but everyone just rolls their eyes in disgust/amazement. Oddly enough, the remake of "The Producers", while overall detestable, actually benefited from the very atypical (IMHO) performance of Farrell. However, I still avoid anything with his name in the credits.

I got "Elf" very cheap (less than a rental) and thought with Bob Newhart involved it might be enjoyable enough. While he (Bob) was his typical deadpan self, it just wasn't enough to save the film for me. This review (http://www.flickfilosopher.com/blog/2003/11/elf_review.html) pretty much mirrors my feelings about "Elf". Oddly enough, Roger Ebert (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031107/REVIEWS/311070302/1023) (whose reviews I tend to trust more than others) liked the film. His review tipped the scales for the purchase.

Don't get me wrong. I like a well done Christmas film, but the vast majority made in the past 30 or so years seem to be trying to become the next big classic instead of just making a good, funny, heartwarming film. For me, "Elf" is in that class. It tried, hard, but failed.

Like other films I own and disliked upon initial viewing I *may* eventually watch "Elf" again to see if my opinion changes. After all, I disliked "Batman Begins" when I first saw the film. After a 2nd viewing (over a year later) I found it wasn't as bad as I had originally thought, though I still have issues with some parts.

[BobO'Link]

Great minds think alike? I have a local friend who also dislikes Will Farrell, so there are a few of us out there.

One must exercise some caution when blind-buying based on recommendations here. I've come across some gems that I never would have discovered on my own, for example: Babylon 5 and Farscape. But, as I mentioned in the HD forum, I blind bought Battlestar Galactica: S1 on HD DVD and was underwhelmed, to put it mildly. Yet it seems to be wildly popular here at DVD talk. So, it can be a crapshoot.
So true. I highly recommend all three programs you mentioned, three very different types of sci-fi outings, but then I had seen them on TV *before* I purchased. Due to the expense of season sets for those programs and typical sci-fi on TV quality I would probably have never purchased any of those as a blind buy.

I *did* purchase Firefly as a blind buy based strictly on word-of-mouth and reviews (I only knew one person who had seen it) but the price was under $20 and I knew someone who would have purchased it from me had I not liked it. However, I do like it and regret it never had more episodes. Very fun program! On the other hand, Heroes has *great* word-of-mouth and reviews. I almost did a blind buy but was able to borrow a copy first. I didn't make it past 10 episodes before I found myself fast-forwarding through major portions to get to interesting parts of the storyline. I never finished watching the first season. Saved myself some $$$.

No offense to anyone here but I totally disregard opinions of *most* review type postings in forums until I've gotten a very good idea of what someone truly likes/dislikes. Let's face it. We *all* have some very weird/odd tastes when it comes right down to it.

For me, a blind buy typically has recommendations from people I know and a select cadre of professional reviewers coupled with my own general tastes in films and genres. I use allmovie.com, dvdtalk reviews, and the "reviews" of products at amazon as part of this process. I've rarely been let down, but then I rarely blind buy.