mr totalmovie
 

thanks , i talked to maya and it is going to picked up monday im glad to hear i'm going to have the replacement unit sent out right away. i hope you are correct about this as maya sounded like she was not sure if it was just tough luck and i may be put at the back end of the list of players to be shipped because i was shipped one already. another favor if you happen to get a shipping /tracking number and shipping date could you please post it.

again i have to say you are really a breath of fresh air. im glad i hung in there as it seems that total-movie has turned the corner in terms of customer service. if it was not for you i would have called up the credit card compay and asked them to get me $$$ back. again thanks your presence at this fourm is a great help to us subscribers who were left hanging while you guys righted the ship. i'll be checking to see if you can answer my requestin the coming week. your the greatest dude!!
thanks
steve aka jth1106

I've had a subscription since last year and haven't seen a single issue as of yet. I've called the customer service several times and have been assured that all back issues would be sent with the current bi-monthly issue which would be March. It's almost April and still haven't seen anything much less the 40 dvds that are supposed to be coming. Rather disappointing...

kwbdc - either give me your name here in the forum, or go to the site and email the list of contacts and give your name and say you are part of this forum and I will make sure you are taken care of. FYI - if you subscribed in November or later....or even possibly late October, then you would have missed the pull on the December/January issue...and the March/April would be your first issue.

March/April shipped out last Friday.

A large portion of the 40 Free Movies on DVD should ship out tomorrow. The discs, however, are going out media mail... which Amazon says generally arrives within 4 to 14 business days. The remaining movie packs are enroute on a boat and should hit CA within 2 weeks....at which point they too will be mailed out to subscribers...

TotalMovie, thanks for your quick response. I've been quite busy this month and won't get a chance to call during your business hours. I'd like to believe that the people who don't complain also get quality products and service in the end, so I will trust that my player will come in the following weeks without having to aggravate your busy customer service department. If not, I will contact my credit card company and try to have the charges reversed. Forgive me if that sounds extreme, but this situation sounds similar to when I bought my computer. It was delayed and customer service fed me excuses for 3 months. A short while after I had finally received it, the company went bankrupt and were no longer able to fulfill warranty or support obligations. But, after reading many of the positive responses, I have faith you guys will come through. Thanks again for your help.
-March

TotalMovie,

Yes, my last name is Wouters.

Thank you so much for extending my subscription!!!!

I'm happy to help. I've had zero problems with your magazine and I've just been trying to put in a few good words for you guys amid all the nastiness. ;)

But I have to admit, if you weren't here keeping us posted, I would probably be cursing the not-yet-received 40 movies as well. :p

The magazine I'm upset with is Leonard Maltin's DVD Preview. I paid them $20 for a subscription, but they've since gone out of business (apparently) and I can't get a hold of anybody to get my money back. Every time I see Leonard Maltin on TV, I say "Hey, that jerk owes me $20." :) (Well, it probably isn't really HIS fault, but his name is the one plastered all over the magazine/DVD.)

Thanks again TotalMovie!

-Kelly

Total Movie--thanks for a reply that you can look into it. I paid for my subscription in September! If I could get some of the past issues that would be nice since that's what the last customer service rep I spoke to promised. Name is Karl Wong, Seattle, WA.

thanks ahead if you can speed this up.

I have a question for Total Movie. I subscribed to the magazine the first time round, got one issue, then found out it had folded. When I heard you were coming back, I subscribed again. It had occurred to me that, since I paid twice, I may be in your system for two subscriptions. I probably should have tried to contact your customer service dept. to see if my original subscription was still active; I suppose I was blinded by the tantalizing promise of the 40 DVDs. How should I go about looking into this matter?

next issue should ship, but did it?
 

Has the subscriber issues been shipped?

(I don't know why.. but it seems to always take 20 days to get your magz from mailing date)

--David

Got my March/April issue in the mail yesterday. Seems like an improvement, although I could do without all the Maxim-like pictorial content. I like a nice set of boobies as much as the next guy, but I don't like the grief I get from my wife for having the mag lying around.

The DVD seems to be mastered better than any of the previous issues. The movie on side two (Omaha) is Fullscreen, but since the director introduces the film, I'm assuming that is the way it was shot. Haven't watched it yet.

Trailers & teasers from A Beautiful Mind (w/ a Russell Crowe interview), High Crimes, Ice Age, Scooby Doo, Showtime, All About the Benjamins, 8 Legged Freaks, Count of Monte Cristo, Minority Report, Laird and Rat Race.

Two short films - bigLove and The Kiss.

DVD extras from Spy Game, Jurassic Park 3, Rush Hour 2, Bones, Dark Days, Hedwig & the Angry INch, The Junkman and Zoolander.

Music Videos from Madonna, Barenaked Ladies, Green Day, New Order, Disturbed, Smashing Pumpkins and Guided by Voices.

I also found an uncredited trailer for Escaflowne, which was pretty cool.

If the 40 DVDs were mastered anything like this DVD, then I probably will jump on those too. But I'm a wait and see kind of guy.

talespinner

I got the new mag today as well. Again, better than the one prior. The DVD contents are great, and there are many cool pieces in the magazine, but some stuff... ugh.
I'd imagine that there are many women who would like to read this magazine. Sure, it's mostly us guys who roam around on DVDTalk and HTF, but there are a lot of women out there as well! Am I right? This magazine's language is simply ridiculous or even offensive to anyone who is a) female or b) over the age of 16. It's Maxim Jr.
And 'beeyotches'? Soooo 1996.
Then also the mistakes. So far I've found two, a la The Right Stuff. These are biggies, folks. One proves that these guys don't know their stuff, and the other that a large chunk of their mag is probably BS.
The first one is a question 'answered' by the Entertainment Know-it-all in his column, which is about 90% information that even Henry Hill can find on the IMDB, drunk. Someone asks Entertainment Know-it-all why Goodfellas is a flipper. I think most people know this, right? The early days of DVD... Not The Know-it-all. He tries to explain it with a quote from someone at MGM (Goodfellas is WB) who explains that fancy menus and special features take up so much space - forcing the studios to spread the movie over two sides of the disc. Uhhhh, ok George.
The Know-it-all's whole shtick is that he's a dick who knows everything about movies. My advice to Know-it-all: Have at least a dozen real experts read over this column before it gets published.
On to Big Mistake #2. Those reviews at the end of each issue? They're pretty good, even though there are too many below-the-belt, smart-ass comments... but are they actually DVD REVIEWS? Based on a slip that I noticed while skimming through these reviews, I believe that they are simply the plot reviews + DVD press release materials + BS! Maybe the reviewer watched the movie, but DEFINITELY NOT the DVD. On the review for Evolution, it again makes some smart-ass comments about how this movie wasn't funny, gives the movie a 1-star rating and the Disc a 2. For features, they list the widescreen transfer, Dolby Surround 2.0, and French subtitles. Ummm... how about any consideration for the FACT that (even though this was a sh&tty movie) every boy under the age of 15 (which is primarily the target-range of this whole publication) would find this movie, like, totally hilarious? But that's just a personal comment. The real problem is that they don't even list or mention the hilarious screen-specific audio commentary by Reitman, David Duchovny, Orlando Jones and Sean William Scott, which is in itself almost enough of a reason to buy this DVD. This feature isn't listed on the cover of this DVD, but it IS in plain sight on the actual DVD menu itself - coincidence??
I don't know if it's the same for all of the DVDs, some of them, or just this one... but this was not a DVD Review. I think it's pretty unprofessional, and unfair to both the studios that release these discs as well as the readers. Is this really the formula for, what, 15 pages of the magazine:

'BS from the back of the DVD cover'* + 'BS from so-called reviewer' = DVD Review ready for publication

*may be substituted by BS from the DVD press release

Nonetheless, hats off to the guys at TME. I only have some beef with a few specific bits... Other than that: Great magazine, getting better and better.
Hooray!

Mike

Grrrrr.... wraf wraf woof woof.

I must also mention the Larry Clark interview - excellent! It's got lots of information even though it's direct Q&A (which I think is the best, btw).

InsideDVD + Total Movie Magaz
 

Just wanted to post that I also received my 03-04/2002 issue today (03/29/02) in the mail.

The only trouble was the wife thought that I had received a 'SoftPron' magazine due to all the near nude photos.

Must say that I really was an 'InsideDVD' subscriber and don't really spend much time with the printed magazine... namely due to the fact that the three issues that I have received.. do not really have 'indepth' reporting. Many of the print stories have me saying "... did I not already read this else where ..."

But the DVD ... it seems as if every time out it just gets better!!

My wife and I really enjoyed the movie 'Omaha'!!

Just wished that the web links listed on screen on the DVD were also printed in the magazine!

Also as a side notes
<1> Like the fact that you used a plastic slip cover on the DVD.. this saved it from getting scratched up!

<2> Just wished that you also sent along an 'Amray' style case cover for people like myself that remove the DVD from the cardboard mailer and store them in these plastic storage boxes.

<3> Wished that I could get the early issues of 'TOTAL's DVD's [really the "Storm Stooper" Issue!] before 'Total' and 'InsideDVD' joined forces!... I think that I am only missing the first two of the 'InsideDVD' USA DVD's.

--David

DVD Player Troubles
 

What is the failure rate on these DVD Players?

Is it that they just have troubles with the 'DISNEY' DVD's? [note: many name brand DVD players have troubles with the DISNEY DVD's also]

I was going to 're-up' when I got my refund check and order the 40movie+player+subscription.

--David

Expiration Date?
 

How can a current subscriber tell what their current last issue will be??

On the magazine I got the impression that the current issue was my last issue.

Yet on a return mailer that I received it listed a date of 06/01/2002... which means that I have at least one more issue on my current sub.

--David

I'd kind of like to know too. Mine has now started to squeal after being on for a little while. I don't know if there's a cooling fan inside that's making the noise or what. Now if they'll just reply to my email about it I'd be all set. I don't have time during the day to sit on the phone to get this taken care of, but it sounds like I may have to. So far any time I've sent an email it has gone unanswered. I have no big complaints yet, but I do hate it when TM's happy to take my money through their website and uses the web as the primary means to sell itself but when it comes time to service customers they can't get service the same way.

Karl W - wrote out an envelope and sent out your back issues

Ipalindrome, anyone else with subscription length qustions - call customer service 866-896-6843 and they will let you know your status

failure rates on the players should be pretty low - and if it has big issues we'll pick yours up from you and sen out another if necessary - call customer service

They are indeed DVD reviews, though we'll look into your comment about Evolution

FYI - recent subscriber survey showed the readers of TME are 92% male.

I'm not surprised, my girlfriend won't even look at it. Maybe if TME was a little less like Stuff and Maxim the number would be different, and you'd get a larger reader and subscriber list.

92% male?
 

But of this 92% how many are married??

All I can say is... as a male I can enjoy bare skin ..BUT when it comes to electronic hardware skin does not sell me product!!

And if "TME" is going to keep the currrent non-family lay out... is there any way to just order the "Inside DVD" with out the print magazine??

--David

Total Movie: thanks for the quick response and help, it's restored my faith in the Total Movie magazine. I look forward to receiving the dvds as well.

I subscribed in December. NO issue, NO DVD.

I've been complaining about this since day 1. I'm female, and I've been a fairly loyal subscriber since Issue two of Inside magazine(I missed issue 1 by a week or so), and issue 1 of total movie. Why your marketing people think that skin will sell electronics and dvd's to the people with buying power is beyond me. The first round of TM had George Clooney and the "O Brother" guys on a cover, as well as "Hannibal." That outweighed the Elizabeth"almost naked with a snake" Hurley cover. They listened to complaints that they received.

I honestly think that your market should be subscription people. The people on these forums The newsstand folks may buy the mag every now and again, but really, if they're buying it only for scantily clad women, then I'd think your advertisers wouldn't like that very much, nor will it justify them spending money to advertise to 15 year olds who will go running to mom to give them money.

I for one enjoy the nakkid wimmin. The movie content of the printed mag is vapid (just one opinion - I would prefer more in depth coverage, say like 25 pages on Black hawk Down) so at least all the skin gives me an excuse to flip through the mag at least once. Otherwise it would go right in the trash as soon as I had my hands on the DVD. As an online reader, all the stuff in the mag is old news to me.

Btw, I'm married with two young children. None of them have a problem with women in bikiniiis but then again we live near a beach in Florida, so we see more than that every weekend.

I received the new issue on Saturday and I have to say that each issue is better than the one before.

The DVD is very well produced. It is easier to navigate, quicker to load, and well organized. I hope we always get short films, for that's the part of the disc to which I most look forward. There just aren't many places to see these films and many of them are very clever and well made.

However, I think the printed side of the magazine could be better. I agree with most of the sentiments expressed here, especially those about the presentation of the magazine and the audience the editors are (apparently) trying to attract.

I hesitate to do this, since TotalMovie has been so helpful and friendly, but I really want to share some of my thoughts on the magazine. I don't want to sound like I hate the magazine, but I know that you guys are always asking for feedback.

Some questions/observations:

1. Right now, I am subscribing for the DVD. While I read the printed magazine cover to cover, I only see it as a bonus and would not subscribe if that were all that was offered.

2. Similarly, I wouldn't buy the magazine off of newsstands. I might flip through it, but there just isn't enough substance to make it worth the cover price.

3. There are many Maxim/FHM/Stuff clones on the racks now. Does selling TM as yet another one of them really increase sales?

4. There are NOT many movie/DVD magazines on newsstands. Why not advertise that aspect by emphasizing movies and not boobies? (Panic Room or Minority Report- themed covers would attract my attention better than Kelly Hu "Who?".)

5. Someone who WAS looking for another Maxim and picked up TM, would be sorely disappointed because the inside is MOSTLY about movies. The actual half-naked pictorial content is less than what appears in the other "Girlie" magazines.

6. I was going to go on a long tirade against the marijuana references, but I'll just shorten it to: "I don't like them."

7. I'm a graduate student and I'm sure a lot of the other readers of TM are educated people. I'm also sure that the editors of the magazine have gone to college. I just wish that the level of writing were a tick better. Parts of the magazine are well written, but others are less so. I would like to see more of the articles with thoughtful, intelligent observations (with of course, a little humor thrown in).

8. To expand on the last point, I noticed that (for me) many of the worst parts of the magazine were written by Josh Scollmeyer. He is (apparently) responsible for the Maxim content and his DVD reviews are unfunny and juvenile. (God, I hope that TotalMovie (the DVDTalk-er) is not really Josh. Then, I'm really going to be in trouble.) ;)

9. To further expand the last two points, I would like to point out that Steve Palopoli is an example of a writer who is doing it right. His writings show that he is a true movie-buff who is intelligent and possesses genuine respect for great films and movies.

10. "News You Can't Use" is appropriately named. It is the only section in the magazine I consistently skip.

I guess 10 points is good enough for now. Like I said, I don't HATE the magazine. I just wish it were better-- something I could leave out on the coffee table for family and guests to see.

I think Total Movie magazine is sitting on a gold mine. There are no other publications like this anywhere and with the explosion of DVD sales, I'm sure there are many people who want to read about their new toys. If the magazine could just increase its level of sophistication, it could become one of the most respected and trustworthy sources of DVD and movie information available.

You're SO close. The included DVD is near perfect. The printed magazine is improving. I certainly look forward to what the future of Total Movie will bring.

-Kelly
(P.S. The few factual errors in the magazine don't really bother me. Even Newsweek has a section of "Corrections" in every issue.)

OK, we have a 2 topic conversation going on here. Customer service. Quality of magazine. I don't want to add complication, but I think they should be be separated out so this area can purely handle peoples customer service questions. I am happy to talk about both issues, but this posting in the store forum is just going to get long and it won't serve its intended purpose. So, I am going to start another thread in the DVDtalk portion of the forum on Total Movie Content.

I received my dvd package today and I must say I am very pleasently surprised. The quality of the box and dvd cases are much higher than my expectations. The cases are designed similar to the Godfather Trilogy, in that case is a thin cardboard fold with a disc on each side. They are all double sided, one side with a red ring and one with a blue, with the exception of Intolerance, which is dual layered and is black with an image of film on the side. All the cases come in a box. The box looks just like the promo pictures and such on the website, with the list of movies on the back and categorized according to their position in the box. I will post pictures later when I get home from school and work.