Wouldn’t it be cool if Blockbuster and other video/DVD rental places allowed us to write a short note on the back of rental movies we’ve watched? Then, after you’ve watched the movie, you could post a line or two about what you thought of it for others contemplating renting it after you. I suppose there are all kinds of problems with this proposal, but there are lots of times I wish I had been been able to read the opinions of regular folks who’ve already seen it before me. Might have saved me a lot of time and money.
Well, some of those problems could be solved by letting Blockbuster employees screen through the comments, allowing only ones that were appropriate. That would generate its own problems, but I think it could work.
Websites that sell videos sometimes have a service like that, where you can type in a review for others to see. Of course, then you’d have to know what movie you wanted before you left home.
http://www.epinions.com (contains annoying popups) lets regular folks get on there and post their ratings on anything and everything, from movies to coffeemakers. It won’t be much help when you’re actually in the store, but it can be pleasantly diverting.
The only comment I ever see on the back of a video tape or DVD is “Please be kind, rewind.”
Which is really bizarre to see on a DVD, believe me.
Which is exactly why they’d never go for it. Blockbuster’s out to rent units and make money, not serve the ideal of good taste in movies. I somehow doubt they’d be thrilled that certain titles didn’t rent well on the basis of customer input notes.
You get can plenty of opinions, both professional and man-on-the-street, off the Net anyway.