Alive & Twitching

One of my pleasures in life, which I have been able to indulge more since retiring, is watching films. I prefer, generally, to watch films at the cinema rather than at home. Most films are best viewed on a large screen. My wife, however, does not always share my tastes in films (or music!) and I am sufficiently pathetic not to want to go to the cinema on my own. Therefore, the vast majority of films I see, I see at home. This, I presume, applies to most of us.

Not everybody, of course, has a cinema nearby. Moreover, the majority of films on general release are unlikely to appeal to the more discerning viewer. The same can be said of films on television where, certainly, on terrestrial TV, you are unlikely to be spoilt for choice. You may have a video hire shop in your locality but you could have difficulty in finding something worth watching among the dross on the shelves. There has, however, been a welcome recent development with the arrival of Internet DVD rental schemes.

There are several significant benefits in subscribing to an Internet DVD rental scheme which include the following:

• They are relatively inexpensive.
• The terms are flexible.
• There is a huge range of films available.
• You can spend as much time as you like, in the comfort of your own home, in selecting a list of films you wish to watch.
• There is no set time for returning the DVD.
• You are provided with a pre-paid envelope in which to return a disc.
• As soon as you return a disc, another is sent out to you by post.

There are several schemes on the market of which the largest is, I believe, LOVEFiLM.com