KIDS FIRST! Jury Blog

VHS, remember those? They were a rectangular black brick that we used them to watch movies on. If you ask a young child, I am sure they will not even know what they are. Funny how only 60 years ago you would need to have this fancy new technology – TV – yes, a television set to be able to enjoy films at home. Then came videotapes – VHS and Beta SP. Then, DVD, blu-ray and now, you guessed it, instant streaming. Really, since computers were created and computers transferred files, instant streaming has existed. Of course now it is much simpler with being able to hop onto Netflix and search for a film of your choice. And, if Netflix doesn’t have it? Most people will go check Amazon Instant Video and it they don’t have it then, they’ll go and check out Wal-Mart online or Hulu or any number of other choices. Very few people know what Blockbuster stores are or were. This is where people drove to rent movies before streaming was available. Even now, Blu-ray is 1920 by 1080 while almost every live action show produced by Netflix is 4k, which is much better than Blu-ray and it even isn’t even available on DVD. Soon, SD cards and other camera storage will disappear and maybe it will even become a camera link to your computer or some sort of super cloud and it will transfer cordlessly. It is really amazing how quickly we went from no sound, bulky black and white film, not even 180p small, entertainment systems known as the first movie theaters to, curved screen 4k Netflix. Before long you won’t see a DVD or even a Blu-ray. It really makes me wonder, how many more changes in home video entertainment I will see in my lifetime? I imagine that one day I will show an old dusty box of my favorite movies and tell my kids, “This is what we used to call a DVD”

It’s officially September, summer has unfortunately coming to an end and most of us have abandoned our swimsuits and sunscreen for backpacks and textbooks. But just because school has started doesn’t mean we have to completely give up on fun little getaways. Many new films are getting ready to hit the theaters just as we get ready to hit the books, so if you’re feeling stressed about exams, drowning in homework, or want to treat yourself for finishing that paper that you’ve been working on, feel free to take a vacation for a few hours and head down to the movie theater to catch up on these new blockbusters;

If you’re looking for a scream, try checking out M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit in theaters on September 11th. The much anticipated Maze Runner: Scorch Trials opens nationwide in theaters on the 18th, so look forward to that! Hotel Transylvania 2 is making a reservation in theaters on September 25th, so head to that if you’re looking for a good film for a family outing. Kicking off the October blockbusters, we have Matt Damon starring in The Martian on the 2nd…trust me, this film will be out of this world! And a film that I personally can’t wait for, Pan will be flying into theaters on October 9th!

Now you have a plan of action to give you a break from the stresses of the new school year! So make sure you check out these highly anticipated films coming to a theater near you through the next month. Enjoy!