• Titanic – The first drama that people think of when they are looking for movies on Netflex is Titanic. That wonderful movie where Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet fall in love aboard the doomed ship that sank almost a century ago.

• My Girl – Another great drama that people rent on Netflix is My Girl, a story about the friendship between a boy and a girl. It stars Macaulay Culkin and Anna Chlumsky and is a movie that reduces most viewers to tears. Definitely a must see for anyone who loves a good, wholesome movie drama.

• Patch Adams – This movie is based on the true story of a wonderful doctor who created the Gesundheit Institute. He believed that being a doctor meant more than wearing a white coat and having a stethoscope around their neck. Robin Williams’ performance in this movie is moving and incredible, and this is one that no one should miss.

The three dramas listed above are ones that a lot of people rent when they go to Netflix, and they are also ones that have stood the test of time. Get ready to get the tissues out when you watch them and cuddle up with your husband, because you are going to need some comforting. Dramas are something that a lot of people choose when they are looking for a good movie, because they are something that a lot of people like and most people can agree upon when renting a movie.

A computer on the other hand does many of those things as well, plus a little bit more. It will of course, allow you to play games, watch movies, watch television, access the internet, and run all kinds of software that should make your life better. More and more over the last five years or so, people are choosing to watch video on their computer. Ever since YouTube hit critical mass that is. I must admit, it seemed a little strange watching videos on my computer, but I’ve really gotten used to it. As a matter of fact, the first high-def screen I owned, was attached to my computer.

I think, that if we considered the same question 10, 5 or even a couple of years down the road it will be harder to find differences. What, with more media devices making their way into the living room, it won’t be long before having a computer in the living room instead of a television is pretty common. Everyone will be able to watch TV online, and not even think twice about it. Devices like the Playstation PS3, and the Xbox 360 are already bridging that gap. Considering that the PS3 is not just a gaming machine, but also a media server, and blu-ray player all wrapped up in one, some would suggest that we are already there.

Again, the deleted scenes are not one of the first things that I watch, as with most movies their not really all that interesting.  I do remember watching them for the Ridley Scott / Russel Crowe movie Gladiator, and rather enjoyed them.  They were interesting, because there was commentary from Ridley during them, that gave some insight into what he liked about the scene, what he didn’t like, and reasons for them being deleted from the movie in the first place.  Quite often the deletion occurred, because of time constraints, so they were usually really good scenes and were enjoyable to watch afterwords.  Gladiator was an exception when it comes to deleted scenes.

My favorite thing to watch on the DVDs though is the “making of” specials.  This is the stuff that shows how the movie was made, why they choose to shoot it where they did, why they choose the actors they choose, how the special effects were done, and perhaps some back story on the main movie plot.  Quite often, I like a movie more after watching this section, then I did after watching only the movie.  It’s like I learn an appreciation for what the director, actors and producers go through in getting the movie done.

While DVDs and their extras are nice, what I really like today, is the opportunity to watch movies online.  It’s the ultimate in convenience and price.  It would be nice, if more of them added the extras like the DVDs do, but I think that time will come.  I just watched the movie Legion the other day online, and must admit it was a rather enjoyable experience.  I highly recommend it.

We can go back even further, and see how Captain Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Sulu, and Dr. Mccoy made great use of their iPhones to call home.  Oh wait a minute, I do believe they called them communicators back then.   They even had the flip kind that protected the LCD screen when call the Enterprise. You know how hostile those alien environments can be to electronics, so the flip style was a must have feature.  Plus it gave the actors to make that slick and cool flipping action before calling.  Kind of like a “quick draw” of the future.

While they don’t talk about it much in movies and television shows, bandwidth is really a big thing that plays a role behind the scenes in these stories.  While we think it’s cool to watch movies online without downloading anything,  just imagine how much bandwidth it must take to beam an entire person from orbit on the Enterprise down to some alien Terra-firma.  Forget about one person, how about an entire away team.  In the latest Star Trek, they even manage to pull of just such a stunt while the ship is moving at light speed.  No such thing as lag time there.

I must admit, I’ve been a big fan of watching movies on and TV shows on my computer for a few years ago.  I actually owned a high-def capable screen for my computer long before I bought one for my family room.  Seems kind of backwards I know, but that’s just the way these things are going.  Watching television and movies online and without commercial interruption is really the way things are going.  Even the big movie companies are finally moving in that direction.  They were resistant for a long time, but I do believe they’ve finally seen the light.  As my friends the Borg would say, “Resistance is futile”.