Movies | Gumballs Plays Games

Can you subscribe to Netflix with a Visa gift card?

Posted on June 7, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

Yes, in fact you can.

If you for whatever reason wanted to subscribe to Netflix using a Visa Vanilla Prepaid gift card, it is in fact possible. I had a hard time finding a definite answer to the question while searching Google, so I decided to answer it here, once and for all. You can, indeed use a Visa Vanilla gift card to pay for a Netflix subscription.

I decided to try it out since I’m away from home and happened to pull out cash to use while on “vacation”. I purchased a $25 Visa Vanilla gift card, went to the website listed on the back of the card and registered the card with a zip code. This is important, as these cards tend not to work for online payments unless you register them first.

After that I entered the card information into my Netflix account and was able to restart my membership without any issue. Many answers on various websites including Yahoo Answers have stated that this will not work, but I’m here to confirm that it does work and it’s essentially the only way to pay for Netflix using “cash” instead of a debit or credit card.

Just thought I’d clear that up.

Need for Speed (movie)

Posted on March 23, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

While I was home on leave my little brother had wanted to see the Need for Speed movie, so a couple nights ago we went. I’ve never been that into the Fast and Furious movies after the first one and I could only assume Need for Speed would be one of those ‘car porn’ movies. As it turns out, I quite enjoyed Need for Speed.

The story at first seemed pretty standard, but the characters really drew me in. Tobey (Aaron Paul’s character) and Julia’s adventure was the best part of the movie. I loved the way their character’s interacted, and the music and scenery along the way was just downright beautiful. Sure a lot in the movie was far from believable but the silly, over the top sequences are both thrilling and feel good from beginning to end. I also loved Michael Keaton’s character, Monarch. I’d have to say he delivers the best performances of the movie, though Aaron Paul is right behind.

I rarely find myself wanting to watch a movie for a second time, but I already want to see Need for Speed again. It was great! I’m probably going to end up taking Vanessa to see it for a second time (she loves Aaron Paul as well, especially since he’s from Idaho).

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Posted on January 26, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

Last night we watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which tells the story of a man who has been very unremarkable for most of his life but constantly daydreams about grand adventures. Eventually Walter is inspired to go on a wild adventure of his own which transforms his character and allows him to realize he is significant in the real world after all.

The movie is visually pleasing throughout with great scenery and vibrant colors and it’s set to an absolutely AMAZING soundtrack. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty features the best use of music of any movie I’ve seen in awhile. One of my favorites is “Dirty Paws”

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty tells an inspiring, feel-good tale that is certain to leave you with a warm heart. It also may very well inspire you to seek out your own adventures in life, no matter how large or small. In the end, just know that you have already done many amazing things and inspired many people whether you realize it or not.

Recently Watched: Lone Survivor

Posted on January 21, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

Last night we watched Lone Survivor, the true story of how Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell became the lone survivor of an operation gone horribly wrong. The movie is action packed yet it also hits your emotions hard. The firefight scenes are intense and the firing doesn’t stop until the very end. The story is quite remarkable and I highly recommend it.

Recently watched: American Hustle, Hobbit 2, Anchorman 2

Posted on January 5, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

I couldn’t quite tell what American Hustle was from the trailers, but Jennifer Lawrence looked stunning so I knew I had to see it ;). Early on the movie seemed a little dry but once things got going it got really interesting and I felt invested in the characters. The climax and conclusion are absolutely thrilling and I’m certainly glad we watched it.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was another great thrill ride. Unfortunately the movie is long, and I feel like they could’ve easily trimmed it down by at least half an hour. The scenery in the movie is incredibly breathtaking and there are plenty of laughs on the journey courtesy of the dwarves. The movie ends quite abruptly and the year long wait for the final installation will be painful (Unfortunately I’ll be deployed when the final movie comes out so the wait will be even longer!).

I was never a huge fan of the first Anchorman (or any Will Ferrell movie for that matter) but I can say I enjoyed Anchorman 2. Again, this is another movie that was longer than it should’ve been. Some of the plot could’ve easily been tossed out and the movie would’ve still been enjoyable. Regardless the climatic moment full of hilarious cameos was well worth the wait and provided some of the best laughs in the movie.

Elysium

Posted on December 27, 2013 by GumballsPlaysGames

Last night Vanessa and I rented Elysium on DISH PPV. We have a couple of PPV coupons, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have paid the $6.99 to rent it in HD (have on demand prices always been this high? There’s a Red Box across the street, but it is easier to just push a button and begin watching a movie I suppose). The concept of Elysium is in a way similar to Bioshock Infinite’s Columbia. Elysium is a space station that orbits Earth where all of the rich and powerful live. There’s green grass, trees and beautiful buildings everywhere. Everyone wears nice clothes, eats nice food and has free healthcare that can cure any disease (or even broken bones). Meanwhile Earth has become a slum. It’s dirty, people work dangerous blue collar jobs as the rich look down on them from a glass enclosure counting their earnings.

The film is not only a sort of commentary on class division (the 1% living in Elysium, the 99% down below with no way to rise up) but also of immigration. Elysium’s ruling members make certain that no one from Earth invades their paradise. Those who try to enter Elysium in “undocumented” transport ships are shot at or arrested by Homeland Security and deported immediately back to Earth. Not even dying children are allowed to reap the benefits of the miraculous med bays that can cure any ailment in a matter of seconds.

All of this is interesting, yet there are some weird things about the movie that bugged me. Matt Damon’s character’s mechanical exoskeleton device really felt out of place. It didn’t really seem to make him any more powerful than he was to begin with and only seemed to serve as an excuse to throw in some hand to hand combat with robots and a final battle with another character wearing a similar suit. Ultimately the story felt a little cliched, especially the ending you could see coming from a mile away. If you hadn’t guessed what Max’s destiny would be after the first 15 minutes or so the story of the meerkat and hippo makes sure you won’t be surprised by the ending at all.

There are some decent action scenes in the movie, and a few grotesque fleshy explosions, but ultimately the movie is nothing special. When the movie poster calls out District 9 you’d expect more from the movie. Ultimately it’s just a typical action movie that tries to be something more.

An updated look at Chromecast

Posted on December 13, 2013 by GumballsPlaysGames

For $35, the Google Chromecast is a great Christmas gift. The Chromecast acts like a Roku player (or similar streaming media player) however it’s controlled by your smartphone or computer over WiFi. Once it’s set up you use apps on your phone or computer to stream content to your TV. However the Chromecast doesn’t pull data from your phone or device, it will connect to the content on it’s own and stream it from the source so you’re free to use your phone for whatever else once it starts streaming.

For example, you can launch the Netflix app on your phone and hit the Chromecast button to start up the Netflix app on the Chromecast. Once you select something to play it’ll begin loading on the Chromecast and you can close out the app on your phone. You can use the app on your phone to control the content by fast forwarding or pausing if you like.

Recently Google added a few more apps to make the Chromecast more versatile. Originally it could only stream from a handful of apps such as Netflix and Google Play. Now there are more options including HBO Go, Hulu Plus and Pandora (and several more that I’ve never used such as VEVO, RedBullTV and RealPlayer Cloud). The HBO Go and Pandora apps are my favorite additions. I’d like to see a Dish Anywhere app sometime in the future, but HBO will do for now.

You can view the video below for a look at the new apps and to see the Chromecast in action. For $35 it has a great, easy to use design and I love using it. Sure I have all of the same apps and more on my PS3, but the ease of controlling everything seamlessly through my phone is great. I can start something playing on Netflix while I search for something to watch on HBO and switch between the two in a matter of seconds. On the PS3 the time it takes to exit one app and enter another is painful.

The Village / Village Cinemas at Meridian and why reserved seating sucks

Posted on November 10, 2013 by GumballsPlaysGames

Yesterday Vanessa and I went out to Meridian to check out the new shopping center, The Village at Meridian. Its design is pretty cool and it feels more like a park or college campus than a shopping center. The signature feature is the fountain that is synchronized to music and lights at night. It’s surrounded by tables and a few fire pits which make for a great atmosphere to relax in.

We were planning to see Thor 2 at the Village Cinemas and we decided to go to the 4:30 showing. The movie theater is absolutely beautiful and very stylish. We arrived at 4PM to buy our tickets. The theater has reserved seating, and when we were buying our tickets the only seats left with two side by side seats were in rows D and up. We figured the screen would be far enough back that we could still enjoy seeing the movie in row D. Unfortunately when we got into the theater it was clear there would be no way we could enjoy the movie that close to the screen. What annoyed us most was the theater was almost entirely empty when we got in there and we really should’ve been able to sit where we wanted.

We ended up heading back to the box office to get our money back. Reserved seating in a movie theater is a very bad idea. I don’t very often plan hours ahead of time to see a movie, so it’s not practical to buy tickets online hours before a movie starts. Plans often change, or people often decide to join at the last minute. Reserved seating ruins the traditional movie going experience.

One of the newer movie theaters back where I’m from in Pennsylvania had reserved seating when it first opened, but it quickly learned it was a bad idea. People complained, got refunds or blatantly ignored the assigned seating and sat in other people’s seats often causing problems as the movies were starting. I can only hope Village Cinema in Meridian will learn how undesirable their reserved seating is and end the policy soon. Until then we’ll stick with Edwards in Boise.

Ice Rink opens next Friday!

Bad Grandpa

Posted on October 30, 2013 by GumballsPlaysGames

Last Thursday night Vanessa and I saw the latest movie from Johnny Knoxville, Bad Grandpa. Before heading to the theater we watched Jackass 2 on Netflix to get into the mood, but I’ll warn you they’re two entirely different experiences. Bad Grandpa is not a ‘skit’ movie like the Jackass movies, but rather a comedy with a narrative that uses candid camera sequences to amuse the audience as a Grandfather and Grandson trek across the country wreaking havoc on town after town as they go.

The candid sequences deliver laugh after laugh from beginning to end, and they never get stale. The situations the characters find themselves in are often so absurd that you’ll find yourself trying to contain uncontrollable laughter before there’s even a bystander reaction. As the scenes play out you’ll likely find there’s no way to stop yourself from laughing so hard that your lungs hurt.

I haven’t laughed as hard in a movie theater since Ted, and I’d say the laughs in Bad Grandpa greatly exceed anything I’ve ever experienced.

The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Horribly boring

Posted on October 6, 2013 by GumballsPlaysGames

Tonight we watched The Haunting in Connecticut 2, and I have to say it is easily one of the most dull and ‘unscary’ (can’t really think of an actual word at the moment) horror movies I’ve seen in a long while. I should’ve known going in not to expect much as I’ve seen the first movie and can recall absolutely nothing about it. The movie seemed like it had promise at first, however it quickly began to bore me. None of the attempted scares hit their mark. Most of the movie is just cutting to scenes of spirits standing around doing very little haunting at all. What’s worse is the back story that gets filled in toward the end is a little too late (some of this being explained earlier, might have possibly made the location slightly creepy) and the ‘happily ever after’ ending to the movie was a major let down.

I can only hope we’ll find some better horror movies to watch as we go deeper into October. I’m really disappointed there’s not a Paranormal Activity movie this year.