Although the aroma of fresh popped popcorn and a darkened theater with a towering wide screen lures us to new released films, most of us still view far more movies at home than at the theater. With the introduction of online movie rental and movie downloads nearly ten years ago, the selections offered by the local video store are not the only options viewers have for their home entertainment.

Aside from the improved affordability, movie fans enjoy watching movies at home because of convenience. With busy lives that keeps us at work and on the road, time spent relaxing at home is at a premium and any service that allows us to enjoy that time without additional complexity or effort is highly prized. With this in mind, which of these movie services provides the most value for the home viewer?

Traditional video stores can be convenient for some last minute movie picks; or at least convenient if a person lives within a few blocks of the store. If someone suddenly decides at 5:30 pm. that there is time to squeeze in a showing of the most recent Harry Potter flick with the kids, then it is certainly easy to get to and from the store and be ready to view within a half an hour. This assumes of course that the store will have a copy of the DVD available in house at the time it is being sought.

If Harry isn’t at the local video store, then browsing through the remaining films and examining the DVD cases may provide a hint as to what the family might enjoy. After the movie, the viewer will then have at least a couple of days to shuttle back to the store and return the movie before incurring any late fees.

Movie downloads are one of the newer options. Certainly, downloading a movie can allow viewers to decide at the last minute to view Harry Potter, or some other movie, as well. Just a quick 5 minute visit to the download site on line to select and initiate the download allows viewers to remain at home throughout the process. Most films require approximately an hour to download depending upon connection speed. The good news however is that many movie downloads are capable of allowing viewers to begin watching the movie only a matter of minutes into the download process.

There is no worry about returning rented movies that are downloaded or any late fees. Upon download, viewers have a specified period of time in which to watch the movie before it expires. Movielink for example allows movies to be stored for up to 30 days. Perhaps the one drawback for many movie downloads is that they often must be viewed on a PC rather than a television unless viewers have a connection between their PC and TV. The future however, may provide greater flexibility as legal movie download services may be better positioned to allow burning movies to DVD as some of the digital rights management issues are being addressed with movie studios.

Online movie rental services can certainly ease the process of selecting and obtaining movies. Users can go online and select from over 75,000 titles, nearly five times the number of titles offered in a local video store. Here users can create a list of movies in advance that will automatically arrive at their door. Movies requested generally arrive within 1 to 2 business days after they are requested. Users merely stick the DVDs in an envelope for the mailman to pick up when they are ready to return them; and only when they are ready to return them. There are no due dates and no late fees either. The most evident drawback to this system is for those viewers who don’t decide they have the time to view a movie until earlier that same day. Mail delivery does not allow such last minute decisions.

Online movie rental services are evolving however to better accommodate those last minute choices. Netflix, the largest online movie rental service, announced in early 2007 their service can now provide a “Watch Now” feature which allows customers to stream movies directly to their PC rather than waiting for the DVD in the mail. Although not all movie titles are available for streaming at this time, it does provide a potential solution for the occasional last minute movie craving.

One of the final conveniences of online movie rental is that the sheer number of movies offered makes it more likely that a movie of choice will be available. In situations where viewers aren’t sure what they want to see, the Netflix service is even able to provide recommendations based on the comments and ratings of other viewers and the actual viewing pattern of the user. The accuracy of the Netflix recommendations has been applauded within the industry and certainly offers a better option than merely reviewing the information provided by production studios on the sleeves of a DVD.

Check out the best in premium entertainment with Dish Network satellite TV. Dish has a huge variety of intriguing movie channels of every genre and is a reasonable way to spend less money for better entertainment! Here’s the lowdown on the movies scheduled for release today 1/29/10!

1. Edge of Darkness

This film looks like a wild adventurous ride. What’s going on with children being placed in harm’s way in so many of recent movies? First you had Orphan, then The Lovely Bones, now this film where Mel Gibson plays a father whose daughter is murdered and he takes revenge. These stories are heart-wrenching for any parent to watch but somehow the plot surrounding the circumstance is always interesting enough to get us to theaters to watch it. You feel guilty for having been interested in it at all but then again, you know you were at the very least entertained and spent your whole experience at the edge of your seat. This is how I think this movie will be. Most people would watch a decent Mel Gibson flick. Add suspense, danger, revenge and decent directing and you have yourself a winner. I can’t see this movie being bad.

2. When In Rome

This romantic comedy stars Josh Duhamel and Kristen Bell. This movie looks a little cheesy but you can’t go wrong with Hollywood heartthrob Josh Duhamel. Pictures do not do this man justice, in fact, he looks awkward in the pictures I’ve seen of him online but if you see him in on film, you just might just fall in love. Josh was also in the movie A Perfect Getaway along with Milla Jovovich. This was the first movie I’ve seen him in and he gave a great performance. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed with his acting though the movie looks a little simple. The story is about a woman looking for love who travels to Rome to find romance and is courted by a group of unlikely men, a reporter in particular. This one would probably make a decent rental.

3. Saint John of Las Vegas

I was wondering what in the world this movie was about because I haven’t heard anything about it until now. I assumed it would be some type of boring and overlooked budget film until I checked it out online and realized that it stars Steve Buscemi. I became more curious. I discovered that the story focuses on a gambling addict who feels the need to cure himself of his addiction and get out of Sin City. He packs up and heads to Alberquerque, New Mexico, starts a new life with a new job but gets sent on assignment to Vegas. Can he keep himself under control, or will he fall back into the game? This drama might be quite interesting and Steve Buscemi rocks. Check it out at the movies or wait for DVD or Dish Net PPV.

4. 44 Inch Chest

Did you say Seven Pounds? Ten-Gallon Head? Love and a .45? Haven’t heard about this film? There might be a reason for that. It’s about a man who gets together with his friends and plans to kidnap his wife’s lover and ultimately carry out his revenge. Starring in the film are John Hurt, Ray Winstone and Tom Wilkinson. I enjoyed Tom Wilkinson’s performance in The Full Monty and many other films but I don’t think I’ll be running to theaters to check out this one. 44 Inch Chest is certainly number 4 on my list.

If you have ever been in the mood to watch a great movie, you can understand how difficult it can be to locate a film that doesn’t disappoint. Today’s entertainment industry gives us a wide variety of options to choose from and it can be nearly impossible to figure out which movie is worth our time. Movie reviews make it easier to choose the films that you will enjoy because you can read what other viewers thought of the film before you ever spend your money going to see it.

To see the many movie reviews, all you have to do is log on to the internet. There are hundreds of websites that will provide you with all the information you need to find the best movies for your personal tastes. Through simply surfing the web, you can find out which movies you must see!

When you start reading the movie reviews, you will notice that there are two categories. First, there are reviews written by common viewers. These are often in forum style and people can simply leave a comment expressing a personal opinion about a film. It can be tricky to get accurate movie reviews on these kinds of websites because they depend largely on personal preference. The opinions expressed are not objective and you will see that quickly. A person who loves horror films might give a comedy film a bad review when it is actually a good movie, but it just isn’t their preferred genre.

In order to get a more objective opinion, turn to professionals. There are several popular web sites that are full of movie reviews written by critics and move experts. These reviews will give you an accurate glimpse at a movie’s content and theme, rather than just a person’s opinion about how entertaining the film was. Professional movie reviews are much more helpful when you are trying to decide which movie to go see.

On many of the websites that offer movie reviews, you can also find a great resource for the latest movie news. Whether you are obsessed with a certain actor or just like to hear what the Hollywood starlets are doing each day, you can find some great information about movie news online.

This is also a good way to keep up with release dates for new movies. You won’t be left wondering about what is coming out in theaters next month when you take the time to study movie news online. Take advantage of the movie news at Movie-Vault.com and you will quickly become a movie connoisseur. With thousands of professional movie reviews at your fingertips, you will never be short on the information you need when it comes to release dates and other important movie news. You can even engage in fun conversations with other movie viewers through the forums to share your own opinions about all the movies you have seen.