Yes. MUBI Go – Goes Live! FREE WEEKLY CINEMA TICKETS (Mubi.com Fast-Forwards…) – you read that correctly!
FIRSTNOTE:
If you are aware of MUBI and how it currently works, and don’t want to read the first section of this article [Guilt Trip Alert: Even though I put a lot of hard work into all of it!] please skip to PART TWO – and if you do, [Sarcasm Alert] “Thanks!”… Either way, there’s a PODCAST below, and again at the foot of this article giving further info regarding this new ‘expansion’ by Mubi.com.
PART ONE:
I’m not sure when I first heard of MUBI or MUBI.com but perhaps it was as early as in 2011, when I started this @MiniMiniMovies site.
That said, and slightly dwelling on the word “perhaps”, it could have been earlier or later. It could have been due to Asian films or indeed non-Asian films, but most certainly due to independent film pursuits.
You see, MUBI are different to many online film platforms out there. Certainly, we all know Netflix, we are all aware of Amazon and the rental side of iTunes and even many of us are familiar with the BFI with its BFI-player. Then there are Curzon On Demand, FilmDoo and more. And… if you take it right down to films by mostly/solely independent filmmakers out there, you surely have Distrify, Vimeo on Demand and the the like!
So what makes MUBI different? Well, perhaps they have as much diversity as many of those other platforms mentioned, but I feel they zone into what I and other viewers, cineastes, filmmakers and cinema-goers love and WANT to see.
It could be that they bring us a brilliantly varied mix of independent, foreign, English language, commercial, documentaries, shorts and yes, seasons. No, let’s call them mini-seasons – and I’m not talking about serials or TV dramas here – the type which bring us 3 or 4, or more or less [double bills too] of movies grouped together.
For example, a recent ones include a handful of films by Japanese filmmaker Seijun Suzuki and Chinese director Zhang Yimou.
In fact, you can find one podcast / review of mine, relating to both one of Zhang Yimou’ s films (starring the charming Ms Zhang Ziyi) & indeed MUBI here:
https://miniminimovie.com/2018/04/02/the-road-home-zhang-ziyi-zhang-yimou-shazam/
Plus the podcast alone can be found below:
And before you think all such MUBI seasons are Asian, here is a list of some of the current ones (at the time of going to press):
ALFRED HITCHCOCK: A TICKING BOMB
BACK-TO-SCHOOL SERIES
CANADA’S NEXT GENERATION
DIRECT FROM LOCARNO
DOUBLE FEATURE: PRESTON STURGES
FREEDOM & DEFIANCE: THE CINEMA OF LOU YE
HAND-PICKED BY PAUL SCHRADER
MUBI X NANG PRESENT: IN & OUT
The other way this platform differs to certain other ones, or at least the video-on-demand/pay-per-view sites, is that it’s exactly NOT that – you get a brilliant and varied mix of films, and a new one added every day* without having to pay per film.
* Although only ever a total of 30 films online at any time – but read on (in PART TWO of this article), to hear this one out fully… it’s really quite a clever little thing!
Yeah, yeah, we all know that with Netflix (to name [again] just one) you get a plethora of films constantly – and correct, you do… but you won’t find these films, these kinds of films or indeed some of the classics or exclusives which pop-up over on MUBI.
Talking about EXCLUSIVES, did you know that Paul Thomas Anderson debuted one of his films on MUBI?
No? Actually, neither did I… until very recently. See this article by Variety:
Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Junun’ to Debut Exclusively on Streaming Platform MUBI (EXCLUSIVE)
Now, before I continue to rave about MUBI, I do want to ‘promote’ or stick-up for one platform I mentioned previously, and that one is Filmdoo.
Why?
Well, Filmdoo do [forgive the mini-tongue-twister or semi-singing]… Let’s start again. Filmdoo do a wide range of wonderful films which ARE accessed via the aforementioned video-on-demand/pay-per-view method AND pretty good value, compared to iTunes or other similar platforms out there.
I also mention Filmdoo as I know they support, and also have a range of films by, Terracotta Distribution and Third Window Films, even though those 2 now come under the Arrow Films banner – see my article regarding this:
And… as such I highly recommend many of the films they’ve released:
https://www.filmdoo.com/distributor/thirdwindow
https://www.filmdoo.com/distributor/terracotta
And while, I’m on the subject of Terracotta, Third Window and therefore Asian film, could it be that IT WAS thanks to them that I first was made aware of MUBI…?
After all, Mubi.com does have a dedicated URL for each year relating to the Terracotta Far East Film Festival – However, I must add that this does, in fact, look more like a links to either WHEN the films on the relevant page were made or acquired by Terracotta or Third Window OR actual award winners in a certain year (see this one: https://mubi.com/awards-and-festivals/terracotta?year=2011)
Anyway, almost done with the [OVER]investigative journalism, but the years on the MUBI website seem to end at 2015, so far anyway and start in 1999 and with many – but not every – year in between!
https://mubi.com/awards-and-festivals/terracotta?year=2015
https://mubi.com/awards-and-festivals/terracotta?year=1999
PART TWO:
It’s now time for the main part of this article or the primary reason for publishing this information.
I forget when exactly MUBI changed from having a range of different films all at one time and available to watch, to only 30 films. It could have been around the time they had… yes, EVEN HAD… wait for it… “POLICE SQUAD!” [Exclamation mark not mine but included in its title just like another zany comedy from the same team, that being “TOP SECRET!”]…
Yep, there I was looking through MUBI, for whatever reason and this so-called [or so-thought-of… by ME] high-brow film platform was showing me that it had the crazy comedy “POLICE SQUAD!” – You know, the one which inspired the “NAKED GUN” films.
How could this be? Sure… I’d seen the 6 ‘only ever made’ episodes many a time before and even owned on Video, yes VHS! But… it’s always worth a laugh and therefore a viewing or few!
Either way, it was soon gone or soon-to-be-gone from the site by the time I looked again or got around to revisiting. Like I say, perhaps this one when I noticed that MUBI had changed its format.
So, let me explain how the site is now AND how it’s changed, AND what has NOW BEEN ADDED!!
Right… the 30 day thingy and 30 film thingy works like this:
- A new film appears EVERY DAY
- That film has 30 days before it ‘EXPIRES’
- In total 30 films are viewable at any one time
- (just not the SAME 30 films!)
Call it a rotation system.
There is, however also the option to download any film to your device. In fact, by doing this you seem to get a day or two longer to view the film – so, even after its 30 days is up. I’ve experimented lately to see if this is still the case but I haven’t managed to determine whether it is.
Oh and you can often Gift a film to someone, for FREE. As far as I have seen, and I’ve done this once or twice before, that person gets a FREE 7 day usage or Trial of MUBI – I don’t even think they need to enter any bank details, but don’t quote me on this.
HOWEVER, THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET EVEN BETTER!
Really?!
Yes. As detailed in my podcast below, MUBI have now launched MUBI: GO! [This time, the exclamation mark is mine!!]
MUBI: GO, or MUBI GO now gives you a FREE cinema ticket (or screening, viewing, or call it what you will) to a certain film EVERY WEEK.
This FREE SCREENING is not confined to a particular date, nor a certain cinema – in fact, many cinema chains, such as VUE and lesser-known and independent cinemas, like RIO CINEMA and GENESIS CINEMA are included.
You simply choose one of the locations and a time you’d prefer and BOOK… for FREE! And to make it easier MUBI have created a second app [in addition to the MUBI one itself] to find the cinema and book it and that’s called MUBI GO… funnily enough! It even helps you find the nearest cinema to you, as well as ones further out – just in case it suggests one you’re not too keen on!
The iPhone app seems to work fine. The Android one is due to be released at the end of September.
And that, my friends, is that. Here’s the podcast on this subject – that’s if you missed it at the start of this post:
MORE INFO:
FOOTNOTE:
- It’s probably worth noting, or FOOTNOTING that I have no affiliation with MUBI or any other platform mentioned in this article.
- No computer keys were harmed in the making of this article.
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