From the recent resurgence of John Steinbeck's novel "The Grapes of Wrath," it looks like people in a recession are happy to be entertained by a tale of the Great Depression.

The 1940 movie based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Steinbeck has gained such popularity recently that from September 2008 to October 2008, rentals of "The Grapes of Wrath" on Netflix rose 10%, according to the Nov. 17 issue of Business Week Magazine. A theatrical play based on the novel is also out.

If you haven't taken a look at the plot since it was assigned reading in high school, it's worth another look today. (although now you can just rent the movie.) The parallels to today are strong. People are losing their jobs, unable to pay the mortgage and forced to move elsewhere to find work.

After doing a round of holiday cleaning at our apartment, I discovered a treasure trove of gadgets which still worked, but no longer met my needs. Thankfully I also found Gazelle.com, a company that buys old electronics for resale or recycle.

I tested out Gazelle.com with three items I had on hand; an old camera without a power adapter, a Dell PDA with all original wires and manuals, and a digital video camera with power cord. For my collection of slightly used gadgets I am being paid $124, more than I could likely get on eBay due to the lack of accessories.

Selling your stuff to Gazelle is simple:

1. Look up your item on the Gazelle site.
2. Answer a few questions about the quality and accessories.
3. Click "calculate" and see what Gazelle will offer you.
4. Send your items back to Gazelle with free shipping label.
   
5. Get paid via check, Paypal or Amazon gift card.
   

Currently Gazelle buys goods from 11 categories including; video games and consoles, GPS units, phones, movies, digital cameras, laptops and more. If the item you want to sell isn't already in the catalog you can request a customized quote, which is calculated within 24 hours.

If you're a documentary buff, SnagFilms is the most exciting website to come along in a long time.

Here's how it works: go to SnagFilms.com and watch full-length documentaries for free, without registering or downloading software. Then, you can embed the movies on your website, and the "commercials" that are embedded in the movies pay for site, with half of the revenue going to the filmmakers.

So far the project has lured in some big hits: Super Size Me, Paper Clips, and What Would Jesus Do, to name a few of my favorites. A word of warning: it just launched today, in beta, and has a lot of kinks to be worked out. But the concept is great and should provide filmmakers with a way to generate additional revenue in a niche market where hits often attain a tiny fraction of the revenue that conventional films do.

For more information on the site, check out this USA Today piece.

This series explores aspects of America that may soon be just a memory -- some to be missed, some gladly left behind. From the least impactful to the most, here are 25 bits of vanishing America.

I've been predicting the death of the movie rental store since 1995, when I was a film critic and reporter for The Dallas Morning News. Back then, it was just at the dawn of DVD players and everything was changing. I used to rent my videos from the original Blockbuster location in Dallas, and the company was part of my beat and already struggling, so I reported on many of the troubles in the industry. That first store is still in operation -- albeit a few blocks down the road -- but for how much longer? I will eventually be right, and probably very soon.

While Netflix is looking up at the moment, Blockbuster keeps closing store locations by the hundreds. It still has about 6,000 left across the world, but those keep dwindling and the stock is down considerably in 2008, especially since the company gave up a quest of Circuit City. Movie Gallery, which owned the Hollywood Video brand, went into bankruptcy last year. Countless small video chains and mom-and-pop stores have given up the ghost already. In my current neighborhood in Brooklyn, the mom-and-pop shop made it about a year longer than the Blockbuster location, and we now have no rental location anywhere near us (although there is a Blockbuster across the street from my office in Manhattan). And does anyone mind? Not really.

The only reason that it has taken this long for the demise of these stores is that Hollywood hasn't been willing to sign over its digital future yet. The entertainment companies are worried about people stealing downloads and even DVDs still make them nervous. So they've made it difficult for download and on-demand services to get a foot hold. Video rentals still bring in over $8 billion, although there hasn't been growth in some time. (Online subscription services like Netflix and Blockbuster's own mail rental business are up to 25% of the market.)

But now the future has arrived and the movie studios are finally opening up to the prospect of HD transmission of their wares. And that goes to show that video rental stores never really had a sustainable business model, and the overbuilding in the late 1980s and early 1990s only compounded the problems as the industry contracted. The VCR was doomed from the start, as most technologies of the kind are. At least the industry did not make the same mistake with DVDs by building out even more stores, and is letting the digital marketplace take over with download and mail-order options for the moment, waiting out the next technological advance.

Read the entire series

Does your dad know the identities of both of the actors who played Vito Corleone?

Does he know all the words to the MASH theme song?

Does he ever complain that movie trivia questions are "too easy?"

Has he ever gotten into an argument about whether an Imperial Star Cruiser could beat a Klingon Bird of Prey?

Is there an indent in the couch in the shape of his butt?

If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, I might have the perfect Father's day gift for you. Netflix recently unveiled its new Roku player. Basically, this $99 box connects your computer to your television, enabling you to watch streaming movies right on your TV. While this isn't the first TV/internet connector, the Roku is far cheaper than previous options. Netflix is promising full DVD quality, and it will currently allow you to stream any of its 10,000 movies and TV programs for free, as long as you're a member.

Admittedly, there are limitations to streaming movies. They don't tend to have all the wonderful DVD extras and are, currently, a little unwieldy to work with. That having been said, Netflix's streaming movies are, essentially, free, and they are insanely convenient. Besides, as more and more content becomes available online, these sorts of interfaces are going to become really common. With a little help from you, your dad could become the coolest kid on the block!

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. He still gets a little teary when he remembers his family's first VCR. It was a cute little Zenith, and it just worked its little heart out...

According to an expert quoted by Advertising Age, we can expect a buck or two bump in movie prices in the next year. This time, the villains aren't fat cat producers or overpaid talent, but a small grain kernel. Economist Ricard Gill say that the projected shortfall in corn production is wiping out one of the film industry's most important profit centers.

Blame for the corn shortage can be put squarely on the shoulders of ethanol. Making this alternative fuel requires vast amounts of corny goodness. With the congruent boom in wheat and soybean prices, farmers are also expected to plant considerably less corn this year. This double whammy has boxed the ears of the box office.

Concession sales provide around 32% of the average theater's net revenue, and apparently, theaters believe that the price they charge for popcorn is less elastic than the movie price. This is reflected in past pricing, as tickets have increased fourfold since the 70's, while concessions have 'only' doubled.

The article also points out how this is especially problematical for small theaters, which already face the cost of gearing up for a switch to digital projection.

The industry has reason to hope that this will not be a Pyrrhic increase. During previous recessions, people have flocked to the cinema, perhaps to escape their woes for a couple of magical hours. Magical, that is, unless the film is Pirates of the Caribbean III.

At first, I thought, "They're crazy."

Then I thought, "Yeah, crazy like a mongoose."

(I get tired of clichés.)

Sony Pictures Television just announced yesterday that it's going to be the first Hollywood studio to offer full-length movies by cell phone, the Associated Press is reporting. It won't be movies on demand; they'll play in a loop, interspersed with commercials.

Starting in May, Sony will offer a slew of popular films like Ghostbusters, Karate Kid and Roxanne--you know, starring Steve Martin. Boy, that's a great one. I always crack up when Martin's in the bar, and he does all of those nose jokes at once, and...

I never thought I was the type to be affected by peer pressure. But Sunday night, I realized that I'm as susceptible as anyone else. I read an Associated Press story about how Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! was not only the most watched movie this weekend, it became 2008's most profitable weekend for the Hollywood box office. And suddenly I found myself thinking, "Gee, I guess I should take the kids."

No, make that, I actually felt guilty that I hadn't taken the kids. Like I had neglected an important responsibility. After all, if a gazillion other parents took their children to the film and brought in $45.1 million for the Hollywood box office, why didn't I? I take my daughters to virtually every children's movie out there. What happened? How did we go through this weekend without seeing it?

I'm in big trouble.

One of my closest friends from college emailed me a link to Hulu.com, and now I'm considering breaking off our 20-year friendship. After all, he knows that I'm a recovering TV-holic. What is he trying to do to me? Wreck my career? After all, like many people, most of my work is done at my computer, and Hulu is an online web site that provides TV shows and movies for free -- good TV shows and movies. This is bad.

I mean, it's good, but that's why it's bad.

There are limited commercials, and I can't tell you what that means because had I watched an entire episode of Fantasy Island, the first show I clicked on, or an entire movie of Ice Age, I would not be writing this right now. In any case, the TV shows and movies that Hulu has to offer is impressive. They have something for everyone (I swear, Hulu is not paying me to write this... I'll bet they paid my friend to send me their link, though, knowing I'd be weak and gush about the web site).