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GreenCine Review |
Green Cine is a US based DVD rental company that specialises in certain genres (in their own words: indie, arthouse, anime, foreign, classics, documentaries and other esoteric fare), but they do have blockbusters aswell so don't be put off. The genres and subgenres on their site are well designed, with browsing and movie addition to your rental list pretty easy enough. They don't have A-Z browsing through a genre though, which can be annoying.
GreenCine really do stock a ton of alternative movies. Their anime and animation for instance are bursting with all sorts of dvd's you rarely see in other rental services sites. They have well over 1,000 anime titles, probably 3 or 4 times that of other major dvd rental sites. There's no limit to how many titles can be in your queue. For some reason, other rental services have limits on this...greencine don't. They have an impressive rental queue which shows the availability and likelihood of getting a title sent to you.
There are 6 rental plans on offer, ranging from 2 DVD's out at a time ($14.95 monthly) to the movie-buffs dream package, which is 10 DVD's out at a time for $49.95 per month. Californians would add sales tax to their monthly payment.
DVD's are shipped from San Fransisco, so ideal if you're in California as dvd turnaround should be pretty good.
Click here to Visit GreenCine
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GreenCine Customer Reviews |
Dwayne from Rochester, NY on 2008-07-03 Rates them:  
I started renting movies through Greencine in Feburary 2007. I have been very satisifed with the rentals and delivery time especially since I am on the East Coast. Since they changed distribution centers my movies come even faster. They do have a wait time on a lot of movies i want but as long as you fill your queue up with plenty of movies- they will keep sending them without throttling. One thing I like is the fact that you can let them know you are returning the movie and they always mail the next one on my list the very same day without receiving the other one back and so it flows very smoothly between sending them back and getting a new one- just about the time they get the old movie back I am getting a new movie so it keeps movies coming continuously. Highly recommend them. Great movie rental service. |
Michael from Los Angeles on 2008-06-11 Rates them:
I've been a member for just 7 mos now and I must say that
Greencine has the best selection of indie, hard to find anime, as well as foriegn title that are just not avaliable on netflix. The shipping times take just as long as netflix in my opinion and the customer service is excellent. no problems from me. |
MK from Bay Area, CA on 2008-06-02 Rates them:
"I have been a member for almost a year and have had a great experience. I especially enjoy GreenCine because of the ability to interact with other members through the discussion board and messages. It's nice to be able to chat with fellow members on topics ranging from the latest episode of Lost to the topic of music and film scores.
It's been a great way for me to find rare and indie movies here that aren't available elsewhere. For someone who is a nut about independent titles and Criterion Edition DVD releases, I find GC fits the bill. Shipping has always been about 2-5 days to me. To be honest, there were some slowdowns over the past summer but the speed of delivery has been consistent to a rate of 2~3 days for so long, that I no longer have to think about it. I've experienced one lost disc, which they replaced for me the same day. It does take a while to get new releases, but from what I hear that's a difficulty at most other DVD rental companies as well." |
Gregory D from San Francisco, CA on 2008-05-29 Rates them:
The people who had some bad experiences lately need to try them again. They've been really improved -- and the Quick Return feature has speeded up things enormously. (You just click "quick return" when you're shipping discs back and they send you the next in your queue before they get them physically; less waiting for USPS that way.) Their support responses have improved too (they told me they had mail server issues and upgraded, now it's same day with everything.) They've also added a ton of titles I'd requested, some wacky cult items and a few classics (and yes they even wrote me back). They have some real out of the way stuff, including microcinema titles and indie docs. Then supporting them also means you're supporting their cool blogs, and the articles, primers and lists are still a good way to get tips on what to rent/see. I wish there was a bit more of an active community on there again, but maybe that'll improve too. Anyway, in short I've had zero problems with them lately so I'd really suggest trying them again. |
Margaret from New York City on 2008-05-27 Rates them:
Shipping times to NYC from Van Nuys can be as long as 10 days. Their fabulous customer service? I've sent three emails, none of which they have deigned to respond to. Of course, once I cancelled my account, they were all over me like a cheap shirt within a few hours, trying to sweettalk me into changing my mind. |
Terry from Bay Area on 2008-03-28 Rates them:
My experience with GC pretty much echoes jean's from New York... I went with GC because they had what I wanted and I figured they needed my money more than NF. They seemed to be indeed run by cinephiles. I loved their attitude and it showed in the articles on their website. I had been with GC for 2+ years when they moved to Van Nuys. That basically doubled my turn-around time. It is then that I checked if NF had any of the stuff that had accumulated in my request list with GC (which had grown substantially). Lo and behold, NF had everything I wanted...
And another thing. When a DVD gets lost/broken/whatever, NF takes it out of the database. GC keeps it in. I've seen GC forum posts of people waiting for 14 months for a DVD that didn't exist anymore... I have too. Albeit for less time because that's when I called it quits. |
george from michigan on 2008-03-08 Rates them:
After 3 months of membership, dvd's stopped coming. None lost by me, none claimed unreturned by greencine. Pro forma response to inquiry by me. No contact by greencine. I left. |
Bill from Phoenix on 2008-02-27 Rates them:
Greencine's customer service has dropped to zero. My Queue shows that they shipped me a DVD on 12/3/07. I have never received the DVD. I have contacted Greencine repeatedly with no success in resolving the missing DVD. I am paying for their service and receiving one less movie. I would like to quite the service but I don't want to have to pay for the missing DVD I never received. |
Christopher from Sonoma County, CA on 2007-12-06 Rates them:
Been with GC for a couple years now, and have always loved the selection and the service. But since they moved distribution to Van Nuys it is taking forever to get movies. I used to have 2 day turnaround, now it looks like 7-8. Found this forum only because I'm frustrating and looking for something else. |
SOMEONE_N_SF from San Francisco on 2007-10-22 Rates them:
GreenCine no longer ships from San Francisco and I have endured several months of inconsistent turnaround times as a member. I am closing my account with them this month and choosing a different rental-by-mail company that I have found much more satisfaction with both in talking with them on the phone and with doing business with them during free trials and beyond. Once GreenCine switched to shipping from Van Nuys, the turnaround times have been anywhere from 5-15 days to wait for your discs to come back, whereas it used to be a quick turnaround of 1-2 days reliably. |
E.V. from Berkeley, CA on 2007-09-12 Rates them:
Los Angeles GreenCine customers, rejoice! You should get your DVDs a lot quicker now that GreenCine has moved into your neighborhood. For us in the SF Bay Area, turnaround time has increased from 2 days to 5 to 7 days. Not really worth it for us anymore, especially if other companies now carry the sorts of titles we look for. We're cancelling and looking into other means (such as downloadable rentals) to get our movie fix. |
Phil from NY on 2007-06-17 Rates them:
I've used Greencine for years. I used to live in Seattle and now live in NY. It does take longer for films to get here and I've had a few disappear (this I do not blame on GC). But rarely have I had trouble getting a film or found that I would be waiting forever for a certain title. It could be based on the titles I choose (rarely new major releases) but I also think this is because of the kind of service-mail order. Because I have hundreds of movies in the queue, I just get whatever comes. If I want something immediately, I can rent it in the city. Customer service is very good-fast and friendly, and I like the fact that they do encourage a strong on-line community as well as the local bay area film scene. Selection is good too-try finding Fuller's White Dog anywhere else. |
jean from new york on 2007-04-17 Rates them:
i was a greencine member for 2 years. before i signed up, i did a search with obscure films to see how they compare with netflix. needless to say, their selection for rare titles were better. Well, they were better 2 years ago!!! I started getting annoyed with greencine for the following reasons: 1)when a DVD is stolen or lost, they never re-order it but keep it on the list as available.2) they post DVDs that are unavailable for rental but available to be put on a request list. i have put over 50 on my request list the past 2 years and they have NEVER made them available. 3) i have sent them suggestions. i.e. they have very incomplete inventory for well-known directors such as techine, jacquot, resnais, szabo, wadja....... my suggestions have never been acknowledged. for a site that claims to serve the needs of cinephiles, it's quite surprising that they would not have all available titles by the above mentioned directors. they are not even obsure. 4.) now, the BIG SURPRISE. i decided to check netflix yesterday, they now have everything that i have on my greencine request list. i was so incredulous that i started doing a search on rarer titles such as "black jesus" by zurlini, "autumn marathon" by Daneila,"quiet flows the don" by Gerasimov, "clear skies" by chuhkrai, "el imperio de la fortuna" by ripstein.... Netflix had everything and greencine DID NOT. last but not least, netflix is cheaper!!! cinephiles assume that netflix is for commoners and it is no longer. Greencine is a deception! |
James from SF Bay Area on 2007-03-21 Rates them:
A company with the right spirit, but for some reason their mailings usually take a day longer than Netflix even though both have offices equally close to my address. Also, Greencine does not offer the cheap, 2 per month deal that Netflix does. |
Matt from Ohio on 2006-10-27 Rates them:
Been on Greencine for about 3 months now. Living in Ohio shipping is slower than slow. But they have a great selelction, including hard to find asian and some adult movies, and their customer service is the tops. I emailed about a slow to arrive movie, and they replied within 2 hours that they would send out another copy (they did next business day) at no charge. Also, they send movies with a cardboard backing so there is less chance of breakage.
All in all, if you can deal with the wait, they are well worth it. |
HYC from Bel Air, MD on 2006-07-03 Rates them:
I joined Greencine (GC) two months ago and love it! What I really like about GC is the large selection of foreign and obscure movies. You can also tell the folks really enjoy working there!
I live on the east coast and don't really have an issue with delayed shipping. My experience with coast-to-coast shipping varies btw 3-6 days with an avg of about 4 business days. The 6 day shipping (only once) was due to some holiday in btw. If you drop the DVD off at a post office before the last pick up, your DVD may get there faster. Once, I dropped it off on Sat and received an email from GC informing me they've received it on Mon! In fact, I just received a DVD sent by GC last Fri today (Mon). GC is very good about sending the next DVD in your "queue" the same day they receive your movie. Any delay is really not their fault but probably the post office's. I'm also not in a hurry to watch any movie so don't mind waiting for titles which are either very popular or few in copies. I just keep my "queue" updated so I'll always have a movie to watch. |
Lythic from Mountain View, CA on 2006-04-05 Rates them:
I receive a new video within 48-hours of sending in the old one. Service is great and they have a wide variety of independent films and anime. |
Drew from California on 2006-03-09 Rates them:
Really disappointed in their adult selection, sure they have tons to view online or buy directly, but the good ones do not have a "rent" icon next to them. |
Gary C from San Francisco on 2006-01-25 Rates them:
I know someone who knows someone (Whew! are you still with me?) who works for GreenCine and I can assure you they go to great pains to *not* throttle customers. Any delays the customer below experienced were likely caused by the incompetence of the USPS and also GreenCine doesn't have as many copies of films, especially new releases. So I just wanted to post something contradicting the unfair critique of the person below. They're particularly good if there are a lot of different kinds of movies you want, or if you don't just want three movies and right away and that's it. I've never had any problems with their customer service and they always respond on the msg boards, too. They also have great articles, informative reviews, more interactive site, and it's just really good if you like old stuff, anime, classic foreign, asian film, indie, docs... A nice vibe to the company, methinks, and I only hope they survive in "today's wintry economic environment" (to quite Being John Malkovich). |
Matt from Rhode Island on 2006-01-24 Rates them:
Greencine might not have the reach of Netflix or Blockbuster but they have a sizeable selection of films to match either. Shipping is a little slow, as they only ship from California, but if you are looking a specific edition which one of the big 2 does not carry, this is the place to look, Also they have a limited selection of Adult titles.
If you are willing to wait a few days more than Netflix and Blockbuster this is a good service to try! |
john from Bay Area, CA on 2006-01-15 Rates them:
Tried them as I was getting tired of being throttled by NetFlix. However, I found they throttle worse than NF does!
I tired different ways of testing them to confirm this & determined that they delay their shipments to ensure that you only receive a minimal of DVDs p/m. |
Dave from Oakland, CA on 2006-01-12 Rates them:
Greencine was a great service. Turnaround time was 2 days total, shipping back and forth.(cause I live in the general area) Great selection of movies, I highly recommend the service. One criticism: If you're looking for mainstream movies, the queues are quite long. All the other foreign/Indy stuff is fine. |
KC from Los Angeles on 2005-11-17 Rates them:
I have used Blockbuster in the past and switched to Greencine because I was unhappy with the Blockbuster turnaround time. Grrencine has been GREAT, even though I am in LA and they are in Northern California I routinely receive my movies within the same week I mail them out. Customer service is excellent when I have needed them. I highly recommend it. |
Steve from Los Angeles on 2005-11-09 Rates them:
I have rental service at both Greencine and Netflix. Greencine has some absolutely amazing dvd's, though the chances that you will receive the extreme obscure titles is zero to one percent. I have had them for about 6-8 months, and currently my entire queue is red (meaning I'm not going to get it). Shipping problems are completely true, 3-5 days turn around is average, takese twice as long as Netflix. Also my deliveries have been lost before, not arriving for a month, they blamed the postal service. Overall if you like movies and have been looking for some obscure titles Greencine is the way to go, but be prepared to be patient because the titles are obscure, so you wont be seeing them for a while. |
khuong from az on 2005-09-13 Rates them:
a good service a lot of anime, even A rated movies. took about 2 days to deliver movies to me. But the turn around is kind of slow, due to the post office which they said to be the cause of the delay. But if they have a feature that allow me to report that i return the movies after 3 or 4 days so they can send me the next one then it will be the best. Price a little hight than netflix or blockbuster (21.95 for 3 out at a time unlimited). This is real unlimited is unlimited they don't throttle you, but since the delay in returns you problem will not get as much dvds at you would expected, let say if you sign up for 3 out at a time i think the maximum you could get is 14 rentals a month.
The customer service is great! respond in within a day or so, and they also work on saturday.
if they have that fast return, or allowing customer to report dvds after 3 or 4 days. Then this service will be #1right now it's number 2 while netflix and blockbusteronline took first place.
try GREENCINE out i'm sure you will like it, but if you don't live near the west coast. Shipping might be slower. |
Rick from Emeryville on 2005-06-02 Rates them:
Great service.......if you live in the Bay Area. I could probably drive to Greencine's distribution center in 20 minutes on a good day. Next day arrivals are the norm for me. Don't mind getting movies out of order as long as I recieve one. Excellent customer service compared to another rental company also based in Bay Area and they won't throttle your movies like that other company. Greencine is my primary service with that other company being secondary. One positive about the other company is they do donate a lot to the Dems IMO anyways. |
Christian from New Hampshire on 2005-02-08 Rates them:
Specializing in your less mainstream fare, Greencine was a very good deal for people looking for independent films.
on the plus side
+ they had a good selection
+ a lot of films other sites just didn't have
+ they had a strong sense of community
+ a strong recommendation system
+ User-created movie lists
on the negative side
- shipping was on the slow side, averaging around 3-4 days
- availability... not so good.
On the whole, if you like the movies Greencine is renting, it could be a good service for you if you're in no rush and can wait around the 4 days it'll take for the movies to get there. It also helps if you can beef up your queue enough so that their availability problems won't concern you as much. |
Kimberley Dietemann from Seattle on 2004-11-19 Rates them:
Greencine has slower shipping than other DVD services if you're not on the west coast. However, there is still much to appreciate about them. They donate some of their proceeds to film organizations. Employees have blogs, post personal reviews, and participate in their forums. Customer service is excellent, responsive, and friendly. Their selection is more diverse in the areas I'm interested in (foreign films, anime, etc.) |
Amanda Sawney from Stilwell on 2004-11-11 Rates them:
You guys are the best. |
Terry from Los Angeles on 2004-07-20 Rates them:
Tried Greencine for 6 mos. Great selection, absolutely horrendous availability. i waited 4-6 months for some titles which never became available. Their service offers a lot of anime if that's what you're into. Also many shipping delays (I live in LA and it sometimes took 5 days to get stuff from GC's offices in SF) if you don't live in the Bay Area. Good customer service but title availability and poor shipping times rendered them almost useless to me. Some people seem happy with them though. |
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