We Have to Talk About VidAngel.
VidAngel, a video rental app for Android, iOS and Apple TV, is the Audio/Visual equivalent of a lame Christian parody t-shirt (think "may the Lord be with you" written in the Star Wars logo font). With VidAngel, you can rent movies for $1 per night (ooh!), with the option to censor out all nudity, profane and violent visual gags, and cussing (boo!).
VidAngel loves to brag about how they offer the recent mega-hit film Deadpool, but I just can't imagine what the point of watching it without violence, nudity, or cussing is. It'd be like 3 seconds long.
I was tempted to rent from VidAngel, considering you get the same RedBox-like $1/night rate even if you don't enable the censorship feature. However, I'd rather spend a few extra dollars on an iTunes Store movie rental. It's a modern "put your money where your mouth is" sort-of situation, I guess. Through their iTunes sales revenue, Apple generates funds to create more revolutionary products that move the world forward, gives back to charities and communities, and employees individuals of all identities. VidAngel? Erm, I honestly can't say for sure, but their suspiciously right-wing fanbase leads me to believe they might support charities with less-than-progressive values. That's just not a risk I'm willing to take.
I can't blame you for using VidAngel if you're a poor college student (been there) and want to watch movies for as cheap as possible (been ther-... oh wait, I was a Film Studies major, I've always been a video quality snob. Blu-ray or bust!) and are too lazy to go to the nearest RedBox (me forever and always).
This rant aside, the VidAngel ad below is super witty and hilarious. They made possible a version of the Star Wars prequel trilogy in which you can censor out all appearances and mentions of Jar Jar Binks. It's a total gimmick to highlight their censorship feature, but it's a good use of it. Hey! I like a good gimmick. Whoever thought of this deserves to work for a more forward-thinking company, like Netflix.
Editor's Note: The preceding text is my own personal opinion of VidAngel and is not intended to bash them, Christianity or its related businesses and persons. Though I consider myself spiritual and do not belong to any organized religion, I was raised Catholic and still believe in many Christian teachings.
P.S. Full disclosure, I loved Jar Jar Binks as a kid.