That's what I love about K/Ubuntu. There are so many options. Sure, there's the default ones that usually work fine. But if you want, you can go explore and usually find 3 other apps that do the same basic thing, but with a twist. So you can get the one that suits you best.

Mplayer seems like it's UI is stuck int 1999. VLC, is 99% there. Kaffeine is my choice, mainly because of it's full screen controls. I scan and seek a lot, and the finer control that Kaffeine gives is what I like.