Netflix: The E! True Hollywood Story
It wasn't long ago that I finally let myself be persuaded by one of those millions of Internet ads that signing up for Netflix was a good idea. And it certainly has been. I had always dreamed of being able to rent as many movies as I wished and return them whenever I felt like. For anyone that rents an average of five movies per month it just makes good financial sense, but I have found there are certain drawbacks to this decision. Perhaps it is only because I want to feel like I'm getting the best deal possible, but the "unlimited" rentals idea made me want to really take that notion to its extreme.
I was immediately taken by how Netflix sets itself up online. There are rankings (Which I love. Check my interests, yo) for everything and a wonderful rating system for all of the movies. It is a goal of mine to watch and rate all of the movies in their "Top 100 Most Rented Movies" list and I'm getting really close. I have nine movies left to watch. But some of them I really just don't want to see. (The Missing? Yeah, thanks, but no thanks.) But, to be sure, I make attempts to see these movies, as well as artsy movies I know no one else has heard of, and old classics I have never seen, but always meant to. The result is one I had not expected: The renting of movies has become almost a chore.
I have now been a member of the Netflix community for about a year and it has been an interesting journey. Over the summer (The "Summer of the Budget") I did quite well with Netflix as I had hoped/planned. The idea was that I wasn't supposed to be spending money, so the entertainment portion of my life was to be the $20/month I spent on the program. I wanted to design a strategy to get a movie out of the mailbox as soon as it’s received, and return it to the post office that same day, so I could move the chain along more quickly and get my Top 100 out of the way. The results were amazing. I watched movies at an extraordinary rate. Sometimes even getting them back to Netflix on the day they were meant to arrive at my home. But as I did this, I started to lose the thrill of watching the films and began living for the process of receiving those movies. Instead of actually trying to enjoy the picture, I would already be contemplating how I wanted to rate it on Netflix ("Oh, I liked that, but I don't know if this deserves three stars or four. Why can't you give half stars?!").
By the fall, I was due for a crash, and I crashed hard. I received Chocolat, Mullholland Drive, and Scarface in early September. I had for long periods of time wanted to see all of these movies, but never had the chance. But the pressure had gotten to me. I just didn't watch them. The months passed and there they sat atop the TV. I felt impotent. The drive to watch them had left me. Like I had been in a relationship too long with Netflix and we had lost our magic. What's worse, the more time passed, the harder it became to put them in my DVD player. To be sure, I did not give up movie-watching. I watched many new movies on channels like HBO and Starz!. At times I even found myself watching my dad's rentals from Blockbuster with him or even on a rare occasion, renting from Blockbuster myself! I knew it didn't make sense, but I just couldn't stop myself. I was in the mood for a movie and had to see it that instant. I couldn't return one of the three I had in my room, because I hadn't watched them yet and the thought of wasting that opportunity seemed wrong.
Before I knew it, the season had changed. October, November, and December were all gone. January was nearing its end. And it was then I finally managed to get myself together again. One faithful evening Scarface made its way into my DVD player and finally, onto my television screen. The results were not disappointing in the least. I was back on track again. I have since slowed down a bit and have been trying to focus on the movie itself, rather than this process. Netflix is a wonderful program and one that I am glad to be part of, but heed my warning: Be careful what you wish for.
On a semi-related note: I love Before Sunrise and Before Sunset (The latter especially) because I am a big romantic doofus. Also, I've found that my work's computers have working DVD Player programs on them, which leads me to ask this obvious question:
No, not "Is it wrong to watch movies at work and be paid for it," -- Ha! Like I'd ask that! That may as well be a rhetorical question -- but rather, how many movies do you think I could watch in one shift at work? :-P
And obsession finds its way into my life once again...
Until next time.
I was immediately taken by how Netflix sets itself up online. There are rankings (Which I love. Check my interests, yo) for everything and a wonderful rating system for all of the movies. It is a goal of mine to watch and rate all of the movies in their "Top 100 Most Rented Movies" list and I'm getting really close. I have nine movies left to watch. But some of them I really just don't want to see. (The Missing? Yeah, thanks, but no thanks.) But, to be sure, I make attempts to see these movies, as well as artsy movies I know no one else has heard of, and old classics I have never seen, but always meant to. The result is one I had not expected: The renting of movies has become almost a chore.
I have now been a member of the Netflix community for about a year and it has been an interesting journey. Over the summer (The "Summer of the Budget") I did quite well with Netflix as I had hoped/planned. The idea was that I wasn't supposed to be spending money, so the entertainment portion of my life was to be the $20/month I spent on the program. I wanted to design a strategy to get a movie out of the mailbox as soon as it’s received, and return it to the post office that same day, so I could move the chain along more quickly and get my Top 100 out of the way. The results were amazing. I watched movies at an extraordinary rate. Sometimes even getting them back to Netflix on the day they were meant to arrive at my home. But as I did this, I started to lose the thrill of watching the films and began living for the process of receiving those movies. Instead of actually trying to enjoy the picture, I would already be contemplating how I wanted to rate it on Netflix ("Oh, I liked that, but I don't know if this deserves three stars or four. Why can't you give half stars?!").
By the fall, I was due for a crash, and I crashed hard. I received Chocolat, Mullholland Drive, and Scarface in early September. I had for long periods of time wanted to see all of these movies, but never had the chance. But the pressure had gotten to me. I just didn't watch them. The months passed and there they sat atop the TV. I felt impotent. The drive to watch them had left me. Like I had been in a relationship too long with Netflix and we had lost our magic. What's worse, the more time passed, the harder it became to put them in my DVD player. To be sure, I did not give up movie-watching. I watched many new movies on channels like HBO and Starz!. At times I even found myself watching my dad's rentals from Blockbuster with him or even on a rare occasion, renting from Blockbuster myself! I knew it didn't make sense, but I just couldn't stop myself. I was in the mood for a movie and had to see it that instant. I couldn't return one of the three I had in my room, because I hadn't watched them yet and the thought of wasting that opportunity seemed wrong.
Before I knew it, the season had changed. October, November, and December were all gone. January was nearing its end. And it was then I finally managed to get myself together again. One faithful evening Scarface made its way into my DVD player and finally, onto my television screen. The results were not disappointing in the least. I was back on track again. I have since slowed down a bit and have been trying to focus on the movie itself, rather than this process. Netflix is a wonderful program and one that I am glad to be part of, but heed my warning: Be careful what you wish for.
On a semi-related note: I love Before Sunrise and Before Sunset (The latter especially) because I am a big romantic doofus. Also, I've found that my work's computers have working DVD Player programs on them, which leads me to ask this obvious question:
No, not "Is it wrong to watch movies at work and be paid for it," -- Ha! Like I'd ask that! That may as well be a rhetorical question -- but rather, how many movies do you think I could watch in one shift at work? :-P
And obsession finds its way into my life once again...
Until next time.