Let’s talk more about Netflix and its Watch Instantly service. If you’re like me and you’ve ordered yourself a Roku box, or if you prefer the old fashioned form of watching on your computer, either plugged into a TV or not, then you’ve probably found yourself spending way too much time perusing the Netflix instant viewing catalog, either to end up with way too many choices to pick just one, or without anything that seems good to watch. If you’re one of those people, I’d like to offer some suggestions for you, to help structure your wanderings.

The Good

First, some areas in which to focus. As Netflix continues to add to their catalog, there are a few areas that are already full of good choices. Let’s talk about those first.

The Classics

I think this is the best genre in their catalog. There are tons of classic films and television shows. Some of the big ones that you may have already seen (college film class anyone?) - Casablanca, A Streetcar Named Desire, Rebel Without a Cause, The Seven Year Itch, Ben-Hur, Giant, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu, The Exorcist. If you haven’t seen these, this is a good place to start. Then, there are all the movies you’ve wanted to watch, but that never made it to the top of your list. Or maybe these are movies you’ve never heard of, but should definitely check out. Movies like Bullitt, Shaft, Five Easy Pieces, Cool Hand Luke, Bonnie and Clyde, The Bridge Over the River Kwai, The General, The Wild Bunch, East of Eden, The Searchers, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The World of Henry Orient, Harvey. And the sci-fi selection is great; it includes both the good ones and the ones that are so bad they’re good. There’s Planet of the Apes, Logan’s Run, A Boy and His Dog, Forbidden Plant, The Road Warrior, The Omega Man, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Eraserhead, Soylent Green. Lots of great camp from the 50s and 60s, too. Try 20 Million Miles to Earth, Astro Zombies, or Mars Needs Women. In addition, check out the work of a few Hollywood icons:

• Stanley Kubrick - 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Killing, Barry Lyndon, Eyes Wide Shut
• Alfred Hitchcock - Vertigo, The Birds, Saboteur, The Trouble with Harry, Torn Curtain, Dial M for Murder
• Cary Grant - Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, Charade, I Was a Male War Bride, Holiday
• Clint Eastwood: Dirty Harry, Unforgiven, Every Which Way But Loose, Letters from Iwo Jima, Absolute Power

Then there’s the classic television. Shows like Magnum P.I., The Rockford Files, Leave It to Beaver, Miami Vice, The A-Team, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Saved by the Bell. Lots of stuff to choose from, no matter if your preference trends toward the 1950s, 60s, 70s or 80s. Speaking of television, this is another area Netflix has done well so far.

Television

The television selection has something to please everyone. Of course there’s lots of crap, but there are lots of gems, too. If you’ve managed to never see The Office - both British and American versions - here’s your chance to catch up. There are a number of excellent HBO and Showtime programs, like Dexter, Weeds, Dead Like Me, and The L Word. Other good contemporary shows include 30 Rock, Heroes, Law and Order, Coupling, NewsRadio. There is also lots of sci-fi. Quantum Leap, Dr. Who, Sliders, The Outer Limits, and Battlestar Galactica. There are many seasons of many of these, so there’s plenty to watch instantly. Then there are the A&E and BBC miniseries - Vanity Fair, Pride and Prejudice, North and South, and a number of other Victorian era dramas. There are shows from the National Geographic and History Channels, as well as tons of other science, history and nature shows.

Independent and Smaller Releases

There are lots of choices in the independent category. Independent films can be really quirky and sweet, funny and smart, or they can also be complete crap, so navigate this category carefully. Some to check out on Netflix would be The King of Kong, Orgazmo, Chalk, King of California, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Ten, Living in Oblivion, Sherrybaby, Conversations with Other Women. There are many others though, depending on your tastes, so look around.

Documentaries

I don’t know much about this genre, but there are myriad choices in the documentary section. From some of the bigger box office successes like Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Born into Brothels, Spellbound, Super Size Me, and March of the Penguins to smaller releases like Cocaine Cowboys, Maxed Out, The Business of Being Born, Promises, Fidel, there are documentaries on hundreds of different topics.

The Bad

Now, some areas to avoid. You’ve probably heard this complaint from other people; there are a few areas in which Netflix has not yet compiled a compelling collection for instant watching. Here are some of those.

New Blockbusters

This is the biggest complaint most people have about Netflix’s instant watching service. I’m sure it’s difficult and expensive to acquire the rights to stream most new releases. As such, there aren’t many to see. I watched the Orphanage recently, if that counts. Some other new releases include La Vie en Rose, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Pan’s Labyrinth, Conspiracy, but none of them huge blockbusters. There are more older big movies - think along the lines of Lethal Weapon, The Last of the Mohicans, A Fish Called Wanda, Cocoon, Mannequin, The Fifth Element. Well, besides Lethal Weapon, I’m not sure I’d call most of those “blockbusters,” but they are a bit more mainstream. In general, there’s just not a lot of these kinds of movies available with the instant watching service.

Comedies

Other than the comedy television shows, and the independent and classic films I’ve discussed, many of the movies classified as comedy are pretty terrible. There are a few fun ones, though. Like Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, Team America: World Police, and Beetlejuice. There’s lots of standup, if that interests you. But very little contemporary comedy.

So, overall, there’s lots of good stuff you can watch instantly with Netflix. It’s certainly not perfect, but it is a great addition to the DVD delivery portion of their business. I think it’s especially good for catching up on movies and TV shows you might have missed (or those from before you were born). And if you have any additions to this list, leave them in the comments! I’d very much like for this to be a useful resource.

Last Modified : June 10th, 2008 Filed under : life, projects, technology, travel Navigate : Previous post / Next post