April 18, 2011
Netflix is cool. I get it through my TiVo so I don’t even have to bother mailing any DVD’s back. Good thing too because I think my mailman steals.
Anyway, much as I like it, Netflix has a couple of drawbacks, the biggest one being that some films are not available over the ‘net, they’re disc only so you can only get them through the mail. Another one is that if you order a season of a TV show, like Columbo, for some reason 2 out of the six episodes are disc only despite being in the same set as the other four. I don’t get it.
But that’s Ok. TiVo doesn’t get it either. Check out these weird recommendations I came across last night.
What is the connection between Superman II and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan? How does enjoyment of one equal the other? I gave it some thought and I think I got the answer. Superman II starred Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor. Luthor was a super genius villain; Bobby Heenan was a super genius heel wrestling manager. I get it. Netflix thinks outside the box. I like that.
Hmm. Godzilla. Doctor Who. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three? I got it! Godzilla destroys large cities; Pelham One Two Three is set in a large city. Doctor Who was played by 11 actors over the years, all playing the same role. Pelham One Two Three was recently remade with Samuel L. Jackson playing the same role as Walter Matthau and John Travolta playing the Robert Shaw role. (Travolta replacing Shaw is not in any way an upgrade, believe you me.) You see? Netflix makes sense once you think about it. It is a nice little intellectual game.
This is a little harder. Arrested Development (a GREAT show you should be ashamed you never watched) and The Office make sense. But Pulp Fiction? Pulp fiction was known for its dialogue and quotes, like “that is a tasty burger” and “this is some fucked-up repugnant shit.” Larry Sanders’ sidekick Hank added “Hey now!” to the American lexicon. (Think that’s a stretch? Let’s see you do any better.) And how did Hank come up with hey now? ”When I was a kid, I used to say ‘hey,’ and then later I said ‘now,’ but I never put it together until later.”
You may not be aware of this but this is funny because the version of 100 Years of Horror that is available instantly is better than the one that isn’t. It is a bigger set and ten years more recent. Anyway, what is the connection between 100 Years of Horror and Fierce Creatures? Easy. Fierce Creatures is a horrible move. And that comes from a fan of a Fish Called Wanda.
OK, they are both British and I read somewhere that Douglas Adams was a fan of Pink Floyd but c’mon Netflix, this is just silly.
And lastly, here’s one Netflix asked me. I’ll leave you with this one to ponder.
Mr. Blog's Tepid Ride 
Sounds like you have a new addiction! Enjoy it, my friend.
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I think Netflix actually had a competition (involving some big bucks) for programmers to write the best “you liked this, so try that” program. Apparently making sense wasn’t one of the criteria.
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Immediately after that post I rated about two hundred more films and answered some questions and they came up with this:
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