Netflix Overflow - Part 1

Ok. So the Netflix Queue has 500 films in it and the website just won’t let you add any more. How do you handle this?

The first piece of advice I would give is realize what a movie-obsessed life you lead and go cold turkey. Turn to a great outdoor experience for your kicks, or, if you just need media, stick to reading. Do something that involves human interaction, like a book group. Try to avoid screenwriting groups, because you want HUMAN interaction.

If that just doesn’t sound appealing, then try keeping the names of extra movies in your head. If you need to interact with the Netflix website, set up a Queue Overflow list of some sort. If you look around the Netflix website, you’ll see these.

If you need to keep a comprehensive list of over 200 DVDs, use your favorite data storage application. If you want to make an Excel spreadsheet, make an Excel spreadsheet. If you need to set up an Oracle database to record all the DVDs you want to see, go right ahead. If you want to write the name of each movie down on a yellow sticky note and decorate your house with these, go right ahead. (The advantage of the sticky note method is that you can ceremonially burn each sticky note when you move the disc from your overflow list to your actual Netflix list.)

I just use a Word document. I use the highlighter tool to color code the movie titles, assigning quality and priority to the discs.

Once, though, I was in a film shoot in a video store. I played, “Guy in the background, looking through the videos.” I spent hours walking around the video store, looking at videos. I thought the character would want to remember all of those videos he was looking out, so I pulled out my checkbook and started writing interesting film titles on the back of it. Here are the results:

Currently in the Rentlist Word document:

• Alias (S‑1) 3,4,5,6 (S‑2) 1,2,3,4,5,6
• Battle o/t Planets 1,2,3,4,5,6
• Prime Suspect 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12
• Crime Story (S-1) 1,2,3,4 (S-2) 1,2,3,4
• The Wire (S-1) 4,5 (S-2) 1,2,3, 4,5
• Northern Exposure (S-3) 1,2,3, 4,5,6
• Kids i/t Hall (S-1) 1,2,3,4 (S‑2) 1,2,3,4
• Shakespeare BBC Series (Com) 1,2,3,4,5 (Tra) 1,2,3, 4,5
• Deadwood 1,2,3,4,5,6
• Taken 1,2,3,4,5,6
• Curb Your Ent (S3) 2 (S4) 1,2
• Astro Boy 1,2,3,4,5
• Lone Wlf/Cb 1,2,3,4, 5,6
• Tom Jones 1,2
• Buffy (S‑2) 1,2,3, 4,5,6 (S-3) 1,2,3,4,5,6 (S-4) 1,2,3, 4,5,6 (S-5) 1,2,3,4,5,6
• Red Dwarf 1,2,3,4
• Brideshead Revisited 1,2,3
• War and Remem. 1,2, 3,4,5,6,7,8 9,10,11,12
• The Presidents Collection (R) 1,2,3,4 (D) 1,2,3,4
• Victory at Sea 1,2,3,4
• Cosmos 1,2,3,4,5,6,7
• Zaotichi series 1,2,3,4,5,6, 7,8,9,10,11, 12,13,14,15, 16,17,18,19, 20,21,22,23, 24,25,25
• 35 Up, 42 Up
• The Jazz Singer
• A Place in the Sun
• High Noon
• I am Curious – Blue
• War and Peace
• The Children’s Hour
• Of Mice and Men
• 1984
• Equus
• Bad Girls
• Open Your Eyes
• Full Frontal
• Cinema Paradiso
• Little Man Tate
• Bartleby
• Tin Men
• Love in the Afternoon
• Twist
• Cries & Whispers
• Tumbleweeds
• The Cranes are Flying
• The Horses Mouth
• Ballad of a Soldier
• Hearts & Minds
• Ratcatcher
• Five Easy Pieces
• Kiss Me Kate
• Rabbit-Proof Fence
• The Soldiers
• The Decameron
• Anna and the King
• Paris, When It Sizzles
• Sleuth
• Sophie’s Choice
• Big Jake
• Le Mans
• Rio Lobo
• Little Big Man
• The Ruling Class
• Sophie’s Choice
• Heaven’s Prisoners
• Malice
• The Walter Ego
• Plain Clothes
• Hoffa
• Things Change
• This Boy’s Life
• In Praise of Love
• Benedict Arnold
• Fahrenheit 451
• Outlaw Josey Wales
• Woman of the Year
• Menace II Society
• Swept Away
• China Moon
• Day for Night
• Smoke
• Blue in the Face
• The Cherry Orchard
• Egypt’s Golden Empire
• The Ox-Bow Incident
• Desk Set
• Paris Holiday
• Winter Light
• The Silence
• Heartbreakers
• Passion Fish
• Tortilla Soup
• Mildred Pearce
• The Paper Chase
• 300 Spartans
• Unchained Memories
• Shampoo
• Kissing Jessica Stein
• The Rose
• Cry Baby
• The Fast Runner
• Decasia
• Winter Sleepers
• Made
• Swingers