Saturday, June 24, 2006

Rounding out the Netflix List

If the Netflix list looks like a sloppy jumble of everything, that is because it is a sloppy jumble of everything. The only discs that really matter are the first five, and the rest of the Queue is just a repository of titles. As long as I have Ctrl+F, there is no reason to order or classify the discs in a particular way.

A lot of time, the list is on auto pilot. Being a cinematic omnivore usually means you just take what is given to you and appreciate it as much as you can. Sometimes, though, it is important to bump a film up to the top of the list.

Movies tend to get bumped to the top of the list when I know there is a movie conversation coming up. For example, I was recently involved in a conversation about the film, “City of God.” The movie was in the 400 range of the Netflix list, but after this conversation, it moved to the top spot. The next time I’m in a similar social situation, I’ll conduct a follow-up conversation about “City of God.”

And that is how it works. Steady stream of entertaining jumble until interesting human interaction happens, and then things get reordered. Because no matter how much I like watching movies, I like the ideas behind the movies more. I like talking about the ideas and discussing films.

In a super-saturated media culture, I think many pundits forget why people ultimately rely on media so much – they want to connect with other people. We watch Saturday Night Live so we can talk about (or even reenact) the skits. We troll MySpace to find someone who seems to have similar interests. We work through 3 to 5 Netflix films a week so we know what we’re talking about when we proclaim the one of the signs of the apocalypse is surely the pairing Akiva Goldsmith and Michael Bay to re-envision the TV show “Simon and Simon” as a big-budget action flick.

Currently in the Netflix Queue at approximately the 400 to 500 positions:

  • Macbeth
  • Luther
  • Brigadoon
  • Tanner '88: Disc 2
  • Around the World in 80 Days
  • Saved!
  • Art in the 21st Century: S 1 and 2: Disc 2
  • Support Your Local Sheriff!
  • The Great Ziegfeld
  • Body Heat
  • Star Blazers: Ser. 3: Bolar Wars: Part II
  • Amores Perros
  • 28 Up
  • Star Blazers: Ser. 3: Bolar Wars: Part III
  • Star Blazers: Ser. 3: Bolar Wars: Part IV
  • Space Battleship Yamato: The New Voyage
  • In Search of Shakespeare: Disc 2
  • Star Blazers: Ser. 3: Bolar Wars: Part V
  • Star Blazers: Ser. 3: Bolar Wars: Part VI
  • Grave of the Fireflies
  • Be Forever Yamato
  • Final Yamato
  • Keep the River on Your Right
  • Eat Drink Man Woman
  • Empires: Martin Luther
  • Faust
  • Northern Exposure: Season 2: Disc 2
  • Paradise Lost: Child Murders at Robin Hood
  • Northern Exposure: Season 2: Disc 3
  • Northern Exposure: Season 2: Disc 4
  • Mayor of the Sunset Strip
  • Freaks
  • The Thomas Crown Affair
  • King of the Hill: Season 6: Disc 3
  • Light Keeps Me Company
  • The Wire: Season 1: Disc 4
  • The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
  • Alias: Season 1: Disc 2
  • Nobody Knows
  • Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
  • Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
  • Secret Honor
  • In Cold Blood
  • Identity

Currently in DVD limbo at the bottom of the Netflix Queue:

  • 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould
  • Arrested Development: Season 3
  • Brick
  • Explosive Dance
  • Kiss of the Spider Woman
  • Les Vampires
  • Marlene
  • Merry Christmas (Joyeux Noel)
  • Nico Icon
  • Phantasm
  • Richard Pryor: Live in Concert
  • Roots: Disc 2
  • Roots: Disc 3
  • Serial Mom
  • Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense
  • Thank You for Smoking
  • The World at War: Disc 1
  • The World at War: Disc 2
  • The World at War: Disc 3
  • The World at War: Disc 4
  • The World at War: Disc 5: Bonus Material
  • Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl

1 comment:

Courtney said...

I want to hear what you think of City of God. It's been a bit since I saw it, but I recall it took my breath away.

In skimming I noticed "Saved!"--fyi, your preacher cousin-in-law is great conversation for that film, so might be worth seeing before the next family reunion.