OT: Spoiler Alert [Spoiler Alert ((Spoiler Alert))] (The Newly Annual Non-Pens Media Thread)

[dogthateats]

I think The Haunting of Hill House is the first new thing I've watched on Netflix in a while. Not sure if that's a Netflix original even. Stranger things is the only thing I am really looking forward to that I know is a Netflix Original. Beasts of No Nation is the only Netflix movie that I have even watched I think. I've watched a lot more on Hulu, HBO, and Amazon in the last year or two.

Mindhunter is decent.
My favorite shows of late have been HBO originals. Barry, Succession, and Euphoria.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Mindhunter is decent.
My favorite shows of late have been HBO originals. Barry, Succession, and Euphoria.

I think Succession is next on my list

 

[Andy99]

Mindhunter is decent.
My favorite shows of late have been HBO originals. Barry, Succession, and Euphoria.

I forgot to add Mindhunter...great show too

 

[DanielPlainview]

Because the flood of other streaming services (and the delusion of the cable networks in thinking they can challenge Netflix or Prime or Disney in a market they don't understand) is an existential threat to Netflix and Hulu. That threat isn't on the horizon--it's here today. Netflix and Hulu need as much content as possible as soon as possible.

Trial and error on a massive scale, even at massive cost, is the only possible way to generate what they need to survive on the timeline they need it to survive.

I understand services are trying to challenge Netflix, but thinking the only way to keep customers is to flood your library with crap is a significant misstep.

 

[billybudd]

I understand services are trying to challenge Netflix, but thinking the only way to keep customers is to flood your library with crap is a significant misstep.

The only way to fill your library with quality quickly is to fill it with everything quickly and hope some of that is the right kind of quality that generates buzz. Quality, itself, isn't enough (they've got a good Ted Bundy special, but I bet hardly anyone watched it except me). Netflix and Hulu don't have the luxury of time to sit around for three years waiting for a "can't miss" script. If they do that, they'll be at the beginning of an inescapable death spiral.

And it's not that Netflix originals, OA or whatever, are bad, per se. Another Life is very much the only thing I've seen on Netflix that was anywhere near as bad as it was. Netflix Originals' problem isn't that they're usually bad, but that they're usually just not interesting enough for massive amounts of busy people to justify the time investment to sit through them in an over-crowded entertainment media landscape. They have to keep a bunch of pucks in play and hope that one of them is Daredevil or Stranger Things or Chappelle Comedy Special (or whatever).

Do you think Netflix knew it had a hit when it approved Birdbox? Of course it didn't. That was just one project among many that, for whatever reason, connected with a lot of people. There's no way of knowing ahead of time that Birdbox (a Sandra Bullock horror flick with high production values) will be water-cooler material and Hold the Dark (a Geoffrey Wright horror flick that's similar in tone and production values to Birdbox) will pass unnoticed without putting them both out there and seeing what happens.

Or Murder Mystery. Netflix made a bunch of Sandler movies that nobody watched, but then they make that one and people did, so now they're making another one. Why did Netflix Sandler movie #7 connect with people when the first 6 didn't? Who knows.

If they want to fill out quickly enough to stay relevant, they need a lot of chips on the table.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

So I just watched The Huntsman: Winters War and wondered throughout why they made a Snow White movie without Snow White in it.

Oddly enough, I didn't mind the movie as much as apparently the critics did. Maybe I'm easily entertained with fight scenes and pretty ladies.

 

[LOGiK]

some great series on Netflix...in addition to Stranger Things, recently watched Money Heist, Glitch, Living with Yourself (Paul Rudd, who was excellent) and Ozark (Jason Bateman)...all were terrific...

Theres a ton of good stuff on netflix, you just have to find it.
Also, my main point in responding and liking your post was 'Living With Yourself'. That show really is good and Paul Rudd is fantastic in it. I had a strange liking for that guy for some reason ever since 'Clueless'

 

[Ogrezilla]

Theres a ton of good stuff on netflix, you just have to find it.
Also, my main point in responding and liking your post was 'Living With Yourself'. That show really is good and Paul Rudd is fantastic in it. I had a strange liking for that guy for some reason ever since 'Clueless'

He's just a super likeable dude.

 

[HandshakeLine]

He's just a super likeable dude.

Paul Rudd was even good in Mute, which was a hot steaming shit of a film. Also, his Tim and Eric appearances were genius.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Theres a ton of good stuff on netflix, you just have to find it.
Also, my main point in responding and liking your post was 'Living With Yourself'. That show really is good and Paul Rudd is fantastic in it. I had a strange liking for that guy for some reason ever since 'Clueless'

Which is my main beef with the platform-- it's impossible by design to go through their catalog, and the search algorithms are absolutely terrible. I get that they want to promote the things they paid money for and need to see a return on their investment over the things they bought for cheap (often just to hoard them against other media platforms acquiring the rights to them), but it's annoying as all hell.

 

[Fogel]

If I was to order the UI for the streaming services that I am familiar with from most user friendly to least, I would go Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+. By no means do I think Netflix is flawless, but man, the others feel very clunky to me by comparison.

 

[billybudd]

If I was to order the UI for the streaming services that I am familiar with from most user friendly to least, I would go Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+. By no means do I think Netflix is flawless, but man, the others feel very clunky to me by comparison.

Finding things on Prime without knowing exactly what it is you're looking for is especially rough.

 

[DanielPlainview]

Netflix signed a deal with Nickelodeon. Looks to be for past and new exclusive content.

 

[DanielPlainview]

The only way to fill your library with quality quickly is to fill it with everything quickly and hope some of that is the right kind of quality that generates buzz. Quality, itself, isn't enough (they've got a good Ted Bundy special, but I bet hardly anyone watched it except me). Netflix and Hulu don't have the luxury of time to sit around for three years waiting for a "can't miss" script. If they do that, they'll be at the beginning of an inescapable death spiral.

And it's not that Netflix originals, OA or whatever, are bad, per se. Another Life is very much the only thing I've seen on Netflix that was anywhere near as bad as it was. Netflix Originals' problem isn't that they're usually bad, but that they're usually just not interesting enough for massive amounts of busy people to justify the time investment to sit through them in an over-crowded entertainment media landscape. They have to keep a bunch of pucks in play and hope that one of them is Daredevil or Stranger Things or Chappelle Comedy Special (or whatever).

Do you think Netflix knew it had a hit when it approved Birdbox? Of course it didn't. That was just one project among many that, for whatever reason, connected with a lot of people. There's no way of knowing ahead of time that Birdbox (a Sandra Bullock horror flick with high production values) will be water-cooler material and Hold the Dark (a Geoffrey Wright horror flick that's similar in tone and production values to Birdbox) will pass unnoticed without putting them both out there and seeing what happens.

Or Murder Mystery. Netflix made a bunch of Sandler movies that nobody watched, but then they make that one and people did, so now they're making another one. Why did Netflix Sandler movie #7 connect with people when the first 6 didn't? Who knows.

If they want to fill out quickly enough to stay relevant, they need a lot of chips on the table.

No. They got some press for a couple of movies, but the vast majority of what they put out goes unnoticed and barely watched - they're wasting resources on crap. They'd be better off focusing on quality. Everyone always is.

Yes, Netflix knew what they had with a Sandra Bullock movie. People love Sandra Bullock and people like existential horror. It's the same equation that used to make House of Cards; people like(d) Kevin Spacey and they like political drama - presto.

 

[billybudd]

No. They got some press for a couple of movies, but the vast majority of what they put out goes unnoticed and barely watched - they're wasting resources on crap. They'd be better off focusing on quality. Everyone always is.

We're going in circles. Netflix does not have the time to be discriminating enough that nothing that is not of "quality" is produced. If it waits, and only makes things it's absolutely sure about, there will be no Netflix. The pace with which Netflix produces hits must greatly exceed the rate that a company like HBO does. HBO has 40 years worth of material to fall back on. Netflix doesn't.

Netflix has to roll the dice. Take chances on things it isn't sure will find an audience. Its existential fight is already here. If Netflix had made House of Cards, then nothing for five years because no great script came along, then Stranger Things, then nothing for 4 years because no great scripts came along--which is the strategy you're arguing for--Netflix would already be at the end of its existence. They wasted less money, but they're out of business. That's not a good tradeoff.

Yes, Netflix knew what they had with a Sandra Bullock movie. People love Sandra Bullock and people like existential horror. It's the same equation that used to make House of Cards; people like(d) Kevin Spacey and they like political drama - presto.

People love Geoffrey Wright, people love survival horror and Hold the Dark failed.

People love Will Smith, people love sci-fi, people especially love Will Smith in sci-fi, but Bright failed.

Birdbox was a shot from the perimeter, just like these other two. Shots from the perimeter are low percentage, but if those are all that's available and you don't take the shots before the clock runs out, you will 100% lose.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Finding things on Prime without knowing exactly what it is you're looking for is especially rough.

They’re all rough by design, exactly for the reason that they’d rather you use the algorithms they’ve designed (in order to possibly later sell that data). There’s been a lot of good academic work done on this recently I can try to summarize, time and interest permitting.

 

[vodeni]

Paul Rudd was even good in Mute, which was a hot steaming **** of a film. Also, his Tim and Eric appearances were genius.

[/QUOT
I kind of liked Mute, kind of beautiful mess with some really good characters..the whole MASH reference, Duncn Jones always delivers...

 

[DanielPlainview]

We're going in circles. Netflix does not have the time to be discriminating enough that nothing that is not of "quality" is produced. If it waits, and only makes things it's absolutely sure about, there will be no Netflix. The pace with which Netflix produces hits must greatly exceed the rate that a company like HBO does. HBO has 40 years worth of material to fall back on. Netflix doesn't.

Netflix has to roll the dice. Take chances on things it isn't sure will find an audience. Its existential fight is already here. If Netflix had made House of Cards, then nothing for five years because no great script came along, then Stranger Things, then nothing for 4 years because no great scripts came along--which is the strategy you're arguing for--Netflix would already be at the end of its existence. They wasted less money, but they're out of business. That's not a good tradeoff.



People love Geoffrey Wright, people love survival horror and Hold the Dark failed.

People love Will Smith, people love sci-fi, people especially love Will Smith in sci-fi, but Bright failed.

Birdbox was a shot from the perimeter, just like these other two. Shots from the perimeter are low percentage, but if those are all that's available and you don't take the shots before the clock runs out, you will 100% lose.

HBO's library isn't that large and they're not pumping out new productions at a great pace. Netflix going the way they're going, they're going to soil their brand as something with 90% crap, cheap productions. It's not a winning strategy. Taking a little bit of time to turn down garbage and put in some quality control for what is green-lit would definitely be worth it.

The vast majority of America knows who Sandra Bullock is. If you showed them a picture, they'd be able to name her instantly. Like Kevin Spacey. Like Matthew McConaughey. Jeffrey Wright is not anywhere near Sandra Bullock. Ask a random person what they're favorite Jeffrey Wright film is and you're most likely going to get a blank stare (most people are not film buffs who are going to correctly tell you it's Syriana).

Netflix knew Birdbox was a breadbasket. They spent the money to get Sandra Bullock and Hollywood production values at a time when they're just throwing things at the wall. They knew what they were doing.

 

[Fogel]

One thing I found, Disney+ has placeholders for movies/shows that they don't have for rights to yet. They have a picture of it, but when you click on it, it has a message of coming Month, Day Year. While I could see that for some stuff coming imminently like a few weeks or month or two, they have some stuff they wont have available until 2021. Talk about literal click bait.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

My girlfriend has never seen any of the Star Wars movies. I'm working from home today and need to distract her a bit, so I just put on A New Hope.

Let's see how she likes it.

 

[Malkinstheman]

Supposedly the whole plot of "The rise of Skywalker" was released...and oh buddy. If they're true, its gonna be a game of thrones situation all over again. The plot basically undermines and pisses all over the Original Trilogy.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Supposedly the whole plot of "The rise of Skywalker" was released...and oh buddy. If they're true, its gonna be a game of thrones situation all over again. The plot basically undermines and pisses all over the Original Trilogy.

I sure hope not. Where did you see this news?

 

[Jacob]

If you have letterboxd I’m on there as braderunner.

 

[Malkinstheman]

I sure hope not. Where did you see this news?

A poster with "sources" on reddit. Supposedly marketing material has been matching what he says.

SPOILER

 

[Randy Butternubs]

A poster with "sources" on reddit. Supposedly marketing material has been matching what he says.

SPOILER

Oh, that's old news to me. I think it's like 50% accurate.