Red Rental Fever

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The power of Netflix means that all movies, past, present, foreign, independent, animated, documentary, short, long, horrible, and amazing are at your disposal for all to watch and experience.  I do like to think of movie watching as an experience, which is most likely why I'm so willing to drop coin at places like the Arclight and the Bridge when catching a blockbuster.  I can say that so far this year, seeing Superman Returns in Imax really came close to making movie watching an amazing experience, but much can be said about watching a good movie in the comfort of your own home.

If it wasn't for Netflix, I'd never have been able to see Takashi Miike's Audition, the entire defunct season Joss Whedon's of Firefly, or drop the odd early flavor horror of the Wicker Man in my eyeline.  A long time ago, my friends and I decided that one would have to watch at least 6 movies a month to make Netflix truly worth it.  When one can rent movies at Blockbuster for $1.99 each, it's a tall order, but the convenience of Netflix and its selection make it all the more worth it than one could ever imagine.

For instance, I just started watching The Princess and the Warrior during my lunch break.  A full third of the way through, I'm digging the sleek cinematography, the poetic dialogue, and nuanced performances.  Having first seen Run, Lola, Run at the most awesome Stanford FLICKS, I was looking forward to seeing another film by Tykwer, but wasn't expecting it to contain the same resonance in a more subtle and dramatic turn.  

What also makes the service itself handy, is being able to share movies and suggestions with friends.  They've recently unveiled a new way of browsing through the gargantuan queues and preferences of other cinema-heads and in my opinion, it's much less awkward to navigate and very engrossing.  

As long as my queue is immeasureable, I'll keep a handle on the account.  Although at times I do miss popping into the video store on a random whim and picking up dinner, the red envelope is addicting.