Monday, September 18, 2017

Empty Screens

This guy is smack on the money about how hard it is to watch an older movie on Netflix's streaming service.

Zach Schonfeld writing at Newsweek points out the very limited selection the streaming service has when it comes to movies made before 1970. I switched when the gym where I used to live got wi-fi and it was easier to stream something onto my tablet on the treadmill. But I'm thinking about switching back or maybe trading out for one of the other services Schonfeld mentions. And for that matter, everything he says about classic older movies goes and maybe even double for international movies. It's not hard to exhaust the catalogue in your fave genre if you even just want to catch two or three a week.

Netflix has some of the same misconceptions that a lot of modern culture seems to when it comes to these classics. Most of today's great directors started out on a diet of those iconic movies and it inspired their own creative visions. As bad as the screen scene is today, I shudder to think of what it might be like if future filmmakers get moved to study the craft based on a menu of Will Farrell, Judd Apatow and David Gordon Green.

2 comments:

Brian J. said...

I've found that streaming services are best for when you want to watch something, but are not very good for when you want to watch something in particular.

My viewing pattern is not such that I have a block of time to just put something on. When I want to see a movie, I generally go looking for a particular movie, and I've found that what I'm looking for is not available.

Friar said...

Exactly -- unless you have the budget for several of them then you wind up settling for something you're sort of OK with rather than something you might really like to watch.