Comments on: Netflix Nation — Have We Become Shut-Ins, or Film Scholars?

By: Bill Ward

Bill Ward — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:14:04 +0000

True enough Bill, the trend for movies has been increased choice and increased privacy. I think the social and communal aspects are really incidental, and something that can be surpassed in other ways. And as you say, it really comes down to personal choice anyway — a lot of people just don’t go out, even for a walk, when they have free time.

By: Bill the sci-fi guy

Bill the sci-fi guy — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:50:07 +0000

It doesn’t matter how knowledgeable and helpful the video store staff is, if the store doesn’t stock the movies you’re looking for. After so many years of such disappointments, Netflix is like a dream come true. And hey, I never encountered staff that was all that helpful anyway. More often than not, they had no knowledge at all of what I was looking for.

As for insularity, well, I don’t know about some people, but mingling at the video store was never a part of my social life. And no matter where you rent your movie, you’re still going to watch it in the privacy of your home. Besides, we don’t even need movies for that kind of isolationism — tv is bad enough. I know people who sit on their asses watching tv from the time they get home from work until they go to bed. I take a walk almost every evening, and as I stroll through my neighborhood, I rarely seen anyone outside their homes, even before dark. People are holed up in there staring at the boob tube. So it’s silly for anyone to blame Netflix for that.

By: Bill Ward

Bill Ward — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:27:55 +0000

That very well could be. I certainly don’t plan on turning my nose up at an affordable and somewhat perfected e-reader when they come down the pike, I just don’t see them replacing books entirely.

As with anything, we shall see . . .

By: Fred Coppersmith

Fred Coppersmith — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:12:52 +0000

…it is, however, experiential different to read a book versus a pdf.

That is slowly changing. I have (and rather love) an e-book reader. It’s a slightly different experience than reading a printed book — but not by that much, and I think the difference between the two (if not just in the number of people who care) will get smaller as e-readers continue to improve and more closely resemble what we like about printed books.

By: Bill Ward

Bill Ward — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:02:45 +0000

I agree, Fred, some of those points were very petty. And I think Netflix is mostly a change for the better. And, as you say, the majority of us did not have such fantastic video stores to peruse.

I share your concerns about the diminishment of the physical object as a means of data storage, Ben, after all I still buy CDs (dirt cheap on ebay — thanks iPod people!). It’s the analog to digital cultural conversion, and it will be interesting to see just where the pieces fall.

Obviously, people like me will cling to one physical data storage device in the form of real books to their dying day — or at least until Guy Montag comes into our bolthole and invites us to a barbecue. There is a big difference between books and other forms of data storage, however, in that they themselves are integral to the experience being enjoyed — it’s no different to watch an HD streaming movie and a DVD, it is, however, experiential different to read a book versus a pdf.

By: Benjamin Miner

Benjamin Miner — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:40:19 +0000

Greenfield’s totally awesome video store was, amazingly, put out of business by a regional variant on Lackluster Video – the stupid and utterly worthless chain made a point of being cheaper, having more copies (of the drek they did have), etc.. Our intrepid Video To Go up and folded in ‘07. While I largely agree that Netflix is a real boon to both hardcore and fairweather cinephiles, I do miss certain things about the admittedly rare gourmet video store. I miss the browsing the racks, which Netflix hasn’t really been able to mimic, though they get points for trying. I really miss browsing by director, and the honestly knowledgeable staff.
But I think the most valid point is the very fact that tangible objects as means of information storage are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. I could eulogize our local record store as well, but the fact is I myself didn’t go there very often. Technology is forcing a transition these days, and my guess is that this will largely be for the better. If Netflix is well run, they’re already planning for this. If they stay the first name in video, eliminating a costly infrastructure will make them ungodly profitable. Meanwhile, we can look forward (I hope) to musicians and filmmakers re-imagining how their work is presented through new media. I’ll still miss 12″ LP covers, though.

By: Fred Coppersmith

Fred Coppersmith — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:03:04 +0000

For every town or city that had an independent movie store, there were many more that didn’t. And if Netflix and online viewing means that someone isolated from all but the big chains (or from even those) can get a wider variety of movies, I think it’s a good trade-off. There’s more than just convenience here, even if convenience isn’t a negligible part of it. Maybe we’ve given up some community-based activities and places, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find them elsewhere, and better than long lines and understocked shelves at the local video mart. Local isn’t inherently better. And most of Corliss’ complaints about Netflix are out of the company’s control, and a few are just downright petty — maybe reflecting the way he picks and watches movies, but not necessarily the way other people would like to do it.