Netflix Review

Netflix is a great easy video rental system for busy folks like me.  My life is a bit hectic, and while I have time to watch a movie from time to time, I don't always have time to go to the store, pick it out, watch it, and make sure it gets back on time.  With Netflix, I can just add movies to my list on their website whenever I have a minute (like at work even!  How convenient!) or when it comes to mind something I want to see, and they will be shipped right to my front door, when I get done watching them, I can just toss them back in the envelope, and then they will ship the next ones from my list when those arrive. 

They have a choice of plans, from one movie at a time to 4 movies at a time.  I have the three movies at a time plan (since the most time I have to watch movies is on the weekend, so at once I have one for Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night).  And I usually average three movies a week.  You could watch more movies a week if you were better about returning them as soon as you watch them, or staggered your days of the week more artfully than I do, but I tend to not get up in time on Saturday morning to get the one I watched Friday night back in the mail and the mail doesn't run on Sunday.  The videos for me arrive really quickly.  If I mail a video back on Monday, by the time I get home from work on Wednesday, there's a new movie waiting in the mailbox.

The choices are awesome.  If I could possibly want to see it, chances are netflix has it.  I so far have only searched for one thing that they didn't have and later, when I googled it, I discovered it's because that one's not been released on DVD .(For the record, it was Frank Zappa's "200 Motels", yeah, that old and weird and obscure, but they did have his "Baby Snakes")  I'm a bit of a movie junkie and have seen tons of movies, but netflix has tons of stuff I haven't seen.  Way more selections to choose from than a local video store. 

There's also a feature that lets you watch movies streaming on your computer, regardless of how many physical DVDs you already have at home.  It's good for if you accidently forget to return your movies, or are waiting on more to arrive, and find yourself wanting to watch something.  Or I've used it most for watching something my hubby doesn't want to watch.  When he's not home or not awake,etc, I can watch instant movies that he won't like, so I'm entertained, but can have all of the DVDs that arrive in the mail be something we both want to see.   The only drawbacks to the instant movies I've seen so far is that you can only watch them on your computer and the limited selection.  If I'm gonna watch a movie with my hubby, I want to watch it on my big TV from my comfy couch, not with both of us huddled in computer chairs around the 15 inch screen.  But it's okay for when I'm just watching something alone.  While the physical DVD selection is mind-boggling, so far, the instant selection is a bit small in comparison.  There's probably something cool if you don't use instant all the time, or haven't seen tons and tons of movies, but you could run out of good choices too soon.  However, the instant feature is fairly new, and they're widening the selection all the time.  It's growing.

You can review movies you've already seen anywhere (on DVD, on VHS, in the theatre, on TV), and the movies you get from them as you watch them and the system can recommend movies that you are likely to like.  I've discovered some cool movies that way.  It's recommendations are really smart.  If it says I'll like it chances are I will.  If it says that I won't like something,and I watch it anyway, it's usually right on that,too.  I've learned that in most cases, I can trust it's opinion.  The more movies you rate, the more dead on it's selections for you get.  And it shows you why it thinks you'll like it (which movies you rated highly that it based the recommendation on).  

Netflix is great.  Not a bunch of hassle.  It just automatically charges my card every month, and I have a steady supply of movies to watch.  No more wasting my evening shopping the video store.  No more late fees.  No more rushing to get movies back.  Entertainment on my schedule.