Category: All Posts

Netflix Discards Discs

January, 2004 I became a Netflix customer.

Three years later, Netflix gave me access to its brand-new streaming service.

Netflix Instant Watching

With streaming barely out of the starting gate, that August The Boston Globe profiled the expansive Netflix disc distribution center that serviced the area.

How Does Netflix Do It?

In February, 2009, exactly two years after having my first taste of Netflix streaming, the service had expanded enough to justify buying a first generation Roku player. Half a dozen streamers have come and gone from the house since then, with two Rokus and a Fire TV stick remaining.

Rockin’ Roku

In September, 2011 Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced Qwikster, a premature move away from discs.

Hastings’ hasty retreat from DVD

In April, 2017, one month after retiring, I ended my Netflix disc subscription.

Notflix

The final few days of Netflix’s physical media service, ending what it began, are here. Slate has a good opinion piece about it.

https://slate.com/culture/2023/09/netflix-dvd-rental-service-ending-movies-queue.html

A Nun Catfight and America on Trial

A copyrighted film that I expect won’t be on YouTube forever is Black Narcissus, a sort of pessimistic answer to Lost Horizon. Like many Powell and Pressburger productions it’s unusual and not to everyone’s taste. The climatic scene where Deborah Kerr confronts Kathleen Byron, who is going mad with sexual desire, is truly remarkable, being both hilarious and terrifying. The influence of Powell on Hitchcock is apparent here, especially in Vertigo.

https://youtu.be/iL8FpRgLeu0

What the heck, here’s another favorite that’s even stranger. A Matter of Life and Death is known in America as Stairway to Heaven. It starts with an emotionally devastating radio chat between David Niven and Kim Hunter. He quotes Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress,” indicating his dying words are intended to seduce the girl he can hear but not see. Which he succeeds in doing.

Class of Distinction

Here I am in a high school class play. If Elaine looked like she could have been captain of the cheerleading squad, that’s because she was. Such great acting, “pretending” to not be interested in me! 😉

Tonight I will be attending my — ulp! — 50th high school reunion. I just realized I’m dressed exactly the same way as in the picture, so I’ve made no progress at all in half a century. I’ll probably be wearing a party hat before the evening ends. Wish me luck.

Reeling Me In

Facebook wants me to watch their subscriber-submitted Reels. These examples are tame compared to others that have been appearing in my newsfeed.

Being an ‘Arlo and Janis’ fan must be the reason why Facebook’s AI is tempting me with scantily-clad young women. Not wanting to encourage the algorithm, I don’t watch them. The option to “See fewer posts like this” seems to have put more clothes on some of the girls.

Here’s one that YouTube recommends. Guitars and the straps holding them up immediately come to mind. I watched it because she’s left-handed. 😉

What hath TikTok wrought?