Netflix and chill thread (also other streaming services I suppose)

That_Guy

Let's get this out of the way, first. NO ANIME. That well was poisoned long ago and we don't talk about it anymore.



At this point Netflix is pretty self-explanatory. If you don't know what it is, I simply can't help you. No one can.

For as little as 10 bucks a month (American) you can stream movies and TV shows from your computer, home media devices, videogames, tablets, smartphones, pretty much anything that has an internet connection. You want the physical discs, you pay a little more, they come in the mail, you enjoy them, ship them back, get new ones, etc.

The company is such a heavyweight they have even ventured into original programming:






They have even introduced the use of profiles to help keep your tastes and preferences from being messed up by your SO or roommate, easing that confusing feeling of seeing all these suggestions for Rob Schneider or Rachel McAdams films pop up:

But you can have so much stuff at your beck and call these days, with it's ever updating roster of choices, that it can be paralyzing. That's what this thread is for!

With the help of websites like Netflix's own blog (which includes things like ISP speed indexes) Instant Watcher and your fellow forumers, you can see what new releases Netflix has that go beyond their suggested viewing choices, since we are all special snowflakes that have the algorithm machine suggesting different things. But you can't trust the machine! Despite giving Weeds 1 star it insists on telling me that Orange Is The New Black is 4.5 stars, that's the kind of shenanigans you won't expect from your fellow man.


Sadly, Netflix no longer provides the expiration time for certain films and shows like they did in the past, so if you see something you like, jump on it as soon as you can.


What This Thread Is:
This thread is for asking for suggestions on what new movies or shows to watch, what films or programs you enjoyed or didn't that are currently available on Netflix (mainly tailored on the streaming end since they seem to have physical copies of everything), their original shows, the varying lists of available titles in each country or region of the globe, and so forth.

For instance, you might have seen one of their new original shows like Hemlock Grove, or the excellent show Saxondale but didn't know where to put your praise and recommendation for others or other shows similar to this work of art? This would be the place. Want to let everyone know the so-bad-it's-good film The Miami Connection is now on instant streaming, or the 80's classic The Breakfast Club? This is where you do the dew. Need some advice on whether you should continue watching a show that's available, come at me bro.

Conversely, you might have just finished watching that terrible show Weeds which was recently added to Netflix and just wanted to say outside of Kevin Nealon it's crap and that you can't believe it was recommended to you with 4 stars, here's the place. Be respectful of spoilers, particularly ongoing or recently finished shows. Older, more well know shows, like Saved By The Bell (which is available!), you can say what you want, like how the episodes are all out of order and they have the Tori episodes listed as their own season after the graduation episode which makes no sense am I right? Wait....what?

What This Thread Isn't:
This is not the place for ongoing talks about movies, that is what the Movie Thread is for. This is also not the place to talk about shows that have developed such a strong presence on this forum that they have their own threads such as Mad Men or Breaking Bad or Archer, all of which are available on the service. Think of this thread like the trailer thread: It's similar but still separate from the Movie Thread. If talk about certain Netflix original shows seems to overtake the thread, that might be a sign that it could branch out on its own and we will push the bird from the nest.

AGAIN NO ANIME. It's one thing to say a certain anime is up on Netflix or Hulu, but this is not a secret anime thread for discussion about anime things. You can say something is good or bad or recommend something if someone asks and that's it.


So stream, clog the tubes with something besides porn, slack off from work, watch a TV show while you attempt to drive home in traffic on a rainy day.

Master Codex of streaming sites
https://www.netflix.com
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/getstarted
https://www.youtube.com/
https://www.hulu.com/
https://www.hbonow.com
https://play.google.com/store/movies
http://www.vudu.com/movies/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/movies/id33
https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com

Shadowfire

I've benn watching Shannara Chronicles. It's pulpy and kind of silly. No regrets.

Xeddicus

Spoilers for the end of Shannara Chronicles:

Fuck that tree for withholding vital information. It caused the entire problem in the first place by not keeping it's shit together and then surprise.

Mojo_Jojo

I rounded off Spotless last night

It's a bit all over the place but I'd probably watch a second series. They set up a few mysteries that suggest it would go in a slightly different direction.

It was good to see them avoid becoming a procedural. The pitch made it sound a little bit like Dexter.

The real thing that needs resolving is how and why the french language was exterminated in the setting. At least I hope it's part of the setting and not just a grating choice to do flashbacks in French and have several French characters all conduct conversations with one another in English for no clear reason

LostNinja

Shadowfire wrote: »

I've benn watching Shannara Chronicles. It's pulpy and kind of silly. No regrets.

Yeah, once you accept that the visual effects are not going to be good, and embrace the cheesiness of it all, it's actually a really fun show.

Phillishere

LostNinja wrote: »

Shadowfire wrote: »

I've benn watching Shannara Chronicles. It's pulpy and kind of silly. No regrets.

Yeah, once you accept that the visual effects are not going to be good, and embrace the cheesiness of it all, it's actually a really fun show.

I like that it totally commits to itself. There isn't a wink-wink, nudge-nudge in sight. This is a cheesy show that is dead serious about its war between elves and monsters.

Quid

Got the wife hooked on Voltron.

Dark Raven X

Little Prince was lovely. Got me gooder than most Pixar movies.

Also been watching Peaky Blinders at Lady Raven's request. Despite being born n' raised in Birmingham, I'd never had much interest in it. And... it's OK! I like the aesthetic, and the supporting cast is all fantastic, but Cillian Murphy only has one facial expression throughout, and I find myself not caring when anything good or bad happens to him.

MrMister

Been watching Occupied (Okkupert). It's a Norwegian political drama/thriller, set in a near future in which Russian forces have staged a velvet glove invasion of Norway in order to restore oil production; it follows the resulting uneasy peace—but of course everything is threatening to go to hell. It's generally well done, and one of the interesting things about it is that the main sympathetic characters we follow are more or less collaborators, people who think that acceding to Russian demands is the best and only way to eventually getting them to leave and returning to their pre-conflict sovereignty. Not a story you see too often.

(I'd post the trailer, but it actually has semi-significant spoilers, aka if you're paying attention it reveals a couple things I'm only discovering midseason).

TexiKen

I hated Occupied, felt like a bad Scandinavian knockoff of 24 that was way too up its ass. I've got a review of it in the old thread I need to find.

At the same time I couldn't stop watching, it was my fist hate watch show



Edit: here we go

TexiKen wrote: »

I finished the first season of Occupied and it was still a glorious trainwreck of smug and terribleness I was unable to look away from. It even pulls a "fuck you, you're not getting a proper season finale" type ending planning to go into a second season, which makes it even more baffling at how it thinks it's so much superior to a 24 when really, it sucks.

spoilers for anyone who cares, but it's so dumb you'll just be baffled.

Alrighty, so Russia occupies Norway and everyone's ok with this in the beginning, barely, but a soldier tries to kill the russian ambassador and Norway Jack Bauer stops him, so he becomes really close and trustworthy to the Russians. But surprise, the Norway army is actually setting up a resistance! And they bomb the car of Norway Jack Bauer thinking he's a traitor, but they actually take out a young teen blogger who was posting anti-russian stuff online. He was brought in for questioning and the police threaten to reveal to his parents that he's gay because whatever server is hosting his blog is also home to some gay porn sites or something on their server structure. Even though it doesn't really come across as him being gay, he's just sort of borderline autistic and a recluse. But whatever, he's in the parking garage about to be taken back to his house and boom goes the dynamite, although Norway Jack Bauer only gets some scrapes on him.

Anyway, the resistance is being led by the fat lady who is the Chief of Police, who surprisingly has an inoperable brain tumor, which is the whole reason she's doing this in the first place. Not really out of wanting to protect Norway, but because she's going to die anyway in six months so whatever, let's just very poorly attempt to show her helping the resistance by being so blatantly obvious in changing how she operates the police to an almost 180 degree turn.

Still, the day the Russians are supposed to leave the oil refinery, it's blown up, with a bomb stuck on the van carrying the Russian oil refinery workers! And this is a big thing, Russia decides to stay, and the Norwegian Prime Minister is all WTF and they're all F U Not Sweden and then in response the Prime Minister says all russians, get out. Because Norway's northern border is like America's border with Mexico and basically russians be pouring in and are probably all KGB.

AND THEN some russians sneak into the big important Oslo government building and hold the Prime Minister hostage and demand he stop deporting people so Norway Jack Bauer goes over there to negotiate but the fat cop lady orders the SWAT team to kill the hostage takers, which makes russia all WTF did you do that for? We're mad now and won't let our ambassador see you guys anymore!

Meanwhile, that journalist guy who is the liberal superhero wet dream I mentioned in the last post about this show? Well, his wife is cheating on him with a russian bodyguard because she's the only russian friendly restaurant in town and literally right across the street. So he's now all "screw those russians, man." He discovers that the russians who died at the refinery were actually a bunch of prisoners from the nearest russian city who were brought into the country to just be killed. Because you see, russia did this all along because they're eeeeeevil and want the oils, even though the show seemingly ignores russia's own oil production this entire time but whatever, screw history. But when the journalist goes to investigate in russia, on his daughter's birthday, he dies. Because this is stock writing 101 symbolism metaphors strawmen something something.

So the Norwegian Prime Minister is all "everyone be trying to kill me yo" and hides out in the US Embassy, being a real bad guest, hogging all the meeting rooms and then deliberately sending the russians to an island in the north that 30 nations have shared rights to, knowing if the russians start shit they'll drag the US into this. And even tells the BBC that if Russia tries anything the US will intervene, even though they said no such thing and the ambassador is all "grrrrr, you're a bad guest and not doing what we agreed you would be doing." So once that happens the US ambassador poisons the Prime Minister with liquid nicotine to make him go to a hospital where he's off US soil. And then he's kidnapped by the Free Norway people to lead the resistance. And that fat cop lady? She records a video saying she's the leader of the Free Norway and that now is the time to attack and resist, but she kills herself and forces a priest to cremate her body so no one knows she died but believe she went deep into hiding. She also kills her cat in a real dick move because what did the cat do but love you and you couldn't even give it to your neighbor?

Meanwhile, the Russian Ambassador is kidnapped when she's at a spa doing her swimming exercises by the Free Norway soldiers and shown ISIS style to be executed in 24 hours unless the russians leave, and to show the army is evil and bad they execute one of her bodyguards. Norwegian Jack Bauer saves her even though he lets one of the resistance leave (because she's a chick basically), but it's too late because the Norway army kill some russian generals who arrive in the country to plan further occupation. So at the end of the season Jack Bauer is now the chief of police, the Prime Minister is being held captive by the norwegian army, and Russia basically takes over with a puppet regime.

There are so, so, so many instances of the authorities being pussies about such a severe situation, even beyond it being made for TV. There are multiple instances where the cops would have been validated in shooting someone, at point blank no less to avoid a chase when they have evidence these guys are baddies, yet they don't shoot. And it's not like there's a gaggle of schoolkids nearby or this is an innocent kid who they aren't sure about, Norwegian Jack Bauer is like 4 feet away from the guys sometimes and thinks saying "Don't move or I'll shoot" is all he needs to say. Guess what? They run. And he doesn't even shoot them in the foot or try to tackle them or anything. This happens at least three times when it is clearly vital to do more to avoid further complications but nah, screw that. And it's trying so hard to be a shades of grey show that it's losing any edge or even validity to the plots of the show, forcing these ideas to exist with your standard generic hollywood character tropes. If they let the characters be original in their depth it would have more of a chance than being this bad bad spy thriller.

I put up with the season because it was a car crash, but pulling that kind of ending shows me they don't really know what they're gonna do, just try and make it more confusing and dumb to the point where I bet everyone will no longer be Jack Bauers but Tonys, quadruple crossing everyone for the oil because blah blah blah whatever.

Shadowfire

LostNinja wrote: »

Shadowfire wrote: »

I've benn watching Shannara Chronicles. It's pulpy and kind of silly. No regrets.

Yeah, once you accept that the visual effects are not going to be good, and embrace the cheesiness of it all, it's actually a really fun show.

The effects really aren't that bad. The only thing really bugging me so far is

Fucking Cephelo! I mean, James Remar usually plays shitheads, but come on. The rest of the group is totally ok with this person traveling with them after he raped one of them and tried to rape the other. Kill that dick!

Shadowfire

Oh shit! Kari Byron, Grant Imahara, and Tory Belecci return in White Rabbit Project, complete with the original production team!

LostNinja

Shadowfire wrote: »

LostNinja wrote: »

Shadowfire wrote: »

I've benn watching Shannara Chronicles. It's pulpy and kind of silly. No regrets.

Yeah, once you accept that the visual effects are not going to be good, and embrace the cheesiness of it all, it's actually a really fun show.

The effects really aren't that bad. The only thing really bugging me so far is

Fucking Cephelo! I mean, James Remar usually plays shitheads, but come on. The rest of the group is totally ok with this person traveling with them after he raped one of them and tried to rape the other. Kill that dick!

I think it was just the cgi demons that bugged me. They are (understandably) on par with a SyFy movie and Once Upon a Time (those are the best examples of consistently bad cgi I can come up with). Visually, the scenery and everything else is beautiful, but that's what I've come to expect of any show filmed in New Zealand.

joshofalltrades

Shadowfire wrote: »

Oh shit! Kari Byron, Grant Imahara, and Tory Belecci return in White Rabbit Project, complete with the original production team!

This just looks like Mythbusters 2.0 with even less pretense for doing awesome shit. It's going to fill a big void now that Mythbusters is approaching the end.

That_Guy

joshofalltrades wrote: »

Shadowfire wrote: »

Oh shit! Kari Byron, Grant Imahara, and Tory Belecci return in White Rabbit Project, complete with the original production team!

This just looks like Mythbusters 2.0 with even less pretense for doing awesome shit. It's going to fill a big void now that Mythbusters is approaching the end.

There are far FAR too few TV shows in the same vein as Mythbusters. We need more pop science and engineering shows. I'm thrilled they are getting their own show. Doubly so on Netflix.

Shadowfire

That_Guy wrote: »

joshofalltrades wrote: »

Shadowfire wrote: »

Oh shit! Kari Byron, Grant Imahara, and Tory Belecci return in White Rabbit Project, complete with the original production team!

This just looks like Mythbusters 2.0 with even less pretense for doing awesome shit. It's going to fill a big void now that Mythbusters is approaching the end.

There are far FAR too few TV shows in the same vein as Mythbusters. We need more pop science and engineering shows. I'm thrilled they are getting their own show. Doubly so on Netflix.

Now where the fuck is Mike Rowe? He needs a show on Netflix!

Messy Occupations.

skyknyt

Shadowfire wrote: »

That_Guy wrote: »

joshofalltrades wrote: »

Shadowfire wrote: »

Oh shit! Kari Byron, Grant Imahara, and Tory Belecci return in White Rabbit Project, complete with the original production team!

This just looks like Mythbusters 2.0 with even less pretense for doing awesome shit. It's going to fill a big void now that Mythbusters is approaching the end.

There are far FAR too few TV shows in the same vein as Mythbusters. We need more pop science and engineering shows. I'm thrilled they are getting their own show. Doubly so on Netflix.

Now where the fuck is Mike Rowe? He needs a show on Netflix!

Messy Occupations.

I'd also accept reruns of his QVC days.

Duffel

Saw this series called Between in my recommended list and gave it a shot the other day on the treadmill.

First impressions were basically:

Lost plus The Stand plus Jericho plus the CW. Minus: any sense of fun whatsoever. Also minus music, for some reason.

Was I jumping to conclusions here? Is there any reason to stick with this or is it a dud?

doomybear

I watched A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence. I liked it.

Ketar

Duffel wrote: »

Saw this series called Between in my recommended list and gave it a shot the other day on the treadmill.

First impressions were basically:

Lost plus The Stand plus Jericho plus the CW. Minus: any sense of fun whatsoever. Also minus music, for some reason.

Was I jumping to conclusions here? Is there any reason to stick with this or is it a dud?

The reviews on it made it sound so bad i never even tried to watch. Universally negative from what I recall.

Dracomicron

Well, I finished season 3 of Black Sails, and now what the fuck do I do?

Guess I could drill a little more STARZ outa there while I still have the service. Anyone seen Flesh & Bone, about the dancers?

Xeddicus

Netflix really needs to not separate streaming and DVD search results or at least make it an option. Ideally just present both in the search in some fashion instead of making us switch sections.

WiseManTobes

Shadowfire wrote: »

I've benn watching Shannara Chronicles. It's pulpy and kind of silly. No regrets.

Wait, there's a series on the Shannara chronicles? like the old cheesy fantasy books Shannara?

Shadowfire

WiseManTobes wrote: »

Shadowfire wrote: »

I've benn watching Shannara Chronicles. It's pulpy and kind of silly. No regrets.

Wait, there's a series on the Shannara chronicles? like the old cheesy fantasy books Shannara?

Yep. It's fine, not great. I've been enjoying it at least. The season is only 10 episodes too, which is nice.

Harry Dresden

LostNinja wrote: »

Shadowfire wrote: »

I've benn watching Shannara Chronicles. It's pulpy and kind of silly. No regrets.

Yeah, once you accept that the visual effects are not going to be good, and embrace the cheesiness of it all, it's actually a really fun show.

I found the special effects to be pretty good overall.

Harry Dresden

Shadowfire wrote: »

WiseManTobes wrote: »

Shadowfire wrote: »

I've benn watching Shannara Chronicles. It's pulpy and kind of silly. No regrets.

Wait, there's a series on the Shannara chronicles? like the old cheesy fantasy books Shannara?

Yep. It's fine, not great. I've been enjoying it at least. The season is only 10 episodes too, which is nice.

One of the female leads was Ofelia from Pan's Labyrinth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KntE5NpyjII

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Harry Dresden

WiseManTobes wrote: »

Shadowfire wrote: »

I've benn watching Shannara Chronicles. It's pulpy and kind of silly. No regrets.

Wait, there's a series on the Shannara chronicles? like the old cheesy fantasy books Shannara?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seFWKNtkSDo

Skull2185

Watched all of Narcos season 2 over the long weekend, and it was great stuff! Felt like they were leaving it open for a third season, and I guess they were since Netflix just renewed the show for two more seasons.

RT800

I tried a few episodes of the Shannara Chronicles.

It looks really good. It has some impressive visuals.

But the acting is bad and the story seems like a bunch of typical fantasy tripe.

TexiKen

The Finest Hours is up on Netflix now, might be their newest biggest movie (for the US at least).

LostNinja

Xeddicus wrote: »

Netflix really needs to not separate streaming and DVD search results or at least make it an option. Ideally just present both in the search in some fashion instead of making us switch sections.

So...did anyone else completely forget Netflix had a DVD service until this very moment?

Its probably something j should consider since i think it gets the newer released right?

Joshmvii

I still use the netflix disc service. They get new releases like weeks or a month later than when they come out on blu-ray. We use it to watch movies that come out in the theater that we'd like to see, but don't go. We rarely go to the theater these days. It's more cost-effective to watch blu-rays this way than to use redbox for us.

jefe414

My weirdo parents have the dvd but not the streaming service.

Joshmvii

They serve two very different purposes. The disc service is for people who want new-release movies delivered to their house instead of using redbox or something like that. The streaming service is for people who want to watch content that is not newly released movies, because netflix streaming is terrible for new movies. Hulu and HBO get more new movies for streaming, but even then neither one of them can come close to having all of them, or even get them close to blu-ray release dates.

Deadfall

I read the Shannara series as a youth, probably my favorite series in middle school, and I thought the show was an abomination.

I mean, unless I'm forgetting some huge detail from the books, I thought the setting change was just awful. I didn't last past the second episode.

wandering

Netflix's disc service basically has every movie ever made, because they don't have to pay licensing costs on discs. So it's not just good for new releases but catching up on the classics too. Want to see a movie by acclaimed filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky? Netflix DVD has just about every one - Netflix streaming doesn't have any. Same with David Lynch. Same with Miyazaki. Etc.

That_Guy

Eww, physical media. You mean I have to :shutter: touch the movie?

RT800

My tendency to see new releases has decreased dramatically since the death of Blockbuster.

I wish Netflix would stream new releases.

wandering

That_Guy wrote: »

Eww, physical media. You mean I have to :shutter: touch the movie?

touching is good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QLIAOY8bfk

ObiFett

RT800 wrote: »

My tendency to see new releases has decreased dramatically since the death of Blockbuster.

I wish Netflix would stream new releases.

I assume the cost would be through the roof for Netflix and I wonder if they would even gain enough subs to offset that.