NETFLIX
7 Tools To Help You Find
If Netflix's recommendations are getting stale, I've collected seven
websites you can visit to find some fresh inspiration and flicks you
otherwise might not have have found on the service. Because, really, how
many times can you re-watch "Breakfast at Tiffany's" before you're
ready for something new?
1. A Better Queue
A new website called A Better Queue has turned heads with a gorgeous,
clean design and intuitive interface that makes finding new Netflix
options a joy. The site is simple and brilliant: It combines the Netflix
Instant library with Rotten Tomatoes ratings, so that you can sort
movies based on their Tomatometer score. (The higher the score, the
better the ratio of professional reviewers who liked the movie). You can
set filters based on movie genre, minimum Rotten Tomatoes score and
year of the movie's release, and A Better Queue will display your
results in a Pinterest-like pinboard grid.
2. RottenTomatoes Netflix Filter
Speaking of RottenTomatoes: Did you know the venerable critical
aggregator has its own section devoted to helping you find movies to
watch on Netflix? Though not as pretty as A Better Queue, RottenTomatoes
can sort streaming Netflix movies based on Tomatometer score, release
date, genre and MPAA rating; you can also search within RottenTomatoes
by actor or director. From your results, you can either add a movie to
your Instant Queue or play it immediately, with RottenTomatoes linking
you straight out to the Netflix site.
3. InstantWatcher
The Holy Grail of Netflix sites is probably InstantWatcher. It's got
an encyclopedia's worth of information about movies streaming on the
'Flix: mew movies, the most popular movies, movies that are expiring
soon (get on it!), New York Times critics' picks, as well as filtering
via genre, RottenTomatoes or Netflix rating, MPAA rating and more.
It ain't the most well-designed website out there -- in a lot of ways, it recalls the halcyon Internet days of 1999 -- but it is likely the most robust set of information about Netflix's library out there. Give it a shot and make sure you really explore the space.
4. InstantWatchDB
Another simple, well-made website that brings a lot of sorting
options to your search for the perfect Netflix streamer. You can filter
by genre, rating or Netflix star count; or you can head into the
excellent Lists section, which shows you Netflix Instant movies that
made various critical countdowns, including AFI's 100 Best Movies and Roger Ebert's Movies You Must See Before You Die.
5. The Pivot View
If you're looking for an external Netflix utility that'll make your
eyeballs pop out of your head, try the neat-o Pivot View of Netflix
Instant Titles. It offers a huge grid of movie posters (which can be
filtered by genre, rating, cast member, director and more) that you can
flip through and drag around in almost any direction. Zoom in, zoom out,
maybe find a new TV series to binge-watch.
It's not the most efficient way to find your next title, but Pivot View sure does look cool.
6. WhichFlicks
WhichFlicks is another cool, grid-based website to sort your Netflix
recommendations. Again, you can filter by rating, genre, cast members
and RottenTomatoes or Netflix scores, and you can also add iTunes,
Redbox or Amazon filters, if you're willing to search outside the 'Flix.
7. Streaming Soon
A specialty site, Streaming Soon mainly exists to let you know which
notable titles will be arriving to Netflix in the coming weeks or
months, as well as which streams have just been added. It also has a
(great!) section of the most highly-rated titles currently streaming on
the service.
You can't rank or organize or filter anything on StreamingSoon, but
you can see an automatically-updating list of the highly-regarded movies
on Netflix. Treat yourself to some cinema!
Did we miss a site that has driven your discovery of brave new
Netflix titles? Let us know in the comments. And if you're totally over
Netflix, and have truly watched every good movie and television show on
the service to the point of boredom, remember that you can always try
Crackle, Amazon Prime, Fandor, Hulu or any number of other alternatives delivering streaming titles straight to your warm, warm bed.
7 Sites To Help You
- A Better Queue http://abetterqueue.com/
- RottenTomatoes Netflix Filter http://www.rottentomatoes.com/dvd/netflix/
- instantwatcher.com http://instantwatcher.com/
- InstantWatchDB http://www.instantwatchdb.com/
- WhichFlicks check Netflix Instant http://www.whichflicks.com/browse#/?watchNow=1&mpaa=15&sort=02
- Streaming Soon http://www.streamingsoon.com/p/newest-streams.html
9 Things You Didn't Know About Netflix
You know Netflix is full of amazing TV and movies. You know it's always there when you need it. And you know that it will likely be your Valentine's Day date this year. But here are nine things you probably /didn't/ know about the site.
*1. Netflix knows you're lying about your preferences*
Netflix pays more attention to what you actually watch
than what you say you watch. Odds are, you're going to give movies like
"Citizen Kane" really high ratings because you want to seem cultured --
but Netflix's algorithms know that you actually spend your time
watching "Family Guy." So the site will suggest more cartoons than it
will dramas.
*2. Netflix was almost called Blockbuster.com*
Blockbuster almost bought Netflix in 2000. Back in the day, Netflix offered to sell Blockbuster a 49 percent stake in the company and become its online service, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings recently told the New Yorker. The site would have changed its name to Blockbuster.com.
*3. Netflix has over 76,000 categories*
The company has 76,897 different specific categories, according to The Atlantic. Some of the strangest categories include "Cool Moustaches," "Dark Canadian Thrillers" and "Understated Detective TV Shows."
*4. Netflix employees can take as much vacation as they want*
If you work at Netflix, you can take as many vacation days as you want. "It's about freedom and responsibility and treating people like adults," Netflix spokesman Joris Evers told the San Francisco Chronicle. Pretty nice, eh?
*5. You can use Rotten Tomatoes to find good movies to watch on Netflix*
Yes, you can take Netflix's personalized recommendations, but you can
also find out what critics think of streaming movies on Netflix pretty
easily with Rotten Tomatoes. One way is to go to the Rotten Tomatoes Netflix steaming page and look at different movies' ratings. You can also download a free Chrome extension that shows Rotten Tomatoes' ratings right on Netflix..
*6. You can download a button to play a random episode*
There are a few different Chrome extensions
that you can download to add a "random episode" button to your Netflix
page. If you've seen every episode of a show a whole bunch of times, it
can be fun to watch them in a random order.
*7. Netflix's customer service representatives are adorable*
Last October, a Netflix customer showed off a hilarious conversation he had with a customer service representative in the style of Star Trek. That representative, "Cpt. Mike of the good ship Netflix," was later given the surprise of a lifetime when he was introduced to Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner.
*8. You can watch a Netflix "example show" *
The company makes hilarious and confusing "example shows"
for internal use, and they're available for you to watch. You'll never
see it in your recommendations, but if you search "example show" on
Netflix, you can see some super strange videos. One of our personal
favorites includes a hand in a fountain and a man juggling, running and
reciting Shakespeare. It's unlike anything you've ever witnessed.
*9. Netflix has a sense of humor*
Last year for April Fool's Day, Netflix poked fun at its penchant for ridiculous categories
and rolled out a whole bunch of fake ones. These categories included
"Movies That Are In English But Still Require Subtitles," "Movies
Featuring An Epic Nicolas Cage Meltdown" and "TV Shows Where Defiantly
Crossed Arms Mean Business!"
Posted: 02/08/2013