News

The other day I mentioned that Netflix had redesigned it’s movie details page, updated their blog stating such, and then deleted about 180 comments on the blog post that raised concerns and questions over the redesign. A Netflix representative commented on the blog post that the comments were deleted due to a technical error.

Since that time, Netflix has made no communication at all with its customers. The comments on the post continue to swell, now up to 280, and it would seem as though no end is in site.

Several users are canceling their accounts, or putting them on hold, until Netflix issues some sort of explanation as to the removal of both the Friends and Top 10 Lists from the movie details page. I am likely going to be doing that very same thing shortly, while simultaneously calling in their customer support to voice my concerns. There are other DVD services out there to be considered, as well as local rental shops.

This is pretty infuriating. I am a die-hard Netflix fan and have been for years. I’ve converted several of my friends and family into Netflix customers. I feel as though I have been swindled by my own best friend, and they won’t even explain themselves.

Another interesting thing about this is that I haven’t seen a single blog post or news article about this change. I would’ve expected TechCrunch or some other internet news blog to pick this up as it is a pretty significant change to a pretty significant online business.

On March 4th Netflix announced via their blog that they are rolling out a newly designed Movie Details Page. This page, which I had seen a couple of times in my regular usage of Netflix, has a very nice and appealing look to it. Most of the information has been reorganized in an attempt to provide users with what they want to see.

However, Netflix has made a serious mistake with this page, unintentional or not. They have removed both the Friends and Top 10 List functionality. That’s right… when you view a movie you can no longer see what your friends rated it.

I’ve been a devout Netflix user almost since the company was founded. During those years, I have managed to attract a fair amount of my friends and family onto Netflix. The main selling point of Netflix for me, aside from easy and convenient DVD and streaming access, is the capability to share movies with friends and see what your friends think of those movies. If I see a movie that my friends have rated poorly, I will trust their instincts far more than Netflix’s star recommendation engine. Likewise, if my friends all 5-star a movie I’m only partially interested in, odds are that I’ll bump that movie way up my queue. ALL of that means an increased satisfaction in the Netflix service.

Since the March 4th announcement, Netflix has garnered at least 110 comments on the blog post, almost all of which have been negative. Almost every comment cited the missing Friends and Top 10 Lists features. Most of these comments were constructive, I know mine was, in that they contained pleas to Netflix as to how important the Friends and Top 10 List functionality is.

Today however, all of those comments have been deleted. So just to recap, Netflix pulls features out of the Movie pages, lots of users comment, and Netflix deletes those comments. This is the sort of move I didn’t think a company would even think about making in this new ‘internet age’ of increased interaction and discussion between the business and its customers.

There are a couple of possible options that might have happened here:

1. Netflix intentionally removed this functionality and didn’t bother to say anything about it.
2. Netflix accidentally removed this functionality in what must be one of the biggest product blunders ever (they’ve made similar mistakes in the past).
3. Netflix listened to a very small sample of their customers that don’t represent the whole, and removed this functionality accordingly.

Regardless, Netflix should not have deleted users’ comments from the blog. That is extremely poor form. I hope that Netflix makes a comment about this situation or they are going to have a pretty big revolt on their hands. My capability to make recommendations and share things with friends, and utilize friends’ ratings, is really important to my movie going experience with Netflix. Despite that, Netflix has continued to shy away from any further increase in socially enhancing their website to allow a better experience between its users. It’s a shame.

If you are interested in a sampling of what some of the original complaints were like, you can make your way over to Hacking Netflix’s post about this.

Update:

A Netflix representative commented on the original blog post.

“Hi everyone. This is Jamie from Netflix. We’re looking into the technical issues on how to restore the lost comments. We believe in and value open communications and comments, and regret that a technical problem caused the original comments to disappear.”

Is it coincidence that all these negative comments were deleted or did they really experience a technical issue?

Over the next month I’ll be posting my favorite movies of 2009. Why so late you ask? Well, a lot of movies came out in 2009. And now that I have seen 78 of them, I feel as though I have covered all my bases. Like any good critic, before I get to the list of my favorite 10 movies of ‘09, I have some honorable mentions. Let’s kick things off with a movie featuring Bill Murray as a badger.

“Fantastic Mr. Fox” is a Fantastic Mr. Film. It’s clever, witty, full of eye-popping animation, and features great voice acting. If you are fan of Wes Anderson, or animation, or Roald Dahl stories, then you should see this movie.

This movie was written, directed, and produced by Wes Anderson, who is perhaps one of America’s most quirky modern film makers. He began his career in the mid 90’s and has quickly established himself with a clearly defined sense of style, character, and emotion. If you are unfamiliar with his work, I would encourage you to check his movies out. You might as well start with Bottle Rocket and work your way through the library, although some will claim he has faltered in his latest movies (I’m not in that camp).

Fantastic Mr. Fox Crew

George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, and Eric Chase Anderson, in addition to a host of other great actors, provide some great voice acting. Clooney is particularly well suited for the dry wit and sure-fire attitude of Mr. Fox.

And of course it’s worth mentioning that Anderson has maintained a great selection of music to accompany the movie. Songs from The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones accompany other well known bands while resting comfortably on an original score by Alexandre Desplat.

So at this point you may be asking: Why didn’t this make my top 10 list? Although I love this movie, at times it feels like it was just following a recipe for movie success without taking any real risks. Take a great author’s story, an interesting animation style, and a bunch of great actors and what could possibly go wrong? Perhaps there weren’t any serious twists, turns, or risks because Anderson wanted to keep it child-friendly, but ultimately the movie suffered for it. In addition, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” doesn’t really hold up when compared to other movies on my list. This was definitely a tough call, but ultimately I think it’s the right one. I still want a copy of this in my library though…

Read more about “Fantastic Mr. Fox” on IMDB, Netflix (log in required), and Wikipedia. Take a gander at Wes Anderson’s Wikipedia page while you are at it.

Like the Royale with cheese.

Gordon Ramsay is a world class chef, television personality, and author. If you’ve seen him only on U.S.-based television,  you probably think he is a megalomaniac hell-bent on insulting chefs in the most barbaric way possible. I’d like to tell you that this portrayal isn’t true, in fact I think it’s all an act.

I’m biased of course, I’ve been a big fan of his since before he had any shows in the U.S. I first got started following him when he was making an early season of the F-word, a BBC based talk/cook/contest show that takes place in his restaurant. If you haven’t seen this show but enjoy the likes of Kitches Nightmares or Hell’s Kitchen, I would encourage you to check it out. Not only do you get to see ‘the real’ Gordon Ramsay in action, but you also get to see him go so far as to raise different types of animals on his own each season, and then eat them.

After blazing through all the F-word episodes that had been released, I eventually found the first series he ever did, Boiling Point and Beyond Boiling Point. In these shows, you can see the true fury and anger that boils within Gordon Ramsay. You see him yell at his staff. You see him act ruthless with competition. He wants success, and he wants it bad. Really bad. Insult your mom in front of your family bad. If you can get your dirty little hands on this series, do it, you won’t regret it.

Hell’s Kitchen and (Ramsay’s) Kitchen Nightmares also actually got their start at the BBC. There are number of episodes of each, sprawling across several series. I feel like these shows are more grounded in reality than their American counterparts. I’m an American, don’t get me wrong, but we (or should I just say FOX) have really ripped apart what was once a genuine idea and show. FOX has gutted all the wonderful cooking and interesting character developments to leave only the shouty angry part of Ramsay, which I often feel is forced. I get the feeling the directors are of screen saying “Louder! Angrier! Again!!!”

Gordon Ramsay - Smirky Bastard

Ramsay has also written several cookbooks, some of which I own (and are great). Of more interest to me though are his autobiographical books, such as Humble Pie. In this book, he explains how he got to be the way he is today. He starts with his meager beginnings in Scotland, develops the story of his dysfunctional relationship with his father, and ultimately elaborates on his core reasons for demanding success and perfection. If you have the chance, you’d be better off going with the audiobook, read by the man himself.

Gordon Ramsay opened up a restaurant in Los Angeles about a year ago at a new hotel he was also involved with, The London. I’ve fortunately been able to eat at this restaurant on a couple of occasions, all of which were amazing dining experiences. I’m not a food critic, so I won’t even begin to try to describe the culinary delights put forth from his kitchen. After having eaten at one of his restaurants though, I think I’ve found even more respect for the man. It’s not too surprising to learn that he has amassed an astounding 13 Michelin stars, which I believe ties him for second in the ‘most stars even won’ contest. I have enjoyed watching his determination, drive, and passion for what he does, as well as admiring the results he has achieved.

Read more about Gordon Ramsay at Wikipedia and his personal website.

As I’ll ever be…

In theory, my phone is connected to my blog.

Check out this amazing picture that amateur astronomer Thierry Legault took with his telescope. This picture looks like it is straight of an awesome science fiction movie.

This is the second time that I have shared a photo from space with you, my loyal reader. Get used to it. Pictures of space are like, totally awesome.

On to more personal matters, I’m scheduled to take a trip to Bangkok and Singapore in a matter of weeks. I’ll be spending several days in each city, as well as a 4 day train trip in between the two on the Orient Express. I’m starting to get pretty excited as our planning for the trip ramps up.

This weekend I bought a tiny little Dell Mini 10″ laptop so that we can both store photos and if need be, keep in touch with the rest of the world. Of course, we’ll be staying on point and avoid keeping in touch with the rest of the world like the plague… because we’ll be in the middle of Malaysia on the Orient Express! Expect some photos and travel posts!

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, its time I talk to you about the most essential of things in life. Wolves. And in particular, wolves on clothing, particularly shirts.

Backstory: Sometime around the early 70’s, as best historians can guess, an individual from Chickasha, Oklahoma first transposed a beautiful painted image of a wolf on to a  simple but stained over-garment. After a cross country trip to Los Angeles in the back of a Winnebago, the Oklahomans shirt caught the eye of Belgian fashion designer Rudegar von Balzonia. Balzonia struck gold as Wolf shirts took the country, nay the world, by storm.

If what I’m talking about sounds… insane, then your feast you eyes on THIS. Please gaze into the fabric, the wolves’ eyes, the glare of the moonlight beaming down upon you.

And then, read the comments.

Unfortunately I already had this exact picture tattooed on my chest, but this shirt is very useful in colder weather.

I accidentally spilled a glass of Tuscan Whole Milk down the front of this shirt, and my soul was torn from my body and thrown into heaven by a jealous God.

There is one thing, though, and that is that whenever I wear the wolf shirt I have a lot less issues with involuntary urination. I have not studied it long enough, however, to establish a cause/effect relationship.

I totally used to have this shirt but then I had to put it in a chest and bury it on a deserted isle because it was leaking radiation, causing a nuclear facility near me to be mistakenly shut down.

I think that reviews of wolf shirst should become the next Chuck Norris.

The artist I mentioned the other day, Lawrence Yang, recently uploaded a video to YouTube. Here’s a link to his blog.