One gripe I have about Netflix is the lack of any sort of sophisticated search mechanism. FlickSurfer is a web site that lets you search the Netflix database, guided by movie rankings on Netflix itself, IMDB, and RottenTomatoes.
You can order your results based on the date they were added to Netflix, their individual scores, or an average of the Netflix, IMDB and RT scores. You can select a combination of genres (such as Crime, Drama, Comedy, Horror) to further filter your results.
Looking for something to watch? FlickSurfer is genius.
It is a start, but I would hardly call it genius. There are countless examples of sites with simple but sophisticated search mechanisms that let you really find what you are looking for. Most of them are used for eCommerce sites. Why aren’t these same methods available on more sites (filtering by movie rating, PG, R, etc. in combination with other filters).
Also, there are misleading results. Search on Connery, and Forrest Gump comes up. Is that because he was in Finding Forrester, or because there is an actor with the middle name of Conner in the movie? Who Knows?
This gripe is not just about Netflix. It pretty much covers every option one has for viewing movies and TV — Apple TV, cable set top boxes, HBO GO, etc.
The entertainment industry could do a lot better.
I have to agree. A great deal more can be done.
Furthermore, the idea of filtering results based on film scores assigned by the masses is petrifying. Spend five minutes reading Netflix or IMDB reviews to see the worst, most idiotic, criticism from people who a portion of the time do not have the wherewithal to actually finish watching something before rating.
yeah, IMDB comments are stunning. so many people who shut it off after 30 minutes because [blah] yet feel compelled to critique it as if they’d actually, you know, seen the film.