Netflix: The Dark Side

Jonathan V. Last has a post up about Netflix's apparent practice of "throttling" heavy use customers - delaying shipments and putting them at the back of the line for popular releases in order to keep its margins up.

I haven't worked out the math, but I would guess I go through fifteen or more movies a month - I tend to watch them as soon as I recieve them and return them immediately. I've noticed glitches in my own shipping schedule from time to time, but have always assumed this had something to do with the post office. This article makes me wonder if I may not be getting targeted for this kind of practice myself.

Hmph. And while we're on the subject, here's another Netflix crime: They don't carry a copy of Eric the Viking.

UPDATE: Just in case you're wondering, here is the current oddball queue:

Monteverdi: L'Orfeo - Claudio Monteverdi is credited as the inventor of the operatic form and this telling of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, written in 1607, can be said to be the very first opera. I have an old videotape of a production done by Nicholas Harnicourt way back in the 70's which is very good, but I'm thinking it's time to update.

Bullets Over Broadway - Part of Woody Allen's short-lived mid-90's mini-resurgance, and fortunately Woody isn't in it himself, his character being left to John Cusack.

Lully: Persee - This is a shot in the dark for me. I am familiar with some of Jean-Baptiste Lully's chamber music, but aside from the fact that it was composed for Louis XIV, I know nothing about this opera.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding - I remember how this caught everybody by surprise with its success. Thought it would be fun to go back and visit.

Mozart: Don Giovanni - I am hunting around for a first class production and this looks promising. It's a period instrument performance from 2000 and stars Thomas Allen as the malevolent Don.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Is this not the quintissential 80's movie? It occured to me not long ago that it's been ages since I've seen it without commercial interruption.

Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro - I've got a good production of this by John Eliot Gardiner already, but I wanted to give another performance a try. Here, Hermann Prey stars as Figaro. And Kiri de Kanawa sings the Contessa, so you know it can't be all bad.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Came across this while browsing and thought, "Oh, yeah - I've never actually seen it before."

King Arthur - the gratuitous Truly Bad Film pick. As a matter of fact, there is some evidence that the historical Arthur (whose existence is, I believe, pretty well accepted) may well have been a member of the Romanized British upper classes. Frankly, I've always thought the notion of Arthur's attempt to save this furthest outpost of classical civilization from the Saxon hordes to be far more moving than the stock stuff about dragons, wizards and love triangles.

The Searchers - Classic John Wayne.

Red River - Another Wayne flick and one that I haven't seen before.

Only Angels Have Wings Cary Grant as a bush pilot in South America sizzling over Jean Arthur. It's an odd mish-mash of a movie - a silly plot but with some terrific dialogue and compelling acting, a combination of sick-making arial shots and cheap-o models. Go figure. I, for one, happen to enjoy it. (Plus, the flat-voiced radio chant "Calling Baranca.......Calling Baranca....." long ago became a family joke in my house.)

So there you have it.