All right, Netflix, you’re starting to make me mad

Dear Netflix,

You came into my life Aug. 21 (my birthday) and I was instantly smitten (especially by your instant offerings). You showed me things I’d never seen before and we had some good times — some laughs, a few tears, and a few why-did-I-even-put-this-in-my-queue moments.

But now I’m starting to see your true colors.

It started with the huge delay you have with new release movies. I understand that this is some deal worked out between you and the major studios, but when I could go rent the same movie at a Redbox the day it comes out, it seems like I should be able to get it from YOU, too.

But of course that brings me to my second point. If you have a new release movie on your list, there’s no guarantee you’re getting it anytime soon after it finally comes to Netflix. I don’t know what the criteria is for sending these movies out, but I hate waiting a month for something to come to Netflix, then at least another 2-3 months before I get it in the mail. At that point, I might as well just wait till it comes on cable.

So, by the grace of God, you get “Social Network” or some other popular new movie in your mailbox. That doesn’t mean it will have all the extras on the disc like it would if you bought it. I’m not a big extras person (I never watch cast commentaries), but I’d like to have the option to watch them instead of getting a disc stripped of everything but the movie. For example, I read online that “Going the Distance” had funny deleted scenes, but my disc had no such scenes on them. I realize this move is designed to make me want to BUY the disc but that isn’t why I have Netflix. I want to rent, not buy.

Fourth, I have really gotten into “Dexter.” I watched the first two seasons on Netflix Instant and was eagerly awaiting the third. But wait–the third and fourth seasons AREN’T ON INSTANT. And as of right now, the first disc of Season 3 says “Long wait” and the second disc of the season says “Very long wait.” Which means I have to go to the video store and see if they have them in stock because who knows when I’d get the discs through you. It feels like you baited and switched me.

Finally, I read that you want to phase out DVDs completely within the next couple of years. That would be fine with me but you’d need to, oh, I don’t know, ADD MORE INSTANT TITLES. And keep them for longer periods because sometimes I’m not in the mood to watch a movie I added months ago before it disappears from instant two days later.

Can you work on this stuff, Netflix? For me?

Love,

Me

My latest love

Sorry I’ve been MIA lately. (“I fly like paper…” Wait. Never mind.) It’s just that, for my 30^th birthday last month, I received the gift that keeps on giving.

A Netflix subscription.

I’m not sure I could love this any more than I already do. Movies I can watch instantly? Yes, please! Others I can receive in the mail very quickly? Uh huh!

And to think when I signed up for my gift subscription they “encouraged” me to put at least 6 films in my queue and I was daunted by the task.

I now have 76 in my DVD queue and 55 in my instant one.

I’ve been watching movies I’d heard of over and over but never watched (“Nine to Five,” “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”); TV shows I love and had missed some episodes of (“The State”); and others based on what Netflix told me I would like (“The Aviator,” “Julie & Julia”).

A lot of the movies I’ve picked have had a common theme: trying to break out of a rut of a life. Examples include “Clockwatchers” and “Waitress” (the latter of which made me fall hopelessly in love with Nathan Fillion). But what’s interesting with these movies is my reaction to how each protagonist gets out of that rut.

One of the most interesting movies I’ve seen so far through Netflix Instant is “Year of the Dog.” I wanted to watch this because I adore Mike White, who wrote and directed it. I also like Peter Skarsgaard, and I’d never even heard of this movie until I wiki’d him after seeing “An Education,” which I also loved. I wasn’t as big a fan of Molly Shannon’s (her SNL characters just grated on your nerves) but she surprised me in this movie.

I’m not going to go into the plot because you can find that anywhere, but the path her character took at the end surprised me when I first saw it. Only later did it make sense and I really appreciated it. I don’t want to give it away, but I’ll just say that the phrase “Do what you gotta do” applies, and I think it even taught me that.

There are times when I’m at my job and I think, why am I doing this? I’d rather be doing a million other things, but different reasons stop me. “I need to work,” is one of them. “I need money. I need insurance. I’ve put in 5 or so years at this company and now I get more vacation time.”

But if I’m not happy, then what good is any of this? Life is kind of like a movie — what you do with your opportunities affects the outcome. And you can’t be afraid of getting rid of all the things that keep you from growing, because what kind of ending would that be?

That’s what Netflix has taught me so far, anyway.

I love you, Netflix.

And Nathan Fillion.