Netflix Top 10 Movie Rentals of All-Time

Now, I’m painfully aware that Netflix is going through a rough bi-Polar love-my-subscribers hate-my-subscribers phase right now, but let’s overlook the gigantic customer shanking they’ve just put us all through and talk about something less painful.  A friend sent in this interesting link about Netflix’s top all-time rentals HERE.  A list they’ve compiled after their 14-year run so far.

Here’s that list:

10. No Country for Old Men (2007)

9. Iron Man (2008)

8. Inception (2010)

7. Sherlock Holmes (2009)

6. The Departed (2006)

5. The Hurt Locker (2008)

4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

3. The Bucket List (2007)

2. Crash (2004)

1. The Blind Side (2009)

Surprised?  I was.  I mean, Inception shouldn’t count cause you have to rent it like 18 times to figure out what the heck-balls are going on.  You don’t ever fully have that Ah ha! moment, either, until you realize this is Leo DiCaprio’s Titanic sequel.  Watch them back to back and you’ll wet your pants.  No, really, together they’re like 12 hours long so schedule in lots of runpeepee breaks.

Other than that there are some interesting similarities.  For example, most of these films were major Academy Award contenders for their respective years.  That’s a lot of free marketing and publicity.  People don’t want to be the only ones in the office to NOT have seen and/or comment on “Benjamin Button” and the creepy Brad Pitt head on that shriveled leprechaun body.  On the up side he’s got my vote for Gollum in The Hobbit prequel filming now, if something happens to other Gollum dude.

“Welcome to fightssss clubsssss, my preciousssssssseessss Hobitsesssss!”

Also, I will admit that I personally am responsible for “The Blind Side” being at #1 because I have rented it no less than 147 times with every intention of viewing it….right up until the time it arrives and them I’m all….wellllllll, maybe we’ll just do “Wedding Crashers” again, because…duh…Rachel McAdams!

Yup.  Still haven’t seen Blind Side but have every intention to.  Mostly because I’ve cited it in so many examples and held it in esteem for being one of the best faith-based films in recent history.  Prolly need to watch it to confirm.  But when you write by the Spirit like I do, truth just seeps outta your fingertips and slathers all over the MacBook Pro keyboard — which incidentally is how Colossians was written, I understand, in the original Apple Hebrew which Google Translated into King James during the 1600s sometime.

True story, bruh.

Anywho….look again at the top 3.  Very strong family/moral almost faith-based-esque dramas.  Are some of them rated “R”?  You betcha.  Do they pull any punches and leave us with a syruppy sweet happily ever after ending and a bible verse?  Nope.  They are well told, well produced, well acted, well shot…well…masterpieces.  They all have strong, gripping character dramas — even IronMan and Sherlock Holmes are not lost in the effects (*cough* George Lucas take note *cough*).  The effects support the story.

Also interesting is that these films didn’t own the box-office records.  There are no Pixar films in this bunch.  No Avatar, Titanic or Dark Knight.  And poor James Cameron is crying all the way to the bank.  That’s okay, he may have lost Netflix, but he can still become King of RedBox if he just applies himself a liiiiiittle bit more.

Let’s make a movie!

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FILM CONTEST: Netflix $350K Film Contest

I haven’t been this excited since the Fox series “On the Lot” when I was supposed to win a million dollar production deal with Steven Spielbergh.  And before that it was the time I was supposed to win a Miramax deal with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck during “Project Greenlight.”    

After each of those, I swore off contests and festivals.  I would just make it on my own and show them.  I’d show them ALL….mwoooohahahaha!

Ahem.  But now, there’s this:

Netflix and Film Independent have joined forces to find a “film maker with a story to tell”.  They said they will award $150K cash production grant, plus turn-key resources like film stock, processing, camera rental and post-production services, for a total prize value of more than $350K.

And they won’t just help make the movie, they will distribute it online at Netflix.  

Go sign up and keep us posted at Wired4Film if you’re selected.  We won’t hate you and be bitter.  We’re christians!  

DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 9th, 2009

WEBSITE:  Netflix Film Contest

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