Author Topic: Hidden Netflix Marathon Gems to Watch Online (Read 76127 times)

mouser · « **on:** November 09, 2009, 12:51 AM »

I've always been a huge fan of movie or show marathons, which go on for tens of hours.. I find them extremely calming and comforting, the fact that they just go on an on.. Often i only pay attention to bits and pieces as i'm working -- i often like to have something on in the background while i work.

Anyway, i've discovered a few of these series that you can watch online if you are a member of netflix, and i thought i'd share them, and ask for other suggestions of related shows. These are all available to watch online:

Wire in the Blood

Damn good serial killer mysteries, if that's your fancy.
"In the first season of the BBC series, based on the novels of writer Val McDermid, psychologist Tony Hill (Robson Green) uses his ability to get into the mind of a criminal to help police detective Carol Jordan (Hermione Norris) solve cases. This season involves a series of brutal murders, a copycat strangulation and a double murder linked to a string of hate crimes."
TOTAL LENGTH: About 27 hours. There are 6 seasons online with 3 episodes each season, and 1.5 hours per episode.

House of Cards Trilogy

Great british political suspense, from 1990.
"Set in Britain's Houses of Parliament, this political satire follows the career of a ruthless MP (Ian Richardson) whose election campaign has been plagued by a number of mysterious deaths. The politician's scheming knows no bounds, and he manages to ensnare a member of the royal family in his quest for power. This series was controversial in Britain for its close depiction of Prince Charles's actual life. "
TOTAL LENGTH: About 10 hours

Lost

Not really a hidden gem since everyone knows about this show; and frankly i didn't like it very much, but it is a wonderfully long distraction.
"Stranded on a tropical island after their plane crashes 1,000 miles off course, a group of castaways must learn to survive in their new home, avoid the gigantic something crashing through the trees and determine whether they're really alone. Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O'Quinn, Dominic Monaghan and Naveen Andrews head the diverse ensemble cast in this landmark series, which won an Emmy for Best Drama."
TOTAL LENGTH: About 60 hours.

What other long marathon gems have you found on Netflix online?

MilesAhead · « **Reply #1 on:** November 09, 2009, 02:02 PM »

Looks like some of the MST3K flicks are available to watch online:

http://www.netflix.c...amp;lnkce=acsNoEnhRt

Unfortunately the search/catalog setup seems a bit awkward. They should probably add a keyword to the search for Watch Instantly Only results. You sort of have to search a list of what they have instead of searching for what you want to watch.

Anyway, I got it set up on my Vista64 quad core as well as W7 32 bit. The video is the same. Guess there's a certain bandwidth it uses if your video can handle it, and anything less prolly gets the "streaming square" treatment.

It would be nice if they got some of the TV classics on it. It's difficult to search except by guessing but I tried a few classics like the Don Adams Get Smart series(not available for streaming.) I rented many of the discs and at @24 minutes with the commercials sucked out, they would be good for watching online. It's amazing going back to those days and remembering the TV. Of course if you are too young to have lived through the Cold War(tm) then it's more or less just old Vaudeville jokes(guy who has the secret info is lying on the floor after being shot. Max crouches down to get the info... man whispers in Max's ear. 99 says "what did he say Max?" and Max says "he said, would you please get your knee off my chest." They used the same punch lines over and over. Part of the charm was you could see them coming(like anytime someone is on the floor watch for the "knee off my chest" punch line. Or if someone tries to jump onto a moving vehicle, out a window etc,. look for "missed it by that much!"

40hz · « **Reply #2 on:** November 09, 2009, 03:04 PM »

I thought the first season of Weeds was hysterically funny.

(It lost most of its subtlety after that, so I quit watching it about three episodes into the second season.)

Cable series comedies aren't my 'usual thing'. But there was something about Mary-Louise Parker's performance as Nancy, "a zoned-out suburban soccer-Mom pot dealer" that absolutely killed me.

Note: Ms. Parker isn't all that hard on the eyes either.

Hidden Netflix Marathon Gems to Watch Online

MilesAhead · « **Reply #3 on:** November 09, 2009, 03:39 PM »

Looks like a few of the British series I like made the list. Doctor Who, Good Neighbors, Yes Minister, Red Dwarf.

edit: btw, just thought I'd mention it. FF 3.6 beta auto updater will update to FF 3.6 beta 2. Apparently one of the fixes is the video. Netflix is working for me now on both my PCs using FF 3.6 beta 2.

(also for those of you who like to go to TV Guide online to check listings, looks like they fixed the pop down descriptions when you click on a show in the grid.) Firefox stable 3.5.5 even if you enable both jit settings still seems a step slower than 3.6. This may be ready for prime time now(pun will be disavowed if I am captured.)

edit2: come to think of it, the TV Guide thing was only broken in 3.7Pre. I took 3.7Pre off for the time being since I don't see any feature yet that 3.6 doesn't have and 3.6 seems to be getting things working now. Maybe I'll give 3.7 another week and try it again.

Deozaan · « **Reply #4 on:** November 10, 2009, 02:25 AM »

Just pop in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Extended Version. Running Time: ~12 hours.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #5 on:** November 18, 2009, 07:13 PM »

Speaking of this play online... anyone know if there are any controls to adjust brightness or other picture characteristics? I tried one film that was so dark I could only see vague shadows of motion. I don't see any picture controls such as you have on PC software players for brightness, contrast, etc..

Innuendo · « **Reply #6 on:** November 18, 2009, 09:34 PM »

I'd say relying on your monitor's own controls or an 3rd party app like Powerstrip or one of the countless graphics card tweaker programs would probably be your best bet.

mouser · « **Reply #7 on:** January 05, 2010, 11:21 AM »

Everest Season 1 and Season 2:
Screenshot - 1_5_2010 , 11_19_50 AM.png

http://www.netflix.c...it_Season_1/70078591
http://www.netflix.c...it_Season_2/70107899

Great stuff.

Deozaan · « **Reply #8 on:** January 05, 2010, 09:30 PM »

Not sure if it's available for instant watch, but I figure something like Star Trek: The Next Generation would have several years worth of video to waste your time on. And it was back in the day when TV shows had a moral to the story.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #9 on:** January 06, 2010, 12:18 AM »

Usually I find it easier to get hooked on shows when I can watch a bunch of episodes in sequence rather than one a week as they come out on first airing. I'm going through the Heroes series. Already watched Season 1 and started on Season 2 today. When I watched a couple of episodes as they originally aired I didn't get the appeal. Now I can see it's mostly for laughs. In the episode I just watched, Nakamura goes back in time and becomes his own hero that he read about as a child. That was a cute twist.

mouser · « **Reply #10 on:** April 12, 2010, 06:17 PM »

Kidnapped the Complete Series (about 6 hours):

Screenshot - 4_12_2010 , 6_17_09 PM.png

http://www.netflix.c...lete_Series/70065224

MilesAhead · « **Reply #11 on:** April 12, 2010, 06:44 PM »

Hmmmmmm, I'm old I guess. When I was a kid, this show was a Disney TV series with James MacArthur(the Danno of "Book 'em Danno" Hawaii 5 0) in the lead. That's all I can remember about the show.

AndyM · « **Reply #12 on:** April 12, 2010, 08:16 PM »

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The first season, a short one, is more than decent (if a bit cheesy at times), the second better, and by the third season you see why this is one of the most entertaining series ever, 145 episodes worth.

The first person who views all 145 and reports back here gets all my DC credits. I'll consider them well spent in the interest of spreading cultural treasure.

Shades · « **Reply #13 on:** April 12, 2010, 09:44 PM »

I am just going through the 5 seasons of Angel - a spin-off from Buffy. Darn, I like the writing behind it (thanks, mr. Whedon

)

Is 'Spartacus: blood and sand' any good? I loved both seasons of 'Rome', which had a lot of good reviews. But with this Spartacus it is mixed. The era holds my interest, hence the question.

AndyM · « **Reply #14 on:** April 13, 2010, 02:16 AM »

thanks, mr. Whedon
-Shades (April 12, 2010, 09:44 PM)

ah, NetFlix also streams Firefly, another standout.

JavaJones · « **Reply #15 on:** April 13, 2010, 12:05 PM »

I'll second Firefly. Love that show. Such a shame it only made it 1 season.

- Oshyan

40hz · « **Reply #16 on:** April 13, 2010, 12:43 PM »

+1 Firefly. A classic.

Reverend Book: If you take sexual advantage of her, you're going to burn in a very special level of hell. <pause> A level they reserve for child molesters and people who talk at the theater.

...

Mal: I would appreciate it if one person on this boat would not assume I'm an evil, lecherous hump.

Zoe: No one's saying that, sir.

Wash: Yeah, we're pretty much just giving each other significant glances and laughing incessantly.

AndyM · « **Reply #17 on:** April 13, 2010, 01:12 PM »

I'll second Firefly. Love that show. Such a shame it only made it 1 season.
-JavaJones (April 13, 2010, 12:05 PM)

Yes, but at least Joss Whedon and crew came back to wrap it all up with the movie Serenity. (also streamed on NetFlix).

JavaJones · « **Reply #18 on:** April 13, 2010, 01:22 PM »

Yeah, but because it was a movie, they had to do lame things like kill off characters to make it "epic".

- Oshyan

AndyM · « **Reply #19 on:** April 13, 2010, 01:26 PM »

would you rather they had not made and released it?

JavaJones · « **Reply #20 on:** April 13, 2010, 01:30 PM »

Fair point. I'm glad they were able to have one last hurrah. Just wish they could have done it over several seasons, instead of one 2 hour movie with "big stuff" thrown in for shock value and emotional impact. But I still love the movie.

- Oshyan

40hz · « **Reply #21 on:** April 13, 2010, 03:03 PM »

I heard an interview with Whedon where he said that the full story arc for Firefly was planned out over four 16-episode seasons. When Firefly got axed from TV without warning he was very annoyed that the first season ended on a semi-cliffhanger and with loose ends dangling all over the place. Any DoCo members that write (or try to write) fiction will know exactly how frustrated Whedon must have felt.

Nothing in Serenity was put there for "shock value." Everything in it was planned for inclusion in the TV series, such as: certain unfortunate deaths, two romantic subplots, and the "big discovery" about River. The River "discovery" was supposed to end the series with enough left open (i.e. what The Alliance might do next) to start a new story cycle within the Firefly framework.

Joss said when it became obvious to him that the TV series "wasn't ever coming back," he decided to "telescope" everything into one movie and get as much of that first story arc into it as possible. He said the real trick was not pushing it to the point of where Serenity turned into a nonstop action film since the "quiet scenes" and dialog (like some of the back and forth that takes place in the crew cabins or dining area) were often considered the best parts of the series.

I thought he did pretty well in that it probably needed something like 6-8 hours of screen time to tell the "whole" story. It's even more impressive when you consider he only had about two hours of film time to get it done in.

Also unfortunate were all the story pieces that ultimately got left out such as:

The story of Mal Reynolds mother and father and what happened to them that Mal became such an uncompromising and stalwart enemy of the Alliance.
Zoe's childhood and background story - and how she met Mal
Who and what the Blue Sun Corporation really is. ("The hands go everywhere. Two by two, hands of blue...")
The story behind the orange knit hat Jane's mom made and sent him as a birthday gift. (It's a very sad story BTW.)
The real story behind Mal's exquisite and deadly "first wife" Saffron.
Reverend Book's background story - and why he seems to know all the intricacies of Alliance military and intelligence systems - and what's on his ident card that even Alliance ship commanders defer to him when they become aware of it.
What the real deal is with those black market beagles you hear about from time to time
What the Alliance was planning to do with the cadre of children (like River) that they were so carefully training.
Why and how Inara Serra became a registered companion, and who and what the Companion's Guild actually is. (Hint: they are a lot more than high class courtesans. Ever notice how adept at marshal arts and weapons Inara seems to be? )

So yeah, maybe Serenity was a tiny bit of a disappointment with everything that either got glossed over, rushed, or just plain left out. But I still think Whedon deserves a lot credit for doing as much as he did with what he was given to work with.

JavaJones · « **Reply #22 on:** April 13, 2010, 03:31 PM »

Ok, you've got a lot of good points there.

Perhaps I spoke too harshly in saying that it was put there for "shock value". Of course I expected that many such events would happen over the course of the series, but "telescoping" them, as you say, into a 2 hour movie is where the problem comes in. It makes it *seem* like it's for shock value. I understand it wasn't, and I wasn't even necessarily assuming it was, more - as you said - that he was forced to compress everything down. I just kind of felt like maybe he should have left room for a sequel, since he had so much more story to tell. Of course that would have been a gamble on him getting a chance to even do a 2nd movie which, given the axing of the original series, probably wasn't a safe bet. So he was probably right to do what he did. But still, so sad. If I had a couple million, I'd throw it his way just to finish it.

- Oshyan

40hz · « **Reply #23 on:** April 13, 2010, 03:43 PM »

Is 'Spartacus: blood and sand' any good? I loved both seasons of 'Rome', which had a lot of good reviews. But with this Spartacus it is mixed. The era holds my interest, hence the question.
-Shades (April 12, 2010, 09:44 PM)

Well...there's a lot of blood...a lot of sand...and a whole lot of sex. Probably unavoidable since we're dealing with slaves...and the Roman attitude and their treatment of slaves is pretty well documented. Nothing here you can't get from reading a good history book or actual account from the period. Apparently, these upper class Romans managed to pack a lot into their day.

IMHO a lot more brutal than the Rome series was. The bad guys are so "over the top" that it gets a little cartoonish at times. (My GF has been heard to mutter: Oh come on! during a few of the scenes.)

Very nice looking cast too, if you're into that sort of thing. You'll get to see A LOT of Ms. Lucy "Xena" Lawless if you watch it regularly.

"Pretty girl - and all grown up too.." as my GF so nicely puts it.

She's a pretty decent actress too BTW.

Overall: worth a watch if you're a fan of the period. The Rome series was much better.

40hz · « **Reply #24 on:** April 13, 2010, 03:53 PM »

If I had a couple million, I'd throw it his way just to finish it.
-JavaJones (April 13, 2010, 03:31 PM)

Me too. Ninth thing on my list if I ever hit PowerBall.

I understand it wasn't, and I wasn't even necessarily assuming it was, more - as you said - that he was forced to compress everything down. I just kind of felt like maybe he should have left room for a sequel, since he had so much more story to tell.
-JavaJones (April 13, 2010, 03:31 PM)

No fault there. I wouldn't have known either if I hadn't been dragged (kicking and screaming) to a SciFi Con where Whedon (unbeknownst to me) was scheduled to talk.

Once I found out about that, I settled down.

It was an interesting talk. Good Q&A too since the audience was about 50% diehard "Browncoat" - so these people knew their 'Verse inside out.

Fun two hours.