Pet Peeve #5936
Could someone please help me explain to Netflix that “Independent” and “Foreign” are NOT genres?
Neither production nor country of origin has anything to do with narrative.
Thank you.
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Manny Sucks September 13th, 2006 at 12:03 pm
That is how my local Blockbuster is set up too but a lot of larger movies such as Hero and Crouching Tiger are in the action section.
John September 13th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
Mmmm… Consistency.
Netflix’s genre page lists Independent, and then underneath that they list sub-categories of Indie Action, Indie Drama, etc.
Meanwhile, Drama is its own category, with Courtroom Dramas, Crime Dramas, etc. beneath that. Just make Independent Dramas a subset of Drama, and remove the Independent genre completely. When I look at my queue, I shouldn’t ever see Independent or Foreign listed there.
Same goes for Gay & Lesbian, even if it’s just footage of people sitting there declaring themselves as one or the other. In that case, it’d go under Documentary.
Manny Sucks September 13th, 2006 at 1:06 pm
While I agree with your overall point there is a Gay and Lesbian film festival so some people do feel the need to indentify it as a genre.
John September 13th, 2006 at 1:07 pm
There are also Independent and Foreign film festivals. In both, they show Dramas, Comedies, etc…
Peter September 14th, 2006 at 12:12 am
I’d actually have to disagree with you here, because production and country of origin can have a lot to do wih narrative - especially in regards to cinematic conveyance of said narrative. For example, in Asian cinema the camera often allows for the environment to be as integral to the narrative as the characters and stories themselves.
That isn’t to say that any other ‘genre’ is incapable of the same defining characteristics, or that the labels ‘independent’ and ‘foreign’ are all inclusive of these, but I still think they’re perfectly valid labeling systems.
As long as they aren’t the only labels, as is Netflix’ case, thus making my arguement against the motive of this post entirely redundant.
John September 14th, 2006 at 9:59 am
People in China don’t get up and decide, “Hey, I’m going to write a foreign film”. They write dramas, action flicks and comedies, just like the people in Hollywood do. The entire concept of “foreign” is relative to the viewer.
The cinematography is this case is irrelevant. Country of origin is a sub-category, not a genre.
Manny Sucks September 14th, 2006 at 11:45 am
How many movies do you look up on IMDB that are only labeled with one genre? Probably none. Everything is action/comedy or action/thriller or thriller/drama. I agree that independent and foreign are helpful labels but some places can go a bit overboard. There is an independent video store here, Vidiots, that would drive you crazy with all of the subgenres they have. I think Woody Allen has his own section there.
John September 14th, 2006 at 11:57 am
I’m talking top level film genre here. Widest scope. Primary categorization.
Look at your Netflix queue. The genre they list there, that’s the one I’m talking about. I have Autumn Sonata listed first in mine. Genre? Foreign. Should read Drama, as the IMDb lists it.