How a small streaming site became the Netflix for indie film
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Re: How a small streaming site became the Netflix for indie film
#2I used Mubi a long time a go, but somehow forgot about them - probably due to their limited selection in Germany. The service itself always impressed me though - a service obviously run by true enthusiasts and aficionados.
Glad to see they are still around.
Re: How a small streaming site became the Netflix for indie film
#3I really like Mubi, I just don't keep it all year like I do with Netflix because of their one film a day model.
Re: How a small streaming site became the Netflix for indie film
#4Sounds like Netflix needs to take a lesson from Valve and let its customers do the curation for them.
Re: How a small streaming site became the Netflix for indie film
#5 MUBI's curatorial approach stands in sharp contrast to major streaming services
like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, which have amassed large libraries and deliver
personalized recommendations based on algorithms. MUBI's human-curated selection
takes a lot of that choice away, and Cakarel thinks viewers are better off
for it.
"Think about your own Netflix experience and how frustrating it is — how
long it takes you to find a film that you want to watch," says Cakarel.
"It doesn't work. It categorically doesn't work."
Maybe someone has thought/done the same? When contacted, the MUBI team (IIRC) basically said they're not interested in that as of now.
Re: How a small streaming site became the Netflix for indie film
#6> MUBI has spent years cultivating that audience with a selection of artsy, obscure films that don't usually appear on Netflix or Hulu. (It originally launched under the name "The Auteurs," before rebranding in 2010 as MUBI — a play on accented pronunciations of "movie," and after a city in Nigeria.) On Monday, the titles available on the company's US site included Bernardo Bertolucci's 1970 classic The Conformist, and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, by Chan-wook Park. Occasionally, it features more mainstream movies like Sin City, currently available on the French site, though the majority are far more obscure. A new title is added every day as another drops out, meaning that only 30 films are available for streaming at any given time.
In defense of Netflix (not that the "Goliath" in this comparison needs defenders)...but "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" has been available on streaming Netflix for, as far as I remember, the time that I've been a customer, which was basically when streaming started. "Mr. Vengeance" is the first in "The Vengeance Trilogy" that includes the more well-known "Oldboy" [1] and "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance"...I think the entire trilogy has been on Netflix for years (including the regrettable American remake of Oldboy, but can't fault Netflix for having it...)
Even as Netflix's blockbuster selection has faded (with the ending of the Starz deal, and in comparison to HBONow)...I've never had a complaint about their selection of the most well-known and recent foreign indies. "Let the Right One In", "The Hunt", "Force Majeure", The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy...though sure, they could always have more (and obviously, I don't know enough of the foreign scene to know all of the gems that they don't have).
But I imagine the problem for Netflix isn't that they do a shitty job of curation...but that the deals end up not being financially valuable to them, as it was in the Starz case. Ang Lee's movies ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Lust, Caution") were long-time selections, but I've just noticed they are no longer available for streaming.
edit: if you liked Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is definitely worth checking out. But whereas Oldboy was entertaining on top of being emotionally extreme...I'd argue "Mr. Vengeance" is much more of an artistic achievement, but at the cost of being "entertaining". In fact, I get a little ill at the thought of re-watching it, even though I own it on DVD.
[1] http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/oldboy-2005 -- Ebert's review here is so glowing that not only did it get me to seek out Oldboy, but it changed the way I think of foreign movies in comparison to Hollywood.
Re: How a small streaming site became the Netflix for indie film
#7Why won't they (mubi.com) tell me how much it costs?
No prices listed, and clicking links that seem like they would take me to that info send me to the 'subscribe now' nag dialog.
That's close-tab-and-forget-about-it behavior.
Re: How a small streaming site became the Netflix for indie film
#8Why won't they (mubi.com) tell me how much it costs? No prices listed, and clicking links that seem like they would take me to that info send me to the 'subscribe now' nag dialog. That's close-tab-and-forget-about-it behavior.
It's 4.99/Mo which it clearly says after the sign up dialog.
Re: How a small streaming site became the Netflix for indie film
#9I subscribed to MUBI for a while, and just never watched the films that were available. Some are quite risque for a dad with two pre-teens at home. But overall, I just don't watch movies at home. There's always something else to do. I hope they stay in business long enough for me to get to the point that I have time to participate.
Re: How a small streaming site became the Netflix for indie film
#10Why won't they (mubi.com) tell me how much it costs? No prices listed, and clicking links that seem like they would take me to that info send me to the 'subscribe now' nag dialog. That's close-tab-and-forget-about-it behavior.
There is an "About MUBI" link on the top left. A popup with a cleverly disguised slideshow will open, telling you about the price of 4,99€ per month.