What do these Netflix descriptors even mean?

[1GoldenSun]

I haven't had much time to watch Netflix for a while, but when the pumpkins and the candy corn and the cinnamon-scented broomsticks start hitting the stores it makes me want to cuddle up under a blanket with a handful of "fun size" candy bars (aka Halloween candy) and watch a scary movie. I was browsing Netflix, and all the movies and shows have descriptors appear when you hover the cursor over them. Emotional...suspenseful...thriller...romantic. Ok, I get those, and it does help with the decision-making process. But what is "slick," "explosive," "rousing," "provocative," "charming," and "intimate?" I mean, I know what these words mean, but how do they relate to movies and when did we start using words like these to describe movies? I'm not Siskell or Ebert.

What happened to the good old categories like romance, western, comedy, horror, drama, and romantic comedies? What the heck is a "slick" movie? At first I thought it said "sick" and was even more flabbergasted, but I'm sure any day now Netflix will describe a movie as "sick," and I guess we'll all be supposed to understand what that means.

I feel like Netflix has gone from being just a collection of movies that you can scroll through and choose from to being a heavily-marketed push campaign with every movies screaming "watch me! watch me!"

I still haven't found a horror movie that looks good. Maybe I'll have to settle for an "irreverent" one.

I think I'm getting old. Next thing you know I'll be yelling at kids to get off my lawn.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I feel like Netflix has gone from being just a collection of movies that you can scroll through and choose from to being a heavily-marketed push campaign with every movies screaming "watch me! watch me!"

Not just Netflix but ALL the streaming services keep trying to jam stuff I just don't want in front of my mug. The most irritating part is when a show I have been enjoying disappears from my list so I need to hunt for it through the clearance rack of bad shows I don't want.

If I see a show that catches my eye I usually dig through Rotten Tomatoes and see if it's a shark jump or for real good. I like Kate Winslet so I enjoyed Mare of Easttown (I forgave the accent like I let it go in Billions) & let it lead me to The Dressmaker but the Wonder Wheel was so horrendous I stopped the streak cold.

The horror ones are tough, I usually go back to older stuff I haven't seen in a while, The Shining, American Werewolves in London & Sixth Sense make it every year. I watched a Stephen King series last year too, The Outsider, which I loved but ended, predictably weak, it's become an attribute I look forward to in his stuff. Most of his stories are just so good and then just it seems he gets bored and sort of stops. I really hope there is a new one soon. Medium is older and an enjoyable sort of spooky horror series, Prodigal Son & Hannibal were good new series too.

 

[BrianL]

When a movie is "slick" to me that means high production values with a lot of polish - as in not cheesy and not crummy looking. Slick wouldn't necessarily apply to every movie like that though - it also needs to have a certain vibe or tone, something in a very cool style. Like Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are SLICK - or something like Free Guy. Some might think of it is trying TOO hard, but still getting it right.