...something slant sent me this link to What to Rent, the self-professed "World Leader In Movie Rental Suggestion Technology." I confess myself a bit puzzled by their algorithmic approach. But the cinetrix has never claimed to be a scientist.
The single greatest question troubling mankind at this time is "What movie should I rent ?". We are here to answer that question! What to Rent is a website linked to a computer-cluster that will recommend a movie for you to watch based upon your personality and the type of film experience you are looking for. It will provide you with the name of the movie that fits you, the year it was released, the director, and a few principle actors. No plot details are given away. You simply take your recommendation to your favorite place to rent movies, pick it up, and enjoy. The movie fan no longer has to suffer through self-serving biased reviews from overweight critics and awkward stares from video store clerks. [emphasis added] The movies in our database are primarily English language films. Most films are available for rent at most rental locations in the United States and Western Europe.
OK, the lede is dubious and in poor taste, the punctuation is atrocious, and they recommended the cinetrix watch Adaptation. Also, Anthony Lane is quite dapper, and he actually purchased a hardcover copy of his own book for me when I was unemployed.
[True story. I was the last person in the queue at Anthony Lane's book signing after he read from Nobody's Perfect, but I couldn't justify the expense of the book. So I approached bearing a flyer from the event for him to sign as a pretext to talk with him. We had a perfectly delightful conversation about Christopher Ricks, whatever happened to Julie Delpy, etc. I apologized for not buying his book and told him why. Lane proceeded to summon the bookstore staff, give them his credit card, and insist they bring him the receipt to sign. He told me he'd been on the dole, too, and knew what that was like. I was mortified then, and I still am now. I'm also incredibly grateful.]