> Every couple of days I curl up on the couch at 10pm, scroll through Amazon Prime video, and pick something to see I think this is big part of the problem. If

> Every couple of days I curl up on the couch at 10pm, scroll through Amazon Prime video, and pick something to see I think this is big part of the problem. If you rely exclusively on a mainstream subscription service, you're not really going to be satisfied, and it's been that way for a long time now. You will be more successful selecting movies another way and paying for them individually if you need to. Think about the incentives or the selective pressure. Paying for movies individually selects directly for great movies, whereas the movies available on a subscription service just need to be plentiful enough and bearable enough to keep enough people paying for the service. > To unthinkingly let a wave of content break over you This is amplified by letting a subscription service choose your content. You can be an active consumer, for example by thinking critically of the movie after you've watched it, and I think that starts with actively choosing your films (or festivals, etc). > In film, you start with the best and make your way down to the worst. I think this is an interesting point. But there are so many great films. 819 is not that many, right? And as you watch more, I think you can appreciate more, too. A deep dive into Ozu is likely to be a lot more rewarding for an experienced film enthusiast than for someone who watches a few blockbusters a year. "Learning the tricks" means you can see how the director is playing with them. I strongly recommend criticker for automatic recommendations. It is independent of a distributor. I've found it really quite accurate, and definitely good enough to skip the movies that will leave you feeling like you wasted your time and suggest movies you might not find otherwise.