Comments for Netflix Recommends Moses Movie For Lovers Of Death Wish 3

Netflix Recommends Moses Movie For Lovers Of Death Wish 3

2007-04-06T03:45:37Z

Speaking of God and marketing, here's a movie recommendation Netflix made to Sam. Because he enjoyed Death Wish 3, Netflix thought he would enjoy The Bible Collection: Moses.

This must be the one where Moses takes down the Pharaoh and his gang of thugs terrorizing the slums of Egypt. See, he waves his holy .457 magnum and the bullet parts the streetpunk's skin... — BEN POPKEN

Pssst! The Algorithm is Broken [Brief Essays With Pictures]
RELATED: The New IMDB Website Could Use Some Work

Comment from cmp179 on 2007-04-06

2007-04-07T04:39:54Z

Well, I just re-read my very first comment on Consumerist, and realized that I said Netscape instead of Netflix. How embarrassing!

Comment from Tamar Weinberg on 2007-04-06

2007-04-07T04:11:34Z

"This must be the one where Moses takes down the Pharaoh and his gang of thugs terrorizing the slums of Egypt."

Well, it IS still Passover, after all ;)

Comment from dogmatixx on 2007-04-06

2007-04-07T01:09:09Z

Obviously, Ben Popken hasn't read the Old Testament lately. If he had, he's realize that it's got enough murder, genocide, perverted sex, and other mayhem to satisfy even the most devoted ultraviolent film lover. Moses called down avenging angels to murder the first born child of every person in Egypt. I don't know if they looked like Charles Bronson, but I suppose they could have.

Comment from Artki on 2007-04-06

2007-04-07T01:00:36Z

@Hillbilly Bill Hilly:
> A .457 magnum you say?

Yeah, Moses was a bad mofo. He's not gonna settle for a pansy-ass .357! You should hope he ONLY shoots you with his .457 and doesn't turn his staff into a snake or something really mean.

Comment from elbuzzard on 2007-04-06

2007-04-06T20:06:48Z

Why is religion such a big deal on this site? It seems that anything having anything to do with religion is vilified. Awhile back it was the "Oh Noes fast food chains are marketing for Lent!!" post, then it was the two "OMGZ that cat food bag looks like the Madonna" posts. Now this. What's wrong with a movie about Moses?

Maybe you will like it, if your taste is bad enough to like Death Wish 3.

Comment from The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Disaster on 2007-04-06

2007-04-06T19:41:53Z

A .457 magnum you say?

Comment from lattehiatus on 2007-04-06

2007-04-06T08:28:47Z

Must be a slow day at the Consumerist... ;)

There's a very good reason for this happening with recommendations systems - because at least one other Netflix subscriber DID rent BOTH Death Wish 3 and The Bible Collection: Moses. Seeing as how both movies aren't exactly blockbusters, just one or two people doing that could very well "teach" the recommendation system to suggest one of those movies to someone who rented the other.

I'm not amused or worked up over this, but I am surprised that this item even came up at the Consumerist. We've had years to laugh at the follies of recommendation system algorithms since its early days. Let's not act like internet neophytes, and just brush this one off.

Comment from Designersheets on 2007-04-06

2007-04-06T08:10:11Z

They know they have issues with their recommendations systems - just click on that tiny link that says "Prize" at the bottom of their site. It goes on to say if you can design a better algorithm to recommend movies, blah,blah,blah Win a Million Bucks, blah,blah ! They want other people to fix it. So i say if you can program, go and get yourself some pocket change!!! hee hee.

Comment from Dustbunny on 2007-04-06

2007-04-06T06:35:32Z

I noticed that even if you rate a movie only 1 star, a message pops up saying "we think you'll enjoy yadda yadda", which makes even less sense. Because I didn't like this movie, I'll enjoy some other, totally unrelated movie?

Comment from cmp179 on 2007-04-06

2007-04-06T05:02:31Z

Netscape has given me some weird recommendations as well. The most interesting that comes to mind is that they thought I would enjoy Family Guy because I enjoyed Kill Bill: Volume 2.

Comment from typetive on 2007-04-05

2007-04-06T04:47:15Z

I noticed some similarly odd recommendations with IMDB as well.

There's a nostalgic made-for-TV special called Easter Promise (sequel to The House without a Christmas Tree) that recommends Patton.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0308203/

Following Patton brings you to their recommendations ... among them Eddie Izzard: Dress to Kill

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066206/

Comment from alhypo on 2007-04-05

2007-04-06T04:47:12Z

Is this really that surprising given how many christians (Southern Baptists, for example) are such bloodthirsty warmongers?

It's not as though someone sits there and figures out what movies you might like. It's just based on how others rate the movie. It seems totally plausible to me that the same people who like Moses also enjoy Death Wish.

Comment from Optimistic Prime on 2007-04-05

2007-04-06T04:13:54Z

For some reason NetFlix thinks I'll just love Michael Flatley: Gold because I liked Delta Force 2. Maybe I'll put it in my queue just to watch Flatly stomp some dudes to death.

Comment from superlayne on 2007-04-05

2007-04-06T04:04:15Z

We use the Blockbuster thing. Because my dad can't leave his brandname conventions.

Comment from billybastion on 2007-04-05

2007-04-06T03:03:36Z

i love netflix, but sometimes the movie they recommend me really annoy the shit out of me. i cant wrap my head around how their algorithm thinks just because i like annie hall and a clockwork orange, that i ll love rosemarys baby (seen it, and do indeed like it) AND y tu mama tambien.

how do they go from rosemarys baby, to y tu mama tambien?

Comment from rubyist on 2007-04-05

2007-04-06T03:02:39Z

Ah, the netflix algorithm. I had a similar experience: http://rubyi.st/2007/2/15/netflix-recommendation-algorithm...