I tweeted earlier this week about my difficulties in using Netflix (a tweet about not being able to use technology! How novel!).

I won’t go over all that again but let’s just say the video platform Silverlight and my Mac were not friends, and there was much uninstalling and reinstalling and forced quitting of browsers and Googling of ways to make it all better.

My friend Keris suggested the problem might be my browser. “It’s working now, but I’ll try Chrome if it stops again,” I said.

“And then you’ll be free to watch The Three Amigos. Or On Golden Pond,” she sarcasted (yes) in response.

She was being funny, but she wasn’t kidding: the selection is not that big and not that recent. There’s a definite lack of films from this century and the TV is all British stuff I’m not interested in. (No, not Downton Abbey.)

I’ve never used the US version of Netflix, but what I’ve heard of it makes me believe that it’s much, much better than this new British version, which, fair enough, is in its very early days.

My plan is to use the hell out of this one month’s free trial (sorry Netflix, but you owe me after the Silverlight fiasco. Be easier to use!) and let you know what you can expect if you sign up. (If you’re British or planning on moving here.)

The Switch — Nasty concept but not as mean-spirited as I’d feared. Sweet and mediocre. Good to see Jason Bateman be nice(ish) again.

The Perfect Man — Awful film in the best way (the TV movie way).

Happy Accidents — Only managed 20 minutes. Worth studying as an example of how not to write a rom-com: it’s too cold, there’s no tension, everyone’s weird and unlikeable. Same kind of concept as Kate and Leopold but as much as that film is ridic, it knows what it wants to be. This one presented itself as rom-com, wanted to be indie, and drifted along, wasting two good actors. I didn’t even like it ironically.

Leatherheads — Way too long, and silly. But gorgeously-shot, 20s-set, and George Clooney and John Krasinski make it worth a punt (especially if you’re doing something else at the same time).

Waiting for Superman — Sad and interesting and I learned a lot about the US public school system, what a mess it’s in and why solving the mess is a bureaucratic nightmare. It made some great points and showed the real people trying to make a better life for their kids and not always succeeding, and it didn’t give any easy answers. I think it fell down in suggesting that a kid growing up to become a manual labourer was a big disaster (as the film had already shown, the real problem is kids growing up and feeling hopeless, dropping out at 15, turning to crime and ending up in prison. The other real problem is how little we value people who do physical labour so that they struggle to scrape by.) It tiptoed up to the edge of critiquing capitalism then backed away softly. Also, there’s some point about how in future there won’t be enough Americans qualified in science and maths so immigrants will have to come and do those jobs. Why is that a problem if they’re taking jobs no-one else can do? When has immigration not enriched America? (Often literally.)

Runaway Bride — Such a ridiculous film, such a let-down after Pretty Woman, and yet I will never not hate-watch it given the chance. My favourite is the bit at the end when… SPOILER!

…everyone hears that Maggie finally got married and they all dance/sing/jump around ‘cos they’re so happy she won’t be a spinster forever and finally they can relax.

Labor Pains — “Your stomach goes with you. It’s your stomach.” Lindsay Lohan pretends to be pregnant so she can’t be sacked and everyone will be nice to her. (Because that’s what happens.) Cheryl Hines, Bonnie Somerville, Janeane Garofalo, and Lane from Gilmore Girls are in it and it’s set in publishing. Worth watching in horror.