Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Netflix Suggestions are Weird

Netflix tries to suggest movies that they think you will like based on what you've already liked. Makes sense. But the results are sometimes a bit weird.

Sometimes they're just pathetically obvious:

 

So, since you've enjoyed various episodes of South Park, we're going to go out on a limb here and suggest that you may also like these other episodes of South park!

Sometimes, they're kinda weird:


Oh, so you enjoy stand-up comedy and American sit-coms? Oh, I'll bet you'll love this Ken Burns documentary! It's hilarious! Oh, it isn't?

And sometimes they're just bizarre.



American Experience: The Great Famine
Archer
The Kids in the Hall

Um, what?
Maybe "The Great Famine" is some sort of comedy?

Well, Netflix describes it thusly:

This installment of "American Experience" sheds light on the devastating 1921 famine that left millions of Soviet Russians starving, a pandemic that prompted then-Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover to mobilize Americans into action. 


So how is my enjoyment of very silly comedies an indication that I would enjoy an historical show about a huge tragedy? 
If anyone has any insight, I would love to know what these suggestions are based on.