This summer, Netflix will add every episode of Mad Men to its Instant Watch collection. That will be swell! But the service's streaming library is already vast, and there's plenty of great stuff to watch right now. Or, better yet, this weekend, from 8:00am Saturday to 8:00am Sunday. So here, if you're up for a challenge, is a perfect day of Netflix, celebrating the breadth of content it has to offer.
7:00am: Wake up. Make yourself some coffee and a hearty breakfast. You might think this will be a relaxing 24 hours. You're wrong.
The adventure begins! The day stretching out before you is filled with wonder and possibility. This first movie will kick off your voyage on a whimsical, optimistic note. Relish in this feeling! It probably won't last for long.
8:00am: Amelie
That was sweet! Maybe a little too sweet. But you're still feeling good, you say? We might as well polish off another feature length film while we've got the energy. My Cousin Vinny is still a feel-good flick but has a little bit more bite to it. If you do the drunk brunch thing, make yourself a Bloody Mary.
10:00am: My Cousin Vinny
Nice! 2 movies down and still going strong. But feeling a little hungry. Time for lunch. Make yourself a sandwich and then watch this Oscar-nominated documentary to find out how the food industry is DESTRYOING YOU AND THE PLANET.
12:00pm: Food Inc.
Whoa documentaries are good! But that one was kinda depressing. True enough! Here's an excellent one from PBS about origami—just trust me here—that's guaranteed to be one of the most inspiring and life-affirming things you've ever seen.
1:30pm: Between the Folds
Wait you mean to tell me that I'm having this much fun LEARNING? Another documentary, please! Certainly. The Thin Blue Line is one of the best documentaries ever. It got a man off death row!
2:30pm: The Thin Blue Line
Whoa. That was heavy, you're thinking. You feel a little upset. You need something more familiar. Something comforting. You want to go to…a place where everybody knows your name. After episode 2, make yourself a drink. It's happy hour after all.
4:30pm: Cheers (first 4 episodes)
Aww that was nice. And relaxing. But you're ready to go in with the serious stuff again, right? If you say so. BTW, this is dinner time. Order some delivery and eat it while you watch. We don't have any time to waste!
6:00pm: Network
"Holy shit that was crazy! Was that the Glen Beck story? What year was that made? 1976? Why hadn't I ever seen that before? You don't see movies like that anymore, do you?" (You don't. Too much synergy.) "Anyway, the sun just went down. Ease me into the night shift."
8:15pm: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
You're probably pretty floored, right? Well let's find something a little more terrestrial but even more spooky.
10:30pm: Twin Peaks (pilot)
Note: you might want to abandon the 24 Hours of Netflix project and watch the rest of Twin Peaks. That's a perfectly normal reaction. But don't give in! You can hole yourself up in your living room and find out what happened to Laura Palmer next weekend.
Midnight movie time!
12:00am: Rocky Horror Picture Show
"I'm starting to fade. I need something that will make me laugh and stimulate me back to consciousness."
1:40am: Louis CK: Chewed Up
"OK, ok. I see what you mean when you said this wasn't going to be easy. I'm dying out here. I want to sleep but I can't. Give me an insomniac protagonist to hold onto." Get yourself a tub of ice cream, too.
2:45am: Sleepless in Seattle
Romance! Perhaps you remember what that is. Perhaps not, if you have ventured into this by yourself. No matter, you're in the home stretch. Now watch the pilot of Party Down, another series you'll want to circle back and gobble up the rest of once this whole crazy mess is done.
4:30am: Party Down (pilot)
"I can't think. I can't feel. I'm faded. I need something that will make me laugh without stimulating my mind whatsoever."
5:00am: Wild Boyz (episodes 1-3)
"Am I asleep? Am I awake? Why did they give those guys from Jackass a travel show?" Anyhoo, we're here at last! Our final piece of programming. What will it be? Why, Bill Murray's seminal comedy about a predicament that should be amusing but actually ends up being existentially devestating. Just like this 24 hour Netflix exercise!
6:00am: Groundhog Day
Congrats! You did it! You're done. Now go cancel your Netflix subscription and sleep for like three days straight.