This underwhelming week in Instant Watching

September 1 is the day the new Netflix pricing structure goes into effect, and with many customers making hard decisions about which plan they want, and Netflix presumably trying to push many into abandoning disc rentals altogether, you would think that right about now the company would really be beefing up its streaming library.

You would think.

The first of the month is usually a time when a flood of new titles becomes available, and since that is tomorrow, maybe it's a wee bit unfair for me to write this today. I see a few interesting things that will make customers happy coming tomorrow, such as a good chunk of the James Bond series. But this past week has been dead.

In fact, according to instantwatcher.com, as I write this, only 30 new streaming titles appeared on Netflix in the last 7 days, and none today. That's not a whole lot. Now, if there were high-profile, prestigious movies and TV series in that list, I wouldn't be as concerned about the quantity. But Netflix hasn't been bringing the quality this week, either, which seems odd given the pivotal nature of this time frame, a period in which many customers may consider dropping the service rather then deal with altered rental options and/or rate increases.

Some of the notable titles added lately:

Young Einstein: If you've been sitting there telling everyone, "I'd sign up for the streaming except for the appalling lack of Yahoo Serious titles available," well, you just got SERVED, mate.

Big Trouble in Little China: A friend of mine in high school loved quoting this movie and seemed to get a big kick out of the Kurt Russell character. It's not so much a big deal for me, but maybe if my friend has Netflix and hasn't had TNT, AMC, or the other channels that played the hell out of this over the past 20 years, he'll be pumped.

Wrecked: A direct-to-video Adrian Brody vehicle.

Knockout: The latest Stone Cold Steve Austin movie. I love Stone Cold Steve Austin, but...

The Expendables: OK, Austin's in this one, too, and this is not only an enjoyable action flick but a prime example of the kind of thing many Netflix users expect: a high-profile recent theatrical release. 3 months after it debuts on Epix, which of course already waited several months after its debut on home video, Instant Watching gets it. So it's a ways after that theatrical release. Still, this is a solid addition. The only problem is it's pretty much the only one this past week.

Zero Effect: Quirky Bill Pullman movie that has been all over pay cable over the years--not a marquee title but a nice addition in a big cluster of other additions. As one of the more notable movies over a 7-day-or-so period, it doesn't seem that impressive.

Lip Service: Kari Wuhrer movie. I can remember when Kari Wuhrer was almost as big a deal in the direct-to-video universe as Adrian Brody.

Let's hope there are a LOT of cool adds tomorrow.