The interface [1] made everything a little better by adding some interactivity. Your Xbox LIVE avatars would sit in front of a movie screen, and you could express simple emotions through them while watching the film. It was actually pretty fun back when the feature was around, especially as high school kids.
I'm glad I'm not the only one to find people talking through a TV show really annoying. I love to chat with people, I even love to chat about things we've watched with them, just not while its on.
I never quite understood why Netflix removed it.
[1]: http://i.imgur.com/6W99ylc.png